Issue link: http://howardcc.uberflip.com/i/740238
A Message from the President As students returned to the campus for the first day of classes, Washington Monthly announced that it ranked Howard Community College (HCC) as one of America's top four colleges for adult learners. This exciting news marked the first time that any magazine has measured two- and four-year colleges by their service to adult students. The college was applauded for ease of transfer, flexibility of programs, services to students, and other efforts to make the campus friendly to learners of all ages. I am honored that the college is receiving this national recognition for the work faculty and staff do every day to build the workforce in our community. As the needs of the workforce have changed, faculty and staff have evolved their teaching. The result is innovative education that is responsive to the business community. An example of this synergy is the simulation labs found throughout the Health Sciences Building, where nursing and allied health students learn and practice their skills in real-life scenarios similar to what they will experience on the job. Read more about these advanced health care training methods in this issue's feature story. This workforce focus is what spurred the college to develop three new programs: the military to RN pathway, the paramedic to RN pathway, and health care interpreter. The nursing pathway programs give advanced standing to military medics and corpsmen, as well as licensed Maryland paramedics who want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. For the interpreter program, the Horizon Foundation, an independent philanthropic organization dedicated to promoting health and wellness in Howard County, provided support for HCC to train bilingual interpreters to translate for patients in health care settings. This issue of the magazine takes a look at each of these programs. I am also pleased to share the results of a recent study that looked at the employment of students at HCC. Students who took at least 20 credits at the college experienced higher salaries and greater wage growth compared to their employment before attending HCC. In addition, of the students who graduated or earned significant credit by 2010, only 38 percent had full-time employment in Maryland the prior year. By 2015, nearly 70 percent of these same students were working full time in the state of Maryland. These results clearly demonstrate that Howard Community College provides students with a worthwhile return on their investment. Thank you for continuing to support students as they seek to improve their lives and the lives of their families. Best regards, Kathleen Hetherington, Ed.D., President q The college celebrates its eighth year of recognition as a Great College to Work For. ECO-AUDIT/ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS STATEMENT This issue of Pathways was printed on paper derived from well-managed forests and 36% recycled post-consumer waste. The use of this environmentally-friendly paper saves the following: Trees – 6 Energy – 4 million BTUs Greenhouse Gas Reduction – 693 lbs. of CO 2 Waste Water Reduction – 3,091 gallons Solid Waste Reduction – 242 lbs. Environmental impact estimates were produced using the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator. FSC LOGO HERE Pathways The Magazine of Howard Community College VOLUME VI, NUMBER 12, Fall 2016 MANAGING EDITOR Katie Turner WRITERS Tracy Fitzgerald Heather Stone Katie Turner Kristin O'Keefe DESIGN PRODUCTION Margie Dunklee Christi Tyler Sarah English PRESIDENT Kathleen Hetherington, Ed.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING Elizabeth Homan DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING Jane Sharp BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mamie J. Perkins, Chair Dennis R. Schrader, Vice Chair Kevin J. Doyle Steven A. Joss Kevin F. Schmidt Felícita Solá-Carter Courtney Watson Kathleen B. Hetherington, Ed.D., Secretary-Treasurer © 2016, Howard Community College 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044, 443-518-1000 Pathways is published twice a year in the spring and fall by the Office of Public Relations & Marketing. For editorial inquiries or comments, please email pathways@howardcc.edu. Read Pathways online at howardcc.edu/pathways