The Richland Community College Board of Trustees approved the promotion of two faculty members and Professor Emeritus status to one at last night’s meeting.
Pixie Fennessey, retired Professor of Psychology and Sociology, was granted Professor Emeritus status.
Professor Fennessey came to Richland Community College in 1996 and her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and additional graduate hours in areas of education, psychology, and sociology, contributed to her success as a professor of psychology and sociology at Richland.
Her service to Richland extended beyond the classroom and allowed students to continue learning and growing by serving others. During five summers, she took groups of students to Kenya to work at By Grace Disabled and Orphans Center. These experiences led to the creation of Stand Up for Grace, a 501(c)(3) which raises funds for the Center. Professor Fennessey formed HOPE Club with the intent to serve people at the local, national, and international levels. In addition to fund raising for Stand Up for Grace, students organized various collections for Coats for Kids and other organizations, fundraised for health and disaster relief causes, volunteered at the Good Samaritan Inn, and organized care packages for serving military members.
Professor Fennessey has served for a number of years on the Growing Strong Board of Directors, worked on political campaigns, served as an Elder and on the Peacemaking Committee for the First Presbyterian Church of Decatur, served as a member of Prairieland Case Coordinator, and advised Millikin’s Alternative Spring Break. She has also promoted tolerance and inclusion through her work as the advisor to the college chapter of the NAACP, service on the African American Studies advisory group, and participation in a film club.
Kent Mears was promoted from instructor of Collision Repair Technology to Assistant Professor.
Kent began teaching full-time at Richland in August 2014 as the first full-time instructor in our Collision Repair program. Kent earned tenure in Spring 2018 as the result of quality teaching and college service.
Kent has sponsored a car show on campus every year, bringing exposure to the program and raising funds for philanthropic efforts in the area. He volunteers his time in the community through the Macon County Honor Guard and the American Legion.
He has helped to create more opportunities for students over the past two years. This includes new opportunities through I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair), set up Richland as a host site for testing for people in the industry. Just recently, he did his part to help complete an application for the Collision Repair program to be industry certified through NATEF.
Chris Senger was promoted from instructor in Engineering Technology to Assistant Professor.
Chris began teaching full-time at Richland in January 2016. He came to Richland with nearly 30 years of experience in the field of Electrical Systems, contributing to private industry as a designer and implementer of control panels and related items.
Chris earned tenure in Spring 2018 through a combination of quality teaching and college service. He has worked with College officials to continue upgrading the Electrical Systems lab, using Perkins and Workforce Development grant funds to keep his technology current. In addition, he works with the Heartland Technical Academy to grow the next generation of the workforce.