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.
