SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College Patient Care Technician student Rosalia Perez has received a $1,000 scholarship from the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS).

STC’s Allied Health Department Head Salina Woodlin nominated Perez for NTHS membership in Spring 2021.

“Ms. Perez is motivated and a dependable health care professional in the making,” said Woodlin. “Her persistence to climb the professional ladder to obtain her goal of becoming a registered nurse signifies her strength and dedication to never give up despite obstacles that may arise. Her commitment to never missing a day and always being on time exhibits her excellence in work ethics. I am blessed to have earned a memorable portion of her educational journey at Savannah Technical College and cannot wait to witness her success and growth in healthcare.”

Perez is a full-time medical receptionist at Peds Now in Hinesville, Ga. She completed STC’s health care assistant technical certificate of credit (TCC) this summer and has earned CNA certification. She is projected to complete STC’s Patient Care Technician TCC this fall. She plans to continue her education to become a registered nurse with a goal of working for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Nurses, who cared for her son when he was in NICU for 42 days, inspire her. “I saw how the nurses were so good to him,” she said. “They helped him so much by going above and beyond. I want to do that for other babies.”

She received one of 250 outstanding NTHS members awarded the Jon H. Poteat Scholarship nationwide, who consistently exemplify the seven character attributes of the NTHS – Skill, Honesty, Service, Responsibility, Scholarship, Citizenship, and Leadership.

To be eligible for NTHS membership at Savannah Technical College, students must have completed a minimum of 12 semester credit hours, have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and have been nominated by an instructor in their major.

NTHS honors student achievement and leadership, promotes educational excellence, awards scholarships, and enhances career opportunities inductees. It is the international leader in providing recognition for excellence in career and technical education. Since its founding in 1984, NTHS has awarded nearly $3 million in scholarships to remarkable CTE students nationwide. For more information about the NTHS visit: www.nths.org. 

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# 2213 | October 19, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College recently selected Carl E Betterson, Jr. as director for the Pathways Home 2 Training Grant. The director manages all aspects of grant services, goals and objectives.

Betterson has correctional experience as deputy warden of care and treatment at Coastal State Prison. He was also the assistant superintendent of Columbus Transitional Center and chief counselor of Rutledge State Prison.

He has a master’s degree in criminal justice with a specialty in corrections and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Albany State University. He is also a certified public manager from the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia.

Earlier this year, the College received a $3,965,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The “Pathway Home” grant assists individuals now or once involved in the criminal justice system to secure employment in their communities by assisting access to education, career training and apprenticeships. The grant supports expanded services to eligible, incarcerated individuals in state correctional facilities or local jails prior- and post-release to help eliminate the gap between release and enrollment into a re-entry training program leading to employment.

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# 2212 | October 18, 2021

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

Savannah Technical College Foundation celebrated 27 community stars virtually today for its Tribute to Community STARs event.  The 15th annual event has recognized 300 people for their service and dedication in the community or at work.

This year sponsors gathered in groups of 10 at their own locations to celebrate their star and enjoy a gourmet brunch prepared and packaged by Savannah Culinary Institute student chefs with COVID-19 safety protocols in place.

Honored were:

