The Wabash Valley College "View From The Valley" newsletter contains information about faculty, staff, and student accomplishments. All material is copyrighted and the property of Wabash Valley College.
VIEW FROM THE VALLEY
WABASH VALLEY COLLEGE
VOLUME 17 | ISSUE NO 06
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Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.
PAUL RYAN
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editor's Note 01
Winter Highlights Going National 03 04 05 Alumni Spotlight Upcoming Events 02 07 Employee Spotlight 08 Gallery 06 WVC Highly Ranked
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Editor’s Note
Happy New Year! Personally, I am excited about this year. I will graduate from WVC with an Associate's Degree in Radio/TV Communications and an Associate's Degree in Science and Art this May. Then, I’ll be spending the summer packing and moving to my next destination--university life. In some ways, starting over in a completely new environment at a university is nerve-wracking. But, I have a good feeling about 2023--so I will carry that with me whenever I start university life. Overall, I hope 2023 will be a good year for you, dear reader. I hope that all the hard work you put into 2022 gets paid off this year. Entering a new year can sometimes be a scary thing--especially if you really liked or disliked the previous year. Nonetheless, getting through the most uncomfortable things in life is what helps us move on to the greatest things yet to come. At least, that’s my philosophy.
What a break! We are blessed to get almost two weeks off every year. I said in my last edition that I would use my time to put away Christmas decorations, clean the garage, and be with my family. Well. I did the last one. But let's face it "clean the garage" has been on the to-do list for three years. Plus, I never really make time to do something so terrible. Especially when I could spend that time playing with children. Or doing literally anything else. Also, SOME of my Christmas decorations could just stay out until February because technically it is still winter. Right? On a more serious note, last semester ended with some pretty incredible things, (look to pages 03, 04, and 06). We are hoping this spring semester starts and ends the same way! We hope to see you on campus for some community events.
You know, one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to read more. Maybe you should pick up on reading more, too! You can start off reading more by continuing through this volume of View From the Valley. ;)
Let’s all follow our strides, keep working on ourselves, and spread kindness as much as we can this year!
Peace! Maggee Bleyer
Stay warm and read on! Jonathan Leach
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UPCOMING EVENTS
January 4, 2022
February 1, 2022
Lady Warriors Basketball vs. Volunteer State
Lady Warriors Basketball vs. Volunteer State
Warriors Basketball vs. Volunteer State
Warriors Basketball vs. Volunteer State
January 7, 2022
February 09, 2022
Lady Warriors Basketball vs. Three Rivers
LAg Acquaintance Day
January 9, 2022
February 11, 2022
First Day of Spring Semester
Lady Warriors Basketball vs. Kaskaskia
Warriors Basketball vs. Kaskaskia
January 11, 2022
February 18, 2022
Warriors Basketball vs. Lewis & Clark
Lady Warriors Basketball vs. Olney Central Warriors Basketball vs. Olney Central
January 16,2022
Campus Closed | Martin Luther King Day Lady Warriors Basketball vs. Shawnee Warriors Basketball vs. Shawnee
February 20, 2022
Campus Closed | President's Day
January 25, 2022
Be sure to follow us on social media for any changes in game schedules and to find out about Student Lounge events!
Warriors Basketball vs. Lake Land College
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Before classes even started this semester, our Lady Warriors basketball team was featured on ESPN+. NJCAA reached out to our Women's Head Coach, Luke Scheidecker, to congratulate his team on being the NJCAA Game of the Week. "The Lady Warriors have been a consistent force these past few seasons, this honor is a way for us to showcase our program and campus," Scheidecker said. The game, played on January 7th, was against Three Rivers Community College and was aired on ESPN+ (read about the game below). This honor allowed players to show off their abilities and stories with viewers across the nation. Of course, we owe a huge thanks to our Operations and Maintenance Team as well as our Information and Technology departments for getting everything set up for production day. We are extremely proud of all the Lady Warriors and Coach Scheidecker. GOING NATIONAL
WARRIORS DEFEAT RAIDERS 91-75 AND WAGNER BREAKS STANDING POINT RECORD
After a close fight in the first quarter, the second quarter began with a 27-19 Warriors lead. The Raiders started the second quarter by going a few scoring runs, putting them in a 34-32 advantage. As the Lady Warriors fought harder, the fans started to get louder. At the end of the first half, the Warriors had managed the fight off the Raiders, 43-38. After what could have only been a great pep talk in the locker room, the Warriors came out for the last half looking fresh. By the end of the game, the Wabash Valley Warriors (No.14) had taken down the Three Rivers Raiders (No.17) 91-75. With the stands packed, the victors ran across the floor flexing and thanking the spectators for their support. In addition to their victory, Shaulana Wagner, the 5 foot-10 sophomore guard from Detroit, set a new school single-game scoring record of 47 points, "They were packing it in, daring her to shoot jump shots," said Scheidecker in an interview following their victory. "She just cut them up and went for layups. An incredible performance." Wabash Valley improved to a 15-1 with and extended their home-court winning streak to 95 games. Three Rivers, riding a six-game winning streak, fell to 12-2.
