Tag: Awards


ECC Recognizes Employees for Years of Service


October 27, 2023 | Campus News ECC Rolla

Each year, East Central College recognizes the commitment and hard work of its employees for their dedication to students’ needs and educational goals, and to the community ECC serves.

The Annual Service Awards Recognition banquet is an opportunity to honor those who have been with ECC for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. There were 28 employees recognized during the banquet held in October.

“These achievements symbolize a collective commitment of 335 years to both our college and the students,” said Dr. Jon Bauer, the president of East Central College. “The Board of Trustees and I extend our heartfelt gratitude to the devoted faculty and staff of this institution.”

Service Award Winners:

25 Years  — Lisa Epple, Bonnie Gardner and John Hardecke

20 Years — Sean Barton and Dr. Robyn Walter

15 Years — Aaron Bounds, Anne Estes, Leigh Kolb, Tracy Mowery and Brad Wallach

Pictured, seated from left, are Lisa Epple, Bonnie Gardner and John Hardecke, each recognized for 25 years of service. Back row, from left, are ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer, Anne Estes, 15 years; Dr. Robyn Walter, 20 years; and Tracy Mowery and Leigh Kolb, recognized for 15 years of service.

10 Years — Julie Beck, Coreen Derifield, Tim Derifield, Michelle Deuser, Shanee Haynes, Doug Houston, Dr. Richard Hudanick, Michael Palazzola, Dana Riegel, Max Schaefer and Terri Warmack

Pictured are ECC employees recently recognized for 10 years of service. Front row, from left, are Coreen Derifield, Julie Beck, Terri Warmack, Chef Mike Palazzola and Michelle Deuser. Back row, from left, are Timothy Derifield, Doug Houston, Shanee Haynes and Dr. Robert Hudanick.

5 Years — Lauren Bauer, Julie Chirban, Duane Clonts, Adam Fitts, John Luechtefeld, Dr. Michelle Smith and Adisa Velic

Pictured, from left, are ECC employees who were recognized for 5 years of service at the College, Lauren Bauer, Julie Chirban, Adam Fitts, Dr. Michelle Smith and John Luechtefeld.

ECC Employees Recognized With NISOD Excellence Awards


October 29, 2021 | Campus News

Three East Central College employees recently were recognized with 2021 NISOD (National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development) Excellence Awards.

The ECC award recipients are Amy DeMiere, program assistant, arts and sciences; Shanee Haynes, assistant professor of communications; and Stephanie Hebert, business analyst, Enrollment Services

Colleges that are members of NISOD can recognize employees through the Excellence Awards. The awards are presented to faculty and staff who are doing extraordinary work on their campuses.

Excellence Award recipients receive a unique silver medallion engraved with The University of Texas and NISOD insignias and are adorned with a burnt orange ribbon. NISOD is based out of the University of Texas in Austin.

Amy DeMiere

DeMiere is truly committed to ECC and the community it serves. As a former student, she knows the difference we can make in someone’s life and she models that every day.Amy DeMiere

“Amy is the most selfless and supportive person I know — her willingness to not only help when needed but to anticipate problems before they come up and deal with them without seeking credit or wanting anything except to make the educational experience at ECC better is astounding,” said an ECC faculty coordinator.

“Amy is always kind to everyone she comes in contact with,” echoed a second college faculty coordinator. “Her professionalism is second to none. Her dedication to make the college better inspires all of us.”

DeMiere is described as intelligent, honest, ambitious, and possessing a strong work ethic. She is always happy, encouraging, and available to help the faculty, staff and students at ECC.

Shanee Haynes

Haynes is a devoted instructor in the classroom, and that devotion is supported through comments from students.

“Amazing instructor,” said one student. A second student stated, “I really enjoy that this instructor applies her coursework to real-life situations and makes sure that the students understand the information.”

