President Lancaster honors students

“A community college’s purpose is to give a person, beginning at even the most basic level, a mind open to the world of possibilities and the confidence to go after them,” Martin Lancaster told the nearly 200 award recipients during a ceremony at Southwestern Community College Tuesday, April 4.

Lancaster, president of the NC Community College System since 1997, was the keynote speaker at the Academic Awards Ceremony held in Myers Auditorium.

Before speaking at Southwestern Community College’s Academic Awards Ceremony Tuesday, April 4, Martin Lancaster, president of the N.C. Community College System, right, met informally with faculty, staff and administrators, including, from left, librarian Nelda Reid and SCC President Cecil Groves.  (click on photo to enlarge)

Martin Lancaster, president of the N.C. Community College System, right, congratulates Darren Hall during Southwestern Community College’s Academic Awards Ceremony Tuesday, April 4. The home-schooled son of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Hall of Sylva, he is a dual enrollment student who will graduate from both SCC and high school this spring. SCC President Cecil Groves, center, remarked how participation in this unique program for high school students has helped them and their families save on college tuition and fees. (click on photo to enlarge)

Lancaster is recognized internationally as ambassador for the North Carolina model of workforce and economic development and has served as chair of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges. In addition, he has served as Assistant Secretary of the Army, a Special Advisor to the President on Chemical Weapons, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

“Our community colleges are embarking on new pathways of learning in education - new routes for students with a special talent and passion for a particular field, and new techniques of teaching and learning whatever the field. We have to move beyond the formulaic, beyond our comfort zones in order to prepare our students for the new economy,” said Lancaster, who served three years active duty as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Navy and as an active Reservist until his retirement as a Navy Captain in November 1993.

Calling attention to the accomplishments of the students, Lancaster noted that four of those honored, Tiphany White, Justin Railsback, Darren Hall and Bethany Wilson, all Current Enrollment students, will graduate this spring from both SCC and their respective high schools.

Sherman Colvard of Bryson City and Bentley Robison of Sylva were recognized as Southwestern’s representatives to the N.C. Community College System Academic Excellence Award. Ray Gunter Jr. of Whittier was honored as Southwestern’s Student of Distinction.

Students receiving academic awards Ceremony must have a cumulative average of 3.5 or above. All eligible students who had maintained a perfect 4.0 cumulative received “high honors” recognition at the ceremony.

Students receiving SCC Academic Awards included:

Buncombe County: Asheville: Joshua Gleeson-Warren, Katie Craig, Audrey Lawrence, Denise Lilly.

Clay County: Hayesville: Heather Penland.

Cherokee County: Brasstown: Crystal Judge; Murphy: William Harper III; Topton: Colleen Branham, Heather Shaw, Kim Wagner.

click on photos to enlarge Graham County

Jackson County

Macon County

Swain County

Graham County: Robbinsville: Alison Beasley,Juanita Beasley, Judy Bridges, Kristi Brock, Christopher Haney, Ashley Rhea, Karen Roberts.

Haywood County: Canton: Cindy Bryant, Roberta Wyatt; Clyde: Michael Rice, Julie Russell, Joanna Tahquette; Hazelwood: Robert Reece; Lake Junaluska: Jessica Proctor, Paul Wilson, Brandy Wright; Waynesville: Faryn Cloey, Wendy Compton, Jennifer Edwards, Joshua Gillett, John Hays.

Jackson: Balsam: Nathan Hall, Louann Odell, Korey Ramsey; Cashiers: Nathan Forrester; Cherokee: Lilly Driver, Lydia Goings, Gretchen McNab, Wahnetah Oocumma, Hollie Shepard, Jennifer Wachacha, Margaret Welch, Mary Ann Winstead; Cullowhee: John Bennett, Matthew Bishop, Stephanie Bryson, Celia Doyle, Lisa Fisher, Rachelle-Adette Johnson, August Kotila, Marcus Metcalf, Jeffrey Moses, Justin Railsback, Dorothy Roberts, James Watkins; Dillsboro: Brandy Robinson; Sylva: Natalie Blanton, Patricia Brooks, Carrie Buchanan, Brandi Cogdill, Coleen Cornell, Kimberly Davis, Melissa Davis, Cynthia Ensley, Timothy Frady, Jennifer Freeman, Diandra Frommer, Linda Gillman, Darren Hall, Elaine Hall, Ernest Hall, John Jeleniewski, Tara Knight, Deborah Marraffa, Sandra McMahan, Lynda Messier, Connie Morgan, Rebecca Patterson, Bentley Robison, Angela Stanley; Tuckasegee: Anita Fortner, Patricia Mathis, Ashley Queen, Karen Reed, Lindsey Turrentine; Webster: Krystal Frizzell, Patricia Hyde, Ellen Queen, Laura Whatley, Tracy Young; Whittier: Dorothy Brown, Pamela Cope, Benjamin Cutler, Ray Gunter, Victoria Holzknecht, Ivo Ivanchev, Alla Johnson, Stephanie Leija, Leslie Shipman, Angela Tharp, Radka Todorova, Marcin Trabski, Shelly Vogler, Christopher Wilson.

Macon County: Franklin: Shannon Anders, Tracy Bailey, Dorothy Beach, Genevieve Bingham, Vicki Bowman, Jacqueline Brown, Sharon Bryson, Jacklyn Bush, Michael Cantrell, John Cisneros, Kim Clark, Cindy Cochran, Melissa Coker, Tammy Conley, Mollie Craven, Kim Crawford, Kimberly Dowdle, Patricia Duda, Lynda Elliott, Stephanie Ensley, Christopher Evans, Michele Flowers, Jeremy Frazier, Sherena Garnett, Ashley Grant, Marsha Harmon, Jannessa Henderson, Sara Howland, Jana Hurst, Sherry Innis, Amanda Klages, Cedar Lannon, Deborah Ledford, Marie Ledford, Eric MacLean, Andrew McAllister, Christy McCollum, Jeffrey McDougall, James Pickens, Benjamin Rickert, Jennifer Rogers, Jason Seebach, Debra Shepherd, Pamela Shepherd, Bruce Siegfried, Cathleen Smith, Deanna Timmons, Patricia Wall, Christopher Wilson, Todd Zoretic, Margaret Estes, Charles St. John, Theresa Welch, Gene Williford; Highlands: Hether Pierce, Karin Potts, Tara Reese; Otto: Jared Ballew.

Swain County: Almond: Sarah Deddo; Bryson City: Corrie Andrews, Jessica Ball, Valerie Ball, Melissa Bartlett, Adam Blake, Amy Brantley, Candace Burrell, Marvin Cable, Shelda Calhoun, Rebecca Crockett, Angela Davis, Doris Dyer, Suzanne Gold, Christina Grant, Susan Hester, Rose Jenkins, Gena Jones, Pat Keener, Lauren Ledford, Marie Lee, Vesta Martin, Norma Nations, Anne Reinert, Natalie Rich, Dawn Shuler, Amy Smith, James Thomas, John Tyndall Jr., Tiphany White;

Wake County: Apex: Ross Bonnewell.

Out of State: Carolyn Potts, Zuni, VA; Melissa Welborn, Tiger, GA; Carolyn Timmons, Scaly Mountain, GA.

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