Phi Theta Kappa inducts 103 Reynolds students

Reynolds Community College’s chapters of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society held their annual spring induction ceremony on Saturday, February 22, 2014 in the Lipman Auditorium of the Massey Library Technology Center at the Parham Road Campus. Students who have completed 12 transferable credit hours and have a 3.3 cumulative GPA at the college are invited to join PTK every fall and spring semester.

Alpha Iota Beta Chapter President Tiffany Plumber opened the festivities and Reynolds President Gary Rhodes welcomed the audience. 103 new members were inducted, many of whom participated in the ceremony.

Dr. Corné Bekker, Regent University professor, delivered a motivational speech as the keynote speaker, addressing whether leaders are born or made.

“It has been shown that leaders are neither born nor made,” Bekker explained to the inductees. “Leadership is evolved. It is when someone looks at a follower and sees what no one else can see. Leadership is about motivating people to do the right thing, at the right time for the right reasons.”

In closing Bekker challenged the students, “You have been created by an almighty God to go forth and change this world. Look deep within yourself for that something that only you can bring to this world and if you rise up and are willing to take the charge to go forth and change the world, then the sky is the limit.”

Established in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership and service programming. Reynolds has two chapters at the college. The Alpha Iota Beta chapter represents members enrolled in programs at the Parham Road Campus and the Alpha Gamma Omicron chapter represents members enrolled in programs at the Goochland and Downtown campuses. Reynolds has inducted 4,707 members since 1982.

For more information on PTK, visit – www.reynolds.edu/studentlife.

Navy Veteran Offers Copious Amounts of Praise for Reynolds Community College

Before she became a student, Tiwana Simon was a sailor. She spent six years in the Navy circumnavigating the globe. With the exception of the Indian Ocean, she has traversed every sea and walked on just about every continent.

“My favorite places were Africa, São Tomé, and Japan – Japan because it was so peaceful. I went to Hiroshima – the site where the bombs were dropped – on a tour.”

Born in Georgetown, Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Simon is a second-year student at Reynolds. She says the college’s “Military Friendly” designation is especially appealing to her.

“As soon as I told everybody that I was a veteran, they knew where to point me and in what direction. They were very, very helpful because they know I’m an older student.”

Wherever she goes, Simon can’t stop bragging about Reynolds’ Parham Road campus which she says reminds her of a four-year university.

“It’s larger, it’s not all in one building; I get to move around…I can hang out on the grass. There are so many clubs. I’m a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and a student ambassador. Reynolds also employed me with work-study so I work in the Student Success Center which is very helpful.”

The biggest reason Simon is so smitten with Reynolds is cost-savings. Like so many other students, she’s on a budget and Reynolds delivers value in spades.

“I love Reynolds for the affordability because I get the same quality education that I’d get at a four-year university except cheaper. And I love Reynolds because I can get a career started here when I graduate.”

 Simon says she’ll always recommend Reynolds to any student, whether they’re a veteran or not, because of its affordability.

“I also noticed that a lot of the adjunct professors (here) also teach at four-year universities so you’re getting the same education but more one-on-one time with smaller classrooms.”

 Simon plans to transfer to ODU later this year and eventually earn her bachelor’s. After that, she’s looking forward to serving her country again – this time, as a teacher.

Craig Butterworth
Virginia Community College System

11th Annual Scholarship Bowl

The 11^th annual Scholarship Bowl took place on Saturday, February 1^st.  The turnout of supporters ready to bowl on an early Saturday morning was amazing! The 103 bowlers comprising 24 teams raised a total of $1,744.50 towards the Classified Council Scholarship.  

