Faculty and Staff

Faculty & Staff News

September 2010

HCC professor gives Civil War lecture on Oct. 10

Hagerstown Community College professor and Civil War historian Thomas Clemens will give a Civil War lecture on Sun., Oct. 10, beginning at 2:30 p.m., at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown.

Clemens’ presentation will focus on the work of Ezra A. Carman, a Union colonel in the 13th New Jersey Infantry, who was later appointed as the historical expert to the Antietam Battlefield Board in 1894. After the war, Carman wrote a 1,800-page manuscript on the Maryland Campaign, using firsthand accounts from war veterans and his own personal experience. In addition to eyewitness accounts, the manuscript includes maps and photos.

According to Clemens, Carman’s manuscript sat untouched for decades in the Library of Congress, referenced by historians but never published in its entirety. Clemens, recognized internationally as one of the foremost historians of the Maryland Campaign, began studying the campaign as part of his doctoral dissertation, and has spent the last 11 years editing and annotating Carman’s manuscript. He recently published an annotated version of the first part of Carman’s manuscript, “The Maryland Campaign of September 1862, Volume I: South Mountain,” earlier this summer.

Clemens' presentation will be given in conjunction with the exhibition, “Circuit of the Summer Hills: Mourning the Losses of the Civil War,” which opened in Jan. 2010. Copies of his book will be available for purchase in the museum gift shop and Clemens will sign copies of his book after the lecture. For more information on museum programs and events, go to www.wcmfa.org.

A professor of history and political science, Clemens earned his doctoral degree from George Mason University, where he studied under Maryland Campaign historian Joseph L. Harsh. He is a licensed tour guide at Antietam National Battlefield and is one of the founders of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, Inc., where he currently serves as foundation president. Clemens has been teaching at HCC since 1978.

June 2010

HCC employee awarded LERN designation

Samantha Willard, HCC office associate and Testing Center support technician in Hagerstown Community College’s Continuing Education and Community Services Division, was recently awarded designation as a certified eMarketing professional (CeP) by the Learning Resources Network (LERN).

“We are delighted to have Samantha Willard as a CeP,” says William A. Draves, LERN president. “By not only taking the course but passing the exam and reporting on several eMarketing projects, Samantha has demonstrated great competence and is helping to establish benchmarks and standards in the eMarketing field.”

In recognition of her accomplishment, Willard received a gold medallion, pin, and certificate, and will also be recognized at LERN’s upcoming annual conference in Nov.

LERN is an international association of lifelong learning programming that offers information and resources to providers of lifelong learning programs. For more information about LERN, go to www.lern.org.

HCC professor publishes Civil War manuscript

Hagerstown Community College professor Thomas Clemens recently published “The Maryland Campaign of September 1862, Volume I: South Mountain,” the first part of a two-volume historical, annotated manuscript that details one of the most famous campaigns of the Civil War.

The manuscript itself is the work of Ezra A. Carman, a Union colonel in the 13th New Jersey Infantry, who was later appointed as the historical expert to the Antietam Battlefield Board in 1894. After the war, Carman wrote a 1,800-page manuscript on the Maryland Campaign, using firsthand accounts from war veterans and his own personal experience. In addition to eyewitness accounts, the manuscript includes maps and photos. A biographical dictionary will be included in Volume II, which is expected to be released in 2012.

According to Clemens, Carman’s manuscript sat untouched for decades in the Library of Congress, referenced by historians but never published in its entirety. Clemens, recognized internationally as one of the foremost historians of the Maryland Campaign, began studying the campaign as part of his doctoral dissertation, and has spent the last 11 years editing and annotating Carman’s manuscript. The campaign itself Clemens has studied for more than 30 years.

“I see it as the pivotal campaign of the Civil War,” says Clemens. “This is the campaign that made the Emancipation Proclamation possible and ended the Confederacy’s hope of winning the war. It led to the Battle of Antietam, where more Americans were killed in a 24-hour period than in any other battle in Civil War history. Overall, it is incredibly compelling.”

A professor of history and political science, Clemens earned his doctoral degree from George Mason University, where he studied under Maryland Campaign historian Joseph L. Harsh. He is a licensed tour guide at Antietam National Battlefield and is one of the founders of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, Inc., where he currently serves as foundation president. Clemens has been teaching at HCC since 1978.

May 2010

Driver education instructor certified by the MVA

Deborah Bauer, transportation safety specialist at Hagerstown Community College, was recently licensed and certified as a driver education instructor by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).

Bauer completed her training over an eight-month period. The MVA training program included advanced classroom training, basic instructor training, advanced training behind the wheel, and an apprentice license examination. Bauer is also a certified MVA motorcycle instructor, which she earned in 2003.

HCC’s Driver Education Program began in May 2009 and is part of a growing number of transportation offerings at HCC. In addition to new driver courses, HCC also offers MVA-approved motorcycle safety and licensing classes, as well as the area’s largest commercial vehicle transportation (CVT) or truck driving program.

For more information about HCC’s Driver Education Program, go to www.hagerstowncc.edu/GoDrive, or call 301-790-2800, ext. 236.

January 2010

HCC recently recognized five of its outstanding adjunct faculty members for the Academic Excellence in Higher Education Awards.

Each division nominated one adjunct faculty member to receive an award. Nominees included April Crampton, a clinical nursing instructor who has taught at the college for one and a half years; Rodney Martin, an astronomy and physical science instructor who has taught at the college for 21 years; Daniel Webber, a music instructor who has taught at the college for 16 years; William
Young, Jr., a paralegal studies instructor who has taught at the
college for 17 years; and Austin Rinker, Jr., a paramedic emergency services instructor who has taught at the college for seven years.

December 2009

Deb McClain, Instructor, CNA/GNA and CMA Program, was promoted to Nursing Training Grant Director/Program Coordinator.

Anne Rich, Interim Director of Grants, was promoted to the permanent Director of Grants Development.
 

September 2009

Karen Hammond, Assistant Professor, Nursing, was promoted to Director or Nursing.

Monica Hutchins, Academic Advisor, recently earned her second masters degree in Educational Leadership from West Virginia University.
 

August 2009

Joan Bontempo, Instructor, Art Appreciation/Art History, was promoted to assistant professor.

Christopher Lewis, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, was promoted to Associate Professor. Lewis was also granted tenure.

James Niessner, Instructor, Developmental English, was promoted to Assistant Professor.

Thomas Seward, Assistant Professor, Foreign Language, was promoted to Associate Professor.

Ellen Smith, Assistant Professor, Graphic Design Technology, was promoted to Associate Professor. Smith was also granted tenure.

Lori Spessard, Assistant Professor, Economics, was granted tenure.

Jennifer Szczesniak, Instructor, Mathematics, was promoted to Assistant Professor.

Loretta Thornhill, Associate Professor, Paralegal Studies, was promoted to Professor.

Melanie Ulrich, Instructor, Biotechnology, was promoted to Assistant Professor.

College Hour

A College Hour is held each Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is a designated time when no classes are held, in order to allow faculty and students to attend meetings of committees with which they are involved. As such, the following schedule has been developed for each Thursday of the month.
 

First Thursday-     Faculty and staff division/department meetings (as identified on HCC's Organizational Chart)

Second Thursday-     Cross-constituency meetings
(standing committees, Shared Governance committees, etc.)

Third Thursday-     Single constituency meetings
(Faculty Assembly, SGA, Administrative Group, etc.)

Fourth Thursday-     Cross-constituency meetings
(standing committees, Shared Governance committees, etc.)

Fifth Thursday (when it occurs) -    Cross-constituency meetings (standing committees, Shared Governance committees, etc.)