E
C
N
E
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DIFFE
the D E G R E E of
Fall 2015 Publication
Two start dates for Fall Semester, August 24 & October 19, 2015
THE BEST CHOICE
Want a better job?
Need a GED?
Like to brush up on your math or writing skills?
Nervous about college placement tests?
You’re busy! We get it.
You already have a job, kids, and a life.
Does the thought of fitting college
in seem unmanageable?
Start here for FREE!
Test prep classes
through ABLE!
Check out our online programs.
It’s the perfect option for busy lives!
Sign up here!
Call Lisa at
740.389.4636, Ext. 223
Email [email protected]
Visit www.mtc.edu/able
Learn more at
www.mtc.edu/online
Life mess up
your plans?
Tired of long hours
for low pay?
Does the idea of
college excite you,
but your time is limited?
GET ON
TRACK!
Ready for a career
instead of a job?
Check out our Adult Student
Accelerated Program (ASAP).
This program is the perfect mix
of on campus and online learning.
Yes, you can
afford college!
MTC offers grants,
scholarships, and financial aid
– so the price is right.
At $170 per credit hour, the cost of
MTC is a fraction of other colleges
and universities!
There you go! We have eliminated
all of the road blocks for you.
Flexible, cost effective college
option – close to home!
Meet on campus
one night a week!
Learn more at
www.mtc.edu/business/busmangtasap.html
It’s the BEST choice for your next move!
Call 740.389.4636 to schedule your
admission appointment TODAY!
www.mtc.edu
GOOD NEWS FOR MARION
MTC’s ABLE Program:
Helping A Local Woman
Chart a New Direction
Beth Mathias of Marion is no stranger to
hard work or hard times. Emancipated at
16, she dropped out of school to work two
jobs to support herself. By age 24, she was
tired of struggling at minimum wage jobs
to provide for her family, which had grown
to include a husband and young son.
Still, nothing prepared her for a police
raid on her house where her uncle was
arrested and ultimately sent to prison
for life.
“My 18-month-old son witnessed police
coming in the house with guns drawn
and dogs searching our house. I didn’t
want him to ever have to go through
that again,” Mathias said.
“I looked at my family and realized that
few of them had graduated high school
and many had ended up in poverty. Several turned to crime. After my uncle was
arrested, I decided I wanted something
better,” Mathias said.
She entered the free Marion ABLE (Adult
Basic & Literacy Education) program to
prepare for the GED tests.
“I had a lot of support from the instructors and other students in the class who
were trying so hard. They inspired me to
work harder,” Mathias recalled.
She finished the ABLE classes in a few
months, passed the GED tests in 2010,
and won a scholarship to Marion
Technical College.
“I scored in the top 1% in math, which
shocked me,” Mathias added.
programs, which include helping local
teens find jobs to learn critical work skills.
Following the example of an ABLE
instructor who received a GED and went
to MTC, Beth decided to go to college,
too. One in four general MTC students
has a GED. Many are the first members
of their families to go to college. With
a number of adult students, Mathias
found she fit right in at MTC.
Mathias graduated from MTC with her
associate in business management in
2014. She’s now working on a bachelor’s
degree in business at Mt. Vernon Nazarene
University.
“If you are thinking I woulda, coulda,
shoulda, now is a great time and MTC
is a great place to start,” said Tony Box,
MTC admissions counselor.
“In addition to friends and family, there
are ABLE instructors and free tutors. MTC
instructors are pretty accessible and easy
to meet with one-on-one to help you if
you are stuck. There are remedial courses
to brush up on things you are not sure
about,” Mathias explained. “It’s challenging, but in a good way. You are not alone.”
This determined mom double-majored
in business management and human and
social services. She interned at Goodwill,
and this internship turned into a job.
“Not only do I have a full-time job - but
it’s actually a career that I enjoy doing.
I love working here. We’re not struggling
like we used to. We’re no longer on
welfare benefits. I can pay my bills myself,”
Mathias said. “Just three years ago, I was
living with my mom. Now I have my own
house.”
