Campus
Communicator
APRIL • 2015
An Historic Day
the Rev. Dr. Darrell Cummings, who
presented the invocation and benediction, presided at the formal presidential installation.
Dr. Riley is the first president to wear
the newly minted Medallion, or chain
of office, symbolizing the position.
After the ceremony, guests were invited to a reception held in the Dining
Room of the Culinary Arts department in the Education Center across
from the B&O Building. Refreshments
were prepared by the Culinary Arts
chefs and students and the reception
was sponsored by the Foundation
and Wheeling and New Martinsville
Friends organizations.
Inauguration of Dr. Riley
Inauguration ceremonies for West
Virginia Northern’s seventh president,
Dr. Vicki L. Riley, were held at 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 9, in the B&O Building on the Wheeling campus. “Renewing Our Commitment” was the
investiture theme.
During the event, held in the auditorium which was filled to near capacity,
greetings were offered to the president
by six representatives of various components of the College community.
Speakers were Robert J. Krall, president, WVNCC Foundation Board of
Enrollment Indicator
Trustees; James “Cork” Bowen, member of the New Martinsville campus
Friends of the College board; Nick
Zervos, president of the Wheeling
campus Friends of the College board;
Tyger Eltringham, Wheeling campus
Student Government Association
senator; Margaret DeCola, chair of the
Classified Staff Council; and Jeremy
Doolin, president of the Faculty Assembly.
Bob DeFrancis, dean of Community
Relations, served as master of ceremonies, Robert F. Troeger provided
musical accompaniment, Mitchell
Spurlock performed two songs, and
Northern President Vicki L. Riley
has announced a new initiative to the
College community which is working together to help impact WVNCC
enrollment numbers.
She said, “I am pleased to announce
a new enrollment indicator to assist
all of us in regularly monitoring and
responding to the current enrollment
status.” Each Monday, Dr. Riley said,
Northern’s community “will receive
an email from the Institutional Research Office that includes our new
enrollment ‘thermometers.’” The first
“thermometers” sent are shown next
page and include:
continued next page...
· The percentage of students enrolled
· The percentage of returning students enrolled
· The percentage of applicant yield (number of applicants that have registered)
Dr. Riley added, “For those of you who regularly log in through the portal, this information will be located there as well
and will be updated daily. I hope you find the data useful in your planning as we work together to meet our enrollment
goals. Thank you to the staff in IR for their work on this new initiative.”
Fall 2015
100%
90%
80%
GOAL
2150 Registered
Students
Fall 2015
Fall 2015
100%
90%
80%
100%
GOAL
90%
100% Returning
Students
Registered
80%
70%
70%
70%
60%
60%
50%
50%
50%
40%
40%
40%
30%
30%
20%
10%
As of 04/27/15
19% (405)
0%
HELP US REACH OUR GOAL
As of 4-27-15
65% Applicant
Yield
30%
20%
20%
10%
GOAL
60%
22% (319)
0%
HELP US REACH OUR GOAL
As of 4-27-15
10%
11% (60)
0%
HELP US REACH OUR GOAL
Tri-Campus Open House
The Saturday, April 11, Open Houses at Northern’s three campuses have been declared successful by those who planned
and executed the events. Officially, attendance at the events included 72 persons on the Weirton campus, 70 persons on the
Wheeling campus and 20 in New Martinsville. An initiative of the marketing committee of the reconstituted Enrollments
Management Council, the Open House was planned after the call by President Riley for the entire College community
to advance proposals for targeting enrollment increases. The response to the call for volunteers to work the event from
faculty and staff members truly was outstanding, and many of them provided written comments to serve as a basis for
improvements to next year’s Open House.
An electronic survey was made available after the activities to enable quick reaction to the Open Houses, and the conventional wisdom was that even though many workers were happy because of the event’s success, many believe next year’s
event can be made even better. Planning for the 2016 Open House already has begun.
1. Two future students applied for admission and then grabbed some gear at the Wheeling college bookstore. 2. Faculty and staff volunteers meet before the Open House on the Weirton campus, where more than 70 persons took advantage of the opportunity to visit
the campus on Weirton Heights. 3. Front, Shelly Reager and son Marshall greet and register guests and, back, Officer R.J. Faldowski,
acted as security for the day. 4. From left, student Lori Wiethe and Melanie Baker handled the kids activities’ on the Wheeling Campus for the day. Melanie’s son K.J., left, tagged along and made a new friend - his family traveled all the way from Fairmont to check
out the Culinary program for their son.
