Diane Tison put SCC foremost for 35 years

By RAY WYCHE
Staff Writer

Diane Tison’s 35-year career at Southeastern Community College is proof enough of her devotion to the institution but there are other indications that she truly appreciates the school.

She tells people of the advantages of having a college in the area, particularly for retraining workers since Columbus County lost hundreds of manufacturing jobs due to factory shutdowns in the last few years. The college’s Continuing Education Program, where Tison works, was at the forefront of this retraining.

Tison has seen the value and need of teaching older people newer skills; she has been in the Continuing Education Program for the past 28 of her 35 years of working at SCC. One of the chief duties of her department has been to evaluate and train older students for employment or for work in a new occupation.
Further proof of her belief in what SCC can offer is seen in the fact that all three of her children earned associate degrees at SCC before moving on to four-year institutions.

“This college offers such a variety of programs,” she says. “There are people here who never would have gotten an education without Southeastern Community College.”
The laid-off workers were tested to determine their skills levels and for those who so desired, were enrolled in some of the many vocational educational programs at SCC.

“They needed to go to work,” she says.
Former textile and furniture workers learned to be nurses’ assistants, in-home aides and to fill other positions for which they are suited.
Other programs under the Continuing Education umbrella include welding, emergency medical technicians, fire service workers, and even bartending.

Along with occupational courses, Continuing Education offers enlightenment classes such as photography, genealogy and dancing that people take to hone their skills at certain hobbies.

Some of these same occupational classes are taught as part of the regular curriculum at SCC but Continuing Education caters to the non-traditional student whose job or home responsibilities may prevent their enrolling in regular college courses.

“We have a little more flexibility but there are state requirements we have to meet,” she says. “Those who need it the most don’t feel like they could go full time.”

As administrative assistant in Continuing Education, Tison wears many hats.
She took on the big job of transferring all Continuing Education students’ records from paper copies to computer.

“I register Continuing Education students for classes and I do FTE (full-time equivalent, the state’s system of determining how much money will be given to each community college) reporting, and I pull files for FTE auditors,” she says.

In addition, she keeps records of applications for certain courses in her department; at least 10 students must be enrolled for a class to “make,” or take place.

Tison records requests from the public for classes in certain subjects. If a sufficient number of people ask for a certain class, an instructor must be located and a place and time for class sessions set up. It’s a multi-tasking position, and Tison had to keep track of many things going on at the same time.

Tison is vacating her desk in T-Building on July 31, one of four longtime employees of college retiring this spring and summer after giving a combined total of 130 years service to the college.

It’s been a busy 35 years for Tison and her retirement will be more than a rocking chair. She says she’ll miss the people she worked with at Southeastern and adds she will find plenty to do.

“It’ll be an adjustment but I’m looking forward to it.

“I probably won’t have that much free time,” she says of her life after July 31. “I’m doing some painting and will work in my flower garden. I have a sister in Augusta, Ga., and I plan to visit her some.

“And I may look for some part-time work.”
This is the third in a series of articles concerning four Southeastern Community College employees retiring this summer. The four had a combined total of 130 years service to the college.