Skip to main content

Enhancing the Student Experience, One Innovation at a Time


Trident Technical College announced the 2019-20 SKIP Award recipients at the college’s annual faculty and staff meeting, held virtually for the first time due to social distancing restrictions as a result of COVID-19.

The SKIPs were created by former Trident Tech vice president and former TTC Foundation Trustee, Skip Godow, to identify and reward employees who are setting an example of innovation at TTC. "Good is the enemy of great," Godow said. “We should always be striving for great. That takes creativity, imagination and innovation.”

The nominations exemplify innovation that significantly enhances the student experience, improves an administrative process or puts TTC on the cutting edge. Awards were given in each of two categories, non-instructional and instructional.

The Phi Theta Kappa Advisory team of Carmela Gordon, Daryl Milligan, Brenda Oxford, Mozell Rollerson and Chris Solomon won the non-instructional award for the PTK Grocery Vault. 

In 2019, this team decided to elevate the food pantry to better serve the college. Team members identified additional needs and researched ways to provide healthier food options. They transformed the food pantry into a wellness pantry, expanded service options and created a facility where students can be prepared to succeed. As a result, they were able to serve 111 households and distributed more than 15,000 pounds of food, including 40% more fresh produce and meats.

Pharmacy Technician program coordinator Janell Geddis’s restructuring of the Pharmacy Tech program earned her the SKIP Award for the instructional category. 

Recognizing the program needed an overhaul, Geddis created an innovative academic and continuing education hybrid program that would meet the needs of today’s students and employers. Working collaboratively with Continuing Education, she developed a Pharmacy Technician certificate program with evening hours to accommodate students who had employers willing to subsidize training as well as those who already had bachelor’s degrees and only needed technical training.

The new program was very successful and led her to revise the academic program to mirror the shorter-term, working-adult-friendly format. The academic option would allow students who needed federal financial aid or scholarships to attend. Working closely with industry partners, she ensured students would leave the program with the skills employers needed.

SKIP is an acronym for Strategy + Knowledge = Innovation Prize. The TTC Foundation awarded winners, who were selected by a committee of innovative leaders in the community, a hand-sculpted trophy and $1,000.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Laptop is a Game-Changer

When life throws you one challenge after another, you start to appreciate the small wins.  For Trident Tech student Kristi Salvo, receiving a new laptop through the Student Urgent Needs (SUN) fund was a game-changer.  Like students across the country, Salvo’s in-person classes were abruptly switched to an online format this spring due to COVID-19. But she knew her older computer couldn’t keep up with the online demands and she couldn't afford to buy a new one. “I was already dealing with a lot and it felt like this was going to be the thing that would break me,” she said. Salvo, a veteran of the US Air Force, struggles with health issues, including a back injury and a severe autoimmune disorder. In March, she and her husband separated, leaving her to juggle the responsibility of being a student, while also being a teacher to their two young children. All this, while trying to stay healthy and safe during a global pandemic. After Salvo and her children moved into a smaller, mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Film Students Represent at International Film Festival

TTC’s Film and Media Art ’s 2021 Film Practicum class film “The Flip Side” was an official selection for the recent 16th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival . The film was also nominated for Best Musical Score (score by Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish). BIFF is an acclaimed film festival with an international reputation. Film Instructor Tim Fennell, along with key actors, crew and students, attended the Feb. 25 screening and took to the stage to answer questions about the film and their work on the production Among the approximately 300 festival attendees were a large contingent of TTC students and staff who made the trip to see the 17-minute film. During the three-week Film Practicum Class (FLM 269) in May students get to experience prepping and filming a scripted short film. Tim wrote “The Flip Side” screenplay and hopes the film will be screened at festivals all over the state and beyond.
1 comment
Read more

Finding Certainty in Uncertain Times

Patricia Lute First Place 2021 Future Alumni Essay Contest 2020 came to all of us like any new year, fresh and full of promise. However, just a mere three months into the blossoming year a swiftly circulating pandemic swept through every corner of the globe, collectively pausing our lives, and leaving distant memories of life without constraint. Days began melting into nights effortlessly, time became inconsequential and amid this pause; death would come in rapid succession with profound numbers. Within these moments of panic and chaos, the choice to continue my education and the desire to help create a positive impact in the lives of those whose health was declining was formed. As a stay-at-home mom of two daughters, time isn’t easily afforded. When brick and mortar schools shuttered their doors; the world of online education opened theirs. I knew who I wanted to become; I’ve honestly known it since I was a small child. I was destined to become a nurse. It was with this dream; albeit ...
1 comment
Read more