Black History Month Event Celebrates African-American Women

On Thursday, February 9, 2012, the Ogden Weber Tech College will host its annual Black History Month program.  The theme for this year’s celebration is “Black Women in American Culture and History.”

The public is invited to attend a free evening of entertainment and authentic soul food and will enjoy an ice sculpture of first lady, Michelle Obama. The entertainment will feature step show performances by local dancers, a series of African American blended poems and skits by Talitha Patton from the Etta Grace Black Theatre, and vocals by the Second Baptist Church choir.

Partners for this event include Admiral Beverage Company (Pepsi), Wal-Mart and R.A.M.P. The event will begin at 6:00 pm in the college’s Multipurpose facility located at 200 N Washington Blvd., Ogden, UT. For questions please contact Mac McCullough at the Ogden Weber Tech College Diversity & Community Outreach office 801-627-8317 or mccullom@owatc.edu

Are you a Super Sleuth?  Would you like to win a fabulous Valentine’s Day gift package for two?  Every week we’ll be posting one of 8 clues to find the prize.  This game is for all tech college employees and students. You’ll know you’ve found the prize because it will be clearly marked as “The Prize” with instructions on how to redeem it.

Clue #1: To get the main idea, you must go to the source.

Clue #2: Coordinates: 41.26406° Latitude, -111.96410° Longitude

Clue #3: A Polaris would be advantageous.

Clue #4: What about moss?

Clue #5: What was old is new again.

Clue #6: SHMKBFHTB

UPDATE – The prize has been found!

Congratulations to our Super Sleuth, Heather Cook (below), a student in Medical Transcription who found the prize.  It was hidden in the Health Technology Building above the AED on the second floor.  The Prize was valued at $150 and included:

• Invited Inn Gift Certificate
• Mega Plex Gift Card
• Sonora Grill Gift Card
• 1 lb box of Sees Chocolates
• 1 Bottle of Martinellis with 2 champagne glasses
• Plush Love Bug

Now, for the reveal of the clues:

1. To get the main idea you must go to the source. (The source for all the college campuses is the main campus on Washington Blvd.)
2. 41.26406° Latitude  -111.96410° Longitude (The center of campus, the starting point)
3. A Polaris would be advantageous. (Polaris is the North star – so head north)
4. What about Moss? (Moss grows on the North side – another hint that it is north of the starting point)
5. What was old is new again. (The health programs were in the Business Building (old) and are now in a new building)
6. SHMKBFHTB (Samuel H and Marion K Barker Family Health Technology Building)

Thanks so much for playing – it has been fun to see the enthusiasm for this game – we will definitely do it again!!

Ogden-Weber Tech College has joined with other UCAT colleges in a state-wide marketing campaign.  You may have already seen ads on Fox 13 or Comcast cable networks advertising UCAT.  In these ads people are encouraged to visit the UCAT website to find a college close to them.  They will then be redirected to the selected campus’ website.

We have piggy-backed some of our local advertising to the campaign by advertising on billboards, UTA bus boards and just recently cinema.  You may view our commercial at the Cinemark theaters in the Newgate Mall over the next three months.  Give us your feedback on how we’re doing in our efforts to get the word out about the tech college and what we have to offer.

UCAT Ad

The Gingerbread House competition is an annual event sponsored by the Association of Building Contractors for their Holiday Social.  Proceeds of the competition go to a local charity. The 1st place house was auctioned off for $300.  Other entries were raffled off with raffle tickets costing $5.00 each.

The participating culinary students were assisted on campus by Rex Thornock who offered use of and assistance with CAD equipment to design the houses, and the faculty and students in the Construction Tech Program who created the  platforms and supports for the houses.

The culinary students worked hard for several weeks and pulled some long hours the final week for assembly of the houses.  They worked with a variety of mediums including fondant, butter cream, poured sugar, and a variety of  doughs.  They learned a lot about suitability of materials for pastry construction, supporting and balancing weights,  translating design into reality, and the textures and strengths of different baking and pastry materials and compounds.  The students also learned what a complicated and time consuming project putting these houses together is!

The scariest moments were carrying and transporting these huge houses to SLC for the competition, but they made it with only one fallen tree (which was easily repaired).

First place was titled “Nightmare Before Christmas” – constructed by Cora Courtney, Christa Courtney, Cami Keith and Lyndee Lloyd.

The other house was “Victorian Christmas” – constructed by Lance Conrow, Alexis Johnson and Lori Goodman.

Two graduations take place each year on the Ogden-Weber Tech College campus, with this year setting a new record for the number of certificates issued and students completing programs. Spring graduation was the largest class with 503 certificates issued in a six month period and 491 graduating students.

Madeline Lund, Registrar for the college, has been involved in planning graduation since 1996. “I remember we only had about 10-15 students actually attend graduation that year and we were wondering if we should continue,” said Lund.

In 2003, the college began scheduling two graduations, one in May and November because the number of graduating students was growing by leaps and bounds. “We’ve had to limit tickets to graduation because our space is limited,” said Lund.

Lund has seen a positive trend over the last few years with more students completing programs and attending graduation. She said, “Some students think it’s not a big deal when they have completed a program, but they need to be recognized for the accomplishment they have made. When I tell them there are a lot that don’t finish, they begin to realize they have done something others haven’t and then they get excited about it.”

