November 28, 2016 - Albany, GA - Albany Technical College will hold the annual awards banquet for nominees selected for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), Rick Perkins Award (Instructor of the Year), and the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) for the upcoming calendar year on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, at 6pm in the Kirkland Conference Center on the Albany Tech campus. A reception will precede at 5:30pm.
The five nominees for GOAL include: Lise Adams-Mason (Environmental Horticulture); Travis Apperson (Electronics and Engineering Technology); Jamekia Collins (Law Enforcement Technology); Nil Patel (Electronics and Engineering Technology); and Tonyari Scott (Electronics and Engineering Technology).
The final three GOAL nominees will be announced at Tuesday evening’s banquet. These three will be interviewed in January by an Albany Area Chamber of Commerce panel and one will be selected to compete at the State GOAL competition to be held in April in Atlanta. The state winner is the official spokesperson for technical education in Georgia for 2017. The Albany Tech winner will also have an opportunity to compete at the Regional Competition for GOAL, which will be held for the Southwest Georgia consortium in March at Southern Regional Tech’s Tifton campus.
The Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year nominees include: Elliott Bonds (Automotive Collision Repair); Nicole Lane (Business Technology); Noreen McGee (Engineering Preparatory Academy); Lynn Miller (Law Enforcement Technology); and Todd White (Culinary Arts).
The Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) nominees include: Rebecca Bozeman (Calhoun County); Lotoya Jordan (Lee County); and Elouise Williams (Dougherty County).
All nominees will be honored at the banquet and the final Perkins and EAGLE winner will be presented. The final GOAL winner will be presented at a later date in January by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce at a monthly Rotary Club meeting.
About the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL)
First launched in 1971, the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) focuses on student excellence in technical education by focusing on academic excellence and personal achievement. A panel of judges selects one student, the state GOAL Winner, to serve as an ambassador of technical education in Georgia. GOAL winners represent the “new image” of Georgia’s technical colleges. Students must recognize technical education’s critical impact on Georgia’s overall economic health, have a strong work ethic, a dedicated sense of loyalty, and a healthy enthusiasm for promoting technical education in Georgia. GOAL winners are the best possible advertisement for technical education. They prove every day that the best technical education consists of more than manipulative skills. Technical education prepares us for the world of work. GOAL students are an indication of what technical education at its best can achieve and of the caliber of individuals who are choosing Georgia’s technical colleges. The winning GOAL student for the state of Georgia serves as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia and makes many public appearances throughout the year including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, Governor and TCSG’s Student Fall Leadership Conference, to name a few.
About the Rick Perkins Award
The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors technical education’s most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize and honor technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields. The recipient of this distinguished award is recognized as Georgia’s Technical College System’s Instructor of the Year. Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the Rick Perkins Award was renamed in memory and honor of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Central Technical College, who received the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence prior to his untimely death. The Rick Perkins Award winner serves as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia. He or she will make many public appearances throughout the year including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, the Governor, and the Georgia Technical College System Leadership Conference, to name a few.
About the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Award
The Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Program celebrates adult learners in pursuit of excellence. The program recognizes and honors students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in statewide adult education classes. The concept of EAGLE is one designed to create a greater awareness of educational opportunities that are available in local communities across the state and to foster involvement in lifelong learning pursuits.