OGDEN — With no fanfare, Ogden-Weber Area Technical College President Collette R. Mercier became the first person to sign the final beam to be placed Friday in the college’s new health building.

The beam was painted white and laid out on a couple of sawhorses. It was on a rise of ground near the construction site, but everyone there for the party stayed over by picnic tables waiting for the barbecue lunch.

Then Mercier and two members of the college’s foundation board wandered over, picked up pens and signed. After her was Rex Child, the longest-serving member of the foundation board, and Ted Johnstun, the newest member.

However informal, signing the beam was the point of the day. The final beam means workers are ready to put the outer skin on the building and start finishing the interior.

When finished, the health building will mark a number of mileposts for the ATC:

* The college’s health programs will double in size to more than 1,000 students.

* The building will include, for the first time, an extension of Weber State University’s registered nurse program. Students in the ATC practical nurse program will be able to become registered nurses without changing campuses.

* This is the first new building to go up since the ATC moved to its current site in 1985. Because of that, Mercier said this was also the first time the ATC had to do any aggressive fundraising for a new building.

The 88,000-square-foot building is scheduled to be finished June 1, 2011. Its cost is $21.9 million, including $1.3 million from private funds.

Mercier said the college raised funds to show the Legislature it was deserving of state help to build. Lead donors Samuel C. and Myra G. Powell Foundation chose to name the building in honor of Samuel H. and Marian K. Barker, long-time advocates of health education. More than 50 other foundations and individuals have donated to date.

Mercier said she’s particularly proud that the building meets LEED Gold certification for environmentally friendly construction.

“The state requires all new buildings to be LEED Silver, but we said this is going to be our health building, we intend it to be as healthy as possible,” she said.

Complementing the LEED certification, given by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a program to plant 140 trees around the building. The ATC is offering to allow people to dedicate those trees in exchange for $500 donations.

Lee Nelson, a counselor in the health programs, walked up to sign the beam. He is excited for the new building because it also will allow the ATC to double the number of nursing students it can teach, to 60.

“Our program has been crowded into the bottom of the business building,” he said. His office has to be in a separate building, which makes it hard to work with the students he counsels.

In addition to nursing, the new building will be home to programs to teach dental assistants, medical assistants, nursing assistants, clinical laboratory workers, health information technology and others. It will also include a faculty resource center.

ATC Development Director Karen Thurber said the center could also eventually include a public clinic where the indigent can get dental cleanings.

View the original story from the Standard Examiner HERE

After signing the final beam, President Mercier, Doug Holmes, Mary Barker, and Ann Barker (Mary and Ann of the Barker Family Health Technology Building) pose in front of the nearly-complete steel structure

The Okland and Culinary Arts crews at the grill

The doors were closed to the public and students this week while faculty and staff at the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College met for training on new systems and to participate in community service  projects.  Opening Institute is a yearly event that is schedule during the first week of every August.

The new Northstar Student Information System (SIS), which was developed by Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT) staff, went live on July 1, 2010 for the new fiscal year.  The new system replaces an overworked and antiquated system that will benefit students, faculty and staff by providing more relevant and detailed information while streamlining many processes including tracking attendance, progress and tuition payments.

Employees at the college were involved in months of researching systems, customizing reports and transferring data into the new system.  The response has been positive on campus.  John Kristensen, an electrical instructor and member of the SIS team commented, “There are many advantages for using the new system.  It simplifies tracking attendance, progress and generating reports, which will allow instructors more time to spend with students. Northstar gives students more access to their educational information and will provide a campus wide system everyone can access for better coordination between departments.”

The college also implemented a new mass communication system to inform employees and students about campus closures or other emergencies via text, email, voicemail and phone.  “This system is something we have needed on our campus for some time,” said Rhonda Lauritzen, V.P. for Student Services.  “It allows us to ensure a higher level of safety and the ability to reach students and staff in a way that we have not had in the past.”  The system can be accessed on or off campus by authorized users in the event an emergency occurs during off hours.  Since messages are re-directed via a state outside of Utah, the system will not be affected by local hazards, which makes it much more reliable than other systems.

