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Board of Trustees Approve Faculty Promotions

April 8, 2021 | Campus News

Five East Central College faculty members recently were promoted in rank.

The ECC Board of Trustees approved recommendations by the college’s rank and promotion committee. The new rank goes into effect in the Fall 2021 semester.

Listed below are the faculty members approved for promotion, their current rank and the rank when the promotion goes into effect:

  • Dr. Reginald Brigham — instructor, assistant professor

  • Dr. Elizabeth Cantrell Flotte — instructor, assistant professor

  • Dr. Russ Henderson — associate professor, professor

  • Dr. Wendy Pecka — assistant professor, associate professor

  • Dr. Elizabeth Winters-Rozema — instructor, assistant professor

Faculty members must follow a process to be promoted in rank, including the submission of an application to seek promotion. The application is then reviewed by the ECC Rank and Promotion Committee.

The committee reviews all submitted portfolios and makes a recommendation to the college vice president of academic affairs and the college president for a final decision. The process is rigorous, and promotion is not automatic.

College, Pharmacy to Hold Second Vaccination Event

April 7, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College will again partner with Sinks Pharmacy for a community COVID-19 vaccination clinic.

The clinic will be Monday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Donald Shook Student Center (DSSC) Gym at ECC.

This clinic is open to the public, adults 18 years old and up, and those who attend can choose between manufacturers Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. Appointments are required.

The clinic offers a first-round inoculation using the Moderna vaccine. It is not the second round for the clinic held on March 30.

The second dose for the Sinks’ April 19 clinic will be administered May 17, also in the ECC gym. There is no second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination.

According to Dr. Michelle Smith, executive director of institutional effectiveness at ECC, this is the second vaccination clinic that ECC is holding in conjunction with Sinks Pharmacy.

“We encourage you to consider the personal benefits of vaccination, as well as the benefits for all of us in battling this pandemic,” she said.

Dr. Smith, who is a COVID-19 contact at the college, noted that the first vaccination event was run smoothly, and 1,380 people were vaccinated.

 

ECC Nursing Alum Earns Jeff City ‘Best Nurse’ Award

April 6, 2021 | Alumni Spotlight Campus News

East Central College Alumna Erica Scott has been working as a nurse with veterans for nearly six years.

This year, her hard work and dedication was recognized by the Jefferson City community.

In March, Scott was named the “Best Nurse” in the Jefferson City Magazine “City’s Best Directory 2021.”

“I was shocked, surprised and completely humbled,” she said.

Scott is a care coordinator with a primary care physician in a Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital Community-based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). A CBOC is a clinic in rural areas where veterans do not have to drive hours to see a primary care physician.

She added that the City’s Best Directory 2021 award is nomination based, but she was not told who nominated her.

“I presume it was one of the veteran patients, but nobody will tell me,” Scott said.

According to Scott, she works with about 1,000 patients.

“I don’t know that I deserve this,” she said. “There are so many nurses helping COVID patients all year — they really deserve it.”

Scott noted that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, her work with patients looks different. Over the past year, instead of seeing her patients in person, she primarily talks with them over the phone, gathering information and forwarding it to a physician.

“Since COVID, everything switched in the blink of an eye,” she said. “It is a huge honor that I made that much of a difference to someone and they thought of me for the award.

ECC Graduate

Scott, who is married with two children, is originally from the Hermann area and she graduated from Crosspoint Christian School in Villa Ridge in 2002.

She began prerequisites at ECC in 2002 and graduated with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing in 2005.

“I always knew that I wanted to go into the health care field,” she said. “But I was never sure exactly what I wanted to do.”

Scott noted that she took the prerequisites for a health care degree and eventually landed on nursing.

“The nursing program at ECC is phenomenal,” she said. “The teachers made sure that we were exposed to and had experience in everything — we were sent to a diverse selection of locations. That was very important.”

“The instructors wanted us to succeed and be safe as nurses,” she added.

Scott took a job with Boone Hospital in Columbia one month after she graduated from ECC. She left to work for the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital after a few years at Boone Hospital.

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

During the Pandemic

Scott explained she has watched the health care field change dramatically over the past year.

“We have had to completely redo how we view and respond in health care to keep everyone safe,” she said.

Scott noted that in the height of the COVID pandemic, it was spreading to the older populations at a high rate.