After several promotions, Beth is now a
grant coordinator. The 30-year-old manages Goodwill’s grants for employment
Are you ready for a change?
Tired of minimum wage?
Want more for your family?
The ABLE program
at MTC CaN help!
2
Mathias tells others who are ready for
a change that they will find a strong
support system at ABLE and MTC.
Mathias is leading her family, which now
includes a young daughter, in a new
direction. Her seven-year-old son noticed.
“My son knows if I am on the computer,
I am doing school work. He tells me that
when he is big like me, he wants to go to
the same schools,” Mathias shared.
This MTC graduate is proud of what
she has accomplished and ready to see
where this new path will lead her family.
Need a GED?
Star t at www.MTC.edu/ABLE or call
740.389.4636, Ext. 223 and talk
with Lisa. ABLE classes are offered
at the Goodwill Training Center, MTC.
Ready to try an associate’s
degree or certificate?
Check out options online at
www.mtc.edu or stop by the Marion
Campus at 1467 Mt. Vernon Ave. or
call 740.389.4636.
Two start dates for Fall Semester, August 24 & October 19, 2015
COLLEGE CREDIT PLUS PROGRAM
High School Students save
Thousands through College
Credit Plus Program –
You can, too!
Marisa Voisard
What can the
College Credit Plus
program save you?
For two local high
school students,
the answer is
$8,000 - $85,000!
Samantha Foster graduated with her
Associate of Arts degree from MTC this
May … before graduating from Pleasant
High School in June. She enrolled through
the Post-Secondary Enrollment Program
(PSEO), now the College Credit Plus Program.
said, referencing the TV show about the
FBI’s behavioral analysis unit.
Fellow Pleasant graduate Marisa Voisard
used the program to jump-start her nursing
degree. She earned 40 FREE credit hours
at MTC before she graduated from high
school and knocked some key nursing
classes out of the way. The nursing program
requires 65 credit hours to graduate, so
she is more than halfway there!
What did that save Voisard
and her family?
A whopping $8,000 in
college costs.
“My brother had done PSEO before me and
he encouraged me to take more credits,”
“My parents are super excited that I
Foster recalled. “My senior year, my
saved them so much money!” Marisa
academic advisor said I had enough
Voisard exclaimed.
credits to graduate from MTC!”
High school students in the program
save $170 a credit hour, plus the price of
books, supplies, and lab fees.
Foster is starting at Capital University
this fall as a junior. With a sticker price
of $42,500 a year for tuition, room, and
board, Foster saved her parents more
than $85,000.
Voisard is attending MTC full-time this
fall. After Marisa becomes a registered
nurse, she plans to pursue her bachelor’s
degree in nursing through the R.N. to
B.S.N. transfer program.
Want
free
college
credit?
Start
here
www.mtc.edu/collegecreditplus
or call 740.389.4636.
Ask for an
admission counselor.
“It has been hard, but it was definitely
worth it,” Voisard emphasized. “I was
attracted to MTC because the nursing
program is so well respected.”
“My parents are excited! I saved them so
much money,” Foster enthused. “A lot of MTC helped Voisard find her calling.
“I’ve always had a desire to help people.
people I don’t know have been coming
I wanted to see if nursing was right for
up to tell me congratulations!”
me. Working at a nursing home was
Foster was inspired by the adult students
an amazing experience. I loved it!” she
working hard in her classes. She found
exclaimed.
the professors were very supportive.
Voisard also appreciated the ratio of just
“The teachers are all really helpful. At the
15 students for each instructor.
end, a lot of my classes were online just
“At MTC, I really like the small classes. I
to help me juggle. If you had a problem,
feel like it is much more personal with
you emailed the teacher and they got
the instructors. I really enjoy it,” Voisard
right back to you,” Foster remembers.
stated. “I absolutely would recommend
Foster’s achievement helped her apply
this to other high school students. I
to college programs and for scholarship
don’t think enough high schoolers take
funds. “It proved I was a strong college
advantage of it, honestly.”
student,” Foster stated.
