Oak Ridge Today

U.S. Labor Secretary Solis to tour Roane State on Wednesday

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U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis will tour the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College on Wednesday to highlight federal investments in health care job training.

The tour comes about two weeks after the U.S. Department of Labor announced that a consortium led by Roane State had received a $12.5 million grant to offer more training for health care careers and help students finish their degrees. The Sept. 19 announcement included a total of 54 grants helping nearly 300 schools across the country.

The Wednesday tour starts at 11 a.m., and it will be followed by remarks by Solis and a press conference.

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Street Painting Festival Oct. 6 and 7 at Roane State

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Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival

Chalk art from last year’s Street Painting Festival at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Hey artists, it’s time to “talk the talk, then chalk the walk.”

And for you folks who care about educating our future workforce and growing the local economy, it’s time to write checks for chalk art to help make our workforce smart.

Artists and sponsors are needed for the 13th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival, which will be held the weekend of Oct. 6-7 at the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College on Briarcliff Road.

The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, which organizes and sponsors the annual festival, urges artists of all ages and abilities to paint Roane State sidewalks for free with chalks of many colors. The club suggests that artists invite their artistic friends to join in the fun.

Every sponsor of a sidewalk square for an artist to chalk will contribute to scholarships for Roane State students. Each painted square is valued at $100.

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TBR names Whaley as Roane State president

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Chris Whaley

Chris Whaley

The Tennessee Board of Regents on Monday unanimously appointed Chris Whaley as the next president of Roane State Community College.

The college has its main campus in Harriman and several branch campuses, including one in Oak Ridge.

Whaley will start the new job on Nov. 1, a TBR press release said. He will replace Gary Goff, who is retiring Oct. 31 after leading Roane State for seven years.

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Retirement receptions Oct. 8 for Roane State President Gary Goff

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Gary Goff

Gary Goff

Public receptions will be held Monday, Oct. 8, for Roane State Community College President Gary Goff, who is retiring Oct. 31 after leading the college for seven years.

One reception will be held at the Roane County campus in Harriman, and the other will be at the Oak Ridge campus.

The reception at the Roane County campus will be from 10:30 a.m.-noon in the administrative area of the Dunbar Building. It will be on the building’s second floor, near the president’s office.

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Whaley recommended as next Roane State president; vote expected Oct. 1

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Chris Whaley

Chris Whaley

After a nationwide search, a state education official has recommended that Roane State Community College pick one of its own executives to be the next president.

Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan has recommended that Chris Whaley, Roane State’s vice president of student learning and chief academic officer, be appointed to the job, TBR said in a news release Monday.

The board of Regents could consider the appointment during a 3 p.m. Oct. 1 teleconference.

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Consortium led by Roane State receives $12.6 million federal grant

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A consortium led by Roane State Community College received a $12.6 million federal grant to offer more training for health care careers and help students finish their degrees, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday.

The announcement included $500 million in grants for community colleges and universities across the country. The Roane State consortium was one of 27 funded nationwide, Roane State President Gary Goff said in a press release.

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Roane State in Oak Ridge celebrates Constitution Day

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In celebration of Constitution Day, Roane State Community College will screen Alexandra Pelosi’s documentary “Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip” on Monday, Sept. 17, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

Pelosi visited all 50 states and interviewed dozens of immigrant Americans on the day they took the oath of citizenship. The screening will be held at 1 p.m. in the City Room.

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Work begins on major Roane State expansion, new building

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Roane State Construction

Site work has begun for the new Health Sciences and Technology Building at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus. (Photo courtesy of RSCC/Aerial Innovations of Tennessee)

After years of planning and fundraising, work has begun on a major expansion of the Roane State Community College campus in Oak Ridge.

The $13.8 million project will feature a new three-story Health Sciences and Technology Building.

Land has been cleared for the 64,000-square-foot building, and drilling for geothermal wells has started, a Roane State press release said.

It said the building’s foundation will be “under way and out of the ground” in mid-October. Work on the building could be complete by January 2014.

Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus opened in 1999. Originally designed for 1,800 students, the campus now has about 2,500 students, the press release said.

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Roane State documentary honored

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Roane State Documentary

The award-winning film “Roane State: 40 Years of Class” is available on Roane State Community College campuses.

A documentary commemorating Roane State Community College’s 40th anniversary has received two prestigious honors.

Roane State alumnus Keith McDaniel of Secret City Films in Oak Ridge wrote and directed “Roane State: 40 Years of Class.” The documentary received second-place honors in the 33rd annual Telly Awards and a third-place award from the Tennessee College Public Relations Association.

The film was honored in the Telly Awards’ film/video category. The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. The contest includes nearly 11,000 entries from across the country and outside the United States.

The documentary was also honored in the TCPRA’s college promotional video category. Roane State was the only community college to receive an award in the TCPRA contest.

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Retired DA named executive director of Roane State Foundation

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Paul Phillips

Paul Phillips

Paul Phillips, retired district attorney general for the 8th Judicial District, has been named executive director of the Roane State Foundation, a press release said.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides financial support for Roane State Community College students and programs. As executive director, Phillips will serves as chief administrative officer for the foundation’s board of trustees and direct the foundation’s programs.

Phillips succeeds Melinda Hillman, the college’s vice president for advancement and community relations. Hillman had served as the foundation’s executive director in addition to her responsibilities as leader for Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus and seven more satellite centers. Hillman will continue to lead the Oak Ridge campus and satellite centers.

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Roane State employees honored

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Dan Foltz-Gray

Dan Foltz-Gray

Roane State Community College faculty member Dan Foltz-Gray and staff members Tammy Robinette and Deb Miller have been honored for their work.

Foltz-Gray, associate professor of English and coordinator of Learning Support-Reading and Writing, received the 2012 Sarah Ellen Benroth Award for Outstanding Teaching, a press release said. Robinette, administrative secretary for the college’s Nursing Division, was named the 2012 outstanding support staff member. And Miller, director of grants development, was named the 2012 administrative staff member of the year.

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Seminar series on advanced government contracting starts Tuesday

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The first of three advanced government contracting seminars provided through a Roane State Community College project will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Knoxville.

The workshop, which costs $50, is titled “Proposal preparation and government contract negotiations.”

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