Archive for category: Announcements

Big Stone Gap, VA — Mountain Empire Community College is pleased to announce that Instructor Rosa-lee Cooke has been appointed to Governor Terry McAuliffe’s administration for Water & Wastewater Treatment.

Cooke has been named to the Virginia Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals. She is the only board appointee from Southwest Virginia and will serve 4 years.

Cooke has served as a Technology Specialist and Adjunct Instructor at Mountain Empire Community College since 2007. She holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from Oregon State University.

MECC offers an Associate of Applied Science in Water/Wastewater Specialization and Career Study Certificates in Water Plant Operation and Waste Water Plant Operation. The program holds the distinction of being one of the first ever college programs in the state offered as a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) and is free and accessible to anyone with access to the web. The program has been completed online by both students nationwide and abroad.

For more information on MECC’s Water/Wastewater programs, visit www.mecc.edu/programs.

BIG STONE GAP, VA – Mountain Empire Community College is pleased to announce that the Military Times has named MECC one of the top 20 colleges nationwide in the Best for Vets: Career & Technical Colleges 2016 rankings.

The organization made up of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times focused on culture and curriculum that caters to military veterans when conducting and scoring the annual survey of schools that self-identify as career and technical colleges.

Mountain Empire Community College offers a military tuition exception (in-state tuition) through the Virginia Community College System. In addition, the college employs a dedicated Veteran’s Officer that provides advising and counseling services for military personnel. MECC also offers veterans recognition events throughout the year and at graduation.

“Mountain Empire Community College is very proud to be recognized for the efforts we take to support our veterans,” said Dr. Scott Hamilton, MECC President. “Our veterans have served their country well and MECC is committed to assisting them as they transition to civilian life and employment.”

Best for Vets: Career & Technical Colleges is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that make an institution a good fit for military veterans.

The rankings are published in full in the issues of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times on newsstands the week of Oct. 12, as well as on ArmyTimes.com, NavyTimes.com, AirForceTimes.com, MarineCorpsTimes.com and MilitaryTimes.com.

Military Times’ Best for Vets survey-based rankings include Colleges, Career & Technical Colleges, Business Schools, Franchises, Employers and Law Enforcement.

For more information on MECC’s Veterans Services, contact Lena Grace at 276.523.2400 ext.217.

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Big Stone Gap, VA – Mountain Empire Community College is hosting the second annual MECC PROUD week, recognizing the college’s important contributions to higher education and regional economic development October 11-17.

 MECC alumni, local businesses, MECC staff members, MECC students and community members are encouraged to display “MECC PROUD” signs in their yard, window displays, and vehicles. “MECC PROUD” signage will be distributed to local businesses by several student clubs. Signs will be available to the public in the lobby of all MECC instructional buildings and at the MECC Alumni Booth during the Home Craft Days Festival, October 17 and 18. Businesses may also email a request for MECC PROUD signage to info@mecc.edu. Signs will be offered at no cost.

The goal of the “MECC Proud” campaign is to recognize the success and continued contributions of thousands of MECC graduates to our region and beyond, while also promoting the college’s role in providing educational opportunities and supporting economic development in Southwest Virginia since its founding in 1972.

MECC hosts an alumni recognition program with a goal to expand and update contact and career information of all graduates and former students. Alumni are encouraged to email their updated information to alumni@mecc.edu. 

The “MECC Proud” campaign will coincide with MECC’s Home Craft Days Festival, to be held Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18. The college will host thousands of local and out of town visitors to the campus during the festival events, creating a unique opportunity to showcase support for the college and the community. 

For more information on MECC Proud week, contact the MECC Office of Community Relations at 276.523.7480.

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Big Stone Gap – Mountain Empire Community College will offer a variety of late starting classes for students this fall. Late starting classes begin October 5 through October 22. Classes include topics in Math, Healthcare, Basic Pharmacy, History, Business Management, Office Administration, & Legal Assisting and more. To view the full list of October late start courses, visit www.mecc.edu/latestart. For more information, or to register, contact the MECC Office of Enrollment Services at 276.523.7474 or visit www.mecc.edu/apply.

BIG STONE GAP – Mountain Empire Community College is pleased to announce that Business Technology Instructors Elizabeth Snodgrass and Jane Jones have been awarded the Certified Online Instructor (COI) designation by the Learning Resources Network (LERN).

“We are pleased to recognize Elizabeth Snodgrass’ and Jane Jones’ expertise and experience in this
growing area of teaching,” noted William A. Draves, President of the LERN, the international education association awarding the COI designation. The COI designation was developed by a committee of outstanding online faculty from universities and colleges in four countries in response to the need for recognition of expertise in this important area of higher education instruction. Snodgrass serves as a professor in MECC’s paralegal program. Jones is an associate professor in MECC’s Administrative Support and Health Information Technology classes in the Business and Information Technology Division.

The faculty for the COI designation includes experts and authors in the field of online teaching. The committee is chaired by Dr. Mary Dereshiwsky, COI, of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.

“With millions of students now taking online courses, this course of study provides needed professional development for faculty in this emerging area of practice,” said Dr. Dereshiwsky. “In addition, it recognizes the work and expertise of professors successfully teaching online.”

To obtain the COI designation, Snodgrass and Jones completed a fairly rigorous process. Requirements included a critique of their online courses, a knowledge exam, evaluation by online students participating in courses that they instructed, and completion of three online courses for teaching online, designing online instruction, and building learning communities in cyberspace.

The certification is a voluntary program recognized by educators and the Learning Resources Network’s 5,000 members around the world.

The Learning Resources Network is the leading provider of online professional development for faculty in higher education. More than 5,000 professors from ten countries have participated in LERN’s programs.

