During the Missouri Community College Association annual convention, held November 6-8 in Kansas City, two ECC faculty members were recognized for their dedication and longevity to East Central College.

Judy Bieker, Interim Nursing Program Coordinator, Union/Associate Professor of Nursing, received the Governor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. The award is presented to an outstanding faculty member from each participating higher education institution in Missouri. Winners are chosen based on effective teaching, effective advising, service to the college community, commitment to high standards of excellence and success in nurturing student achievement.

Dr. William Cunningham, associate professor of sociology, received MCCA’s Senior Service award. Dr. Cunningham has been a fixture at the College since 1993 and was awarded the Governor’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2015.

Members of the East Central College Band, J.T. Bott of Sullivan, left, and Colton Bunkley of Washington were selected to perform with the 2020 MMEA (Missouri Music Educators Association) All-Collegiate Honor Band.  The All-Collegiate Honor Band will perform at the 2020 MMEA In-Service Workshop/Conference to be held January 24 at Tan-Tar-A Resort at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. This year’s clinician is Dr. Allan McMurray, Distinguished Professor and Professor Emeritus of Conducting at the University of Colorado – Boulder.

Nearly $9,000 in Foundation Scholarships Available for Spring Semester

During a time when the costs of higher education make it difficult for some students to attend college, thousands of scholarship dollars are still available at East Central College.

“We still have several scholarships from generous donors that can still be awarded for this coming spring semester”, says Bridgette Kelch, Executive Director of the ECC Foundation. “The scholarships provide money for a student to help them pay for tuition, fees, and books.”

Currently, 17 foundation scholarships totaling $9,000 are available for a variety of majors, including trade and industrial programs, Accounting, Biotechnology, Business, Culinary Arts, Engineering, English, Fire Science, Music, Paramedic Technology, Science, or a student looking to complete a transfer degree.

Class registration for the spring semester started November 4 and the scholarships would be eligible for the upcoming semester.

“The requirements for many of the scholarships are easy to meet. For example, a female graduate from Washington High School who holds a 3.0 GPA, to a recent graduate or adult learner, to a St. Clair High School student with a major in Engineering,” says Bridgette Kelch.

The Tier 1 in-district tuition and fees for one semester at ECC for 15 credit hours (5 classes) totals $1,935 while the ECC Foundation scholarship awards range from $300 to $2,800.

A complete list of ECC Foundation scholarships is available at www.eastcentral.edu/foundation.

For more information about the ECC Foundation scholarships, contact Bridgette Kelch at bridgette.kelch@eastcentral.edu or 636-584-6505.

ECC’s Fast Track Welding Program Helps Students Quickly Start Career

The Fast Track Welding program at East Central College is purposely designed to teach welding skills effectively and efficiently in a short amount of time.

For 25-year-old Rebekah Savage of Pacific, the program is exactly what she needs. “As a mother of a two and a seven-year-old, four evening classes is the perfect fit. I can quickly learn the skills I need in just 16 weeks and then start my career as a welder. I was pleasantly surprised to find a welding program so close to my home that fit my needs.“

Rebekah and the other students in the program will complete 21 college credit hours and receive a Certificate of Achievement.

27-year-old Joshua Coppedge of Sullivan is excited to start a career in a high-demand field. For the past two and half years, he totaled 300,000 miles on the road as a truck driver and is looking for a career that keeps him off the road.  “I’m learning different types of welding skills, from MIG, TIG, Stick, and flux-core. By this December I’ll be done and have a job already lined up.”

Students in the ECC Fast Track Welding program are eligible for federal financial aid. The program is taught in the welding lab of the ECC Business and Industry Center.

ECC’s Welding Coordinator, Bobby Bland, says he already has career opportunities lined up for his students because there is a large demand for qualified welders in the area and across the state. The 25-year welding veteran expects to expand the program.

“We’re already looking to add a morning program,” says Bland. “We are providing more opportunities for current workers to enhance their welding skills in addition to those who are starting their welding career.”

Registration is open for the Fast Track welding program starting in January 2020. Visit www.eastcentral.edu/welding or call 636.584.6588.

Photo: (L to R) Bobby Bland, ECC Welding Coordinator;Joshua Coppedge; Austin Monda;Rebekah Savage;William Shoemake

Inaugural Assessment Showcase a Success

The East Central College faculty and staff held an inaugural Assessment Showcase October 25 to educate students and employees about the strategic work the College is doing to collect, analyze and use data to make decisions to further improve the College.

“We were really pleased with the variety of presentations and the depth of conversations that took place throughout the Showcase,” explains Sue Henderson, Assistant Professor of English. “This was a unique opportunity to highlight good work in assessment and provided a place to share ideas. We’re looking forward to building for next year.”

Those interested in learning about various aspects of assessment could walk around poster displays, ask questions and debate issues at roundtable discussions, and listen to presentations about enrollment and systematic evaluation processes.

“We support learning in many different ways across campus,” says Michelle Smith, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness. “This event helped us learn more about each other’s work and will help us support one another.  We wanted to make it a fun and interesting event so we also held a chili cook-off where employees could compete against each other.”

To learn more about East Central College’s assessment practices, visit www.eastcentral.edu/assessment.

ECC to host Apprenticeship & Workforce Training Seminar

Area businesses needing training programs are invited to East Central College to discover what resources are available to them.

ECC’s Center for Workforce Development is hosting an apprenticeship and workforce training seminar on Monday, November 11 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the ECC Business and Industry Center, located at 42 Prairie Dell Plaza, Union, Mo.

Participants at the seminar will learn about new programs such as the Missouri Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship program (MoAMP) and other technical training programs available to local industries. A Manufacturing Technician program is planned to provide safety and quality training at no cost to the first 40 enrollees that is valued at $3,000 per participant.

Current clients of some of ECC’s training, Silgan Plastics, will discuss their success with maintenance apprenticeship programs, and LMI Aerospace will talk about their experience with supervisory leadership courses.

The November 11 seminar is offered at no cost to the community and refreshments and a light breakfast will be served. RSVP for the event by contacting Melissa Richards at 636.649.5800 or training@eastcentral.edu