EGCC Students Named to 2016 All-Ohio Academic Team

Two Eastern Gateway Community College students have been named to the prestigious All-Ohio Academic Team.

Morgan Coulter, a Wintersville resident and graduate of Steubenville High School, was recognized as a Third Team Member and received a $250 award for her academic prowess.

Steubenville resident Alicia Ziarko, who is also a graduate of Steubenville High School, was named a First Team Member – which is top 10 in the state of Ohio. She received a $1,000 award for her outstanding academic achievement during her time studying at Eastern Gateway’s main campus.

The All-Ohio Academic Team program provides statewide recognition and cash scholarships to outstanding two-year college students. Eligible students are nominated by their institutions and are judged by the All-USA Academic Team Judging Panel. This year, 55 students from Ohio’s 23 public community and technical colleges were selected as First Team, Second Team or Third Team All-Ohio Academic Team Members.

Coulter and Ziarko were introduced as members of the 2016 All-Ohio Academic Team before an assembly of administrators, faculty, staff and family during EGCC’s annual Honors Convocation ceremony on May 17 at the college’s Jefferson County campus.

Both Coulter and Ziarko plan to further their educational pursuits. Coulter will continue her business management studies at Franklin University, while Ziarko will pursue her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

 

Pictured: Phi Theta Kappa Advisor William Verlest and Alicia Ziarko

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EGCC Faculty Mark Retirement With ‘Last Lectures’

Eastern Gateway Community College faculty and staff packed the Lecture Hall in Steubenville to hear “The Last Lectures of Judy Hince and Jim Senary” on May 17.

Hince and Senary, who are retiring after decades dedicated to teaching, delivered their last lectures at the Jefferson County campus. Their lectures noted the people who have influenced their lives and careers, and they also expressed gratitude to the college.

Hince taught at EGCC for nearly three decades, 10 years as an adjunct professor and 17 years as a full-time instructor. A registered nurse for 38 years, Hince taught in Eastern Gateway’s practical nursing and registered nursing program; the medical assisting program; the EMT-I and paramedic program; the radiology program; the phlebotomy program; and courses in the biological and health core sciences.

She has been an American Heart Association Basic Life Support instructor for 30 years and teaches BLS at Eastern Gateway and East Ohio Regional Hospital. An alumna of Alderson Broaddus College and West Virginia University, Hince has worked as a registered nurse at Weirton Medical Center and Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale, W.Va. She currently works in the cardiac testing department of East Ohio Regional Hospital.

Senary, a business and accounting professor, taught at EGCC’s Valley Center for four years. His classes have been featured both in the Youngtown Business Journal and the Youngstown Vindicator for the class’s analysis on local business including Joe Maxx Coffee, The Youngstown Historical Center, Oh Wow!!, and the Follett Inc.’s bookstore.

Senary graduated from Youngstown State University with a major in accounting. While at YSU, he earned the YSU Pin for “Most Outstanding All Around Male Student.” After graduation, he worked for Arthur Anderson as an auditor. His next career move was to General Motors, where he spent 30 years until his first retirement.  At General Motors, he was the finance manager for several business lines, including joint venture between General Motors: Toyota, Daimler, Ford, and BMW.  These opportunities afforded him the opportunity to work in China, Germany and Haiti. During his career at GM, he continued his education earning an MBA at Ohio University and a certificate from The Wharton School of Business in strategic planning.

While still working for GM, Senary was an adjunct instructor at Kent State Trumbull, Stark and Salem branches.  After two days of retirement from GM, Jim began his full teaching career at Hiram College, where he taught accounting and business courses. While at Hiram College, he initiated free tax preparation locations to service the Portage County residents, totally operated by the students of Hiram College.

Senary said he “jumped at the opportunity continue his teaching passion when Eastern Gateway was established in the Mahoning Valley.”  While at EGCC, Senary was nominated for the Ohio Association of Two Year Colleges Outstanding Teacher Award.

 

Pictured (left to right):

Judy Hince, James F. Senary and EGCC President Jimmie Bruce

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IBEW Apprentices Earn Degrees Through EGCC

Thanks to a unique partnership between a local union and Eastern Gateway Community College, 13 students finished a five-year apprenticeship program and earned an associate degree at the same time.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 246 and the Steubenville Division of the National Electrical Contractors Association celebrated the apprentices’ graduation with a dinner and ceremony on May 14.

