SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College recently selected Rimina Lewis as its department head for Practical Nursing. As department head, she teaches and coordinates academic programs, advises students, supervises faculty and performs various departmental and college-wide assignments. She will manage the Practical Nursing program at the College’s Savannah and Liberty campuses.

She has been a nursing instructor for the College since 2008. She has a nearly two decades of experience in nursing. She has a master’s degree in nursing/nursing education and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix. She also completed nursing training at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs), under the direction of physicians and registered nurses, care for people who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled. Program graduates receive a practical nursing diploma and have the qualifications of an entry-level practical nurse. Employment of LPNs is projected to grow much faster than average. Overall job prospects are expected to be very good, but job outlook varies by industry. The best job opportunities will occur in nursing care facilities and home healthcare services. Savannah Technical College offers the competitive-admission LPN program at the Savannah and Liberty campuses. For more information about Practical Nursing, contact STC Health Sciences Advisor Cindy Cole at 912.443.5721 or ccole@savannahtech.edu.

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#2202 | July 9, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College has selected Toniette (Toni) Sumpter as its military outreach coordinator. She will coordinate a variety of initiatives enabling current and former military personnel, as well as their family members, to enroll in the college, graduate, and engage in careers with local industries and businesses.

Sumpter has extensive military experience an instructor with the U.S. Marine Corps, along with Motor Transportation Operations Chief, team leader and senior enlisted advisor. She also has higher education experience as an adjunct faculty member for Davis Defense Group and managing daily operations at Savannah State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Park University.

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. This year the College was ranked #1 in the 2021-22 Military Friendly® Schools evaluation. For the past four years, the College has been ranked as one of the top Best for Vets public technical and career college 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.

For more information about military services or enrollment, visit www.savannahtech.edu/military.

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# 2201 | July 8, 2021

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

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College has been awarded a $3,965,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The “Pathway Home” grant will assist 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 will support 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 reentry training program leading to employment.

“Our goal is to prepare returning citizens with career training to earn a family-sustaining wage through technical education that leads to industry-recognized credentials in welding, logistics and manufacturing,” said STC President Dr. Kathy S. Love. “In many cases, people leave jails and prisons without the skills needed for a high demand career. This grant was written to create a new pipeline of skilled talent for our industry partners and to create hope for our returning citizens. It also recognizes the years of partnership building and work done at the college on behalf of our returning citizens.” 

The College will serve a total of 250 returning citizens per year exiting Coastal State Prison and Chatham County Detention Center. STC’s Economic Development division will oversee the grant and will offer a two-week program to help participants get acclimated to the educational arena and assess their readiness for employment through pre/post assessments.

The Coastal Workforce Development Board has identified manufacturing and logistics as two of the in-demand industries for the region. Participants will begin fast-track training for logistics, warehousing or welding to earn recognized credentials within the last six months of their sentence. A combination of virtual reality and hands-on training will be included. Job placement and financial literacy education will be included along with continued follow-up for one year after training.

 

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#2145 | June 29, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College recently selected Paul Wilson as its department head for Logistics. As department head, he teaches and coordinates academic programs, advises students, supervises faculty and performs various departmental and college-wide assignments.

He previously was an adjunct instructor for Logistics Management at the College. He has a decade of experience with logistics, customer service and manufacturing consulting.

He has a master’s degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Global Integration Management and a bachelor’s degree in business management and administration from Saint Leo University. He graduated from Woodville-Tompkins Technical and Career High School from the CISCO systems training and development program.

Logistic Management is a career of strategy, design, tactical planning and observation. STC’s Associate of Science Degree in Logistics Management is designed with a large pre-business and general education core coupled with an occupational component of courses in logistics management. This program mirrors the Pre-Business and Core Curriculum of Georgia Southern University, which enables graduates to continue their education in various logistics fields at a university level.

The College also offers an associate degree and diplomas in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Students may also complete short-term technical certificate of credit programs for Certified Warehousing and Distribution and Logistics Technician. For more information about logistics training visit: www.savannahtech.edu/LogisticsManagement.

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#2144 | June 22, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College has selected Shaquan Gaither as its department head for Paralegal Studies. As department head, she will teach and coordinate academic programs, advise students and supervise faculty.

