East Central College’s Sarah Haines, Career and Technical Education program assistant, is being recognized nationally for maintaining a high-quality “student-centered approach” in all of her endeavors.

Haines is a recipient of the 2020 NISOD (National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development) Excellence Award, which is presented to college employees who do extraordinary work on campus.

According to her nominator, Haines has been actively engaged with ECC’s budget committee, including a subcommittee appointment.

“She has strong relationship building skills which is often demonstrated in her working capacity with the (Career and Technical Education) division’s faculty,” her colleague noted.

“Her credibility with faculty is predicated on her deep understanding of course design that lends to effective instruction in classrooms and labs, while recognizing the diverse pools of learning styles and technical education.”

Haines’ colleague added that her critical thinking and problem solving skills are demonstrated through her responsibilities, including data collection related to program accreditation and Technical Skills Assessments (TSA).

Her colleague further added that Haines’ personal and career journey is reflective of her excellent work ethic. In 2008, Sarah, a single mother, was laid off from work and began her college journey.

“Sarah started her post-secondary education working to complete her Associate of Arts. She recently completed her Bachelor’s degree and submitted an application for a graduate degree.

“She is truly a center of excellence and an example of dedication.”

The NISOD Excellence Awards is an opportunity for member colleges to recognize individuals doing extraordinary work on their campuses.

Each Excellence Award recipient receives a unique silver medallion engraved with The University of Texas and NISOD insignias and adorned with a burnt orange ribbon.

The overarching statement expressed through the award is that teaching and leading on the front lines of the community college mission rest on the shoulders of these outstanding individuals.

Students in the East Central College Nursing and EMT/Paramedic programs will have access to state-of-the-art technology later this fall, thanks to a $180,704 grant award from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development grant program.

The grant dollars will cover the expenses to purchase new manikins, equipment, and software for the lab, which is utilized by Nursing and Emergency Medical Technician students to prepare them for the healthcare workforce.

“Technology is advancing quickly, and we want to be sure we have the most up-to-date simulation equipment in our labs to prepare our students in the patients care setting,” said Nancy Mitchell, Dean of Health Sciences. “The eight manikins simulate real-life responses to the student’s medical intervention by displaying symptoms and reactions to a health care students care.”

The USDA Rural Business Development Grant Program is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas.

“This grant better positions the college to expand our existing programs and create innovative solutions to address the regional skills gap,” said Joel Doepker, Vice President of External Relations, “We appreciate the USDA’s program that recognizes East Central College as a good investment.”

The College was awarded the grant based on evidence showing job creation at local businesses, economic need in the area to be served and consistency with local economic development priorities. During the grant application process, ECC received several letters of support for the project from local health care systems.

During a time when clinical space can be a challenge for Nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic, the simulation lab provides the ability to educate and train students.

“Our clinical partners at the health care systems in our region provide excellent learning experiences for our students. A high-fidelity simulation lab provides the students real-life scenarios in a safe place to hone their skills and potentially make mistakes without harm to an actual patient. Simulation proves to be an excellent learning strategy to help prepare our students to enter the workforce,” Mitchell said.

Purchase of the equipment is expected to take place in September with expectations of having it installed later in the 2020 fall semester.

East Central College English instructor Dr. Gregory Stratman has taught students “Tolstoy to Dr. Seuss” during his career.

Now, the longtime educator and ECC adjunct is shifting his focus from full-time instructor to putting pen to paper.

Stratman, of Rolla, recently submitted two poems that were published in the literary and visual arts magazine, Burgundy Balloon. The poems are titled “Maze” and “Out of Place.”

Stratman has been teaching English Composition I and II courses at the ECC Rolla Main site since January. He previously was an instructor at ECC from August 1991 to December 1993

“Basically I am a retired educator,” he said. “I am teaching for ECC because I still like to teach.”

Stratman’s poems were featured in the Burgundy Balloon’s first-ever edition, which was published in June.

And now that he has lessened his workload, he will continue to submit poems and creative nonfiction pieces to a variety of publications.

“Between raising a family and making money, I never had much time for writing,” he said. “That is something I can do now.”

Stratman said he writes on a diverse number of subjects.

“I think I have a wide perspective,” he said. “Not just on education but on life — I thought, I am just going to start writing it all down.”

As many writers know, being published can be “hit or miss,” Stratman noted. “I will just continue to put things out there.”

Stratman has been in the realm of education for about 40 years and he has taught a litany of courses to people of all ages.

“Not many people get to do that,” he said. “I have taught Tolstoy to Dr. Seuss. . . and I feel like I have worked with every demographic of students.”

His educational tenure also is leading Stratman toward developing a podcast called “Rethinking Education,” which will address, in part, online teaching, which he has done for 15 years. He plans on launching the podcast soon.

Career in Education

After his first stint at ECC, Stratman was an Academic Coordinator/Faculty at the University of Missouri-Rolla, now called Missouri University of Science & Technology, from 1993 to 2005.

He was hired to establish a new English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

“I am really proud to say that the core approach that I developed is still in use,” Stratman said.

In 2005, Stratman took over at Visitation School in Vienna, Mo., a Kindergarten through eighth-grade Catholic school.

When he went to work at Visitation School, it was in “dire straits” and enrollment was dropping, according to Stratman.

He was just there for two years, but during that time Stratman revamped the school’s curriculum and realigned the grade levels.

Next, Stratman was hired as campus director at Columbia College in Rolla from 2007 to 2014. He noted that was a prosperous time for the school because enrollment doubled during that time frame and revenue was up 70 percent.

Stratman was there while a new Columbia College facility was opened in Rolla and programs were added.

He then moved on to become the associate professor/director of faculty at the American Public University System, where he supervised more than 130 faculty members, overseeing teaching quality, policy adherence, and professional development.

Most recently, Stratman founded Achieve Excellence Institute, a consulting firm for schools, districts, administrators, and educators.

To take a look at Stratman’s work, click the image to visit the Burgundy Balloon website: