Campus
Communicator
MAY • 2013
Commencement 2013
West Virginia Northern Community College graduated
407 students at commencement exercises conducted at
Wheeling’s WesBanco Arena on Friday evening, May 10,
the largest graduating class in its history. The college provisionally awarded 491 certificates in applied science, associate in arts, associate in science and associate in applied
science degrees. Some students received more than one
degree or certificate.
Receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award was Joan
Weiskircher, a Wheeling resident who is a retired WVNCC
employee and long-time alumni association volunteer. The
commencement address was delivered by U.S. Attorney
William J. Ihlenfeld II of West Virginia’s Northern District
who also is a Wheeling resident.
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Remarks were given by the class valedictorian, Nathan
Schmidt of Martins Ferry, who was presented with the
Donald D. Nemanich and Sarah O. Bodkin Academic
Excellence Award. Other speakers included Clayton Weeks
of Wintersville, president of the WVNCC Student Government Association, who offered greetings on behalf of
students, and Physics/Mathematics Professor Pam Sharma,
president of the Faculty Assembly, who brought greetings
on behalf of faculty.
Others participating included Dr. Martin J. Olshinsky,
president of Northern; Dr. Vicki Riley, vice president of
academic affairs; and Dr. Darrell Cummings, president of
the WVNCC Board of Governors, who conferred degrees
and certificates.
1. Schmidt proudly carries the mace to begin the
ceremony.
2. Nancy Albert’s daughter Tracy is all smiles as she receives her diploma.
3. Students line up to begin their walk.
4. Culinary Arts students show their excitement.
5. Weiskircher receives the Distinguished Alumni Award.
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Wheeling Ca mpus
Partnering Over a Pig
weighs between 50 and 60 pounds
and that the pig was “in primal cut or
sections. It came fresh and became an
integral part of meat/seafood/poultry
class. Because we have an industrial
freezer, we did freeze some of the
pig and we’re still using it in various
classes.”
From left are Bonnie Peterman, instructor and director of Northern’s surgical technology program; culinary arts student Rebecca Bennett of New Martinsville; Chef Chris
Kefauver, assistant professor of culinary arts; culinary arts student Anthony Wheeler
of Wheeling; and Debbie Fitzgerald, surgical technology instructor.
At first glance, there doesn’t appear
to be much in common between a
wonderfully prepared and succulent
pork roast and the art of surgical
suturing. But two faculty members at
West Virginia Northern Community
College have collaborated to provide
worthwhile learning experiences for
students in two wholly different academic programs.
As part of the WVNCC culinary arts
program, Kefauver is called upon to
order large amounts of food, much as
a restaurant would do. He decided to
ask his supplier, Sysco, to help identify
a vendor that could provide a demonstration on how to handle large cuts of
meat. Hormel, he said, “stepped up to
the plate, so to speak, and we received
a donation of half a pig.”
Chef Chris Kefauver, assistant professor of culinary arts at WVNCC, and
Bonnie Peterman, instructor and director of Northern’s surgical technology program, conduct their programs
in the Education Center building on
the downtown Wheeling campus. In
the course of a chance meeting earlier in the semester, the pair devised
an opportunity for their programs to
partner---over a pig.
In the conversation with Peterman,
the chef mentioned the donation and
the two ultimately “began discussing pigskin. Some pig anatomy, bone
structure is similar to that of humans
and we found parts of the pig that
Chris doesn’t need we are using for
practice for different mock surgeries,”
she said.
Kefauver explained that half a pig
Peterman said her classes are using
“mainly skin, feet and hoofs with
tendons. We practice suturing techniques, cutting and tying sutures and
stapling. Of course, the parts have to
be room temperature but they can be
frozen and used for an entire academic year.
“Students loved being able to work
on suturing techniques with this ‘real’
skin,” Peterman explained, something
that’s particularly important to the
student. As part of their lab equipment, surgical technician students
receive a cloth towel to practice sewing surgically.
“Even if we have to pay for it in the
future, we intend to retain this as part
of what we do in surgical technician
training,” Peterman said.
