'Exploring Photography' Course Begins July 13 at Randolph Community College Archdale

Randolph Community College's Archdale Center will offer a short photography course beginning in July that would be ideal for college students and teachers who are out of school for the summer or other adults looking for a summer activity.

"Exploring Photography With Your Personal Camera" is designed to help individuals take better pictures and feel comfortable using their cameras. It will include learning the best methods of taking photographs, along with editing and printing them. The registration fee is $40.

The course will meet from 1-4 p.m. on Wednesdays, July 13 through Aug. 10.

For more information or to register, contact the Archdale Center at 336-862-7980. The Archdale Center is located at 110 Park Drive in Creekside Park.

Bock Named Director of Randolph Community College Archdale Center

Lisa Hayworth Bock of Trinity has been named the new director of Randolph Community College's Archdale Center, replacing Rhonda Winters, who retired this month. Bock has been GED chief examiner/coordinator of assessments at RCC's Asheboro Campus since 2009. She will assume her new position July 1.

For more on this story, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-22.php.

Saturday Morning Basic Welding Course Begins July 9 at Randolph Community College

Randolph Community College's Corporate and Continuing Education Division is offering a Saturday morning Basic Welding course beginning July 9 at the Asheboro Campus. The Saturday morning class is ideal for those who are working a full-time job throughout the week, said Lonnie Hamm, director of RCC's Small Business Center.

Hamm noted that 54 students have earned their American Welding Certifications through classes at the Asheboro Campus in the year 2010-2011, but the demand for welders is still high. "We have two former students working with Shaw Construction in North Carolina who are earning $6,500 per month in wages," he said.

For more information, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-27.php.

Randolph Community College Announces 2011 Spring Semester Honor Roll

Randolph Community College announces the President’s List, Dean’s List, and Honor List for the 2011 spring semester.

To be eligible, a student must complete at least 12 credit hours for the session and earn a grade point average of 4.0 for the President’s List, 3.50-3.99 for the Dean’s List, or 3.00-3.49 for the Honor List. Also, students who complete at least six but less than 12 credit hours for the session and earn a grade point average of 3.00-4.00, excluding Developmental Studies hours and proficiency hours with no incompletes, are eligible for the Honor List.

To see the list, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-21.php.

Business Administration Bachelor's Degree Info Sessions Set for July 5 at Randolph Community College

Two information sessions for the Salem College Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree offered through the University Center of Randolph County will be held on Tuesday, July 5. The first session will be from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and the second session will be from 5:30-7 p.m., both on RCC's Asheboro Campus in the Computer Technology Center, Room 110.

Interested students will have a chance to learn more about the program and how to enroll by speaking with Ed Hartgrove, a faculty member and academic advisor for Salem College, and Clark Adams, RCC English/Communication instructor and Salem College liaison.

For more on this story, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-17.php.

Randolph Community College Meets "Exceptional" Standards for N.C. Community Colleges for the Third Consecutive Year

Randolph Community College was one of only two community colleges in North Carolina that achieved "Exceptional Institutional Performance (EIP)"” standards for the third consecutive year, according to the Critical Success Factors report released late last week. Randolph was one of 12 community colleges in North Carolina that made "Exceptional" status this year on the annual accountability measures for North Carolina's 58 community colleges.

In addition to meeting or exceeding all eight system standards, these 12 schools met additional performance goals. Those goals were achieving the college performance rates of students who began in, rather than transferred into, the UNC System and attaining at least a 70 percent passing rate for students who sit for a licensure or certification exam for the first time. The accountability measures are based on 2009-10 academic year data.

For more of this story, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-14.php.

Randolph Community College Receives Grant to Implement NAM Certification System

When President Obama addressed a crowd at a Virginia community college on June 8, he announced the expansion of a program to allow 500,000 community college students to get industry-accepted credentials for manufacturing jobs that companies across America are looking to fill. President Obama said, "The irony is even though a lot of folks are looking for work, there are a lot of companies that are actually also looking for skilled workers. There's a mismatch that we can close. And this partnership is a great way to do it."

The plan partners the private sector, colleges, and the National Association of Manufacturers, the nation's oldest and largest broad-based industrial trade association that represents 14,000 companies in every industrial sector.

Randolph Community College has already taken steps to become a part of this movement to train a more highly skilled work force. RCC was recently awarded a $26,500 grant from the North Carolina Community College System to implement the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)-Endorsed Skills Certification System for its Computer-Integrated Machining program.

For more on this story, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-13.php.

N.C. GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Ribbon of Hope Grant to Help Randolph Community College Basic Skills Students

Randolph Community College has received $25,000 from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Ribbon of Hope program to expand services to workers in Randolph County who lack sufficient skills for entry-level jobs. The program, called Career Connections, will provide the preparation and support for Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Education Development (GED) students to connect to credit and noncredit career pathways.

