Works by Dr. Lupita Murillo Tinnen, dean of academic affairs and workforce at Plano Campus, were part of an exhibition at Texas Christian University in January. “Entre Mundos” featured works by Dr. Murillo Tinnen and other members of Nuestra Artist Collective. The exhibition, which translates as “Between Worlds,” contemplated liminal spaces and is one of several exhibitions over the past three years by Nuestra Artist Collective.
Dr. Sarah Lee, campus provost for iCollin Virtual Campus, participated in a panel discussion featured during Texas Digital Learning Week in November. The presentation was about the development of a rubric used to evaluate Institutional Plans for Distance Education in the state of Texas. She worked with Texas higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) staff and members of the THECB Learning Technology Advisory Committee to spearhead the development of a rubric used to evaluate institutional plans.
iCollin Virtual Campus faculty and staff attended the Online Learning Consortium’s Accelerate 2024 conference in Orlando, Florida in November. The group represented Collin College in two presentations for national leaders and professionals in the online learning field. Dr. Sarah Lee, Jill Nugent, Jeremy Walker, and Dr. Meena Beri presented about their work holistically supporting online students at Collin College, and Dr. Sarah Lee and Serena Meyer presented about a collaborative staffing model developed by the campus to effectively staff courses with faculty equipped to teach online.
Dr. Rebecca Orr co-facilitated a workshop, "Using HHMI BioInteractive’s Free Assessment Builder to Crowdsource Your Assessments for Learning," at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) in Anaheim, California, in November.
Professor Melissa Johnson recently presented “Pullman and the Golden Age of Rail Travel” for History Encounters at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Professor Ryan Rynbrandt successfully defended his dissertation proposal at The University of Texas at Dallas. He will be conducting an experiment on a light-touch intervention to boost flourishing and academic success among Collin students.
Law Enforcement Academy Director Scott Donaldson has been selected to serve on the Minimum Standards for Training Coordinators Committee of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement This committee will explore what the minimum qualifications should be that would help a training coordinator at a law enforcement agency, an academy, or a contract training provider be successful.
Motorola Solutions recently donated $50,000 of V700 body worn camera for incorporation into the Collin College Law Enforcement Academy (CCLEA) training curriculum. Law Enforcement Academy Director Scott Donaldson said this is one of the first known cases of body cameras being integrated into police training at a higher education-based or regional academy.
Jon Crissman, adjunct professor of Collision Technology, was featured in an article on Autobodynews.com in December. The article talks about his years of experience and mentoring. Click here to see the article.
Angela Vandersmitte, full-time Simulation instructor in the Simulation Department of McKinney Campus recently earned her Master of Science in Nursing, Family NP from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dr. Brenda Carter, Celina Campus executive dean, has been named as a member of the Prosper Chamber of Commerce Board.
Ava Redmond, Surgical Professions adjunct faculty, was one of the first 10 graduates of the Bachelor of Applied Science in Clinical Operations Management (BASCOM). Redmond achieved the President's List, graduating with highest honors while also serving as a professor in the Surgical Assisting and Surgical Technology program.
Caleb Willis, reference associate at McKinney Campus, was accepted to the American Library Association (ALA) CORE Mentorship program for six months under the mentorship of Dr. William Weare Jr, associate dean for Academic Engagement and Public Services for the Wichita State University Library.
Robin Horst, reference librarian–Health Sciences at McKinney Campus, has been accepted to the graduate certificate study program for post-master’s Certificate in Evidence-Based Health Science Librarianship at Texas Woman’s University.
Mindy Tomlin, scholarly communication librarian at Plano Campus, recently graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a Master of Arts in Theatre. She was also accepted to Stage West's Design Apprenticeship program and will be assisting them with productions this spring and summer.
Collin College Police Chief Scott Jenkins has been named to the Board of Directors of CASA of Collin County. The Court Appointed Special Advocates program uses trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of children in family court and foster programs.
Collin College student Brandon Bliss’ 1994 Rover Mini Cooper was featured in a 2025 Sherwin-Williams calendar. Bliss used the Collin College Collision Lab at the Technical Campus to paint the car and credited the college as the “shop” that did the work.
The Technical Campus donated 63 blankets to All-Community Outreach (formally Allen Community Outreach) as part of its annual blanket drive to support community members in need. Special thanks to Alisha Witthaus, Jolene Mayfield, and Jinger Peeples, who were instrumental in the setup and distribution of this donation drive.
The Technical Campus held the Collin College Regional Welding Event as part of the Texas High School Welding Series (TXHSWS) on Dec. 13. The event drew 420 high school students from Waco, Longview, Huntsville, and schools throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. The event tests and certifies high school students in various welding codes defined by the American Welding Society (AWS). Testing was carried out by certified welding inspectors Landon LaRocque, Lucas Weatherford, Colby Craddock, and Cesar Lopez, all of whom are educators with Collin’s Welding and HVAC programs.
The Black American Awareness Committee (BAAC) will hold its Annual Heart & Soul Food Luncheon from noon-2 p.m. on March 14 at the Frisco Campus Conference Center. This annual event is open to Collin College students, faculty, and staff. Lunch prepared by Chef Ronald Reczek and Collin College Culinary Arts students will be provided while supplies last.