Vol State in the News

The Ledger Newspaper in Nashville has an article about the need for our new Nursing program.

Vol State in the News

The push is on for new TN Reconnect students. The Lebanon Democrat has our news release.

Graduate Profile: Isaac Ramirez

Isaac Ramirez is one motivated college student. “I’ve been pushing myself more and more every semester,” he said. He has a love for learning and a passion for science. His family is a big part of the reason he seeks out challenges.

“My parents came from Mexico when I was one-year-old,” he said. “My dad worked at a plant in Portland. He liked it and decided to stay. He started as an engineer and now he’s a supervising engineer.”

Life in a new country was difficult for the Ramirez family. “My parents struggled with learning English. I picked up Spanish from home and English at school. My dad never had the opportunity to do much in higher education. He was educated through his work. When we came here, their goal was to give us a better life through education. Everything they do involves getting me and my sisters into college.”

And so Isaac came to college; not out of high school, but rather as a high school junior. He’s a Sumner County Middle College High School student. His classes for the last two years have been at the Vol State campus in Gallatin. He will graduate in May with a Vol State associate’s degree and his high school diploma.

“I’ve been able to find classes I never would have been able to take at high school. The one that stands out the most is microbiology. I absolutely love it.”

His science classes at Vol State have been a launching pad for his dream to be a medical researcher.

“I want to go into pharmaceutical research. My main goal is to do research into superbugs and bacteriophages. That’s a form of virus that infects bacteria. They’re trying to use that to provide a way to fight bacteria without raising the chance that it becomes resistant to treatment.”

His next step is the University of Alabama at Huntsville, where he has received a full-tuition scholarship and a seat in the Honors College. He plans to pursue a dual degree in biology and chemistry. His Vol State classes have provided a jump start on his bachelor’s degree. “I should be able to finish in two and a half to three years.”

His parents will be watching closely. “They’re checking-up on every single step. They’re super-excited for me to go out into the world and find a way to do what I love doing.”

Graduate Profile: Brianna Hogan

Riding in a cop car can be a life changing experience. So it was for Criminal Justice major, Brianna Hogan. During her final year of high school, Brianna accompanied a police officer on a ride-along to see what the job was all about. Initially the ride-along was simply intended to check the proverbial box to fulfill her job-shadowing requirement for TN Promise. Little did she know it would become her future career path.

“He went on his daily rounds, he showed me everything he has to do, I think there was like two or three calls we went on. We did a couple of traffic stops, it was just, like, exciting. I was like, oh this is definitely what I think I wanna go into,” she said. “I want something that challenges me on a daily basis, so I thought that it would be a good field to go into because you don’t know what’s gonna happen in a day, it could quickly change.”

Her eventual goal is to join the FBI. After Vol State, she plans on pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Austin Peay State University. There she intends to double major in Criminal Justice and Foreign Language with an emphasis in either Spanish or Chinese, both of which she currently studies at Vol State.

“TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) has a position for foreign language translators, so I could pair the two that I want to do, that’s my goal right now … I guess I’d like to work my way up either to an ATF agent or a U.S. Marshal or something like that.”

Brianna has been a Vol State President’s Ambassador this year. She said she’s going to miss the familiarity of the college, but she’s excited to move on and continue her education.

-Rachel Keyes

Vol State in the News

Vol State students did great in the SkillsUSA state tournament recently. The Overton County news has the story.

A recent exam pass rate in the Mechatronics program has received attention. Here is a story in the Lebanon Democrat.

The push is on for summer class registration. The Hendersonville Standard has this piece.

Vol State faculty members work hard in organizing community academic events, such as the annual Tennessee Math Teachers Association math contest. Here is a story about the latest competition.

MLT Students Win at Conference

Congrats to students in the Medical Laboratory Technology program. They participated in the Tennessee Annual Laboratory Conference recently. The conference took place at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Students attended a variety of educational lectures on current laboratory topics. The Vol State program had three teams participate in the Student Bowl competition. One of our teams won in the MLT category, and only fell behind 10 points in the end from winning against the MLS category winners. Thanks to MLT Director Kimberly Helton for the leadership to get them there!

Graduate Profile: Bobbijo Andrews

Bobbijo Andrews of Cookeville is a Gold Medalist in Extemporaneous Speaking and you may think that means she has the gift of gab, but that isn’t the case at all.

“I was recruited for the SkillsUSA competition,” she said. “Public speaking is not my thing, but I’m getting better at it. It was very much out of my comfort zone to speak in public and compete, but I think I needed it to boost my confidence.”

That’s a common theme for Andrews, who was home schooled and worked for 12 years before deciding to take the plunge into college.

“I never gave myself enough credit. I was living paycheck to paycheck and I was tired of it. I’ve been eager to learn and participate. If you go into school with that outlook, you will do well.”

She attended classes at the Vol State Livingston campus and the Cookeville Higher Education Campus (CHEC). “Both campuses are so welcoming. You’re like family.” She plans to major in Audiology and Speech Therapy at university in the fall.

“I have worked with mentally disabled adults and they sometimes need speech therapy. They are such grateful individuals and the work is really important to their lives. That’s why my heart is in it.”

While at Vol State, Andrews participated in the Sign Language Club, a new offering at CHEC, and also in the Green Team, responsible for environmental activities, such as CHEC Earth Day. She will also be speaking publicly again- participating in the national competition for SkillsUSA in June.

Her next step after that will be Middle Tennessee State University and while she admits the size of the school is a bit scary, it’s clear that she is ready to overcome that as well. “I am a nervous wreck. I’m a small town girl. But I’m excited.”

Vol State in the News

Nice story in the Tennessean about the long-running Hendersonville Rotary mission trips to Guatemala, led Dr. Bill Taylor, and the involvement of our Ophthalmic Program in that work.

The new Nursing program application deadline is coming up on May 1. The Herald Citizen and other media have been promoting meetings designed to answer student questions.

Graduate Profile: Zachary Houtman

There was recently a milestone announcement in the science community: the first picture of a black hole. The achievement is more than just another news story for Zachary Houtman- it is inspiration. He is feeding his love of science by pursuing a career in engineering or physics.

“If I could see humanity expand from Earth in my lifetime that would be great to see,” he said.

And Zachary doesn’t want to be on the sidelines of space exploration- he intends to be part of the scientific process that takes humans to the far reaches of our solar system. To do that, the Middle College High School student will need a top-notch education. His acceptance and full-ride scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is just the latest step for him. RPI is one of the top science research universities in the nation.

“I spend a lot of my free time looking at topics like relativity,” he said. “I’d like to be a researcher at NASA. There’s one topic I’m really interested in right now called the Alcubierre Drive.” He’s speaking about an idea in theoretical physics that is based on the equations of Albert Einstein in general relativity. It speculates that humans could achieve faster-than-light travel by creating a spacecraft that could contract space in front of it and expand space behind it.

“You create a gravitational anomaly,” he said. The sparkle in his eyes when discussing the idea gives you just a hint of how much he enjoys science. He was able to explore more of math and science through the Sumner County Middle College High School program. He transferred from Portland High School after his junior year.

“The biggest thing with Middle College was the opportunities. I’ve taken nine math classes in my high school career. Being in an environment where everyone is motivated to do better is refreshing.”

Zachary will graduate with his high school diploma and an associate degree in May, a unique opportunity for students in Middle College. He plans an advanced education after completing his bachelor’s degree at RPI, perhaps even a PhD. He is already considering thesis topics.

“If I had to choose my thesis right now it would be relativity. The large scale of the universe is amazing.”

Welcome Kyle Barron

Kyle Barron is the new assistant vice president for Student Services. He comes most recently from Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College in Bowling Green, KY, where he held the position of director of Student Life and Engagement.

"Being from Bowling Green, I knew about Vol State and the reputation it has in the community,” Barron said. “The students-first philosophy aligns well with my personal beliefs about student success.”

Barron is a first-generation college student and community college graduate. He said that perspective helps when considering what community college students need to succeed.

“Retention of students, in many different areas, will be a big focus for me. That can come in the area of career. It helps when students know about job possibilities and how they can get there. I want to look at tailoring events to better engage students, so they stay with college and walk across that stage someday to get their diploma.”

Barron has an associate of arts degree from Richland College, a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree from the University of North Texas, and a Master of Education: Higher Education degree, also from the University of North Texas. He has completed his work for an EdD degree from the University of Kentucky. His dissertation title is “It’s Not the Program, It’s the People: Building Human Levers of Retention in Community Colleges.” He expects to receive the degree in May.

Farewell to these Retirees

A group of amazing people are retiring this year and last week we had an opportunity to celebrate their careers. It was a lovely ceremony with fun stories and, of course, some tears. We wish the best of luck to the group. Here are photos of the attendees receiving their retirement honors.

