The President’s Blog

What a great weekend for Pellissippi State! On Friday, the Festival of Cultures kicked off with representatives of the many cultures that make up our community. I spent a lot of time with the Korean representatives and learned a lot about their food, social habits, traditional dress, and politics. I really must go for a visit soon. I also spent about 30 minutes listening to the three representatives of Mali. You could not have asked for more engaging ambassadors for a country than these three young men and women. They were proud, excited, and anxious to educate anyone who listen to them about their homeland. I would go visit Mali tomorrow if I were guaranteed tour guides as accomplished and enthusiastic as they were.
Our Jazz Orchestra in the Rotunda during the Festival and they were followed by our new Bluegrass ensemble who played to a full house in the auditorium. It is an exciting time to be a part of Pellissippi State.

On another matter, here is a quote from “the Chronicle” that I find interesting and disturbing at the same time:
“You often hear the quote that you can’t put a price on ignorance,” said Ezra Kazee, who has $29,000 in student debt and has been unable to find a job since graduating from Winona State University in Minnesota last May. “But with the way higher education is going, ignorance is looking more and more affordable every day.”

Also, from the April 17 edition of The Chronicle is an opinion piece about our students as “snowflakes”. “Snowflakes” have been taught to believe that they are “unique and beautiful as every flake of snow.” The child brings a mentality to the classroom whereby professors are viewed as hairdressers, someone to provide a service to the individual. To read more, and to learn about Gordon Ramsay as a model for educators follow this link: http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/04/2009041701c.htm

Pellissippi State is home to many great teachers and one of the very best is Audrey Williams. With strong technical programs, we have long known how to teach technical subjects, but with Audrey’s help, Pellissippi’s Director of Educational Technology Services, we have gotten very proficient in using technology in delivering the information. And thanks to Audrey, we have done it with a minimum of tooth-gnashing and stress.
In this week’s blog, Audrey introduces us, in a 10 minute video, to sites where you can find free multimedia resources. These videos, audios, text, and photographs could be very useful to faculty and to students who are creating projects for classes. If you haven’t already, take a look her blog. You can find it at this address: http://blogs.pstcc.edu/techupdate/