Logistics Students Awarded Scholarships

Carrie Irvin and Jeff Hartmann, Vol State students in Logistics & Supply Chain Management, are winners of the two $500.00 scholarships annually awarded by the Institute of Supply Chain Management-Nashville (ISM). Both Carrie and Jeff are Dean’s List students who have already completed their technical certificates in Logistics & Supply Chain Management. Carrie and Jeff plan to complete their associate degrees in fall 2012 Semester and move forward to earn bachelor degrees.

Carrie and Jeff both are Student Members of Institute of Supply Management-Nashville and regularly attend ISM-Nashville dinner meetings and special events.

Volunteer State Community College

Congratulations Graduate Award Winners!

The annual Graduate Awards Dinner was held last week. It highlights the exceptional students on campus- the ones who made a big difference academically and in the lives of others. The evening reminds us of the incredible talent and positive nature of the students here on campus. It gives us yet another reason to be proud to be a Pioneer. Congratulations to all. You can copy photos from that night by visiting this web page: http://volstate.edu/galleries/2012_graduate_awards/


JAMES "JIM" C. MOORE AWARD

Thomas A. Jones

William Kernodle

Brandon Shaw

JAMES L. TUTTLE AWARD

Gigi Beals

Katie Dossey

Hunter Harris

Kaitlyn Kohls

Chris Krause

Helen McBride

Crystal McCormick

PATRICIA B. LEBKUECHER AWARD

Gary Bickle

Matthew Cole

Brandon Shaw

Charmaine Stubblefield

MARY COLE NICHOLS AWARD

Carol Abney

Shelby Jo Fenter

Samantha Hearn

Shellie Leach

Jazmin Mercer

David Spears

R. WADE POWERS AWARD

Joey Brady

Tammy Hudson

Joseph Kaiga

Megan Weddle

HAL R. RAMER AWARD

Jason Aguilar

Traci Grant

POSITIVE DIFFERENCE AWARD

Paul Farmer


Allied Health Division Excellent Award- Rachel Jones

Humanities Division Excellence Award- Shellie Leach

Sullivan Award- Outstanding Math and Science Grad- Traci Grant

Social Science and Education Division Excellence Award-Hiba Ghanem

Business Division Excellence Award- Gary Bickle

International Education Excellence Award- Gary Bickle

Service Learning Faculty Award- David Johnson

Service Learning Student Award- Brandon Shaw


Outstanding Graduate Nominees

Carol Abney

Linda Anderson

Gary Bickle

Andrew Dunn

Amanda Fultz

Hiba Ghanem

Traci Grant

Skylar Hinton

Rachel Jones

Shellie Leach

Kenneth Steward II

Molly Webb

Another 100 Percent Pass Rate for Respiratory!

The Respiratory Care Program at Volunteer State Community College is celebrating another big accomplishment. All 19 students in the 2011 graduating class completed their board examinations this spring and passed the national certification exam on the very first attempt. It’s the fifth year in a row that Respiratory Care graduates have had a 100 percent pass rate on the first attempt. The students must pass the National Board for Respiratory Care exam to be credentialed, and they need to be credentialed to become licensed and gain employment. The national average first attempt pass rate for all respiratory care exam candidates is 57 percent. Volunteer State Allied Health programs traditionally have very high pass rates. Members of this Respiratory Care program will walk in the May 2012 graduation ceremony.


Vol State’s Respiratory Care credentialing board examinees:

Front row, left to right: Chet Creswell, Cody Morel, Jennifer Robbins, Danna Stockton, Stephanie Gould

Second row, left to right: Kim Christmon, Clinical Director, Bruce Burdine, Melanie Walker, Carmen Webster, Falin Gautz, Barbara Proffitt, Chas Osborn, Yasi Kiani, Timothy Patterson, Justin Randolph

Third row, left to right: Christina Hughes, Jennifer Bandy, Cory Martin, Program Director, Mark Risinger, Dusty Lilly, Penny West

Dr. Ruff Retires - After Investing 39 Years in his Students

My college ride has been full of surprises and this week was no different.  I attended the annual Honors Program information presentation on Tuesday night and it ended with an unusual twist.  Dr. George Pimentel went through the traditional formalities, but closed with a special presentation from the students for Dr. Bob Ruff.  As each of them shared comments about how much Dr. Ruff had changed their lives, I was impressed with what a difference one teacher can make.

Ruff has been teaching for almost fifty years, with the last thirty-nine of them here at Vol State.  He is known for using a style of teaching made famous by Socrates in which the students engage in conversation exploring opposing viewpoints in search of truth.

Adjunct English instructor, Arlo Hall is a former student of Dr. Ruff’s.  “In a lot of ways, he is the benchmark for what makes a good teacher,” said Hall.  “He was shocking, interesting, and challenging and he was also the first teacher that treated me like an adult.  He is not afraid to challenge his students; he expects them to try as hard as they can.  He does a great job of directing the conversation without monopolizing it.  I think of him as the definition of critical thinking.”