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Winter Reading Bingo Attention all book lovers! The WVC Library is hosting a Winter Reading Bingo from December through the end of February. Readers can grab some books from our campus library, or their own personal collection, and start aiming for four in a row. All students, faculty, staff, and community members are encouraged to participate. Stop into the Bauer Media Center, grab a bingo card, and get to reading. Complete as many "bingos" as you can to increase your chances to win a prize. For added competition, each of the IECC schools is participating in the reading challenge. At the end of February, each campus will total up its number of completed bingo cards; the winner will receive a trophy to proudly display amongst their bookshelves. WINTER HIGHLIGHTS Warriors Lead We are so proud of our students for their community effort and volunteering at the end of the fall semester. We had students volunteer their time to: ring bells and collect donations for Salvation Army, set up and tear down for Wabash County's annual Uptown Christmas festival, and even build a float and walk in the Mount Carmel Christmas Parade. We love being a community college and we love that our students are getting involved in support of local events.
Team USA Clay Dempsey a sophomore on our Wabash Valley College Archery team has added to his list of accomplishments. Clay has already won an impressive number of state, collegiate, and national archery titles but now has been given a chance to represent Team USA in international competitions. Congratulations, Clay! 62 Years Founded in 1960, Wabash Valley College is entering 2023 with 62 years under its belt. Here's to another year of learning, growth, and success.
Our Biggest Fan At the end of the fall semester, several of our men's basketball players visited their biggest fan. Ray, a resident of Oakview Nursing Home, has been a longtime Warriors basketball fan. He was a frequent visitor to Spencer Sports Center events but, because of his current health, has been unable to attend games in person. However, Ray is often seen with a radio to his ear, listening for updated scores and play-by-plays from his favorite team. As an early Christmas present, WVC President Dr. Fowler and Head Coach Issac Woodajo brought the team by for a surprise visit. Ray offered some encouragement and advice to the players and the young men gave him autographed pictures along with several hats and t-shirts.
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Cassandra Goldman attended Wabash Valley College from 1992 to 1993. Cassandra first decided to attend WVC after graduating from MCHS, "I knew I wanted to go to law school and that I would be spending about seven years in higher education to make that happen. WVC was affordable, and a smart start for my academic goals". After graduating with her Associate in Science and Arts, Cassandra transferred to the University of Texas-Dallas where she received a Bachelor's in Psychology (1995). She then attended Columbus School of Law and McKendree University where she was awarded a Juris Doctor (1998) and Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (2021). After graduating from law school, Cassandra returned to Mount Carmel to practice law. In 2004 she was appointed to serve as the Wabash County Public Defender. From there she served as the Wabash County State's Attorney from 2008-2020. Currently, Cassandra is an adjunct professor at McKendree (Master's in Business Administration), Vincennes University (Homeland Security Law), and Lincoln Trail College (Criminal Law and Business Law). On top of her busy teaching schedule, Cassandra is also the Program Director for the International Student Program at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. "I love working with students from all over the world, I love to see their excitement and appreciation for our campuses and communities. Q: What was your favorite part about WVC? A: "I really enjoyed any class with Dr. Owens. Model UN was awesome too. Our country that year was Canada. I loved researching and representing the country at the Midwest Model UN conference in Saint Louis. As a Student Senate member, helping with the political forum was a great experience. I remember interacting with the candidates in the green room during the event. Many years later I was one of the candidates participating in the forum." ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your free time? A: "I love to travel and I enjoy reading."
Q; What advice do you have for those in the workplace? A: "Communication is key. Whether with a coworker or client, how you say it is as important as what you say." Q; What advice do you have for students in high school or college? A: "Find the clubs or organizations that interest you and engage in extracurricular activities as much as possible."