“Innovation in education often occurs out of necessity and sometimes
through serendipity,” Dr. Vicki Riley,
WVNCC’s vice president of academic
affairs, said. “What Chef Chris and
Bonnie are doing is an excellent example of that.”
2013 Ogden Race
President Olshinsky meets with participants and
organizers in the 2013 Ogden Newspapers Half
Marathon Classic Veterans Torch Relay that kicked
off the event on the afternoon of May 24 at the
Osiris Shrine Temple in Elm Grove. The tribute to the military has become a significant kick-off
event for the long Memorial Day weekend as well.
Dr. Olshinsky and Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger were the first two persons to carry the torch from
the Shrine Temple, traveling west along National Road
and handed the torch off to Ohio County Sheriff ’s Deputies Kris Waechter and Jason Bracher-Musty near the point
where Interstates 70 and 470 meet.
heating/air conditioning instruction
along with a large classroom, offices
and reception area. The second floor
includes a classroom and the lab for
Mechatronics, a new program that
prepares students to be electrical and
industrial maintenance technicians,
and space for the petroleum technology program.
From left are West Virginia Del. Michael Ferro, Marshall County; West Virginia First
District Sen. Rocky Fitzsimmons; Fred Renzella, member, WVNCC board of governors; Dr. Darrell Cummings, president of the board of governors, WVNCC President
Martin J. Olshinsky; John Clarke, board of governors member; Vic Greco of SMG Architects, Wheeling; Dr. Mary Marockie, president of the WVNCC Foundation board;
and James Skidmore, chancellor of the West Virginia Community and Technical
College System. In the back, from left and partially obscured are Mike Koon, WVNCC
vice president of workforce development, and Steve Lippiello, WVNCC vice president
of administrative services/CFO. Back row at right is Joe DeSalvo, owner of DeSalvo
Construction Co. of Hubbard, OH, main contractor on the project.
ATC Ribbon Cutting
The Applied Technology Center at
West Virginia Northern Community
College was opened officially Monday,
May 6, with ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the renovated building which
extends and enlarges the growing
downtown Wheeling campus.
The event was held just inside the
front doors of the former auto showroom for Straub Honda at the corner
of 16th and Market streets. Ground
was broken on May 9 of last year for
the $3.88 million project.
“Work on this building has been the
subject of scrutiny and much comment by Wheeling area residents and
we believe the community, as well as
our students and staff, will be more
than pleased by the end result,” Dr.
Martin J. Olshinsky, WVNCC president, said. “Although a few finishing
touches remain to be done, this building will be a vibrant part of the college
when classes begin for the fall semester on Aug. 19.”
Officials from the college, state, city
and county participated in the event,
with remarks being given by Olshinsky; James Skidmore, chancellor of
the West Virginia Community and
Technical College System; Dr. Darrell Cummings, chair of the WVNCC
board of governors; Wheeling Mayor
Andy McKenzie; Michael Koon,
WVNCC vice president of workforce
development; and Vic Greco, SMG
Architects of Wheeling.
Greco’s design for the project incorporated elements of surrounding
buildings, including West Virginia
Independence Hall, located directly
across Market Street, and the college’s
adjacent B&O Building. Low bidder of the eight firms which sought
to construct the project was DeSalvo
Construction Co. of Hubbard, OH.
First floor of the building houses labs
for welding, diesel and refrigeration/
The project was first announced on
Feb. 24, 2011, when WVNCC’s Board
of Governors approved a resolution
calling for purchasing the three former car dealership parcels in downtown Wheeling for $1.05 million. In
August of that year documents were
signed officially turning over the
property to the college from the
Ohio County Development Authority. Funds for the purchase and renovation came from state bond money
approved by the Legislature in 2008.
Currently under construction is the
college’s Student Union and Barnes
& Noble bookstore to be located
in the former Hyundai showroom
across 16th Street from the ATC. It
is expected to be opened in early July.
