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May 6, 2013
Hocking College Graduates Class of 2013
Hocking College welcomed approximately 900 graduates to the ranks of alumni at three ceremonies on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Hocking College Student Center Multiplex.

Albert L. Sims, a Class of 2013 graduate, served as the honorable commencement speaker at all three ceremonies. Sims discussed his journey from gang member on the streets of Fresno, California, to 22 years spent in the California penal system, to his graduation with honors at Hocking College with an Associate's in Addiction Counseling.
 
"As a guest of the penal system, I was provided a five by nine cell where my mind was filled with so many thoughts. Above all, I questioned if I would ever have a life worth living," Sims recounted.

He overcame his own addiction and personal adversity to graduate from Hocking College as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. 

Albert Sims
"At Hocking College, I have learned to treat my life and the lives of others with the respect, gratitude and thoughtfulness that come from opportunity and education," Sims commented.  He concluded by stating, "My story is not one of glory or of honor, but one of hope and encouragement to every last one of you here. I challenge each one of you...if I can be here today in spite of all the obstacles, setbacks and my ill decisions in life, then where can you be tomorrow?"

Student award recipients included Carri Woodgerd, Erika Byrd and Lydia Baird for Excellence in Student Employment; Aaron Moore, Bryee Wernicke, and Albert Sims for the Student Life Award; and Richard Baysa, Marquan Hairston and Maria Silva for the "We are One-Hocking" Award.  The Richard Elston Leadership Award was presented to Kristen Herbst, Marie Swartz and Khader Alshaar.  Finally, Warren Usher, Teresa Marks and Ryan Swigart were presented with the Trustees' Award, the highest honor offered at Hocking College.

Students in the School of Health and Nursing graduated at the 10 a.m. ceremony; the School of Natural Resources and the School of Public Safety Services at the 2 p.m. ceremony.  The 6 p.m. ceremony graduated students from the McClenaghan Center for Hospitality Training; School of Arts, Business and Information Technology; and the School of Engineering Technologies.

Take a look at the story of the 2013 Hocking College Commencement through the images and words of our students and the people who love them. 
Construction Students Complete Office Space
Students in the Hocking College Construction Management programs at the Logan Campus spent a large portion of spring semester completing new office and storage space for the Advanced Energy program, also at the Logan Campus. 

The carpentry students framed the space with structural steel studs and recycled, wood joists.  They also hung drywall, installed a suspended ceiling, installed wood doors with steel jambs, and installed a stairway to access the mezzanine area above, which will be used as an exercise area for students. 

The electrical students tested their skills by wiring the entire project.  They also used recycled lighting fixtures to help reduce the project's cost. 
 
All of the Construction Management students worked very well together as a team on a real project gaining real experience.  Their hard work will now be on constant display for future students to admire. 
Thank you Construction Management students for a professional quality job!

Congratulations to Counseling Center Intern Graduates
Staff and interns of the Hocking College Counseling Center send our congratulations to our Hocking College graduates.  We also have graduates among our student interns from Ohio University Counselor Education program.  Rachel Ebert, Nomcebo Nkosi (Gu Gu), Meredith Rinehart, and Mary "Chrissy" Ward have all completed their internships and graduated on Friday, May 2, 2013 at Ohio University in Athens.

Many Hocking College students have benefitted from our OU interns who have worked to complete their counseling experience at the Hocking College Counseling Center.  These interns have made a significant impact on the Counseling Center and its staff's ability to meet our seven goals, which include expansion of services to our Hocking College students, faculty and staff. 

Meredith reported feeling that her highest accomplishments here at Hocking College were the direct services she provided to individual students.  She also felt very good about outreach efforts she was involved in with resident hall employees and military veterans whom she interviewed.  She was instrumental in interviewing military veterans in an effort to identify how Hocking College can help veterans in their transition from military culture to college life.

Nomcebo (GuGu) was instrumental in having "conversations" with our international students to aid them in their transition into the American culture.  She wanted to thank Dominika Adamova for supporting her efforts to help international students adjust to life in America by permitting her to enter English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms and social events.  Due to cultural differences, many international students do not use available counseling services.  This outreach effort was successful thanks to creative support and lunchtime conversations between GuGu and our international student body. 

Mary "Chrissy" feels that her most important contribution has been the reduction of stigma in Hocking College students seeking counseling services.  One student remarked that counseling is just "having the opportunity to talk to a best friend without having to listen to their "#%@*" problems." Chrissy was also featured in an outreach educational video on the topic of human trafficking that was produced by Hocking College Broadcast students. 

Rachel shared her time with us and also at a vocational rehabilitation agency in the Columbus area.  She was instrumental in our first attempt to provide counseling services at our branch campuses.  We conducted a pilot project to establish demand/need for services at our Logan campus.  We plan to expand services to include both Logan and Perry campuses, as the need arises beginning in the autumn term. 

We thank our OU graduate interns for their hundreds of hours of service to our Hocking College students, staff and faculty.  We wish them great success in life and in their continued professional pursuits.
Benefit Supports Beth McKenzie Memorial Fund
Come to Stuart's Opera House on Thursday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. for the "Frank and Dean...and then some!" comedy show to benefit the Dr. Beth A. McKenzie Student Support Fund at Hocking College.
Hocking College Foundation and the family of Beth McKenzie are hosting the show to provide additional funding to the Student Support Fund, which is dedicated to assisting students who face financial hardships on their path toward graduation. The show incorporates the fun, jokes, and timeless music of The Rat Pack.  From "Fly Me to the Moon" to "That's Amore, " join us for an evening of entertainment you won't forget and all for a great cause.

