Snow Pictures
Below are a few snow photos from Cammie Hallmark's house in Hayden. This is her "Cabin at the Lodge" where Cammie offers a Bed and Breakfast and a venue for weddings. Enjoy the photos!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
A Comparison
Community college grads out-earn bachelor's degree holders
@CNNMoney February 26, 2013
Nearly 30% of Americans with associate's degrees now make more
than those with bachelor's degrees, according to Georgetown University's
Center on Education and the Workforce
Berevan Omer graduated on a Friday in February with an associate's degree from Nashville State Community College and started work the following Monday as a computer-networking engineer at a local television station, making about $50,000 a year.
That's 15% higher than the average starting salary for graduates -- not only from community colleges, but for bachelor's degree holders from four-year universities.Omer, who is 24, is one of many newly minted graduates of community colleges defying history and stereotypes by proving that a bachelor's degree is not, as widely believed, the only ticket to a middle-class income.
Nearly 30% of Americans with associate's degrees now make more than those with bachelor's degrees, according to Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce. In fact, other recent research in several states shows that, on average, community college graduates right out of school make more than graduates of four-year universities.
The average wage for graduates of community colleges in Tennessee, for instance, is $38,948 -- more than $1,300 higher than the average salaries for graduates of the state's four-year institutions.
In Virginia, recent graduates of occupational and technical degree programs at its community colleges make an average of $40,000. That's almost $2,500 more than recent bachelor's degree recipients.
"There is that perception that the bachelor's degree is the default, and, quite frankly, before we started this work showing the value of a technical associate's degree, I would have said that, too," says Mark Schneider, vice president of the American Institutes for Research, which helped collect the earning numbers for some states.
And while by mid-career, many bachelor's degree recipients have caught up in earnings to community college grads, "the other factor that has to be taken into account is that getting a four-year degree can be much more expensive than getting a two-year degree," Schneider says.
A two-year community college degree, at present full rates, costs about $6,262, according to the College Board. A bachelor's degree from a four-year, private residential university goes for $158,072.
The increase in wages for community college grads is being driven by a high demand for people with so-called "middle-skills" that often require no more than an associate's degree, such as lab technicians, teachers in early childhood programs, computer engineers, draftsmen, radiation therapists, paralegals, and machinists.
With a two-year community college degree, air traffic controllers can make $113,547, radiation therapists $76,627, dental hygienists $70,408, nuclear medicine technologists $69,638, nuclear technicians $68,037, registered nurses $65,853, and fashion designers $63,170, CareerBuilder.com reported in January.
"You come out with skills that people want immediately and not just theory," Omer says.
The Georgetown center estimates that 29 million jobs paying middle class wages today require only an associate's, and not a bachelor's, degree.
"I would not suggest anyone look down their nose at the associate's degree," says Jeff Strohl, director of research at the Georgetown center.
"People see those programs as tracking into something that's dead end," Strohl says. "It's very clear that that perception does not hold up."
The bad news is that not enough associate's degree holders are being produced.
Only 10% of American workers have the sub-baccalaureate degrees needed for middle-skills jobs, compared with 24% of Canadians and 19% of Japanese, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports.
Over the last 20 years, the number of graduates with associate's degrees in the United States has increased by barely 3%. And while the Obama administration has pushed community colleges to increase their numbers, enrollment at these schools fell 3.1% this year, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports. Graduation rates also remain abysmally low.
Meanwhile, many people with bachelor's degrees are working in fields other than the ones in which they majored, according to a new report by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.
"We have a lot of bartenders and taxi drivers with bachelor's degrees," says Christopher Denhart, one of the report's coauthors.
Still, the salary advantage for associate's degree holders narrows over time, as bachelor's degree recipients eventually catch up, says Schneider.
Although these figures vary widely by profession, associate's degree recipients, on average, end up making about $500,000 more over their careers than people with only high school diplomas, but $500,000 less than people with bachelor's degrees, the Georgetown center calculates.
As for Omer, he's already working toward a bachelor's degree.
"Down the road a little further, I may want to become a director or a manager," he says. "A bachelor's degree will get me to that point."
