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

Alumna Living her Best Life

E arning a college degree is challenging enough. But for single parents, it can seem like an insurmountable feat. Costs like living expenses and childcare only add to the stress of paying tuition. Making time to study usually means waiting until after the kids are in bed, leading to added exhaustion and stress.  When Joyce Antonetty attended Trident Technical College as a single parent of two young children, she knew it would be difficult. But she was determined to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a Fitness Specialist.  “I wanted to help people become a healthier version of themselves,” says Joyce. Joyce had been down this road before. Like many Trident Tech students, she had attended a four-year college immediately after high school. But when she was waitlisted to enter the Physical Therapy program at MUSC, she postponed her dream in order to start a family.  Joyce's life took an unexpected turn when she went through a divorce in 2010. She held se...
4 comments
Read more

The Path to Success

As the 11th of 14 children, Kathy Simmons knows what it’s like to be a part of a close-knit family. Which is exactly why she has made her way back to Trident Technical College 33 years after graduating in 1985. Kathy’s path back to TTC began with her desire to fulfill two goals – advance her education and travel – and she figured the best way to accomplish both was through the military. So Kathy joined the Air Force in 1987, and did indeed accomplish both goals. She received her Bachelor of Arts while stationed in Minot, North Dakota, her Master of Arts from Erskine Theological Seminary and she has completed 60 hours toward a Doctor of Education from Walden University. She saw much of the country and spent time overseas in Korea. After the military, Kathy found herself back at TTC in the Admissions and Registrar’s office, and it was there she realized she really wanted to stay in education and help students find success. But a wise mentor once told her that in order to advance...
6 comments
Read more