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Radiography Students
Honored
Several radiography program students
at West Virginia Northern Community College have been chosen
for honors in advancement of their
academic careers.
Wheeling Ca mpus
go to this national conference, Kahl
explained.
In addition, Kahl said, one of the second year radiography students, Baydn
Waller, of Flushing, was selected for
the 18-month West Virginia University Ultrasound Program that begins in
July. She added that several students
apply for the three spots in that class
every year, “so we are very pleased
and proud that Baydn is one of the
three selected for the upcoming year.”
Willis Hill
For more information about the ASRT
and opportunities for radiologic science students, visit www.asrt.org/
students.
National Library Week
Pat Stroud, director of libraries at
West Virginia Northern, announced
the libraries were celebrating National
Library Week April 12-18.
Janeen Heath
Janeen D. Heath, of New Cumberland,
has been selected to participate in the
American Society of Radiologic Technologists 2015 Student Leadership
Development Program.
Baydn Waller
Heath will receive an all-expensespaid trip to the ASRT Educational
Symposium and Annual Governance
and House of Delegates Meeting from
June 25-28 in Albuquerque, N.M. In
addition, Heath will attend educational courses specifically designed
for students, attend the opening of the
ASRT Museum and Archives and be
assigned a professional mentor during
the House of Delegates meeting.
Another second year student, Willis
Hill, of Moundsville, was selected as
a “Student Board Member-at-Large”
for the West Virginia Society of
Radiologic Technologists, an appointment that lasts for one year. Kahl said
his responsibilities are to attend the
quarterly board meetings and the annual fall conference as well as to offer
input into the society from a student’s
perspective.
According to Misty D. Kahl, WVNCC
radiography program director and
assistant professor, Heath is a firstyear student in the program and her
selection “is a great honor for Janeen
as well as for Northern.” She was one
of 90 students chosen from around
the country. This is the third time in
four years Northern has had one of
its radiography students selected to
The American Society of Radiologic
Technologists represents 152,000
members who perform medical imaging procedures or plan and deliver
radiation therapy treatments. The society also provides radiologic technology students with the tools, services
and support they need to prepare for
careers in medical imaging and radiation therapy.
Pat pointed out that libraries are part
of the American Dream. In a world
that’s information rich, libraries are
information smart. She added, “To
celebrate National Library Week we
are asking students to tell us why they
come to the library.”
She asked, “Please complete the statement below and send this email back
to us, or print it off and send it to us
in the campus mail. Your comments,
along with our students’, will be placed
on sticky notes on our LRC bulletin
boards.”
The statement was: My campus library
helps me with:
In addition, Pat promoted Thursday,
April 30, as POEM IN YOUR
POCKET DAY.
She urged the College community to
“share with everyone your very own
favorite poem,” and several colleagues
did just that.
SCARSI Club Celebrates
Anniversary
The SCARSI Club at WVNCC has
celebrated its One Year Anniversary
this month, according to advisor Joyce
Britt. At a recent meeting, club members elected Amy Morris to fill the
position of recording secretary for this
current school year. She joins Connie
Gould, president, and Pat Hulderman,
vice president, as officers of the club.
In discussing the first year of its
existence, Britt said Students Caring
About Regional Social Issues Club
focused on several issues. Two specific
activities included a sign-up awareness activity during which students
and faculty signed a large poster
supporting putting a stop to sexual
violence; club members sold popcorn
and donated proceeds to the Sexual
Assault Help Center, Wheeling, and
the Wheeling YWCA Family Violence
Prevention Program. In addition,
the club donated 30 new blankets to
the Greater Wheeling Coalition for
the Homeless and the Youth Services
System winter freeze shelter.
The club addressed a variety of social
awareness topics, including sexual
assault, suicide, domestic violence,
disabilities awareness, veterans’ issues, homeless awareness, stopping
the isms: sexism, racism and ageism;
social work was targeted and plans
for the end of the semester included
alcohol awareness.
Britt pointed out the club has more
than a dozen members from mainly
the Wheeling campus but she reiterated the club is open to all currently
enrolled students. A bulletin board on
third floor of the Wheeling campus
B&O Building is used by the club to
highlight awareness campaigns, which
are based on club interest.
HIT Student Receives
Award
Connie Snodgrass
A student in the Health Information
Technology program at Northern has
been awarded a scholarship through
the West Virginia Health Information
Management Association.
Connie Snodgrass, of Wheeling, is
the recipient of one of three scholarships given by the state organization.
The scholarships, according to Korene
Silvestri, HIT program director and
associate professor, pay for the cost
of the Registered Health Information
Technician national credentialing examination. Silvestri said the students’
GPA is the tool used to determine
who is awarded.