The college’s current facilities include
the B&O Building, situated across the
street from the former car dealerships,
and the Education Center, the other
main college building, across Chapline Street from the B&O Building.
2013 SUMMER
JOB FAIR
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
11 a.m.- 2 p.m. • B&O Building Auditorium
Opportunities for summer work
and also regular employment
Those seeking employment are encouraged to arrive
early, dress professionally and bring plenty of copies
of their resume.
Registered Employers Include:
TeleTech
Cabela’s
Landmark
Staffing
(First Niagra Pavilion)
Williams Lea
Wheeling
Island Casino
We’re Rolling
Pretzel Co.
And many more!
For more information please contact:
Julie Horton,
Career Services Counselor
304-214-8817; jhorton@wvncc.edu
Summer Job Fair
Julie Horton, career services counselor, said the Summer Job Fair, held
on April 30 in the B&O Building
auditorium, Wheeling campus, hosted
a dozen area vendors looking for summer help as well as regular employees.
Participating vendors included FedEx
Smart Post, Bayer Heritage Federal
Credit Union, and Williams Lea, she
said, adding that more than 30 student job-seekers attended and spoke
to representatives.
Petroleum Technology
Program Announced
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin,
joined by Community and Technical College System of West Virginia
Chancellor Jim Skidmore, on May 29
announced the establishment of the
Appalachian Petroleum Technology
Training Center in Fairmont. The
Center will address the growing workforce needs of the oil and gas industry
within the state and provide training
opportunities for individuals who are
interested in working in the field.
Through joint programs offered by
Pierpont Community and Technical
College and West Virginia Northern
Community College, the Appalachian
Petroleum Technology Training Center will focus on delivering a Certificate of Applied Science in Petroleum
Technology, an Associate of Applied
Science in Petroleum Technology, and
specific customized training programs
to address the industry’s work force
training demands. The Center is a
result of collaboration between the
higher education institutions and the
oil and gas industry.
“As the development of the Marcellus shale continues to expand, this
Center will help our community and
technical colleges meet the training
demands of this growing sector,” said
Dr. Martin J. Olshinsky, President,
WVNCC. “The launch of this Center
reflects our continued commitment
to developing training programs that
are industry-driven and industry-relevant. The oil and gas industry spoke
and we responded.”
Olshinsky said, “The petroleum
technology program will be one of the
cornerstone programs in our new
Applied Technology Center in
Wheeling.
The petroleum
technology lab
provides hands-on
experience to prepare
individuals to work in
the production side
of the rapidly expanding oil and gas
industry. In addition
to the work of the
industry panel to
help develop a curriculum that addresses industry needs, partners such
as Dominion and Chesapeake have
already contributed resources to provide equipment for the program.”
IR Department
Announces Winners
Students were offered a chance to win
a free cap and gown for commencent
courtesy of the IR Department if they
completed the graduating student
survey by April 30. Winners Anastasia
Haysler and Ashley Cox, both from
the Weirton campus, were announced
on May 1.
This was the first year that a statewide
survey was utilized for all community colleges, and Northern received
the highest response rate. Great job
to the IR Department for getting the
students to be active in voicing their
opinions.
New Martinsville Ca mpus
Wetzel County Chamber
Awards Celebration
Larry Tackett and Steve Lippiello
represent WVNCC as one of the
nominees for Business of the Year.
The annual Chamber of Commerce
Awards Celebration was held a bit
differently this year. The nominations
were reviewed and then the top three
in each category were announced to
the public prior to the event. Once
the nominees were announced, the
voting began. Each nominee was
permitted to solicit votes that would
be tallied with the winner announced
at the dinner. The New Martinsville
campus was one of the contenders
for the Business of the Year; however,
more votes were received for another
business and the College was not
chosen as the winner. The campus
also sponsors a decorated table at this
event and Debbie Bennett decided to
go with the theme Congratulations
Graduate! The guests who sat at the
College’s table were “awarded” a certificate to schedule an appointment with
Ina Robinson, interim counselor, to
register for a class (no monetary value
was involved, as this was simply a way
to promote the College!); a “diploma”
(a Northern backpack), and a candy
graduation cap. The centerpiece, a
candy bouquet, case of Coca-Cola,
and a WVNCC sweatshirt was one of
the evening’s door prizes. Thanks to
Larry Tackett, Steve Lippiello, Jennifer and Clint Lantz, Scott Lemley and
Debbie Bennett for representing the
campus at the awards celebration.