Additional student comments about Haynes are:

“I loved her enthusiasm. She seemed to genuinely love teaching.”Shanee Haynes

“Mrs. Haynes is a great teacher. She is very understanding and helpful. She always answers in a timely manner, and never makes me feel stupid for asking a question”.

In addition to supporting her students in the classroom, Haynes is committed to civic engagement through her leadership in the month of service activities.

She also serves as an inspiration in serving online students and their unique learning needs.

Stephanie Hebert

Hebert is a dedicated colleague who works extremely hard behind the scenes on projects, reports and a multitude of other tasks.

Stephanie Hebert“Stephanie is committed to the college and cares about her coworkers,” said one ECC employee. “She is a thoughtful, tenacious and intelligent problem solver.

The college added that Hebert is always available to lend a hand when staff experiences an influx of enrollment-related needs.

“She is an excellent project manager, as demonstrated by her work to bring Aviso online and now with our move toward a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for the college.


ECC Receives Three Medallions for Communications and Marketing


October 28, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College received one Gold Medallion and two Silver Medallions in the 2021 National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) Medallion Awards.

The ECC communication and marketing team won the Gold Medallion for the social media or online marketing campaign category, the two Silver Medallions were awarded for the website and social media categories. The award ceremony was held on Oct. 10.

The NCMPR annually recognizes outstanding achievement in design and communication in each of its seven districts. The Medallion Awards are exclusive to marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.

ECC is in NCMPR District 5, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, the Canadian province of Manitoba, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

“We had to make adjustments in how we reached students and the community due to the challenges and unknowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gregg Jones, director of communications and marketing.

“Connecting with students virtually became increasingly important, and it is great to see our efforts recognized by our peers.”

The Gold Medallion was awarded for the “Featured Falcon” weekly Facebook and Instagram graphic. The Featured Falcon is published weekly to draw attention to ECC students and employees.

The Silver Medallion in the website category was awarded for www.eastcentral.edu.

“There has been a lot of work done to update the website and increase the speed to make it more user-friendly,” Jones said. “It has made a huge impact in our website analytics.”

Finally, the college received a Silver Medallion for its Facebook page in the overall Social Media category.

ECC’s communication and marketing team is comprised of Vice President of External Relations Joel Doepker, External Relations Executive Administrative Assistant Hannah Masek, Coordinator of Web Services Andy Kolb, Multimedia Specialist Amanda Studdard, and Jones.

Former ECC staff member Sara Padgett also contributed greatly to team projects over the past year.

The NCMPR is the leading professional development association exclusively serving those working in communication at two-year community and technical colleges.

NCMPR provides professional development opportunities, advocates on behalf of the profession and the institutions it serves and recognizes professional excellence. NCMPR has more than 1,700 members from nearly 650 colleges across the United States and Canada.


Union PTK Chapter Earns Multiple Awards


June 24, 2021 | Campus News

The Chi Delta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at East Central College in Union recently was recognized for individual accomplishments and the work of the chapter.

Each year the honor society chapter participates in regional and international programs related to research and service projects and then report on their work to the statewide organization, according to Kevin Dixon, PTK advisor of the Chi Delta Chapter.

Once the reports are submitted each year, they are judged by the PTK headquarters staff.

On June 14, PTK Missouri Regional Coordinators Jo and Steve Fritts presented the 2021 Missouri Regional Awards hardware to the award recipients in the Chi Delta Chapter.

Typically, an in-person awards ceremony is held in March to recognize the recipients.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was not an in-person ceremony this year, said Dr. Wendy Pecka, contact advisor for the Chi Delta Chapter.

“We are very proud of the hard work you put into these submissions,” she told the PTK members. “I only wish you all could have participated in the convention in person to understand how exciting it is for your work to be honored with these awards. Not every chapter gets to experience this.”

