c nnectionsa publication of the SLCC Division of Institutional Advancement and SLCC Foundation

From student

to alumni to benefactor

C.L. Jack Stelly

From RNs to Surg TechsResponding to the BOOM in the health care industry

SLCC Day at the CapitolDozen+ SLCC students tell their stories

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WELCOMECollege is all about connections. Students connect with instruc-

tors in the classroom. Faculty connect with colleagues on best practices. Staffers connect with the community through donations and student recruitment.

Ultimately, SLCC is able to provide quality programs that equate to viable jobs in Acadiana thanks to its connections with alumni, com-munity leaders, and businesses. These connections are impactful for our students and can last a lifetime.

In this inaugural edition of Connections, read about businessman C.L. ‘Jack’ Stelly’s three secrets of success. He got his start at SLCC’s T. H. Harris campus in Opelousas where he was in the first class for civil surveying and mapping. Now, he is helping students pay for col-lege by providing scholarships.

We’re also putting the spotlight on our new Registered Nursing pro-gram. Did you know the annual salary for RNs in Acadiana is more than $65,000? Job placement is close to 100% for these students. Our RN program is a true partnership between education and industry.

Look for the next edition of Connections in the Spring, as we con-tinue to showcase the excitement surrounding our college, our stu-dents, and our partnerships. Enjoy!

Natalie J. Harder, Ph.D.Chancellor, South Louisiana Community College

ChancellorNatalie J. Harder, Ph.D.

Associate Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement, Executive Director N. Paul Onuzuruike, MPA, CGPA, CFRM

President, SLCC FoundationRhyn Duplechain

“Ultimately, SLCC is able to provide quality programs that equate to viable jobs in Acadiana thanks to its connections with alumni, community leaders, and businesses.”

South LouisianaCommunity College

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Connections MagazineFall 2014 Vol. 1, No. 1

Managing EditorN. Paul Onuzuruike, MPA, CGPA, CFRM

Creative EditorLana M. Fontenot, MBA

Writers/Contributors/StaffChristine PaytonDirector of Public Relations

Betty DelafosseAssociate Director of Grants Development

W. Chandler LeBoeuf, M.Ed.Associate Director of Development & Alumni Relations

FEATURES

SLCC DAY AT THE

CAPITOL

Each year during the legislative session, SLCC students participate in a visit to the Capitol to meet with local senators and representatives and to share their stories with elected officials. Our students did a wonderful job

of letting legislators know how much community and technical colleges mean to them and what our college has done to change their lives for the better. More than a dozen students attended SLCC Day, where they were also treated to a behind-the-scences tour of the Capitol from Chancellor Harder.

Connections is published twice a year for friends of South Louisiana Community College and SLCC Alumni Association. Letters and comments should be sent to Lana Fontenot, Creative Editor, at 1101 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA 70506 or lana.fontenot@solacc.edu. Letters and comments may be published and edited for length.

COVER STORY: C.L. Jack StellyRead how education and hard work equals success for this SLCC alumnus SPECIAL FEATURE:

Healing AcadianaThe health care boom in Acadiana is driving SLCC’s new program offeringsPage 8

Page 4

Student ProfilePage 6

Alumni ProfilePage 7

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EDUCATION. HARD WORK.

SUCCESS.All his life, C. L. Jack Stelly believed you got out of life what you put in. More than 50 years after graduating from SLCC, Stelly reflected on his successful career in civil sur-veying and mapping. His three secrets for success? Hard work, honesty, and education.

Walking through the halls of C. L. Jack Stelly’s civil surveying business, sights of smiling, happy employees echo the sentiment on Stelly’s face. The delight shining in his eyes is reminiscent to that of a proud father, and for good reason.

Through his company’s 36 years of business, the company has grown from five employ-ees to more than 30 employees today and provides civil surveying and mapping services in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Nearly all of his three-dozen employees are long-term employees, many of which are graduates of South Louisiana Community College. Additionally, the company recently experienced its best years of business in 2011 and 2012, and to top that off, Stelly (who has worked for 52 years) has no plans to retire.