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education-news outlet based at Teachers College, Columbia University. It's one of a series of reports about workforce development and higher education.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
CSI For Kids
Jefferson State Police Provide CSI For Kids
The Jefferson State Police Department recently provided fifth grade students at Bryan Elementary School the opportunity to participate in a Crime Scene Investigators course.
Students learn to develop latent prints,
cast foot prints and tire impressions, collect DNA evidence, collect tool mark
samples and a variety of other evidence collection techniques. The students learn about
constitutional law and learn the basics of drafting a search warrant.
"The kids also get a chance to use the newly
acquired skills at a mock crime scene," said Jefferson State Police Chief Mark Bailey. "The class obtains a search warrant, collects evidence from the scene,
identifies the offender and prepares the case for trial."
The students then get an overview of the criminal justice
system from Judge Jill Ganus and Jefferson County District
Attorney Brandon Fall. Judge Ganus and Mr. Fall then
assist with a mock trial that allows each student to testify to a significant
fact of the case. At the end of the forth day, the students have better
understanding of the court system than the average citizen.
Jefferson State's Police Department provides this opportunity to fifth grade students every year.
Legislators Visit Jeff State
Alabama Legislators Visit the Shelby-Hoover Campus
Alabama Representatives Kurt Wallace, Mary Sue McClurkin and Jay Love met with Jefferson State President Judy Merritt at the Shelby-Hoover Campus in January. The Representatives toured the campus and learned more about Jefferson State.
Pictured below are Rep. Kurt Wallace (L), JSCC President Judy Merritt, Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin and Rep. Jay Love (R).
Community College Article
Spending Money to Make Money
An associate degree is typically a cost-effective investment, for both students and state governments, yet community colleges continue to draw the short straw during budget season.
That's the bottom line of a newly released report from the American Association of Community Colleges, which tries to bolster the sector’s case for its efficient use of state funding by estimating community college graduates' annual tax payments. The estimates show that workers earn bigger paychecks and pay more in taxes for each level of education they have completed, from high school graduates to bachelor’s degree-holders.
For example, associate-degree holders paid an average of $9,435 in taxes in 2011 (including federal income, Social Security, Medicare, state and local income, sale and property taxes), according to the report, which was 8 percent more than what certificate holders or those with some college credits but no degree paid, and 29 percent more than the average tax payment of workers whose highest degree is a high school diploma or its equivalent.
“Each level of educational attainment matters,” said Christopher M. Mullin, the association’s program director for policy analysis and the report’s coauthor. “There are real earnings both for the individual and for the society.”
Recent research has shown the relatively strong value of two-year degrees and certificates in the workforce, and the report pulls together some of those findings. For example, fully one-quarter of bachelor's-degree holders earn less than workers with associate degrees. However, state governments invest less money per student in the community college sector than in public, four-year institutions. Community colleges enroll 43 percent of all undergraduate students, according to the report, but receive only 20 percent of state tax appropriations for higher education.
Some of that funding disparity is offset by local government support. But Mullin said local taxes do not go to community colleges in roughly 25 states, and that even in states where they do, the funding does not fully cover the shortfall in comparison to four-year institutions.
The association’s report, however, is careful to note that public universities have also had their budgets slashed on a per-student basis, and that the overall disinvestment in higher education is bad for the economy.
Community colleges are also doing the most to control their costs, according to the report. The sector is on the only one in higher education where operating budgets per student are smaller than they were a decade ago. Mullin said that frugality should be factored in by state lawmakers during budget season.
“We could a better job placing investments where we get a better return,” he said.
The report breaks down community colleges’ private and public economic returns into three different categories:
- The community college as launching pad, or as a starting point for students in their educational progression.
- The community college as a (re)launching pad, providing knowledge and skills to career-changers, displaced workers and lifelong learners.
- The community college as a local commitment, which serves the needs and demands of local communities.
“In order to continue to provide these
benefits and fill in where other opportunities for education and
training once stood,” the report concludes, “public investments in the
education and training community colleges provide need to equalize and
stabilize, if not increase.”
Remember When?
