December 3, 2014- Albany, GA- Albany Technical College will hold Fall Commencement Exercises on Thursday, December 4, 2014, at 7pm, at the James H. Gray Civic Center in Albany. A reception preceding the ceremony will be held 5:15 to 6:45pm in the Meeting Room at the Civic Center.
More than 200 candidates for associate degrees, more than 900 candidates for diplomas, and more than 1700 candidates for technical certificates of credit are expected to graduate. Among these graduates, over 100 students were honored at an earlier ceremony on the Albany Tech campus on Tuesday with such distinctions as General Education Development highest test scores, Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), Presidential Scholar, Honors with Distinction, National Technical Honor Society (NTHS), ATC Ambassadors, American Criminal Justice Association Club, Collegiate DECA, Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), Student Government Association (SGA), and SkillsUSA. In addition, nearly 65 high school students will graduate with college credit through Albany Tech's dual/joint enrollment programs. Almost 40 students will graduate with their General Education Development (GED®).
Among the list of graduates for Thursday evening's ceremony are two students with outstanding stories. Jeanetta Miles, candidate for an associate's degree in Drafting Technology, never knew she would find herself just one class away from graduating. Just four years ago, she finally earned her high school diploma after being away from school for nine years. During those nine years, Miles found herself struggling in life. She had put her life and dreams on the back burner while she cared for her children and mother. Her life up to that point had been full of challenges and hardships that seemed too overwhelming to conquer. However, one day, while looking at her children she realized she had to make a better life for herself. She realized that if anything happened to her parents or herself, there would be nothing for her children and they could face the same hardships she had to endure.
In 2010, Miles reached out to Even Start, a program that helped her to complete the requirements to earn her high school diploma. Once she had overcome that hurdle, she enrolled in the Strive to Thrive program where she successfully completed and became a volunteer to help others succeed.
"I realized I had to change my situation, break old habits, and change my mindset," said Miles. "It is through the grace of God and my children that I am here today."
That decision to change brought Jeanetta to Albany Technical College, where she came across Chinelo Ochie, Albany Tech's Drafting Technology instructor. Ochie had been Mile's drafting teacher at Dougherty High School and she was surprised to see her at Albany Technical College. Ochie remembered Miles fondly and proceeded to show her the drafting lab and encouraged her to pursue a degree in drafting. Miles had always enjoyed drawing, creating something new, and helping her community. It was a perfect fit and she has been enjoying her drafting courses immensely since the day she enrolled in the Drafting Technology degree program.
With Ochie's support and belief in her abilities, Miles is successfully employed as an intern at a local architectural company. She is working each day in a field she loves with a team of architects who make a difference in their community. She is also looking forward to working with Habitat for Humanity where she can continue to make a difference in the lives of others.
Miles' future goals include earning her bachelor's degree and continuing to work in the field of architecture and working to improve her community. She is just one of many students who are benefiting from the Drafting Technology program at Albany Technical College.
Another graduate is Torrey Holmes, who is currently employed in the Material Management Division at the Marine Depot Maintenance Command. Holmes, a candidate at this evening's graduation in the Business Logistics Management program, attributes her current success to her decision to enroll in the program.
Moving to Albany in 2006 from Virginia, Holmes said her love for God and ministry brought her and her family to move here, but she had no idea the job assignment would only last two years. When the ministry could no longer afford to keep her on staff, she began working at the Albany Symphony Orchestra as the office manager, and eight months later, she was offered a position at Albany Tech in the Adult Education office before later moving to a position in the Center for Business Solutions at Albany Tech. While working in the Center for Business Solutions at Albany Tech, she took an interest in Business Logistics Management and later enrolled in the program. She said this was a wise decision on her part, because it afforded her the opportunity to participate in the Co-op program at the Marine Depot Maintenance Command. Through the program, she learned how to apply management principles on a daily basis, which she says is a must in her current position.
"The logistics operations principles I have learned enable me to be efficient and effective as I manage the many aspects of my job," said Holmes.
Holmes said she would recommend the program to anyone who is looking to reinvent themselves in a new and rewarding career. "This program will challenge them to be better personally and professionally," she said.
Keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Dr. Arthur N. Dunning, Interim President of Albany State University. Appointed Interim President of Albany State University by the University System of Georgia's Chancellor Hank Huckaby in November of 2013, Dunning is a veteran administrator scholar and lecturer with a distinguished track record in higher education. Serving as Vice Chancellor for International Programs and Outreach for the University of Alabama System in Tuscaloosa, Dunning advised the Chancellor on opportunities to build international programs, strengthen the base of academic and research partnerships, expand economic development initiatives and developing strong linkages with emerging economies around the world, specifically India and Argentina. Additionally, he assisted in developing and communicating a strategy for commercialization and innovation of UA System faculty and research. He also served as chair of the UA System committee on Strategic Initiatives.
At the University of Alabama, Dunning was a professor and senior research fellow in the Education Policy Center. His work included service on state and national boards, as well as teaching responsibilities. He served for seven years in administrative and faculty positions on the Tuscaloosa campus before embarking on a 27-year career in higher education in the state of Georgia where he was Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia. His responsibilities included institutional leadership for public service and outreach activities across the campus, around the state and internationally. The tenured professor impacted the lives of students in the Institute of Higher Education on the Athens campus.
Prior to joining UGA in 2000, Dunning served as Senior Vice Chancellor for Human and External Resources, acting Executive Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Services at the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. At the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, he was Chief Executive Officer; and at Kennesaw State University, the administrator was Dean of Graduate Studies and Sponsored Research, and Associate Professor.
A native of Alabama, Dunning earned a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees at the University of Alabama and is recognized for his work in international programs, economic development initiatives, and innovative research partnerships. He served on the board of directors for the Latin American Association and has worked with the Carter Presidential Center and United Nations in Vienna, Austria. Dunning has lived in more than 30 countries, including Ghana, Tunisia, China, India, Thailand, and Brazil and worked internationally in positions related to the military, higher education, and the non-profit sector. As a lecturer, his topics focus on higher education trends, leadership, reform, economic development, campus security and diversity.
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