Stories

This spring, the Million Women Mentors SC group held its second annual statewide MWM-SC STEM Symposium at IT-ology in Columbia. MWM-SC has pledged 5,000 mentoring relationship commitments to support moving girls or young women toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers. Piedmont Technical College associate vice president for assessment and compliance Dr. Donna Foster serves on the 12-member MWM-SC steering committee.

As Father’s Day approaches, we are reminded of the powerful impact strong male role models can have. For millions of children in the United States who don’t regularly see their fathers, a positive male role model can significantly enrich their lives and improve their prospects for success. It is in this spirit that Piedmont Technical College (PTC) sponsors the MODELS Academy, a holistic mentoring and personal development program specifically designed for African-American boys from sixth grade through high school graduation.

Lucy Wetzel Charping was only about 60 miles from Clemson University but wasn’t sure exactly how to get there. Financially or academically. “I wanted to go into agriculture education at Clemson, but I knew I couldn’t afford to go to Clemson for four years,” Charping says.

When employers come to Piedmont Tech with their workforce wish lists, increasingly they are seeking candidates with very specific skills that can be learned relatively quickly and built upon over time. PTC, in turn, customizes its academic offerings to align with industry needs. Critical to this task is the college’s Quickskills certification options, which teach very specific skill sets in as little as one semester. Graduates of these programs are ready to work in entry-level positions with room for advancement.

Piedmont Technical College Humanities Department Head Jennifer Lopes gave a presentation at the South Carolina State University Division of Academic Affairs Leadership Institute in Savannah, Georgia, on May 23. Her topic, titled “The 21st Century Student and the New Paradigm for Higher Education,” emphasized the importance of “soft skills” such as work ethic and professionalism, listening, promptness, attitude and dependability in the marketability and employability of young people.

Summer is celebrated for many things, among them the amazingly plump and colorful fruits and vegetables that grace our tables this time of year. Not everyone is aware of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes before that fresh abundance is delivered to grocery stores and farmers markets. In celebration of June as National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, Piedmont Technical College (PTC) gives a nod to those who devote their life’s work to agriculture. For those who aspire to work in agriculture or horticulture, the PTC School of Agriculture has programs to support that goal.

Some 65 individuals, all with compelling stories to tell, graduated last week as members of the Greenwood County Adult Education Class of 2018. Eleven of the graduates sported the symbolic yellow stole indicating they were PTC Adult Achievers.

Tina Magnussen, who graduated this spring from Piedmont Technical College (PTC) with an associate degree in nursing, has been named an inaugural 2018 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship. This new scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate degree-granting institutions who plan to enter the workforce upon the completion of a degree or certificate on a national scale. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation and the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

Prospective students can go from zero to enrolled in a snap during Piedmont Technical College’s “Instant Admission Days.” At these events, counselors are on hand to help students get accepted on the spot and quickly complete the enrollment process for the Fall 2018 semester.