Tech Tip- Free Mac Software from MacHeist

Here's a quick tip for any Mac user's out there. MacHeist is offering some pretty cool (FREE) software for the next few days. Along with the gifts, there is also a game called Mac Heist3 that you can play- earn free software, break codes and more.

Mac Heist Giving Tree

Happy New Year

Getting Ready for a Holiday Break

The college offices will be open this week through Friday. Everything will be closed from December 22-30. We'll be back open for one day on Monday, December 31 and then closed on New Year's Day. A reminder that even while the campus is closed you can be getting ready for spring semester. You can find the entire schedule online on our front page at http://www.volstate.edu/

You can register online if you have already been admitted to the college. If not, you can also apply online, however it will take a few days before it is processed, and if it's over the holiday break the application won't be processed until after Jan 2nd. Don't worry though, that is still plenty of time to get ready for spring classes. They start on January 12 for weekend courses and January 14 for weekday classes.

We wish everyone happy holidays and a wonderful new year! We leave you with this snowy picture of campus, which unfortunately is from a couple of years ago. We figured it beat the gloomy weather we have been having. See you next year!

Posted by Eric. Vol State. Volunteer State Community College.

Holiday Fun

Today’s Holiday Luncheon was a great event. Patsy Lawson shared a story with us about car safety…..in a Holiday sort of way. Let’s just say, car alarm technology is pretty good these days. Apparently, you can’t get in or out – an elaboration on the roach motel concept I guess. Nonetheless, she did a wonderful job, along with the music provided by Hendersonville High School, and the hard work done by the staff council.

Anyway, the food was great, and everyone seemed to really enjoy the fellowship. This will probably be my last blog of the year, for a grand total of 3 (Eric has helped me with every one). So I would like to say Happy Holidays to the entire campus, as well as friends of the College. I hope the New Year brings good health, happiness, and a brighter look on life.

Posted by Ken.

Quiet Campus-Get Ready for Spring

The finals are over and now it's just a matter of figuring out those grades. The faculty have been crazy busy for the last couple of weeks, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Once they have final grades turned in they can take a little break and then worry about next semester.

In the meantime, campus is quiet for a while. It's a great time to visit and get set up for Spring classes. The Admissions and Advising offices, like all of the offices here on campus, will be open all week with normal business hours: 8am to 4:30pm. Admissions is your first stop if you haven't taken classes at Vol State before. You can visit them in the Ramer Building to get started. You can also apply online at http://www.volstate.edu/ If you have questions you can call them at 230-3688. If you need Advising help the Advising center is also in Ramer and they can be reached at 230-3702. If you are having trouble registering for classes contact Advising for help or check out our online help center on the front page of our website, which will walk you through everything you need to know.

A reminder that campus will be closed for the Holidays, from December 22-30 and also closed on New Years Day, Jan 1. Offices will be open on Monday, December 31. Even if campus is closed you can still apply to the college and register for classes online. If you do apply online it may take a few days to be processed. Spring classes start January 12. There is still plenty of time to get ready!

Posted by Eric. Vol State. Volunteer State Community College

Jones signs with Southern Utah

Vol State athletes go on to all sorts of four year athletic programs...here is info on the latest, courtesy of Craig Harris with the Gallatin News Examiner:

Volunteer State Community College sophomore center Lucas Jones recently signed a letter-of-intent to continue his education and playing career at Division I program Southern Utah.

"It's a great little community," pointed out Jones, a product of Murfreesboro's Siegel High School who also considered moving on to Carson-Newman, Central Missouri and Tennessee Tech. "It probably has 35,000 people in it. I went to a game during Thanksgiving (break), and there were still probably 5,000 people there. Coach (Roger) Reid has been at BYU (Brigham Young University) and with the Phoenix Suns. He's a great coach and a good guy."

Jones who stands at 6-foot-9 - began his career at Virginia Military Institute, where he came off the bench before leaving the school after one semester.

This is Jones' first season at VSCC.

Vol State. Volunteer State Community College.

Red Hat Ladies square-off in cookie showdown

It was a cookie rumble today as the Red Hat Ladies went toe-to-toe in a cookie swap contest. I don't know how they managed to find judges. However, Clay Scott, George Pimentel and myself were more than up to the task at hand. We gazed at the pretty displays and then quickly got down to the real work of eating cookies. There wasn't a dog in the bunch. They insisted that we pick the top cookies and so here are the winners:

Taste:

First Place: Cindy Johns

Second Place: Jennimarie Ward

Third Place: Kellie Jones

Presentation:

First Place: Kellie Jones

Second Place: Vicki Stratton

A special thanks to the Red Hat Ladies for inviting us. It was quite a bit of fun. And by the way, we would like to announce that Clay, George and myself are available for any future food tasting events.

Posted by Eric

Say “H−EYE” to Jayme Miracle

Jayme takes the near synkinesis test to check how well her eyes accommodate to and from near and distance. Notice the “crossed-eye” appearance when she looks at the object held about 14 inches in front of her.