Robert L.	Alexander
Mark John	Conrad
Glenda B.	Godwin
Paul M.	Hammock
Larry D.	Harber
Peter J.	Johnson
Leslie M.	Lachance
Debra L.	Lindsay
Jane M.	McGuire
Judy L.	Merritt
Robert Lewis	Morris
Rebecca S.	Pedigo
Louise M.	Stephens
Betty C.	Williams

Vol State Students Win in Statewide Job Skills Competition

College academic work can lead to job skills. Volunteer State Community College students had an opportunity recently to show off those skills at the statewide SkillsUSA competition in Chattanooga. Vol State students scored top honors in four categories and placed in several others. SkillsUSA is an organization that provides educational events, competitions, and programs that support technical and career education across America.  The competition also connected students with businesses that need skilled workers.

“Several of our students made contacts that could lead to careers upon graduation,” said Vol State Mechatronics faculty member, Tim Dean. “I had more than one employer comment to me that they were quite impressed with not only the technical skills of the students, but also the professionalism that they demonstrated.”

“We are excited that our students have such a broad spectrum of areas of expertise,” said assistant professor of Communication, Cindy Thrasher. “They competed not only in technical areas, but also in Leadership areas like Public Speaking and Interviewing.”

The Gold medalists will go on to compete in the national SkillsUSA competition in Louisville in June.

Pictured: The Vol State competitors, left to right. Front row:  Jarissa Woolbright, Cookeville, Gold Medal, Restaurant Service; Preston Carr, Cookeville, Gold Medal, Culinary Arts; Hannah Foley, Cookeville, Gold Medal, Commercial Baking; and Delenn Strong of Gainsboro.

2nd row:  Tim Dean, Mechatronics program director; BobbiJo Andrews, Cookeville, Gold Medal, Extemporaneous Speech; Melody Montgomery, Livingston, Bronze Medal, Prepared Speech; Pam Davis, Cookeville; Jarrett Talbott, Cookeville, Bronze Medal, Motorcycle Repair; Nicholas Drake, Cookeville; and Cindy Thrasher, assistant professor of Communication.

3rd row:  Josiah Watson, Celina; Miguel Ortiz, Baxter, Silver Medal, Technical Computer Applications; Tallen Gooch, Sparta, Bronze Medal, Team Mechatronics; and Samuel Griffin, Sparta, Bronze Medal, Team Mechatronics.

A Big Win for Respiratory Care Students

Vol State’s Respiratory Care 2019 Cohort attended the Tennessee Society for Respiratory Care Conference in Gatlinburg recently. The students competed in an event called the “Sputum Bowl”. It consists of a panel of students from each institution competing against each other to answer respiratory related questions. There were 4 rounds of timed questions the teams competed in. The Sputum Bowl consisted of 6 teams from around the state of Tennessee from various respiratory care programs. Our Vol State Respiratory Care students won the Sputum Bowl event!

Vol State in the News

A WPLN Nashville radio story that aired a few months ago went national yesterday, appearing on National Public Radio (NPR) and on the front page of their website today. It focuses on the opportunities and challenges with the TN Reconnect program. Emily Siner from WPLN did the reporting. Thanks to all of the students and staff who participated.

The recent statewide honor for faculty member Girija Shinde was featured in the Overton County News.

Honors for Sue Pedigo

Outgoing Financial Aid Director, Sue Pedigo, was recently presented with the Special Milestone Award from the Tennessee Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (TASFAA). The award honors her many years of service to the profession of Financial Aid. The financial aid director at MTSU, Stephen White, made the presentation at the 51st. Spring TASFAA Conference. Sue was selected out of all the financial aid professionals in Tennessee.

Sue will soon be leaving Vol State for retirement. This recognition is just one example of the impact she has had, not only on Vol State, but on higher education in Tennessee.

Vol State in the News

Math and Science faculty member Erin Bloom has been exploring crayfish, including a unique species now named the "Screaming Eagle Crayfish." WPLN radio explains.

WVCP Vol State radio recently celebrated 40 years on the air. The Hendersonville Standard has the story.

Shinde Named Faculty Member of the Year for TBR

Congratulations to Dr. Girija Shinde on being named Community College Faculty Member of the Year at the Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition (SOAR) celebration in Nashville last night. Professor Shinde has been teaching Biology at Vol State at Livingston since 2002.

The SOAR Awards are designed to highlight student, faculty, and staff achievement in the TBR system.