Chi Delta Awards

Listed below are awards the Chi Delta Chapter received:

  • Distinguished Chapter Award — one of six awards for Missouri.
  • Honors in Action Award — one of six awards for Missouri.
  • Honors in Action Distinguished Theme Award (theme of Perceptions of Progress) — one of three awards for Missouri.
  • College Project Award —one of six awards for Missouri.

Following are individual awards that members of the Chi Delta Chapter received:

  • Distinguished Chapter Officer – Lucille Vanek, chapter president — one of six awards for Missouri.
  • Distinguished Chapter Member – Sarah Murphy — one of two awards for Missouri.
  • Continued Excellence in Advising Award – Wendy Pecka —one of three given for Missouri.

Dixon explained that the Honors in Action projects involve scholarly research that lead to a service project for the community.

The Union chapter’s 2020 project was “Slicing the Stigma on Community College,” and the students prepared a PowerPoint that was sent to local high schools on the benefits of starting at a community college.

The College Project is focused on providing a service to the campus or college, and last year’s program began a project of revamping the look of trash receptacles on campus to make them more “visible” in hopes campus littering will decrease. That project will be continued into this fall, Dixon added.

PTK membership is by invitation only. Students must have a 3.4 GPA as a full-time student for a semester to join PTK. Once they are inducted into the honor society, students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.2.

Membership is open to all majors throughout the college, including anyone working toward a degree or certificate.


Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society logo

Rolla PTK Chapter Project, Advisor Recognized


June 24, 2021 | Campus News ECC Rolla

The Rolla Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter, Beta Omicron Phi, recently was recognized by the state organization with awards presented annually to the honor societies.

The Rolla chapter received an Honors in Action Distinguished Theme Award, one of three awarded in the state. Honors in Action projects involve scholarly research that leads to a service project for the community.

PTK chapters take part in projects to benefit their community or campus, and then file a report with their state or regional PTL organization. The projects are then judged by the PTK headquarters staff.

On June 14, PTK Missouri Regional Coordinators Jo and Steve Fritts presented the 2021 Missouri Regional Awards hardware to the award recipients in the Beta Omicron Phi Chapter.

In addition to the Distinguished Theme Award, Beta Omicron Phi Chapter Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Winters-Rozema was the recipient of the Distinguished Advisor Award.

Advisors with four or more years of service are eligible for this award, which they can only receive one time.

Distinguished Theme Award

The Rolla chapter submitted under the theme Perceptions of Progress. The chapter’s project was titled “Pandemic’s Impact on Rural Area.”

The PTK members compiled national research on the impact of this virus on people experiencing homelessness.

According to the project summary, the chapter determined that disadvantaged people in the Rolla community are significantly impacted by COVID-19.

The project earned the chapter a PTK Honors in Action grant to directly help people experiencing homelessness and inspire future generations to serve the community.

PTK membership is by invitation only. Students must have a 3.4 GPA as a full-time student for a semester to join PTK. Once they are inducted into the honor society, students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.2.

Membership is open to all majors throughout the college, including anyone working toward a degree or certificate.


ECC Nursing Grads Presented With Clinical Excellence Awards


May 28, 2021 | Campus News

Four East Central College Nursing Program graduates were honored May 15 with Spirit of Clinical Excellence awards from the college’s community health care partners.

Each year, Mercy Hospital Washington, Phelps Health in Rolla and Missouri Baptist Hospital Sullivan present nursing graduates with Spirit of Clinical Excellence Awards during the pinning ceremony marking the completion of the program.

The award recipients are Lilli-Anne Mantle, Mercy Spirit of Clinical Excellence in Nursing Award recipient; Karlie Peth and Jennifer Eaton, Missouri Baptist Sullivan Spirit of Clinical Excellence in Nursing award recipients; and Brittany Smith, Phelps Health Spirit of Clinical Excellence in Nursing Award recipient.

The awards were presented to the graduates by ECC Nursing faculty from Union and Rolla.