More than 850 area high school students
The $85,000 in savings will help, as
earned free college credit through this
Foster plans to get her doctorate and
program last year. MTC always has room
become a criminal psychologist. “I want
for more!
to be Reed from ‘Criminal Minds,’” she
Want to join the MTC team?
Check out our job postings at
www.MTC.edu/employment
To learn more call 740.389.4636 to set up an appointment with an admission counselor
3
Meet MTC’s New Interim President
The Marion Technical College
Board of Trustees selected
Dr. John Erwin to serve as interim
president after the retirement of
Dr. Richard Bryson after 42 years.
Dr. Erwin has been in higher
education for more than 30 years,
starting as a history professor
before moving into administration.
He taught at a variety of community
and technical colleges before retiring as president of Illinois Central
College this spring after 15 years.
The Board of Trustees selected
Dr. Erwin to provide a smooth transition while the search for a
new president is underway. He is charged with improving communication with employees; focusing on student success; and
promoting inclusiveness and transparency during his tenure.
Instead of telling you about Dr. Erwin, we wanted to let you
hear directly from him.
What is the biggest lesson you learned in your previous
experience as a community college president?
Life’s all about relationships. The college is only as strong as its
people. I’m very much a person who values each person on staff.
You will find me relating to everyone who works there and
identifying their contribution. My role is to help optimize their
skills and their work.
What is your vision for MTC?
My vision is to help MTC obtain a long-term president. I will be
working with the board, staff, and faculty to create a positive
platform for the appointment of the next president. I have 15
years of experience as a president that will help us bridge the
appointment for the next president and help that person be
successful.
I just want to be a part of MTC’s history and build it up, and
continue its mission of providing quality, affordable education
and prove why it is the best choice for learning.
What are you excited about with this opportunity?
There are several reasons. I served Cincinnati State Technical
College. I have a background of applied learning and internship
and workforce preparation. Marion Technical College exemplifies
all of that for me. This is a very good fit as far as my own
approach to education.
What would Marion be surprised to learn about you?
I have been an ordained minister for 36 years.
One thing that really influenced me a great deal to move toward
administration was time I spent working with Mother Teresa’s
missions in Calcutta in 1994. I worked in a hospice for the terminally ill; I worked in an asylum with those who were mentally
and emotionally challenged; and I worked in a leper colony. I had
two very direct conversations with Mother Teresa. I was writing
4
a manuscript called “Dreams and History.” She invited me to do
the volunteer service. She gave me 45 minutes of conversation
and I promised her three weeks of volunteer work.
Mother Teresa challenged me. She asked what I was doing to
optimize my gifts and graces. I felt that I had not done as much as
I could do in my life. I applied for a dean position and I’ve never
looked back. I wanted to assist and help people. I wanted to take
on more responsibility.
I’m committed to the technical college mission and helping and
assisting students in improving their quality of life – from getting
that next job to looking at their next step in education. Students
and graduates apply what they’ve learned at MTC to move on
in life. It’s not all about a degree – sometimes it’s not about a
certification. Sometimes it’s about maturing and discovering how
to help others.
How will you get to know the Marion community?
I will do it through relationship building. There are already
wonderful relationships built by employees, faculty, and staff.
I want to be a part of that. I will take the appropriate steps to
learn more about the Marion community, learn more about MTC,
and lean on our team. I want to tie together where there are
strengths and partnerships and do some bridge building. I hope
this will make it safe for the new president to walk in and tackle
the challenges that MTC may be facing.
What is MTC’s biggest challenge?
It’s the same challenge that two-year technical colleges and
university partners are facing: enrollment and budget. I’m up to
addressing that with staff and hopefully we will have in place a
balanced budget as we go into the next year and promote MTC
as a wonderful place for education.
What is your favorite book?
“Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens. I am fascinated by
the journey of Pip’s experiences in life altering his directions.
