May 14, 2007

CONTACT: Katie F. Free, Communications & Marketing, Wallace State
Community College, 256/352-8033, katie.free@wallacestate.edu 



Wallace State Recognizes Employees, Honors Retirees



Hanceville, Ala.--Six Wallace State employees were named Education
Achievement Award winners at a recent award ceremony and expo sponsored
by the Wallace State Professional Development Committee.



Sue Cox, Barbara Ebert, Jim Thompson, Courtney Walker, Katie Free, and
Bruce Tenison were nominated by their peers for their contributions to
Wallace State and the community.



Nominees for the Education Achievement Awards consistently demonstrate
exceptional job performance beyond routine expectations in areas such as
personal integrity, dependability, willingness to work with others,
efficiency, classroom/workplace innovation and creativity. They
participate in on-campus and off-campus activities beyond usual job
expectations including professional development, volunteerism,
continuing education and leadership.



English and speech instructor Sue Cox serves on several college
committees and is a member of the Master Teacher program and an
Educators of Learning Centered Excellence (ELCE) graduate. She also
designed the first hybrid-format speech class offered on campus (SPH
106).



Barbara Ebert serves as program director for Wallace State's Dental
Assisting and Dental Hygiene programs. She has developed hybrid courses
and utilizes various teaching and assessment techniques for all learning
styles. Ebert serves on numerous college committees and is a graduate of
ELCE and Leadership Wallace State.



Welding instructor Jim Thompson creates a distinctive classroom learning
environment for welding and cutting processes using SMARTboard
technology. He is an American Welding Society Certified Welding Educator
and Inspector and provides business and industry training for area
industries. He is an ELCE graduate and National Institute for Staff and
Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award recipient.



Courtney Walker works in the Wallace State Campus Bookstore. She is
responsible for a variety of accounting tasks and trains new employees
and work-study students on customer service practices and bookstore
procedures.



Katie Free serves as Marketing Coordinator and is a graduate of
Leadership Wallace State. She has received numerous Alabama College
System Public Relations Association (ACSPRA) and National Council for
Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) district awards. Free also serves
on a variety of campus committees and is a United Way loaned executive.



Director of Campus Technology Bruce Tenison is responsible for
coordinating and designing all facets of campus technology including
WebCT, ACCESS, and the Voiceover IP phone system. He also implemented
videoconferencing capabilities, podcasting, and the first wireless
hotspots on campus.



Awards were presented by Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Hawsey and
Dr. Dale Palmer, Chair of the Awards Committee.



Winners receive a $500 travel stipend to attend an educational or
professional conference for the purposes of professional development.
They will also be the Wallace State nominees for the Chancellor's Awards
at the Alabama College Association conference in November.



Members of the inaugural class of Leadership Wallace State received pins
and certificates at the ceremony. Leadership Wallace State is an
eight-month program consisting of daylong sessions dealing with
community college issues and leadership skills. Participants for
2006-2007 include Mark Bolin, Ken Crow, Barbara Ebert, Free, Bert
Mackentepe, Stacey Moore, Christine O'Leary and Tracy Smith.



Also recognized at the ceremony were current participants of the
Learning College Academy including Mark Bolin, Jennifer Branham, Connie
Briehn, Stacey Brunner, Clay Cobb, Mary Crosby, Jenifer Hays, Mona
Hopper, Kathy Jones, Lorri Lee, Pam Murff, Bruce Tenison, Stephanie
Turner, Karon Welch and Donny Wilson.



Wallace State Diagnostic Imaging program director Terrie Gammon, speech
instructor Donna Speeker and math instructor Stacey Moore were chosen to
attend the Alabama Master Teacher Seminar in July. The seminar is an
intensive training session designed to improve teaching and learning in
the Alabama College System.



Members of the Campus Technology department, Tenison, Judy York, Jon
Wilbanks, Matt Ingram and Hollis Baggett, received the Above and Beyond
Award from Hawsey for their work in implementing the college's
aggressive technology plan including the installation of 115 Smart
classrooms (80 percent of all classrooms),1,121 computers and 35
computer labs which provide a student to computer ratio of approximately
4.8:1, Wi-fi hotspots, and a voiceover internet protocol (VOIP) phone
system that allows for instant email and emergency alerts to every phone
on campus, and a fiber optic infrastructure.



Occupational Therapy Assistant program faculty members Tammy Gipson,
Gail Hyatt and Irna Mathews received the Excellence in Innovation Award
for their work to establish an off-campus site at Faulkner State
University in Bay Minette. Wallace State partnered with Faulkner State
last year to begin delivery of its OTA program in south Alabama.



Retirees recognized at the ceremony include bookstore employee Ginger
Chrietzberg (10 years), English faculty member Dr. Mell Johnson (17
years) and Interim Dean of Workforce Education Ron Moon (35 years).

  
  
Education Achievement Award Winners Sue Cox, Barbara Ebert, Jim Thompson,
Bruce Tenison, Katie Free, and Courtney Walker.

  Kristen Holmes
  Director, Communications and Marketing
  Wallace State Community College
  P.O. Box 2000
  Hanceville, AL 35077
  256/352-8118
  E-mail: Kristen.Holmes@WallaceState.edu