TTC Employees Give Back

Trident Technical College's employees have a long history of giving back to the college, contributing more than $1 million to the TTC Foundation since 1980.  

This year, as the college celebrates 50 years of educating the Lowcountry, 77% full-time faculty and staff came together again and raised $72,498, breaking all previous records, benefitting student assistance programs such as scholarships and emergency funding, as well as programs for faculty and staff, such as tuition reimbursement and classroom equipment programs for faculty and staff.  

The 2014 Campus Campaign, Your Story is Our Story, ran the entire month of September. The campaign celebrated the college's anniversary by sharing the personal stories of employees, alumni and friends of the college. At the campaign kickoff luncheon on September 2, employees shared what the college means to then and why they support TTC Foundation.

"Many faculty and staff are also graduates of the college and some of them received foundation scholarships when they were students," says Kim Hallin Hallin, TTC Foundation Executive Director and Associate Vice President of Development, "Their personal stories of success inspire other employees to want to contribute to the programs that support students." 

Campaign co-chair, Itaski Jenkins, graduated from TTC in 1970 and has been employed in the college library for 44 years, making her the longest-serving employee.

"It has been a historical journey for me to witness the changes in TTC, from expansions to technology and growth in all areas," says Jenkins, "I have always supported the employee campaign because I want our students to have the same quality education and opportunities that I had."

Bill Landry, Dean of Science and Mathematics, also served as campaign co-chair this year and takes pride in the strength and diversity of faculty and staff at the college.  He believes that TTC excels as a college because of the broad range, depth of expertise and dedication shown by employees on a daily basis.

Landry says, "Faculty and staff participation in minigrants, committees and professional development plays a critical role in shaping the college as we move forward to meet the demands of the ever-changing world." 

Jenkins and Landry led a team of 31 campaign "captains" who volunteered to help raise much-needed funding by talking to their peers about the impact their contributions make on students.    

This approach has consistently brought positive results.  Last year, contributions from the campaign helped make a direct impact on more than 1,000 students and employees.  

To offset costs associated with the campaign, such as the kickoff event and other campaign incentive materials, Irvin-House Vineyards served as campaign sponsor for the second year in a row. 

"Faculty, staff and other donors are much like share-holders who want to know how their donation dollars are being spent," says Sturgeon, "so we are very grateful to Irvin-House Vineyards for their sponsorship which allows us to confidently reassure donors that their contributions go directly to support students and programs"

According to Sturgeon, the percentage of full-time employees who participate in the campaign is just as important as the dollars raised. She says, "This year, participation increased from 68% to 77%, which demonstrates the high level of confidence faculty and staff have in the college, the foundation and our students."

Click to learn more about the TTC Foundation