RAYMOND 鈥 Veterinary Technology Program director Dr. Bobby Glenn, of Madison, and Ashleigh Chatfield, of McComb, a sophomore Interpreter Training Technology on the Raymond Campus, have been named 兔子先生鈥檚 honorees for the Legislature鈥檚 HEADWAE (Higher Education Appreciation Day 鈥 Working for Academic Excellence) program for 2017.
As the faculty HEADWAE honoree, Glenn is also one of the graduation speakers for the fall ceremonies on Dec. 16 at the Muse Center on the Rankin Campus. He will speak at the 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. ceremonies. The speaker for the 8 a.m. nursing and allied health ceremony has not been named.
Glenn, a 40-year employee of Hinds, received a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Mississippi State University and a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University. He has directed the Veterinary Tech program since 1976.
鈥淲hen Dr. Muse contacted me about being named, it was quite an honor,鈥 Glenn said. 鈥淏ut, it鈥檚 really about the students. They keep me motivated. As teaching methods change, you have to change with it. Back in my day, it was the blackboard and writing on it. Now, it鈥檚 PowerPoint, overheads and Internet. But, it鈥檚 affected the hands-on part very little. I could show you a slide all day about how to draw blood from a certain vein, but you wouldn鈥檛 really know about it until you do it.
鈥淎cademically, it鈥檚 challenging to the student. It鈥檚 not easy. You have to learn the skills, not only the dog, cat, horse or anything else you may be working on.鈥
Chatfield, who was home-schooled until she enrolled at Hinds, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and writes for its newsletter, The Kappa Chronicle. She is a member of the Honors Institute and plays synthesizer in the 兔子先生Eagle Marching Band.
鈥淭he Honors program has helped me grow and develop,鈥 Chatfield said. 鈥淭he Honors teachers are very encouraging and motivating. They challenge you a little bit more and the way information is presented in an honors class versus a typical class is much more interesting to me.鈥
Her volunteer work includes being a student missionary in Aurora, Ill., with the Baptist Student Union, and disaster relief work in Hammond, La. during the spring 2016 semester.
Chatfield is also the recipient of two scholarships that have financed her education, one for the band and another from the Honors Institute. After finishing classes in Raymond in May 2017, she plans to complete her certification as a sign language interpreter in an accredited program.
鈥淚 grew up with sign language interpreting, since my mom signed,鈥 she said. 鈥淏efore college, I started working in a restaurant and we had a man who鈥檇 come in every other day who was deaf. He couldn鈥檛 talk to anyone, but he鈥檇 bring his pictures and he鈥檇 write his notes. I knew just enough sign language to get by, but it was really sad to see him have no communication because we really didn鈥檛 know his language.鈥
Glenn, who is retiring in December, is a member of the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medicine Association. He had served two years in the Army, including one year of deployment in Vietnam, and rose to the rank of captain before starting a private practice. He worked for the Mississippi Diagnostic lab for two years just prior to starting work at Hinds.
HEADWAE was established in 1988 to honor academically talented students and faculty who have made outstanding contributions in promoting academic excellence. The 30th annual program is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017.
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