Alumni Newsletter - February 2015
In This Issue
 

 
 Upcoming Events
  
February 26
Third Annual Smile-a-Thon

February 26 - 28


March 18-20
Hocking Showcase

March 26
Blood Drive

April 3 

Alumni Spotlight

Alumnus Takes His Talent to Colorado



Timothy D. Shaw '97 was a Hocking College student in the backcountry horsemanship program. 

After graduation, Shaw spent many years in his trade and is currently managing a small ranch while running his own horse boarding and property services business, Miskas Boarding and Property services. 

Shaw has had a diverse career path; he has been everything from a camp cook to a hunting guide and says he has no fear of doing what it takes to get the work done. 

He now resided in Colorado, doing what he loves. 

"Without their [staff of Hocking College's equine division] guidance and knowledge I do not feel I'd be where I am today," said Shaw. "I hope to be able to come visit the school again one day and extend my gratitude and knowledge to others."


 


Daughter of Former Employee Writes Book



 
 

Daughter of former employee, Kim Forbes Powell, who retired at the end of last year, has published a book.  Her name is CoeDee Shaner Burba and she wrote "The Life You Leave Behind."

The book description from amazon.com:
All Faye Donehoe wanted was someone to love. At 18, she married her high school sweetheart and fulfilled the only goal she ever bothered to set: leaving her claustrophobic hometown in the sunset for the excitement of Washington, D.C. Five years later, she's a war widow in love with her employer, Jimmy Quinn. Older and wealthy, he's also very married to an aloof goddess with secrets of her own. Though Faye succeeds in capturing Jimmy's attention, she finds happiness comes at a staggering price.

 

Throw in a nosy grandmother, an eccentric cousin, along with Jimmy's skeletons and it's no wonder Faye's life is spinning out of control. After a lifetime of poor choices she faces her most difficult one yet: living the "American Dream" or walking away from the life she always wanted.

Burba's synopsis of the book is, "Everyone has a sob story. Does yours define you?"  The book can be purchased online at amazon.com.  


 

Hocking Earns Tree Campus USA Recognition
  

Hocking College has recently earned the 2014 Tree Campus USA designation. 

In order to be recognized, Hocking College had to meet the five core standards of a sustainable campus required by Tree Campus USA. 

These five standards include establishing a tree advisor committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicate annual expenses for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects. 


Hocking College is one of 11 Ohio Colleges to earn this recognition, and the only Southeastern Ohio campus to earn the designation.  

Tree Campus USA is a national program, which launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota, this program honors colleges and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. 

Alumni Spotlight

Jason Lagore Gives Back

 

Jason Lagore '04 is a Wildlife Management graduate who has worked at Caesar Creek Park in Warren, Ohio, as a Park Officer for about nine years.  He came back to Hocking to visit the Natural Resources Law classes. 

The Natural Resources Law students and faculty raised money to help purchase a K-9 officer, which was donated to the parks.  Lagore now works with the donated K-9, named Ranger. 


Ranger's abilities include tracking people, area searches, passive alerts on human remains and passive alerts on illegal drugs including cocaine, heroine, methamphetamines and marijuana.  


Lagore and Ranger helped with NRLW Service Learning requirement at the 51st Annual Hocking Hills Winter Hike on January 17, 2015. 

 

Hocking College Trustee Receives 2015 Governor's Award for the Arts


Thomas Johnson, mayor of the Village of Somerset and Hocking College trustee, received the 2015 Governor's Award for the Arts in Ohio in the community development and participation category.  


Johnson won this award due to his development of Somerset, through historic preservation, arts and heritage tourism.  He has initiated historic building reports for two of Somerset's historic sites, the Somerset Courthouse and the Jacob Miller Tavern. Additionally, Johnson has been crucial in the development of numerous Somerset arts organizations and activities.


The award will be presented at a luncheon ceremony honoring the winners and members of the Ohio legislature at noon on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at the Columbus Athenaeum in downtown Columbus. The six winners will receive an original work by Nicole Schneider, a printmaker and mixed-media artist from Cleveland, at a public ceremony during the luncheon. 

Winners were selected by the Governor's Awards Selection Committee from 68 nominations submitted by individuals and organizations throughout Ohio.

  

 
Reminder: Leisure Learning Workshops
Hocking College will be starting a series of workshops for community members. These sessions will be on and off campus with the intention of strengthening ties with the community. 

A workshop might be for an evening or perhaps a weekend, an hour or perhaps a couple of days. Do you have a subject in mind that you might be interested in sharing or learning more about? This could be in anything from cooking to quilting, story-telling or star-gazing...

If you are interested, please contact Giles Lee at [email protected].
 
