GCC board reviews MET program

By CHARITY SMITH

csmith@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood — Dennis Svoke, Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program instructor at Gogebic Community College presented a program review to the college board of trustees during its regular meeting on Tuesday night.

The MET program is designed for students who wish to design and manufacture products in accordance with industry standards, he said. Within their first year of study, students earn a Certificate in Manufacturing Technology. After completing the second year of the program, they earn an associate degree in MET.

“Both programs offer extensive hands-on learning opportunities,” Svoke said. “The greatest strength of the MET program is that it provides opportunities for students to gain a strong foundation in designing and manufacturing with solid job placement. Students can often transition into various positions in a company having gained fundamental knowledge in the program.”

The program has the opportunity to be further enhanced through outreach in the Houghton area, as well as through the early college and dual enrollment programs.

Dr. Maria Sokol, accreditation liaison, provided an accreditation update to the board. She said that the college will be receiving a comprehensive visit from the Higher Learning Commission on April 24-25, 2023. The HLC team will be reviewing all of the college processes, paying particular attention to any “areas of concern” that were identified following their last focused visit in 2019.

“In preparation for that visit, I have been working on the Assurance Argument that will be submitted in Febuary of 2023 to aid in the evaluation of all of our processes and help ‘prove’ to the (HLC) that we are adhering to the criteria for accreditation and should receive reaffirmation of our accreditation status following their on-campus visit,”she said.

Sokol said the board will be provided with a dashboard of how GCC met the criteria in the past, including the highlighted areas that GCC was told to focus on for this coming evaluation. Accreditation updates are provided via a monthly newsletter to the board, faculty and staff.

The nursing department is continuing to work towards national accreditation through the Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA). The goal is to submit GCC’s application by November.

“CNEA recently revised the accreditation standards and the department is adjusting accreditation documents to include the new content,” said Nicole Rowe, director of allied health.

The changes to the standard focus of accreditation include encouraging diversity and inclusion across campus, ensuring the curriculum includes emerging diseases and defining the use of standardized testing.

“The program has added implicit bias training to meet the state board of nursing licensure requirements and has expanded clinical experiences to include the Peter Christensen Health Center in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin,” said Rowe. “The nursing curriculum is also being reviewed as part of the accreditation process. The program is adjusting our exam questions to prepare students for the Next Generation NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses) exam that will be implemented in 2023.”

GCC Foundation Director Kelly Marczak announced several new scholarships. The ARC of Gogebic County is sponsoring a scholarship in memory of Angela Contratto. The scholarship will be awarded for two years and an endowed scholarship for perpetuity. The Dean Pearson Memorial Scholarship has also been established. It is a $1,000 scholarship each year for fiveyears. Marczak said that Gerald and Mary Maki, who fund an annual scholarship with GCC, have established a legacy gift in their estate plan to fund an endowed scholarship for perpetuity Marczak said it is always nice when she can meet with the donor before their passing, so that she knows exactly what they want their funds to go towards.

The board approved the hire of Danielle Boyette, of Ironwood, as the new instructional designer. Boyette holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from University of South Florida. She also served as the assistant director of innovative education at USF. Boyette will start on April 4.

The board also:

—Approved the Maymester tuition rate at $185 per credit hour. The Maymester session will run from May 16 to June 3.

—Approved the 2022 graduate listing pending satisfactory completion of their degree and graduation requirements, as presented.

—Granted permission for Chad Lashua, vice president of business services to make financial transactions on behalf of Gogebic Community College. The Corporate Authorization Resolution was also approved and submitted to all financial institutions with which the college does business upon Lashua’s first day of employment. He will start on May 9.

—Approved the bid from Vernier Software and Technology to equip the Ironwood chemistry and biology labs to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within the laboratory setting as well as allow students to remain connected to the laboratory environment when remote learning is required.

—Accepted the resignations of Jennifer Ahonen, controller, Nicole Mason, English instructor, and Noel Aho, women’s softball coach. The board thanked all of the employees for their service, wished them the best in their future endeavors and authorized administration to seek replacements for the vacant positions.