Change Starts Here

When Will Reid was asked to speak at an event honoring Anita Zucker and her family as they received the prestigious Francis Salvador Award Sunday evening, he was honored and excited.   “The family has done so much for our community. Not just by donating, but giving their time when they don’t have to,” said Reid during his remarks. Reid graduated from TTC last spring with an associate degree and represents one of the many individuals that have benefited from the generosity of the Zucker family.  But Reid knew who the Zuckers were even before he came to TTC. He and his wife Martha are die-hard fans of the South Carolina Stingrays and as newlyweds, their first major purchase together wasn’t a house or a car. It was season tickets to the Stingrays.  Reid and his wife saw Mrs. Zucker and her family on a regular basis at season ticket-holder functions. He says, “Ask any Stingray fan about the Zuckers and you won’t find a single person who doesn’t sm...

2014 SKIP winners Jim Skinner and Tony Bertauski Innovators see the world differently than most people. To them, the world is an imperfect place offering limitless opportunities for anyone who is willing, able and impassioned to make it better.  The 2014 SKIP award winners,  Physical Sciences Research Specialist Jim Skinner and Horticulture Program Coordinator Tony Bertauski,  a re no exception. Their goal is to make life better for their students and their colleagues, and last Friday at the TTC annual faculty/staff meeting, they were awarded for their efforts. The SKIP award (Strategy + Knowledge = Innovation Prize) was established in 2012 by Dr. Skip Godow through donations to the TTC Foundation to recognize faculty and staff members who have instituted innovations that have significantly enhanced the student experience or administrative functioning at TTC.   "By creating the SKIP award, I wanted to help foster a culture of innovation at ...

Around the World with Sweets and Treats: (L-R): Vann Crosby, Gray Griffen, Cameron Cox and Antonio Tarplin    Wouldn’t it be fun to turn a basket of mystery ingredients into a winning dish and compete on “Chopped?”  How about investigating a mock digital crime scene, gathering evidence and bringing someone to trial for computer-related crimes?  Or how would you like to take a close-up look at an actual human brain and spinal cord?  More than 1,500 kids ranging in age from 7 to 16 had those and many more opportunities at this year’s Kids’ College summer camps at Trident Technical College. Camps were scheduled not only at TTC’s Main Campus, but also at TTC sites and campuses in Mount Pleasant, St. George, Moncks Corner, St. Paul’s Parish and in downtown Charleston. Model Airplane Class: front row seated (L-R) Oscar Sanchez, Calvin Paulsen and Jack Wheeler. Back row (L-R) Teacher Larsen Tedder, Teacher Asst. Allison Schwerin, Cale...

Carrying a full load of classes can be very stressful for students. This is especially true if they are balancing a job, family and other day-to-day responsibilities, like many students at Trident Tech.  That's why the college is implementing a new 7-week compressed schedule or TTC's  New Schedule for Success. Starting the Fall Semester, which begins on August 25, TTC will offer most courses in this 7-week compressed format. In a compressed format, the semester is divided into 2 shorter terms within the semester. For example, instead of taking four semester-long courses, a student would take two 7-week courses at a time. That student still would complete four courses in a semester but would be juggling only two in each term. There is much research that shows that students are more successful in compressed courses than in courses taught across a full semester. This means that a higher  percentage of students finish with grades of A, B, C or SC (satisfactory)....

Chris (left) with colleague Sherri Carter Christine Solomon is not only the department chair of accounting at Trident Tech, but she is also an alumna of the college. Her TTC story began in 1991 when, as she notes, “I decided I really needed to figure out how to help my children with their homework. They were A LOT smarter than I was!”  Chris found her passion in accounting and this calling propelled her through her associate’s, bachelor's and master’s degrees in accounting. With feet firmly set upon her career path, she earned her C.P.A. license.  One milestone on her journey was her involvement in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, first as a student member then later as an honored advisor. Recently Chris was appointed as one of five community college instructors from around the country to PTK Honors Program Council and previously served as a faculty scholar. Under her guidance, PTK continues to thrive and win awards both from TTC and regionally. Like many TT...

Trident Technical College was well-represented last week at the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s 2014 Influential Women in Business awards luncheon. TTC President Mary Thornley and TTC Foundation Trustee, Andrea Limehouse, were on the list of 12 CEOs, executives, volunteers and rising stars honored at the luncheon.  Thornley, who won in the executive division, has her teachers to thank for helping her to become a leader in Charleston area’s education.  “Teachers inspired me,” she said.  “A daughter of factory mill workers, I attended a mill village school.  Yet I had caring, dedicated teachers, all of whom I can still name to this day.” It is under Mary Thornley’s leadership that TTC has grown to become the second-largest provider of undergraduate education in the state.  “That growth, I believe, is the logical result of meeting our mission,” says Thornley.  “That growth is essential to the economic vitality of our three counties...

When Carolyn Hunter graduated from a Virginia community college in 1977 and began working on a McDonald’s grill, she could not have imagined that she would someday own 3 McDonalds locations. Now, as a member of the TTC Foundation Board of Trustees and donor of the college’s first $1 Million pledge, she keeps finding new ways to support the college. Her latest philanthropic venture, Sissy’s Closet, is one of them. “Where upscale meets resale,” Sissy’s Closet is a retail store in Goose Creek that sells new and gently used ladies clothing and accessories.  The shop is named for Rachel Thompson, Carolyn’s late mother, who was affectionately known as Sissy and instilled in Carolyn a sense of determination and perseverance.   All proceeds from Sissy’s Closet benefit Trident Technical College Foundation , Ronald McDonald House of Charleston , and Teacher’s Supply Closet . Their mission is to raise money for these charities, but also provide opportunities for volunteerism and...