“The mission of our College System and each of our community and technical colleges is the success of all our students and the development of Tennessee’s workforce. It’s appropriate that we recognize the outstanding students – and the outstanding faculty and staff members on our campuses who work with students daily to help them succeed,” said TBR Chancellor Flora W. Tydings.

Eighteen finalists for the individual awards advanced through college- and regional-level competitions in East, Middle and West Tennessee to the final interviews with a panel of judges this week. One winner was announced in each the three categories for the Community Colleges and for the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) – for a total of six individual award winners.

Pictured: TCAT Faculty of the Year, Rebecca Russell of Knoxville, and Girija Shinde, Community College Faculty Member of the Year.

Vol State Speech and Debate Team Wins National Tournament

The Volunteer State Community College Speech and Debate Team won the Novice National Parliamentary Debate Tournament recently at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.  The team won other awards in several events. The Vol State team competed against over 200 other Novice students. The Novice Nationals event is designed to be an educational, yet competitive, atmosphere, and is open to students in their first year of intercollegiate forensics competition.

“It is a great honor to win this championship,” said Karen Johnson, director of Forensics. “I am thankful for the continued support of Tonya Daniels, dean of the Humanities Division, Melva Black, chair of the Department of Communication, as well as the faculty of the Humanities Division who have assisted in recruiting efforts over the past year. We are also thankful for the financial support of Student Engagement for without their assistance, we would not be able to compete in this national tournament.” 

Nine teams and five schools competed in Debate while sixteen schools competed in the Individual Events competition. Elijah Avery, sophomore from Lebanon, and Danielle Salvato, freshman from Hendersonville, won first place in Novice Parliamentary Debate. Additionally, Avery won 2^nd place Debate, 2^nd place in Impromptu Sales, 3^rd place in Impromptu Speaking, and 3^rd place Pentathlon. Autumn Howard, freshman from Hendersonville, won sixth place in Persuasive Speaking.

"Upon joining the Vol State Speech and Debate team last semester, I never thought that winning a national tournament would be in my future,” said Avery. “I'm incredibly ecstatic for not only earning a national title, but being able to do so with talented and passionate teammates and a fantastic coach whom without this would not have been possible to achieve"

The Vol State Speech and Debate Team is comprised of students from different academic divisions. Students can apply in the fall semester to be part of competitions next year. For more information about Communication programs at Vol State visit www.volstate.edu/communication.

Pictured: The Vol State competitors, left to right: Elijah Avery, Autumn Howard, and Danielle Salvato.

Vol State in the News

The Sonography program is still looking for pregnant women who would like a free ultrasound. The Lebanon Democrat has a story with the details.

The Nursing Program is accepting applications for the first class. It will be held in Gallatin and Livingston. Here is the Overton County News on the program.

Vol State Celebrates 40 Years of WVCP Radio

Students and volunteers came back to visit radio station WVCP on Saturday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of broadcasting on 88.5 FM. The Volunteer State Community College radio station took to the airwaves on January 4, 1979. Visitors toured the studios to see the many technology changes. The event brought in people from the last four decades to reminisce. Some had not seen each other in many years. DJ BumperJack, also known as George Hurd of Nashville, was doing his regular Heavens Gospel Memories show during the event.

“I love it. I came here for free college because I am over 65 and Mr. Howard signed me up. I’ve had a lot of good feedback from my listeners,” Hurd said. “People like the show and like the songs. We have good radio shows here. I’ve listened to the other DJs. It’s fun and educational to volunteer here.”

Pictured above: George “BumperJack” Hurd in a break from his DJ duties.

Alan Smith of Madison worked at WVCP from 1997-1998 and 2004-2005. He catches up with Jane Edwards of Hermitage who was DJ from 1990-1993.

People view pictures from across the forty years of broadcasting history.

A Bridge for the Gallatin Campus

You have probably noticed the large sidewalk project underway on the Gallatin campus. Last week, construction crews put in a new bridge at the back of the parking lot behind SRB. It connects to a new sidewalk on the Loop Road around the back of campus.
Part of the sidewalk project includes connections to two new cross-walks, one at the intersection of Gap Blvd. and Nashville Pike, and the other at the main entrance. It will make it much easier for people to walk across the street to businesses.That project is expected to be completed later this year.

Here is a look at the other sidewalk projects.

