TCC Northwest officially opened Fire Station #2 on Jan. 11. Present at the ribbon cutting were Chancellor Eugene Gioviannini, Trustees Louise Appleman and Teresa Ayala and TCC Northwest President Zarina Blankenbaker. Other members of TCC Northwest Leadership were on hand, including Kirsten Cooper, Joe Rode and Judith Gallagher. Dean Sonya Brown and Fire Service Training Center Director Steve Keller from Public Services were instrumental in planning the event, along with other key faculty and staff. The 88th class cadets also participated.
The TCC Northwest Transfer Center hosted its annual Spring Transfer Fair Jan. 23 organized by the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (TACRAO). More than 150 students attended this event, where 49 universities were represented.
Academic Foundations faculty Cindy Allen, Angela Chilton, Nicole Hall and Leslie Johnson, along with English faculty Michelle York presented “Innovative Collaborations: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Reading/Writing Corequisites” at the Texas Corequisite Project Conference held at Austin Community College Jan. 25 and 26. The presentation included collaboration with corequisite partners Michael Nichols of history and Annette Nolte of psychology.
In November, drama Instructor Brent Alford received rave reviews for his performance as Torvald in Stage West’s acclaimed production of A Doll’s House, Part 2. Lucas Hnath’s post-modern take on the Ibsen classic is currently the most produced play in the country, and Stage West’s production played to sold out houses in November. Reviewers said:
- “Torvald (an excellent J. Brent Alford) has created a sharply drawn portrait that tells us there’s anger and hurt under the surface.” (Theatre Jones)
- “As Nora’s husband, J. Brent Alford’s deeply affecting Torvald brings home the anguish of a man who is trying to understand what he did wrong and why he was judged for doing what he was taught that a man was supposed to do.” (Dallas Morning News)
- “The passive-aggressive Torvald is played by J. Brent Alford and he is wonderful. He shows us the pain and anger he feels about Nora’s return with physical restraint, with everything pulled inward. It’s a hard job to pull off well but Mr. Alford does it with grace.” (The Column)
The Logistics Department now provides a library of logistics textbooks for the College Credit for Heroes military veteran students as of Jan. 14. With the assistance of Philip Jensen, public services librarian, and Carmen Wise, instructional technician, the department was able to issue textbooks to the students, who will return them after completing their courses this semester. The textbooks were purchased as part of the College Credit for Heroes grant.
Coordinator Darrell Rutledge of the Fire Service Training Center won the Texas Association of Fire Educator’s Earl Malone Award for Training Officer of the Year Feb. 8. Rutledge’s performance over the past year has been exceptional in program management and growth. He is very deserving of this award.
For the second year in a row, Christian deLeon’s Digital Art students were invited to exhibit their work at the FabNow Expo Feb. 16 as part of a month-long project, Toy Prototyping and Package Design. More than 25 student works were exhibited, spanning the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters. After Feb. 16, the exhibition was moved to Trinity River Library where it was displayed until March 15.
During the project, deLeon’s Digital Art students each developed a toy prototype, beginning with hand-drawn sketches and then 3D design work in modeling software. From there, the students 3D-print working models and finally, developed a company logo and design along with product packaging. Programs like this make 3D printers and 3D modeling software more accessible than ever to first-time students.
It is a great opportunity for the students and the Visual Arts Department at TCC Northwest. deLeon wholeheartedly thanks the TCC Trinity River faculty and staff including Scott Robinson, Janae Corrado and Danelle Toups for this opportunity and support.
The TCC Northwest Campus Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Program hosted the first ever Business Idea Pitch Competition Feb. 21. Eleven students representing each of TCC’s campuses presented their ideas before a panel of judges. The judges selected as the winner Skylar Bailey, an Environmental Sciences student, whose business idea is the Strong Driver Fitness Seat Strap. The Strong Diver Fitness Seat Strap is a resistance-band exercise set that attaches to the seat of a truck, giving truckers a way to work out in the comfort of their truck before starting their trip and providing them with a way to “Get Fit as they sit.”
Counselor Brentom Jackson presented “Mindfulness and Therapeutic Yoga Interventions” at the North Central Texas Counseling Association monthly meeting Feb. 25. He used his relaxing and humorous communications skills to teach the participants how to help others overcome anxiety, depression, addiction and stress-related symptoms. Jackson delivered demonstrations and instructions on over a dozen mindfulness and yoga interventions, including grounding, meditation and attention-focusing skills, which can be used to improve treatment outcomes.
Twenty-five Saginaw High School Art students visited TCC Northwest’s Visual Art Department Feb. 25. They were taken on a hands-on interactive journey through a Hopes and Dreams Nest Project. In this project, the students were introduced to clay construction techniques and the Raku firing process, and discussed art terminology, process and stencil making and marking. The Visual Art Department would like to thank the following individuals for making this workshop a success: faculty members Christian deLeon, Trish Igo and Fred Spaulding, and staff members Raul Montalvo, Troy Tolly, Kevin Bourne, Dalton McGill, Erica Freeman, Noelle VanFleet, Undra Semple and Michelle Gasca.