In Memorial 
We honor and remember these members of our Hocking family:

Violet Butterworth '75 - Medical Records Health Information

Erma Fry '78 - Human Services & Corrections

Cheryl (Hayes) Socotch '81 - Wildlife Management

John Husted '83 - Forest Management

Charles Pancake '87 - Business Management

Philip Swartz '87 - Culinary Arts

Harold Earnest '90 - Hotel & Restaurant Management

Timothy Branham '95 - Nursing

 
3301 Hocking Parkway
Nelsonville, Ohio 45764
740.753.7010

Libby Villavicencio,
Executive Director

Jestinah McDonald '01,
Development Coordinator
  
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Career Corner

Hocking College offers 

great resources to our alumni to aid you in your job search.

 

College Central Network: Members receive access to valuable career search tools including resume builders, videos, podcasts and informative articles. Register today to receive their regular e-newsletter. Here's an article that appeared in a recent issue:

 

6 Important Lessons Everyone Can Learn From American Veterans

 

Extraordinary courage, camaraderie, dedication, sacrifice: these characteristics epitomize the soldiers defending American freedom in warzones across the world. But those tremendous qualities do not disappear when our brave men and women return to the home front, and there's much for us all to learn from their valor. Read more... 

Robbin's Crossing Administrative Building gets New Roof

Robbin's Crossing is a collection of original log cabins built by the settlers of the Valley in the 1850s. The cabins were donated by landowners and then carefully disassembled by Hocking College staff at their original locations. The cabins were reassembled at Robbins Crossing to form what a typical village for settlers may have looked like.  

 

Being that these buildings are originally from the 1850s, three of the Robbin's Crossing buildings needed new roofs.

The Hocking Foundation funded the build for the administrative building's new roof through a grant it received from The Athens Foundation. There are still two more roofs to be replaced and a time frame has not yet been decided for replacing those. 


Robbin's Crossing consists of a fully furnished schoolhouse, general store, one-story and two-story buildings, cooper shop, blacksmith shop and a pottery station. 

Robbin's Crossing is an important part of the community.  Not only is it a great educational tool for Hocking College and many elementary schools, it is a tourist stop for visitors of the Hocking Hills (over a million per year). It serves as a great example of historic preservation.  
 

Alumni Spotlight
 
Alumni Reflects on His Journey at Hocking College
  

Shawn Ford, '11, graduated from Ohio University with a BS in Organizational Communications and a certificate in Environmental Studies in 2001.  After graduation he started work in the non-profit sales and territory management industry for seven years, first for the Boy Scouts of America then for the American Red Cross. 

After working for the American Red Cross, Ford found himself unemployed and took this opportunity to reevaluate what he wanted to do with his life and he thought he would like to lean toward environmental science. 

 

After searching online he discovered a new program at Hocking College: Geoenvironmental Sciences (GS). With this degree he could reshape his career path and get into a growing industry, fully trained and ready to work in just two years. 

 

"When I came to Hocking College I was surprised by the diversity of the age of students as well as the commitment most of these students held to getting their degree and get out to work," said Ford.

"I greatly enjoyed the hands on approach to learning, bailing wells, writing actual reports on properties, hiking through HC's amazing and unique campus," he said. 

While he pursued his GS degree he was working five jobs, had his second child and maintained a straight A average.  

After graduation, Ford's Hocking College professor, Scott Dunfee helped him gain a stopgap summer position at his local Auditor's Office in Fairfield County. Ford was then picked up by Heather Nielson of Anderson Environmental as a contract employee. He now works for Partner Engineering and Science.

 

"Hocking College has been for many a second chance, a place to start anew, or even just a place to start," said Ford. "For me it was the reset button on my life that I needed."

 

As a way to give back to the program Ford will be coming back to Hocking College on March 19th to present to the Environmental Careers class about his journey. 

Board of Trustees Approves Study of Intercollegiate Athletics at Hocking   
The Hocking College Board of Trustees recently approved a motion enabling the college administration to proceed with an evaluation of the potential impact of two-year intercollegiate athletics on the college.

The proposal will examine the potential enrollment and financial impact of the program, along with the academic requirements for student athletes. The Board will then vote at their April 28, 2015 meeting whether or not to proceed with developing the pilot program for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years. 

Initially, fall semester sports will include football, competitive cheerleading, volleyball and archery. Spring semester sports will be men's and women's basketball and competitive cheerleading. As the plan is developed, further consideration will be given to the selection of the best sports programs to meet demand.  

The 2015-16 season would be an exhibition season and Hocking College's status would be Club Status, which means no tournament play. In the first year there would be no league play, however based on team performance there could be a tournament in non-National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) or Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) sponsored events. In following years, we will be eligible for tournaments.

It is estimated the addition of this athletic program will bring approximately 100 new students to Hocking College. Student athletes will also be required to live on campus in residence halls, unless granted a family exemption, as the campus does not have family housing.

