Sen. McCaskill visits MCC, wants to ratchet up appeal of manufacturing careers

"We need to convince students that tech is cool, and that manufacturing is tech," said U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill at a press conference Friday morning following a roundtable discussion with educators, community leaders and manufacturing employers.

The roundtable conversation, held at the MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute, was part of a statewide tour where Sen. McCaskill is visiting manufacturing facilities and talking to business and industry leaders about what they need to become more economically viable. McCaskill said she asked MCC to host Friday's event because she understands the important relationship between a prepared, skilled workforce and the high-quality technical education and training at MCC.

Roundtable participants included:
Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator
Corey Dillon, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill’s Office
Clyde McQueen, Full Employment Council
Yolanda Reddix, Glennon Place, and graduate of MCC short-term training and LINCWorks
Troy Teague, Cerner
Tom Goodpasture, Pride Manufacturing, and representative of the Regional Nat'l. Tooling & Machining Assoc.
Bruce Eagleburger, Vector Tool and Engineering
Jake Chambers, Vector Tool and Engineering
Terry Akins, IBEW 124
Ron Green, Hallmark Cards
Tony Reinhart, Regional Director of Government Relations, Ford Motor Company

Participants from MCC included: Chancellor Mark James, IWI Executive Director Margaret Boyd, MCC-Business & Techonology President Debbie Goodall, MCC-Business & Technology Tech. Division Chair Penny Tepesch, Associate Vice Chancellor Tom Vansaghi, Vice Chancellor Paul Long and MCC-Maple Woods President Merna Saliman.

MCC Exhibits at MO State Fair - Science Fair in the Street

Metropolitan Community College sent 100+ Missouri State Fair visitors home with hand-built Cog Cards and a slightly cooled fair experience.  Click the video above to see MCC's Pedal Powered Cooling Station and kids building Cog Cards at the Missouri State Fair on Saturday, Aug 13.

Jen Dec and David Hawkins of MCC-BT brought parts, fixtures, and enough patience to help 100+ five to ten year-olds build planetary gear cards, which require precision glue-sticking and assembly of eleven tiny parts.  "The kids were fun", said Jen. "The kids REALLY liked building cards - we had their undivided attention for about ten minutes, which is pretty impressive - I say!"

The Pedal Powered Cooling Station used a water pump attached to a bicycle exercise trainer to mist fair patrons.  The pump pulled water from an 8 gallon tank and pressurized a series of misting heads.  "In all we pumped 24 gallons of water on the crowd.  Although I tried to con kids into taking a shift on the bike, I believe I ended up pedaling about 20 of the 24 gallons", said Alex Grigsby of MCC-BT.

Both the Cog Cards and Pedal Powered Cooling Station where designed at MCC's FabLab.  Science Fair in the Street was coordinated by Missouri State Fair and SCOPE.

KC Business Journal: BTC's Tom Wheeler Talks about Manufacuring Trends and Worker Skills

Tom Wheeler is dean of instruction at Metropolitan Community College's Business & Technology Campus. MCC is beginning to examine revising its curriculum to coordinate with a national certification system.

Check out the article here.

LV Cashier Supervisor Celebrates Retirement

Queen Pam Weston celebrates upcoming retirement with colleagues during Cashier Supervisor meeting/Retirement Luncheon June 28, 2011.  From left: Michelle Allen, Tomislav Plecas, Rene Bennett, Cindy Ingram, Brenda Wagner, Pam Weston (crowned) Sherry Skinner, Emily Thompson, Sherry Muirhead and Kathy Mercer.

Grainger Tools for Tomorrow Winners Get Sneak Peak at Prize

From left: MCC-BTC Dean of Instruction, Tom Wheeler; Electric Utility Line Tech student, Ryan McNary; Engineering Technology student, Judah Schad; and Grainger Branch Manager, Jari Allen.  Ryan and Judah were selected for the Grainger Tools for Tomorrow scholarship - a $1,000 scholarship and a very large bag of tools after they graduate.     The Grainger Tools for Tomorrow scholarship program awards financial assistance for tuition and books to outstanding students earning an associates degree or certificate in the fields of electrical, plumbing, welding, construction, facilities maintenance, machine technology, electronic systems, automotive repair and other industrial programs.  Learn more about available scholarship here.