In addition, Snodgrass was awarded
a second scholarship, for $300, at the
beginning of the current semester
from the Wheeling Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution.
In her application letter for the state
award, Snodgrass said, “I am definitely a non-traditional student at
West Virginia Northern Community
College. At 56 years old I became a
full-time college student for the first
time in my life. I graduated from West
Allegheny High School located in
Imperial, Pa., in 1974. Continuing my
education was not possible because
of an ill mother who I helped care for
and the financial burden it would put
on my older parents.”
She explained she went to work as a
waitress, got married and had three
children. “I had various server positions for the next 30 years then became an administrative assistant and
bank teller later on.” After a divorce,
remarriage and relocation, “It took me
seven years of dead end jobs before
deciding to continue my education.
Scared, apprehensive, unsure and just
too darn old are just a few words I
mumbled as I entered through those
college doors. Being very organized
has greatly helped my transition to
college studies. Somewhere along the
way it clicked, I knew I could do this.
“In 1999, I took a prerequisite course
in Medical Terminology at Allegheny
County Community College; it was
only a six weeks course but I love it.
Life’s trials and tribulations put a halt
to anymore schooling at that point
but when I entered WVNCC I knew
I wanted a career in the HIT field because it was lifelong dream for some
time now.
“Making the Dean’s List and becoming a member of Phi Theta Kappa
has given me a remarkable sense of
accomplishment, which kept me plugging away. My family and friends have
been very supportive, even though
I had to decline on some events
throughout the past two and a half
years. I hope my eight grandchildren
will see and hear stories about their
Grandma who graduated college, with
honors, when she was 58 years old.”
Wheeling Ca mpus
Bonnie Ritz, nursing student-4 pack
22oz. Tumbler Set; Kaitlyn Krock,
nursing student-$15 Little Caesars
Gift Card; Danielle Berkenstock,
nursing student-$15 Little Caesars
Gift Card; Alexandra Kovacs, nursing
student-$15 Subway Gift Card; and
Emily Forcone, nursing student-Four
Free Sarris Sundae Cards.
Northern nursing students on the Wheeling campus donated various items of food and toys
to help families in need for Easter. Back row, from left, are Caitlin Sheldon, Alexandra Kovacs,
Jessica Cunningham and Kristina Bennett. Front row, from left, are Jeremy Tirpak, Victoria
Younger, Janis Williamson and Marissa Harris. Nursing instructor Jody Tyburski organized the
drive.
Nursing Students “Hop to
It” to Help Others
Jody Tyburski, nursing instructor at
Northern, organized an Easter Food
Drive at the College that was a resounding success: the donations to the
Wheeling Salvation Army provided
Easter food for at least eight families
and aided the Easter Bunny in making
deliveries of overstuffed Easter baskets
to three youngsters in need through
the Salvation Army.
“We were able to raise over 200
pounds of food, not including four
hams, and personalized Easter Baskets
to two brothers and an infant who
have recently found their only home
to be the Salvation Army here in
Wheeling,” Tyburski said, adding, “I
have to say, it brought tears to my eyes
to see the compassion and enthusiasm
shown by our nursing students in the
donation process. The Salvation Army
representatives were emotionally
touched by the amount of food and
gifts they received.”
The nursing instructor explained she
was even more touched to see those
who donated “show the compassion
and thoughtfulness for people they
did not know. Several of them used
it as a teaching opportunity for their
own children, taking them to the store
with them, allowing them to select
the donations, explaining to them the
purpose of the food and gifts they
selected. I did the same with my girls.”
Tyburski said her husband, Michael,
a CPA and corporate controller of
Ensinger Inc., made contributions
of gifts and gift cards for a raffle.
Those persons who donated had their
names put into a drawing for one of
10 prizes. The winners were drawn by
Carry DeAtley, interim vice president
of academic affairs.
The winners and gifts were as follows:
Jamie Ziarko, nursing student-$50
Dinner & Movie Gift Card; Shalynn
Jackson, nursing student-$25 Starbucks Gift Card; Bria Brown, nursing student-$25 Starbucks Gift Card;
Linda Shelek, Ceramic Lazy Susan
Serving Set; Jessica Cunningham,
nursing student-Santoku Knife Set;
“It was my pleasure and an honor to
work with our entire nursing student
body in making this First Easter 2015
Food Drive a success,” Tyburski said.
