Oak Ridge Today

Roane State health care job fair matches employers with students

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Covenant Health employees Nelson Leiser and Liz Floyd talk with Roane State students on the verge of graduating in healthcare fields during the annual Healthcare Job Fair, held March 29 at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

Covenant Health employees Nelson Leiser and Liz Floyd talk with Roane State students on the verge of graduating in health care fields during the annual Healthcare Job Fair, held March 29 at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

When it comes to the burgeoning health care field, there are plenty of jobs out there.

That became obvious to some 200 Roane State students on the verge of graduating who took advantage of the college’s annual Healthcare Job Fair, held March 29 at the Roane State campus in Oak Ridge.

“There are a lot of potential job openings,” said Trista Murrell, set to graduate from the college’s physical therapist assistant program in August. She was handing out resumes to prospective employers and, she said, “everyone has been very helpful.”

Some 50 companies and institutions set up displays in the atrium and hallways of the college’s Coffey-McNally Building.

Employers included hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes, health care recruiting firms, and companies involved in medical record-keeping. Even representatives of the Army and the state’s prison system had displays. Prison nurses start out at $26.50 an hour, a spokeswoman said. [Read more…]

Roane State staff encourages girls to pursue engineering

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Roane State mechatronics director Gordon Williams shows students how to operate a robotic arm during the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” event at Y-12’s New Hope Center. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Roane State mechatronics director Gordon Williams shows students how to operate a robotic arm during the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” event at Y-12’s New Hope Center. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Two Roane State staff members helped introduce more than 200 high school girls to the world of engineering during an event at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

Showing the students how to operate a robotic arm was Gordon Williams, director of the college’s mechatronics program. Kim Harris, director of Workforce Training and Placement at Roane State, assisted in the presentation.

The demonstration was part of “Introduce a Girl to Engineering,” a program held February 23 at Y-12’s New Hope Center.

Students from 15 area schools participated in the event conducted in concert with “Girl Day,” an initiative founded by DiscoverE, formerly the National Engineers Week Foundation. [Read more…]

Reception for Roane State Student Art Show is April 27

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Roane State Community College will host an April 27 reception as part of its annual Student Art Show in the O’Brien Art Gallery on the Roane County campus.

The reception and awards ceremony is Thursday, April 27, at 1 p.m. in the art gallery. The public is invited.

This annual event (April 12-27) is open to all Roane State student artists and is an opportunity for students to hone their skills and gain exhibition experience. This year’s juror is Brian Jobe.

For more information, please contact Stacy Jacobs at jacobssl@roanestate.edu, (865) 354-3000, ext. 4311; or Bryan Wilkerson at wilkersonbs@roanestate.edu, (865) 354-3000, ext. 4748.

This press release was submitted by Owen Driskill.

Roane State music students attend Country Radio Seminar in Nashville

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These five Roane State music students attended the Country Radio Seminar held in downtown Nashville last month. In front, from left: Bryce Laughlin, Raegan Kennedy and Elana Douglas. Behind them: Olivia Parker, left, and Cassi Maggard. Also attending was Roane State Humanities Dean Myra Peavyhouse. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

These five Roane State music students attended the Country Radio Seminar held in downtown Nashville last month. In front, from left: Bryce Laughlin, Raegan Kennedy, and Elana Douglas. Behind them: Olivia Parker, left, and Cassi Maggard. Also attending was Roane State Humanities Dean Myra Peavyhouse. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

For the fourth consecutive year, Roane State was the only two-year educational institution in Tennessee whose students were invited to participate as volunteers at the Country Radio Seminar in downtown Nashville.

The three-day event brings together some of the leading notables in country music, a press release said. It’s an annual convention designed to educate and promote the exchange of ideas and business practices in the country music industry. There were more than 2,500 attendees last year.

The seminar’s agenda included performances, presentations, informative panels, and educational opportunities.

Attending were Roane State music students Elana Douglas, Bryce Laughlin, Cassi Maggard, Raegan Kennedy, and Olivia Parker. Myra Peavyhouse, Roane State’s Dean of Humanities, also attended. [Read more…]

Roane State paramedic alumnus honored

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Rick Valentine, left, a 1990 graduate of Roane State's Paramedic Program and now director of the Sevier County Ambulance Service, along with Greg Miller, right, chief of the Gatlinburg Fire Department, were recently awarded the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association's President's Award. In middle is TASA President Andrew Reed. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Rick Valentine, left, a 1990 graduate of Roane State’s Paramedic Program and now director of the Sevier County Ambulance Service, along with Greg Miller, right, chief of the Gatlinburg Fire Department, were recently awarded the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association’s President’s Award. In middle is TASA President Andrew Reed. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Rick Valentine, a 1990 graduate of Roane State Community College’s Paramedic Program, has been awarded the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association’s President’s Award for Leadership.

After serving as deputy director of the Sevier County Ambulance Service for many years, Valentine was named the service director last year.

In a Facebook post, Valentine said he was “surprised, honored, and humbled” to receive the award during the association’s annual conference in Gatlinburg in February. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has 50th annual Spring Plant Sale on April 8

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s 50th Annual Spring Plant Sale will gather the best of four local nurseries in one location. The public sale will be held on Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum at 901 South Illinois Avenue (Highway 62) in Oak Ridge. The “Members Only” sale will be on Friday, April 7, from 5-7 p.m. (Submitted photo)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s 50th Annual Spring Plant Sale will gather the best of four local nurseries in one location. The public sale will be held on Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum at 901 South Illinois Avenue (Highway 62) in Oak Ridge. The “Members Only” sale will be on Friday, April 7, from 5-7 p.m. (Submitted photo)

 

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s 50th Annual Spring Plant Sale will gather the best of four local nurseries in one location.