To be consider for the Spirit of Clinical Excellence Awards, the graduate nurse must:

  • Demonstrate characteristics of caring and compassion.
  • Demonstrate the spirit of inquiry.
  • Demonstrate exceptional critical thinking and decision making.
  • Demonstrate superior organizational skills and the ability to effectively prioritize.

To learn more about the ECC Nursing and Allied Health program, visit https://www.eastcentral.edu/nursing/, or contact Nancy Mitchell at Nancy.Mitchell@eastcentral.edu.

Mercy Clinical Excellence Award

The Mercy Spirit of Clinical Excellence in Nursing Award was presented to ECC Union nursing graduate Lilli-Anne Mantle. From left, are, ECC Union nursing faculty members Jessica Van Leer and Dr. Connie Wissbaum; Mantle; and Union nursing faculty members Judy Bieker and Brittany Yoakum.

Missouri Baptist Clinical Excellence Award

A Missouri Baptist Sullivan Spirit of Clinical Excellence Award was given to Karlie Peth. From left are ECC Union nursing faculty members Jessica Van Leer and Dr. Connie Wissbaum; Peth; and Union nursing faculty members Judy Bieker and Brittany Yoakum.

 

A Missouri Baptist Sullivan Spirit of Clinical Excellence in Nursing was presented to ECC Rolla nursing graduate Jennifer Eaton. From left are ECC Rolla nursing faculty member Joannie Blakely, Eaton; and Rolla nursing faculty members Courtney Brandt and Julie Chirban.

Phelps Health Spirit of Clinical Excellence

Brittany Smith was presented the Phelps Health Spirit of Clinical Excellence in Nursing. From left are ECC Rolla nursing faculty member Joannie Blakely; Smith; and Rolla nursing faculty members Courtney Brandt and Julie Chirban.


Student Achievements Recognized by Faculty, Staff


May 20, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College faculty and staff members have recognized students who have shown excellence, leadership, perseverance and success over the 2020-21 academic year.

ECC typically holds a Student Achievement Night to present awards in-person to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of students.

There was not a ceremony held this year, but ECC employees still recognized the hard work, leadership and determination of students over the school year. The students who earned the awards were given certificates of achievement and ECC tote bags.

Listed below are students who have be recognized for either academic excellence, leadership skills, perseverance or student success.

Andrea “Abby” Hribar

Alexis Kinnison

Amanda Constable

Amber Dietrich

Andrew Klemme

Andrew Shelton

Annie Page

Audrey Bandowski

Ben Harrison

Ben Schwanitz

Christopher Cureton

Christopher Saladin

Chris West

Claire Smith

Collin Immekus

Dora Bell

Emily Knoppe

Gabby Girardier

Gabrielle Campbell

Grace Affolter

Grace McKinnis

Guy Baskerville

Heather Brinker

Holden Snyder

Isaac Martin

Jennah Olimat

Jenna Meintz

Jennifer Shaw

John Buhr

Jordan Owens

Joseph McCary

Julio Gonzalez

Justin Cantu

Justin Lohmeyer

Kaitlyn Dodson

Kasey Kroeck

Kate Shelton

Kayla Kleekamp

Keegan Sewell

Kendall Tanner

Keri Bonner

Kylee Vawter

Kylie Killbreath

Lexi Harrison

Lilli-Anne Mantle

Lisa Heimos

Logan Metzen

Logan Tiefenbrunn

Lydia Remsh

Madison Barbarick

Madison Jolly

Malaina Mastin

Manny McQueen

Mario Wentz

Mason Blum

Michaela Plumb

Miguel Gonzalez

Nathan Searcy

Pierocarlo Previte

Riley Jackson

Rylee Box

Samuel Pecka

Sara Carter

Sarah Harris

Sarah Murphy

Sebastian Montowine

Shanadoah Keckler

Shania Wilson

Summer Thorp-Lancaster

Theodore Coburn

Zoe Strassner.


