Congratulations Faculty Fellow Inge Smith-Luce

We are pleased to share the good news that Inge Smith-Luce has been granted a VSCS Faculty Fellowship for fall 2021 by the Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees. This is an exciting opportunity for Inge and the college stands to benefit greatly from her upcoming project work.

As outlined in Article 42 of the Faculty Federation Agreement, outstanding tenured faculty may be selected for a Faculty Fellowship to offer a public lecture, reading, exhibition, performance or recital at their institution. To create this original work, the Faculty Fellow may receive financial support to assist with this work and a reduction in workload of three credit hours. Per the Faculty Fellows process, nominations were considered and only two new fellowships were granted.

Inge Smith-Luce’s fellowship-winning proposal is to create multidisciplinary simulation cases that can include Respiratory Therapy, Paramedicine, Radiologic Science, and Nursing. These cases will create a collaborative workspace and promote interdisciplinary communication, a skill included in licensure testing for each field. The goal of this project is to create simulation materials which could be used by any of the departments alone, or in any combination of specialties.

Inge is a full-time nursing faculty member and the Program Director for the Paramedicine program, which she started at the college. Inge works as a Paramedic, as an RN in the Emergency Department and at a mountain-side medical/ortho clinic in the winter, as an Assistant Medical Examiner for the State of Vermont, and as the EMS Coordinator for VT EMS District #12. Her love of education and supporting the learner keeps her deeply committed to advancing her own knowledge and skills. One of the things that Inge believes is so special about Vermont Tech is the ability of students to learn to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways during their education. To increase their practice with communication, and specifically “handover reports” (critical communications between practitioners in healthcare settings), Inge’s project will increase the sense of community and collaboration between disciplines while students are in college.

Inge’s proposal is forward looking and enables collaboration between our health occupations programs and other programs at Vermont Tech and the VSCS. Please join Vermont Tech in congratulating Inge on her achievement of Faculty Fellow!

Professor John Knox granted Professor Emeritus

We are pleased to share the good news that John Knox has been granted Emeritus status by the Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees. This is a well-earned distinction for our colleague who has served the college and its students since the fall of 1972 with honor, including as the first-ever recipient of the Harry G. Wirtz Master Teacher Award.

There are a number of criteria for Emeritus status, according to VSC Policy 204. An Emeritus faculty is expected to have clear evidence of outstanding teaching, a recognized record of professional achievement and growth, and clear evidence of college service above and beyond expectations. As anyone that worked with John and students who learned from him know, he patently meets each criterion. John led the Mathematics department for decades. In that time, he was a pioneer in Vermont Interactive Television instruction of his subject and the first faculty member to teach using the technology, making him an early champion of accessible education. He also helped create the Summer Bridge Program to help students better succeed in the Engineering Technology programs.

When underscoring their recommendation for John’s Emeritus application, one peer suggested that it would be, “shorter to mention things John has not done than to list the service he has provided to the college.” John served on numerous taskforces, as an academic advisor, and Mathematics Department Chair. He worked repeatedly with Vermont’s high school teachers to discuss improving Math instruction to better prepare students for college.

As quoted from a peer recommendation, “[John] is dedicated to the success of students at Vermont Tech, to the success of his colleagues, and to the success of the institution. He is a model for all of us.”

Please join us in wishing a hearty congratulations to Professor Emeritus John Knox!

June 10 Update on the COVID-19 Coronavirus

June 10, 2020

President Moulton shared news of a confirmed date when the college will announce all the details of its fall re-opening plan: June 29, 2020.

March 6 Update on the COVID-19 Coronavirus

March 6, 2020

The Vermont Department of Health (VT DOH) issued an advisory that as of March 4, following guidance from the CDC, travelers returning from China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran should stay home and monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the United States. Travelers returning from Japan should monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the United States. This is not retroactive. Those who returned prior to this advisory should continue self-monitoring. The reason for this is that travelers returning home today, as opposed to last weekend, had more opportunity for community exposure. The VT DOH requires that all who have traveled to areas where there have been COVID-19 outbreaks contact the VT DOH directly and closely monitor themselves for fever and other symptoms. The Health Department’s phone number is 802-863-7240.

The college’s Incident Response Team met again this week to review action items from last week and discuss scenario planning for the future should the coronavirus enter the area. Please be advised that the college does have an Emergency Action Plan already in place, which we will use in response to this evolving situation. Guidance about hygiene continues to be important, so please reference below for recommendations about best practices.