Looking back on his successful career, Stelly notes his three secrets to success:

1. Get an education.2. Be honest.3. Work hard.

Rewind to the 1950s. Stelly was working long days on his family’s farmland. In the midst of sun, sleet, and rain, he learned what hard work was all about. Yet Stelly dreamed of getting off the farm and taking a different direction in life.

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SURVEYING, MAPPING GRAD NOW IN CLASSROOM AT SLCC

Civil Surveying and Mapping In-structor Michael O’Pry wants to in-troduce students to an industry he’s known for more than a decade. The 2002 graduate of SLCC’s T. H. Harris campus is now leading the program at SLCC’s Lafayette campus.

This Civil Surveying and Map-ping program is the only two-year program offered in Louisiana.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics expects the job market for technicians to grow 16 percent in the next seven years. The median sal-ary is nearly $40,000 annually. “I’m bringing a more practical, hands-on approach to the curriculum using the excellent equipment we have in-house,” said O’Pry, who’s worked for several surveying companies in Acadiana. “I’m expecting 100 per-cent job placement after graduation as well.”

An opportunity was born when a recruiter from the T. H. Harris campus in Opelousas arrived at his home to tell his family about a brand-new program called civil surveying and mapping.

“After listening to the recruiter, I thought to myself, ‘In two years, I can go to work and make some money.’” He immediately enrolled in the program.

True to his work ethic, Stelly threw himself fully into his school-ing and remembers studying until 2 and 3 o’clock in the morn-ing. “That’s how interesting the program was to me. I enjoyed every minute of the courses.” In 1962, Stelly graduated as part of the first class of the civil engineering and technology program.

The skills learned from his education immediately earned Stelly a job at John Chance Land Surveys, where he worked for 16 years. While working his way up through the company, Stelly knew his education at T. H. Harris was a key driver behind his accomplishments.

After reaching several milestones at John Chance, Stelly felt a desire to venture out on his own. Through the connections he made in the industry, he felt the timing was right to take a big leap in his career and start his own business. “Had I not tried opening my own business, I would have forever regretted it,” Stelly noted.

On January 1, 1978, C. L. Jack Stelly and Associates opened its doors. Since then, the family-owned company has enjoyed sweet success. Stelly’s wife, Barbara, still works as the company’s ac-countant and administrative assistant, while Stelly’s son, Jack Jr., is poised to take over the business when Stelly retires.

Several years ago, Stelly made a priority of giving back to his alma mater. Together with his family, Stelly decided to give back to the program and college that helped to change the course of his life. He established the C. L. Jack Stelly and Associates Schol-arship to benefit a civil surveying and mapping student at the T. H. Harris campus of South Louisiana Community College.

“School was free when I went in the 60s. Today, it’s not like that. Our company needs these graduates coming out of SLCC, and I wanted to give back to help students with funding,” Stelly men-tioned.

Stelly’s scholarship recipient for each academic year will be named prior to the Fall semester. Along with scholarship funds, we would not be surprised to see Stelly mentoring the recipient and passing along his secrets of success to a new generation of civil surveyors and mappers.

O’Pry (right) with student at Louisiana Workforce Experience Day at the Capitol

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Keri HebertWe recently met up with student Keri Hebert at our Gulf Area campus in Abbeville and were immediately impressed with her upbeat personality and vast knowledge of the school. Read more about this student who seems to juggle it all: col-lege, family, community involvement, and countless hobbies.

Major: Business Office Technology: AccountingWhy did you choose SLCC’s Gulf Area campus?My family has a cattle farm, so I wanted to stay around the Abbeville area to help my father with the farm. I like that SLCC has multiple locations close to home.

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What do you like best about accounting?Math has always been my best subject in school, and I had fun dealing with money in my dual-enrollment classes at Abbeville High School. Through dual-enrollment, I was able to obtain 12 credit hours with SLCC!

Tell us about your family’s history with SLCC. My mother graduated in 2008 in Accounting and in 2012 in Medical Assistant and Patient Care Technician. When my mother attended SLCC, I would walk to campus after school and meet her. My older sister graduated in 2012 in drafting, and my little sister also wants to come here for cosmetology.

