Archive for June, 2009

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There’s still time to register for Pellissippi State summer camps

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Summer is under way, but it’s not too late to enroll in a summer camp (or two) at Pellissippi State Community College. Though many of the 2009 Summer Camps for Kids! offered through Business and Community Services filled early, space remains in a variety of July camps.

According to Nancy Corum, Pellissippi State’s coordinator of Community Services Programs, July openings include the following: bowling, golf, karate and intermediate tennis; keyboarding; art; “Photo-rrific” (digital photo manipulation and creation of a scrapbook/photo site); and “Science America” (experimentation and the always popular remote control car racing tests).

To see a more complete listing of all available July camps, visit www.pstcc.edu/bcs or call the BCS office at (865) 539-7167 or (865) 539-7166.

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Pellissippi State Increases Career/Technical Dual Enrollment Offerings

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

More high school students in Knox and Blount counties could be entering Tennessee’s workforce, associate’s degree in hand, at the same age that their peers across the state are merely receiving a high school diploma. Knoxville-based Pellissippi State Community College is increasing the number of courses available in Dual Enrollment, a program that allows high school students to earn high school and college credit simultaneously.

Until recently, the program offered courses in English composition, U.S. history, human anatomy and physiology, college algebra and precalculus. Spring 2009, the college added a Video Production Technology course. The class, offered at Knox County’s Karns High School, was Pellissippi State’s first Career/Technical course available on a high school campus. Career/Technical degree programs prepare students to enter the workforce directly after graduating.

Response to growth in demand. “This semester, we’ve seen nearly 500 students participate in our Dual Enrollment program,” said Leigh Anne Touzeau, Pellissippi State’s assistant vice president of Enrollment Services. “We hope to see that number double over the next year.”

Proposed courses for the fall 2009 semester are in the following Career/Technical majors and concentrations: Computer Accounting, Computer Integrated Drafting and Design Technology, Early Childhood Education, Engineering Technology, Hospitality, Interior Design Technology, Paralegal Studies and Photography. The VPT course will continue in the Dual Enrollment program, as well.

Home-school student simultaneously earns high school diploma and associate’s degree. One Knoxville student, Stephani Turner, participated in Pellissippi State’s spring 2009 Commencement ceremony and earned her high school diploma at the same time. She plans to enter the University of Tennessee¬– Knoxville in enterprise marketing. The fact that she already has an Associate of Science degree makes her more marketable should she decide to work prior to or during her continued studies. The oldest of five children, Turner is Pellissippi State’s first student to receive a high school diploma and an associate’s degree during the same academic year.

Sound economics. For students and their families, Pellissippi State’s Dual Enrollment program makes sound economic sense. Students may apply for the Tennessee Dual Enrollment Grant, which pays up to $300 per semester ($600 per academic year) toward coursework. Though students are responsible for purchasing required textbooks and course materials, most pay less than $100 to take one Dual Enrollment course. The program is open to Knox and Blount county juniors and seniors who meet the grade point average and ACT requirements for their planned course(s). Students enroll for the courses through Pellissippi State.

Pellissippi State’s Dual Enrollment program, with its new emphasis on Career/Technical courses, is one example of a community college’s getting involved in the CTE vision. And program participants enter Tennessee’s workforce not only prepared for a career but prepared early.

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Pellissippi State presents spring dean’s list

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Pellissippi State Community College has named 721 top students to the spring 2009 semester dean’s list. To make the list, a student must take a full course load and earn a minimum 3.5 grade point average. Pellissippi State honorees include the following:
Kacie L. Abbott
Ashley Brooke Abbott
Alicia Dawn Acuff
Fiorina Luz Adorati
Shahdeen Shams Alam
Cody Ray Alford
Roger Adrian Alleyne
Luke Finley Amos
Drew Michael Anderson
Deigha Recit Anderson-Davis
Elizabeth Lauren Armistead
Robert M. Arnold
Heather Nicole Arnold
Charlie Dewayne Arp
Brandi Jane Ashburn
Chloe Lauren Ashley
(more…)

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Pellissippi State offers New Student Orientation throughout summer

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

If you will be a new student at Pellissippi State Community College this fall, now is the time to make plans to attend one of the college’s free New Student Orientation sessions. New Student Orientation is mandatory for all first-time degree-seeking freshmen.

General orientation sessions and sessions targeted specifically to certain majors will be offered throughout the summer. Transfer and non-degree-seeking students are encouraged to attend as well.

Orientation gives participants the opportunity to meet with Pellissippi State students, faculty and staff; discuss strategies for college success; explore degree and major options; and learn about campus services and resources.