For more information on the COI designation, please contact Jones or Snodgrass at 276.523.2400.

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MECC will offer a variety of music courses this fall designed for beginning to advanced musicians at the Big Stone Gap campus and at Gate City High School. Classes offered at MECC’s main campus in Big Stone Gap include: beginning percussion, guitar, blues guitar, fiddle, mandolin, keyboard, and clawhammer banjo; recording systems; introduction to lyric writing, music theory, 3-finger picking banjo, intermediate lead guitar, intermediate and advanced percussion ensemble. Courses offered in Gate City include evening offerings in Old Time String Band and beginning upright base. Online courses in music appreciation are also available. For more information on music course offerings, contact MECC’s Workforce Development Center at 276.523.7464.

Big Stone Gap – Mountain Empire Community College’s Slemp Gallery is pleased to host an exhibit in coordination with the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park titled “Sewing Stories.” Featuring the needlework of regional artists, “Sewing Stories” showcases new and historic quilts that express the crafter’s heritage and religious beliefs through patterns and symbols. Patterns such as block, star, cathedral, florals, and crazy quilts are included. The exhibit will run through September 7. MECC’s Slemp Gallery is located in the Wampler Library in Robb Hall. The library is open is Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 276-523-2400 ext. 468.

It has been brought to our attention that some students have received phone calls informing them they owe tuition and will be dropped from classes on Friday. The number these calls are originating from is 877-343-9460. These calls are not originating from or associated with Mountain Empire Community College. If you receive a call such as this, do not give the caller any information and disconnect the call. If you owe tuition, you will be notified via email from an mecc.edu email address. No one from MECC should call you and ask you for personal information unless they are responding to an inquiry you initiated.

If you have questions, please contact Enrollment Services at 523-2400 ext 474.

Big Stone Gap – Mountain Empire Community College will host an information session for the Health Information Management degree program on Tuesday, August 18 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Phillips-Taylor Hall, Room 130.  The Health Information Management program is a 24-month degree designed for persons who seek employment in the health information management field. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a 21 percent growth in the number of health information management workers between 2010 and 2020, making it one of the nation’s fastest-growing health occupations. Health Information Management graduates are able to work at acute care hospitals, clinics, behavioral healthcare facilities, hospice, home care, health care government agencies, EHR vendors, insurance companies, and managed care organizations. Tuition assistance may be available for qualified individuals interested in enrolling this fall at MECC. For more information on this degree program, visit www.mecc.edu/him or call 276.523.2400 ext. 462.

American History and military enthusiasts are encouraged to enroll this fall in Mountain Empire Community College’s History 266– Military History of the Civil War, to be offered Tuesday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Students will be introduced not only to the military aspects of the war between the states, but also to how other factors, such as violence on the home front or the attitudes of civilians, affected the outcome. Topics include the causes of the secession of the Southern states and the first shots of the war; Union and Confederate beliefs and attitudes; decisive battles of the war; what brought the war to an end, and what the nation looked like in its aftermath. For more information, or to register, contact the MECC Office of Enrollment Services at 276.523.7474.

Big Stone Gap — Mountain Empire Community College is pleased to announce that Paralegal Studies student Titus Houston placed eighth in the nation at the 2015 Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) competition.

More than 1,600 of America’s best and brightest college students traveled to Chicago June 24-27 to showcase their talents as future business leaders and vie for the opportunity to win more than $81,000 in cash awards in 55 business and business-related competitive events.

Houston, who participated in the Phi Beta Lambda’s Business Law competition, endured a grueling 60-minute onsite objective test and a role play where participants were given a real-world interactive case scenario that dealt with topics such as torts, contracts, ethics, etc. “The activities were rigorous, but fun,” said Houston. “The 60 minute online test was challenging and the real world scenarios are always interesting due to the random prompt as well as the intensity of competition.”

Houston said the coursework and instruction at MECC definitely prepared him for a national-level competition. He credits his instructors, Beth Snodgrass and Jane Jones, for helping him reach his potential. His friends, family, and MECC Counselor Beth Boggs were also great sources of support during the competition.

“While 8th place may not seem like a big deal, to know only seven other people scored higher than you truly is an adrenaline rush while on stage,” Houston said.

“I could not be prouder of Titus! His hard work and diligence really paid off!” added Beth Snodgrass, Professor of Paralegal Studies and one of MECC’s PBL faculty sponsors.

Houston plans on going into the army as a paralegal specialist after obtaining his Associate degree in Business Administration from MECC. He says he is also considering working in the paralegal field in Virginia and a goal to earn his Bachelor’s degree in pre-law.

The Phi Beta Lamda award was part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to the competitions, students immersed themselves in educational workshops, visited an information-packed exhibit hall, and attended motivational keynotes on a broad range of business topics.

The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc., the largest and oldest student business organization, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association with a quarter million members and advisers in over 6,500 active middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. The association is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. 

For more information on MECC’s Business Programs, visit the college’s website at www.mecc.edu or contact the Business & Information Technology division at 276.523.2400 ext. 462.

Big Stone Gap —  A 30-hour OSHA course at Mountain Empire Community College, originally scheduled to begin in February, has been rescheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 10. The course is designed to train workers and employers on the prevention of safety and health hazards in the workplace, as well as workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities. Participants will earn their OSHA 30-Hour Certification Card upon their successful completion. The course is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11, with two future dates to be determined in coordination with students’ schedules.  Participants must attend all four class sessions to receive the certification. The cost is $200. Lunch will be provided. South-West Insurance Agency is a co-sponsor of the event. For more information or to register, contact the MECC Center for Workforce Development at 276.523.7489.