What do you do in your spare time?Attending school and working on my family’s farm keep me busy, but I also travel around the state representing the Vermilion Parish Cattlemen’s Association as its queen. Plus, I’m working this summer at Camp Woodmen in Ab-beville as a counselor and lifeguard.

What are your plans after graduation?After I graduate, I want to find a job working in account-ing, whether it is for a bank or a small business.

Discounts for Students, Faculty, and Staff

It pays to be an SLCC student! More than 40 businesses across Acadiana have joined the SLCC Extra Credit Program by offering students, faculty, and staff with valid IDs discounts on a variety of products and services.

Want to join the Extra Credit Program and attract more than 8,000 students, faculty, and staff to your business? Contact Lana M. Fontenot at lana.fontenot@solacc.edu or 337-521-9026.

Discounts for Students, Faculty, and StaffEXTRA CREDITSLCC discount program

Keri (third from left) with her mother Mary and sisters Kristin and Kylie

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Connections recently sat down with Alex Labat, an-chor and reporter with KATC TV 3. He told us about his time at SLCC.

Years you attended SLCC and program you studied: 2010 – Core Curriculum along with Film/Broadcast-ing courses.

Do you think your time at SLCC helped you to pursue your profession? Absolutely. I edited on Final Cut there years before any

other educational institution, and it helped build a basis for editing that I still use to this day.

What was your best memory as an SLCC student?Too many to jot down here. I do remember filming some humorous short sketches there.

What impact has SLCC made on your career?In film class, we watched a movie, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” The film details a stroke victim

learning to communicate with “locked-in syndrome.” I remember how visually stunning it was, being able to experience the struggle of the main character via his own point of view. It really has had a profound impact on my storytelling ability. To be able to visu-ally tell a story, through camera angles and writing, can evoke a lasting emotion in a person…it certainly did in me.

Describe SLCC in three words: Education’s Hidden Gem

What’s the most important piece of advice you’d like to give to SLCC students? You can have many things taken away from you in life, but no one can take away an education. It’s something that was instilled in me very early on, and you might not realize the launching pad you have at SLCC. Classes were filled at the university I was cur-rently attending, and so SLCC provided the perfect opportunity to fill in that gap. Don’t be afraid to break out of your shell, either. I’ve made many friendships, both personal and professional, through my tenure there.

ALUMNI PROFILE: Alex Labat

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

$4.80gained in lifetime income

for STUDENTS

$6.80gained in added taxes and publicsector savings for TAXPAYERS

$25.90gained in added income andsocial savings for SOCIETY

Source: American Association of Community Colleges

ROI OF

FOR EVERY $1 SPENT

Calling All AlumniDid you attend South Louisiana Community

College, Lafayette Technical College (LTC), or Acadiana Technical College (ATC)?

If so, the newly formed Alumni Relations Office would like to hear from you! From special alumni events and mentoring opportunities to exclusive discounts and job postings, the benefits of your education continue well beyond your time here.

Send your information to Chandler LeBoeuf, Associ-ate Director of Development and Alumni Relations at chandler.leboeuf@solacc.edu.

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HEALINGACADIANA

The countdown is finally here. After nearly three years of paperwork, meetings, propos-als, and approvals, the Registered Nursing program is gearing up for its much-anticipat-

ed debut at South Louisiana Community College this fall.

This program is a true community partnership. The Lafayette Economic Development Authority and Lafayette General Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, and Regional Medi-cal Center of Acadiana and Women’s and Children’s Hospital all contributed financially to establish the program.

Since the college’s official announcement in 2013, this upcoming program has generated enormous interest throughout Acadiana. Laurie Fontenot, SLCC’s Dean for Nursing, Allied Health, and Safety, credits this interest on current health care demands.

“There’s a substantial need for RNs in Acadiana,” said Fontenot. “This new program will help fill health care needs in our communities and beyond.”

The program recently accepted its first cohort of 40 students. At full capacity, 60 students will be se-lected for each nursing cohort.

Since last summer, interested students began en-rolling in prerequisites and general education courses in hopes of being one of the first 40 students.

The competition for entrance was high. RN hopefuls were scored based on a combination of factors, including cumulative grade point average of prerequisite work, Test of Essential Academic Skills scores, and more. “We created an objective process that was transparent. We set criteria and applied it to our process,” said Fontenot.