In a continued effort to serve the community, all employees participated in service projects as part of the week’s activities, for the second year in a row.  Projects included several Youth Impact assignments to paint a new summer mural, help kids build bird houses, organize a storage area, and manage arts and crafts data.  Others projects included sorting and doing inventory for medical supplies at the Swanson Family Foundation.  At the Swanson Family Foundation Tactical Training Center volunteers stripped and painted baffles.  Some volunteers worked at installing a disc-golf course on the OWATC campus and others prepared emergency buckets for classrooms.  Employees logged over 1200 hours of community service. “We receive such tremendous support from the community,” said Collette Mercier, College President, “that we feel a responsibility to give back, and having this opportunity while students are away allows everyone on campus to participate.”

Other activities during the week included employee recognition, presidential awards, and division and department training.  “This week gives us all a chance to re-direct our focus, catch our breath and re-group for the new fiscal year,” said Jim Taggart, V.P. for Instructional Services.  “It helps us help our students.”

CHECK OUT MORE PICTURES OF THE SERVICE ACTIVITIES ON FACEBOOK!!

The Swanson Family Foundation Tactical Training Center

The Swanson Family Foundation Medical Warehouse

Youth Impact

OWATC disc-golf setup

Emergency Bucket Preparation

When you submit your job posting, an email will be sent to Sheri Semerjian, Career Center Coordinator, for approval. Once it’s approved OWATC students and graduates will be able to view the openings! All job postings will be automatically removed after 30 calendar days.

This new option is a great way to link our employer partners with our graduates, ready to go to work! If you’re a student, just click on the link below to start browsing the current job openings. If you’re an employer, visit the link below and then click on “Post A New Job.”

OWATC JOB BOARD

The Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College is looking for students interested in becoming a Student Ambassador for the upcoming school year.  If you are an OWATC adult student and are interested in FREE TUITION for the next nine months, a chance to meet new people, develop leadership skills and become a part of the action, this opportunity may be right for you.

For a complete list of qualifications and responsibilities, pick up an application packet at the Information Desk in the Student Services Building or download one here: APPLICATION

Hurry – the deadline is Friday, August 13, 2010!

The 2009-2010 OWATC Student Ambassadors

Congratulations to all of our students who participated in the SkillsUSA national competition this year! Held in Kansas City, the national competition is held for the best of the best from each state – students who already won first place in their state competitions and move on to go head-to-head in nationals. So it truly is an honor to even compete in the national competition!

Our students jumped right in, rolled up their sleeves, and went to work preparing for the contests. Everyone did such a great job – we wish they all could have won because they sure deserved it…..

This year seven of our students competed in Kansas City.  Out of those seven, four of them received a medal. The other three were very close, but the competitions were tough. We believe it was harder this year than it ever has been…

Here are our winners:

Michelle Eberle – 2nd place – Job Skills Demonstration Open (in Cosmetology)
Hal Barfus – 2nd place – Medical Assisting
Gentry Stokes – 3rd place – Job Skills Demonstration A (in Cosmetology)
Heather Cottam – 3rd place – Nursing Assistant

And of course a special thanks to the advisors for their hard work helping to get their students ready:

Kurt Jensen
Marta Jones
Emma Anderson
Marilyn Brown
Karen Skinner
Wayne Layton

Michelle Eberle – 2nd place – Job Skills Demonstration Open (in Cosmetology)

Hal Barfus – 2nd place – Medical Assisting

Gentry Stokes – 3rd place – Job Skills Demonstration A (in Cosmetology)

Heather Cottam – 3rd place – Nursing Assistant

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Emily Dimick! She’s the winner of a $25 gift certificate to the Bookstore. All she had to do was make her tuition payment online during the month of May!

Emily has been taking our math program and is thrilled to be the winner this month. If you know Emily, be sure to congratulate her!

June’s Prize

The next prize for payments made during the month of June is a $25.00 gift certificate to the Campus Grille!

Please help us get the word around, because there are still more big prizes coming up each month!

New Robotics Camp for 8th and 9th Graders

Ogden, Utah (June 7, 2010) In a unique collaborative effort between the Ogden-Weber Applied Tech College, Weber State University’s College of Applied Science and Technology, and the Ogden School District, the first ever Northern Utah Robotics Summer Camp (NUBOTS) is being offered this month to 8^th and 9^th graders in the Ogden School District.

