seminole chamber honors ssc employees at december forum 2016.pdflance & cindy ruffel mark & rita...

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DATE LINE, PAGE NUMBER, ETC. GOES HEREJanuary 2016 SEMINOLE STATE COLLEGIAN PAGE 1

Seminole State College

CollegianSeminole, Oklahoma • Volume 44 • Number 5 • January 2016

Seminole Chamber Honors SSC Employees at December Forum

Jarrod Tollett"Educator of the Month"

Two Seminole State College em-ployees were recognized for their hard work and dedication during the December Seminole Chamber of Commerce Forum. Science, Tech-nology, Engineering and Math As-sistant Professor Jarrod Tollett was honored as “Educator of the Month” and Bookstore Director Natasha Rodgers was honored as “Profes-sional Staff Member of the Month.”

The Seminole Chamber of Com-merce Education Committee, along with the Lions Club and Blue Rib-bon Realty, recognize SSC employ-ees several times during Forum each year. Individuals are nominated from across the campus and chosen by SSC administrators to receive the honor.

Tollett began teaching at SSC as an adjunct instructor in 2001. He went on to work in both the Upward Bound and GEAR UP grant pro-grams before he was hired as a full-time faculty member in 2010. Tollett currently teaches physics, astrono-my, physical science, engineering, and mathematics courses.

Tollett holds a Bachelor of Sci-ence in Physics and a Bachelor of Art in History from East Central University in Ada. He also earned a Master of Education in Secondary Education from ECU.

Along with teaching, Tollett and his wife Jennifer also own and oper-ate a small retail store in Ada, The Cave, where they sell comic books, games and collectible toys. In his spare time, Tollett enjoys wood-working and home remodeling and construction. His hobbies include painting miniature figurines, read-ing, bowling, watching movies and collecting comics and action figures.

He and his wife have two girls, Evelyn, 2, and Parker, 3 months. The family of four reside in Ada.

Rodgers has worked for SSC since 2012. She began as an admin-istrative assistant in fiscal affairs and was then hired into her present position as bookstore director. She currently serves as President of the Professional Staff Association at the college.

Rodgers earned an Associate in

Science from Seminole State Col-lege and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications from Oklahoma State University in Still-water.

She also holds a Master of Ed-ucation in Secondary Counseling from East Central University in Ada.

Outside of work, Rodgers enjoys crafting, decorating and spending time with her husband Corey and two children Kreightyn and Pake. She is a member of Sharon Baptist Church in Shawnee. Rodgers and and her family make their home in Shawnee.

Natasha Rodgers"Professional Staff of the Month"

Upcoming Dates to Remember:Spring Semester Begins - Monday, January 11

Martin Luther King Day/Offices Closed - Monday, January 18



Seminole State College Night at the Lights Crowds of kids and adults attended Seminole State College’s annual Night at the Lights event on November 30 to tour lights, make holiday crafts, enjoy snacks and listen to SSC’s Permanent Issue Band. The event was held at the community Snowman Wonderland Light Display showcased at Magnolia Park in Seminole.



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SSC Scrambles Games are courtesy of mirroreyes.com

Puzzle 1

Puzzle 2

Puzzle 1 Solution Puzzle 2 Solution



SSC Employees Enjoy Coffee with the President Seminole State College faculty and staff took an early morning break on Dec. 11 to enjoy coffee and hot apple cider with President Dr. Jim Utterback. The “Coffee with the President” event allows employees from across campus a chance to visit with each other and the President while enjoying a few treats before the end of the fall semester.

Santa's HelpersThe Seminole State College Clas-sified Staff Association organized a campus-wide effort to collect holiday gifts for “Little Angels” identified by the Salvation Army and Department of Human Ser-vices. Donations were given by various offices and individuals across campus. Pictured (l-r) are: Sheila Morris, Cindy Guinn, Pres-ident Ann Gavin, Jessica Pospisil, Robin Crawford, Susan Shumaker, Mary Higgins, Annie Daniel, Toni Wittmann, Tammy Presley, Vice President Mechell Downey, Carol Landes and Laquita Smith.



The Seminole State COLLEGIAN is published during the fall and spring semesters by the Seminole State College Office of Media Relations, under the direction of Kristin Dunn. The staff reserves the right to edit submitted material for spelling and style. Consideration is given to all submitted material, but submission does not ensure publication. No anonymous material will be considered. All views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Seminole State College. The COLLEGIAN is distributed on the SSC campus and mailed to over 200 friends of the college. Seminole State College, in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, and other Federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, handicap, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. This publication, printed by the Shawnee News Star, is issued by Seminole State College as authorized by the President of the college. At a cost of $275, 1,000 copies have been prepared and distributed. Questions and concerns can be directed to Kristin Dunn at (405) 382-9525.

Janay Nix has always been interested in investigation and detective work. She now hopes to turn her passion into a career.

“When I was little, I always pretended to be a spy,” said Janay Nix, a recent Seminole State College graduate. “Now, I’m thinking I want

to work for the FBI.” A criminal justice major, Nix

explained that she chose to attend SSC because it was close to home, an affordable option and they offered the major she wanted to study.

“I love that SSC is small. All the faculty and staff here are encouraging and helpful. They really want you to succeed,” she explained.

During her time at SSC, Nix stayed actively involved in the campus community. She served as Vice President of Leadership for the college’s Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and

served as a Senator for SSC’s Student Government Association. She was also a member of the college’s Psi Beta chapter – a National Psychology Honor Society.