Each graduation, Lund puts together some statistics about the graduating class. For instance, she recorded that last spring 10 students completed two programs and two students completed three. There were also seven students who earned an AAT degree and 38.5% of graduates were honor students.

Twenty programs and 71 various training outlines were represented at graduation and health technology programs were the most popular. With the opening of the new health building and expansion of more health programs, these numbers are expected to continue to grow.
Wayne Western, a welding instructor commented, “I never thought a graduation ceremony was that important until a parent of one of my students hugged me and thanked me for encouraging their son to complete. I’ll always be at graduation from now on.”

Students who attend graduation are as varied as the programs they complete. Graduates include high school students through adults over 60, and they represent diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. One student commented, “I’m so proud of myself, I’m the first person in my family to graduate from college. A lot of my family wasn’t able to even complete high school. My whole family is coming to graduation because they are so excited for me!”

Another student said, “I’m so excited I finished. I was so intimidated and scared, but everyone that works here just kept encouraging me. I’m glad someone believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.”

Winter graduation is tomorrow, November 10, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall.

UPDATE – PHOTOS!

Thanks to everyone – students and employees – who participated in our 4th annual costume contest! We had a great turnout and some amazing costumes. Congratulations to all the winners!

Check out the pictures on Facebook!

Please join us…. if you dare…

October 31st
12:00 – 1:00 P.M.
Student Union Building

For all students and employees!

Prize Categories

• Best Student Costume
• Best Employee Costume
• People’s Choice
• Scariest Costume
• Most Creative Costume
• Funniest Costume
• Best Impersonation Costume

Rules

• Judges’ decisions are final
• All costumes must be appropriate for an educational setting
• No risqué, vulgar or suggestive costumes
• Safe for lab setting – if your costume could jeopardize your safety in class, do not put it on until the contest
• Masks may be worn for the contest but not in the classroom

And be sure and take a look at last year’s costumes for some inspiration!

The Student Success Center was established in November 2010 after a year-long research project facilitated through the federal VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program and in partnership with Dr. Eric Amsel, Professor of Psychology at Weber State University.  The study focused on factors necessary for students to be successful in their studies at the Tech College.  The findings of the study found a significant need for individualized assistance to help students develop the necessary personal skills to be successful in school and in their careers.  Since its establishment, the Center has served over 700 students with assistance in the areas of time management, help with access to financial aid, job search activities, and a variety of workshops focused on staying in school, completing training, and obtaining training-related employment.

The services provided by the Student Success Center are especially critical during this economic downturn as too many students are under tremendous stress that often causes them to drop out of school.  Additionally, many newly-certified graduates have difficulty competing for the few jobs available in their fields when experienced workers have been laid off.  The Student Success Center provides Tech College students with a critical resource to overcome barriers to program completion and career employment.

Rhonda Lauritzen, Vice-president of Student Services stated, “How can we thank the Cross Charitable Foundation and the Latter-day Saints Foundation enough?  Our students have already accomplished so much on their own, and these outstanding philanthropic organizations will help students with the confidence they deserve, and that will help them succeed in this difficult job market.”

The YouthBuild program is a national program, but a first-time experience for the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College.  The college received a grant in March to help young people, ages 16 – 24.  The majority of students are high school drop outs and come from low income families in the Weber County area.

More than 70 individuals initially showed interest in the program and 45 attended the Mental Toughness Week, which some might call, “hell week”.  The week’s purpose was to determine which students would take the program seriously.  Participants had to arrive every morning by 7:00 am (some walked miles to get to the college on time) and stayed until well after 2:00 pm every day.  They learned about communication, working as a team, being on time, and getting along with others.  Many were strangers the first day, but quickly got to know each other and worked hard to see each member succeed.

Over the next 10 months students will be working to earn a high school diploma or GED, completing a Construction I certificate and a leadership certificate.  They will also be using their new skills to give back to the community by rehabilitating units at the Homeless Veterans housing and the YCC in Ogden.

It was great to meet so many people in our community and inform them about technical education as another option in higher education.  We gave away tons of t-shirts, string back-packs, lanyards and much more.  If you missed us at the fair stop by and check out our campus.  We guarantee you’ll be impressed… not only with our beautiful campus, but with the quality of our programs and instructors.  You’ll soon see why so many chose Ogden-Weber Tech College as their tech!

Elizabeth Taylor, Administrative Assistant for Apprenticeships and Trades said, “When I first saw information for Opening Institute week, I thought ‘community service projects, not my favorite.’  It turned out to be my favorite day of the week; it felt really good to help. It would’ve been great to serve at any of the projects but being at the Children’s Justice Center was exactly where I belonged. Being a mother…need I say more?  I plan to go back and serve again.”

“Our people seemed exhilarated after doing service, physically tired but emotionally recharged,” said Rhonda Lauritzen, V.P. for Student Services.  “I do feel good about the work we accomplished, but was struck by how many people told  me they came home feeling more grateful for what they have, and had renewed optimism when they saw how many good things are happening in our community, activities they knew nothing about before. What a great–and unexpected–result.”

CHECK OUT MORE PICTURES OF OPENING INSTITUTE ON FACEBOOK!!

Catholic Community Services

Junior League Community Garden

Children’s Justice Center

Youth Impact