NUBOTS is a free camp, funded through a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEARUP) grant obtained through the Ogden School District.  NUBOTS is a unique hands-on, creative, interactive, and fun, team building opportunity for students. This new program will introduce students to the exciting world of robotics, electronics, programming, and engineering, by instructing students how to build and program robots using the Lego Mindstorm robotics system.  NUBOTS will allow students to explore this exciting field and learn about post secondary education programs available at the college and university.  Students will program their robots to accomplish a variety of maneuvering obstacles, and each camp will conclude with a robot sumo wrestling match where robots will wrestle each other for the championship.

Two NUBOTS sessions will be held this summer: June 14 – June 17, and June 21-24 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the Ogden-Weber Tech College and WSU campuses.  Each session will culminate in an evening for families and friends to see the robots that have been designed, programmed, and built, and best of all, watch the sumo wrestling match.

The school district is providing buses from each of the Jr. High Schools.  All participants will receive a NUBOTS t-shirt. Space is very limited. To register for camp, please contact Andrew Brown at 801-627-8330 or Rainie Ingram at 801-626-7785

Dates

Camp 1 – June 14-17, 12:30-3:30

Camp 2 – June 21-24, 12:30-3:30

Participants will spend two days at the OWATC and two days at WSU

“NUBOTS” is a unique “hands on”, creative, interactive, and FUN team building opportunity for 8th and 9th grade students in the Ogden School District. NUBOTS will introduce students to the exciting world of robotics, electronics, programming, and engineering. It allows them to explore this exciting field and learn about local educational programs that are available to them.

ROBOTICS CAMP IS FREE!! Students will be using the technologically amazing Lego Mindstorm Robots and will be programming them to Sumo wrestle other robots.

Questions?

Any questions can be directed to the camp organizers:

Andrew Brown at the OWATC | 801-627-8330
Rainie Ingram at WSU | 801-626-7785

• Enrollment will be closed from June 25, 2010 to July 5, 2010. No schedule changes or new schedules will be done.
• Cashier window and online payment will be down at 6:00 p.m. on June 30, 2010 and will not be available again until July 6, 2010.
• Schedules will not be automatically dropped on June 30, 2010 for non-payment of July tuition. Make sure to withdraw if you are finished or you will be responsible for July tuition. You can fill out the Online Withdrawal Form here.
• New tuition and monthly fee model will begin on July 1, 2010. Please refer to the Monthly Tuition and Fee Schedule for FY2011 for more information.

The Best of State Awards were created to recognize outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses in Utah. Nominations are submitted each spring and reviewed by more than 100 judges. Each nomination is judged on its own merits and against specific criteria for each category.

Former Governor, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. stated, “Best of State recognizes those who are excelling and surpassing all else and who are the best of the best in their respective fields. Nearly two hundred categories in the arts and entertainment, community development, education, travel and tourism, manufacturing, business services, science & technology, and sports and recreation provide opportunities for businesses operating in Utah to participate.”

About OWATC:

The Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College offers a 39-year history of practical education. It’s beautiful main campus and convenient locations in Roy, the Business Depot of Ogden, and LEAN Manufacturing Training Center offer convenient schedules, competency-based learning, and training opportunities in high-demand fields. With over 300 technical-skills courses in 53 employment categories, the OWATC serves over 10,000 students annually. OWATC is accredited through Council on Occupational Education. The OWATC is one of eight technical training institutions in higher education under the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT).

About UCAT:

UCAT is the parent organization for Utah’s eight regional applied technology colleges (ATCs).  Established by the State of Utah, UCAT provides market-driven technical education through eight ATCs meeting the needs of Utah’s employers for skilled workers. The ATCs prepare both adult and high school students to enter or advance in the workplace.  Customized training is also provided to employers for their workforce through UCAT’s Custom Fit program. The eight ATCs are Bridgerland, Davis, Dixie, Mountainland, Ogden/Weber, Southwest, Tooele, and Uintah Basin.  For more information, visit www.ucat.edu.

John is one of our IT program students and is very excited to be April’s winner. If you know John, be sure to congratulate him.

May’s Prize

The next prize for payments made in May is a $25.00 gift certificate to the Bookstore.

Please help us get the word around, because there are more big prizes coming up!