• Lynda Beam, Owner, Guerry Lumber, sponsored by NAWIC of Coastal Georgia;
• Kathleen Benton, CEO, Hospice Savannah, sponsored by Gulfstream Aerospace;
• Kate Blair, Executive Director, Savannah CASA, sponsored by Matador Development;
• Josh Brooks, Owner, Brooks Construction Group, LLC, sponsored by Historic Savannah Foundation and Lesley Francis Public Relations;
• Lisa Colbert, Judge, Chatham County Superior Court, sponsored by Bertice Berry Productions, Inc.;
• John Coleman, COO, Bonitz of Georgia, sponsored by Savannah Economic Development Authority;
• Bill Daniel, Owner/Principal, Lassiter Investments, LLC, sponsored by Savannah Christian Preparatory School;
• Lawton Davis, Director, Coastal Health District, sponsored by Gulfstream Aerospace;
• Paul Egan, Corps Officer, Salvation Army, sponsored by Jim Williams for the Salvation Army Savannah;
• Carmel Hearn, Writer, Carriage Trade Public Relations, sponsored by Carriage Trade Public Relations;
• Wade Herring, Partner, HunterMaclean, sponsored by Bertice Berry Productions, Inc.;
• Jim Lee, CEO, Shamrock Drones, sponsored by Shamrock Drones;
• Carol Legasse, Co-Owner, The Salt Table, sponsored by Visit Savannah and The Salt Table;
• Tammie Mosley, Clerk of Superior Court for the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia, sponsored by BankSouth;
• Jeanne Paddison, Executive Director, Savannah Wildlife Rescue Center, sponsored by Evans General Contractors and Coleman Company;
• Joycelin Primus, STC 2021 Instructor of the Year, sponsored by Friends of Savannah Technical College;
• Ann Purcell, Community Leader, sponsored by Effingham County Industrial Development Authority;
• Sean Register, Chair, Development Authority of Bryan County, sponsored by Development Authority of Bryan County;
• Lizann Roberts, Director, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, sponsored by Healthy Savannah and YMCA of the Coastal Empire;
• Kristin Russell, Owner, Sentient Bean and Brighter Day, sponsored by Hansen Architects;
• Camille Russo, VP for Marketing, Junior Achievement of Georgia, sponsored by Ad Specialty Services;
• Cathy Sakas, Founder & Chair, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, sponsored by Tenenbaum Consulting, Inc.;
• Kevin Sheehan, President, Savannah AMBUCS, sponsored by Thomas & Hutton;
• Donald Singleton, Community Leader, sponsored by Friends of Savannah Technical College;
• Anne Smith, Owner, Lominack Kolman Smith Architects, sponsored by Architecture 101;
• Rachel Waldron, STC 2021 Student of the Year, sponsored by Bonitz of Georgia; and
• Mary Warnell, Community Leader, sponsored by Mary Morrison.

A keynote message was shared by Dr. Bertice Berry. The pre-recorded video may be viewed on the College’s Youtube (https://bit.ly/TributetoCommunitySTARS2021) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SavannahTech) pages.

The annual event is hosted by the STC Foundation Community Council, a group of young professionals charged with expanding the local knowledge and profile of the College and its mission. The group also raises funds to support the college, its programs and students. Proceeds from the event benefit the Savannah Technical College Foundation.

Founded in 1984, the STC Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that exists to raise and disburse funds to support the College’s efforts to enhance learning, workforce training and economic development in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties.

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# 2211 | October 15, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

Savannah Technical College was ranked #1 in the 2021-22 Military Spouse Friendly® Schools evaluation of small community colleges. The Military Friendly® Schools survey is the longest-running most comprehensive review of college and university investments in serving military and veteran students.

The top 25% of Military Friendly® Schools received the Military Spouse Friendly® School ranking based on leading practices, outcomes and effective programs for military spouses. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey.

As a military spouse, Corrine Ramos benefited from STC’s guidance for military funding and financial aid. Through STC’s military coordinator, Ramos learned about MyCAA benefits for military spouses. She also applied for and received military-affiliated scholarships from the Landings Military Family Relief Fund and STC’s Military Freedom Fund to purchase tools and insurance.

Ramos completed a Dental Hygiene Associate of Science Degree at Savannah Tech in spring 2021. As a student, she worked as an implant coordinator for Southeastern Oral Surgery Associates. Upon graduation, she was promoted to a full-time position of patient care technician. She plans to continue her education next year with the ultimate goal of becoming a registered nurse. Her husband is an apache mechanic (E6) that completed STC’s Advanced Aviation Maintenance program in Spring 2020.

During the previous academic year, the College exceeded the Military Friendly® benchmark standards in every category to earn this ranking. It scored 100% in every category including academic policies/compliance, admissions/orientation, culture/commitment, financial aid/assistance, graduation/career and military student support/retention.

The College has the highest military-affiliated enrollment in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). One in four STC students is a veteran, active duty service member or a military dependent/spouse. For the past four years, the College has been ranked as one of the top Best for Vets public technical and career colleges in the U.S. by Military Times.

The College waives all general mandatory fees for active duty service members using military tuition assistance. Other services Savannah Tech offers for veterans include workshops and grants. The College has multiple scholarships for military-affiliated students. This includes scholarships that provide gap funding for military with U.S. Coast Guard members, a Freedom Fund to provide needs-based scholarship assistance for soldiers, veteran and spouses and a scholarship that supports Savannah Tech’s military spouses is funded by The Landings Military Family Relief Fund.

The 2021-22 Military Friendly® School list may be found at www.militaryfriendly.com. Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey response set and government/agency public data sources, within a logic-based scoring assessment. The evaluation measures the institution’s ability to meet the thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students, and specifically, for student veterans.