Philosophy major Janie Bresee uses the skills she learned in his class on a regular basis.  “At first his reputation was a little intimidating, but after I got to know him, I was more comfortable in the class.  He provoked me to learn—not with a lecture, but from the questions he would ask.  He helped me to learn how much I could handle.  I went into the class thinking that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the work, but I found out that I had more within myself than what I realized.”

Jessica Saunders is currently a student in Ruff’s American History/Literature combo class.  This is an Honors class in which two disciplines are combined, creating a holistic experience for the learner.  “He has been amazing, I have learned more from him and Professor Blomgren than I ever thought possible.  He holds you accountable when you are doing something wrong without making you feel bad.  The group discussions are wonderful, but when I try to take that method to other classrooms, it fails.  He has taught me that even when you feel like giving up—don’t!   Just keep on.”

Director of the Honors Program, Dr. George Pimentel, has worked with Ruff for ten years.  “One of the things I have always admired about him is his ability to get students to want to learn.  He’s tough, but he has a way to get students to participate.  Some of us have talked about how we can get our students to love learning, like he does.  He will be missed on this campus.”

Grady Eades is the department chair for social sciences.  “Many people say they use the Socratic Method and claim they don’t lecture, but Dr. Ruff really does,” said Eades.  “He doesn’t have a set schedule.  The conversation directs where the lessons go, so it’s learning in the truest sense of the word.”  Eades said that colleges often focus on things not directly pertaining to learning, such as meeting administrative requirements and bureaucracy that comes with the territory.  “Dr. Ruff is deliberative.  He takes his time and is thoughtful about things; he doesn’t rush just because the world around him wants him to.  When it comes to making decisions and treating people appropriately, when people get caught up in thinking this has to be done right now, he continued on at his own pace.”

English Professor Nancy Blomgren has been the second half of the combo class for seventeen years.  “He doesn’t assume students are all empty vessels that need to be filled,” said Blomgren.  “They already have something there that can be worked with.  Once they know that, then they can do just about anything.  He knows his students can do it, even though they may not know it.  His students end up doing far more than they thought they could.  That’s a real gift to give to somebody.  When he leaves, there will be a void, and things will be different.  But I think the impact he has made on the way his colleagues think about students will continue.”

Volunteer State Community College

Student Art Takes Over the Ramer Building

If you haven't seen the Vol State Student Art show you need to check it out. There's photography, painting, drawings and a variety of graphic art styles. The work is hanging in the new art location on campus- the Ramer Great Hall. Those of us who work here think art in Ramer adds a new energy to the building. Art students spent several days hanging the work. It runs from the Great Hall down the hall to Advising. The Art Gallery used to be in the Thigpen Library lobby. Construction work there forced the move. It's nice to have art back on display at Vol State.

On Friday April 27 they'll be holding the Arts Alive Reception & Awards Ceremony is Friday in the Ramer Great Hall from 12:30pm-1:30pm. Awards include student work in art, the Number One literary magazine and the Squatters' Rites literary magazine.


Jurors are the one's who judge the student work. Here is what one juror had to say:


"I was extremely impressed by the variety and caliber of works submitted. I want all students to know that I took my time and very carefully weighed presentation, concept, mastery of medium, composition, use of color, and creativity in my selections for the exhibition. You should all be very proud of the work you are doing and showing. It was truly difficult to make edits.

This is a strong and diverse show!"

"Awards were based on works that stood out. Works that pushed the limits of materials or mediums were recognized.

Britt Stadig

Professional Artist

Academic Director of Art Foundations, General Education, and Transitional Studies

Art Institute of Tennessee-Nashville.

Logistics Visits VW in Chattanooga

On April 5, Vol State logistics Students Gary Bickle and Jeff Hartmann traveled 412 miles round trip with APSU graduate Student Beverly Wilson and Vol State Professor George Wilson to the Volkswagen Academy in Chattanooga. Director Edward Collins showed the training facilities that prepared Volkswagen employees for the safety, welding, robotics, mechanical, electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics, and computer technologies used in the adjacent Volkswagen Assembly Plant. Up next, an Assembly Plant tour in July after Jeff and George return from TnCIS China 2012 (where they will tour Volkswagen's Shanghai factory). Both the Shanghai factory and the Chattanooga factory produce the Volkswagen Passat.

Volkswagen Academy was developed by Volkswagen in partnership with Chattanooga State Community College and Tennessee Technological University.

-George Wilson, Logistics Program
http://www.volstate.edu/Logistics/?ref=az

What's Maymester?

Vol State students - get ahead in your college career, consider a Maymester class. It's a super short semester in less than a month. They start May 7 and end May 25. The classes are intensive and usually meet five days a week and several hours a day, but it's a great way to gets some credits if you're willing to work. Check out the class schedule for details on what is offered this coming Maymester. Registration is open now. https://sernpidal.volstate.edu/pls/PROD/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched