GARDEN CITY, Ga. – Savannah Technical College’s Fire Science students now have their own fire engine to enhance their education and training thanks to Garden City’s Mayor, Council, and Fire Chief.

“We appreciate the generosity of Garden City and its fire department,” said STC President Dr. Kathy S. Love. “The equipment is a welcome addition to Savannah Technical College’s hands-on training opportunities for Fire Science students.”

This fully functional 1979 Ford fire engine was originally purchased new by the city and served the citizens of Garden City for more than 35 years. Recently retired from the city’s fleet, this fire engine will take on a new life as a training tool.

“This donation is a great example of our continued effort to establish mutual beneficial partnerships with organizations and businesses throughout our community to improve the services for our citizens,” said Garden City Mayor Don Bethune.

In exchange for the donation, the College is facilitating two promotional assessment centers for the Garden City Fire Department during the next two years.

Blake Hodge, Garden City’s Fire Chief added, “Today’s fire service promotes experience, formal education, training, and continued education; often referred to as the four legged stool of progressive fire service leadership development. The opportunity to support the Fire Science Program at Savannah Technical College is an honor. Local fire services will reap the benefits delivered to firefighters through their educational experiences, thus improving service delivery our citizens and traveling public.”

This fire engine will be an integral part of STC’s firefighter certification programs, as well as other experience-based educational fire classes.  “Most of Savannah Tech’s students pursuing their certifications as a firefighter have little, if any, fire service experience,” said STC Fire Science Department Head Anthony Faust. “Having their own fire truck to train with and take care of will instill a sense of pride among our students, enhance their teamwork skills, and motivate them to learn the skills required to safely and effectively function in today’s fire service.”

The STC Fire Science programs prepare graduates for successful careers in the fire and emergency service field, whether they are looking to obtain required certifications to apply to fire departments nationwide or wish to obtain their degree to qualify for promotion into leadership positions at their department. Many of the classes meet the educational criteria established by the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council (ProBoard) allowing students to challenge various national fire service certifications including Fire Officer I & II, Incident Safety Officer, Fire Instructor I, Hazardous Materials Operations, Fire & Life Safety Educator, etc.

All Fire Science classes are scheduled to help students attend college, while balancing their home/life/work obligations with a combination of evening and online classes with practical hands-on training occurring at various area fire departments. The Fire Science Degree/Diploma programs’ schedules were recently reconfigured utilizing the miniterm format, which enables students to obtain their fire science degree or diploma in one year. The STC Fire Science program office is located to the Crossroads campus (190 Crossroads Parkway, Savannah, 31407). Interested students should contact Faust at afaust@savannahtech.edu or 912.443.3386.

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STC Fire Science/Public Service Academic Advisor: Amber Robinson
912.443.5715 or arobinson@savannahtech.edu

STC Director of Communications/Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH – Nineteen students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy celebrated graduating from the program with a completion ceremony today.

The four women and 15 men have completed coursework containing the entire Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training (P.O.S.T.) Basic Law Enforcement Training Course. Their successful completion of the program qualifies them to be state-certified peace officers.

This is the 18^th group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated 253 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. Savannah Tech’s Peace Officer Academy has a 97% placement rate.

Each cohort selects a fallen officer for whom the graduating class will be named. The cohorts have a tradition of giving the family of the fallen officer a challenge coin dedicated to the officer. A challenge coin is a symbol of an unbreakable bond of dedication and allegiance among military personnel and law enforcement officers. The challenge coin tradition started as a military tradition in World War I and was later adopted by law enforcement.

This cohort selected to honor Corporal Richard Allen Hall Jr., of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office who lost his life in the line of duty on September 16, 2015 after a motor vehicle accident. He is survived by his father and stepmother, John and Clisty Hall, one brother Steven (Christy) and sister Jennifer (Michael) and family.

Hall, was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. and a 14-year member of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

The Basic Law Enforcement Technical Certificate of Credit provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to become competent law enforcement officers. The 18-week cohort program utilizes classroom instruction pertaining to criminal justice theory and the prevailing principles of modern law enforcement, as well as practical application of pertinent enforcement skills. College coursework contains the entire Georgia Peace Officers Standards & Training (P.O.S.T.) Basic Law Enforcement Training Course so that successful completion of the program will qualify the student to be a state-certified peace officer.

For more information about the Peace Officer Academy visit www.savannahtech.edu/PeaceOfficerAcademy or contact Sheree Rogers at 912.443.5191 or srogers@savannahtech.edu.

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#1634 | March 22, 2016

Basic Law Enforcement: Sheree Rogers
912.443.5191 or srogers@savannahtech.edu

Director of Communicaitons/Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College Department Head for Fire Science, Tony Faust, recently was elected president for the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) Fire Science Instructional Faculty Consortium Committee (IFCC), which encompasses all TCSG Fire Science programs.