Hocking College anticipates the program operating much like a high school athletics program with community support and minimizing personal cost through volunteers.
Alumni Spotlight
 
Akyeampong Wants to Educate Others

      

Abigail Akyeampong (Achumpong) '09 earned her RN at Hocking College and then went on to earn her B.S. and M.S. in nursing at Ohio University, becoming a Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP).  


Akyeampong is originally from Dzodze, Volta Region, Ghana, Africa and now lives in Ada, Ohio with her husband and two daughters. She has been working with Dr. Woodruff at Pandora Family Physicians in Bluffton for five weeks as a CNP. 

"When you go higher on the ladder, you can effect change," Akyeampong told Bluffton News.  "Regardless of where I am, I want to educate."

She said her ultimate goal is community health so she is able to go to peoples homes and to achieve these goals she plans to earn her second master's degree in public health at Ohio Northern University.  

Nelsonville Final Friday Hosts Bourbon Street Bash, Closing Reception for Glass and Ceramics Invitational

The Hocking College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Students will host their annual Bourbon Street Bash, a Mardi Gras celebration, at Rhapsody Restaurant located on Nelsonville's Historic Square February 26, 27 and 28, 2015 from 4:00 - 10 p.m.

 

The evening will consist of an authentic four-course meal complete with appetizer, entree, desserts and specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Some of these Louisiana-inspired meals include dishes such as blackened pork loin, chicken breast and redfish, shrimp and Tasso jambalaya, crawfish etouffe, catfish and even gator tail. Dessert choices including pi�a colada bread pudding with bourbon vanilla sauce, pecan rum pie with vanilla ice cream, vanilla pound cake with bananas foster sauce and cr�me caramel will also be offered.

 

The meal includes choice of appetizer, entr�e and a variety of decadent desserts, and fresh baked Cajun bread for $19.95 a person. Additional offerings, priced separately, include beverages such as hurricanes, Irish coffee, caf� au lait and voodoo margaritas, as well as a raw bar filled with fresh oysters, jumbo shrimp and whole boiled crawfish.

 

A selection of Cajun specialties to sample will be also offered at Stuart's Opera House during Nelsonville's Historic Square Final Friday on February 27, 2015. Choose from seafood and sausage gumbo, red beans and rice and jambalaya for just $3.00 a bowl.

Closing reception for Glass and Ceramic Invitational at the Hocking College Art Gallery will be February 27 from 5 - 9 p.m., with the exhibit remaining open until March 14, 2015.

 

Call 740.753.5741 to reserve a seat for this mouth-watering Mardi Gras celebration. Reservations are strongly recommended.   

Alumni Spotlight
 
Alum Named Ohio Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

      



Wildlife Officer and Hocking College alumni, Nick Turner '08, was named Ohio Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Ohio Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.  


Turner currently works as a Wildlife Officer in Harrison County. 

Turner graduated from Hocking College with an associate degree in fish and wildlife management.  He then started working as a seasonal employee at Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area before becoming a Wildlife Officer in 2009.  

Hocking College Partners with New Lexington High School 

      

tranquil-lake.jpg

This year on Arbor Day Hocking College and New Lexington City Schools are teaming up to enhance and promote a new student partnership. 


An event planning committee is currently determining which area of the high school grounds would benefit most from landscaping projects. These improvements will enhance the overall appearance of the grounds and will include project signage, plantings and the identification of future wetland projects. 

Hocking College and New Lexington High School students will evaluate each of the identified areas and develop a design proposal and budget then present this to the planning committee. After a design is selected, the students will work together to complete the first stage of landscaping renovation. 

 

The first stage of the landscaping project will culminate with an Arbor Day event that officially announces the long-term partnership. They will display the newly landscaped areas of the high school grounds, plant signage that is symbolic of the partnership and provide attendees with a special gift grown by New Lexington elementary and middle school students. 

 

Look for future announcements and updates about this exciting new partnership.

Logan-Hocking Chamber to Relocate to Hocking College Logan Campus

      

 

nullHocking College and the Logan-Hocking Chamber of Commerce have reached an agreement to provide office space for the chamber, on Hocking College Logan Campus.  


The co-location will be for the purpose of supporting economic and business development in the Logan-Hocking Region. 

Logan-Hocking Chamber of Commerce will occupy office space at the Hocking College Logan Campus Energy Institute in exchange for sharing promotion space on an activities sign on US Route 33. 

 
"Hocking College is excited about this opportunity to partner with the Logan Chamber of Commerce to provide greater outreach to our business community and support future economic growth and workforce development," Betty Young, Interim President of Hocking College, said. 

The Hocking College Logan Campus is quickly becoming a hub for resources to the Logan community for higher education, workforce development and economic development.  They are committed to all of the communities and serving the needs of Logan and Hocking County
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