“We more than exceeded the expectations and I am so proud of all students, faculty and staff who showed
how easy it is to give, having the heart
and compassion to put the needs of
others ahead of their own.” She said,
addressing those who donated, “You
all did great and I am so proud of each
and every one of you. Thank you all
for your support, time, and compassion. You each have made a huge difference and I thank you all from the
depths of my heart.”
College Retention Aided
By Professor’s Initiative
Professor Sharma
Imagine you are accepted into a
highly in demand program at West
Virginia Northern, and excited at the
opportunities when you graduate in
continued next page...
two years. What an opportunity!
Now imagine lacking basic skills
required in a sequence of required
courses. A group of students, in the
fall semester of the 2014 academic
year, faced a similar situation. In an
effort to help the students, and thereby also impact the College’s retention
strategies, Physics/Mathematics Professor Pam Sharma devised a plan that
received “buy-in” from other Northern faculty and staff.
Working with these eight students,
Prof. Sharma identified the student
needs that varied over a larger spectrum of skills required to accomplish
course objectives. She realized they
needed help on an individual basis
so she offered to volunteer time to
help the students get basic skills and
competencies. The students all agreed,
saying, “Coach, let’s do it!”
Prof. Sharma initially approached the
division chair, Marian Grubor, and
proposed a solution, “Individualized
Instruction modules” to be administered during the remaining half of the
semester to keep students on schedule
to graduate in two years. She then
put together a curriculum that required grouping the skills, presenting
the content in small chunks, testing
frequently and providing targeted
feedback during and after each class
section.
She said a team of administrators
and staff, including the vice president
of academic affairs, vice president
of workforce development, dean of
New Martinsville Ca mpus
academic affairs, division chairs of
liberal arts and developmental math,
library staff and administrative associate registrar’s office, on a very short
notice made it possible for this group
of students to work with the instructor to accomplish required objectives.
Students were motivated and willing
to work hard.
The end result was that all students
were able to complete the course competencies in required courses and now
are successful in other courses.
It was a win-win situation where a
faculty member refused to give up,
students were determined to succeed
and administration was willing to
help. This was a combination that not
only set a new precedent but showed
caring and hard work does pay off.
land, Dr. Riley, Tiffany Palmer, Tyran
Reinhart, J.R. Powell, Jamie Mellott,
Dennis Bills, Larry Tackett, Carry
DeAtley, Kim Whiteman and Angel
Hines.
New Martinsville Holds
“Meet the President”
Leaders of 2015
The New Martinsville campus held
its Leadership Class 2015 Luncheon
on Friday, April 17. Dr. Riley welcomed the students and offered her
appreciation for the work each of
them has done to help support the
campus. Students were recognized for
their service as Tutor – Angel Hines
and Sara Jarvis; Student Nurse As-
sociation Officer – Kyra Lallathin,
Felicia Baker, Rebecca Knight, Rick
Allman and Cassadi Wells; Campus
Activity Board/Student Government
– Shawni Winland, Tiffany Palmer,
Dana Becker, Victoria Heizer, Ashley
Yoho, Tyran Reinhart, Jamie Mellott,
J.R. Powell and Brittany Bowser; and
Workstudy – Tiffany Palmer and Kim
Whiteman. From left are Shawni Win-
Office Administrator Debbie Bennett,
in discussing the Meet the President
night on the New Martinsville campus, said, “Many people helped to
make this event possible. When I was
planning for the evening and knowing it was to introduce Vicki to our
community, I knew I wanted it to be
perfect. I asked her for some advice
and only got, “keep it simple.” Well, I
did the best I could with her request,
but I wanted to celebrate and show
the community the respect we have
for her as our president. So, I want to
continued next page...
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Annual Chamber Dinner
The annual Wetzel County Chamber of
Commerce Awards dinner was held
April 28 and many deserving individuals and organizations were recognized.
Those attending representing Northern,
from left, clockwise, are Debbie Bennett
and her husband Greg; Bob DeFrancis,
Dr. Riley, Larry Tackett, Rana Spurlock
and Jennifer Lantz and her husband
Clint. Because the decorated tables are
judged by those attending, they can
become very elaborate and creative
and the centerpieces are the evening’s
door prizes. The College representatives
were lucky enough to sit at the Doolin Savings Bank table where Donna Smittle (retired WVNCC employee) created a
wonderful candy bar for them to enjoy during the evening. Debbie created a tablescape for Northern’s sponsored table,
celebrating the introduction of Dr. Riley as our new president. The winner of the centerpiece donated the garland and
wreath back to the College to use at campus functions! (She did keep the tray of cookies and chocolate-covered strawberries.)
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