Central Texas College Transfer Day 2008 
CTC students looking to move on to a four-year university upon completing their time here can gain much-needed information by attending the annual Transfer Day. The event is sponsored by the CTC guidance and counseling department and allows students the opportunity to meet with recruiters from many universities and schools from across Texas and the country. This year’s Transfer Day will be Monday, December 1 from 9 – 11 a.m. in the LBJ Fine Arts Auditorium (Bldg. 112).
Representatives from nearly 50 universities and schools such as the University of Texas, Texas Tech, UT-Arlington, Baylor, Texas State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Sam Houston State University, Paul Quinn College, Sul Ross University and the University of North Texas will visit CTC students to share information about transfer requirements. They will provide counsel on deadline applications, financial aid, student housing options and all other information needed to make a smooth transition to a four-year university. Schools from other states such as Hawaii, New Jersey, New Mexico and others will also be present.
For more information about Transfer Day, please call 254-526-1667.
Byways
Submissions for the CTC literary magazine, “Byways” are now being accepted. If you have original works of poetry, prose, creative non-fiction, short fiction, drama or art, this is a great opportunity for your work to be published and win a cash prize.
“Byways” is a student journal of writing and arts. All CTC students are invited to send in their art or creative writing for consideration. Students should send their written work to Mike Matthews at Mike.Matthews@ctcd.edu along with their e-mail address and phone number. The deadline for written work submissions is Friday, February 13, 2009.
If submitting art work, students should contact Nathan Kutsch in the Fine Arts Department at 254-526-1572. All submitted art will be photographed and returned to the artist.
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Earn cash with essay contest
The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) and Community College Week are hosting a student essay contest with $3,000 in prizes. To enter, simply describe your most rewarding learning experience with a faculty, staff or administrator at CTC. First place will receive $1,000. To submit your essay, see the complete list of prizes or for more contest details, log onto www.nisod.org/student_essay.html.
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Fiction writers wanted
The Tuesday Night Scribes (TNS) is seeking fiction writers. TNS members engage in writing exercises and participate in other activities related to writing. The group meets the first and third Tuesday of each month from 7 to 9 p.m. at Barnes and Noble in Harker Heights and is open to anyone who is interested. Members must be willing to share chairing duties, bring work to be critiqued and to critique the work of others. If interested, contact Michelle Escudier at 254-526-1725 or e-mail maescu@aol.com for more information.
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New criminal justice scholarship available
The Central Texas College Foundation will now offer a new scholarship for criminal justice students thanks to the efforts of the CTC campus police. The department recently donated $5,000 to create the Central Texas College Police Department Endowed Scholarship. The first scholarship will be awarded in the spring 2009 semester to a CTC criminal justice major.
The CTC police department raised the necessary funds to endow the scholarship by hosting the annual campus haunted house and autumn festival the past 10 years. Proceeds from the event were set aside until enough money was raised to meet the endowment criteria. By donating a minimum of $5,000, a scholarship can be established to honor, recognize and/or memorialize a person or organization of one’s choice. The named honoree's life or significant accomplishments will be commemorated on an annual basis when the scholarship is presented. The endowment gift is invested and accrues interest which generates funds for future scholarship awards. Scholarship applications for the police and all other CTC scholarships will be available online beginning January 1, 2009, at https://ctcd.scholarships.nelnet.net/CMXAdmin/Cmx_Content.aspx?cpId=144.
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Holidays
On Tuesday, November 11 the CTC central and Fort Hood campuses will be closed in observance of Veterans’ Day. Classes will resume and administrative offices will re-open on Wednesday, November 12. Also, both campuses will be closed November 27-28 for Thanksgiving. Classes will resume and offices will re-open on Monday, December 1.
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Spring schedule now available
Course schedules for the spring 2009 semester are now available online (http://www.ctcd.edu/spring2009.pdf) and in hard copy. Online registration for returning students will be December 1 – 19. Academic advisement for new students and those changing degree plans will be conducted January 5 – 9, 2009. The spring semester begins January 12.
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Student music showcase
The annual Student Music Showcase will be held December 2 and 4 in the Fine Arts auditorium (Bldg. 112). Students will perform selections for voice, piano, guitar and other instruments. In addition, their performances will also serve as auditions as students compete for two music scholarships. The winners will be announced during a reception to honor all performers following the showcase.
The showcase begins at 7:30 p.m. each night. The first night will highlight group and ensemble performances including the CTC Chorus and the CTC Jazz Band. The second night will spotlight solo performances from students who are currently studying applied music. Tickets for the Student Music Showcase are $5 each night and all proceeds will benefit the CTC Music Scholarship fund. For more information, please call the CTC Fine Arts Department at 254-526-1572.
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Art exhibit features altered books
A new art exhibit, “Novel Works – Artist-Altered Books,” recently opened in the Upper Gallery of the CTC library. “Novel Works” highlight the artistic altering of the traditional book format. The 15 featured artists from across Texas have taken various approaches to manipulating the basic book. Included in the exhibit are one-of-a-kind pieces that can be handled by the viewer, objects that resemble books but are not meant to be read, structures housing individual book works as part of a larger piece and installations created from altered book pages. All emphasize a relationship between form, content and the treatment materials received by the artists’ hands and invite contemplation and exploration by the viewer. The exhibit is free and open to the public through December 5. It is available during regular library hours of 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Fridays; 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturdays; and 1 – 8 p.m. on Sundays.