Faust retired from the City of Savannah’s Bureau of Fire & Emergency Services in 2011 after 26 years of service. Faust held the position of chief officer the last eight of those years and was the department’s fire public information officer. He received numerous accolades during his career including a commendation for rescuing flood victims in the mid-1990s.

A STC graduate, Faust earned an associate of arts in fire science before continuing his educational pursuits to eventually earn a master of science in strategic leadership from Mountain State University and a bachelor of science in business administration from Brewton-Parker College. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and holds national ProBoard certifications as a fire inspector 1, CPR/First Aid BLS instructor, fire instructor 1, incident safety officer, public fire educator 1, EMS 1^st responder and hazardous materials technician.

The STC Fire Science program office is located to the Crossroads campus (190 Crossroads Parkway, Savannah, 31407). All Fire Science class schedules are scheduled to help students attend college while balancing their home/life/work obligations with a combination of evening and online classes with practical hands-on training occurring at various area fire departments. The Fire Science Degree/Diploma program schedule was recently reconfigured utilizing the miniterm format which enables students to obtain their fire science degree or diploma in one year.

The STC Fire Science programs prepare graduates for successful careers in the fire and emergency service field, whether they are looking to obtain employment as a firefighter or seek promotion to leadership positions at their department. Many of the classes meet the educational requirements for students to qualify to challenge national fire service certifications. The College recognizes the efforts of firefighters that hold national certifications by offering the ability for them the ability to use them for credit toward their degree or diploma. On top of offering basic firefighter certification programs, the program covers more advanced topics as fire inspections, fire officer I and II, fire investigations, incident safety officer, fire instructor I, incident command, strategy and tactics, fire service building construction, emergency medical service certifications, writing, public speaking, management and budgeting procedures, and public relations.

Interested students should contact Faust at afaust@savannahtech.edu or 912.443.3386.

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#1633 | March 16, 2016

STC Fire Science/Public Service Academic Advisor: Amber Robinson

STC Director of Communications/Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Board of Directors of the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) has recently pledged $203,000 for Precision Manufacturing at Savannah Technical College. The five-year commitment of $40,600 annually supports the College’s $10 Million major gifts campaign announced last year.

“Savannah Tech is one of the most vital assets we have in economic development in Chatham County, working with companies every day to deliver the workforce they need to be successful, said Savannah Economic Development Authority President and CEO Trip Tollison. “We are proud to commit to Savannah Tech capital campaign.”

“SEDA’s workforce development study put a spotlight on the critical role Savannah Technical College plays for training in our region,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love. “We appreciate SEDA’s strong support of the College’s continuing excellence in precision manufacturing training and expanding that training to meet local employers’ workforce training needs.”

Savannah Technical College serves Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties and is in the midst of a $10 Million capital campaign, with $5 Million devoted to Precision Manufacturing throughout the region. The development authorities in all counties have pledged a total of $453,000 toward expanding precision manufacturing throughout the region. The College is in the second academic year of offering a Precision Manufacturing Associate Degree program and seeks to expand facilities with dedicated lab space at the Savannah Campus, and building expansions at both the Effingham and Liberty Campuses to support a Flex-Tech Lab for precision manufacturing. The labs, designed to be tailored to focus on the exact instructional mix needed to support manufacturing in each community, significantly expand area business and industry access to workforce development and training opportunities.

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#1632 | March 15, 2016

STC Executive Director Advancement and Communications: Gail Eubanks
912.443.3022 or geubanks@savannahtech.edu 

STC Director of Communications/Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College earned two gold awards for photography and design, along with a silver for TV/Video Advertising with the 2015 Collegiate Advertising Awards.

The gold for photography/illustration was awarded to a fire science program photograph taken by Stephen B. Morton. Morton’s work for the College previously won gold with Collegiate Advertising Awards in 2014 for a welding photo and a series of faculty environmental portraits.

The College’s Bistro Savoir Interactif passport, which was given to attendees of STC’s 2015 Savannah Food and Wine Festival event, also won gold in the miscellaneous design category. The passport features student portraits by Morton, design by Eric Willis of Fluorescent Design Studio and recipes from STC’s Culinary Institute of Savannah. It was printed by The Kennickell Group.

Blue Voyage Productions produced a series of College that Works commercials that won silver. The series features students in health sciences and precision manufacturing programs. To watch the commercials visit: http://bit.ly/1QKefmJ.

The Collegiate Advertising Awards is an elite national program seeking to recognize today’s most talented marketing professionals for outstanding excellence in all forms of advertising, marketing and promotion specific to higher education products and services. All entries are centralized for judging (per category) by a panel of design and education marketing professionals with decades of combined experience. Entries are judged on: creativity, layout/design, typography, production, quality and overall effectiveness.