A dedicated employee of Hocking College for 22 years, Beth rose to all challenges, even in the face of adversity, and worked tirelessly to help students achieve their dreams. A year ago on June 12, 2012, Beth lost her courageous battle with cancer.  Because of Beth's passion for and dedication to Hocking College and its students, a memorial student support fund was established in her name. 

"Frank and Dean...and then some!" celebrates the music that makes you feel good and brings back wonderful memories.  Damion Fontaine as Frank Sinatra and Scott Brotherton as Dean Martin provide a comedic and enjoyable representation of the original stars.

Tickets will be available for sale shortly on the Stuart's Opera House website, with special pricing available for the show and a Rhapsody dinner package.

For additional information, visit the "Frank and Dean ...and then some" show website.
One Hocking Logo One Hocking Diversity Training to be Held
Faculty and staff in K-12, two-year community colleges and community members are invited to the first ever One Hocking Diversity and Inclusion Training, hosted by the Diversity Without Division Alliance of Hocking College. The program is on Thursday, August 29 from 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Inn at Hocking College, and will cover the following topics: 
  • Create a heightened awareness of how historical, social, and structural dimensions affect contemporary intergroup relations.
  • Empower participants with resources.
  • Enhance professional networks in order to provide diversity programming to their organizations and communities.

The cohort members will engage in an interactive learning environment that includes hands-on exercises, as well as small and large group discussions that provide participants the opportunity to share and explore ideas and concepts regarding diversity and inclusion.


For additional information or to register, visit the One Hocking Diversity Training web page.

Archaeology Instructor Presents about Dig Site
Archaeology program Coordinating Instructor Dr. Annette Ericksen will be presenting about W.C. Stiles, Jr. and his Thornhill Estate near Volcano, West Virginia.  The site has been part of an archaeological dig by the Hocking College Archaeology students for the past two years. 

Dr. Ericksen's presentation will take place Thursday, May 16 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the Judge Black Annex (on Market Street, across from the Blennerhassett Hotel) in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

The Archaeology School at the Thornhill Estates has been sponsored by the Friend of Mountwood Park and made possible through of the support of the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Wood County Commission and the Wood County Landmarks Commission.
Verbatim Summer Schedule
Verbatim will be produced monthly over the summer and will resume its weekly schedule at the start of autumn semester. In the meantime, please continue to send article ideas to [email protected]. Have a great summer!
Reminder: Prepare for Colleague Outage
The Hocking College Ellucian Colleague system will be down for maintenance from May 9 -13, 2013.  Colleague, which includes such systems as WebAdvisor, registration processes, payment processes, leave requests and web utilities, will be unavailable.

During this maintenance window, we will move the Colleague system to a new hardware platform.  To facilitate the transition, all users must log out of Colleague and WebAdvisor by 5 p.m. on May 9.  Access will be restored by end of day May 13.  These modifications are essential and must be completed in a timely manner.  We appreciate your patience as we strive to keep our network operating optimally.
Reminder: AMVETS Honor Guard to Perform on Campus
The Logan AMVETS Honor Guard Rifle Unit will perform on Friday, May 24, 2013 at 10 a.m. at Logan Campus and perform again at 12 p.m. on the main campus in honor of Memorial Day. The performance will be held at the flagpoles at both locations. Student Aaron Pletcher, a veteran at Logan Campus, arranged the event.
Reminder: Dell Discounts Available for Students, Faculty and Staff

Dell is currently promoting their new Windows 8 systems, including touch screen notebooks and tablets. With the Hocking College discount, Dell is offering $50 off any purchase of select systems like the Dell Inspiron 15z Touch and tablets like the Dell XPS 10.

 

For more information on discounts and savings, please visit www.dell.com/dellu/hocking and use the following promotion code and member login to access the discount. Please enter the member identification number US126609902 and the coupon code 2NC6G00NCM??39 before May 31, 2013 to claim the coupon.
Reminder: Upcoming Admissions Events
Prospective students will be visiting campus for the following events:
  • Autumn QuickStart Registration Events:
    • Check-In for all Autumn QuickStarts events begins at 9:30 a.m., with the program beginning at 10 a.m.
    • Tuesday, May 7 - Health & Nursing
    • Wednesday, May 8 - Public Safety Services and Arts, Business and Computer Information Technologies (ABIT)
    • Thursday, May 9 - Natural Resources and Hospitality
    • Wednesday, May 15  - Engineering Technology (at Logan Campus)
    • Friday, May 17 - All programs
Thank you for your assistance as we provide prospective students with a chance to experience a Hocking College education!
Mission

Hocking College provides a unique, innovative, and quality education in a supportive experience- based learning environment, preparing students for employment and transfer education opportunities, while teaching the value of lifelong learning, promoting diversity and developing citizens who are engaged in their local and global communities.

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Thanks for Graduation Day Assistance

Thank you to all of you who came to support our graduates, set-up the Multiplex, prepared the grounds, ran sound and cameras, provided security, lined-up students, took orders for the DVDs and thoughtfully organized the event. 

A special thanks to the Housekeeping, Grounds and Maintenance crews.  Each of these departments spent a tremendous amount of time and effort making the campus beautiful for graduation. 




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3301 Hocking Parkway
Nelsonville, OH 45764
[email protected] / www.hocking.edu

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