“I also played on the college’s scout basketball team,” Nix mentioned. She explained that the

Janay Nix - Social Sciences Student

Student Spotlight

“I'm kind of sad to leave. I love it here.”

- Janay Smith

scout team consists of several SSC students who attend practices to scrimmage and run through drills against the SSC Women’s Basketball Team.

Now that she has graduated from SSC, Nix has plans to continue her education at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. “They have great internships for criminal justice. It seems like a great choice for me,” Nix said.

Once she has completed her education, Nix’s dream job is to become an FBI special agent. “I would also like to work for the police and work my way to detective,” Nix stated.

Nix lives in Paden with her mom Kathleen, dad John and older sister Monica. Her family works with Tyson Pork Group. “We have our own barns and Tyson oversees them,” Nix explained, adding that their barns house over 600 pigs.

When she is not in the classroom, Nix enjoys reading and riding horses. “I love animals,” she said, mentioning that her family has 6 horses as well as cats and dogs.

Nix also attends First Baptist Church in Paden. “Every fourth Sunday I teach children’s church. Sometimes, I help out with the youth,” she explained.

Nix graduated from SSC in December and said, “I’m kind of sad to leave. I love it here."



SSC Board of Regents Convene for December MeetingThe Seminole State College

Board of Regents convened for their December meeting to discuss ap-proval of a contract for new campus administrative and student software and to review the renewal of consult-ing services for the College.

A special guest at the meeting was Dr. Randy Smith, President of the Rural Community College Al-liance (RCCA). He presented Sem-inole State College employees with an award honoring a presentation they made this fall at the RCCA annual national conference held in Reno, Nev. Jamie Mills, Director of Advising/Title III Project Director, Kendall Rogers, Assistant Professor of Sociology/Coordinator of Student Success and Rayshell Clapper, As-sociate Professor of Language Arts/Coordinator of Transitional Educa-tion, were recognized for their pre-

sentation on student engagement and retention.

During the President’s Report, President Dr. Jim Utterback shared with the Board a variety of recent SSC campus events and student ac-tivities. Utterback also informed the Board that he has been approached about the College sponsoring the de-velopment of a local charter school for advanced science, technology, engineering and math high school students. While no plans are in place, he told the Board that he felt the College should be supportive of any efforts to provide education-al opportunities for students in our area.

The President indicated that he has visited with representatives from the Department of Education, Oklahoma State Regents for High-er Education and the State Legisla-

ture regarding this issue. He also has meetings scheduled with potential funding sources, including private foundations. He said, “We believe the College can be a resource in helping insure the quality of educa-tion in these important and complex fields.”

Under the first item of business, Board members renewed their annu-al contract with Suzie Brewster & Associates for consulting services on the federal level. The terms of the proposed annual contract will re-main the same.

As the next item of business, the board approved a contract with Jen-zebar, a program that will provide updated administrative and student software for the SSC campus. The Poise System currently being used has been phased out by Jenzebar and requires replacement in the near

future. The College plans to utilize federal funds from the new Title III grant to cover approximately one-half of the purchase price. Final costs are still being negotiated. The contract was approved contingent on final review by the College’s legal counsel.

Under the consent agenda, Re-gents approved the 2016-2017 Aca-demic Calendar and program modi-fications to the Associate in Science in Elementary Education. They also approved a Program Review for the Associate in Applied Science in Medical Laboratory Technology.

Board members present at the meeting were: Chair Karen James, Bryan Cain, Marci Donaho and Cur-tis Morgan.

The next SSC Board of Regent’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 14, 2016.

And the Award Goes to...Seminole State College President Dr. Jim Utterback (far right), congrat-ulates SSC employees (l-r) Rayshell Clapper, Jamie Mills and Kendall Rog-ers for receiving the Conference Pre-sentation of the Year award for their presentation on student engagement and retention at the Rural Commu-nity College Association annual con-ference this fall in Reno, Nev. At the College, Rayshell Clapper is an Asso-ciate Professor of Language Arts and Coordinator of Transitional Education. Jamie Mills is the Director of Advising and the Title III Project, and Kendall Rogers is an Assistant Professor of So-ciology and Coordinator of Student Success.



Finals Eve Breakfast at Seminole State CollegeSeminole State College faculty and staff served a late-night breakfast at the begin-ning of finals week on December 7 to over 100 students from the college’s residence halls. Students were invited to bring their books to the E.T. Dunlap Student Union to study for final exams while they were served a full-course breakfast starting at 9 p.m. SSC servers (standing left to right) are: Rita Story-Schell, Kristin Dunn, Don Tuley, Donna Chambers, Tessa Russell, Dr. Jim Utterback, Robin Crawford, Tam-my Kasterke, Mark Goeller, Linda Goeller, Mechell Downey, Mike Downey, Angela Church, Richard Schroyer, Jonea Rima and Lynette Gomez. Students seated around the table from left to right are: Ian Hard-man, San Diego, Calif.; Conner Fryrear, Tuttle; Sydni Chilcoat, Latta; Olivia Pruitt, Ada; Mckyla Poponick, Manitoba, Canada; and Jordan Taylor, Seminole.

Holiday Cheer...Seminole State College students, fac-ulty and staff worked together this holiday season to sign over 250 holi-day cards that were delivered to Vet-erans and active duty personnel. This “Operation Appreciation and Holiday Cheer” project was organized by SSC History Professor Marta Osby in order to thank those who serve our country and to bring them holiday cheer.

seminole chamber honors ssc employees at december forum 2016.pdflance & cindy ruffel mark & rita...

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