Alumna Earns National Recognition, New Vice President Joins HACC and More
Current news from HACC, Feb. 26, 2020
Feb. 26, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. – HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, shares recent news, including:
Inspirational HACC Graduate to Receive National Award
HACC Names Vice President for Inclusion and Diversity
Artwork by HACC Students Featured in Honors Exhibits
Explore ‘The American Dream’ at HACC’s Humanities Symposium
Inspirational HACC Graduate to Receive National Award
HARRISBURG, Pa. – HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, proudly congratulates HACC alumna Dr. Karen Morris-Priester, who has been selected to receive the 2020 Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
This award is given annually to former students from community colleges who are making outstanding contributions in their chosen career fields and communities. Morris-Priester will be honored March 30, 2020, during the 2020 AACC Annual Convention in National Harbor, Maryland.
Morris-Priester practices anesthesiology in Allentown and shares her story across the country as a motivational and keynote speaker to emphasize her belief that dreams are worth fighting for regardless of how others may try to deter you.
Morris-Priester grew up in the projects of Harrisburg and became a first-time mom at age 16. She graduated from high school and dreamed of being the first member of her family to graduate from college and then attend medical school.
By age 29, with five children and a husband who wanted her to delay her dreams, she left the marriage and headed off to pursue her goals. Working multiple jobs to support her young family, she attended HACC and graduated summa cum laude with an associate degree in nursing in 1996. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from York College of Pennsylvania in 2002.
She quietly applied to four medical schools and was quickly accepted to three. Morris-Priester became the first grandmother to graduate from Yale Medical School in 2007 and has been recognized by Oprah Winfrey for her perseverance, inspiration and compassion to others.
In 2007, Morris-Priester was honored with the HACC Circle of Distinction, a prestigious award that recognizes alumni whose professional pursuits demonstrate the quality of education and values from their time at HACC.
In 2012, she joined the alumni advisory board of the Association of American Medical Colleges. In this role, she created a scholarship fund for financially disadvantaged students and a mentoring program to help underrepresented students interested in pursuing healthcare careers.
She has mentored students interested in healthcare fields and organized a medical mission to provide health care and HIV testing to remote villages in Ghana, West Africa. She has organized health fairs to screen for common medical problems such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer.
She gives back to HACC by participating in special events and public awareness campaigns to encourage and inspire others. She is also a generous donor to the HACC Foundation.
Photo Caption: HACC alumna Dr. Karen Morris-Priester has been selected to receive the 2020 Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
HACC Names Vice President for Inclusion and Diversity
As a member of the President’s Cabinet, Hinton will provide her expertise and executive leadership to guide HACC’s commitment to promoting a culture of collegiality, inclusiveness, respect and competence. She will also serve as the Title IX coordinator for the College and oversee the Student Access Services Department. She assumed her role on Feb. 17, 2020.
Hinton is a scholar, practitioner and presenter in the areas of diversity, equity and Title IX. Most recently, she was director of diversity and inclusion and Title IX coordinator at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown. She previously served as associate dean and co-chair, and assistant professor of Black studies at Allegheny College in Meadville.
Hinton’s research focuses on diversity, access and equity in education and higher education leadership. She is the co-editor of “Persistence and Memory,” a collection of essays on diversity with reflections written by Derald Wing Sue, renowned scholar of psychology race, and culture. She contributed a chapter to, “Preserving HBCU’s Billion Dollar Legacy.”
In May 2019, Hinton received The World Affairs Council of Harrisburg's Torch of Global Enlightenment Award for her contributions to inclusion and diversity. She continues to make valuable contributions to diversity and inclusion in the region, as well as internationally, as she worked for many years in Germany and England.
Hinton earned a bachelor’s degree in music history and piano from Alabama State University, a historically black college and university (HBCU) in Montgomery, Alabama, and studied at Roosevelt University’s Chicago Musical College. She earned her post-graduate certificate in psychotherapy from Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England, and her doctorate in leadership and change from Antioch University’s campus in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Photo Caption: Armenta E. Hinton, Ph.D., is vice president of inclusion and diversity at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.
Artwork by HACC Students Featured in Honors Exhibits HARRISBURG, Pa. – Art students at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, will display their best works in two spring 2020 shows at the Rose Lehrman Art Gallery on HACC’s Harrisburg Campus.
The first show, March 30-April 16, will feature student works of photography, computer art, digital photo imaging, printmaking and three-dimensional and two-dimensional design. A reception for the artists will be held April 2 from 5:30-7 p.m.
From April 22-May 7, the gallery will feature graphic design, drawing, painting, glass, ceramics and jewelry works.
A reception for the artists will be held April 30 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Students submit hundreds of works for consideration. Art faculty jury the submissions and select the best works from each of the art media. Awards will be presented during both receptions at 6 p.m.
All gallery events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m. or by appointment.
For more information about the exhibit, please contact Shawn Williams at 717-780-2478 or smwillia@hacc.edu.
Photo Caption: “Critique” Cover by Glenna Stehman is among the work to be included in the upcoming Honors Exhibits at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.
Explore ‘The American Dream’ at HACC’s Humanities Symposium
LANCASTER, Pa. - The Lancaster Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is hosting its seventh annual Humanities Symposium April 7-9, 2020. The event, titled “The American Dream,” will feature presentations by HACC faculty and explore experiences of life in America through a variety of activities and topic areas.
A detailed schedule of Symposium presentations, resources and activities can be accessed online.
This free event is open to the public. All sessions will be held in Room 203 of the East Building.
About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges. HACC offers approximately 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 19,000 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit hacc.edu. Also, follow us on Twitter (@HACC_info), follow us on Instagram (@HACC_edu), like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.