Students with complete files also will be able to meet with an advisor and register for classes.

“We sincerely want every student to be successful at Pellissippi State,” said Leigh Anne Touzeau, assistant vice president of Enrollment Services. “At New Student Orientation, we provide the information and resources students need to help them meet their goals.”

While new students learn about the college, their parents, spouses or other family members can attend an orientation session of their own. Representatives from Advising, Financial Aid and Safety and Security will be on hand to answer questions and provide tips to help students succeed.

“Choose the orientation that best matches your future goals,” said Becky Milam, director of New Student Advising and Orientation.

Students who intend to graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree and go directly into the workforce should attend one of the “Career/Technical” orientations.

“College Transfer” students may attend any session other than Career/Technical, but they will benefit from attending a session targeted to their major. Targeted sessions are available for business and computer technology, education, music and nursing, as well as for students transferring to or from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville.

New Student Orientation sessions also will take place on the Blount County, Division Street and Magnolia Avenue campuses.

Specific times and dates are available at www.pstcc.edu/admissions/orientation. To reserve your space, call (865) 694-6400.

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Screenwriting class at Pellissippi State incorporates game theory approach

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Think of Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, gun trained on a kidnapper who is holding a hostage. Or watch the knife fight sequence in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” paying special attention to Paul Newman and his character’s discussion of “rules” before the fight. Recall the game of chicken in “Rebel Without a Cause,” James Dean at the wheel, speeding head-on toward the driver of a second car.

Memorable movie scenes, to be sure, each first conceived in the imagination of a screenwriter. What they have in common, according to Pellissippi State Community College English professor Edward Francisco, is game theory.

Francisco’s “Introduction to Screenwriting” course, offered this fall, will for the first time include instruction in using game theory concepts in developing screenplays.

Game theory is the mathematical study of the strategies used to win games. The basic assumption is that how people (“players”) interact impacts others (“game participants”). In most games, there is a “zero sum”—if one person wins, then the other loses, or vice versa. Dirty Harry plays a zero-sum game with the hostage taker, and the stakes are very high.

The work of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash, popularized in the biographical film “A Beautiful Mind,” brought game theory into the mainstream. The field of study’s applications are broad, ranging from a friendly game of poker to nations’ displaying military strength.

Francisco looks forward to incorporating game theory into his screenwriting class: “The essence of cinema is conflict. In a zero-sum game, the player who is the most reckless is most likely to prevail. When James Dean pulls the steering wheel out of the car, he leaves himself no choice but to continue playing the game.”

Francisco believes that game theory, one of several components of the fall course, will help students learn. And he is in good company. Search online for game theory and you find lesson plans in economics, math, business and related fields from professors at Vanderbilt, Yale, MIT, Harvard and many other leaders in education. Now Francisco’s course at Pellissippi State brings game theory to the creative arena.

To register, visit www.pstcc.edu or call (865) 694-6400.

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Pellissippi State to conduct free Engineering Summer Academy

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Design, build and program a car in the span of four days? That’s what several students will be doing June 23-26 at the Engineering Summer Academy, a free event hosted by Pellissippi State Community College.

The course, which is for area high-schoolers, is meant to encourage students interested in engineering technology to explore the field in a hands-on setting. Participants will each be given materials for a robotic car. They will work in teams to design, build and program the cars to run on a track. On the last day of class, teams will select the best vehicles to enter in a classwide competition. Several prizes are available, and every participant takes home his or her completed project.

The Engineering Summer Academy introduces students to computer-aided drafting and mechanical, electrical and civil engineering skills. Pellissippi State offers not only an Associate of Applied Science degree in each of these technical fields but also a dual enrollment program through which high school students simultaneously earn high school and college credits.

The academy, whose enrollment is already at maximum capacity, takes place at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road. The public is invited to attend the “Battle of the ’Bots” on Friday the 26th at 12:30 p.m. in the Goins Building College Center.
For more information, call (865) 694-6483.

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Pellissippi State’s ServSafe Food Safety course offers certification

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

The public expects the people who handle its food in restaurants, schools, day-cares and hospitals to do their job correctly. The stakes are too high to expect any less. A cook who touches food with unwashed hands or a caterer who leaves an item on ice too long in an outdoor setting can pose a potentially life-threatening hazard.

That’s why Business and Community Services at Pellissippi State Community College offers ServSafe Food Safety. The eight-hour course meets the requirements for manager certification in the food service industry. Students who pass a timed, multiple-choice exam at the end of the class qualify for a ServSafe certificate valid for five years.