 Award Results:

 High Score Bowler - Rollin Bostock, score 214, team SNAH #4

 Lowest Score Bowler (spirit counts!) - Sarah Moss, score 41, team CCWA Plus

 Most Spirited Bowler - Carolyn Loftin, team Reynolds’ Ravens #2

 Best team name - Minds in the Gutter  with team members: Larry Long, Chad Taylor, Daniel Mietla, and Jerom Jones

 Trophy Winners:

3^rd place- SNAH #5 (A.K.A. - Great Balls of Fire) with team members Elaine Beaupre, Adorna Hayward, and Alan Crouch

2^nd place- The Extras with team members Stephen Smith, Robin Smith, Kim Pomier, and Mazhar Anik 

  

1st place- Team Vexor with team members: Kimberly Talley-Bryant, Karen Houchens, William Judon, and Carlos Vieira

The Classified Council could not have pulled this successful fundraising event off without the help of some other key Scholarship Bowl supporters at Reynolds:

Dr. LeRosen served as the official "Scholarship Bowl Photographer" and the photos are outstanding, a sample of which are shown below. 

Dean Hunter and her team at The School of Nursing and Allied Health supported the event with a total of five bowling teams competing this year.  

Reynolds’ team spirit was shining bright thanks to the Office of Marketing and Larry Long at Follett Bookstore for the abundance of donated T-shirts, banners, pens, sweatshirts, and cups for our raffle.

Marianne McGhee from the Office of Institutional Advancement covered the event and David Cloer from Applications Development and Support helped with all that took place behind the scenes with the online registration form.

Last and certainly not least, many kudos to Kim Cain for her tremendous work in planning and organizing an event of this magnitude.  

It’s never too early to start practicing for next year! 

Additional pictures

Reynolds student honored

About 500 people attended Richmond magazine's third annual Elby Awards on January 26 to honor


the Richmond region's restaurant community. Congratulations to Reynolds Culinary Arts student Celeste Bolling Eisinger for being named as one of two Culinary Students of the Year.
Read the full story.

Reynolds students visit Virginia General Assembly

As a part of the Virginia Community College System’s “Every day is Community College Day”, delegations of Reynolds students attended the Virginia General Assembly on three separate occasions over the last month sharing their college experiences and stories with a number of lawmakers.

“It is important that they hear your story,” noted Reynolds President Gary Rhodes. “They hear from me many times during session, but they would much rather hear directly from you about your life or college story. You represent Virginia’s future, so your concerns are of interest to them.”

Following morning visits with legislatures, the students walked to the Virginia State Capitol where they toured the building that holds the nation’s oldest legislative body. During the general assembly sessions, each group was welcomed and recognized in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

 

“I wanted them to know how important it is to keep the cost of tuition as low as possible,” noted Reynolds student Brian Marube. “This year’s proposed budget is very friendly to the community colleges and I hope they keep as much of it in place as possible.”

During one of the visits, the students were join by VCCS board member Admiral Fountain and Reynolds board members Mark Creery and Rick Rush. On their last visit, the students delivered chocolates made by the college’s culinary arts students.

Reynolds Change Agents: Apple Spice Junction

Mac Purrington, CeAnn Cottingham, and Jamar Johnson of Apple Spice Junction

You’ve seen the van on campus.  With the Apple Spice Junction logo emblazoned on the sides, it’s usually filled with delicious catered breakfasts or lunches, providing precious fuel for meetings and gatherings. It turns out that as we’ve been watching the Apple Spice staff hard at work, they’ve been keeping their eyes on us, too. “We’ve seen two buildings go up at Parham since we’ve been here,” says owner Mac Purrington. “We’ve watched the Downtown Campus get renovated. We go out to Goochland, too.  The growth has been amazing. We opened not long after Dr. Rhodes got here. Judy Harris was one of our first customers, and it’s been a great relationship ever since.”   

A testament to that relationship is Mac Purrington’s decision to donate five percent of the eatery’s December 5^th sales to benefit the Reynolds scholarship students. “Giving back is the right thing to do; the challenge is deciding to whom.  We get requests every week.  You have to find the right opportunity. It has to be something that speaks to you and your employees, something that speaks to your business.  I like that the scholarship students are hand-picked. You know they’re going to use the money and not squander the opportunity.”   

Staff and faculty who participated in the Apple Spice Junction day helped bring in nearly $800! Our scholarship students – and the faculty and staff who support them – are hardworking and dedicated. Just like the deliciously talented team at Apple Spice Junction.

