Tag Archive for: #vgccwelding

VGCC Welding student receives top academic honor

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— courtesy VGCC

VGCC Welding student receives top academic honor

Vance-Granville Community College has named student Andrew Lynam of Youngsville as its recipient of the North Carolina Community College System’s Academic Excellence Award for 2018. One student from each of the 58 colleges in the state system is honored with the award each year.

Lynam will be officially recognized at Commencement in May, when he is scheduled to graduate from the college with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Welding Technology, around the same time that he graduates from high school. Lynam is home-schooled and first enrolled at VGCC at age 16 through the Career & College Promise program.

“I find my motivation in my family and in my desire to achieve excellence,” Lynam said. “I have had the opportunity to grow through the hands-on instruction of my teachers, who have encouraged me to be my very best.” For the past three semesters, he has been named to the VGCC President’s List, an honor that recognizes students for achieving a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

Andrew Lynam of Youngsville, seen here in the Welding shop on VGCC’s Main Campus, is the college’s recipient of the North Carolina Community College System Academic Excellence Award for 2018. (VGCC Photo)

“With my instructors’ encouragement, I have earned four different welding certifications, two for structural steel and two for sheet metal, boosting my chances of getting a job,” Lynam added. He also earned a Gold-level National Career Readiness Certification. After graduation, Lynam said he would like to work in the welding field, earn a bachelor’s degree and become a certified welding inspector. “My experience at Vance-Granville Community College has allowed me to successfully achieve my lifelong desire to work hands-on while still having job variety and unique experiences,” Lynam said.

“Andrew’s diligence and eagerness to learn have earned him a place among the most outstanding community college students in North Carolina,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC. “We’re proud of his academic accomplishments at such a young age, and we’re pleased that our excellent faculty and staff have been able to support him to achieve professional success.”

–VGCC–

Rusty Pace honored for leadership at VGCC

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Rusty Pace, program head for Welding Technology at Vance-Granville Community College, was recently honored with the President’s Leadership Award from Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of the college.

Pace’s honor is one of three Glen Raven Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards presented to VGCC employees during each academic year. The others, the Faculty Member of the Year and Staff Member of the Year awards, are presented in the fall semester. Glen Raven, Inc., the manufacturer with a site in Norlina, is a longtime VGCC partner. The company’s support includes sponsoring the annual stipends to recognize outstanding VGCC instructors and staff members, and endowing many scholarships for students.

Dr. Williams praised Pace as an innovative faculty leader. “Under Rusty’s leadership, the Welding program, which was already well-known for excellence, has increased its retention rate while also expanding from a one-year diploma to an associate degree program,” the president said. “He has worked hand-in-hand with our Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant department staff to grow his program, meeting the needs of both our students and our local employers.”

Williams also noted that Pace has demonstrated a commitment to professional development, by traveling as far away as Ohio for welding technology training, by attending a conference related to the TAACCCT grant in Florida and by taking courses at the college in online education and computer skills.

A Louisburg resident and native of Franklinton, Pace enrolled at VGCC fresh out of Franklinton High School. He graduated from VGCC with a diploma in Welding in 1978 and quickly became certified through the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory. Pace worked as a welder for many years in Wake Forest and Franklin County, eventually opening his own business. He later completed an associate degree in Welding at Nash Community College.

Pace returned to teach Welding at VGCC on a part-time basis in 1998 and became a full-time instructor in 2004. Pace was promoted to the role of program head in 2007. At the college, he has served on the Professional Advisory Committee, the Judicial Committee and the Student Success Committee, and completed the VGCC Leadership Institute in 2006.

–VGCC–