Year in Review: MCC’s memorable moments from 2010

As an eventful and memorable 2010 comes to a close, let’s look back at some of the highlights from the last year, shall we?

In January, Debbie Goodall became president of MCC-Business & Technology, Kathy Hale was named district director of enrollment management and Bill Hudson was hired as chief of campus police. The state-of-the-art MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute opened its doors and the Institute for Workforce Innovation inked an internship partnership with North Kansas City-based healthcare IT giant Cerner Corporation.

In February, a group of MCC-Maple Woods vet tech students took first place in a state-wide academia bowl and MCC earned two top honors from the MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council for the district’s support of minority suppliers.

In March, MCC was awarded $2.2 million by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon as part of the state’s Training for Tomorrow initiative and MCC-Business & Technology welcomed more than 3,000 students for MCC’s second annual Careers Unlimited fair.

In April, MCC-Penn Valley received national accreditation for its child growth and development degree program and the MCC Foundation’s inaugural Five Star Gala raised awareness of MCC throughout the community. MCC-Longview celebrated the campus' 40th anniversary and drew record crowds for its 4th annual Flights of Fancy kite festival. MCC human resources launched a robust employee wellness program and hired Christina McGee for the newly created position of employee relations manager.

In May, Jackie Snyder was honored by the Francis Family Foundation, MCC-Maple Woods’ Robin Stimac was honored by the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, MCC was honored by the Air National Guard and the MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute was honored with an international innovation award. MCC added Blue Cross Blue Shield’s A Healthier You program to wellness offerings, including the Points to Blue incentive program.

In June, MCC Chancellor Jackie Snyder retired after 15 years at MCC, including four years as the district’s first woman chancellor. MCC student Maggie Siebert was rendered a hero when, during a class visit to Yellowstone National Park, she performed CPR on a tourist who had been struck by lightning. Debbie Moore-Hargrove was named teacher of the year by Kansas City Missouri Adult Basic Education and MCC received two awards from the MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council for awarding contracts to minority suppliers. MCC-Business & Technology played host to the 46th annual Skills USA Conference, which drew thousands of standout career and technical education students.

In July, Mark James assumed the role of MCC chancellor after serving for 18 months as vice chancellor of administrative services. Kathy Walter-Mack was appointed to the newly created position of chief of staff and Bill Anker joined MCC as director of technology services. An impending change to MCC Weekly News was unveiled and a new webpage was created to give employees direct access to important accounting info.

In August, the start of the fall semester brought with it a spike in enrollment at MCC-Business & Technology and a slam dunk in the food offerings at MCC-Penn Valley when Subway sandwich shop opened on campus. MCC celebrated its 30 year partnership with Don Bosco. The launch of The MCC Insider forever changed the face of internal and external communication at MCC.

In September, a highly anticipated announcement from Missouri Governor Jay Nixon at a planned press conference at MCC-Penn Valley gave way to a public safety incident when Penn Valley dean of instruction Al Dimmitt was attacked with a knife while awaiting the governor’s arrival. Though Dean Dimmitt’s injuries required immediate surgery, quick thinking and swift action by Chancellor Mark James and other witnesses led to the immediate apprehension of the assailant and averted further harm. MCC ramped up its recycling efforts, driven by the district-wide Green Initiatives Task Force.

In October, MCC employees gave generously to local nonprofit organizations through the United Way campaign, raising more than $30,000 for those in need in our community. MCC-Maple Woods celebrated homecoming in style, with activities for students and the community.

In November, students at MCC-Business & Technology chartered a chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and students in the MCC-Blue River police academy participated in a memorial run that honored a fallen police officer. MCC-Maple Woods entertained young and old alike at the 11th annual Storytelling Celebration.

In December, MCC saw another visit from Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, when he gave a press conference at Maple Woods to announce several new economic development and employment growth initiatives. MCC-Blue River’s world-famous student-focused always-humorous video news show, To the Point, marked its 50th episode.

Phew! What a year! All of this and serving over 50,000 students this year! Is your most memorable MCC moment of 2010 not included in the list above? Using the comment function below, tell us what you’ll remember most about the year.

From all of us on the district-wide communication and public relations team, we wish you a safe and happy holiday and look forward to more great things in 2011. See you next year!