SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College Business Management instructor Rushe Hudzinski has been selected as STC’s 2020 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors outstanding faculty members at each of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) institutions. She will represent Savannah Technical College in the statewide competition.

“Ms. Hudzinski’s professional excellence and service in the classroom, as well as the local community, combined with her passion for helping students achieve their dreams and goals for college, career and life make her the perfect ambassador for technical education across the state,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love.

Hudzinski has been an instructor at Savannah Technical College since 2010 when she began working as an adjunct instructor. She became a full-time instructor in 2016. Leading up to this transition, Hudzinski was Chief Human Resources Consultant for New South Financial Group. Before coming to New South she served as the Director of Human Resources for Effingham County Board of Commissioners and oversaw personnel matters concerning the County Staff, Elected Officials and Constitutional Officers.

Prior, Hudzinski was the Training and Development, Staffing/Faculty Coordinators at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She served as a District Recruiting Specialist for Eddie Bauer, South East Region and held positions in several management capacities in the apparel, home and outlet divisions. Her early positions in management have retail and hospitality influence to include Talbots, Paradise Island Resort and Casino, the Hilton Corporation, and Walt Disney World.

At Savannah Technical College, she serves as a SkillsUSA advisor for the Entrepreneurship state competition team and is vice-president for the STC Faculty Senate. 

She serves as a board member for Heads-Up Guidance Services (HUGS). She is also a member of the following organizations: Lions Club of Savannah, Savannah Area Employer Committee, Association of Georgia Contractors, and Society of Human Resources Management.

She is a graduate of Elmira College where she earned a bachelor’s of science degree in International Business and Marketing. She completed her MBA at Syracuse University and participated in the international graduate programs in England and Italy. She currently holds the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) and is a graduate of Leadership Southeast Georgia.

HR on Campus and CUPA-HR have recognized Hudzinski’s development of training programs in customer service and human resources office staff organization regionally and nationally. Two of Hudzinski’s community projects for Human Resources, Preserving Human Capital – An Active Shooter Response and the Community HR Collaboration Project, have won Best in Georgia and been a two-time recipient of the SHRM National Pinnacle Award. Her articles on human resource management trends and strategies are featured twice per year in Workplace Health magazine. Early in her career she received the Eddie Bauer Stine Award for her work in employee training, talent acquisition, and district revenue performance.

The Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.  Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the Rick Perkins Award was renamed in memory and honor of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Central Technical College, now West Georgia Technical College, who received the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence prior to his untimely death. TCSG provides oversight for the Rick Perkins Award program through the system office’s programming staff, the presidents’ Academic Improvement committee and the state planning committee.

###      

#2025 | February 17, 2020

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

Bass is a top-performing student in his program. “Devin has excelled as one of the top students in the Industrial Maintenance Systems Technology program,” said STC Industrial Maintenance Systems Department Head Travis Wright. “He helps students in the program that are having trouble in a particular subject area. His ability to connect with current and future students is to be commended.”

GOAL honors outstanding students at each of the Technical College System of Georgia institutions. Devin will represent Savannah Tech at the statewide competition in April in Atlanta, where the statewide GOAL winner will be selected. The highly competitive process involves academic success, community engagement and public speaking. Winners are nominated by their instructors and selected after interviews with a panel of business and community leaders.

He is a manufacturing apprentice at JCB North America. He has worked various positions at JCB North America. As a recruiter, he speaks with high school students about the opportunities with JCB, as well as those with the College. He is also a mentor for new apprentices with JCB.

Before training at Savannah Technical College, he served as an Infantry Section Leader with the U.S. Army. During his more than five years of service he distinguished himself as a combat veteran. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold).

He is on track to graduate this fall with an associate of applied science in Industrial Maintenance Systems and Precision Manufacturing. Also, he has completed welding training. He has been selected to represent the College at SkillsUSA in Georgia for the Mechatronics team, as well.

“I chose technical education because it provides an affordable, high-quality education with classes that I can attend around my work schedule,” Bass said. “The skills that I learn at Savannah Technical College are highly marketable. The time commitment in acquiring them is shorter, so I may put them to use in my field sooner.”