To read more, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-08a.php.

Randolph Community College Nursing Students Offer Stroke Screening at Merce Clinic June 30

Randolph Community College's Associate Degree Nursing students will provide a free stroke screening from 10:45-11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 30, at Merce Clinic, 1831 N. Fayetteville St., Asheboro.

People at high risk for stroke are those who have hypertension (high blood pressure), poor diet, lack of exercise, and those who smoke, according to Cieanna Hairston, division chair for the Health Sciences and Public Service Division at RCC.

The RCC nursing students will give free blood pressure checks after a brief information session on June 30. Anyone interested should RSVP to Kimberly Cockman at 336-633-0264.

April Thornton & David Jones Win Dancing Trophies at 2011 Dancing with the Randolph Stars Fundraiser

For an encore, it had all of the excitement of a main event. The Randolph Community College Foundation's second Dancing with the Randolph Stars repeated the success of 2010's inaugural event. Preliminary figures reported Saturday night showed the fundraiser had collected over $97,000 before expenses. All proceeds will go directly to scholarships for Randolph Community College students.

April Thornton, director of public relations and development at Randolph Hospital, and David Jones, director of the N.C. Zoological Park, took home the 2011 Dancing with the Randolph Stars trophies by getting the most votes from the community at $10 a vote. Votes were solicited before the event and during the evening at the dinner show held at AVS Catering and Banquet Centre for the second year. Thornton and Jones, who were dancing together for the second year, performed to Elvis Presley's "Fever." The winning trophies were presented to them by last year's winner Bill Hoover, who carried a life-size cutout of dance partner Laura Wilson, who could not attend.

To read more of this story and see additional photos, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-06a.php.

Randolph Community College Archdale Center Adds Two-Year Degree in Medical Assisting

Randolph Community College is currently taking applications for a new associate degree program in Medical Assisting at the Archdale Center beginning fall 2011.

Medical assisting is among the fastest growing job occupations over the 2008-2018 decade, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with employment expected to grow 34% nationwide during that period. In North Carolina, according to the Employment Security Commission, the employment of medical assistants was projected to rise 49% from 2006-2016.

For more on this story, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-06.php.

Concealed Carry Training at Randolph Community College June 11 and July 16

Randolph Community College is offering two Concealed Carry courses for students during the summer session through its Corporate and Continuing Education Division. The first course will meet from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. The second course will meet from 8 a.m. -5 p.m. on Saturday, July 16.

The 8-hour class meets the educational requirements so the student can apply for a North Carolina concealed carry handgun permit. Supplies needed are a handgun and 50 rounds of ammunition. The registration fee is $49.

For more information or to sign up for one of these classes, call 336-633-4165. The classes will be held at Randolph Community College's Emergency Services Training Center, 895 Training Center Drive, just outside of Asheboro.

Bachelor’s Degree Information Sessions at Randolph Community College June 14

Salem College officials will hold two information sessions on Tuesday, June 14, in the Randolph Community College Foundation Conference Center for students who are interested in obtaining their bachelor's degree in Business Administration through the University Center of Randolph County on RCC's Asheboro Campus. The morning session will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and the evening session will be held from 5:30-7 p.m.

For more on this story, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2011/2011-06-02.php.

Online Voting for the Randolph Community College Foundation's Dancing with the Randolph Stars Closes Thursday at Noon

Online voting for the Randolph Community College Foundation's 2011 Dancing with the Randolph Stars closes at noon on Thursday, June 2.

The public can vote for their favorite couple, at $10 a vote, up until noon on Thursday, June 2, at www.dancingwiththerandolphstars.org. For those who cannot vote online, votes can be cast in person at the RCC Foundation Conference Center on the Asheboro Campus up until 3 p.m. on Friday, June 3.

Voting has been picking up in the last few days but has not yet reached last year's pre-event totals, according to Ann Hoover and Vickie Gallimore, co-chairs of the Dancing with the Randolph Stars planning committee.

Sixteen couples will compete at Saturday night's event at AVS Catering and Banquet Centre. The couple with the most votes at the end of the evening will be awarded the Dancing with the Randolph Stars trophy. Last year's winners were Laura Wilson, chief operating officer and president of Pyramid Services Inc., and Bill Hoover, retired from RBC Centura and former president and CEO of First Southern Savings Bank. Wilson and Hoover danced a Michael Jackson-style dance to the singer's signature song, "Bad."

Tickets for the event are sold out.

Lane Ragsdale is directing the show this year. The emcee for the event will be Larry Reid, and judges will be Rick Morgan, Lynne Qualls, and Clark Bell.