The public sale will be held on Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum at 901 South Illinois Avenue (Highway 62) in Oak Ridge.

The “Members Only” sale will be on Friday, April 7, from 5-7 p.m. Memberships may be purchased at that time for this “early bird” shopping opportunity. Checks and credit cards will be accepted. [Read more…]

Roane State paramedic alumni promoted

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Nathan Sweet, left, director of the Anderson County EMS, and Danny McCreary, deputy director, are pictured with two other graduates of Roane State's Paramedic Program who were recently promoted to assistant supervisors, Carrissa Keathley, left, and Misti Smiddy. (Submitted photo)

Nathan Sweet, left, director of the Anderson County EMS, and Danny McCreary, deputy director, are pictured with two other graduates of Roane State’s Paramedic Program who were recently promoted to assistant supervisors, Carrissa Keathley, left, and Misti Smiddy. (Submitted photo)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

CLINTON—Graduates of Roane State Community College’s paramedic program continue to receive promotions within area emergency medical services agencies, said David S. Blevins.

Blevins, director of EMS Education in the Allied Health Sciences Division of Roane State, said two paramedics, Carrissa Keathley and Misti Smiddy, have been promoted to the rank of lieutenant within the Anderson County EMS operation.

“They are great paramedics and strong additions to the supervisory team of Anderson County EMS,” said Director Nathan Sweet, who is also a graduate of Roane State’s paramedic program. [Read more…]

Roane State Playmakers to perform production of Lionel Bart’s ‘Oliver!’ April 21-23

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During a rehearsal, Sophie King of Arts in Motion teaches the children who play orphans the choreography for "Food Glorious Food." (Photo by Roane State)

During a rehearsal, Sophie King of Arts in Motion teaches the children who play orphans the choreography for “Food Glorious Food.” (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous novel, “Oliver Twist,” comes to Roane State’s O’Brien Theater for only three performances in a rare collaboration of the college’s Music and Theatre Arts departments.

The curtain goes up on Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23.

It’s the story of a 9-year-old orphan and his misadventures, from being half-starved in a workhouse and famously asking for more gruel, to learning how to be a pickpocket on the gritty streets of 19th century London.

Memorable songs abound, from “Where Is Love?” to “Food Glorious Food” and “It’s a Fine Life.”

“It’s one of my favorite shows and a classic musical from the 1960s that’s been updated to add new songs,” said director Clarissa Feldt. “It’s a really fantastic big production.” [Read more…]

How Roane State helped a young student on her road to MIT

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Emma Batson, who took online classes at Roane State, is now a freshman at MIT. (Submitted photo)

Emma Batson, who took online classes at Roane State, is now a freshman at MIT. (Submitted photo)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s a long way from being a bright middle school student to becoming a successful freshman at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

But a Roane State Community College employee helped span that gap, and a mom is forever grateful.

Maria Gonzales, director of student enrollment and recruitment, played a transformative role in helping Emma Batson, 18, now in her second semester at MIT.

“You never know what one person can do to change the trajectory of a person’s life,” said Emma’s mom, Tresa Batson of Karns. “I wanted to let Roane State know what a special person they have in admissions.”

Tresa Batson is a Roane State grad and a Tennessee Promise mentor. “Roane State has a big place in my heart,” she said. [Read more…]

Roane State’s Stephens honored for poetry

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DeAnna Stephens

DeAnna Stephens

While she loves writing poetry, the challenging act of “paring and refining” her efforts is as enjoyable and intellectually challenging, Roane State Community College assistant professor of English DeAnna Stephens said.

Stephens’ poem, “Bundt Season,” was recently a finalist in the prestigious Lascaux Review. That literary journal provides a showcase for emerging and established writers and artists whose talents have lingering impacts.

Her poem “deals with the rituals surrounding death, and the complex ties we maintain with family,” said Stephens, who said she wrote her first poem when she was 13.

“I am drawn to poetry…because it connects the individual experience to the universal in a way that is different from other genres,” she said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge residents start scholarship endowment at Murray State in Kentucky

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James Frank and Patricia Ann Wilson

James Frank and Patricia Ann Wilson

MURRAY, Ky.—Murray State University alumni have created the James Frank and Patricia Ann Wilson Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics Scholarship Endowment.

James and Pat both entered Murray State University in the fall of 1962, but they came from very different backgrounds. James was born in Murray and graduated from Murray High School. Pat was born in the Bronx, was raised in Rye, New York, and graduated from Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. At the end of their sophomore year, they met when running for office of junior class representative.

Both were members of Murray State Greek life. Pat Rankin Wilson was a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, and James was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Pat served a term as the Pi Kappa Alpha Dream Girl, but, James said, “by that time I already knew she was my dream girl.”

The Wilsons married in 1966 at First United Methodist Church in Murray and immediately moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where they still live. James has served as a Tennessee attorney in private practice for more than 40 years, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics and a minor in chemistry. Pat is a former Oak Ridge elementary school teacher. [Read more…]

Tennessee higher education leaders met to help transfer students succeed

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Public and private university officials, whose work serves as a key to the success of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s Drive to 55 initiative, met in February to collect more tools for growing the number of college-educated Tennesseans.

More than 130 transfer counselors, registrars, and advising directors from Tennessee’s public and private colleges and universities met in Murfreesboro on February 22-23 for the 2017 Tennessee Transfer Summit.

Attendees heard from transfer expert Janet Marling. Marling is vice president for student affairs at the University of North Georgia and executive director of the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students. She gave the keynote address on resolving obstacles to transfer student success.

India Lane, University of Tennessee associate vice president for academic affairs and student success, said collaboration is key for successful college transfers. [Read more…]