In Brief: September 2023

The Leftovers, a poem by Dr. Leslie Richardson, an English professor at Plano Campus, was published as the “Poem of the Day” in The Paris Review on Aug. 14. You can read the poem here.

Collin College will partner with Columbus State Community College, which announced receiving a $7.5 Million National Science Foundation grant to launch a new center focused on creating and scaling high-demand training in information technology. Collin will continue the work it has done over the last 20 years as it hosted the National Convergence Technology Center. Collin’s tenure as the lead for the NSF grant ended in September. Thank you to Ann Beheler, Mark Dempsey, Christina Titus, and Debbie Miller for their great work training IT leaders around the country on behalf of Collin College and the NSF.

Dr. Rachel Gunter, professor of History at Plano Campus, has been awarded the 2023 Higher Education Teacher Award by the East Texas Historical Association (ETHA). The award is given to someone who has demonstrated excellence in educating the public about the history or culture of East Texas. Dr. Gunter will receive the award at a luncheon in Nacogdoches on Oct. 7.

Congratulations to Raul Martinez on his selection to serve on the North Central Texas Pathways Leadership Council. He has done great work leading Collin College’s Dual Credit programs and should represent the college well over the next couple of years on this council.

Collin College was selected for a Perkins State Leadership grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for implementing “Prompt Engineering: Harnessing the Power of Generative AI for Increased Productivity” under the direction of Regina Hughes. The grant will focus on creating prompt engineering guides for three workforce programs.

Dr. Mary Barnes-Tilley is participating in a nine-week Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizens Academy. FBI Citizens Academies provide business, religious, civic, and community leaders with “an inside look at the FBI.” The bureau’s website notes that “The mission of the FBI Citizens Academies is to foster a greater understanding of the role of federal law enforcement in the community through frank discussion and education.”

Nick Knirk, music technology coordinator at Plano Campus, opened for guitarist Trace Bundy at a concert at The Guitar Sanctuary Music and Events Center in McKinney on Sept. 23. Bundy has performed multiple special shows at Collin College.

Technical Campus Veterans Services Specialist Jeremiah Kincaid, Construction Workforce Coach Kate Smith, and Student Veterans of America Collin College Chapter Treasurer Cole Patterson represented Collin College at the annual 22Kill Leaders in Construction Clay Shoot and Cornhole Tournament in Dallas. The group talked to the attendees about Collin’s Veteran Services Office and Construction programs. About 350 people attended the event.

The first cohort for the new Physical Therapist Assistant program includes 16 students. The program has moved into its new lab at the Frisco Campus.

Frisco Campus Associate Dean Meredith Martin has been selected to participate in the Leadership Richardson program.

Frisco Campus Associate Dean David Lipe was selected to participate in the Leadership Frisco program.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) granted the Dental Hygiene program the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements” after completion of the program’s expansion. The Dental Hygiene program now accepts up to 24 learners per cohort, an increase from the previous 16-learner cohorts, feeding the high-demand profession.

Collin College Child Development Lab School was granted re-accreditation from the National Association of Young Education through Dec. 1, 2028, with an overall score of 97.60%.

Full-time iCollin Virtual Campus faculty member LaToya Watkins' book, Holler, Child, was published in August by Tiny Reparations Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The collection of short stories comes a year after the publication of her debut novel, Perish, which is set in the same Texas community.

Polysomnographic Technology Director Amber Allen has been asked to speak at the eSleep Europe virtual conference in October and at the 23rd Annual Jean S. Marx Memorial Education Forum virtual conference in November.

The Health Science Simulation program was awarded a Collin College Innovation grant, allowing for the construction of a state-of-the-art technological immersion room. This room allows for diverse training environments, from real-life locations to emergency rooms, all preparing students for real-life scenarios. Content curriculum will be developed, and protocols in best practices and acute care situations will be available.