HutchCC News

In response to challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Hutchinson Community College Board of Trustees approved a revised calendar for the fall 2020 semester at its June 11 meeting.

The revised calendar moves up the start date of classes to August 12 from August 19, it eliminates the scheduled Fall Break Day of October 9 and it moves Finals Week to the week of November 30 instead of the previously scheduled week of December 7. Finals will be conducted online eliminating the need for students to return to campus after Thanksgiving break.

In other business, the Board received updates on its Higher Learning Commission accreditation process, the Student Dining Facility renovation project and a preview of its insurance coverage for 2020-21. 

The next meeting of the board will be on Thursday, June 25.  The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Shears Technology Center Justice Theater.  The public is invited to attend.

For more information on Hutchinson Community College, visit the college website at www.hutchcc.edu.

In the spirit of True Blue Excellence, the Hutchinson Community College Practical Nursing Program faculty and staff made its 2020 pinning ceremony a traveling road show.

Since the traditional face-to-face commencement ceremony wasn’t able to take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PN faculty and staff traveled 812 miles across Kansas to honor the PN Program Class 81 graduates.

“While the cancelation of the traditional ceremony was unfortunate, we felt this was a great opportunity to show our appreciation to our students as well as their family and friends for being there to support the students during these challenging times”, stated Sandy Pangburn, Practical Nursing Program Coordinator.

Over the course of four days they visited each graduate's home (while practicing proper social distancing and wearing masks) to deliver their pins.

Graduates were Jennifer Longbine (Abilene), Kelli Martin (Andover), Tara Jones (Colwich), Autumn Shomper (Enterprise), Elizabeth Carter (Fort Riley), Misti McNamara (Halstead), Alyssa Pankratz (Hutchinson), Jessica Walters (Hutchinson), Brooke Williams (Kinsley), Abigail Bernhardt (Lehigh), Kelsie Anderson (Lindsborg), Alicia Hanson (McPherson), Randall Dreier (Newton), Paige Myers (Nickerson), Sadie Garrett (Salina), Jenna Prater (Salina) and Ieshea Woodring (Salina).

For more information on Hutchinson Community College’s Practical Nursing program, visit www.hutchcc.edu/pn.

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In its final meeting of the 2019-20 academic year, the Hutchinson Community College Board of Trustees received a tour and an update on the renovation of the student dining facility in the Parker Student Union.  Julie Blanton, Vice President of Finance and Operations, and Gary Holler, architect with Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey Architecture, led the tour and provided an overview of the project. The Board learned the project is currently on target for an early August completion.

The Board also received an update on its strategic planning initiatives from Dr. Tricia Paramore and a report from Ken Baker, General Manager of Radio Kansas, on the success of their recent fundraiser, especially considering the current economic environment.  In addition, the Board received a curriculum report on updates for the 2020-21 academic year and approved several items of routine business.

A video archive of the meeting is available on the Hutchinson Community College YouTube channel.

The next meeting of the board will be on Thursday, June 11 at 7:00 pm.

Hutchinson Community College has announced that Ashton Baxa and Grant Graber have been selected as the 2019-20 Wes Christopher Ambassadors of the Year.

Ashton is a 2018 graduate of Osborne High School. She graduated from HutchCC in May of 2020 with an Associate of Science degree and will be transferring to the University of Nebraska Kearney to complete her studies in Finance. In addition to serving as an Ambassador, Ashton was a Leadership Scholar and student tutor, a member of the Honors program, Phi Theta Kappa, Campus Activities Board, and Ambassador Leadership team, and served as the President of the Student Government Association.

Grant is a 2018 graduate of Eisenhower High School in Goddard. He graduated from HutchCC in May of 2020 with an Associate of Science degree and will be transferring to Kansas State University to complete his studies in Agronomy. In addition to serving as an Ambassador, Grant was a Leadership Scholar and member of the Crops Judging team, Ambassador Leadership team, Collegiate Farm Bureau, and Ping Pong club.

The Ambassador group, comprised of students from all areas of the college, assists the Admissions Office with recruiting and conducts campus visits and tours throughout the year. The group also contacts current and prospective students to address questions about the College. 

The Wes Christopher Ambassador of the Year Award is named in honor of Wes Christopher, a 2002 graduate of Hutchinson Community College and former ambassador who passed away in 2005 as the result of a motorcycle accident.

For more information on Hutchinson Community College, visit the college website at www.hutchcc.edu.