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#1631 | March 11, 2016

Fire Science/Public Services Program Advisor: Amber Robinson
912.443.5719 or arobinson@savannahtech.edu

STC Director of Communications/Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College’s Dental Hygiene program has received reaffirmation accreditation status by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

The Commission adopted a resolution to grant the STC Dental Hygiene program the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements” at a CODA meeting in February 2016. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Dental Hygiene programs are reviewed by the Commission every seven years to maintain accreditation. For reaffirmation accreditation status, the program submits a self-study according to the standards set forth by CODA, along with a site visit for review by the Commission.

The 83-credit-hour Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene program accepts approximately 26 students annually. Students provide clinical patient care as a component of their curriculum requirements. STC’s Dental Hygiene Department Head Dr. Edenfield, faculty and staff are proud of the program’s record of success, noting that most students are offered employment positions pending successful completion of two credentialing examinations and licensure. The program has had 100% licensure pass rate for many years and has been accredited for more than four decades. Edenfield is has been with the STC’s Dental Hygiene program for the past 30 years providing instruction, clinical supervision and administrative leadership.

The program utilizes a competitive admissions process. Students wishing to enter the Dental Hygiene program must complete an application packet by spring for admission to the fall class. For more information about program admission, please contact STC’s Health Sciences Academic Advisor Cindy Cole (ccole@savannahtech.edu or 912.443.5721) or Dr. Suzanne Edenfield (sedenfield@savannahtech.edu).

The STC program in Dental Hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation [and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”] The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s website is: http://www.ada.org/en/coda.

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                            STC Health Sciences Academic Advisor: Cindy Cole
912.443.5721 or ccole@savannahtech.edu

STC Director of Communications/Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH –Savannah Technical College will join the Georgia Film Academy, as one of four locations in the state partnering with the Academy to develop a skilled workforce for the growing film industry.

“We have been listening and engaging with film industry professionals throughout the region to determine the best fit for our instructional offerings,” said STC President Dr. Kathy S. Love. “Our commitment to students and to industry partners is to prepare students for careers with jobs that exist in our local economy, and we believe film production training with the Georgia Film Academy is an excellent complement to our hands-on learning tradition.”

As a member of the Georgia Film Academy, Savannah Technical College will offer the Academy’s two-course certification program specifically designed to provide students with a basic level of on-set film production skills, knowledge and experience with film-industry standard organizational structure, professional equipment and on-set procedures. The first course, offered at Savannah Technical College this summer, will provide an introduction to the skills used in on-set film production, including all forms of narrative media which utilize film-industry standard organizational structure, professional equipment and on-set procedures.

In addition to the use of topical lectures, PowerPoint presentations, videos and hand-outs, the course will include demonstrations of equipment and set operations as well as hands-on learning experiences. Students will learn: film production organizational structure, job descriptions and duties in various film craft areas, names, uses and protocols related to various pieces of professional on-set film equipment. Students will also learn, through lecture and exercises, how the various film craft related to one-another on a working set, as well as how and why they all must operate in sync. In addition, students will learn skills related to networking and self-marketing.

“The Savannah Economic Development Authority is excited that the state will add Savannah Technical College to its Georgia Film Academy institutions. This decision will further enhance our region as a dedicated player in the rapidly growing entertainment production industry,” said SEDA President and CEO Trip Tollison. “SEDA would like to thank the Governor and other state leadership for choosing Savannah Technical College, and we look forward to working with this incredible asset.”

The projected film industry growth in Georgia during the next three to five years will generate 3,000 to 5,000 new jobs, and the average earnings for jobs on set are $84,000 a year.  That’s why Georgia has launched the Georgia Film Academy, a unique-in-the-nation, statewide initiative to prepare Georgia citizens for these high demand careers.

“I am pleased to learn The Georgia Film Academy is expanding to Savannah Technical College,” said City of Savannah Interim Film Services Director Beth Nelson. “As film production continues to increase, we are challenged to provide enough crew to support the industry. Training local residents to fill these positions benefits both film productions and our local community. Savannah Technical College is a perfect fit for this program. The College has been very successful in offering an outstanding technical education.  The Georgia Film Academy will provide the next step by developing the skills, knowledge, and experience that transfer to jobs in the film industry.”

Film Executive Producer Stratton Leopold agrees: “With the burgeoning film industry in Georgia, especially in Savannah, it is vital that we have a competent workforce. Savannah Technical College can fill that need to have an immediate impact locally.”

For more information about the Georgia Film Academy at Savannah Technical College submit this interest form.

About the Georgia Film Academy
The Georgia Film Academy is a collaborative effort of the University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia supporting workforce needs of the film and digital entertainment industries. The academy certifies workforce ready employees in needed areas, connect students and prospective employees with employers, and offer a unique capstone experience for top students that will provide them a path to employment in Georgia. Special partnerships include Pinewood Studios located in Fayetteville, Georgia. 

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#1629 | March 8, 2016

STC Director of Admissions: Gwen Moore
912.443.5711 or gmoore@savannahtech.edu

STC Director of Communications/Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu