Issue 502: 5 / 20 / 2013

Three Mid-South Executives Join Southwest Tennessee Community College Foundation Board

Stanley Blue

Derrick Pratt

Margaret Williams

The Southwest Tennessee Community College Foundation has welcomed Stanley Blue, Derrick Pratt and Margaret Williams to its Board of Trustees.

With 16 years of experience in the industry, Stanley Blue is a financial services representative for MetLife licensed to provide insurance and investment products in nine states. Dedicated to service and his community, Stanley is a member of the Pro Duffers South and a Board Member of Bountiful Blessings COGIC. He also participates in the Assistbyknight Foundation and the Memphis City School Mentoring Program. He is an alumnus of Southwest, having played basketball under Coach Verties Sails, Jr.

Derrick Pratt is the General Manager responsible for overall profit and loss (P&L) for recycling plants in the eastern United States. Pratt’s experience includes leading profit and loss results for Imaging Papers, a $150 million copy paper business. He was responsible for direct sales, marketing, and product development, focused on Xerox copy paper and roll products sold throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America. His community service and leadership roles in civic organizations include past contributions to the Board of Advisors at Mississippi State Business School, a mentor in the Memphis NEXUS Leadership Program, and Board of Directors at Project Management Institute. Pratt graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and earned a Master of Science in Business Administration from Mississippi State University.

Margaret Williams joined Baptist Memorial Health Care in 1997. She began her career with Baptist as an assistant controller, supporting corporate budgeting and productivity. In 2001, Margaret was named controller at Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women and was appointed as the hospital’s chief financial officer in November 2005. The community-minded Williams also serves as treasurer for HealthNet Federal Credit Union. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin and graduated with a master’s degree in health care administration from Central Michigan University.

The Southwest Foundation is a non-profit, charitable corporation established to enhance the mission of Southwest Tennessee Community College through the financial support of programs and facilities that provide broader educational opportunities for the college’s students, faculty, and staff.

Representatives from the SEC Speak to Southwest Business Students

Mark Wszolek discusses the history of the stock market.

Accountant Mark Wszolek, from the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, in the Atlanta Regional Office of the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), gave an overview of the history of the markets and discussed his investigative role of ensuring appliance to federal guidelines to Dr. Joan McGrory's MGMT1000 Introduction to Business classes recently.

Wszolek conducts examinations to ensure all registrants, investment companies, transfer agents, administrators, and broker-dealers are complying with the federal securities laws as they are written. The key points that Wszolek’s stressed were to read, be as informed as you can, and conduct your own due diligence. “I've seen instances for victims of investment fraud who did not even spend time to learn about the product they were investing in. ... It makes it very hard for us as an enforcement agency to prosecute where the investor was given full and fair disclosure. There is a wealth of resources that are available on FCC.gov. It is a public website. FINRA [finra.org] gives information on broker-dealers,” said Wszolek.

SEC Staff Attorney Bill Dixon, also from the SEC Atlanta Regional Office, spoke to the students primarily about the importance of the capital market. "And because those capital markets are so important to what happens here in the United States, what all of us do at the Security and Exchange Commission is designed to protect the integrity of those markets,” said Dixon. “What I do specifically is investigate any allegations of stock market fraud.”

Security and Exchange Commission is designed to protect the integrity of those markets,” said Dixon. “What I do specifically is investigate any allegations of stock market fraud.”

Also in attendance were students from Assistant Professor Nathan Washington’s and Instructor Mahnaz Ghaffarian's accounting classes to discuss how financial documents and ratios prepared using accounting processes are used to meet SEC requirements; and by investors to understand the financial health of a company.

Some of the students recapped what they gleamed from the presentations:

Kamy Snodgrass – “I was most engaged by the history of the stock market and the way that our stock market is open to anyone who wants to invest. Despite the many high points and low points that the market experienced, it was fascinating to consider the market from beginning to present day because it shows the strength of our market and our economy. The market seems to move in a positive direction over time.”

Donna Swartz – “I plan to earn a degree in accounting. The presentation offered great insight into the wide range of career choices available in the field of accounting.”

Taylor Bateman – “I attended the presentation last semester as part of my class assignment. This semester, I attended voluntarily when I heard an announcement about the SEC in class. This is the kind of information that you just can’t get anywhere else.”

John Ellis – “The real-world stories about insider trading were interesting. After our studies of the need for ethics in society and corporate failures due to poor ethics, it was reassuring to learn about the role of the SEC and the online resources they provide for those interested in investing.”

View more photos of the SEC Presentation.

Southwest Buys Former Kroger for New Whitehaven Campus

Reprinted from the Memphis Business Journal
May 14, 2013
By Michael Sheffield

Southwest Tennessee Community College has acquired an old Kroger building on Finley Road and is planning a $5.5 million renovation that will turn the building into the school’s new Whitehaven campus.

The project has to be approved by the state of Tennessee and the Tennessee Board of Regents, but it would allow the school to expand its physical presence and course offerings in the area, according to Ronald Parr, vice president of financial and administrative services for Southwest.

The school currently occupies 29,000 square feet in Whitehaven near Airways and Brooks Road. The Kroger building is 44,000 square feet. According to the Shelby County Register of Deeds, the property was acquired for $600,000.

“Right now (the Whitehaven campus) has become very depressed and it’s almost a ghost town,” Parr said. “We don’t have any neighbors, so we’re trying to find a more attractive area that would draw students that we don’t currently have, particularly the adult student.”

Parr said the school plans to make the building comparable to the Maxine Smith campus in Collierville and the Gill Campus in Raleigh. The timing was right, he said, because the city is investing in improvements to the Whitehaven area.

While the project has to be approved by the state before it can move on, Parr said if it is approved, construction could begin in July and be completed next spring. Southwest’s lease in its current building ends in September 2014, so the school would need to have the project completed by then.

The school has the funding in place to complete the project through spending less money than it had budgeted for other projects. Those projects were funded through federal stimulus funds.

“As soon as we get the go-ahead, we’ll be moving full force on this,” Parr said.

Brian Whaley, an associate in retail services for CB Richard Ellis Memphis, which represented the seller, said Southwest is the latest institution to take over retail space in Whitehaven. Methodist Le Bonheur acquired a space previously occupied by Target in Whitehaven last year. Kroger shut the store down after it acquired Schnucks stores in Memphis in 2011. The company took over a Schnucks store on Shelby Drive and Elvis Presley to replace the location. Darrell Cobbins, president and principal broker of Universal Commercial Real Estate, represented Southwest in the transaction

“There’s a large amount of retail in Whitehaven already and you’ve got two established institutions taking over those big boxes,” Whaley says. “That has helped to stabilize the area. This is what we need to see moving forward.”

The Governor of Tennessee Proclaims this Week as EMS Week

Governor Bill Haslam has proclaimed the week of May 19-25, 2013 as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week.

Southwest Dietetic Technician Seniors Present In-Service

A Dietetic Technician student discusses ways parents can keep their kids healthy.

The specific nutritional choices parents and their youngsters make are crucial to their health. Senior Dietetic Technician students delivered their annual Oral Presentation Nutrition In-service to Southwest Child Care Center parents recently to inform and help empower them to make healthy food choices. Their topics included: Fun and Fresh Snacks for Kids, Eating Healthy on the Go, Cooking with Three to Five-Year Olds, How to Keep Children Healthy, and Enjoy Healthy Food That Tastes Great.

View more pictures of the Senior Dietetic Technician Presentation.

Southwest Students Travel to Washington, D.C. for Homeland Security Conference

At the White House are (L to R) Canary Jones, Eula Jackson, Zaneta Conrad, Jocqueline Crawford, Ronald Neal, Shanta Muskin, Lagusta Smith, Linzy Dorsey, and Rybi Travis.

Submitted by Jessica Croslow

A group of 15 students, criminal justice, forensic, and biotechnology majors, traveled to Washington, D.C. for the Homeland Security (HS) Conference. They were accompanied by Don Drewry, coordinator of the Homeland Security grant and Jessica Croslow, case manager for biotechnology in the Natural Sciences Department. The three-day conference focused on science and technology careers and career pathways. It presented an overview of the HS Department to include: guarding against terrorism, securing the borders, enforcing immigration laws, improving readiness and response to disasters, and growing and unifying the department. There were several breakout sessions geared towards students seeking internships and job information. The students were encouraged to speak with the team members of HS about continuing education and possible career pathways in all areas of the department. The students were exposed to discussions about border protection, nuclear detection, crime scene investigation and chemical and biological security.

Day Speakers included Lauren Kielsmeier, executive director of Academic Engagement, Department of Homeland Security; Dr. Dan Gerstein, deputy undersecretary, Science and Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland Security; and Dr. Matthew Clark, director, Office of University Programs, Science and Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland Security. The day ended with a networking and information exchange session.

Day two was dedicated to the HS employment outlook and the discussion was led by Alizta Vega, deputy human capital officer, Science and Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland Security; Krystle Allen, chief, Learning Management and Workforce Development Human Capital Office, Administration, and Support Division Science and Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland Security. The breakout sessions included security briefing, service requirements and a discussion with former students’ success stories.

After the conference, the students embarked on a walking tour; first to the White House, open for one day for a garden tour of the grounds. The students then walked to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the WW II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial (and we could see the Jefferson Memorial across the channel). We think we may have seen the president as well. As we made our way back to the hotel, the streets were blocked completely and the crowd was silent as we waited for a motorcade to come down Pennsylvania Avenue and make its way to the gates of the White House. We aren’t entirely sure if it had President Obama inside, but we all will hold on to the dream that we were in his presence for just a moment.

The students who made the trip were: Jessica Baskin, Tonetta Dillard, Zaneta Conrad, Jocqueline Crawford, Daphanie Jones, Ronald Neal, Lagusta Smith, Penny Parish, Linzy Dorsey, Eula Jackson, Jamie Rooker, Shanta Muskin, Aaron Hoffman, Canary Jones, and Rybi Travis.

Project M.O.S.T. Reaches First Year Anniversary with New Staff and Steady Progress

Director of Financial Aid LeChelle Davenport (standing center) discusses federal regulations.

Executive Director of Human Resources Paul Thomas (standing left) makes an inspiring presentation.

Keeping with its vision to be among the leading programs in the U.S. to help our African-American male students with self-awareness, persistence, retention, and graduation efforts, Project M.O.S.T. (Men of Southwest) continued during the Spring 2013 semester to offer Success Seminars that provided awareness, encouragement and information to its 170-plus active members. In addition, to reach other benchmarks, the department also acquired new staff, participated in staff development, visited high schools as well as conducted an internal appraisal of the program.

During the course of the spring semester, three staff members were added; M. Lynn Jenkins, program evaluator; Marissa Whitley, mathematics tutor; and Joelyn Drennan, English, writing and literature tutor. In addition, Emilio Norman joined Sabir Muhammad as the program’s work-study assistants.

The spring 2013 Success Meeting Series opened on February 8 with an address given by M.O.S.T. member, Phillip Warren, who described his rewarding experience during the Student Services summer 2012 leadership institute. Kariem-Abdul Salaam, M.O.S.T. director, followed with a presentation on “Change, Attitude and Gratitude,” uncovering the power of gratitude to turn what may appear to be life’s deficiencies into abundances. On February 14, M.O.S.T. opened the annual Carter G. Woodson Awards Day program with a processional symbolizing the historic march on Washington during the Civil Rights Movement. And Christopher Spivey, a graduate of both Southwest and Morehouse College, who is visually impaired and assisted by a guide dog as well as a personal assistant, spoke to the men about his challenges as well as his accomplishments on February 22.

During the March Success meetings, Case Manager Angelo Williams led the students in a newly created inspirational M.O.S.T. chant. Salaam expounded on topics “Leading a Powerful Life” and “Done with Excuses.” Jenkins provided guidance as the men created “vision boards” to emphasize the importance of having a vision. Guest speakers, Matthew and Maria Hampton, related the purpose for the upcoming Elevate Entrepreneurship Program planned as part of the summer activities for M.O.S.T. members.

Project M.O.S.T. expanded its recruitment efforts by visiting Memphis area high schools and speaking to their senior classes of African-American males. Representatives from M.O.S.T. and Southwest’s Recruitment Office visited Whitehaven High School and Northeast Prep Academy. Also, Salaam participated in a panel discussion for male students at Fairley High School on April 26. Our goal is to expand our partnerships with other schools and create a pipeline of African-American male students to Southwest and Project M.O.S.T.

Also, a partnership was established with Libra Jones, district manager for O’Reilly Auto Parts, for hiring qualified M.O.S.T. participants and Associate Professor Brenda A.B. Smith led an interactive presentation on Ethical Literacy. In addition, the M.O.S.T. staff visited Dr. Joan McGrory’s Intro to Business classes and encouraged male students to apply for M.O.S.T. membership. A week later, M.O.S.T. participated in the annual “Outnumbered Male Project,” a program that brings prospective African-American high school students for an on-campus visit, and more importantly, an opportunity to meet and be mentored by successful African-American males from Southwest and the community.

The semester activities culminated with M.O.S.T. sponsoring a talent show on April 26 for our program participants to showcase their talents and skills. This outstanding event was held in the Verties Sails Theatre on the Union Avenue Campus and was open to the general public. Look for more information and pictures from this evening of fun

Written by the Project M.O.S.T. staff