Gaither has been a Paralegal Studies instructor since 2006 at the college when she helped to start the program. She has also taught with Savannah Chatham County Public Schools, Walden University in Minneapolis, Southern New Hampshire University, and City University of Seattle. She has experience practicing in various areas of civil law such as tort law, family law and probate law. 

She earned a Juris Doctorate from the School of Law at University of Baltimore as well as a MBA from the University of Baltimore. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Morgan State University. She is also a member of the Georgia Bar Association and Maryland Bar Association.

STC’s Paralegal Studies Associate Degree graduates have a 100% placement in field (AY2019) and are in demand with area law offices. Courses taught by licensed, practicing attorneys. Students gain real-world experience through volunteering under the direction of their instructors to apply what they’ve learned. For example, students research legal questions for indigent Georgia citizens in need of legal help through the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers Virtual legal advice clinic and provide document preparation assistance to pro se litigants seeking to file for divorce through the Family Law Resource Center.

The program prepares students for a career in the paralegal profession. The knowledge and skills emphasized in the Paralegal Studies program include ethical obligations; research in state and federal law; legal correspondence preparation; family law matters; basic concepts of real property law; criminal law and procedure; civil litigation; substantive contract law; and wills, trusts, and probate. Paralegals, also called legal assistants, work closely with attorneys, judges, prosecutors, or public defenders. Paralegal Studies is open to adults, along with high school students through dual enrollment

The College is an institutional member of the American Association of Paralegal Education (AAfPE). This is the highest level of membership for AAfPE. The College also has its own Lambda Epsilon Chi (LEX) National Honor Society for Paralegals chapter.

Students are encouraged to apply by apply now for fall semester. Visit: www.savannahtech.edu/paralegal-online or contact Gaither at 912.443.5715 or sgaither@savannahtech.edu for more information about the program or to start training for a career as a paralegal.

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# 2143 | June 16, 2021

Paralegal Studies Department Head: Shaquan Gaither
912.443.5715| sgaither@savannahtech.edu

 

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

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah AMBUCS has created a scholarship for students with different abilities attending Savannah Technical College. This scholarship will provide gap funding to make up the difference to cover tuition, fees, books and tools/equipment after all sources of funding have been applied. Four student scholarship awards will be made up to $1,000 each to be used for a full academic year annually starting with fall semester 2021.

“In honor of Savannah AMBUCS 80th Anniversary we are very pleased to establish this scholarship that assists people with different abilities in achieving their career goals,” said Savannah AMBUCS President Kevin Sheehan. “Savannah AMBUCS provides support for people with different abilities and their families through their Amtryke, adaptive bicycles, programs, their league of exceptional bowlers, and their scholarships for therapists program so this is a natural progression for us. Savannah Technical College’s wide range of programs and hands-on training options make this just the right fit for us as it gives the people we serve more opportunities to develop skills needed to achieve gainful employment.”

Eligible students must be enrolled in a credit program, a resident of Chatham, Bryan, Effingham or Liberty counties and have completed FAFSA to determine financial aid eligibility. Scholarship applicants must have disclosed a condition that needs special accommodations, which is documented in the student records. Students must also have demonstrated financial need and have a balance due at the time the scholarship is awarded.

“We take great pride in serving our students and providing the support services they need to be successful – from tutoring to providing accommodations for hearing and vision impairment, additional time for testing, or whatever is needed – we are committed to meeting our students where they are,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love.

STC’s Office of Special Populations Program provides comprehensive support services that promote equity, enhance the educational experience, foster success, and contribute to the self-sufficiency of students who are members of special populations. These students may have a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities.

To make a gift to the Savannah AMBUCS Scholarship fund at Savannah Technical College visit: https://www.savannahtech.edu/savannah-ambucs-scholarship.

More information about applying for scholarships at Savannah Technical College may be found at www.savannahtech.edu/Scholarships. STC scholarship funds are managed by the Savannah Technical College Foundation, a 501 (c)3 organization whose sole purpose is to raise private funds to support the mission of Savannah Technical College. Gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Savannah AMBUCS (American Business Club) Inc. is a chapter of National AMBUCS, Inc. It is a non-profit service organization consisting of a diverse group of men and women who are dedicated to inspiring mobility and independence. Its vision is to inspire people to conquer challenges related to mobility and independence. Through a nationwide network of volunteer chapters, AMBUCS partners with physical, occupational, and speech therapists; by providing adaptive Amtrykes, scholarships for therapists and many community services forms.