Free MCC shirts at SkillsUSA

Have an MCC student ID or employee ID? Want a FREE MCC t-shirt? We'll have some at SkillsUSA Nationals this week and only folks w/ an MCC ID can get one!

To get your shirt, come down to Bartle Hall June 22 or 23, find Alex Grigsby and show him your MCC ID from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Shirts are limited, so come early!

The SkillsUSA Championship showcases the best career and technical students in the nation.  Students compete against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, crime scene investigation, medical assisting, photography, robotics and culinary arts.

FabLab Father's Day Present Build Time: 1.5hrs / Induced Smiles: 150hrs

During his lunch break yesterday, Alex Grigsby, a mild craftsman, built his father's day present in MCC-BTC's FabLab.  (Message safe here; he doesn't have internet or a computer)  The younger Grigsby feels sense of pride and accomplishment from making a tangible thing.  Older Grigsby feels sense of pride because his son has capacity to run a miter saw and drill and didn't grow up a total flop.  Father expected to say, "Son, didn't you build me this same birdhouse when you were twelve?"  Answer: "Yes"

Entire bluebird house made from single 1X6 board - fancy FabLab logo in picture above burned with laser engraver.  Plans downloaded from Missouri Department of Conservation website - http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/how/woodworking.  Learn more about FabLab here.

SkillsUSA Brings 1,000s to KC June 21-23 - MCC Intends to say "Hello"

The SkillsUSA Championship showcases the best career and technical students in the nation.  Students compete against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, crime scene investigation, medical assisting, photography, robotics and culinary arts.


This multi-million dollar event requires a space larger than 16 football fields.  Last year, there were more than 5,600 contestants in 96 separate events.  This year, more than 15,000 students, parents, teachers, judges and industry representatives will attend SkillsUSA Championship between June 21 and 23.  This national competition creates an economic impact of around $15 million for the Kansas City area, according to Kansas City Business Journal.

While Bartle hall is the main location for competition, CNC Milling, CNC Turning, and Precicsion Machining Technology contests will be held in MCC-BTC's 8,800 sq. ft. Precision Machining lab.

MCC plans to welcome every single guest!  Or, at least parade amongst them wearing MCC t-shirts.

FabLab NOW OPEN!

FabLab =Laboratory where students and the community access high-tech equipment to design, test and build just about anything.

The FabLab is NOW OPEN to students and MCC employees.

FabLab members conceptualize, design, develop, fabricate, and test almost anything. If you recon yourself an artist, engineer, tinkerer, inventor, entrepreneur or deviser, the FabLab will soon become your new favorite place!
 

Graduation at MCC-Business & Technology

MCC-BTC's 2011 graduates toss their hats in celebration, Friday, May 20.   BTC graduation highlights include: Fredward, the robotic Graduation Marshall, handing degrees and certificates to well-deserving students, and witnessing the entire staff and student body dance to Black Eye Peas, "I Gotta Feeling."  Click here to see more pictures from graduation.

Employee Survey: MCC's Fitness and Recreation Centers

As part of MCC’s continued commitment to review programs and services, Vice Chancellor Tuesday Stanley has charged a committee, composed of staff, faculty, and administrators, to review MCC’s fitness and recreation centers.

A survey was recently distributed to students in order to obtain their input. At this time we would like to hear from MCC employees. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey that can be accessed from the link below. No personal information will be shared with anyone.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2GVWYF3

Thank you in advance for your participation and taking time to complete the survey.

- Mary Truex, Co-Chair

- Brian Bechtel, Co-Chair

BTC Students get HVAC Lesson Soft-Served

Students in the HVAC program took parts from five discarded ice cream machines to make one.  With the help of donations from McDonald's (cones) and Wendy's (ice cream mix and gaskets), students literally got a taste of accomplishment today and it was flavored vanilla.

Three BTC Teams Compete in Tiger Net Challenge

From Left: Micheal Richard, Carl Schmitt, Tim Kirk, Maurice Burk, and Francine Wild compete as Team Highlander in the 2011 Tiger Net Challenge Wednesday, April 27 at MCC-Business & Technology.  Twenty seven teams from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota and Wisconson, as well as two teams from China, compete online in three areas: Quiz Bowl, Troubleshooting, and Router Wars.  MCC-BTC has three teams from the Cisco Networking Academy in this year's competition with Team Highlander, Team America, and Team Rag Tag.  More information about the Tiger Net Challenge is found here.