Biology Symposium
biology classes. This event always
covers a wide variety of topics and is
presented in a very informative manner. Many of the staff, faculty and
students took the opportunity to walk
through the displays and talk with
students. The event was open to the
public and Cork Bowen, NM Friends
Board member, was impressed with
the level of research that the students
exhibited. Shown are Brianna Cook
with her project on diabetes and
Brandon Howell with his project on
Sjögren’s syndrome.
The 5th Semi-Annual Biology
Symposium was held Tuesday, April
30, and Wednesday, May 1. Students
and their displays filled room 110
during the two days of the symposium. This was the final project for
the students in Dr. Sherri Buerdsell’s
Anatomy & Physiology and Micro-
Honors Convocation
Family and friends held their cameras at the ready as they waited for the
names of the honorees to be announced at the Campus’ Honors Convocation. The administration, faculty and staff presented a variety of certificates
of achievement to the New Martinsville campus students. Honorees were
recognized for President’s List, Dean’s List, Phi Theta Kappa and outstanding program, division and alumni. Since the program did not contain the
names of the recipients for the Outstanding Alumni, program, and division awards, there were moments of excitement as students realized their
name was just read as the recipient. This event is sponsored by the New
Martinsville Campus Friends of the College and several of the Friends
Board members were present to congratulate the honorees.
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1. From left are Larry Tackett, Vicki Riley, Darcey Ferrell, Patricia Roper (recipient of program award for Associate in Arts, Psychology Concentration,
and President’s List) and Ina Robinson.
2. From left are Ina Robinson, Darcey Ferrell, Melanie Lamp (recipient
of Liberal Arts Division award, program award for Associate in Arts,
Pschyology 2+2, and President’s List), Dr. Terry Craig, and Mark
Goldstein.
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New Martinsville School Kindergarten Class Visits Campus
From left kindergarteners visit the Wetzel County Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting held at the New Martinsville campus,
then on to the Nursing Lab.
The campus had some young visitors
on Wednesday, May 29. The College was one of the stops for the the
kindergarten classes of New Martinsville School as they learned about
“community helpers” during their
walking tour. Three groups of 40 students toured the library, nursing and
biology labs and then stopped in the
student lounge for a light snack before
continuing to their next location.
Since the Wetzel County Chamber of
Commerce was holding its monthly
meeting that day, the Chamber invited
the students to stop by to hear a brief
description about the activities and
events that the Chamber plans for the
community. The students enjoyed the
butterfly and moth collections that
were displayed in the biology lab as
Relay for Life of Wetzel County
There is still time to join the New Martinsville Campus Team, WVNCC Thundering Chickens for the
Wetzel County Relay for Life. The event will be held
Friday, June 21, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Magnolia
High School track. Ida Williams and her husband
will set up the site for the campus and will have popcorn and drinks for sale that evening. Don Chamberlain and Mega Entertainment, Inc. will be providing
a photo booth for the site so that Relayers can take a
picture with a friend to remember the evening. Props
will be provided by the College and all proceeds will
be donated to the Wetzel County Relay for Life on
behalf of the campus’ team. If anyone needs more
information or wants to help, please contact Debbie
Bennett.
they had recently been studying them
in their classroom. Debbie Bennett
was their tour guide for the morning
and heard many “thank yous” from
the girls and boys and even received a
few hugs! The teachers hope to make
this part of their annual end of year
experience for the children.
Weirton Ca mpus
Weirton Super Sleuths
The Weirton campus was the site for criminal investigations on May 6. Students in Jim Tully’s Criminal Identification
and Investigation class set up a number of crime scenes on campus and then fellow students had to collect evidence and
process the scene.