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#2142 | June 15, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512
ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH – Eight students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy celebrated graduating from the program with a completion ceremony in May 2021.

The six men and two 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.

Since 2009, more than 400 P.O.S.T.-certified officers have completed the program. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. Six of the eight candidates have been hired by area police departments. 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 honored Cpl. James J. Wilkinson of Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, who lost his life after battling cancer on May 24, 2019. Cpl. Wilkinson had served with the agency for 13 years and had previously served with the U.S. Navy & US Coast Guard.  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. The next class begins in September 2021.

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.

 

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#2141 | June 1, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512
ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College Business Management Instructor Rushe Hudzinski-Sero was selected as the SkillsUSA regional advisor of the year Region 2. Hudzinski-Sero was previously named SkillsUSA advisor of the year for Georgia. Region 2 represents the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Hudzinski-Sero is one of the SkillsUSA advisors for the College. She was named the 2020 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year by Savannah Tech. 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.

Earlier this year the college was named one of 24 Model of Excellence SkillsUSA chapters nationwide, as long as a Chapter of Excellence Gold designation at the state level. STC students and teams won ten (state-level) virtual competitions: five gold, four silver, and one bronze.

SkillsUSA is a national career and technical student organization/competition that annually serves more than 395,000 high school, college and postsecondary students–and their instructors–in technical, skilled and service-occupation instructional programs.

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#2140 | May 24, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512
ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. –Savannah Technical College has been awarded a patent for the historic marker fabrication process. This is based on a project STC students started in 2017, as a fix for damaged historical markers to preserve the past for the future at a fraction of the cost.

The patent approval process was funded by the STC Foundation, which owns the rights to the royalties. Savannah Technical College is the first technical college in Georgia to be awarded a patent. The College is celebrating the patent now because May is National Preservation Month to celebrate U.S. heritage through historic places.

“The Historic Marker Collar Bracket that we celebrate today, was the result of a collaborative effort among faculty and students in Historic Preservation, Drafting and Precision Machining,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love. “Working together, they identified a way to solve a real-world problem and pursued the solution beyond the concept all the way to implementation.”

STC students initially used this fix to bring Troup Square’s Jingle Bells historical marker back to life after it was damaged by Hurricane Matthew. Since then, students have created and installed a replacement bracket for the Blue Star Memorial marker on Highway 280 in Pembroke, Ga. They are working on a replacement collar bracket for another marker in Effingham County.

Patent number 10847064 for historical marker repair components and methods was awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last year. From the patent summary of the invention:

This invention solves the problem of historic marker replacement by providing a process whereby broken markers may be repaired without having to re-cast the entire marker. In the preferred embodiment, the repair component comprises a metal casting with an upper channel dimensioned to receive the lower edge of the original plaque, and a lower collar dimensioned to fit onto the existing post.

The lower edge of the existing plaque may be fastened, welded, glued or otherwise secured within the upper groove of the repair component. In the preferred embodiment, however, the plaque is fastened to the repair component using specialty anti-theft bolts. Alternatively, the upper channel of the repair component may include a moveable member forming a jaw that clamps onto the lower edge of the existing plaque. The collar, likewise, may also be fastened, welded, glued or otherwise secured to the upper end of the pole.

A method of repairing a marker including a plaque with a lower edge that has broken away from an existing collar fitted to a post comprising the steps of measuring the width of the lower edge of the plaque and the cross section of the post; casting a repair component including an upper channel dimensioned to receive the lower edge of the existing plaque, and a lower collar dimensioned to fit onto the existing post; installing and securing the lower edge of the plaque within the channel of the repair component; and installing and securing the lower collar onto the existing post, which may be of metal or wood of varying cross section. The casting of the repair component may be of any suitable metal or alloy, including bronze or aluminum.

