Dylan Green has been selected as the November Student of the Month! Green is student ambassador, a member of Phi Theta Kappa and TRIO Student Support Services.

During his time at WKCTC, he has provided support to the college in positions as a student worker in the bookstore, human resource office, financial aid, advising, and the Wellness Center. Green's instructors praise his leadership in class discussions, enthusiasm, active participation, grades and outstanding attendance records said Dr. Belinda Dalton-Russell, vice president of student affairs. Congratulations Dylan!!

Bad weather season is here. Stay informed……opt-in to SNAP text message alerts.

SNAP is the college's safety notification alert process. You don't want to miss any emergency campus information and SNAP text messages are more quick and reliable than just SNAP e-mails alone! Sign up today.

West Kentucky Community & Technical College’s nursing department held two pinning ceremonies for May 2013 graduate candidates in the Clemens Fine Arts Center on Friday, December 7.

This was the first time the nursing department held two pinning ceremonies. “We are proud to have 396 nursing graduates over the past five years, and that number continues to grow as the healthcare industry continues to need qualified nurses,” said Shari Gholson, WKCTC dean of nursing. “So this year we needed to have two pinning ceremonies to better accommodate our students and their families in the Clemens Fine Arts Center.”

This year eighty-two nursing students crossed the stage to receive nursing pins in their respective programs. Thirty-three received pins representing the completion of the practical nursing program in the first ceremony. During the second ceremony, 49 students received pins representing the completion of the associate degree in nursing program.

For more information about the WKCTC nursing programs, visit WKCTC's nursing program page or contact Shari Gholson at (270) 534-3372.

The pinning ceremony is a symbolic welcoming of newly graduated nurses into the nursingprofession.
Those receiving pins for the associate degree in nursing:

Mayfield resident Jeremy Egner recently placed sixth overall in the Cisco Academy NetRiders North America challenge.

Egner, 32, an information technology student at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, was one of more than 900 competitors from the Unites States and Canada and 94 involved in the final of three elimination rounds of rigorous testing, representing the best of Kentucky in the competition, said John Vos, professor of information technology at WKCTC.

At least one WKCTC student has placed in the top ten of the competition during the last three years, Vos said. “Jeremy made a goal and commitment to doing his best by preparation and study throughout his advanced courses in network routing, switching and security. It takes lots of dedication and focus to prepare for this event and somehow he continues to excel while juggling school, a job, and a young family,” Vos said. “The IT program at WKCTC is proud of the success of all the local competing students representing some of the best in the country.”

The NetRiders competition allows students at the postsecondary level to showcase their IT and networking skills through a series of online exams and simulation activities. The competition is organized by Cisco as an opportunity for Networking Academy students to participate in a valuable learning experience by testing students' Networking/IT skills through a series of online exams and simulation activities using Cisco Packet Tracer that cover CCNA material.

Each year, over 10,000 Cisco Networking Academy students compete in the NetRiders rigorous exam process in over 80 countries across the globe. The top four highest –scoring individuals received the Study Trip Prize to California. Egner received a $300 gift card for his sixth place win.

A computer enthusiast growing up, Egner said his family, especially his grandmother and mother, encouraged his love of “dabbling in computers.” He went to college after high school, but later dropped out. The father of two daughters, Egner said he enrolled at WKCTC after being laid off a factory job. He credited his success to the support of his wife, Amber, and daughters, Calissa and Terri. He expects to graduate with an Associates in Applied Science degree in May.

“Winning sixth place in the prestigious NetRiders competition was quite a surprise and honor,” Egner said. “I feel like WKCTC has prepared me for a career in IT (Information Technology) and I’m very happy that I decided to finish my education after all these years.”

It's not too late to register for online learning classes.  View online learning classes.

The 2013 College Goal Sunday will be held in Crounse Hall on Sunday, January 13. The program begins promptly at 2:00 p.m. and will end at approximately 4:00 p.m.

College Goal Sunday, sponsored by the Kentucky Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, provides free help to families applying for college financial aid. Financial aid professionals from Kentucky will help students and families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is the form students must submit to receive federal and state student aid.

