Oak Ridge Today

Roane State college success course includes service learning

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Virtually all Roane State Community College freshmen have to take the college success course titled COLS 1010: Study-Organize-Succeed (SOS), and it now includes eight hours of public service.

Two college officials have compiled more than 100 volunteer opportunities with agencies and nonprofit organizations in the Roane State service area, and they are available via the college’s website.

Go to www.roanestate.edu/servicelearning to learn more.

Proceeds from a $2,000 college grant were used to research those opportunities, which span 10 counties: Anderson, Roane, Knox, Blount, Fentress, Campbell, Cumberland, Scott, Loudon, and Morgan. [Read more…]

Dental Hygiene Clinic at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus provides vital service

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Roane State Community College Associate Professor Melinda Gill, director of the college’s highly regarded dental hygiene program, stands outside the dental hygiene clinic, located in the Coffey/McNally Building on the Oak Ridge branch campus. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College Associate Professor Melinda Gill, director of the college’s highly regarded dental hygiene program, stands outside the dental hygiene clinic, located in the Coffey/McNally Building on the Oak Ridge branch campus. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The doorway into Roane State’s Dental Hygiene Clinic can be overlooked at times. It’s D-107, off the atrium and across from the library of the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

Unbeknownst to the casual passerby, it’s the entrance to a college program regarded as one of the top in the nation.

Inside:

  • a classroom outfitted with the most current dental teaching implements;
  • six spotless operatories/treatment rooms containing dental chairs, computers for inputting patient records, and the latest treatment technology;
  • two X-ray rooms with digital X-ray capability—one with panoramic X-ray equipment—and a room where X-rays are developed; and
  • a receptionist’s area along with a small office.

[Read more…]

Roane State dental hygiene program honored

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Members of the faculty of Roane State’s dental hygiene program are, from left, director Melinda Gill, Kimball Burkett, standing to Gill’s left; and from left, Kellye Wilson, Sondra Roberts, Natalie Schubert, Wesley Singer, DDS; Michelle Jones, Pete Ruyl, DDS; Ed Guion, DDS; and Debbie Taylor. Schubert is the receptionist for the program’s dental clinic. (Photo by Roane State)

Members of the faculty of Roane State’s dental hygiene program are, from left, director Melinda Gill, Kimball Burkett, standing to Gill’s left; and from left, Kellye Wilson, Sondra Roberts, Natalie Schubert, Wesley Singer, DDS; Michelle Jones, Pete Ruyl, DDS; Ed Guion, DDS; and Debbie Taylor. Schubert is the receptionist for the program’s dental clinic. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State’s acclaimed dental hygiene program can add another recognition to its list of accomplishments.

The program, located in the Coffey-McNally Building on the college’s Oak Ridge campus, has received the 100% Faculty Award for 2017 from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

There are 30,000 members of the association, which is based in Chicago and more than 100 years old. Roane State was among only 25 higher education institutions nationwide to obtain the designation.

It’s bestowed when all faculty members in a dental hygiene program are also members of the ADHA. [Read more…]

Roane State Dental Hygiene Program awarded grants

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Roane State dental hygiene program director Melinda Gill stands in the college’s state-of-the-art dental clinic at the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State dental hygiene program director Melinda Gill stands in the college’s state-of-the-art dental clinic at the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The Roane State Community College Dental Health Clinic has received three grants for its free monthly clinics for area residents who have limited access to dental care, said associate professor Melinda Gill, director of the college’s dental hygiene program.

  • The clinic was awarded a $2,500 Community Action Grant from the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club to underwrite two Saturday morning clinics to serve Roane County residents.
  • The United Way of Anderson County has funded a $1,000 discretionary grant to purchase a high-speed handpiece used in filling cavities. With the addition of that second apparatus, it will increase the number of patients who can be treated, Gill said.
  • Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee has awarded a $5,000 grant to purchase dental equipment and materials to support the operation of the clinic to better serve the dental needs of the patients. This grant was in collaboration with Mid-East Community Action Agency.

[Read more…]

Roane State experience helped musician Devan Jones find his path

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Devan Jones (Submitted photo)

Devan Jones (Submitted photo)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Ask Roane State alumnus Devan Jones about working full-time in the music business, and he’ll pull no punches. “It’s a hustle and hard work 24/7,” he says. “It’s a tough business.”

“Sometimes it feels like it’s moving in slow motion, but things are getting better all the time,” says Jones, who credits educators in Roane State’s music department for helping inspire his career.

Jones grew up in Kingston, attended Roane State and the University of Tennessee, and performed at several Knoxville venues. He now lives in Austin, Texas, where he says there are “many different opportunities to play music that inspires me.”