Basic Peace Officer Class 189 graduated Feb. 28. Class 189 was made up of current firefighters from the region desiring to become licensed peace officers so they can serve in a Fire Marshal capacity. Fire Marshals investigate suspicious fires, enforce fire codes, have arrest authority and oversee regional and local fire warnings. All attendees passed the State of Texas peace officer licensing exam and will soon join services within both fire and police public safety.
The University of Oklahoma Press published Brian A. Cervantez’s Amon Carter: A Lone Star Life March 7. CBS News’s Bob Schieffer writes in his review, “‘Where the West Begins,’ is how Amon Carter described Fort Worth, but in this meticulously researched biography, Brian Cervantez tells a story that leads us to but one conclusion: Amon Carter is where Fort Worth began. It’s all here, in Amon Carter: A Lone Star Life, an enlightening and fascinating read. It is an all-but-unbelievable tale that turns out to be true.”
On March 8, six students from the TCC Northwest chapter of Business Professionals of America qualified to advance to the National Leadership Conference in May. The students will compete against other college and university students from across the nation. Please join sponsors Jaye Simpson and Julie Russell in congratulating the following students:
- Kelly Farr, Edwin Revolorio and Matthew Musgrove – Financial Analyst Team
- Anna Melaun – Human Resource Management
- Joline Sikora – C++ Programming
- Dakota Bush – Personal Financial Management
John Hartley, Associate Professor of Art, curated the Never Say Goodbye exhibition at Gallery 414 in Fort Worth from Feb. 9 to March 3. Never Say Goodbye featured former and current TCC art students Brianna Adams, Barbara Arabian, Rebekah Bell, Brooke Guthrie, Sarah Hines, Bogdana Kaisheva, Amber Kraatz, Julia Kuykendall, Jara Lang, Humna Raza, Bo Revelle, Kim Russell and Stephen Vickers.
Instructor of Speech and Communications Department Chair Zachary Frohlich hosted guest speaker J.J. McIntyre from the University of Central Arkansas March 6. McIntyre’s talk was prepared for Frohlich’s Honors Speech 1311 class but was also open to the public. McIntyre’s lecture on crisis communication was intended to give students a better understanding of what crisis communication is and provide information on the many fields students may study should they pursue a degree in Communication. About 30 students were in attendance. The event was also covered in the Collegian: http://collegian.tccd.edu/?p=40556
The Pre-Law Society and the TCC Northwest Government Department hosted TCC Pre-Law Day 2019 on March 6. This year’s event had nearly 100 attendees, including students from all six TCC campuses.
The Legal Professions Panel included a large panel of attorneys, whose fields of practice included criminal prosecution, criminal defense, civil litigation, immigration, personal injury, in-house counsel and many other fields. The attorneys shared their tips for future attorneys, discussed the ins and outs of what it is really like to practice law and compared their experiences in different areas of law. They also offered encouragement for students who are parents, minority and first generation students and students with learning challenges.
Students attended the group pre-law advising session, where they learned more about the pathway to law school and a legal career.
The panel for the group advising included TCC Northwest pre-law advisor and Southwest Association of Pre-Law Advisors (SWAPLA) board member Julie Lantrip, as well as a TCC NW alum who is now a pre-law student at the University of North Texas. The panel also included university pre-law advisors and SWAPLA members from the University of North Texas, UT Dallas and UT-Arlington. In addition, students received insider information into the law school admissions process from admissions representatives for Texas A&M Law, UNT Law and Southern Methodist University Law. Students received information about choosing majors, finding a transfer school and preparing for law school and the LSAT.
Bill Alexander was elected to the position of Secretary for the Texas Association of Collegiate Veteran Program Officials (TACVPO) Board of Directors. TACVPO represents 276 institutions of higher learning in assisting more than 140,000 veteran and military-affiliated students to access education benefits covering more than 4,900 education programs in the State of Texas. Specifically, the TACVPO Board of Directors are the liaison between institutions’ School Certifying Officials and the Texas Veterans Commission, the state’s authorizing agent and Veterans Affairs to ensure approval, acceptance and coordination of veteran education programs for both public and private institutions of higher learning.
Joe Rode, Leon Minor and Tim Cason presented “A CARE Team’s influence within an Ecosystem of Higher Education” to more than 60 participants at UNT’s High Education Law Conference in Denton March 25. The presenters shared information on how TCC CARE Teams have created a culture of care among the campus communities.
Assistant Professor of English LeeAnn Olivier’s poem “Save Me From What I Want” was accepted for publication by Sonic Boom Literary Journal March 26 and was featured in the April 2019 issue. On the same day, TCC South English faculty Tia Cole invited Olivier to be the keynote speaker and share some of her work and experiences as a writer at the induction ceremony for the English Honor Society (SKD) chapter of TCC South.
Health Services and Student Accessibility Resources collaborated to sponsor the annual Health and Resource Fair March 27. Forty-four vendors provided information, resources, and screenings to a crowd of nearly 300 students, staff and faculty. During the Health Fair, Carter Blood Care had 18 blood donors, Grace Community Clinic performed 41 blood pressure screenings and TCC Police demonstrated their “drunk goggles” to 142 attendees.