STC students designed, engineered and cast the channeled historic marker collar replacement bracket or base that could be adapted to fit different marker designs. The collar may be manufactured in large quantities, taken into the field, and used to replace a damaged collars at a substantially reduced cost. Also, it will allow the text section of the signs to be preserved rather than discarded.

“In many of our Traditional Trades course we push the boundaries of methods, materials, and techniques to develop new ways of addressing old problems,” said STC’s Department Head for Historic Preservation Benjamin Curran. “Our intent with this collar design was to provide an economical solution to a regular issue that arises with historical markers.”

Students from the Historic Preservation and Restoration department worked with students from Drafting, Welding and Machine Tool to create the prototype. A mechanical drafting student worked with the original sketches to create a design and print samples of 3D versions. The drafting student’s 3D print was used to create the form that was used to cast the collar mold. Welding students helped to build the furnace that was used to melt aluminum prior to casting. Machine Tool students assisted with CNC machining.

“As an institution Savannah Technical College strives to provide its students with the knowledge and skills that will make them valued members of our local and regional workforce,” said Curran. “Within the Industrial Technology department, we collectively focus on industry need, regardless of discipline. That has manifest itself in constant push to provide our students with opportunities to view themselves not simply technician, but also as contributors to the advancement of their respective fields. Innovation is the key. The historic marker collar replacement bracket perfectly exemplifies our students’ technical talents and creative capacity to further the advancement of the Historic Preservation field.”

STC Historic Preservation students cast the first replacement bracket under the guidance of Visiting Artisan Gary Knappenberger, who helped STC students with a finial casting for the Smithsonian Institute in 2013. He assisted with the mold making process and helped students build a small furnace large enough to melt down aluminum to pour multiple brackets for the casting process.

As the only public hands-on Historic Preservation program in Georgia and one of seven in the U.S., Savannah Technical College has led the way in preservation education, specializing in training not typically held by construction workers. The program has gained international recognition and has contributed to a number of community-based preservation projects in the surrounding communities. Traditional Building Magazine named Savannah Tech’s Historic Preservation program one of the nation’s Up and Coming programs.

For more information visit:www.savannahtech.edu/CenterTraditionalCraft or contact Curran at bcurran@savannahtech.edu or 912.443.5864.

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#2139 | May 13, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College was selected as a Model of Excellence chapter for 2021. This annual recognition honors exceptional integration of personal, workplace and technical skills into SkillsUSA chapter activities. It is the highest honor bestowed on chapters by SkillsUSA, which is among the largest student organizations for career and technical education.

Savannah Technical College is one of 24 Model of Excellence chapters nationwide including both high school and college chapters. These top chapters will be evaluated in June for top honors. A panel of judges will evaluate each of these highest-level schools based on their goals, plan of action, results, evaluation and SkillsUSA Framework integration. Business and industry partners will conduct finalist interviews with students and advisors, and then help select the top three schools to be recognized on June 24 during the National Leadership and Skills Conference Virtual Recognition Session. The top three will receive national recognition and the opportunity to share their stories through SkillsUSA in publications and trainings.

The focus of Models of Excellence is student-led activation. These students learn and practice the skills that every employer seeks, including leadership, initiative, communication, teamwork and problem solving by taking the lead on all SkillsUSA activities. Their SkillsUSA instructors take the education of these students to the next level by guiding them, but never doing the work for them, elevating learning from classroom instruction to successful application of skills.

The Models of Excellence program promotes the intentional learning of personal, workplace and technical skills outlined in the SkillsUSA Framework for student development. Specific characteristics defined within each skill area provide tangible benchmarks for student achievement and chapter programming. Achievement is measured by student efforts in implementing essential workplace skills including personal responsibility, integrity, work ethic and organization in chapter activities. The hands-on approach of this program actualizes the SkillsUSA mission of empowering members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens.

Earlier this spring, STC students and teams won medals in ten (state-level) virtual competitions: five gold, four silver, and one bronze. The College also earned a Chapter of Excellence Level Gold designation.

SkillsUSA is a national career and technical student organization/competition that annually serves more than 395,000 high school, college and postsecondary students–and their instructors–in technical, skilled and service-occupation instructional programs.

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#2138 | May 11, 2021
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512
ashaffer@savannahtech.edu