May 20, 2019
Dr. Larry Ferguson, who started his higher education journey as a student at his hometown community college, was officially inaugurated as the president and CEO of that college, Ashland Community and Technical College, during the commencement ceremony on Monday, May 13 at the Paramount Arts Center.
Dr. Jay Box, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, performed the inauguration ceremony.
“It is with great honor that I accept the appointment of president of Ashland Community and Technical College,” Ferguson said during the ceremony. “It is where I, too, started my higher education journey and I look forward to each day where we strive to best support our students in reaching their dreams.”
Before beginning his appointment at ACTC in October 2018, Ferguson formerly served as the vice president for resource development for KCTCS, where his responsibilities included overseeing advancement, grants, contracts and alumni affairs and serving as the executive director of the KCTCS Foundation.
Ferguson, an Ashland native, graduated from Boyd County High School in 1986 and from Ashland Community College, an ACTC Predecessor, in 1991. At ACC, he earned an associate degree with a focus on communications. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational leadership and a Master of Science degree in strategic leadership from Mountain State University. His Doctorate in Educational Leadership is from Trident University.
While working on his higher degrees, Ferguson remained close to home as manager of leadership development at King’s Daughters Medical Center and an instructor at ACTC and the University of Charleston. He became ACTC’s Director of Business and Industry Services in 2007.
At ACTC, Ferguson headed the Community, Workforce and Education Department (CWED) which provided programs, trainings and services to individuals and the business community. CWED later became the Workforce Solutions Department with a variety of workforce educations programs and services. He served in several workforce and economic development leadership positions before becoming dean of resource development and external affairs.
Ferguson also served as president of Bevill State Community College in Jasper, Ala.
In 2014 Ferguson was tapped to be the KCTCS Vice Chancellor for Economic Development and Workforce Solutions. Before returned to ACTC last fall, he was serving as vice president and acting chancellor for KCTCS.
May 20, 2019
Beginning in the Fall 2019, Ashland Community and Technical College will offer a new online program track – Cloud Computing Technologies – that will help students learn cloud skills and help lead to a potentially high-paying career in cloud-computing right after graduation.
Through its Computers and Information Technology program, ACTC’s new track will offer two courses through AWS Academy including the AWS Academy Cloud Foundations course and the AWS Academy Cloud Architecting course.
ACTC will offer two credentials that include AWS Academy courses. The first credential is the Associate of Applied Science degree with a Cloud Computing Technologies Track. This track requires 61 credit hours and can be completed in five semesters, which includes one summer term. The second credential will focus on AWS Academy Cloud Architecting. It will require 19 hours of course work and can be completed in three semesters as a part-time student.
Both programs will prepare students to take the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification Exam and the AWS Cloud Solutions Architect Associate Exam.
This makes ACTC one of the first associate degree-level schools to offer an associate of applied science degree that includes a sequence in AWS, and the first to do so fully online.
According to data from Global Knowledge, the average salary for an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate in 2018 was $ 117,773.
“AWS Certified professionals earn salaries up to 29% higher than the norm for certified staff, and 10% higher compared to other cloud certifications,” said Randolph Cullum, CIT program coordinator at ACTC. And since the program is online, out-of-state students qualify for in-state tuition rates, he said.
“The Cloud Computing Technologies Track and AWS Academy offers an institutionally embedded pathway for students to gain the necessary computing skills and knowledge that prepares them for the IT workforce. Students will graduate with the training and certification that will prepare them for the workforce and help the industry tighten the skills gap,” Cullum said.
For more information on the Cloud Computing Technologies track, contact Cullum at randolph.cullum@kctcs.edu.
ACTC will also host an information session for prospective students for the CIT program, as well as Business Administration and Medical Information Technology, at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 16 at the Technology Drive Campus.
The hour-long session will include information on the structure of the program, credential options, online learning, internship opportunities and more. Admissions and financial aid staff will also be available to help people register for classes and answer questions on how to pay for college.
May 1, 2019
Ashland Community and Technical College will recognize more than 700 students at the graduation ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 13, at the Paramount Arts Center.
The students to be honored are August and December 2018 graduates, and May and Summer 2019 graduation candidates. Many have earned more than one degree, diploma or certificate, and more than 1,800 credentials will be awarded.
Dr. Jay K. Box, President of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, will give the commencement address and also inaugurate ACTC’s president, Dr. Larry Ferguson.
A special community service award will be given to Norma Meeks, former Paramount Arts Center director.
Huntington, W.Va., resident Joshua Fuller will be the graduating student speaker. He is earning an associate degree from the nursing program.
The Paul G. Blazer High School JROTC will be the color guard, and ACTC student and Louisa resident Kendra Spaulding will sing the national anthem.
The graduation ceremony is free and open to the public. The ceremony will also stream live beginning at 6:20 p.m. at www.greenupbeacon.com.
April 8, 2019
For those wanting more information about ACTC’s Surgical Technology program, there will be a conference from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 in room 420 in the main building at the College Drive Campus.
The Surgical Technology program prepares students for the national certification exam and employment in operating rooms, private or public hospitals and clinics.
Surgical technologists assist in preparing operating rooms for surgery, assist doctors during surgery by handing them needed instruments and counting sponges and needles before and after the operation, and deliver specimens to hospital labs for analysis.
The diploma program at the College Drive Campus includes basic sciences, surgical decorum and protocol and technical skills for assisting surgeons in the operating room. Students learn on real operating room equipment, with hundreds of surgical instruments. They practice operating room set-ups in class to get comfortable with procedures before going to clinicals at area hospitals.
Program graduates take the National Board of Surgical Technology certification exam which provides a benchmark measurement of the knowledge acquired by students - and the knowledge needed for success in the field.
Surgical Technology is a selective admission program, and prospective students need to complete an application for their chosen program. Applicants who are not current ACTC students also need to complete the ACTC application process.
To be admitted to the program, students must pass the COMPASS/ACT at the required level and attend a pre-conference session. Prior to starting classes, CPR certification must be obtained and prerequisite courses and a health profile must be completed.
Applications are available online at ashland.kctcs.edu and in the admissions offices at the College Drive and Technology Drive campuses. To request applications, call ACTC Admissions, 606-326-2000 or 800-928-4256. Application to the program does not guarantee admission. For more information, contact Sheri Troupe, program coordinator at 606-326-2006 or stroupe0002@kctcs.edu.
