Southwest Tennessee Community College Scoop Newsletter
In This Issue...
- Message from President
- Tennessee Reconnect gains momentum with information sessions
- Technologies sponors Engineering Week
- Phi Theta Kappa students earn top awards at state convention
- Tennessee Small Business Development Center celebrates banner year at SBDC Day
- RETIREMENT: Yolanda Smith, Payroll Director
- Welcome aboard, new team members
- Final curtain
- Nicholas Howze promoted to Financial Aid associate director
- STUDENT KUDOS: Joey Brock chosen to represent Phi Theta Kappa International
- Public Safety officers now CIT certified
- Child Care is affordable at Southwest
- FACULTY KUDOS: Dr. Steve Katz, recieves the Steinway Award
- SPECIAL TO SCOOP: My American Dream by Hammam Alomari
- 2018 Faculty and Staff Awards
- Southwest goes to the dogs with Stress Free Zone event
- Title VI training is due May 16
- Saluqi Success Pathway welcomes two new coaches
- Don’t miss Summer Institute 2018
- Dates to Remember
Message from President Tracy D. Hall
This is us
![Dr. Tracy D. Hall](../september/images/dr-hall.jpg)
One of my favorite television shows is the NBC hit drama “This is Us”. It chronicles two generations of the Pearson family across decades. Each show, with its engrossing characters and storylines, conveys a resonant theme: the power of even the smallest connection during a life journey.
At Southwest, we are privileged to be a pivotal connection in the life journey of our students. Each connection we make with students as faculty and staff truly matters.
So who are we? Ironically, as we celebrate April as Community College Awareness Month, our role has been questioned in the national media, prompting American Association of Community Colleges President and CEO Walter G. Bumphus, Ph.D. to respond. He said: “Traditional and cutting-edge, community colleges represent the best of American higher education. They are unapologetically accessible and provide a critical pathway for students to reach their educational goals.” He went on to say: “The first choice for many students, community colleges have been the start of amazing things for millions of Americans. So, is a community college a vocational school? Yes. And many other things.”
I could not agree more.
Community colleges are critical workforce incubators, developers and partners. Here at Southwest, we have equipped thousands of students with associate degrees or certifications that double their earning potential or even more. We also are an affordable pathway for students to earn transferable credit toward undergraduate and advanced degrees. And we are a great choice for that student who returns to school after several years to realize an academic dream long deferred by life’s usual detours and roadblocks.
Community colleges are where passion and ideas intersect. Where community needs and solutions align. Where dreams, goals and knowledge converge to create a new reality. When our students achieve their dreams, we fulfill our mission. Their success is our success. This is us.
With Saluqi pride,
![Tracy D. Hall Signature](../september/images/tracy-hall-Signature.jpg)
Dr. Tracy D. Hall