“That required a lot more triaging over the phone, but we still gave a high level of care,” she said. “We were constantly updated on CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines and talking with patients to keep them educated about COVID, and how to keep safe.”

For the older veterans she worked with, Scott said, there was a constant fear of getting COVID.

“Once they are diagnosed, it could go downhill very quickly,” she said. “Even if there was a slight decline, many patients were taken to the emergency room.”

According to Scott, oftentimes veteran patients were scared about how they would continue to get care during the pandemic.

“We let them know that we were still there for them, but that we had to do things differently,” she said. “Even though everything changed very quickly, we would take care of them, it was just in a different manner than before.”

Scott added that Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital staff have always done everything they can for their patients.

“In a pandemic or not, we are always doing the best we can for our patients,” Scott said. “It has been a really hard year and to get this kind of recognition makes me realize our patients recognize that.”

Vaccinations Given to 1,390 ECC Employees, Residents

March 31, 2021 | Campus News

There were 1,390 COVID-19 vaccinations administered March 30 in a joint operation between Sinks Pharmacy and East Central College.

The vaccination clinic was spearheaded by Dr. Michelle Smith, executive director of institutional effectiveness at ECC, who worked closely with Sinks Pharmacy representatives to organize the event in less than a week.

“Yesterday was a ’shot in the arm’ in so many ways,” Smith said. “There were 1,390 people vaccinated, and so many people were appreciative — we served our community well.”

Sinks employees, as well as ECC Allied Health division employees, delivered the Moderna vaccinations over a six-hour period in the Donald Shook Student Center gymnasium. The second round of vaccinations are slated for April 27.

ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer said the vaccination fits into the college’s mission of serving the community. ECC Nursing

“I could not be more proud to be associated with East Central College,” Dr. Bauer said. “There are now 1,400 colleagues, students, friends, family and neighbors who have been vaccinated.”

In addition, he praised the work of Dr. Smith, ECC employees who volunteered, Sinks Pharmacy and others who made the event a success.

“Thanks to our facilities staff for getting the gym ready, to employees who have volunteered to ensure it goes smoothly, to those in our allied health programs for assisting in the clinic, and all others who have helped ensure its success,” Dr. Bauer said.

Planning for the clinic begin about one week before the event took place, according to Dr. Smith. During the time of initial planning and execution, the scope of the clinic grew.

At first, there were just a few hundred vaccinations available to ECC employees. As Sinks Pharmacy secured additional vaccinations, there was 1,000 vaccinations, and finally 1,400 vaccinations, available, allowing for community members to also be vaccinated.

Celebrating International Women in Science Day

February 11, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College is celebrating Feb. 11 as International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and recognizing faculty members, students, and graduates in science-related fields.

ECC has many instructors who are helping students carve their way into a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields.

During this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, ECC is recognizing one alumna who is working toward a degree in a STEM-related field, and two alumnae who recently began promising careers in STEM fields.

Vega Hurtado

Catalina Vega Hurtado graduated from ECC in 2018 with an associate of arts degree.

Today, she is a senior research associate in the Joint Genome Institute of the Lawrence National Berkeley Laboratory in Alameda County, Calif.

“In this position, I am involved in genomic technologies creating genomic libraries,” Vega Hurtado said. “I have a career position and a bright future in front of me.”

Vega Hurtado came to the United States from her home country of Colombia for an internship at the University of California, Berkeley, in the plant and microbial biology department.

She had plans to become a microbiologist.

Vega Hurtado later moved to the area and began studying at ECC.

“Although (associate of arts) was a tough path, today I know that I was in the perfect place at the perfect time because I needed to meet Dr. (Parvi) Govindaswany to be where I am today,” she said.

“Dr. Parvi saw my passion for the STEM, for the science, and for the research, and encouraged it.”

Vega Hurtado said Dr. Govindaswany connected her with Dr. Westenberg at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.

“Dr. Parvi gave me a huge opportunity and she pointed me in the correct direction — she always encouraged me to keep it up, not to give up, to follow my dreams, and to dream high.” Vega Hurtado said.

“She taught me that if I wanted something, I was going to be able to get it, no matter how hard or how long it might take. She showed me that being a successful professor is not just being wise, but also caring about the students, and wanting the best for them.”

Vega Hurtado earned her master’s degree in environmental biology in 2020 from Missouri S&T.