While in Knoxville, he put together a band, “Devan Jones and the Uptown Stomp.” That moniker reflects his love of blues, as well as jazz and swing music of the 1940s and 50s. [Read more…]

Serving students is rewarding for Roane State success coach

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Wendy Floyd is a success coach for new students at Roane State Community College. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Wendy Floyd is a success coach for new students at Roane State Community College. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s the satisfaction of helping a student find their path forward that makes her day, Roane State Community College’s Wendy Floyd says of her innovative job as a “success coach” for new students.

Case in point: A new student last year was “a little lost and unsure,” Floyd said, except for one thing: He didn’t want to be in the classroom anymore. “He was totally undecided about what he wanted to do.”

Floyd said she suggested “a certificate program that was a little more ‘hands on’ than a traditional associate’s degree.”

The student is now in the mechatronics certificate program at Roane State’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton “and is doing well,” Floyd said. That program teaches students how to program and maintain complex machines used in manufacturing. [Read more…]

Roane State to host ACT workshop Oct. 21 at main campus in Harriman

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

 

For college-bound high school students, it’s the biggest test to date of their academic careers—the ACT exam.

The test evaluates students’ readiness for college, and scores can determine whether they are admitted to the college of their choice.

Roane State and the private education institution, SailAway Learning, are offering a workshop on preparing for the ACT on Saturday, October 21.

The workshop, titled “Hidden Rules of the ACT Prep,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Roane State’s main campus in Harriman. [Read more…]

Roane State Tennessee Promise students lead state in persistence

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Data recently presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents indicated Tennessee Promise students are outperforming their peers in various success measures, and Roane State’s students are leading the way, a press release said.

The first class of Tennessee Promise students entered college in the fall of 2015. Through the spring semester of 2017, 56.2 percent were still enrolled, have earned a college credential, or transferred to a four-year university, the press release said.

At Roane State, the persistence rate was 65 percent, the best among Tennessee’s 13 community colleges, the release said.

“We are proud that Roane State’s Tennessee Promise students have shown the grit and determination to stay in school and complete,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “I also greatly appreciate the efforts of our faculty and staff to make sure students have the support they need to be successful.” [Read more…]

Roane State Internship Fair connects students to valuable opportunities

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Representatives of 15 area employers participated in Roane State Community College’s first Internship Fair, held Sept. 27, 2017, in the Coffey-McNally Building on the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

Representatives of 15 area employers participated in Roane State Community College’s first Internship Fair, held Sept. 27, 2017, in the Coffey-McNally Building on the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

There are numerous job internship opportunities available in the area, Roane State students learned during the college’s first Internship Fair.

Representatives of 15 employers answered students’ questions, took down contact information, and even conducted some interviews during the event, held last month in the atrium of the Coffey-McNally Building on the Oak Ridge campus.

“We want to match students with part-time, skill-building opportunities,” said Kim Harris, Roane State’s workforce training and placement director.

Too many graduates in the college’s non-healthcare fields come out of Roane State with a degree but no job experience, she said. Internships offer employers a chance to “test drive them (potential employees) before you hire them.” [Read more…]

Tennessee Higher Education Commission awards Roane State a Tennessee Promise Forward Grant

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Tennessee Promise Logo

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission has awarded a $91,940 Tennessee Promise Forward grant to Roane State Community College to develop and expand innovative student success and retention programs.

Through the grant, Roane State will work to enable more Tennessee Promise students to earn a post-secondary credential, a press release said.

“Across our state’s community colleges, great work is being done to ensure that the students who begin college with the Tennessee Promise go on to earn a credential,” said Mike Krause, executive director of Tennessee Higher Education Commission, or THEC. “Tennessee Promise Forward grants provide community colleges with the opportunity to expand successful programs and develop innovative student supports. From parent engagement pilots to service learning, THEC is excited to see the impact that this year’s Tennessee Promise Forward grants have on student success.” [Read more…]

Be ready for Reconnect: Get help filing your FAFSA at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus Oct. 16

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Thanks to the Tennessee Reconnect Act, eligible adults can complete two years at Roane State Community College tuition-free beginning in fall 2018.

The first step, though, is to file a 2018-19 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Roane State’s financial aid staff will host special events to help you complete your 2018-19 FAFSA.

The FAFSA event at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus, which is at 701 Briarcliff Avenue, will be held on Monday, October 16, from 5-7 p.m. [Read more…]

Employers, students invited to Roane State’s Sept. 27 internship fair at Oak Ridge campus

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There are plenty of internships available each year for Roane State Community College students, with pay ranging from minimum wage to up to $18 an hour.

Many of these opportunities go unfilled, often because students are unaware of them, said Kim Harris, the college’s workforce training and placement director.

With that in mind, the college’s placement office is hosting its first Internship Opportunities Fair from 10 a.m. until noon on Wednesday, September 27, in the Coffey/McNally Building on the Oak Ridge Campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

“This effort hopes to connect our students with area employers who have internship opportunities available throughout the year,” Harris said. [Read more…]