Students who file the FAFSA before early February have the best chance of receiving these funds.
Students are encouraged to attend College Goal Sunday with a parent or guardian. They should bring their and their parent’s completed 2012 IRS 1040 tax return and any other 2011 income and benefits information. If families have not completed their taxes, they are should bring their 2011 IRS 1040 tax forms and last paycheck stubs from 2012. This information will allow financial aid professionals to show families how to use estimated information to submit the FAFSA and how to go back and update their information once taxes are completed.

Attendees can enter a drawing for a scholarship during College Goal Sunday. The scholarship can be used at any Kentucky institution.

For more information about College Goal Sunday, call toll-free, 1-888-4-KASFAA (1-888-452-7322).

Donuts and juice will be served January 14 - 16 to welcome back students for Spring 2013 classes.  See you there

Schedule of Events

• Monday, January 14, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. -- Anderson Technical Building
• Tuesday, January 15, 7:30 -9:30 -- Allied Health Building
• Wednesday, January 16, 9:0 .m. - 10:00 a.m. -- Student Center

A record number of regional high schools competed in the 2013 President’s Cup Academic Bowl held at West Kentucky Community and Technical College on Thursday, January 10.

Calloway County took home the top prize with Paducah Tilghman, Graves County and Marshall County winning second-fourth place trophies, respectively.

Other participating schools were Ballard Memorial, Caldwell County, Fulton County, Heath, Lone Oak, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Murray, and St. Mary.

““These teams represent some of the best and brightest students in our region, and it is a wonderful opportunity to showcase their knowledge in academic bowl,” said Gary Goodaker, WKCTC professor of mathematics and vice president of the West Kentucky Academic Association. “We at WKCTC are proud to bring attention to their hard work and dedication to academic competition.”

WKCTC President Dr. Barbara Veazey said the college is proud to host the President’s Cup again this year. “It’s a great opportunity for high school students from around the region to be on our campus and interact with our faculty and staff.”

WKCTC faculty and staff moderated the competition, which consisted of individual written assessments in mathematics, science, social studies, language arts and arts/humanities and three-team quick recall matches.

The top five written assessment winners were chosen from each category. First place winners were:

• Arts/Humanities – Cody Bergman, Calloway County
• Language Arts – Marissa Davis, Paducah Tilghman
• Mathematics – Nate Clause, Calloway County
• Science – Landon Fike, Calloway County
• Social Studies – Will Hancock, Paducah Tilghman and Daniel Sandefur, Madisonville-North Hopkins

WKCTC continues to celebrate Black History Month with the Harlem Gospel Choir, Spoken Word: Urban Style Poetry, and more!  View flyer.

• Harlem Gospel Choir– February 9, 7:30 p.m. in the Clemens Fine Arts Center
  From the heart of Harlem in New York City, the Harlem Gospel Choir, travels the world as the ambassadors for the African American culture. The choir has performed for Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II, shared the stage with legendary artists such as Diana Ross, Bono, Lyle Lovett, and performed for Pope Benedict XVI and 60,000 people in Yankee Stadium! This is a musical experience not to be missed!
• Murr Vegas All Stars Unplugged– February 23, 7:30 p.m. in the Clemens Fine Arts Center
  The Murr Vegas All Stars Unplugged will perform a Backstage Pass in Clemens Fine Arts Center in an intimate coffee house setting will feature Stephen Keene with vocals, Drew Collins on guitar and Billy Cramer on bass for a night of blues, motown and classic rock. Tickets are $6 at the door.
• Super Sunday, February 24
  9:30 a.m. at Harrison Street Baptist Church, church services to follow
  1:00 p.m. at 9th Street Church of Christ, following church services
  Super Sunday is an annual event that partners with African American churches across the state to promote the importance of getting a college education. WKCTC representatives will be available to talk with potential students and their families about the admissions process, how to apply for financial aid and the various college programs and services, and more!
  We will have light refreshments and door prizes at both churches. Everyone is invited to attend Super Sunday! Help spread the word!!
• Spoken Word: Urban Style Poetry - February 27, 11:00 a.m. in the Student Center
  Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy a special presentation on urban style poetry. Spoken Word begins at 11:00 a.m. in the Student Center on February 27.

CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) television programs such as CSI New York, CSI Miami and NCIS depend on laboratory tests to solve crimes each week. The CSI specialists who help bust the bad guys are trained clinical laboratory/medical laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory scientists. But CSI work is just one of the many career opportunities for a clinical laboratory technician (CLT).

West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Clinical Laboratory Technician Program trains students to provide service and research in clinical laboratory science and related areas in rapidly changing and dynamic healthcare delivery systems.

With laboratory results currently contributing 70-80% of the diagnostic information used by healthcare providers for diagnosis, treatment and quality patient outcomes, clinical laboratory technicians can work in a variety of settings including: hospitals, physician’s offices, clinical laboratories, industry, research, public health laboratories, and forensic or pharmaceutical labs.

" As the nation faces a large increase in amount of elder care, it is projected that it’s even more important that healthcare focuses on prevention and treatment; rural areas are experiencing the greatest impact of the shortage.” said Nancy Stedelin-Todd, WKCTCCLT program coordinator. “Currently there is a 21% vacancy rate of lab professionals and the Clinical Laboratory Technician Program at WKCTC greatly increases the availability of highly educated and dedicated professionals to the region.”

With large number of baby-boomers that will soon retire to our region, we will see lots of openings for CLT jobs in the next few years said Debbie Taffer, laboratory director at Western Baptist Hospital. “We need this program at the WKCTC to fill those positions and to provide lab services for our patients and healthcare providers,” Taffer said.

Western Baptist Hospital is one of the many area hospitals that have consistently supported the CLT program at WKCTC since it began in January 2010. The hospitals have provided over $165,000 in donations of specialized equipment and supplemental funding for part-time faculty to teach students in the clinical setting.

“We are proud that 100 percent of our clinical lab techs have gotten jobs even before graduation,” said Todd. “And all of them have chosen to stay in the region and are currently serving our community and region to provide diagnostic testing and results for the appropriate and quality care of the residents of western Kentucky.”

In 2010, the average salary for a CLT was $40,768 a year and the average salary for a CLT supervisor was $49,338, and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting that employment of clinical laboratory technicians will increase by 14-20 percent through the year 2016, the need for qualified CLTs will continue to grow, said Todd.
The CLT program at WKCTC can be completed in two years from admission to the program and the successful student will then receive an Associate in Applied Science degree.
The new class of CLT students will begin next fall; the deadline for applications is May 15, 2013. The program has selective admission and anyone interested must attend a one of the pre-admission conferences in 2013. The conference dates are:
Wednesday, January 23
Monday, February 11

All pre-admission conferences will be held in the Allied Health Building, Room E208 (CLT Lab) at 4:00 p.m.
For more information about the CLT program at WKCTC, contact Clinical Coordinator Jonathan Johnson at jonathan.johnson@kctcs.edu or (270) 534-3502.

Don’t Forget! You will need to fill out an official application in order to be considered to receive any Certificate, Diploma, or Degree. If you have any questions, please contact your advisor.

Note: An advisor signature is required for all certificates, diplomas, and degrees (unless applying for an Associate in Science or an Associate in Arts) and you will need to make an appointment and meet with your advisor prior to turning in the application. Deadline to apply for a Spring credential (or Spring Graduation) is February 1, 2013.

To fill out a graduation application, please come to the Admissions Office or go to: http://westkentucky.kctcs.edu/Admissions/~/media/WestKentucky/Admissions/GraduationApplication.ashx 

We continue to have issues with accessibility to Blackboard's website. Blackboard technicians are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for the continuing issues and hope to have everything resolved as soon as we can.

Once Blackboard is fully operational again, your instructor(s) will address how your specific course(s) will be affected or adjusted to accommodate for the lost time. You will not be penalized for any time lost during the Blackboard issues of the last three days.

Exploring the science of severe weather and light, experiencing real space artifacts and creating fantastic Lego contraptions are just a few ways local youth can learn the basics of science at West Kentucky Community and Technical College beginning Friday, February 15.

Children ages six to twelve can learn fun and exciting science concepts by attending Friday Night Science taught by Hooked on Science’s Jason Lindsey. This event will be held during February and March.