“If there is someone to recognize during International Day of Women and Girls in Science, it is Dr. Parvadha Govindaswamy,” she said. She is strong, kind, an amazing professional, and a great human being, all at the same time.”

Joyce

Moriah Joyce began her college career at ECC to study music. However, she shifted focus toward engineering, and today she is a project scheduler and cost controller with Ameren Missouri.

Joyce also attended Missouri S&T where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Management in 2019.

According to Joyce, she had many Influential instructors and advisors while at ECC who helped guide her to where she is today. Those include Linda Arrington, Sean Roberson, Dr. Matthew Monzyk, and Anne Estes.

“Each of these professors was influential in helping me succeed in my courses, as well as persevere through college,” she said.

“Linda (Arrington) convinced me that I could succeed in engineering, even though it was a struggle switching from the music side to train my brain to a different way of processing information,” Joyce added.” She was a tutor for all my math courses at ECC and made herself available at all times to help —I couldn’t have done it without her.”

She said Dr. Monzyk taught her that “excellence can be achieved and should be striven for every day.”

“I still recall his standard farewell after a long tutoring session on a Friday afternoon, after everyone else had deserted the campus,” Joyce said.

“ ‘Have a productive weekend!’ he’d say. I still strive to have that kind of dedication.”

She added that professor Roberson’s witty sense of humor, and willingness to walk her through mathematical proofs and processes after class, helped to not only survive Calculus courses, but truly learn and do well.

“Professor Estes was methodical in her teaching style and provided me a firm foundation with my Algebra classes that held me in good stead all the way through Differential Equations,” Joyce stated.

She noted that her many professors at ECC worked in the industry in which they taught, or had completed their teaching degrees, which was one of the things she loved about the College.

“The class sizes were small enough that each student had time for one-on-one interaction with their teacher when struggling with a difficult concept,” Joyce said. “I was completely prepared for the workload and level of course difficulty when I arrived at S&T. If anything, my grades improved at S&T after having been through the rigorous training I received in my courses at ECC. “

Harrell

Jennifer Harrell is a 2020 graduate of ECC, as well as last year’s Outstanding Student award recipient. She said she always has had an affinity for science. She is now majoring in biological sciences with minors in chemistry, biomedical engineering and cognitive neuroscience at Missouri S&T.

“Since I was a little girl, I wanted to pursue a STEM-related subject,” Harrell said. “Specifically, I wanted to work with brains.  The brain has always fascinated me.”

As she grew older, she explained, that dream grew a little more complex and she wanted to fix brains as a Neurosurgeon. 

“Then I learned about mental health disorders, the stigmas associated with them, and how hard it is for people to get the right treatment for themselves,” Harrell said. “Then my dream became more focused – neuroscience, psychotropic medications, and working hard to bring awareness and remove stigmas associated with mental health disorders.

“I can happily say that I am pursuing that dream now and ECC was the catalyst that gave me the confidence to do it.”

According to Harrell, while at ECC Dr. Monzyk was instrumental in her success.

“Without his steadfast determination to help his chemistry students, I would probably have given up a long time ago,” she said.

“STEM is hard for everyone, and it takes a lot of work,” Harrell added, “Sometimes it seems impossible, but it isn’t, especially if you have a good support system.

Harrell added that Arrington was part of that support system.

“She pushed me and tutored me through my math classes, she was always a positive voice reminding me I could and would be successful,” she said.

Harrell noted that Phi Theta Kappa advisors, Dr. Wendy Pecka, Kevin Dixon, and Melanie Dixon, also were incredibly helpful.

“They all encouraged me and helped me through the disbelief in myself, the tears of calculus, and the struggles of pursuing an education while also being a mother,” she said. “There are so many more that have left an impact on me — I could go on forever.”

Now Harrell is pursuing her dream to become a research scientist focused on developing better psychotropic medications. She is working in a research lab at S&T on two separate projects and she will be presenting her project at the Missouri Academy of Science in April at Columbia College.

ECC Theatre to Present Filmed Play, “The Yellow Boat”

February 5, 2021 | Campus News Performing Arts Theatre

The East Central College Theatre Department will virtually present “The Yellow Boat” by David Saar.

