Randolph Community College Academic Excellence Award Winners
ASHEBORO (March 25, 2009)
Release prepared by April Wright, UNCG Communications intern
Randolph Community College has chosen its 2009 Academic Excellence Award winners, Deborah B. Murray of Asheboro, and Bruce Neal Leonard of Thomasville.
Each year the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) encourages each community college to recognize two students for their outstanding academic achievements. The minimum criteria set by the state is that the students be currently enrolled in and have completed 12 semester hours in an associate of arts, science, applied science, or general studies degree and have a grade point average (GPA) of no less than 3.25. Colleges may then employ additional scholarship criteria beyond these minimum requirements as they see fit.
Randolph Community College has indeed raised the bar on the requirements for its students. The selection criteria used at RCC to identify potential award recipients is that they be currently enrolled, full time in a degree-seeking program with a minimum of 32 semester hours completed, must have a GPA of 4.0, and must be nominated by a faculty member. In addition to individual college recognition, the NCCCS plans to post an Academic Excellence Awards section on the its Web site to acknowledge and highlight the students for their scholastic accomplishments.
Murray is seeking an associate degree in applied science in Office Systems Technology. The plant where she worked closed in 2006 and she lost her job, but gained the opportunity to go back to school. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and will finish her classes this fall. Murray says, "Coming to RCC has been the best thing that could have come out of losing my job. It has given me confidence in myself that I never had. RCC has great instructors who really care about their students."
Leonard is also seeking an associate degree in applied sciences, but in Machining Technology. He was a manager in a yarn manufacturing plant for many years and began to consider other career options when competition from imports adversely affected his position. He enrolled in the program in fall of 2007 and says, "My educational experience has been both rewarding and challenging." He also says that while going back to school is often overwhelming, "I am learning that I am able to accomplish things that I never would have thought possible."