In addition, I love reading mysteries such as Jeffery Deaver,
John Sanford, and Greg Iles.
What are some of your favorite movies?
I love classics including “African Queen” with Katherine Hepburn.
I also enjoy “The Hunger Games” series. I love the dynamic of
the female protagonist (Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer
Lawrence) overcoming the obstacles of losing hearth and home
and facing obsessive power and control. It can be inspirational
to a lot of people.
What is your favorite sport?
Basketball is the sport I love the most and have the deepest
appreciation for. I was a men’s college basketball coach.
I enjoy all the major sports, from high school to professional
sports.
To learn more about Dr. Erwin, go to www.MTC.edu.
See MTC course offerings at www.mtc.edu
MTC Welcomes New Employees
Kevin Rostorfer is a Network Administrator.
This Marion native and graduate of Elgin
earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer
Information Systems from DeVry University.
He also has a Software Development
Certificate and a Cisco Networking Certificate
from MTC. He recently served United
Church Homes.
Kristina Butler is the Administrative Assistant to
Dean Lillie Kirsch. Butler is a Marion native who
graduated from Marion Harding High School and
earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from
The Ohio State University. Butler has more than a
decade of experience in social services organizations. She served Turning Point for more than
8 years, including assistant to the executive director
and Community Education & Volunteer Coordinator.
Congrats!
Promotions
Lori Ach
Clinical Coordinator
for Occupational
Therapy Assistant
Program
Greg Perry
Director of Law and
Criminal Justice
Janice Teter
Student Services
Receptionist
Ryan Tomlin
Network
Administrator
Cretia Johnson
Kristy Taylor
Both of these employees took classes at
MTC and transferred their credits towards
their degree! Congratulations on receiving
their Bachelor’s in Business Administration
from Sienna Heights University.
Congratulations
Congratulations to MTC Works! for a successful
partnership to help laid off local workers
Tami Galloway, CWD Job Development
Coordinator, and Richard George, Adult
Education Director at Tri-Rivers,
accept the Innovation Award.
Higher Learning Commission
Multi-Site Review Successful
Congratulations to MTC’s Engineering and Business
Departments on a successful multi-location review of
Vaughn Industries in Carey and Marion Correctional
Institution by the Higher Learning Commission.
The Center for Workforce Development
(CWD) at MTC won an award for assisting
local workers. When ConAgra closed, CWD
partnered with Ohio Means Jobs - Marion
County and Tri-Rivers to offer services.
As a result, 80 local workers landed new
jobs or went to college. The team won
an Innovative Partnership Award from
the University Systems of Ohio Talent
Development Network. Congratulations,
Tami Galloway and Deb Murphy!
Perfect Review of Medical
Laboratory Tech Program
Medical Laboratory Technicians are the detectives
who run tests to help analyze specimens and find
clues for patients and their health care team. The
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory
Sciences awarded a perfect review.
Fond Farewell
MTC would like to congratulate these long-time employees on their many years of service. Enjoy your well-earned retirement!
Dr. Richard Bryson
President
42 years
Cathy Stayner
Administrative &
Financial Services
Document Specialist
34 years
Dave Beckel
Director of
Student Activities
& Recreation
33 years
Terri Stark
Arts & Sciences
Secretary/Assistant
33 years
Jane Galyk
Admissions
Coordinator
30 years
Diana Rodman
Public Relations
Specialist
29 years
Two start dates for Fall Semester: August 24 & October 19, 2015
Elaine Thieken
Student Resource
Center Lab Assistant
26 years
5
GOOD NEWS FOR MARION
Empowered Working Mom
Launched Her Own Business
in 1992. Today, it is going strong. She
manages seven employees.
“One marketing class was very engaging
and useful. I still use her tips!” Obenour
declared.
“I would recommend MTC to others
in a heartbeat,” Obenour states.
“I recommend everyone stay in Marion
and get an education. Student loans
are staggering these days.”
When Jean Obenour moved to Marion to
take a job at a local bank, she had one year
of college under her belt. This take-charge
woman knew she needed to finish her
degree. Her employer encouraged her to
enroll at Marion Technical College.