Impressive Pass Rate for Mechatronics Certification Exams

Mechatronics students at Volunteer State Community College are showing an impressive pass rate in certification exams. Twenty-three of twenty-four students recently passed the Siemens Level One Certification exam. The technology company has training and certifications in many different areas. A Siemens Certified Mechatronic Systems Assistant could carry out their work at plant assembly sites or service operations which utilize complex mechatronic systems. The certification is recognized both locally and internationally as a mark of superior training. It’s an important factor for employers in hiring.

Congrats to the Mechatronics students and faculty and we can't wait to see you in your new Gallatin lab!

Vol State in the News

We've been promoting Work-Based Learning to the community. This story in the Cookeville Herald Citizen discusses two student experiences.

The Nursing Program is taking applications now for the first class. Here is coverage in the Lebanon Democrat.

Vol State in the News

Congratulations to Baseball Coach Ryan Hunt. He was honored recently with the Brent Foster Legacy Award from Lebanon High School. It honors outstanding alumni of LHS. Here is the story in the Wilson Post.

Workforce and Economic Development - We Need Your Help

Continuing Education was recently re-branded as the Division of Workforce and Economic Development.  The department is led by Assistant Vice President for Economic and Community Development, Hilary Marabeti and falls under the oversight of the Vice President for Economic and Community Development, Nick Bishop.  The department is focused on activities designed for career entry, career sustainability, and career advancement .  The department assists students, job seekers, and incumbent workers with obtaining training and certifications to succeed and advance within the workforce.  The department also provides a wide array of assistance to employers through incumbent worker trainings, as well as working with employers to develop partnerships to ensure both present and future workforce needs are being addressed within the communities we serve.

A recent report distributed by the Tennessee Board of Regents listed Volunteer State Community College as having generated the greatest number of workforce training hours among the thirteen state community colleges in Tennessee during fiscal year 2017-2018..Of the total 696,041 hours produced by all thirteen institutions, Volunteer State contributed 32% of the overall total, or 223,650 training hours.  The division recorded 17,700 enrollments during this same time period. The department is focused on continuing to enhance existing offerings, but also placing an emphasis on expanding offerings to further align the department offerings with labor market and industry demands. (see link to survey below) 

In an effort to further align our college and to continue our focus on student success as our number one priority, Administrator of Work Based Learning,  Dr. Rick Parrent will report directly to the Office of Vice President for Economic and Community Development, Nick Bishop.   Vol State is rapidly growing our commitments from employers to partner with the college in the area of Work Based Learning (WBL) and other related training partnerships.  One of our many goals is to further develop opportunities to connect our academic degree seeking programs with WBL or similar based opportunities in order to ensure student success and connectivity to the workforce. 

In the coming months be prepared to see more calls for partnerships from WBL and the Office of Vice President for Economic and Community Development as a result of increased demand from employers, local community leaders, and new legislative initiatives focusing on the connectivity between higher education and the workforce.  For additional information or questions, please contact Nicholas.Bishop@volstate.edu  

Please feel free to complete the course interest survey below and share with your contacts across the region. 

http://www2.volstate.edu/research/surveys/CrseInterest/CrseInterest1.htm?path=%2Fresearch%2Fsurveys%2FCrseInterest%2F&fbclid=IwAR36iiA0B7g5seZ5vLRhfpcn4a410-KwLjzOmHYOa9XaFancUBsVReD3vj8

Ophthalmic in Guatemala

Vol State Ophthalmic students and faculty are once again working in Guatemala to provide eye exams and glasses for people in a village there. The team saw 90 people on Monday and 191 patients on Tuesday. Here are some pictures they sent.

Book Drive Update

We have an update on the Dr. Seuss themed book drive led by Education program students. They collected more than 300 books, which will be distributed to two local Head Start programs and one day care. Educational Psychology students distributed the books to one of the Head Start locations today. In addition, they read to children to celebrate Read Across America Week. Congrats to students and faculty on a great project!

Landon Crowell Exhibit at Vol State Gallery

The work of Ohio artist Landon Crowell is on display at the Volunteer State Community College Art Gallery. Crowell is the Sculpture and Gallery technician at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where he also completed his B.F.A. in sculpture. Landon said he has spent more than 17 years traveling and living across the United States honing his technical skills and exploring the art making process. He adds that most of the materials for his latest project were scavenged from construction site dumpsters and demo projects from remodeling.

“The work in “Canyons of the Broken and Departed” is a culmination of ideas and material experimentation that I have been working on since 2010, with some elements reaching back as far as 1996,” Crowell said. “It is a map of sorts, of memories long since faded and barely recognizable. Through altered landscapes, realities, memories and materials.”