Kashi Farmer, food scientist and owner of White Glove Restaurant Solutions, is the instructor. She says that most of the enrollees are in restaurant management.

Although not required by the state, certification is mandated by many companies for their management team. Others benefiting from the class include those in food services in catering, education, hospitals and day-cares … in short, any employee or business owner who handles food to be consumed by others.

Upcoming course dates are June 22 or July 20. Hours for either session are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Participants must register 10 days before class begins, and enrollees are required to present a photo ID before taking the end-of-class exam. Classes are at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road.

To learn more or to register, visit www.pstcc.edu or call (865) 539-7167 or (865) 539-7166.

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Pellissippi State expands Early Childhood Education options

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Thanks to a new agreement, Pellissippi State Community College students taking classes in the Early Childhood Education associate’s degree program now have the option of pursuing a four-year licensing or non-licensing program by transferring to East Tennessee State University.

The transfer agreement allows students to take two years of classes through Pellissippi State, then attend ETSU for their remaining junior and senior classes. Students completing the prekindergarten–third grade licensure path are qualified to teach in Tennessee’s public schools.

Thanks to government funding, there has been a recent growth in the number of pre-K jobs offered in the public sector. Students with a four-year degree increase their professional marketability in applying for both public and private teaching positions. Candidates who can benefit from the non-licensure track include those applying to social services programs that require a four-year degree.

In addition to the new transfer option, Pellissippi State also offers the following in its two-year Early Childhood Education program: coursework required for the Child Development Associate credential; the two-year Associate of Applied Science degree, which prepares students to enter the workforce as assistant public school teachers, Head Start employees or child-care professionals; and the state-issued Administrator credential, designed for day-care directors.

With many of the required classes available online and supported by an in-the-field practicum, the program offers a high level of flexibility to individuals already employed in early childhood education careers. For qualified candidates currently working in the child-care field, funding for tuition and textbooks may be available through Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance, (423) 439-7855.

Information on the degree program is available by contacting Shari Lillestolen, assistant professor of Early Childhood Education at Pellissippi State, at srlillestolen@pstcc.edu or (865) 539-7229.

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New ‘trike’ course offered at Pellissippi State

Friday, June 12th, 2009

You may have spotted a trike cruising the streets of Knoxville—not the traditional child’s tricycle but a full-fledged motorcycle with three wheels. Trikes represent a growing segment of the motorcycle market, and their increase in popularity has resulted in a corresponding increase in the demand for instruction in their unique handling characteristics.

The new Trike Course offered by Pellissippi State Community College, an official training site of the Knoxville Rider Education Program, consists of both classroom instruction (three hours) and range time (four hours). One of the many personal development courses available through Business and Community Services, the new class is a much anticipated addition to the regular motorcycle offerings.

Thousands have received their Basic Rider instruction through Pellissippi State’s Motorcycle Rider Education program. The Experienced Rider Course is also a well-established training class.

Although the Trike Course is new, interested students are encouraged to register early because of the increased interest in trike training.

The one-day trike class is taught by Gold Wing Road Riders Association certified Knoxville Rider Education RiderCoaches using the GWRRA curriculum. A GWRRA completion card is given to riders who successfully finish the course. In addition, students who complete the course are eligible for a discount of as much as 10 percent off their liability insurance.

Courses are offered on Saturdays at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road. All classes 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Summer dates are June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8.

For additional information, contact Pellissippi State’s Business and Community Services at (865) 539-7167 or (865) 539-7166 or visit www.pstcc.edu/bcs.

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Free diversity festival at Pellissippi State’s Blount County Center

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Native American drummers. Step dancers from Alcoa High School. An interpretive dance group performing to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

These performers and more will join artists, community organizations and international presenters in the Fifth Annual Race Unity Day celebration hosted Saturday, June 27, by Pellissippi State Community College. The event takes place at Pellissippi State’s Blount County Center.

The purpose of Race Unity Day is to introduce attendees to different cultures, help community members connect with each other, promote friendship and cooperation, and showcase the unity and diversity that already exist within the community.

The event features displays by local artists, booths hosted by community organizations and international presentations. Performers include Southern Echo, a Native American drum group; Alcoa High School’s step dance team; Circle Modern Dance, performing an interpretive dance to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech; and Anne Armstrong from Knoxville Pipes and Drums.

Race Unity Day also offers special activities for children. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free for adults and children. The event is 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

For additional information, contact Betsy Boyd at Pellissippi State, (865) 981-5303 or bboyd@pstcc.edu.

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