In Brief: November/December 2021

Collin College had a strong presence at the College Academic Support Programs (CASP) conference, Oct. 18-20. The conference, hosted jointly by the Texas Association for Developmental Education (TADE) and the College Reading and Learning Association Texas Chapter, is designed to advance the knowledge and interest of post-secondary educators working in learning assistance, developmental education, tutorial services, and other programs of academic support and assistance. Associate Dean Cathy Thurman is on the board for TADE and co-hosted the conference in an online format this year. Collin College had 13 registered attendees and four presenters in the conference. CASP presenters from Collin College included: Leah Beck Developmental Math, McKinney Campus; Kristen Ewing Developmental Math, Wylie Campus; Dr. Meena Beri Economics, iCollin; Linda Kaposci Integrated Reading and Writing (INRW), Plano Campus.

Collin College graduate, Rania Rawas, was awarded the 2021 NODA Outstanding Student Leadership Award at the 2021 NODA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.NODA is the Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education. The Outstanding Student Leadership Award is a national award designed to give special recognition to students for their creativity, energy, enthusiasm, and outstanding abilities, which are the backbone of successful and dynamic orientation programs. Rawas was eligible for this award because she received the 2021 NODA Region IV Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leader-2 Year in March 2021. Rawas was also awarded the 2021 Collin College Student Employee of the Year and the 2021 Lebrecht-Hites Family Transfer Scholarship.Rawas is currently enrolled at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Collin Colleges McKinney Campus was awarded the Inspiring Service to Others Award by Volunteer McKinney in October. The Inspiring Service to Others Award is presented to a public or private school, home school group, or another group that endeavors to teach and demonstrate serving others to its students through curriculum, programs, and community service initiatives.

The Collin College Mock Trial Team competed at the H-Town Throwdown Invitational Nov. 20-21 in Houston. The invitational tournament included 18 teams from some of the best mock trial schools in the country. The team competed head to head against the University of Arizona, Florida State University, the University of Texas at Dallas, and Dillard University in four separate scrimmages. The mock trial team gained valuable experience in advance of the American Mock Trial Association Regionals planned for Arlington in February. One of Collin Colleges mock trial team members, Mayra Dantas, received the outstanding witness award for the tournament. Dantas scored as the best witness in three scrimmages and third-best witness in another scrimmage. Pictured at right are Mock Trial Head Coach Benjamin Copeland and Dantas.

Collin College and Ranger College received a TRUE Grant of $314,279 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to support increasing computer information systems skills for students in continuing education programs. Funding was awarded from Governor Abbotts Emergency Education Fund.

In November, the Dallas chapter of the Public Relations Society of America elected Lisa Vasquez to its board of directors. Vasquez will serve as president-elect in 2022 and president of the chapter in 2023. PRSA-Dallas is the fourth largest chapter in the country, and Vasquez has been an accredited member of PRSA since 1996.

Dr. John Macready, professor of philosophy at the Plano campus, spoke at an author event and book discussion for Hannah Arendt by Samantha Rose Hill at the University of Texas at Dallas on Nov. 5.

Cindy White, the colleges director of purchasing, has been elected president of the Texas Public Purchasing Association (TxPPA) for 2022. TxPPA was established in 2008 and provides meaningful and relevant professional development opportunities for its members over a variety of public procurement topics while also strengthening professional relationships with others in the industry. The college is excited to have White represent the college in such a meaningful way.

The Collin College Police Department held a sergeant promotional assessment board on Nov. 12. Officer Brittany Lemalu and Detective Adrian Ballin completed the assessment board and will be promoted to sergeant in December. The process includes a written examination, presentations, interviews, role-plays, verbal scenarios, and a written exercise. Police department supervisors from Texas Womans University PD, Wylie PD, McKinney PD, and Celina PD joined with assessors from human resources, the dean of students office, and Collin College PD to complete the promotional evaluation process.

Baylor Scott & White plan to hire 14 Collin College Health Professions students after an interview day planned by the colleges faculty and staff. Health Professions Clinical Coordinator Josh Snyder and Technical Campus Career Center Manager Jessica Elder arranged the interview sessions on Nov. 18. Dr. Juli Westcott, program director for Health Professions, called the event an incredible win for us and our students and thanked advisory committee member and chief nursing officer for Baylor Scott & White Trang Nguyen for assistance in organizing the day.

The colleges Child Development Lab School was awarded a four-year $838,000 grant from the Department of Education to provide childcare on-campus with a focus on serving low-income students. The first meeting to discuss the rollout was held on Oct. 29 with Barbara Batista, Natalie Greenwell, Lindsay Mvalo, and Lupita Murillo Tinnen.

More than 100 senior citizens will be warmer this winter thanks to the generous donations of Collin College Technical Campus faculty, staff, and students. During November, the Technical Campus provided over 100 queen-sized blankets for the Meals On Wheels clients to snuggle up with during the cold weather. Organizers of the drive said Meals on Wheels tries to give each of their clients a blanket each holiday season, but never receives enough blankets.

Dr. Ryan Pettengill, professor of history at the Wylie Campus, was a featured guest on the Tales from the Reuther Library podcast on an episode named Communists and Community in Wartime Detroit in late October. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SqJYLEt5siXgAXFfjkHVk?si=697c989360964abb&nd=1.

In January, Wylie Campus Dean Daphne Babcock will begin a three-year term as a Wylie Chamber of Commerce board member.Wylie Campus Provost Dr. Mary McRae closes out her three-year term with the chamber board in December.

Thirty-two new Vocational Nursing students have been accepted into the next program cohort, scheduled to begin at the Technical Campus in Spring 2022.

Associate Dean Kyle Bellue is slated to receive his Doctorate of Education in Higher and Adult Education from the University of Memphis on Dec. 12.Bellue successfully defended his dissertation titled, Removing Hidden Barriers: Using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to Examine Womens Participation in the Military, on Oct. 18.

Plano Campus Integrated Reading and Writing professors Karen Hanvey and Pam Sawyer presented at the recent NISOD conference. Their presentation was titled Pivoting with Corequisites in the time of COVID and Beyond.

Sean Ferrier-Watson published the poem, Cosmic Dexterity, in Down in the Dirt, vol. 190, Dec. 2021, which is currently online with print forthcoming, and Silent Poet, in Evening Street Review, Spring 2022.

Lawrence Carter and Phillip Mitchell participated in the Wylie Chamber of Commerce Cornament Cornhole Tournament, Nov. 5.