This Week @ LWC -- June 15-19

Center for Rural Development ProgramAllows Students to ‘Explore’ College Life

A total of 29 students from the region participated in the Rogers Explorers program, held Jun 10-12 at Lindsey Wilson. (Click on photo for a larger version.)

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- A lot of rising ninth-grade students may be tempted to take it easy after they graduate from the eighth grade. But less than a month after 29 area students graduated from the eighth grade, they spent three days this week at Lindsey Wilson College learning about biology, communication, energy and leadership.

The 29 students were part of the Rogers Explorers program, which was held June 10-12 at Lindsey Wilson. Sponsored by the Center for Rural Development in Somerset, Ky., in conjunction with Lindsey Wilson, the Rogers Explorers is an intensive three-day, two-program that exposes rising ninth-grade students to courses in communication, mathematics and science.

Two Rogers Explorers programs were held this summer -- one at Lindsey Wilson, the other at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. A total of 59 students from the Center for Rural Development’s 42-county service area participated in the program at the two colleges. The Rogers Explorers program is one of three summer programs the Center offers to youth in its service area.

“One of the biggest benefits of this program is that it gets students to think about postsecondary education even before they have entered secondary education,” said Jessica D. Melton, Center for Rural Development assistant director of education and training. “Being on a college campus, being in a college classroom and being with college professors all have a positive influence on them. … It’s different than going to a basketball campus – they are experiencing the academic elements of a college campus.”

During the day, the 29 Rogers Scholars at Lindsey Wilson were taught by the college’s faculty in subjects that included genetics, physics and communication skills. When not in class, they enjoyed several social events, and they also participated in community-service projects in Adair and Russell counties.

“It’s very important to have a community-service component in the program because we want the students to understand the importance of serving others and helping their communities through service,” Melton said.

One of the activities the Rogers Explorers especially enjoyed was a videoconference meeting with officials at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

That activity impressed Alison Feese of Columbia, who will be an Adair County High School freshman this fall. Like many of the Rogers Explorers, Feese was surprised to learn that NASA had job opportunities for just about every interest.

“It was really interesting to see all the stuff they do,” Feese said.

The videoconference meeting with NASA “gives them that dream-big potential,” Melton said.

At Friday evening’s closing ceremony, held in the Norma and Glen Hodge Center for Discipleship, Center for Rural Development President and CEO Lonnie Lawson told the students and their family members that the three days spent at Lindsey Wilson were but a beginning in their education journey.

“You must take an active role in your education” Lawson said. “Only you can really get to where you need to be in education.”

Lawson also praised the Rogers Explorers for combining academic pursuits with community-service activities.

“This is really what the heart of the mission for the Center for Rural Development is all about – it’s about improving the quality of life in Southern and Eastern Kentucky,” he said. “And we can only do that if we keep our best and brightest here at home, educate them here at home, get them involved in community decisions, get them involved in community service.”

And if the evaluation of Noah Richards of Columbia is any indication, the Rogers Explorers program held at Lindsey Wilson was a tremendous success.

“My three days here have been the best three days I’ve had my whole life,” said Richards, who will be a freshman this fall at Adair County High School. “I can’t wait to go home and use the skills we have learned.”

AUDIO: Rogers Explorer Noah Richard reflects On his three days

AUDIO: Rogers Explorer Heather Jackson Of Adair County on her career plans


SCENES: FROM ROGERS EXPLORERS


SCENES: ROGERS EXPLORERS GRADUATION

Alumnae Reunite on Campus for the Big 4-0

LWC alumnae gather Friday morning on the A.P. White Campus to celebrate their 40th birthdays and reminisce about their time at the college. From left: Sarah Barbee Espinosa of Lexington, Ky., Kara Alexander of Florence, Ky., Kelli Stemm Float of Danville, Lara Day Adams of Kuttawa, Ky., and Stacy Norman Read of Glasgow, Ky. (Click on photo for a larger version.)

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Five Lindsey Wilson College alumnae celebrated a milestone Friday at their alma mater. The five alumnae gathered on the Lindsey Wilson A.P. White Campus to celebrate their 40th birthdays. They returned to Lindsey Wilson because they met one another while students at the college.

To prepare for their big day on campus, the five alumnae held a scavenger hunt that included several Lindsey Wilson items.

“This is where our friendship began, so we thought this would be sentimental and nice,” said Kelli Stemm Float of Danville, Ky.

Float – who won the scavenger hunt – was joined by fellow alumnae: Sarah Barbee Espinosa of Lexington, Ky.; Kara Alexander of Florence, Ky.; Lara Day Adams of Kuttawa, Ky.; and Stacy Norman Read of Glasgow, Ky.

Alexander, Float, Adams and Read were all cheerleaders while at the college, and Espinosa was a student ambassador at the college. Adams made history when she graduated with LWC’s first bachelor’s degree in liberal studies.

On Friday, the five alumnae met with LWC President William T. Luckey Jr., who recruited several of the women to the college when he ran LWC’s admissions program through most of the 1980s.

The alumnae also received a campus tour from Director of Alumni Relations Randy Burns. And it’s a good thing they received a tour because their alma mater has added more than two dozen buildings since they were students at the A.P. White Campus.

“We wouldn’t have been able to find anything because I think there are only two classroom buildings that I recognize from when we were here,” Float said.

Although the five alumnae have led different lives since their Lindsey Wilson student days, the one thing they still agree on was that Associate Professor of Chemistry Robert Shuffett was one of their best professors.

“His integrity was what we remember most,” Float said. “He was the whole package because he wanted to teach us about life as well as chemistry. He was invested in us, and he wanted to see us succeed.”

'Three-Minute Thursday'Alumni & Friends Walkway

This week, Director of Alumni Relations Randy Burns discusses how to join the Alumni & Friends Walkway.

Education Graduate Program Accepting Second Cohort

Trecinda Raquel Akin of Greensburg, Ky., receives her master's hood from Lindsey Wilson College Associate Professor of Education Janette Ralston on May 9 during the college's 89th commencement in Biggers Sports Center. Akin earned a master of education Rank II Change, with graduate honors.

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Lindsey Wilson College is accepting applications for its graduate program in education. The 30-hour graduate program allows area teachers to earn a Rank II change in just 14 months.

Classes are offered on weekends at the Charlene S. Harris Education Center in Russell Springs, Ky. The cost for the 30-hour graduate program is $325 per credit hour. Including books, supplies and other incidental costs, the total cost for the graduate program is about $12,000 - which makes it one of the more affordable education graduate programs in the region. Financial assistance is available.

The LWC Education Division's conceptual framework theme is "Teacher as Leader in Rural Schools," and the theme is woven throughout the division's curriculum.

"The program's eight courses are designed around improving P-12 classroom strategies and leadership skills," said LWC Education Division Chair Janette Ralston. "The classes are directly related to individual schools' improvement plans."

Ralston said students enjoy matriculating through the program in a cohort.

"The program is offered in cohorts, which helps build camaraderie among students that can lead to lifelong friendships and professional relationships," she said.

A total of 17 students graduated in the program's cohort last month at LWC's spring commencement. The students came from several area counties, including Adair, Pulaski and Russell counties.

For additional information about the program, contact Ralston at ralstonj@lindsey.edu, (270) 384-8159 or (800) 264-0138.