Working full-time and taking one class at a
time was an adventure – especially when
Obenour started a family.
At $170 a credit hour, MTC is hundreds
of dollars less per credit hour than many
Ohio four-year colleges. By saving room
and board, MTC averages $5,935 - $7,937
a year for many programs. Compare that
to $18,850 a year for Bowling Green State
University’s tuition, room and board, for
example.
Obenour comes back to the Marion
Campus each week for her Business
“The professors were really nice. I was
Networking International (BNI) meetings
pregnant with my first child during one
class. I sat near the door and at the break, on Tuesday mornings in the gorgeous
I would go throw up,” Obenour chuckles. Health Technologies Center.
“It is fun to see how MTC has grown. It
“When I came back, they would tell me
is not just one building any more. It’s a
what I missed.”
beautiful campus,” Obenour shares.
In six years, she proudly finished her
Associate of Applied Business in Business “I like saying I am an alumna.”
After raising her three children, Obenour
The degree and the knowledge she gained, considers her business her fourth child.
“That buck stops here. It’s a learning
combined with her professional experievent and I’m not done learning. I should
ence, gave her new opportunities and
eventually the confidence to start her own go back for more classes … but I haven’t
business. “I took the jump and I have the done that yet!”
If you’re a working adult looking to gain
scars to prove it,” Obenour states.
new skills … or a parent or student looking
She had discovered her love of doing
to save thousands of dollars a year on a
taxes. “It’s a strange person who enjoys
doing taxes,” Obenour laughs. “The pieces quality education with classes that transfer,
stop by the Marion Campus at 1467 Mt.
come together easily for me.”
Vernon Avenue, call us at 740.389.4636 or
MTC gave her the tools she needed to
visit www.MTC.edu and find out why MTC
launch Custom Professional Accounting
is the best choice for you.
calendar oF Events
AUGUST
6
Fee Deadline for Fall Semester
7Residual ACT Offered for current
and future MTC students
18 Fall Semester New Student
Orientation, 10 a.m., 1 p.m.,
or 5:30 p.m.
24
Fall Semester full and 1st half
sessions begin
28LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR
FALL FULL-TERM
SEPTEMBER
1
Financial Aid Priority Deadline for
Fall Semester 2nd half session
7
College Closed – Labor Day
12National ACT test
18National ACT test
OCTOBER
1Last Day to pay fees for Fall
Semester 2nd half session
19
Fall Semester 2nd half session
classes begin
24National ACT test
noVEMBER
Management Technology degree.
4Online registration for Spring
Semester 2016
17New and returning students
registration for Spring
Semester 2016
19
Financial Aid Application Deadline
for Spring Semester 2016
26-28College Closed
Thanksgiving Holiday
decemBER
12National ACT Test
17Last Day to pay fees for Spring
Semester 2016
24-25College Closed – Holiday
JANUARY 2016
1
6
College Closed – Happy New Year!
To learn more call 740.389.4636 to set up an appointment with an admission counselor
MARION’S PROUD HISTORY
Fresh Perspective on
the Harding Memorial
Harding Home
& Tomb Events
One of the best things for the Harding
Home Presidential Site staff is meeting so
many great people from all over the country
(and from abroad) who travel to Marion to
“meet” President Warren G. Harding.
July 17-18
“Things look
completely
different from
here,” one boy said.
Once inside the
Memorial, the
Sherry Hall,
students took a
Site Manager of the
few, quiet minutes
Harding Home
For those of us who live here in Marion and to acclimate themselves. They noted
are used to passing by the Harding Home
and Harding Memorial on nearly a daily basis, the Hardings’ birth and death dates carved
our unique presidential sites tend to become into the cool, lightly veined marble walls,
pondered over the meaning of the bronze
backdrops as we go to the grocery store or
take prom pictures. Try to look at them – no, palm branches decorating the president’s
sarcophagus and the roses in front of
experience them – as our visitors do.