The Year Was 1972 at Jefferson State
Below are photos of Jefferson State students from 1972. The first photo is the 1972 Jefferson State Jeffersonettes and the second is the 1972 basketball team.Jeffersonettes
Left to right are: Janice Moore, Tammy Spearman, Cindy Keith, Denise Lynch, Cathy Busby, Cheryl Holmes, Mary Fitzsimmons, Penny Otwell, Charlotte Shoemaker, Dara Watson, Darlene Lane, Theresa Goodsen.
Basketball Team
Back row (L to R)
Alex Bethune, Terry Ballew, Ricky McCollough, Dennis Bailey, and Mike Eady.
Middle Row (L to R)
Coach Pharis, Greg Love, Joe Clifton, Barry Wright, Robert Adams, and Stanley Wilson.
Front Row (L to R)
Coach Lankford, Mike Colbert, Wilson Holley, Dan Henderson, Ricky Harrel, and Greg Russell.
Chef Rinsky Earns Doctorate
Chef Glenn Rinsky Earns Doctorate
Glenn is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. He also holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a M.Ed. in Leadership and Higher Education.
He apprenticed at La Maisonette, Americas longest running five star restaurant, and has worked as a chef for Cummins Diesel, Marriott and Kroger Corporations. He has also owned and operated a specialty wedding cake business for 12 years.
Glenn has won numerous culinary awards and accolades including “Best Wedding Cake” by Cincinnati Magazine, Best Tiered Cake and Best 3 dimensional cake by The Retail Bakers Assoc.; 1st Place with the Michigan Cherry Foundation as well as Best Appetizer by the National Peanut Association. He is a contributing writer for Pastry Art and Design magazine and is co-author of “The Pastry Chef’s Companion” a definitive resource guide for the pastry professional and enthusiast.
Chef Rinsky is certified by The American Culinary Federation as an Executive Chef (CEC), Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC) and Culinary Educator (CCE). Glenn has taught community culinary classes for over 20 years with Jungle Jim’s of Cincinnati, William and Sonoma, Sur la Table as well as many other prestigious cooking schools.
Congratulations Dr. Rinsky! We are proud of you!
Lt. Colonel Hubert Carpenter
Former Jefferson State Instructor Passes Away
Below is the obituary for LT. COLONEL HUBERT L. Carpenter...
An officer and gentleman scholar left this world on December 28, 2013. He was born near Carthage, Mississippi on June 30, 1923, one of 9 children born to Earl Carpenter and Bertie Ganann Carpenter. He lived the life of a farmer's son until graduating from Carthage High School in 1941.
After a short time working, he joined the Army, where he was deployed to the South Pacific and saw his first combat on the island of Peleliu. After the war he was discharged and returned to Mississippi but re-enlisted in 1946.
While stationed in Washington D.C., he met Mary Alice Pritchett, and they were married on Sept. 1, 1949. This union would produce a son Hugh Carpenter (Lisa), and a daughter Mareena C. Doss (Ricky), and later lead to the birth of 6 grandchildren Shellina, Chad, Edmond, Hugh Lee Jr., Ashland, Michael and four great grandchildren. After the wedding, he deployed to Japan with the Army of occupation, while his bride remained behind before joining him later.
In 1950 he was stationed off the coast of South Korea when the North Korean Army invaded. During this time, his unit was dropped off in summer uniforms in frigid weather and left for what would be more than 3 years of fighting, where he was seriously wounded and received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his actions.
While teaching ROTC at Mississippi State University in the early 1960's, he began to attend school. After completing his Masters degree, and after retiring from the army, he found employment at the newly formed Jefferson State Community College, in Birmingham, where he taught economics for the next 23 years. During his tenure at Jefferson State, he had many students that became lifelong friends. He also remained a student, pursuing his Doctorate at UAB in Birmingham.
It was late in life that he met and married Judy Foder, whose family included daughter Regenia Davison (Bill), granddaughters Grace Church (Keith) and Connie Foder and four grandsons. Judy was a partner for 14 years until her untimely loss.
Hubert is survived by his two brothers Chad Carpenter (Margaret) and TO Carpenter (Marilyn), and a sister Ernestine Adams, as well as numerous of nieces and nephews. Even with the challenges of age, he remained a warrior soldier, inquisitive scholar, champion of the underdog and a blessing to all that knew him.
The family would welcome donations to the Jefferson State Community College scholarship in his honor.
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