The celebration marks the completion of more than 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, accompanied by 1,000 hours of classroom training during the last five years. This is the seventh group of inside wiremen to complete the training and also receive an associate degree of Technical Studies in Electrical Trades Technology.

Christina Wanat, M.Ed., interim vice president of student affairs, said through the partnership with the IBEW, Eastern Gateway accepts IBEW Local 246 apprentices. Through the partnership, it is mandatory for apprentices to earn their associate degree. This, in turn, opens up more opportunities for continuing education and employment opportunities.

Students in the five-year program are all union electricians and only a certain number of participants are accepted, said Christy Hardwick, an administrative assistant at IBEW Local 246.

The program is approved through the state of Ohio. Students attend classes at the IBEW training center and earn up to 47 credits toward their associate degree. Thanks to the program, participants are able to move to journeyman status, obtain their associate degree, do their apprenticeships, receive on-the job training, and go through multiple certification processes all at the same time.

Wanat said, “Along with their IBEW training, it prepares them for the workforce and, if they wanted to continue on with their education, they would already have an associate degree to build upon.”

After they successfully complete the program, students can decide on their own if they want to continue on to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

The IBEW Local 246 includes all of Jefferson, Columbiana and Harrison counties in Ohio; parts of Carroll County, Ohio; and all of Brooke and Hancock counties in West Virginia. The graduating apprentices received certificates of completion from the U.S. Department of Labor and NJATC.

 

Pictured (Left to Right):

1st row: Quent Thornton, Richard Stanley

2nd row: Tyler Tenley, Cody Lucarelli

3rd row: Brandon Scott, Shane Parker

4th row: Drew Ferguson, Kevan Brown

5th row: Brandon Sowers, Jordon Jones, Clayton McDaniel

 

Not pictured: Brian Dobbs and William Smith

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EGCC Pinning Ceremony Marks Milestone For Nurses

In a ceremony that’s been done for centuries, more than a dozen nurses obtained pins marking their entrance to the registered nursing profession.

Robin Snider Flohr, dean of health for Eastern Gateway Community College, said the ceremony has taken place since Florence Nightingale founded nursing education by starting her schools.

Administrators said 14 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) earned their pins on May 14 by obtaining their degrees in registered nursing. To complete the RN program, they needed to earn 47 additional credits in nursing and science classes.

“Pinning is a symbolic welcome to the profession that started in the 12th century when knights were honored with the Maltese Cross for caring for injured soldiers and when Queen Victoria presented a pin to Florence Nightingale for her work in the Crimean War,” Flohr said of the ceremony’s history.

Flohr added that many recipients earned their RN degree while already working full-time jobs. She said the graduates successfully took the next step in their careers by earning their associate degree in registered nursing.

The ceremony was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown, Ohio.

Pictured from left to right:

(Front row) – Alicia Hall, Denise Brown, Lisa Cribley, Lisa Manigault, Ashley Simon, Kaitlyn Sefcik, Amy Fryda, Jerome Gilligan 
(Back row) – Melaine Jarvis, Rosa Bowers, Michele Lumpp, Sara Meade, Bradley Moore, Jay Davis

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EGCC Administrators Present Best Practices at National Conference

Eastern Gateway Community College President Dr. Jimmie Bruce and Interim Vice-President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ken Knox presented a workshop at the American Association of Community Colleges Annual Conference in Chicago recently.

The presentation, titled “Beyond Online – How Implementing a Competency-Based Program Transformed Students and a Community College,” detailed the college’s efforts to make education more accessible to working adults. This is accomplished at EGCC through the implementation of a competency-based online model that allows students to move forward with their studies as they demonstrate mastery of course content.

The EGCC program was initiated in October 2015 with 190 students and has grown to more than 500 students for the spring 2016 semester. Keys to the success of the program have been the involvement of EGCC’s faculty in the development and approval of the course content, as well as an advising model that tracked student progress on regular basis. Those students who needed additional academic support were quickly identified and guided by EGCC advisors.

Bruce and Knox gave the presentation on April 10 at the 96th annual AACC meeting. The convention is one of the largest gatherings of community college administrators in the nation with more than 2,000 participants.

Photo: Eastern Gateway Community College Interim Vice-President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ken Knox (left) and President Dr. Jimmie Bruce (right) at the American Association of Community Colleges Annual Conference in Chicago

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