ECC Employees, Advocates and Partners Receive Awards


November 13, 2020 | Campus News

East Central College had a strong representation in the awards portion of the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) annual convention.

This year’s convention was held virtually Nov. 11-13.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, ECC Board of Trustee’s President Ann Hartley was presented the Trustee Leadership Award; and Dot Schowe, former director of public relations, was presented the Outstanding Alumni Award.

In addition, Mercy Hospital Washington was recognized with the Distinguished Business/Industry Award. The hospital was nominated by ECC as an outstanding example of a corporation on a regional stage while providing outstanding local community leadership.

ECC employees Stacy Bellville, executive administrative assistant for the office of academic affairs; Joshua Stroup, English instructor; Jeff Parsons, adjunct history instructor; ECC Nursing faculty Nancy Mitchell, Laura McDonald and Judy Bieker; and Laura Deason, associate registrar, were all recognized the final day of the convention, Friday, Nov. 13.

State Sen. Dave Schatz, who represents the district where ECC is located, was also recognized by the MCCA as a Distinguished Legislator.

Trustee Award

Hartley has served on the ECC Board of Trustees since 2012. She is actively engaged with the work of the college and serves as board liaison on the Strategic Planning Committee and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Advisory Committee.

Hartley has worked with the college president to develop a formal orientation process for new board members, and she has developed an evaluation instrument and process that enables the board to collectively participate in the annual evaluation of the president.

“Ann embraces the community college mission, understands the important role of the board in the effective governance of the college, and works devotedly as an ambassador of East Central,” said Dr. Jon Bauer, ECC president.

Alumni Award

Schowe graduated from ECC in 1977 and transferred to Central Missouri State University where she received her bachelor’s degree in public relations in 1979.

She returned to ECC and worked in many areas of the college over the next 36 years. She retired in 2016 as the as the director of public relations.

Schowe is a quintessential college ambassador and a tireless advocate for East Central. She has spent a lifetime and career championing her alma mater, contributing to the community, and serving as the quintessential living example of the community college mission.

Distinguished Business

Mercy Hospital is committed to quality health care for its service area of more than 150,000 residents. More than 800 employees and 233 physicians serve the Washington hospital.

For over thirty years, Mercy Hospital Washington has supported health care programming at ECC, including sharing qualified staff to serve as adjunct faculty.

While President and CEO Eric Eoloff and his leadership team have led the hospital, ECC has expanded the scope of support and partnerships through the shared common vision of the college and hospital for healthcare in the community.

Classified Staff Award

Bellville has held the position of Classified Staff Association (CSA) President for the past eight years, and she has been an exceptional leader in that role.

She encourages CSA members to attend MCCA events and webinars. Bellville is an ECC Patrons of the Art member and actively contributes on college-wide committees, including the Higher Learning Commission Task Force.

Her dedication to the faculty, staff and students’ needs inspires others to commit to ECC’s mission of empowering students and enriching communities through education.

Excellence in Teaching

Stroup began his full-time teaching career at ECC in 2007.  Prior to that, he was an adjunct instructor for many years.

He has played major roles in the ECC International Festival and the college Humanities Festival. Stroup sponsors the ECC Lit Review Club and encourages hundreds of students to develop their creative abilities. He is larger than life in the classroom, pushing students to think deeply and creatively.

Stroup also built the technical writing program at ECC from scratch and ran the program for years.

Adjunct Award

Parsons has been an adjunct history instructor at ECC since 2007. He is excited about history and works diligently to instill that excitement in his students. His boisterous, enthusiastic voice can be heard halfway across campus as he teaches his classes.

Parsons’ lectures are packed with movie, music and video clips that give students every opportunity to make a connection to the material being taught. He provides vivid classroom discussions, and encourages and celebrates every individual student voice.

Mel Aytes Award

The ECC Nursing faculty received the Mel Aytes Faculty Innovation Award for encouraging educators to develop new and innovative ways to get more qualified nursing graduates into the workforce.