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WVC HIGHLY RANKED
Higher education resource guide releases the best community colleges for 2023
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for program rankings and higher education planning, has included Wabash Valley College (WVC) in its list of the Best Community Colleges in Illinois in 2023. The research identifies top schools in the state based on tuition costs, the number of credits required to graduate, and the online coursework delivery format. Intelligent.com implemented a unique methodology that ranks each institution on a scale from 0 to 100 across six categories. The scoring system compares each school to tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, reputation, and the student resources provided for online students. Studies show that obtaining a degree increases income substantially, with graduates earning 84% more than those with only high school diplomas or those without a completed GED. The percentage difference in earnings continues to grow with higher learning degrees such as master's, doctoral or professional degrees, with the unemployment rate decreasing to as much as 1.6% for those with a doctorate.
ABOUT WABASH VALLEY COLLEGE
One of the defining characteristics of where students choose to attend is finances. Unfortunately, students sometimes need to sacrifice the quality of education in order to preface affordability or ignore looming financial debt due to student loans so they can attend an institution with quality education and campus life. At WVC, students don’t have to make that choice. Most students at WVC receive some level of financial compensation in addition to what is already one of the most affordable tuition rates in the market. Additionally, our staff is ranked among the top 120 colleges in the nation. WVC boasts a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio and our current students will tell you, our educators and approach to education are second to none. WVC currently offers 13 associate degree options, 4 transfer degrees, and over 20 certificates. We have a 100% acceptance rate, affordable tuition, quality education, experienced faculty, as well as community and professional resources to aim our students for success.
ABOUT INTELLIGENT.COM
Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides that include the best degree programs and information about financial aid, internships, and even study strategies. Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students with comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
AUTHOR: MAGGEE BLEYER
Drew McMurray is the Assistant Professor of History and Government at Wabash Valley College (WVC). He teaches many forms of history, political science, economics, and ethics. This year marks Drew’s tenth year at WVC. Drew grew up in Lawrenceburg, IN and attended Oakland City University. Drew went on to Indiana State University where received his Ph.D. Throughout his university years, he taught at several high schools in Indiana and found himself teaching at Oakland City University. In 2013, however, he began working at WVC. Drew always knew he had a strong passion to teach. He began teaching high school students but found himself limited in what he could teach--especially pertaining to government and social studies. Based on his experiences, Drew decided to give college teaching a try. In K-12- schools, students had to be in the classes they were assigned. With college, students are given the freedom to choose whichever classes they like. Drew found this rewarding, as this process of choosing classes ultimately surrounded him with students who wanted to learn history. “History is stories; history is people,” Drew stated when asked about his love for history. In high school, he didn’t like the way his teachers taught history; he liked exploring history outside of textbooks. By doing this, he discovered more about the subject than what the teachers were saying. “It’s important to discern both between the actual history and what people report to be the ‘popular’ history,” Drew expressed. “I try to depict the past to be real and accurate. ‘Popular’ history is sometimes not accurate--but real history is.” Drew's teaching style consists of verbal interaction, such as asking questions in class and branching into other topics.
Drew says that, in history, a direct question can yield different responses or avenues for other questions--so, he stresses time for discussions. With economics, he presents the subject in a way where students can relay the information they are learning to the present time. Drew has his students write often in his classes. He thinks his students should brush up on their writing skills before they transfer to a four-year university. Drew’s goal is to make his students feel confident about jumping into their next classes, transferring to another college/university, and or about their role in the world. He wants his students to be accustomed to writing and technology. He also wants his students to organize themselves in a way that will help them succeed in all of their classes. Besides being the Assistant Professor of History and Government, Drew is a Faculty Rep on the IECC Higher Learning Commissioner Accreditation Committee. He is also on the Distant Learning Committee and Curriculum Committee. Drew says his music taste is ‘eclectic.’ He’s a big Pink Floyd fan. He also enjoys old classic hip hop, dad rock, and older music. He likes artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, War on Drugs, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and many others. Outside of teaching, Drew describes himself as a professional uber driver for his kids who play sports. He likes working in the yard, riding his bike, and playing with his dogs. He is a Bengals Football fan. Regarding his love for biking, Drew has ridden his bike across the entire state of Missouri on the Katy Trail. He plans to do it again this summer with his oldest daughter.
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