A
retirement reception was held for Seminole State College employee Deedra
Eldredge on June 27. Eldredge worked for the College for 21 years in a number
of roles. Most recently she held the position of NASNTI Coaching Specialist.
She holds an associate’s degree from Seminole State College, a bachelor’s
degree from Mid-American Christian University, and a master’s degree from East
Central University. She and her husband of 41 years reside in Seminole. They
have one grown son. She looks forward to gardening more and discovering new
hobbies now that she has retired.
Seminole State College and East Central
University have announced a partnership to share the employment of a full-time
English instructor.
According to the Presidents of both institutions,
the shared employee is an example of a partnership created to better utilize
resources allocated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the
Oklahoma Legislature.
“Over the past few months, we have been
discussing ways to make joint purchases and share costs of services, as well as
looking at possible positions that could be shared. This English position was a great fit –
filling a need for both institutions,” said Seminole State College President
Lana Reynolds.
She added, “SSC and ECU have a long history of
working together to provide academic and cultural programs for the students and
communities in our area. I appreciate
Dr. Pierson’s leadership in making this shared employment possible. We look forward to working with our friends
and colleagues in Ada on additional joint efforts in the future.”
Dr. Katricia G. Pierson, President of East
Central University, said, “Efficiency and excellence have been a part of the
Seminole State College and East Central University partnership for years and we
are happy that it’s being enhanced. Seminole State has much to offer and ECU
has always been an extension of students desiring to further their education.
Working with President Reynolds and her staff is always a positive process. Our
ongoing collaboration to create a smooth transition for students seeking an
education degree has solidified our partnerships and we knew we could even do
more. We are now sharing a faculty member for our English programs. Sharing
resources is good for both institutions and, more importantly, is good for the
students we serve.”
Beginning in August, Jamie Worthley will start
working as a full-time English instructor for both SSC and ECU. Recognizing
that the needs of one institution may be greater than the other at any given
time, Worthley will devote approximately 40 percent of her services to ECU and
60 percent to SSC. As part of the collaboration, Worthley will teach 15 hours
of language arts courses each year for SSC and hold office hours on campus.
Worthley, who has taught part-time in the English
Departments of both institutions, is a graduate of Paden High School. Previously,
she worked as an English tutor for SSC for five years. She also worked as an
Upward Bound Composition Instructor for two years at ECU. She has been an
adjunct professor at SSC for six years and ECU for five years. She holds an
Associate’s degree from Seminole State College and a Bachelor’s in English from
East Central University. She received a
Master of Arts in Composition Rhetoric from the University of Central Oklahoma
in Edmond in 2012.
Worthley’s full-time employment will begin on
August 12. Services will be evaluated each spring before March 1 to determine
each institution’s needs for the next academic year.
A retirement reception was held for Seminole State College employee Mary Higgins on May 30. Higgins worked for the College for 18 years as the Accounts Payable Clerk. She received her associate’s degree from SSC in 2000 and began working for the College shortly thereafter. She was an active member of the Classified Staff Association. She and her husband Wesley make their home in Tecumseh. She has two children, Matt Higgins and Sarah Stutzman. Higgins looks forward to spending more time with her three grandchildren now that she has retired. Pictured (l-r): Sarah, Matt, Mary and Wesley. Continue reading “Longtime SSC Employee Celebrates Retirement”→
Seminole State College hosted a meet and greet for its new Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Larry Guerrero on June 4. Faculty, administration and community members stopped by to welcome Dr. Guerrero to the campus. Continue reading “SSC Welcomes New Vice President for Academic Affairs”→
The Seminole State College Professional Staff Council recently awarded the Kay Edwards Memorial Scholarship to current students Adley Dill and Kristen Casteel. The scholarship will provide each student $500 toward their summer semester at SSC. Dill is a health science major and plans to complete the College’s nursing program. Casteel is a social sciences major and plans to transfer to the University of Oklahoma after graduating from SSC to pursue a degree in counseling. Continue reading “Kay Edwards Memorial Scholarship Recipients Announced”→
More than 350 friends and supporters of Seminole State College attended the SSC Educational Foundation’s annual recognition banquet April 25, in the Enoch Kelly Haney Center. The event included recognition of college alumni, employees and students. Continue reading “Alumni, Employees and Students Honored by SSC at Spring Banquet”→
Seminole State College Associate Professor of Mathematics Dr. Linda Goeller received the Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Award at the 2019 American Association of Community Colleges annual convention on April 14 in Orlando, Florida. Continue reading “SSC Professor Honored at National Convention”→
Two Seminole State College
employees were recognized for their hard work and dedication during the monthly
Seminole Chamber of Commerce Forum on April 11. Assistant Professor
of Criminal Justice Sam Rivera was honored as “Faculty Member of the
Month” and Director of Student Support Services and STEM Student Support
Services Janna Manlapig was honored as “Professional Staff Member of the
Month.”
The Seminole Chamber of
Commerce Education Committee, along with the Lions Club and Blue Ribbon Realty,
recognize SSC employees several times during Forum each year. Individuals are
nominated from across the campus and chosen by SSC administrators to receive
the honor.
Sam Rivera
Rivera completed his
bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Management at Union Institute and University.
He received his master’s degree in Criminal Justice at the University of
Oklahoma.
While living in California, Rivera
served the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department for 23 years before retiring.
Following his time in Sacramento, Rivera took on the role of SSC Chief of
Police from 2015 to 2017. Since that time, Rivera has held the position of
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice.
He is involved with a number
of campus organizations and committees. He is a member of the Assessment
Learning Committee, the Chair of the Professional Development Committee and an
advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
Rivera and his wife
Stephanie reside in Wewoka. They have four adult children: Samantha Kale of
Foresthill, California; Andrew Rivera of Auburn, California; Ryan Rivera of
Killeen, Texas; and Reagan Rivera of Shawnee.
Janna Manlapig
Manlapig received her
bachelor’s degree in Religion from Oklahoma Baptist University and her master’s
degree in Adult and Higher Education Administration from the University of
Oklahoma.
In her role as Director of
Student Support Services and STEM Student Support Services she administrates
grants and plays a key role in helping students with their academic pursuits.
She is involved with the
Student Success Council and Professional Staff Council. She also sits on
advisory boards for nursing and MLT. She is an active member of the Emmanuel
Episcopal Church in Shawnee, where she participates on the meal service team,
plays in the hand bell choir and plays percussion for the youth service on Wednesday
evenings.
She and her fiancée Holly
reside in Shawnee. Manlapig has two children, Mitchell and Kamryn.
