John speaks to a group of employees about his Hocking College experience.

 

Two Passions

Merged into a Career Thanks to Hocking College

 

Pondering a change of major after his first year of college, John Chappelear found computer science at Hocking College. He grew passionate about the program and worked in the field for eight years, until he was offered a position as a computer science instructor at his alma mater. Chappelear instantly fell in love with teaching and merged his two passions, computer science and teaching, into a career at Hocking College.   

 

During his high school years, his desire was to go to college to become a high school English teacher and he grew fond of the high school library. In 1968, he was accepted to Kent State University to study Library Science. He spent a year at Kent State and realized that Library Science, and Kent State, was not for him.  

 

The summer between his freshman and sophomore years, Chappelear had a discussion with a high school friend. She told him that she had started taking computer science classes at a newly opened technical school named Tri-County Technical Institute (now, Hocking College). He was interested and decided to transfer colleges.

 

"In the fall of 1969, I enrolled in the computer science program at Tri-County Technical Institute," Chappelear said. "To my surprise, the world of computers was right down my alley. Not only did I learn computer programming, but I also learned that I am a hands-on type of person and that I learn best by doing."

 

Upon graduation in 1971, Chappelear entered the workforce for nearly eight years in Columbus, Logan and New Lexington. 

 

"On February 1, 1979 I had the privilege of returning as an employee to the newly named Hocking College working in the Information Technology area which consisted of two employees, Terry Begley and myself," Chappelear said.  

 

Although he said that he loved working in IT, he never lost his desire to teach. "Hocking afforded me that opportunity when I was able to teach a couple of night classes," Chappelear said. "I had been bitten by the teaching bug."

 

In September 1980, Chappelear was offered a full time faculty position in Computer Science at Hocking College, where he taught for 12.5 years.

 

"I had the opportunity to move into the Office of Academic Affairs as the Assistant to the Provost in March 1993," Chappelear said. In the position, he supervised the academic scheduling process, maintained the master course inventory and curriculum, reported academic data to the Ohio Board of Regents, and managed other projects as assigned by the Provost. During his tenure in Academic Affairs, he also became the Project Director for the conversion from the legacy data environment to the new Enterprise Research Planning system (ERP), Colleague. In 2009, he was named the Colleague Administrator.

 

In April 2010, he become a part of the newly re-organized IT department, assuming the duties of Director of Administrative Computing while also maintaining the position of Colleague Administrator.

 

"Forty years have come and gone since I graduated from Hocking, and as I look back over my career paths, I am acutely aware that none of this would have been possible without Hocking College," Chappelear said. "As a student, Hocking was just what I needed in 1969-1971. As an employee, Hocking has been just what I needed for the last 32 years. I would not be where I am today without Hocking." 

 

Chappelear added, "Just as Hocking has been there for me, Hocking continues to be there for all the students who come to us. I believe in Hocking, I believe in our mission. So, thank you Hocking College, a.k.a. Tri-County Technical Institute, for giving me a career."

Columbus Band Reflects Hocking College Community

 

 

 

Dear Alumni:

Welcome to the Hocking College Times!

Hocking College's Alumni and Foundation office strives to keep you informed about Hocking College, your fellow alumni and other meaningful events at Hocking. This newsletter is designed to open communication between Hocking College and our alumni. We hope you enjoy reading it!

The newsletter will come to you monthly, unless you request otherwise. We look forward to hearing your thoughts regarding this issue, and we welcome ideas for upcoming newsletter articles.

Please send us a brief update about what you have achieved to since you left Hocking. We would love the opportunity to feature you in an upcoming newsletter.

We are here to serve you! Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Warm regards,
Jessie McDonald, Alumni Relations
Libby Villavicencio, Foundation

More than 200 alumni, faculty, staff, students, and members of the community attended the First Annual Hocking College Homecoming on Saturday, October 6, 2012. 

The event kicked-off with a breakfast catered by the Hocking College culinary students and faculty.  From there, alumni were escorted on guided campus tours.  Family Weekend events occurred throughout the day, including bounce houses, demonstrations from the Hocking Woods Nature Center, and other programming, such as games and magicians.  

The Harvest Festival at Robbins Crossing offered Civil War reenactments, along with live music, traditional crafts, demonstrations and comfort foods like soup beans and cornbread. 

Throughout the day, activities included fishing in the pond, a disc golf tournament and glassblowing demonstrations.  A beer garden and vendors were also located on campus.  The Homecoming concluded with a bonfire and live music. 

Homecoming will continue to be an annual event held each October on Hocking College campus.

 

Bowald, and seven others from Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Nevada, Michigan, and Wyoming, were recognized as the 2012 National PLT Outstanding Educator honorees. As Bowald could not be in attendance to accept the award, Sue Wintering, PLT - Ohio Coordinator, presented him with it in front of a group of his colleagues and students on May 29, 2012 at the Hocking Woods Nature Center.

 

"Ken does what PLT's founder, Rudy Schaffer of California, many years ago coined: He teaches how to think about environmental issues we face, not what to think," Wintering commented.

 

Bowald's award nomination lists his multiple achievements in the Natural Resources education field, "Ken Bowald brought PLT to the School of Natural Resources at Hocking College, which has the largest two-year forestry program in the nation. He first incorporated PLT into classes in Natural and Historical Interpretation program, but now actively involved in administration, he partners with others to ensure PLT is an integral curriculum component for all Hocking students."

 

He is a member of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) as a certified interpretive trainer and life member.  Bowald is the recipient of the NAI 2008 Special Interpretive Recognition and the 1995 Outstanding New Interpreter Award, as well as the PLT-Ohio Outstanding Educator Award in 2011.  He was recognized in 2006 with the Hocking College Excellence in Teaching award.

 

PLT is a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), a non-profit organization that works for healthy forests, quality environmental education and informed decision making about our communities and our world. PLT was developed by classroom teachers and other educators, as well as by representatives of conservation and forestry groups.

Students, faculty and staff teamed up to complete the new Student Center Patio in June 2012.   

 

In 2002, the Student Center pool had only a small patio with a fence around it. The lack of space made deliveries to the pool a struggle; a larger patio with increased access was necessary.

 

Departments and staff across campus, facilitated by the Grounds Department, worked together to complete the project. Representatives from the Heavy Equipment program flattened the ground behind the patio to allow for expansion while Construction Management students built a storage shed for boats. The concrete class made a path behind the pool and added a concrete pad to link the patio and the Student Center's front path. Electrical students supplied power to the pad. The next year, the concrete class extended this pad.

 

Last winter, Landscape Management students began designing a scenic garden for student use. Different designs were combined to create plans for a capstone project to create a beautiful oasis on campus. In autumn 2012, a plaque dedicated to the late Ariana Ulloa was placed in the gardens, dubbed the "Unity Gardens." The gardens are open daily for use by students, clubs, classes and campus events.

Thank you to the New Concord Fire Department who recently donated a ladder truck to the Hocking College Fire and Emergency Services program.  The truck will enable our students to gain further valuable real-life experience for many years to come!