How did you hear about the Ophthalmic Tech Program?

“A friend of mine that went to Volunteer State knew that I was interested in optometry. She came across the Ophthalmic Technician Program on the website. I looked up the program and became fascinated with it!”

What’s your favorite thing about the program so far?

“My favorite thing by far about the program is meeting all the life long friends that I’ve made and knowing that they are on the same page as me.”

What’s your least favorite thing about the program?

“There's really nothing that’s my least favorite thing. I have met some wonderful people, learned a lot and know that I have a job ready for me when I graduate.”

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned so far?

“The most interesting thing that I’ve learned so far is learning about our vision. Anatomy is my favorite class and I love learning about how we are able to see things.”

What would tell someone who was thinking about applying to the program, but thinks he/she won’t get in, that the program would be too difficult, or anything else that would keep him/her from applying?

“I would tell him/her that although the program is difficult, you just have to work hard and apply yourself. It is well worth it in the end because you know you will have a job waiting for you when you graduate.”

Posted by Melissa. Vol State. Volunteer State Community College

Tech Fun - Fun Food Sites

Today's "tech tip" will actually focus on some food sites that provide fun, entertainment and in some cases, even good recipes.

If you are in the mood for food trivia or little known facts (great to impress friends and teachers) or you just need some recipes, check out the Accidental Hedonist. Checking some recent blog posts, there is a great discussion about the history of Absinthe and the changes in food blogging since 2005. A site that is good for hours of entertainment.

If you're stuck for a last minute research paper, or need those little known facts for a family game of Trivia, then you're in luck if you visit The History of Cookies site. Learn about cookies from their 7th century origin to their current state.

I don't want to shortchange the mathematicians at the school so check out this site- Math with Gingerbread Men! Who would of thought ... there is something on this site for all ages, from pre-school all the way to college. Why not bake a few Gingerbread men before you study?

Finally, since Gingerbread is on my mind, I wanted to recommend a fun book (no, this isn't a tech tip but who can resist a 7 foot tall gingerbread man....). If you are looking for a slighly unusual book (with a tech twist) then make some time to read The 4th Bear, I can almost guarantee you'll never look at nursery rhymes the same way :)

I'll be back with more tech fun and tech tips in January when Spring semester begins.

A door contest judge speaks out!

Jared, one of our student Presidential Ambassadors, was a judge in the Holiday Door Contest here at Vol State. It's put on by the Employee Relations Committee and organized by Jenny Bartley. Here is Jared's blog entry about it all…and our first blog poem! The winning door is pictured. It was decorated by the TRIO Student Support Services program. Also, we've included the odd, but honorable mention winning, giant cat door, by the legendary Howard Espravnik from WVCP radio. Here's Jared:

Doors were the center of attention for myself and two other judges, Whitney and Tasha, in last Fridays Christmas decoration competition. For us and many others, this is yet another reminder that Christmas is right around the corner. Judging these door decorations was quite a trip in itself. As the judges, we got a first-hand look into the creative minds that work here at the college, and basically get to see how each mind is warped by their own department. I’ve compiled the whole shebang into a Christmas poem to remember...

We saw garland a’plenty,
Bribes with candy that was minty.
Miles of lights that were blinking,
And one curious cat, "What the heck was he thinking?"
There were pyramids of penguins,
Presents for the staff,
And one Christmas wish list,
That would make us all laugh.
Records from ‘60,
And a Santa that was tipsy.
The Marines were in salute,
Today we had a hoot!

Posted by Jared

Weight Watchers at Vol State

A few years ago Vol State had a strong Weight Watchers at work program. In 2 years I personally lost over 80lbs. However, once I started working on my doctorate and stopped attending meetings, I gained it all back plus some!!!!

Yet, not everyone who joined the Vol State Weight Watchers at work program met my same fate. Mary Nunaley lost 60lbs and has kept the weight off for 2 years! She and several others at Vol State are currently Lifetime Members of Weight Watchers.

As someone who has struggled with their weight all of my life - the Weight Watcher’s plan was actually easy to follow. I never went hungry and I began to enjoy something I never thought I would – working out! The weekly meetings were the key to keeping me focused on my goal! Once I stopped attending it was too easy to slide back into my old habits.

Well, I am finally finished with school and I am ready to commit to a program that I know works! But in order to bring the Weight Watchers at work program back to Vol State – I need to know how many others are interested in making a positive lifestyle change. We would need at least 18 people to commit for our group to make.

Weight Watchers at Work would be open to men and women staff, faculty, student and community members. The cost for the program is outlined below:
$120 for new members
$110 for current members
$100 for lifetime members trying to get back to goal

Please contact me directly at 230-3530 if you are interested. We can ask Weight Watchers to hold an information session so you can learn more about the program before joining. You can also go online to http://www.weightwatchers.com/.