Director of Nursing Nancy Mitchell, and Nursing Program Coordinators Laura McDonald and Judy Bieker developed the “Earn While You Learn to be an RN” pilot program to facilitate learning for nursing students which acclimates them to the healthcare environment while earning a salary.

This pilot project was approved by the Missouri State Board of nursing and it has paved the way for replication at other community colleges.

Senior Service Award

ECC Associate Registrar Laura Deason started her employment ECC as a student worker in the library. She graduated from ECC in 1989.

She began her vocational career at East Central in 1994. Deason has been a GED instructor, a test proctor, a tutor, an adjunct developmental mathematics instructor and an academic advisor.

Throughout her career, she has selflessly worked to support others as they pursue their goals in higher education. She does not seek recognition for herself; she is always first to celebrate a student’s accomplishment.

Deason inspires excellence both in students and in everyone who works alongside her.


College Receives Three Silver Medals for Marketing and PR


November 11, 2020 | Campus News

East Central College received three silver medals in the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) Medallion Awards.

The ECC communication and marketing team nabbed the second-place trophies, virtually, in the social media, brochure and crises communication categories. The award ceremony was held remotely on Oct. 16.

The NCMPR annually recognizes outstanding achievement in design and communication in each of its seven districts. The Medallion Awards are exclusive to marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.

ECC is in NCMPR District 5, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, the Canadian province of Manitoba, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

“It was a strange year for many in higher education, and our team rose to the challenge to inform the community about East Central College and promote our programs and successes,” said Gregg Jones, director of communications and marketing.

ECC was presented the Medallion award in the print category for a brochure that explained the benefits, costs and advantages of the welding program.

The crisis communication Silver Cup was awarded to ECC for the college’s work in informing the public and media about the steps ECC was taking during the COVID-19 pandemic, including closures, requirements and its return to campus plan.

Finally, the college received a Silver Cup for its Facebook page in the overall Social Media category.

“It was great to see how well ECC’s Facebook page performed when compared to the many other two-year colleges in the region,” Jones said.

ECC’s communication and marketing team is comprised of Vice President of External Relations Joel Doepker, External Relations Executive Administrative Assistant Hannah Domino, Coordinator of Web Services Andy Kolb, Multimedia Specialists Sara Padgett and Amanda Studdard, and Jones.

The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations is the leading professional development association exclusively serving those working in communication at two-year community and technical colleges.

NCMPR provides professional development opportunities, advocates on behalf of the profession and the institutions it serves, and recognizes professional excellence. NCMPR has more than 1,700 members from nearly 650 colleges across the United States and Canada.


Employees Recognized for Years of Service


October 7, 2020 | Campus News

East Central College is recognizing the hard work and dedication of its employees.

This year, the employees who have been with ECC for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years were recognized individually for their commitment to students’ needs and helping them meet educational goals.

  • 25 Years – Dr. Jon Bauer and Judy Bieker;
  • 20 Years – Ann Boehmer, Lisa Farrell, Joan Glosemeyer, Lark Hoffman, Dr. Jay Mehrhoff, Dr. Matthew Monzyk and Amy Sisk;
  • 15 Years – Linda Arrington, Chad Baldwin, Jennifer Crosby, Dr. Parvadha Govindaswamy, Stephanie Hebert, Jennifer Kuchem, Nancy Mitchell, Keith Schatzler and Tracie Welsh;
  • 10 Years – Lorrie Baird, Jason Durbin, Paula Frank, Jennifer Higerd, Alison Tucker and Dr. Jerry Amoloza;
  • 5 Years – Mary Eagan, Dr. Elizabeth Flotte, Rachel Howard, Rachael Karr, Steffani McCrary, Laura McDonald, Lesley Peters, Keith Pulles, Jessica Robart, Anna Schwein, Windy Souders, Brad Taber and Jessica Van Leer.

Together, these employees make up 445 years of experience at ECC.