East Central College   

Month: March 2021

PTK Chapters Recognized for Membership Rates

March 9, 2021 | Campus News ECC Rolla

The Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) international honor society chapters at East Central College in Union and Rolla have been recognized for membership rates.

That’s according to Sarah Murphy, president of the PTK Chi Delta Chapter, Union, who said the chapters have been named to the REACH Rewards program for 2021.

“We have gotten a high percentage of member acceptance — even during a pandemic,” Murphy said.

REACH Rewards recognizes Phi Theta Kappa chapters that achieve or exceed a 15 percent membership acceptance rate. The Chi Delta Chapter has 20.8 percent acceptance rate.

The Beta Omicron Phi Chapter, located at ECC-Rolla, also has been named to the REACH Rewards program. Both chapters have been part of the program for multiple years.

“We have been a Reach chapter for every year the program has existed,” Murphy said, “and Beta Omicron Phi in Rolla has consistently been a REACH chapter.”

The Beta Omicron Phi Chapter has 24.7 percent acceptance rate.

“We had amazing participation from the moment we went virtual through the end of 2020.,” said Dr. Elizabeth Winters-Rozema, Beta Omicron Phi advisor. “We had more members join during the virtual portion of 2020 than we’d had for years.”

The 2021 REACH Chapters will be rewarded with free graduation stoles for their members.

PTK is the international honor society for two-year colleges. As a member of PTK, students will pursue the society’s hallmarks of Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Fellowship.

Students must have at least a 3.4 GPA and be a full-time student for one semester to be invited into PTK. After being inducted, students must maintain a 3.2 GPA.

Membership is open to students pursuing a degree or certificate, no matter the major.

NJCAA Warns of Fake Social Media Events to Scam Fans

March 5, 2021 | Campus News

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is warning member colleges across the country about fake or scam social media pages claiming affiliation with the athletic organization.

Many colleges across the country, including East Central College, have been “tagged” in fraudulent events to acquire credit card information from fans in exchange for access to NJCAA digital streams of athletic events.

That includes ECC volleyball and softball games. The college has been tagged in events and asked to co-sponsor the fake events. There has been an influx of fake events mentioning ECC games and matches for several weeks.

ECC encourages fans and spectators to not give out any credit card or financial information to these pages and to report and block the fake pages.

The scammers use NJCAA logos, or graphics that resemble the logo, to obtain credit card information.

In addition, many of the events that the college is tagged in are not actual games that involve ECC teams, but instead they are colleges with similar names.

Rolla Nursing Student Receives Scholarship

March 4, 2021 | Campus News ECC Rolla

East Central College-Rolla Nursing student, Summer Thorp-Lancaster is the recipient of a $1,000 Missouri League for Nursing (MLN) scholarship.

She will be recognized at the eighth annual MLN Student Nurse Virtual Convention in April.

Laura McDonald, ECC Rolla Nursing Program coordinator, said Thorp-Lancaster, who anticipates graduating in May, is an excellent student.

“She has life experiences that have guided her to where she is today, and she is thoroughly eager and excited to give back and work as a registered nurse,” McDonald said.

She added that Thorp-Lancaster is mature, very intelligent, dedicated to her success and she represents a “symbol of excellence as a student nurse.”

“Her outlook is always to do what is best for the patient with much thought and consideration during patient care,” McDonald commented.

“She will be an awesome patient advocate and I am so excited to see where her future takes her.”

According to McDonald, Thorp-Lancaster is very deserving of the MLN scholarship.

“She encompasses quality patient care, being a valuable team player on the healthcare team, and making sound judgements,” she said. “She has juggled personal setbacks throughout nursing school while still meeting program expectations and doing well overall.

“The scholarship will definitely help offset some of her setbacks, while allowing her to continue to achieve her goal and reach the finish line of graduation in May.”

Registration for Summer Classes Under Way

March 1, 2021 | Campus News

March weather may not feel much like summer, but it is a good time to think about brighter days.

Registration is now open for summer classes at East Central College.  ECC has the courses students need to catch up or get ahead. The summer session begins June 1.

When students take 30 credit hours a year, including summer semester courses, they graduate or transfer sooner.

That saves students money and launches them to the next step in their lives sooner.

And enrolling in a summer semester course at ECC doesn’t have to hinder fun and relaxation. There is an increasing number of students who are taking courses online each year — they get the classes they want and they don’t have to leave the pool.

Students are encouraged to sign up soon for summer courses to ensure they get the classes they need, when they want them.

By signing up for a summer course now instead of waiting until May, students will have time to get their classes scheduled, purchase their books and still plan for vacation and other summer activities.

Summer classes at ECC also is a great time for students who are home for the summer from other colleges — referred to as “visiting students” — to pick up a couple of classes.

Visiting students should talk with the advisors at the institution they currently attend and then enroll at ECC for low-cost credits that they can transfer back.

View the course schedule in our Course Catalog. To schedule an appointment with an academic advisor at the Union campus call 636-584-6588. For summer classes in Rolla, call 573-466-4100. Students also can check to see if financial aid is available by emailing finaid@eastcentral.edu.

Current students can begin registering for the fall semester Monday, March 22. New students can begin registering for fall Monday, March 29.