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4 Tl-t E PolEM ic FEATURE SEpTEMbER 28, 1999. Alpena native returns Putkamer joins full-time faculty By Jessica Rutan S,taff Writer Mike Kelley;_ the new in- structor for calculus 1, elemen- tary algebra, and intermediate algebra at ACC, had a rather interesting approach to his own education. Kelley is originally from this area. He grew up on a farm in Herron and attended Alpena High School. After graduation, he decided that he wasn't ready to jump into college. Kelley said, "I knew that once I gradu- ated from college and got a job, I wou\dn't be able to make my own schedule for the next 40 years." So Kelley instead went into an early retirement, as he calls it. He held various jobs, in- cluding working at the Alpena Livestock Auction, farming, and working construction in Alaska. Kelley knew that he should return to his education, - though. "I was hungry to go back," he s·aid. At the age of 25, he en- rolled at ACC. After receiv- ing his associate's in arts, de- gree, he went on to Northern Michigan University, where he earned a bachelor's in science degree. After that, he attended Michigan State University to get his master's in science de- gree. Photos by Don MacMaster Mike Kelley, who joined the faculty to teach algebra this fall, collects model John Deere tractors. "When the opportunity arose to teach in Alpena, I took it. It's home." Kelley decided to become a teacher in part because his oldest brother w·as a high school biology teacher. "The reason that I decided to teach at college was I liked the cali- ber of the students. They have more academic freedom. They choose the classes and there- fore are here to learn," he ex- plained. Mike Kelley, Math Instructor Kelley and his · wife, Brenda, have a two and a half year old son, Patrick. He is in the process of finishing their home. This allows him to do one of his hobbies, woodwork- ing. He also collects John Deere tractors and has just dis- covered E-Bay, the website where you can buy, sell, and trade items. He also enjoys spending time outside. M~lisa Colon Staff Writer Carol Putkamer, one of the new full-time instructors at Alpena Community College, . teaches business and medical information systems courses. She has been teaching at ACC on a part-time basis sfoce 1995. When asked if teaching was something she had planned on doing, she replied, "No it just sort of fell in my lap." She is very enthusiastic about teaching, and says that it is very rewarding. She said, "It is reassuring and a wonder- ful feeling when I walk into a medical facility in town and see a student I once had." She went on to say that it gives her a sense of pride to know that she prepared that person for a career and they were succeeding partly be- cause of her. Putkamer continues to work a few hours a week at one of the local medical facilities to help stay in touch with the ever- changing medical admin- istration field. Some of the courses that she teaches change constantly, and she says this helps her keep up with these changes, to help ensure that her students are receiving the best possible training she can pro- vide. She says that her col- leagues and students have made her feel very welcome and comfortable, and gives her students a lot of the credit for her success and theirs. .. Putkamer was born and raised in Alpena, and in 1978 she received an associate of commerce degree from ACC. She then relocated to the Lan- sing area where she attended Lansing Community College and obtained her medical assistant's certification. Then in' 1991, after com- pleti_n g Ferris State University's medical record administration program, she returned to Alpena to be closer to her family. Putkamer said that return- ing to Alpena had been a diffi- cult transition, explaining that it was due to the difference of living in a city compared to liv- ing in a small town. She stated that it had nothing to do with the natural beauty that Alpena has; instead it revolved around the slower pace of life, things like less traffic, the lack of cul- tural diversity, and having any- thing you might want close at hand. All in all, she says she i:s very happy here and feels very welcome. · Putkamer is not married and doesn't have any children. In her spare time she enjoy:s doing crafts, going for nature walks, and in the winter she likes to cross country ski. While on her nature walks she likes to g?,ther things to take back home and use on her crafts. Carol Putkamer teaches courses in business and medical inft>rmation systems_ at ACC. "The reason that I went beyond ACC was the instuction I got here. It was such a good experience for me. He hopes he can inspire his stu- dents in the same manner. He spent some time as a student teacher at NMU and MSU. Kelley has spent the last six years at Finger Lakes Com- munity College in New York. "When the opportunity arose to teach in Alpena, I took it. It's home," he said. When asked if he had any advice for college students, Kelley responded, "Don't go unless you're serious. Work hard, but have fun. Talk to your instructors for direcdon. And most importantly, never look at education as something that will end." McIntyre heads Huron Shores Campus Peasley shares experience_ with students Melinda Yax Staff Writer . , • . Kate Splitt Staff Writer Joining the Alpena Com- munity College faculty this year as a full-time instructor is Cecilia Peasley. Mrs. Peasley teaches psychiatric nursing in the registered and licensed practical nursing programs. Psychiatric nursing teaches the p·rospecti ve nurses the skills that enable them to cope with mental health clients. Peasley was a graduate of · a three-year nursing program and then went on to earn her bachelor's degree at Saginaw Valley State University. She then received her master's de- gree from Michigan State Uni- versity. She grew up in Lorraine, _ Ohio, and worked in several health facilities in the Cleve- land area. She moved to Alpena in 1981 and in 1984 joined the staff of Alpena Gen- eral Hospital. Although · Cecilia Peasley brings clinical experience to her classes in practical nursing. ., ., ... Peasley is new on the full-time staff at ACC, she has been a part-time instructor here since 1984. Peasley and her husband · have three children and live on a 200 acre . farm. They own horses and enjoy ridirig. She also enjoys gardening and can- ning the food that she grows, but admits that she doesn't . have as much time to enjoy these activities as she \\lould like. She is a member of thd League of Women Voters, 4H and an active member of her church. Peasley is also employed by Thunder Bay Community Health Services in Hillman as a nurse practioner and treats patients in Atlanta, Hillman, and Rogers City. Her goal as an educator is to bring knowledge and expe- rience to her students. ~'My goal is to stimulate the students so that they want to learn," she says. According to Peasley, the focus of nursing is learning to evolve. Because of rapidly changing medical technology, nurses need to evolve with that technology. "Flexibility is the key to survival," says Peasley. "I try to teach my students to take advantage of everything that they can learn and then grow from that experience._ Nurses have to be mobile and flexible." There is a new face re- placing Gene Edwards in the Director's office at the Hu- ron Shores Campus in Oscoda. Her name is Dawn McIntyre, and her aim is education. However, McIntyre isn't new to the ways of ACC at all. Before taking on the re- s pons i bili ty of Campus director, McIntyre graduated from ACC with her associ- ates degree in Art in 1987, and has been an instructor at he HUSH (Huron Shores Campus) since 1991, teach- ing computer and business math classes. She has also been a secretary at Oscoda High School since 1990. Then in 1997, McIntyre ob- tained her master's degree in Business Administration from Lake Superior Univer- sity. Talk about busy! Why did she want the position? McIntyre said that she enjoyed teaching at the campus, and the staff is just like family to her. She fig- ured why not take on a new challenge. She also said that she would like to see more classes offered at the HUSH. To accomplish this goal, the second Friday of every month there will be a eet- ing held in Oscoda, at the Huron Shores campus. McIntyre and staff will be there. She strongly encour- ages students to take part in I FARG I Alpena Plant M AT E R I A L S F O .R B U I L D I N G O U R WO R L D these meetings; and express what classes they would like to see offered in Oscoda. Even though the student enrollment numbers have de- creased dramatically from approximately 800 to 230 since the closing of Wurtsmith Air force base in 1993, McIntyre still feels Oscoda is the perfect loca- tion· for the Campus to be. She understands that many of the students, like herself, at- tend HUSH because they are not ready to leave the small town atmosphere, or cannot afford to go running off to an overwhelming university just yet.. What exactly does the di- rector do on a normal day? McIntyre answered that there is a wide span of tasks in a normal day at the office for her. She is everything from the postman to a guidance counselor for students. How- ever, she is still very happy : with her occupation, and her co-workers. She said that "ACC is a good place for stu- dents to start their college education, and offers a great ·~ , educational program." "ACC is a good place for students to start their college education and offers a great educational program." Dawn McIntyre, : • Huron Shores Campus Director. ILSSU Stay close to hom.e _ and earn your degree. Alpena Regional Center Lake Superior. State University, in cooperation with Alpena Community College, offers degree completion programs at the Alpena Regional Center in the following areas. • Business Administration • Accounting · • Criminal Justice • Nursing Completion (BSN) Spring classes start January 10 • Classes offered evenings nnd weekends A • Flexible schedules designedfor adults • Indiv~ualized ad.vis~ and assistance ,1 L p E NA • Expenenced and canngfiaculty l\ . COM:\tui\lT\' COLLEGE Call Today! . To receive an LSSU Scheduling Bulletin or to register, call Kelly Smith, Director, Alpena Regional Center at 517-356-9021, ext. 302 or 1-888-800-LSSU, ext. 2802 • Equal Opportunity Employer • Personal • Natllral • Superio!~