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"Alaska" opens at Planetarium
The Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater announced the premiere of two new shows and the return of some holiday favorites. The first new show is the large format film “Alaska: Spirit of the Wild.” This is the ultimate story of survival, where life triumphs season after season against fierce conditions and challenges. It transports the audience on a voyage into the last great frontier where nature enchants the eye with magnificent spectacles. In the extraordinary plenty of Alaska's summers with its long days of 20 hours of sunlight, viewers will find themselves fishing with brown bears, soaring with bald eagles, dodging calving glaciers experiencing the fascinating feeding strategy of humpback whales and racing on the hooves of caribou – all from the comfort of a theatre seat. The 40-minute film masterfully relates the genesis of Alaska and then explores its rich history, surprising wildlife, magnificent landscapes, harsh climate and abiding spirit. Show time for “Alaska: Spirit of the Wild” is 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. [read more]
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World AIDS Day 2008
December 1 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day – a day to remember those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS and a day to heighten awareness, fight prejudice and improve education. In recognition of World AIDS Day, the CTC Gay-Straight Alliance is hosting a candlelight vigil, featuring panels from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, at the library December 1 beginning at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. There are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. Last year some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.
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Tarleton wants you!
Still deciding on where to go after completing your studies at CTC? Tarleton State University – Central Texas, tomorrow’s Texas A&M University-Central Texas, may be the answer. Meet with members of the Tarleton admissions staff November 12-13 to help you decide. If you have 30 transferable hours, a 2.0 GPA and have passed all portions of course placement testing, stop by the upper CTC Student Center (Bldg. 106, room 201A) from 2 – 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12 or from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 13 to meet the admissions staff. Please bring copies of your official/unofficial transcripts from all previous colleges or universities. If you have any advance questions, feel free to contact Nilka Evans, recruiter, at 254-519-5495 or e-mail nevans@tarleton.edu.
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Experience the culture behind the mask
The International Student Association (ISA) and CTC will celebrate International Education Week, November 17 – 21. During the week ISA will host a series of events open to all students. Planned activities include a cultural lounge in the library. This is a room on the second floor dedicated to multiculturalism where students can seek help with other languages or learn about other cultures. There will also be a mask exhibit in the library and in the Planetarium featuring masks from numerous countries. The cultural lounge and mask exhibit will be available during the month of November.
The big finale will be the International Masque Show on Thursday, November 20 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. in the Planetarium. Highlights of the show include cultural dance performances, a fashion parade of cultural masks from across the globe and other stories behind the masks. Tickets for the show are $5. For more information about International Education Week, please call either 254-526-1302 or 254-526-1107.
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New campus emergency alert system
Central Texas College recently announced the implementation of a new emergency alert system for its central campus. The new system, provided by SkyTel, will notify students via e-mail, text message or voice message regarding any emergency on campus or in the immediate vicinity which may affect CTC. Emergency alerts will be sent when situations require unscheduled closure or evacuation of the central campus or facility like severe and inclement weather, a power outage, police or fire emergency, catastrophe and exposure to hazardous material. The new system can alert students in as little as 90 seconds. For students en route to class or still at home, the system will help warn them not to come to campus when there is an emergency. And for those students already on campus, it will assist them in following the necessary precautions and evacuation procedures. [read more]
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CTC and Pluckers serve up scholarship funds
CTC and Pluckers Wing Bar have joined forces to raise funds for the CTC Wounded Warrior Spouse Scholarship program which offers free tuition for the spouse of soldiers who received a Purple Heart since September 2001. Every third Monday of the month, Pluckers will donate 20 percent of a patron’s bill to the CTC scholarship program when the customer mentions the Wounded Warrior Spouse Scholarship.
CTC initiated the Wounded Warrior Spouse Scholarship this summer and presented the first awards this past week at the CTC Foundation scholarship reception. The scholarship offers free tuition for up to 30 semester hours in one year for spouses of those who received a Purple Heart since September 2001. The scholarship covers in or out-of-state tuition and mandatory fees. To maintain eligibility for the scholarship, spouses must take a minimum of six semester credit hours and maintain a 2.0 grade point average. [read more]
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Can you help?
Student Life is conducting a blanket and jacket drive through November 28 to benefit the Home and Hope Shelter in Killeen. Drop-off boxes are located outside the Student Life office in the Student Center (Bldg. 106). Please consider donating any old blankets, coats and jackets you are no longer using.
The Mental Health Services Dept. is looking for donations of canned foods and other items for the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter in Copperas Cove. Items needed include canned tuna, canned meats of any kind, pasta sauce, spaghetti and other pasta, canned fruit, canned vegetables, baby formula and baby food. Donation containers are located throughout central campus. For more information or to locate the donation container nearest your classroom, contact Marlene Henry at 254-526-1281.
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Blood drive
CTC and the American Red Cross are teaming up for a blood drive on Wednesday, November 12. The Red Cross blood mobile will be parked in the campus mall area between the Student Center (Bldg. 106) and the library from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. All donors will receive a free t-shirt. They should also eat and drink plenty of fluids before donating. Please bring a valid picture I.D. Walk-ins are welcome but if you would like to schedule a donation time, please call Student Life at 254-526-1258.
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CTC-TV and CTC Online
A new season of CTC-TV kicked off October 24. The half-hour news-type program contains all the campus news and events, student spotlights, department spotlights and much more. The next show will air Friday, November 21 at 8:30 p.m. on KNCT-TV (channel 4 on the local cable system or channel 46 for non-cable). The show will air again Sunday, November 23 at 10 a.m. The December show will air December 19 and again December 21. Catch the October show online at www.knct.org by clicking the videos on demand link.
CTC Online is the campus podcast highlighting upcoming events and activities. Tune in at http://www.ctcd.edu/events/podcasts.htm.
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