 

 

VCCS Listening Tour stops at Reynolds Community College

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College hosted the eighth and final stop of the VCCS Fall Listening Tour on Thursday, December 5 in the Workforce Development & Conference Center at the Parham Road Campus.

VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois has been conducting a series of listening tour sessions around the state, giving him the opportunity to hear directly from elected, community, education, economic development and business leaders about challenges that would benefit from greater community college focus.  Work on the third strategic plan of DuBois’ tenure as chancellor will begin in January, and continue throughout 2014. 

Thursday’s meeting was well attended by business and community leaders, educators, local entrepreneurs, board members, faculty and staff.  Topics of discussion included job retaining for workers as technology advances, formalizing internships programs, increasing community awareness of community college offerings such as the Guaranteed Transfer program and Advanced College Academy, programs for adult learners, and investigating ways that small businesses could increase their engagement with community colleges to the benefit of both.

 “Increasingly, community colleges are being looked at as the go-to place for bringing a community together and building a consensus for designing its future. That’s a new 21st century role that we are being asked to fulfill, and our community colleges are up to the task,” said DuBois.

DuBois expects to announce the members of a taskforce that will create the next VCCS six-year strategic plan in the next few days.  The plan will succeed the current VCCS six-year strategic plan, Achieve 2015.

Valley Proteins Fellow: Margo Fairchild

Each time Margo Fairchild enters a class at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, she envisions herself as an empty cup ready to be filled with knowledge.

Margo hasn’t always been so dedicated to formal education. At the end of her junior year at Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg, despite a good academic record she lost interest in school. She dropped out, earned her GED at 16 years of age, and spent the next four years working with no real plans for her future. Eventually she found herself longing for something more. She enrolled at Reynolds in the fall of 2012 where she discovered a new thirst for knowledge and a desire to pursue a career helping others. Just over a year later she’s already well on her way to that future. 

According to Margo, she fell in love with her Spanish class at Reynolds. Her professor, Maria Espiritu, recognized Margo’s talent and enthusiasm and suggested she take on the role of tutoring students in Spanish 101, so Margo did just that. Margo’s hard work resulted in a 4.0 grade point average in her first year at Reynolds and induction to the PTK honor society.

In May 2013 Margo learned she had been selected as a member of the 2013-2014 class of Valley Proteins Fellows. In addition to covering the cost of tuition the scholarship program also offers opportunities for professional development, travel and cultural experiences, a stipend for an internship and a community service project. Margo credits her receipt of the Valley Proteins Fellowship to Reynolds Scholarship Manager Nichole Page who advised her of the scholarship opportunity and prompted her to apply. “The fellowship has meant so much to me, most importantly peace of mind as I don’t have to worry about working to pay for my classes, allowing me to concentrate on my studies.” 

Seeking an opportunity to immerse herself in the Spanish language over the summer of 2013, Margo and her roommate engaged in a fundraising campaign hoping to raise enough funds to finance a three-week trip to Guatemala to volunteer at an orphanage with about 60 children. The fundraising campaign was so successful that in addition to financing their trip and making a financial donation to the orphanage, the young women were able to purchase Earthbox container garden systems for the orphanage. They set a goal of teaching the children sustainable gardening during their stay, with a vision of expanding the orphanage’s food supply. The gardening system boxes were shipped from Mexico to Guatemala and were waiting for them when they arrived, along with a farming specialist who traveled from Mexico to Guatemala to provide instruction in the use of the Earthboxes.   

It was while she was in Guatemala that Margo was offered the opportunity, as a Valley Proteins Fellow, to attend the 2013 International Youth Organization Forum in China along with 200 other students representing 26 countries. She jumped at the opportunity. During her week-long trip in October Margo enjoyed many new experiences, meeting and exchanging ideas with students from many different cultures and visiting landmarks like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.  

Margo plans to transfer to VCU in the fall of 2014 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a minor in Spanish. Her long term goal is to pursue a career helping people of many different cultures, perhaps by increasing their food security through sustainable gardening. Whatever path she chooses, Margo is well on her way to a bright future.

Are you a college advisor? You better believe it!