Last year, SLCC’s former barbering salon was renovated into a six-bed, state-of-the-art nursing lab to host the new program. Inside the lab, a room is dedicated to high-fidelity computer-generated human simulation. The simulator, called MetiMan, mimics real-life scenarios and responds medically to medication administered and treatments performed. Adjacent to the simulation room, a conference room with a closed-circuit camera and one-way mirror allows nursing faculty to hold discussions about care given and provide feedback to the RN student. “These simula-tions allow for a review of the student’s nursing care and al-low for real-life situations before exposing them to human subjects in clinicals,” Fontenot stated.

The future is bright for all of SLCC’s health care pro-grams, including registered nursing. Fontenot stated, “I see us expanding and continuing to grow and offer additional programs for Acadiana’s health care industries. We will continue to focus on quality teaching methodology, im-proving availability to students, and increasing the educa-tional preparation of all faculty.”

SPOTLIGHT ON:SLCC’s Registered Nursing Program

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registered nursingLafayette General Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Re-gional Medical Center, and Re-gional Medical Center of Acadi-ana and Women’s and Children’s Hospital are each contributing $150,000 to the development of the college’s RN program. La-fayette Economic Development Authority also provided $50,000 in support of the RN program and its purpose of meeting local workforce needs.

scholarships

coming soon...

# of students SLCC will graduate per year (at full capacity)

Newly licensed RNs in LA who are able to find work at job of choice

average annual salary for registered nurses in Acadiana

$65,933$65,933

94%94%

6060

In addition to more than a doz-en other scholarships, several scholarships specific to health care have been established:• American Legion Hospital Auxiliary Healthcare Scholarship• Charles Hill Memorial EMSScholarship• Elder Outreach Scholarship• Mia Trahan Memorial Scholarship• Ronald Stokes Memorial Scholarship

amount of scholarships for 2014-15 academic year

# of scholarships up for grabs this year

Tuition for a full-time (12+ credit hours) SLCC student

$1,792.78$1,792.78

2828

$80K$80K

The business need for a vet-erinary technology program is being researched. If approved, it will be housed at the college’s T. H. Harris campus in Opelousas.

An advisory committee has met with area veterinarians, and there appears to be a credible need, according to Laurie Fon-tenot, Dean for Nursing, Allied Health, and Safety.

beginning year of vet tech program, if approved

growth projection for vet techs from 2012-2022

median annual wage of a veterinary technician

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

$30,290$30,290

30%30%

20152015

HEALINGACADIANA

HEALTH CARE

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ABBEVILLE

CROWLEY LAFAYETTE

ST. MARTINVILLE

OPELOUSAS

VILLE PLATTE

Gulf Area campus

Evangeline campus

T. H. Harris campus

Acadian campus

C. B. Coreil campus

Gulf Area:Medical AssistantNursing AssistantPatient Care TechnicianPractical Nursing

Acadian:Medical AssistantNursing AssistantPractical Nursing

C.B. Coreil:Medical AssistantNursing AssistantPractical Nursing

T.H. Harris:Nursing AssistantPatient Care TechnicianPractical Nursing Evangeline:

Nursing Assistant (high school)

Patient Care TechnicianPractical Nursing

Lafayette:Clinical Lab Technician Nursing AssistantPractical NursingRegistered Nursing Surgical Technology

Nursing & Allied Health Programs An SLCC education is right at the doorsteps of our students, where they can attend school in the communities they live.

Our nursing and allied health programs are available at six of our campuses.

The Health and Sciences building is part of the $240 million “Facilities with a Purpose” bill that includes 24 construction projects on 14 campuses within Louisiana’s Community and Technical College System. At press time, the college is less than $20,000 away from meeting its mandatory $2.1 million in private donations. These funds will be combined with $15 million from the state for a total cost of $17.1 million.

UPDATE10

337.988.0099 • www.expressbynet.comWE PRINT THE WORLD

1101 Bertrand DriveLafayette, LA 70506(337) 521-8997foundation@solacc.eduwww.solacc.edu

FOUNDATION