I don’t know about you, but I do not want to find myself in the same shape I am in now this time next year. Join me in my effort to loose weight and feel great in 2008!

Shanna L. Jackson
Executive Assistant to the President
Volunteer State Community College
(615) 230 - 3530

Posted by Shanna

Tech Fun- Thursday

The semester is winding down and the cooler weather looks like it will be here to stay. During your time off between semesters, you might be looking for a few fun things to do online. Today, I'll be making some recommendations of my favorite "free" web "time waster sites).

First, if you don't feel like going to the library and don't want to spend any of your hard earned money on books for yourself, check out Wowio. This site allows you to download free pdf book files to read on your computer or print out and read offline. Registration is easy and the selection is growing daily. Books range from classic literature (might save on textbook bills!) to fun and games such as logic puzzles and more.

Second, if you're traveling and stuck somewhere with nothing to do, you might want to check out this site. 13 Places to Watch TV for free. Some of the sites have some very unusual shows and some of the recommendations are those most people already know such as going to one of the major network sites to watch an episode of your favorite nightly program. No registration required.

Third, need to know how to do something quickly (bake a pie, cook a turkey, become a teacher's pet!), Ehow has all that and more. Using a user rating system for the items, you can also see if other people found the instructions helpful or not. The site is broken down into broad categories and then more specific categories. Registration is free and allows users to post to the message board and more.

Happy Surfing!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

It's not even considered winter yet and already we've had freezing temperatures! Freezing temperatures mean staying indoors where it's nice and warm and toasty. Freezing temperatures also mean you have some down time! Time for what? Time to get your school stuff situated! It doesn't matter if you are coming for the spring semester starting in January, the summer semester which starts at the end of May or next fall 2008---you can still start planning and making some decisions.

Not sure what you need to do? The Office of Admissions at Volunteer State Community College can help. Just give us a call at 615-230-3689. You still have time to start for the spring semester in January, but you want to make sure that you apply for admission as soon as possible. You can do this by going to our website at www.volstate.edu/admissions and click on the "Apply Online" link. Keep in mind if you are trying to get into a specific program you might have certain deadlines to meet.

Thinking about how to pay for school? You can file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by going to their website, but first you will need a PIN number. Visit http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ to get your PIN number and to file the FAFSA online. Volunteer State Community College also has scholarships that are funded through our Foundations Office. Looking for some private scholarships? Think you might be eligible? Visit www.volstate.edu/financialaid.

Just remember, the hardest part to all of this is picking up the phone to call or walking through our door. We can help you with the rest. Don't hesitate to call!

Contact Heather Harper in Admissions at heather.harper@volstate.edu or by calling 615-230-3684. Volunteer State Community College. Vol State.

Say “H−EYE” to Jasma Clark

Jasma uses the Snellen Chart to check the vision of a fellow classmate. Learning how to take visions is just one of the many skills an Ophthalmic Tech must master.

Why did you choose the Ophthalmic Tech Program?

“I chose this program because I am interested in the field of study and it feels right. I couldn’t decide on my major. After praying for months and meeting Mrs. Moore, I knew this was it. I love this program and I love what I’m learning and experiencing.”

What would you tell someone who was thinking about applying to the program, but hasn’t for one reason or another?

“I would absolutely tell them to go for it. This program is competitive and hard to get into, but they should still apply. The program work is difficult, stressful, strenuous, but not impossible. Everyone should follow their dreams and see where they lead. There are too many doors in life to not try to enter one. This program is wonderful. We have an awesome program director, Mrs. Moore. We also have many tools and instruments to assist in our learning capabilities. So if someone wants to apply, my advice to them would be to go for it!”

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned so far?

“Before this program, I never knew what you could see and do to a person’s eyes. It amazes me how many tests we can perform and how much ophthalmic equipment there is. And it also has taught me how important the eyes really and how devastating it would be to lose them.”

Posted by Melissa.

Vol State. Volunteer State Community College

This Week at Vol State

It's the final week of classes and everyone is cramming for finals. If you need a break from the books we have a couple of suggestions. The Paralegal Student Association is holding a silent art auction on Tuesday, December 4 from noon until 6pm in the Rochelle Center. All proceeds will benefit the HomeSafe domestic violence shelter in Sumner County.

Punch, cookies and Christmas music will be on tap for the Festival of Lights on Wednesday, December 5 at 12:15pm in the Cafeteria. The annual event always brings a glow to the room. Everyone is invited.

The Vol State Performing Arts Department's hold their Christmas concert this weekend. It's called the Winter Jam and will feature, jazz, pop and holiday favorites. It's being held at the Amber Leaf Restaurant in downtown Gallatin this year on Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8 at 7:30pm. The suggested donation for admission is $5 and for $10 you get admission and the winter CD release, which this year celebrates music from the last 10 years at Vol State.

Volunteer State Community College.