The Vol State show runs until March 28. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The Vol State Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the Steinhauer-Rogan-Black (SRB) Humanities Building on the Gallatin campus at 1480 Nashville Pike. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call 615-230-3202.

Pictured: You Shimmed us up to remain true. Without you level has become very elusive. By Landon Crowell

Dunaway Hired as Vol State Financial Aid Director

Donna Dunaway has been hired as the director of Financial Aid at Vol State. She had been assistant director of Financial Aid at Motlow State Community College in Smyrna for nearly nine years.

“I wanted to have the opportunity to have an impact on an institution as director and hopefully, help the college continue to move forward,” Dunaway said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Long-time director, Sue Pedigo, is working alongside Donna in the transition.

Dunaway has worked in educational financial aid for twenty-four years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University.

“In the last five years there have been significant changes to financial aid. One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with federal regulations. I often say that financial aid is like trying to pin Jell-O to the wall.”

Carole Bucy Featured in NPT Documentary

Vol State History professor Carole Bucy is featured as a commentator in the new Nashville Public Television documentary, Soldier & Citizen.  It examines how minority groups ‒ specifically African-Americans and women ‒ leveraged their “blood debt” of military service to further their cause for full citizenship. Soldier & Citizen premieres Thursday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. on NPT and will be available for online viewing at wnpt.org and streaming at wnpt.org/video.

Dr. Bucy will also be speaking at an event for the documentary. NPT and the Tennessee State Museum are hosting a free preview event this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the museum. Reservations are required at soldier-npt.eventbrite.com. Seating will be first come, first served.

The panelists are Dr. Lisa M. Budreau, senior curator of military history at the Tennessee State Museum; Dr. Carole Bucy, professor of history at Volunteer State Community College; Jo Ann McClellan, founder and president of the African American Heritage Society of Maury County; and Dr. Reavis L. Mitchell Jr., professor of history and Dean of the School of Humanities and Behavioral Social Sciences at Fisk University.

This is an extended trailer of the documentary: https://youtu.be/tUVz2nLQPIM

Vol State Radio WVCP-FM Celebrates 40 Years

Thousands of students and volunteers have worked at the Vol State radio station over the years. Now WVCP-FM is welcoming back those alumni to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of 88.5 FM. An open house will be held on Saturday, March 16 at the studios in the Ramer Building on the Vol State campus in Gallatin. The tours and events run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the latest studios and have lunch at noon. Station Manager Howard Espravnik said he is excited to see the many DJs and students who participated in community broadcasting at WVCP.

“I think it will be a lot of fun to see so many of our former WVCP students and volunteers. When you talk to students that you haven’t seen in many years, it’s always interesting to learn about what types of employment they’ve had and their many accomplishments,” Espravnik said.

WVCP took to the airwaves on January 4, 1979. The groundwork for the station was led by Sammy Parker and Terry Arnold. James Milliner was radio station chief engineer in 1979, in addition to his full-time job in maintenance at the college. He continues today in a part-time role at WVCP. Skip Sparkman was a broadcast instructor at Vol State for many years. In 1983 he was instrumental in getting the station an increase from 300 to 1,000 watts of power. Espravnik arrived at Vol State in 1986 and has been with the station for the more three decades. His work included rebuilding the station after the studios took a direct hit from an F-3 tornado in 2006.

People are asked to register on a web page so the college knows how many people may attend. Visit: http://bit.ly/2GN8HuB

For more information about the WVCP anniversary open house call 615-230-3218.

Here is a look back. The pictures at the end show the damage from the 2006 tornado.

Vol State in the News

A state report reinforced that a large number of Tennessee high school students are not prepared for college. Channel 5 came to campus to talk to Dr. Faulkner about the issue. Here is the story.

The announcement of a new RN Nursing program in Gallatin and Livingston received some coverage. This is the story in the Upper Cumberland Business Journal.

Health Sciences Programs Join for Simulation

Health Sciences programs had an opportunity to show their stuff last week. They held a Division-wide simulation. The scenario was a person falling down stairs. EMT students responded and transported the patient in the Vol State demonstration ambulance. They took the patient on several more stops, simulating the hospital experience. Along the way MLT, Rad Tech, Ultrasound, Respiratory, Ophthalmic, Dental Assisting, Physical Therapist Assistant, and Health Information students participated in their specialty. The folks in Media Services brought out many cameras and equipment to capture the action. The finished video will be used as a teaching tool for each program.