December 2021 Volume 5 Issue 5

Nashville State Featured in Invest: Nashville

Dr. Jackson recently talked with Invest: Nashville about the College’s vision, what sets us apart from other local institutions of higher education, and how we’ve adjusted during the pandemic among other topics. 

https://www.capitalanalyticsassociates.com/spotlight-on-shanna-jackson-president-nashville-state-community-college/

Alumni Spotlight: 

Shortly after graduating in May 2021 with an Architectural Design Technology A.A.S. degree, William Rucker began his career journey at Enfinity Engineering in Brentwood, where he designs plumbing systems for the firm’s hospital clients.

His passion for design stems from his interest to understand the inner-workings of a home, saying “It teaches you about your home. I can see the structure of a building in my head.”

In his desire for a full and interesting life, William wants “to learn as much as I can. …I want to put myself in a better position to experience more in life.”

When asked if his classes prepared him for a professional setting, he remarked, “The programs I used while I was at Nashville State are the same that I use in my career.”

While at Nashville State, William used the Tennessee Reconnect grant to pay his tuition. As he neared graduation, William worked with Nashville State’s Career Services, who kept him posted about job opportunities in his career field and scheduled meetings with potential employers, while helping to polish his résumé.

William plans to continue sinking his teeth into and growing in his new job. Your alma mater is rooting hard for you, William! Remember, you are #NashvilleStateStrong.

Culinary Arts Faculty and Students Prepared Thanksgiving Meals for Community Organizations

Nashville State Culinary Arts students and faculty prepared Thanksgiving turkeys donated by Performance Food Group and meals that were served during annual Thanksgiving events at Room In The Inn, Loaves & Fishes, and Matthew 25. 

“This annual preparation is something we hold close to our hearts and is a wonderful way for our culinary arts students to use the skills they’ve gained to give back to the community during this season of giving,” said Dr. Paul Brennen, Culinary Arts program director.  

Students were assisted by Assistant Professor of Culinary Arts Marylou Tate and Instructor Robert Siegel in preparing the meals.  

Melanie Barnett, Community Development Director at Room In The Inn stated, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the culinary arts program at Nashville State again this year for our Thanksgiving meal. These students are loving their neighbors while learning and perfecting their skills in the kitchen. We are so thankful!” 

Nashville State was invited to participate in the 2021 Global Studies Symposium for Best Practices in International Education at Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges. It was held on the campus of Vanderbilt University.  

Dean of the English, Humanities, and Creative Technologies Division Dr. Patricia Armstrong led a conversation about Nashville State’s partnership with the Salahadeen Center of Nashville, one of the largest Muslim community centers in Davidson County. Nawzad Hawrami and Mahabad Salih from the Salahadeen Center joined Armstrong.  
 
Due to the collaboration, Nashville State has been offering Kurdish language classes at the Southeast campus in Antioch. Nashville is home to the second largest population of Kurds in the world. The College has been able to offer the class due to its participation in a Title VI grant through Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.  
 
Indiana University’s Dr. Öner Özçelik, associate professor of Central Eurasian Studies, department chair, and executive director of Center for the Languages of the Central Asian Region, along with Assistant Director of the Center Dave Baer discussed the importance of the program and grant.   

With an investment of $710,023 from the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) grant, current and future Dickson County and Creek Wood High Schools students will be able to earn healthcare industry credentials including Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA), Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and Certified Patient Care Technician beginning the high schools Fall 2022 term.

Additional education and training will be available for students pursuing pre-nursing, surgical technology, and central sterile processing careers. The allied health programs will include work-based learning components and partnerships with local employers. Upon graduation, anyone, whether in these programs or not, can continue their schooling at TCAT-Dickson or Nashville State Community College. 

Nashville State and the Dickson County Economic Development Alliance submitted the detailed grant application in partnership with Dickson County Schools, Dickson County EMS, Dickson Medical Associates, NHC Healthcare, TriStar Horizon Medical Center, TCAT-Dickson, and the Greater Nashville Regional Council.

“This grant provides critical resources to expand access to existing and emerging high-demand healthcare careers,” said Nashville State President Dr. Shanna L. Jackson. “The success in getting this initiative funded shows that we can do great things when we partner together and invest in each other.”

Dickson County Mayor Bob Rial said the focus on healthcare is part of a larger workforce development strategy. “In recent years Dickson County has placed a great emphasis on growing our advanced manufacturing training opportunities. With our abundance of health care entities across Dickson County, we made the decision to pursue new training opportunities in the health care services sector,” said Rial. “We are sincerely grateful to be awarded this grant and look forward to growing our health care workforce in the Dickson area for years to come.”

With Nashville State being the top college selected by graduates in Dickson County, the college and school system collaborative will build on an existing relationship and give students interested in pursuing health services careers more efficient training and career paths. Nashville State has an excellent record of preparing students for careers in healthcare.  Creating a direct pathway and pipeline between the school system, local postsecondary institutions, and industry employers is key.

“We are honored to have access to this funding and what it will provide. It will certainly make a difference in the quality of programming that we will be able to provide to our students and the multitude of pathways it creates,” said Dickson County Director of Schools Dr. Danny L. Weeks.   

Allied health professions are a high-demand career field in Northern Middle Tennessee, and the median income for many of the occupations—including those supported by the Collaborative—exceeds the median income for individuals in Dickson County.

Grant funding will provide for hiring additional instructors, which allows for greater enrollment, necessary equipment purchases such as EMS simulators to hospital beds, dual enrollment opportunity for Anatomy & Physiology, and a greater variety of credentials available for students.

Dickson County Schools Career and Technical Education Coordinator Ray D. Lecomte addressed the importance of this collaboration.  “This will reinvent our Health Science programs of study in the county,” said Lecomte. “This funding will allow our students to work with hospital-level equipment and high-tech instructors to better prepare them for post-secondary training and the workforce. Our partnership with Nashville State Community College is key to the success of our programs and we look forward to a long relationship with them. We are very excited about the future of these programs and the opportunities they will provide for our students.”

Increasing post-secondary enrollment and completion in the county was also a motivating factor in seeking this grant and forming this collaboration.

The goals are in alignment with the Governor’s Drive to 55 initiative, where an ambitious goal was set of having 55 percent of Tennesseans equipped with a college degree or certificate by the year 2025. At present, 24.2 percent of Dickson County residents have an associate degree or higher. This type of partnership is essential to increasing local post-secondary attainment.