So now you ask, “Where’s my first paycheck for my advising services?”  Hmmm, well that’s not going to happen for a few more years assuming you follow that education/career path; nonetheless since you’re now a seasoned Reynolds student, they will be asking for your advice about, well, college.  The ubiquitous “they” may be underclassmen from your old high school, “they” may friends and family members, and/or “they” may be the guys you work with. They are those who populate one or more of your own information networks.  

Most people accept the often-used four word formula for success, i.e., “make yourself more useful,” which frequently involves getting more education.  As they begin to think about their educational options, Reynolds is certainly on the radar screen for those who live in and around Greater Richmond.  So they’ll be asking you questions like, “Does Reynolds offer fill-in-the-blank program?”  “What’s it cost to go to Reynolds?”  “How are the teachers?” “Is it hard?” etc., etc., until they get to, “How do I get off to a good start?” and this is where you can really shine as someone’s college advisor.

In the opinion of this writer, the three most important items on the how-do-I-get-a-good-start list include,

1.      Take your college placement tests for reading, writing and math, and follow the recommendations. 

2.      Before your classes start, participate in a FREE Reynolds orientation program such as SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration) or a SOAR derivative.  These programs are only a few hours in length but they can be THE decisive factor in getting a good start.  

3.      During your first semester include SDV100-College Success Skills in your schedule of classes.  Don't be tempted to blow this class off as inconsequential because there is solid evidence that students who take this course and take it seriously simply do better in terms of grades and persistence.  An even better way to take this course is when it’s linked up with another course to form what’s called a “learning community.” 

Uh Oh!  A new term has just been introduced; what is a “learning community”?  A learning community (LC) is when two course sections in the same semester are linked together and the same students enroll in both course sections. Professors work together to coordinate assignments, content, and improve crossover learning between the courses.   WHY?  Just as with SDV 100, students tend to do better in and as a result of LC participation.  They’re happier, more engaged in their classes as well as with their professors and with other students. 

One of Reynolds most popular learning communities links SDV100 with ENG111 (Composition Skills I) and this LC is branded as “Getting a Clue” or simply “Clue.”   As you may suspect ENG111 is as writing course so by linking ENG111 with SDV100, students are able to reinforce the college success and survival skills discussed in SDV100 by writing about them in ENG111. Think of synergy.  Clue will assist its students along the path to making certain critical life choices (like picking a major, a career, or a transfer college) by teaching how to set goals, improve productivity, and develop the habits needed to ensure success in school and in life.  Reynolds’ Clue LC was awarded the Virginia Community College System’s first-place honors for Excellence in Education in the spring of 2010.  Keep up the good work guys. 

Somewhere above I mentioned your information networks.  Another thing that these LCs tend to accomplish is helping students to form their own reliable information networks; which is simply an outgrowth of enrolling the same group of students in two (or occasionally more) course sections.  These students see each other twice as often and it gets easier to pick out who’s reliable and who’s just taking up a seat in class, and then to approach another student (hopefully one of the reliable ones!) to form a study group or ask about a homework assignment.  So a direct benefit to you of these learning communities is that your gang will stop bugging you with all these questions when they begin to use their own newly-formed information networks! 

The following quotes come from three of Reynolds’ Clue LC students, 

This class really did restore my confidence in both my writing and myself.  The realization that I’m going to make it in college, that I can do this, is priceless to me and I’m so grateful.

I have found myself, for the first time, open to the discoveries of knowledge that college can provide.  As I have come to realize, college is not about grades or tests (though their importance is not lost on me), but rather being able to open your mind to the possibilities of further ways of thinking… I have learned more about myself in four months than I had in the previous twenty-one years.

Honestly, if I hadn’t taken this LC I would still be following the path of something that just wasn’t right for me. It’s intimidating to venture off the path and out of a career that I thought was right for me, but I know that it is necessary. All of these years I was very close minded about thoughts of other careers and possibilities.

For more info about LCs see www.Reynolds.edu/LC  

Charlie Peterson is Assistant Dean of Educational Support Services, Professor and Director of Learning Communities at Reynolds Community College