The touching tale is about a young man and his family who are dealing with a life-changing illness. It is directed by ECC Theatre alum Jacob Schmidt, and stars Tara Steffens, CJ Satterfield, Donovan Counts, Jasmine Derhammer, Harley Vulcolo, Stephanie Landing, Logan Head and Andrew Carter.

The show is filmed and will be available to view Feb. 18, 19 and 20. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at ecctheatre.com.

The show runs about 90 minutes. It can be viewed any time within the February 18-20 time frame once tickets are purchased.

The Stage Management team includes Shania Wilson, Dora Bell, Sam Doepker and Sebastian Montowine. Custom mask design by Eileen Engel with lighting and set design by Bess Moynihan.

According to Grace Austin, theatre director, the filmed performance is much different than past productions at ECC.

“The ECC Theater Department has faced a lot of challenges this year and we are so grateful for the support of the community and the administration,” she said.

“Producing ‘The Yellow Boat’ has given students and alumni the opportunity to safely come together and continue our tradition of theatrical work.”

She added that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the theatre department to become creative with how it presents its art, much like the fall outdoor productions in the Theatre in the Glen.

“This is a unique opportunity that we might not have had otherwise, and we’re so excited to see how the community responds,” Austin said.

 

ECC Trustees Approve Tuition Bump

February 3, 2021 | Campus News

The East Central College Board of Trustees on Feb. 1 approved a bump in tuition costs beginning in the fall 2021 semester.

There will be a $5 credit hour tuition increase across the board for students who live within the district, outside the district and for international students. The amount paid in student fees will not change, but the fee schedule was reorganized to increase the amount earmarked for support services and technology.

ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer said the increase was determined by a subcommittee on tuition, which presented its findings to administration.

He added that the tuition increase places ECC in the “middle of the pack” among other community colleges in Missouri, but those schools may not have made a decision yet on 2021 tuition.

“We are early in this process,” Dr. Bauer said. “I think it better for our students to do this before they begin registering for classes.”

Registration for fall 2021 classes begins March 22 for current students and March 29 for new students.

The subcommittee on tuition has recommended smaller, incremental tuition increases in lieu of larger, sporadic increases.

Tuition Tiers

There are two tiers of tuition at ECC. Tier 1 includes most programs, as well as general education classes. Tier 2 consists of classes in culinary arts, industrial maintenance technology, nursing and precision machining programs.

The new in-district tuition rates will be $110 per credit hour for Tier 1 classes. In-district rates for Tier 2 classes will be $134 per credit hour.

The cost for dual credit in the 2020-21 academic year will be $55 per credit hour, also an increase of $2 per hour.

Out-of-district rates will be $156 and $190 per credit hour for Tier 1 and Tier 2, respectively.

The rates per credit hour for out-of-state students will be $230 for Tier 1 and $281 for Tier 2. Tuition for international students will be $236 per credit hour for Tier 1, and $301 per credit hour for Tier 2.

Student Fees

The student fees will remain $27 per credit hour; however, there are slight changes in the areas where the fees will be spent. Listed below is the fee breakdown and how it was changed:

• Student Activities $8.50 per credit hour (previously $6.50).
• Support Services $1.00 per credit hour (previously $3.50).
• Technology $3.00 per credit hour (previously $5.00).
• Facilities $7.00 per credit hour (unchanged).
• Security $7.50 per credit hour (previously $5.00).

College to Receive $3.4 Million Through Stimulus Package

January 25, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College will be allocated more than $3.4 million through a federal relief package approved by congress.

ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer said official word was given Jan. 15 that $3,471,107 will be provided to ECC through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act.

He noted that a minimum of $825,661 must be utilized for student aid, and up to $2,646,448 can be allocated institution wide.

“The allocation is a significant amount of revenue for ECC,” Dr. Bauer said. “Moreover, there are reports of the next stimulus that also includes funding for higher education.”

Dr. Bauer added that the CRRSA Act funds will be less restrictive than the CARES Act funds, and funds from the second stimulus package will be available until Sept. 30, 2022.

“Our general understanding is that the use of funds will be similar, but not quite as restrictive as CARES.”

“We have begun discussions about the best use of these funds as we move forward,” Dr. Bauer said. “We will continue to assess how we can improve our delivery of instruction and support services to students. As guidelines become available, this planning will be brought into sharper focus.”

