In Brief: January-February 2021

For the first time in Collin Colleges history, students are graduating with baccalaureate degrees. While Collin College awarded more than 2,500 associate degrees and certificates this December, 17 students earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees. These amazing RN-to-BSN students embraced service learning and joined with the colleges associate degree and LVN-to-RN bridge program students to provide 4,159 hours of community service in Fall 2020.

Collin College Respiratory Care program graduate Breanna Pierce was featured in a story by NBC 5. Pierce, who has cystic fibrosis, works at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and was praised for continuing to help patients despite her condition. You can view the story here.

Joyce Martinez, Professor ofHospitality, was awarded the Educational Program of the Year Award from Meeting Professionals International (MPI) for an Emerging Leaders event that she chaired in 2020. Martinez is also the chair of the next MPIs Emerging Leaders event scheduled for February 2021. She is full-time faculty in Hospitality/Tourism at the Wylie campus.Congratulations to her on this honor.

Nursing Schools Almanac ranked Collin College 64^th in Texas in its 2020 rankings of the best U.S. nursing schools. The almanac collected data on more than 3,000 institutions, and less than 35% made the final list of the best nursing schools in the nation. View the list of Texas rankings and more information about this honor at www.nursingschoolsalmanac.com/rankings/texas.

Erika McIlnay, the art and music coordinator at Wylie Campus, has been working with the City of Wylie Public Art Board in preparation for a mural planned for Ballard Street near Hwy. 78.The following images are Collin College student proposals for the mural. The first two are Shea Ameens designs based on the slogan Wide Awake Wylie. Marina Godkins rocket ship design is named Traveling Through the Future and incorporates Wylies founding date and the school colors of its two high schools. Feel the Groove by Delilah Mireles reflects her vision of Wylie as a lively city with music that brings people together.

Stephen Rogers, Assistant Director of Student Engagement at Plano Campus, was recently honored as an outstanding Orientation, Transition, and Retention professional by NODA, the National Orientation Directors Association. The Higher Education Outstanding OTR Professional Award recognizes outstanding contributions of a NODA professional to the field of orientation, transition, and retention. Congratulations to him on this acknowledgement.

Dr. Ann Beheler was recently elected to the Analytics Certification Board (ACB) of INFORMS, the leading international association for professionals in operations research and analytics. The Analytics Certification Board was established to oversee the analytics certification program of INFORMS and is an administratively independent certification body. The ACB is both a standard setting and assessment body for professionals in the analytics field.

LeRoy Fuentes, the Range Master for the Public Safety Training Center, developed and submitted a new 16-hour course to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement based on experience at the Pistol Red Dot Transition Instructor School. Based on his curriculum development and justification, TCOLE approved the request and Course 2529 Red Dot Optics Firearms Training is now available statewide. His supervisor, Law Enforcement Academy Director Scott Donaldson, noted that Fuentes initiative is an excellent example of being ahead of the game and knowing what technology/training is going to be needed. Even better, we are scheduling the new course as we speak.

More than 230 people participated for this years online version of Banned Book Week event.

Nursing students modified how they were able to engage in Fall 2020 Service Learning due to COVID-19 concerns among a few community partners. Students offered service to the homeless (Sidewalk Showers, Samaritan Inn), to food pantries (mostly All Community Outreach [ACO] and Minnies), and Meals on Wheels. Considering concerns with isolation and loneliness due to COVID with the elderly in the community, several students independently picked elderly adults they knew from church or their neighborhoods and provided companionship and care.The students would do things like pick up little errand items when they were out or just spent time reading to the person.

The college held a robust Spring 2021 Faculty Development Conference by offering sessions remotely and creating recordings so that more faculty can view more sessions and are not bound by the schedule. Recordings of the Teaching and Learning through Change conference are now available. Visit the Center for Teaching and Learning website (http://inside.collin.edu/tl/conferences.html) for links to those recordings, which include live concurrent sessions and virtual poster sessions.