STC’s Industrial Maintenance Systems program prepares students for an in demand career. Required maintenance of machinery is vital to the production of manufactured goods. Those employed as industrial systems technologists are trained in fluid power, programmable logic controls, electricity, mechanics and other specified areas of machine functionality. Industrial Maintenance is one of Georgia’s high demand jobs that qualify for the HOPE Career Grant. For more information visit: www.savannahtech.edu/IndustrialSystems.

###      

#2024 | February 17, 2020

Industrial Technology Advisor: Secene Dorsey
912.443.5859 or sdorsey@savannahtech.edu

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College’s Savannah Culinary Institute offers its eighth annual online, pre-order Sweetheart Sale featuring assorted artisan chocolates, pastries and artisan breads for Valentine’s Day at www.bistrosavoir.com.

Hand-made chocolates include dipped strawberries (6) and an assortment of 15 handmade chocolate truffles in five flavors: passion fruit/white chocolate, orange butter ganache/milk chocolate, honey caramel/dark chocolate, amaretti/milk chocolate, raspberry/white and dark chocolate. Truffles will be sold in a heart-shaped cardboard box for $24 or an artisan dark chocolate bon bon box for $36. The sale also features chocolate eclairs, dark chocolate coconut macaroons, fudgy brownies, lemon/raspberry mousse cake and chocolate/strawberry mousse cake. Artisan breads include a heart-shaped brioche loaf and a sourdough white chocolate baguette.

Online pre-order sales are available through February 12, or when quantities are sold out. Orders will be available for pickup at the College’s Savannah campus February 13 from 2-6PM and on February 14 from 9AM – noon in the Eckburg Auditorium (5717 White Bluff Road). By request only, pickup will be available at the Crossroads, Liberty and Effingham Campuses. For a list of items for sale and to place orders, visit www.bistrosavoir.com.

The Sweetheart Sale features the finest quality ingredients that are locally sourced, milled and handmade under the direction of Chef Zebulon Berry. Proceeds will benefit Savannah Technical College’s Junior Chefs Fund, which supports activities like competitions.

Orders will be available for pickup at the College’s Savannah campus on February 13 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., and February 14 from 9 a.m. until noon. By request only, pickup will be available at the Crossroads, Liberty and Effingham Campuses. For a pick-up schedule, a complete list of items for sale and to place orders, visit www.bistrosavoir.com.

Savannah Tech’s baking and pastry program that was developed by the College to teach the art of creating tasty baked goods, pastries, and confections, from traditional bread baking to beautiful showpieces. Students learn a variety of international and classical pastries and desserts using basic and advanced techniques, which meet industry quality standards.  Graduates are working as pastry chefs in the area’s finest restaurants and establishments, including Local 11 Ten, Le Café Gourmet, Savannah Yacht Club, and The Landings Club. There are 40 students are currently enrolled in the baking and pastry program.

With support from the Savannah Technical College Foundation, the College has purchased 7 West Bay Street as the new downtown location for an expansion of its Culinary Arts program that will more than double the available instructional space. Senior level (second year) students will take classes and work in the bakery and restaurant. The hands-on, real-world experience in the restaurant/bakery will allow students the opportunity to apply techniques learned in the classroom to practical use, complete a required field placement, and gain first-hand experience in restaurant operations. 

New students are admitted to the baking and pastry program year round. The application deadline for summer semester 2020 is April 30. For more information about Culinary Arts at Savannah Tech visit: www.facebook.com/ChefJeanVendeville.

About the Savannah Technical College’s Savannah Culinary Institute
The Savannah Culinary Institute, an American Culinary Federation-accredited culinary arts program, has been described as the “best in the U.S.A” by its ACF accreditation review board. According to the ACF committee chair, the Culinary Institute of Savannah, offering ACF-accredited diploma and degree programs in culinary arts, has gone “well over and above the standards and expectations for a technical college teaching facility.” The committee recommended that the program receive the maximum accreditation time of seven years, when the average is three years. Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts associate degree graduates have a 100% placement rate in their field since 2015. The program has earned regional and national recognition with ACF-sponsored competitions. For more information visit: www.savannahtech.edu/SavannahCulinaryInstitute.

###

#2023 | February 3, 2020
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512
ashaffer@savannahtech.edu