The entire CRRSA package totaled $900 billion, with $81.8 billion allocated for education. Colleges and universities received $22.7 billion. That compares to $12.5 billion under CARES, and the legislation has a formula that is more beneficial to community colleges.

“I appreciate the work on both sides of the aisle to bring this package to fruition,” Dr. Bauer commented.

“I believe this is good public policy,” he said. “With input from those of us on the ground there was a collective decision on providing resources to serve people in an extraordinary time.

“We will use these resources—all of these resources—to benefit our students and stakeholders now and in the future.”

ECC staff member at computer

ECC Staff Conducts Wellness Checks on Students

January 13, 2021 | Campus News

Winter break typically is a time when college is not on the top of students’ minds.

But over the break, East Central College students were given a quick reminder of the college via wellbeing check phone calls from student services staff.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Robyn Walter said ECC staff reached out to current students to check in, adding that the calls were multi purposed with the goal of getting assistance to students in need.

Walter explained that the ECC employees contacted students to ask about their overall wellness, if they needed financial assistance or if they had health concerns.

“The focus is to connect with our students and help identify potential health, wellbeing, financial, or other personal or school related concerns so that we can link them now to campus or community resources before classes begin,” she said.

The spring semester is slated to begin Tuesday, Jan. 19.

During the conversation with students, they were informed of the ECC Food Bank form, ECC counseling services, bookstore information and financial assistance contact information.

According to Dr. Parvi Govindaswamy, the plan to contact students over break began during a discussion among members of the Civic and Community Engagement Coalition.

“One of our goals at ECC is to make sure we understand the issues students in our community may face,” said Dr. Govindaswamy.

Resources

Listed below are resources for ECC students:

  • An ECC Food Bank request form can be found at www.eastcentral.edu/current/. Click the “Food Pantry” tab under Support Services.
  • For ECC Counseling visit www.eastcentral.edu/counseling/.
  • To contact the bookstore, call 636-584-6737.
  •  For information on financial aid email finaid@eastcentral.edu.

Adult Education Instructor Encourages Students to Persevere

January 12, 2021 | Campus News

In order to improve over time, we all share the need to move forward even when it’s difficult.

That’s according to Kathy Amsinger, an adult education instructor, who teaches her students to persevere and persist in order to reach their goals.

Amsinger teaches with the Adult Education & Literacy (AEL) program, offered through East Central College, at the Rolla and St. James class locations.  She has been the instructor at these sites for over six years, and prior to that taught at Linn and Cuba.

Each student who attends AEL classes receives an individualized lesson plan.

Amsinger added that 90-95 percent of the students need help with math. She helps them “fill in the holes” of what they’ve missed.

Amsinger said she loves watching the transition that takes place in her student’s attitudes and beliefs.  The tools that she gives them to build skills in math carry over to the other subjects as well.

She stresses that critical thinking and seeking out detail are essential to success in all areas, and that due to modern day technology, we tend to scan for information more than look for details.

“The good news is, you can learn,” Amsinger said.

With her years of experience, her view is that it may be scary for some adult learners to begin this journey, wondering if they’ll succeed or if they’ll face disappointment.  Amsinger once had an instructor tell her, “it’s about 10 percent academics and 90 percent working on how they perceive themselves.”

Part of her mission is to encourage students to learn how to motivate themselves with positive self-talk.

She has been faced with helping students that were ready to take the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) and didn’t believe in themselves, as well as students who were not yet ready to test and thought they could pass.

To each group, she teaches the same concept.

“How we deal with ups and downs determines our success,” Amsinger said. “It takes hard work and sweat equity; pushing through days when you want to give up.”

While many students face obstacles, Amsinger lets her students know that an excuse can turn into a habit, and that she will help them develop effective routines.

“It’s exciting to help them in this journey,” she added. “It’s all about their success —That’s why I keep doing it.”

She has witnessed many changes in the program, including the objectives the students are supposed to meet, and explains that changes have been good for the most part.

Amsinger promotes ECC and its quest to award a Transition Scholarship for a free three credit hour course to graduates of the AEL program.

“They invest in our students. Yay, East Central!” Amsinger tells her students.

Her goal is to prepare each of her students to pass the HiSET and earn their High School Equivalency certificate, then see them move on to more achievements.  She inspires in her students a willingness to work hard, continue to grow and remain teachable.

“We are all the same.  We are all a work in progress.”