Team Highlander during Quiz Bowl section of Tiger Net Challenge.

BTC Selected One of Top 120 Colleges in US

MCC-Business & Technology has been honored as one of the 120 community colleges eligible for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

An expert panel has identified BTC as eligible to apply for the $1 million prize based on institutional performance, improvement, and equity on student retention and completion measures.

Business & Technology is the only MCC campus to be selected, and one of five Missouri colleges – joining Linn State, Crowder, North Central and Missouri State University-West Plains.

Applying for the next round will require documenting how we use data to continually improve student success, program offerings and our responsiveness to workforce needs. The Aspen Institute hopes that “by focusing on student success and lifting up models that work, the Aspen Prize will honor excellence, stimulate innovation, and create benchmarks for measuring progress.”

The $1 million will be awarded in December 2011.

Read more about the Aspen Prize here - http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/aspen-prize/eligibleinstitutions

I.W.I. hosts Customer Appreciation Night

Last week, the Institute for Workforce Innovation (I.W.I.) thanked Kansas City area companies in the annual Customer Appreciation Night at the Business & Technology campus. I.W.I. is proud to continue to be the go-to source for so many business consulting and training needs.

Fifteen representatives from a variety of companies and organizations came out to enjoy an evening of networking, food, prizes and guided tours of the BTC Harley-Davidson lab. The attendees included companies and organizations such as Hallmark, CertainTeed, ATK, Reit Management and Research, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Excelsior Springs Job Corps, and the Water Services Department of Kansas City, Missouri, reflecting the broad client base that MCC serves and will continue to serve.

MCC Students Win at MO State SkillsUSA Contest

From Left, Kate Douglas, Cisco Networking Instructor and Skills USA judge; Micheal Whited, MCC-BTC student and First place winner in Prepared Speech contest; Dr. Paul Light, Missouri SkillsUSA State Director; David Michael Gray, MCC-LV student and second place winner in Automotive Service Skills; David Patience, LV Automotive instructor.

Students from MCC's SkillsUSA Chapter took home top honors over the weekend at State SkillsUSA competition at Linn State Technical college.  Micheal Whited won first place in Prepared Speech contest and will be representing MCC at national contest in June.  MCC-LV Automotive student, David Michael Gray, took first place in his written event and second in the automotive service skill event.

MCC-BTC HVAC Instructor Receives Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching

Dick Decker, HVAC instructor at Metropolitan Community College’s Business & Technology Campus, was honored as a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in Jefferson City on Wednesday, March 30.  The award was presented at a luncheon sponsored by the Missouri Community College Association.

MCC-BTC Students Compete at SkillsUSA State Contest Today

From left, Michael Whited and George Price will compete in state SkillsUSA contest at Linn State Technical College Thursday, March 31.  Michael is competing in Prepared Speech and George is competing in Technical Computer Applications.  Kate Douglas and Ed McCarty, Cisco Faculty, will be judging the Internetworking Contest. 

Chancellor Mark James visits MCC-Business & Technology

Chancellor Mark James visited MCC-Business & Technology on March 29 to have lunch with employees, administrators and students. He talked about MCC's budget looking forward and answered employee and student questions. James will be at MCC-Penn Valley April 26 as part of his informal lunch discussions with each campus this semester to communicate important information and hear feedback about MCC. 

 

Beta Tau Kappa Chapter Charter Inked - BTC Inducts 13 in Honor Society

With the last member’s signature of the charter document on Friday, March 25, MCC-BTC’s honor society became official.  At the same moment, chapter Beta Tau Kappa joined a network of more than 1,200 Phi Theta Kappa chapters with 2 million members.

“I’m excited and honored to be part of this chapter and I’m really looking forward to the doors PTK will open,” said Judah Schad, electronic engineering technology student.  “I plan to transfer to Rolla when I complete my degree at MCC-BTC.  I’ve already checked and MU Science and Technology offer a PTK transfer scholarship for members that want to study computer engineering.”