The class schedule is as follows:

• February 15 – Lego Science
  Spend the evening playing with more than 6,000 Legos. Kids will practice their speed building by creating their best Lego contraptions and more. Each student will receive a FREE mini Lego.
• February 22 – Ice Cold Science
  From making ice cream to creating snow, kids will learn all about the science behind ice that is 109.3 degrees below zero.
• March 1 – Grossology
  Ewwww! That’s is so gross! From eating bugs to dissecting owl vomit, kids will explore some of the most disgusting topics in science.
• March 7 – Storm Chaser 101: Junior Storm Academy
  How do tornadoes form? How hot is lightening? From creating your own tornado to making a cloud, kids will explore the science of severe weather.
• March 22 – Space Adventure
  Kids will experience a part of American history. From original insulator pieces flown in space on the 20th flight of space shuttle Atlantis to a piece of space tile insulation, kids will touch space shuttle artifacts. Plus, kids will build rockets and plant space-exposed seeds.
• March 29 – Laser Pegs
  Using Laser Pegs 3D Light Board, kids design structures and discover the science behind light.

Friday Night Science will be held at WKCTC’s Emerging Technology Center from 5:00-7:00 p.m. each night. The cost is $20 for each class. Participants who sign up for all six sessions will receive a ten percent discount.

To register, call 270-534-3335 or register online.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College provides students with various outlets to be actively involved in learning new languages and exploring multiculturalism every semester.

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has designated February as Discover Languages® Month, and has developed a national campaign to raise awareness about the cognitive, academic, social, cultural and economic benefits that language learning provides our nation's students.

Carolyn Perry, WKCTC associate professor of Spanish said, “The college provides a variety of opportunities to educate our students and the community about multiculturalism. Learning a language is just one part of the equation.”

WKCTC offers multiple sections of Spanish on campus for Elementary Spanish; Elementary French and Chinese are offered online. Classes are interactive and give students an opportunity to speak the language, while learning the basic structures. Last month students of the Spanish 102 classes practiced “real life” shopping dialogs by creating markets in the classroom.

“Cultural events are always a part of the learning the language,” said Perry. For the last six years WKCTC has celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with presentations from guest speakers and artists. To heighten students’ interest in this year’s WKCTC sponsored study abroad trip to Spain, Perry invited Louisville’s Flamenco Academy of Arts to perform on campus. Two dancers and a Spanish guitarist demonstrated the energizing and soulful art of flamenco dancing for more than 500 WKCTC students, faculty, staff and community members. In addition, the audience sampled Spanish tapas, prepared by the WKCTC culinary arts department.

WKCTC’s Study Abroad program is another educational offering for students to learn about other cultures on a more personal level. While only a handful of students can make the financial commitment, “those that have gone always come back saying the experience has changed them for a life-time,” said Pat Blaine, WKCTC Education professor and tour director. “The students clearly observe the cultural differences, but they also experience the human connection and come to a greater understanding of themselves and the world,” said Blaine. The Study Abroad program this year will take students on a ten-day tour to Spain: Land of Many Cultures, stopping in Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Córdoba, Granada and Barcelona on May 15-25.

WKCTC students, faculty and staff can contact Pat Blaine for more details about the study abroad trip to Spain at (270) 534-3207 or pat.blaine@kctcs.edu.

Perry adds, “The most gratifying part of teaching a language is that students will return to tell me ‘I got my dream job because I knew Spanish.’ It’s definitely part of today’s reality: we live in a multicultural society that demands that we not only appreciate the differences but actively learn and engage in many cultures. We’re proud that WKCTC continues to meet that demand.”

Madrid, Barcelona, Seville are just a few of the cities you can visit as part of the WKCTC Study Abroad Program. Students, faculty and staff can join the trip set for May 15-25. Trip includes round trip airfare, land transpiration, hotel accommodations, breakfast daily, four dinners, and a full-time bilingual guide. 

• View flyer for details.  
• See Campus Spotlight video. 
• Contact Pat Blaine with questions at pat.blaine@kctcs.edu or call 534-3207.

Are you pursuing an AA or AS degree and plan to transfer to a 4-year university? Trio Student Support Services provides transfer services to make this process much easier...as well as tutoring, advising, mentoring, and other services to help you be a successful student. We are currently looking for new Trio members. For more info and to submit an application: go to Anderson Technical Building Room 126; call 270-534-3180, or visit Trio on WKCTC's Web site.

View flyer.