Twenty-one students from Hocking College Ranger Academy provided traffic management assistance for the Hocking Hills Winter Hike Saturday, January 19. The hike attracts many visitors to the Hocking Hills area, and traffic guidance is a vital step in providing a successful event.

Around 4,300 visitors attended the 49th Annual Winter Hike, which takes participants through a six-mile trail around Hocking Hills State Park beginning at the campgrounds and ending in the "Upper Falls" of Old Man's Cave.
 

In order to better accommodate student and faculty space, the Bookstore is in the process of being relocated. The current Bookstore will move to the second floor of Davidson Hall (DVD) and connect to the patio, creating an alternate entrance to the building. This will be located in the previous dining hall space.

The Music Management program will move from Washington Hall into the previous Bookstore space after renovation. This relocation will allow the music program to be integrated on campus, while also allowing the college to sell the Washington Hall building.

The relocation and renovation plan will be completed no later than August 2013.  Once the project details are released, Verbatim will keep faculty and staff informed of the transition.

On Saturday January 19, 2013, the Campus Martius Museum in Marietta, Ohio bustled with intrigued visitors scoping out archaeological finds. Dr. Annette G. Ericksen, Archaeology program coordinating instructor at Hocking College, spoke about being an archaeologist and opportunities within the field.

Many archaeology enthusiasts attended the event with spectacular finds from various regions. "We have many ages of history on display here," said Bill Reynolds, museum historian, who organized the event. "We have items from prehistory and objects all the way to the Civil War, which is a long span."

The Ohio Historical Society provided an "identification clinic" allowing people to ask if their discoveries had value. Overall, the event was successful, allowing participants to gain a better understanding of history and archaeology. For more information, read the News and Sentinel article. 

On a brisk winter night in January, an Owl Hike attracted around 45 visitors to Meigs Soil & Water Conservation District's Conservation Area in Rutland, Ohio. Ron Cass, Hocking College Natural Resources faculty, was the main speaker. He taught the eager participants about the different breeds of owls and their mating rituals. Cass explained about the several species of owls found in Southeast Ohio, but the top three being the Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl and Eastern Screech Owl.

After the talk, the group hiked the Pauline Atkins Trail. As the short hike neared an end, they stopped to listen for owls. They heard a Barred Owl in the distance, but despite their best efforts, they could not coax him away from his perch. To read more about the Owl Hike, visit the Point Pleasant, WV Register article.   

Hocking College is pleased to announce Bonnie Allen-Smith has been named new Dean of the School of Allied Health and Christine Woodgeard has been promoted to Director of the Hocking College Perry Campus.

Smith is a 1979 graduate of Hocking College. She began her career as a Staff Nurse at Holzer Medical Center in 1979. Smith aided the hospital in several different departments including the Medical Unit, Intensive Care Unit and Surgical/Ambulatory Unit until 1998.

She taught nursing at the Adult Education Center in Nelsonville, Ohio from 1998 until 1990, when was hired as a faculty member in the Hocking College School of Nursing. In 2006, she was hired as Coordinator of Assessment of Student Academic Achievement at Hocking College.

"I am excited about the future as we continue to improve curriculum and instruction for student success and explore online degree options," Smith said.  "I look forward to collaborating with the School of Nursing to create a simulation laboratory providing students hands-on experiences utilizing state of the art mannequins and virtual patient data that allows students to learn by doing without jeopardizing patient safety."

A 2000 graduate of The Ohio State University, Woodgeard held management positions with National City Bank and Big Brothers Big Sisters before her employment with Hocking College.

In 2004, Woodgeard began her first job with Hocking College as an Admissions Specialist on Perry Campus. In 2007, she was hired as the Associate Director of Student Services for Perry Campus.  She is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Specialization of Enrollment Management.

"It is an exciting opportunity to take on this new challenge, and I look forward to serving as the Director of the Hocking College Perry Campus and to carrying out the mission of Hocking College," Woodgeard said. "This is truly a great team, and I am happy to be a part of it."  

Hocking College is pleased to welcome Tammy Keith as new Dean of the School of Nursing and Tarra Begley-Hoops as the new Clinical Placement Advisor.
 
Keith is a 1983 graduate of Hocking College. She was hired in 1983 as an RN Supervisor at Logan Health Care Center. She began her career teaching at Hocking College in 1988.

 In 1989, Keith decided to dedicate her time primarily to Hocking College. In 2012, she became Associate Dean at the School of Nursing. In September 2012, she took on the role of Interim Dean, until this became permanent January 1.
 
"I am very excited for the opportunity to assume the role as Dean of the School of Nursing. Working at Hocking College has allowed me to grow in ways I never could have imagined," Keith said. "As an alumnus of the Nursing Program, I am fully aware of the challenges and rewards of being a student and graduate of Hocking College School of Nursing."

Begley-Hoops is a 2006 graduate of Hocking College's Office Administration program. In 2009, she became the  Office Coordinator for the School of Nursing at Hocking College. As Clinical Placement Advisor, Begley-Hoops is responsible for establishing and maintaining clinical placements, managing clinical facilities activities and ensuring compliance with facility requirements.
 
"Visiting each of our clinical facilities has been a priority for me as the opportunity our facilities provide to our students is an essential piece to their education.  Dean Keith and I have currently made eleven visits and plan to finish up the visits by the end of spring term," Begley-Hoops said.