Mrs. Harding’s resting place. They gazed up
Hands down, visitors absolutely are wowed
at the hanging garden high above them and
by the Harding Memorial. Most can’t believe the myrtle “carpet” nestling the two graves.
how large it is, even if they’ve seen photos,
and are bowled over by its majestic beauty. As they stood among the towering columns,
we discussed why the architect had chosen
Did you know that the Harding Memorial is
the largest memorial to a president outside marble as the building material, why he
had used two different types of columns,
of Washington D.C.? How did that happen?
and how the design was inspired by ancient
I bet some middle schoolers could tell you.
Greece. I asked them for words to describe
what the building was trying to tell us.
At the end of the recent school year, about
260 seventh graders from Grant Middle
“Strong.”
School came in groups to the Memorial,
“Forever.”
Veterans Park, and Marion Cemetery to
connect a bit with the fabric of our commu- “Safe.”
nity. At the Memorial, they looked at that
“Important.”
magnificent structure with fresh eyes.
“Quiet.”
They sat on the front steps as we discussed
“Special.”
the design of the structure and the layout
of the 10 acres of land surrounding it.
Exactly.
Check out the information kiosk in front
of the Memorial (the round thing with the
information panels on it) and you’ll find
that the entire site is designed to reflect a
Latin cross, with the Memorial itself at the
center. You’ll also learn that the design of
the Memorial accomplished the president’s
simple, final wishes – to be buried beneath
an open sky, near a tree.
Summertime is naturally the time when
most of our visitors roll into town; July
always is the busiest month of the year.
As they looked out from the Memorial
toward the busy intersection of
Vernon Heights Boulevard and Delaware
Avenue, several of the Grant students said
they had never looked out from the
Memorial -- their usual views were a quick
glance at the Memorial as they sat in traffic.
Sound familiar?
Sixth Annual Warren G. Harding
Symposium at the Marion Campus,
focusing on The Modern First
Ladies: Portraits in Contrast.
July 18
Annual Presidential Wreath Laying,
Harding Memorial. Free and open
to the public.
August 13
The Real Boardwalk Empire,
7 p.m. in the Harding Home tent.
What’s the truth about shady
characters Harry Daugherty,
Jess Smith and Gaston Means?
$12 at the door, $10 in advance.
Special pricing of $10 at the door,
$8 in advance for Friends and Ohio
History Connection (OHC) members.
October 11
84th Annual Harding Scout Pilgrimage,
3 p.m. at Harding Memorial. Free.
October 15
The Klan in Ohio, 7 p.m. Explore
the role of the Klan in Ohio –
including in the president’s
hometown. $10 at the door and
$8 for Friends and OHC members.
November 15
Beyond the Ropes, 1:30 & 3:30 p.m.
at the Harding Home. Take an indepth look at one of our cool collections. Reservations required due to
limited seating. $10 per person; free
for Friends and OHC members.
NOTE: The Harding Home and Tomb are managed
by Marion Technical College with Sherry Hall as
the Site Manager.
Find more at hardinghome.org
7
1467 Mt. Vernon Ave.
Marion, OH 43302-5694
740.389.4636
FAX: 740.389.6136
www.mtc.edu
E-mail: [email protected]
the
DEGREE of
DIFFERENCE
A publication of
Marion Technical College
Public Relations Department
To submit story ideas contact
740.389.4636, Ext. 333
[email protected]
Nicole Workman
Editor
THE BEST CHOICE
Worried about the cost of college?
Cut that tuition bill in half by attending MTC!
MTC is just $170 a credit hour - $200 a
credit hour less than many 4-year colleges*.
Get classes guaranteed to transfer, a
certification, or an associate’s degree close to
home. Partnerships with many universities
can get you on the road to a bachelor’s
without paying full price!
*Based on tuition information posted on colleges’ Web sites.
Call us today at 740.389.4636 or visit mtc.edu or drop by our beautiful campus at 1467 Mt. Vernon Ave., Marion.