About Military Friendly®: The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly® Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weighting were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. The survey is administered for free and is open to all postsecondary schools that wish to participate. Criteria for consideration is available at www.militaryfriendly.com

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# 2209 | September 16, 2021

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

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College Industrial Systems students will compete in an underwater robotics competition in Spring 2022 thanks to funding from a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The College is one of two community and technical colleges in the U.S. selected to participate in the first cohort that will compete in a brand-new level for the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition.

The MATE ROV Competition uses underwater robots to inspire, engage, and challenge students from elementary school through college in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through preparing for the competition, students learn and creatively apply STEM to solve real-world problems and strengthen their critical thinking, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

In the next three years, up to 15 colleges will be included in the grant-funded project. MATE secured the NSF funding to expand the number of two-year institutions of higher education participating in its regional or global events. Currently, two-year colleges are underrepresented in the competition. For Savannah Technical College, the grant will cover costs for professional development of STC Industrial Systems faculty and provide advanced-level training kits for student team development.

Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is the local host of the Gray’s Reef Southeast Regional MATE ROV Competition, held each spring in Savannah in partnership with MATE and NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

“This grant gives Savannah Technical College students the opportunity to master high-end ‘blue tech’ skills,” said MATE Regional Competition Network Liaison and Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Director Jody Patterson. “We look forward to working with the College to provide skills training as it builds its student team. I’m excited to see what they can do!”

The College’s Industrial Systems program will introduce marine trades with mechatronics training, while developing innovative tools for ocean research. Student teams will demonstrate the underwater ROVs that they built during the regional competition to qualify for the MATE ROV World Championships.

STC’s Industrial Systems training equips students with problem-solving skills they need to diagnose complicated production line problems. Students master predictive maintenance by identifying problems before they happen to eliminate downtime. They learn Industry 4.0/Smart Factory, fluid power, programmable logic controls (PLCs), electricity, and mechatronics. Industrial Systems is one of Georgia’s high demand jobs that qualify for the HOPE Career Grant. For more information visit: www.savannahtech.edu/IndustrialSystems

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#2208 | August 27, 2021

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

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Nine students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy celebrated graduating from the program with a completion ceremony on August 20, 2021. Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman presented the group challenge.

The four men and five women 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 35th group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated more than 400 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. Seven of the nine candidates have been hired by area police departments including Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Garden City Police Department, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and Richmond Hill Police Department. The other two have pending employment with area agencies. STC’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 honors APO Charles Van Vleck of Georgia Ports Authority Police Department, who passed away on January 10, 2021.  APO Van Vleck had served with the GPA for 18 years and had previously served with the US Coast Guard for 20 years.  He was survived by his wife, four children, grandchildren, siblings, family and friends.

The Basic POST Certification Technical Certificate of Credit provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to become competent law enforcement officers. The 11-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 the office at 912.443.5191 or njones@savannahtech.edu.

The next class begins in September 2021.

#2207 | August 20, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College recently selected James Halford as its department head for Electrical Construction and Industrial Systems. This expansion of his role was due to restructuring the two departments to leadership of one department head. He has department head for STC’s Electrical Construction department for the past six years.

In 2019, Halford was selected as the College’s Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. He is well-versed in all aspects of electrical and industrial systems and is a proud TCSG graduate. He holds a diploma in Industrial Electrical Technology and four additional credentials from South Georgia Technical College (Residential Wiring Technician, Commercial Wiring Technician, Supervisory Management Specialist and Certified Forklift Operator). He has also earned an Industrial Systems Technology Associate Degree and four additional certifications from Savannah Technical College (Programmable Control Technician, Industrial Maintenance Assistant and Industrial Instrument Assistant). Additionally, he has had success in his field at all levels, working as a maintenance helper for a large manufacturer, as a journeyman electrician, master electrician and a field supervisor.

Halford has led STC’s college-wide Skills USA efforts for three years. Through his leadership, the College has proudly celebrated 36 state award winners, and three national award winners. He was instrumental in our college receiving a $233,000 grant from Georgia Environmental Finance Authority that provided scholarships for students in photovoltaic systems. He also led the installation of a solar array on one of STC’s campus buildings.

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# 2206 | August 19, 2021
Industrial Technology Academic Advisor: Secene Dorsey
ssdorsey@savannahtech.edu

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