A sculptor and painter with a , Devaney utilizes a variety of traditional methods and modern techniques in making artwork that allows him to communicate a range of perspectives. As a teacher, he is interested in helping students develop the skills and techniques that allow them to develop their own artistic voice.

He recently spoke about joining the faculty at 天美传媒 Bay, his philosophies about art, and his studio practice.

What brought you to 天美传媒 Bay?

I had been working at New Hampshire Technical Institute in their Visual Arts department for the past 10 years. When the Program Coordinator position opened at 天美传媒 Bay, I naturally thought that this would be a great opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the Fine and Digital Arts department in a leadership position.

Please describe the arts program at 天美传媒 Bay. What do students learn?

Our Fine, Performing and Digitals Arts classes are designed to nurture creativity, critical thinking, and artistic expression while providing a foundation for individuals pursuing careers as professional artists, educators, designers in various creative industries. We encourage and support our students to achieve their goals be it to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree or begin start working in their chosen fields of study.

Say a little about your background and how it informs your work in the classroom.

I have over 30 years鈥� experience in fine arts and a passion for teaching and creating art. Classes I have taught at NHTI include Drawing 1, Drawing 2, 2D Design, 3D Design, Painting 1, Figure Drawing, and Figure Sculpture. I have written curriculum, designed online programs as well as been a mentor and adviser to new professors to our program and have helped facilitate their success. I have also organized extracurricular art activities and events, such as art exhibitions and workshops. These experiences have given me the ability to create a supportive and encouraging learning environment for my students while also challenging them to think creatively and critically.

How do those classes and the program in general help prepare students for careers?聽

We live in a dynamic world, where change is constant, and I strongly believe in the necessity of fostering a stimulating environment. It is within such an environment that students are not only equipped with the technical skills required by today’s employers but, more crucially, are challenged to think critically and devise creative solutions to complex problems. Our educational approach not only imparts the knowledge necessary for the present job market but also instills in students the ability to adapt creatively to the ever-evolving challenges of our world in flux.

In what ways does 天美传媒 Bay鈥檚 digital media program prepare and equip students to work as graphic and digital artists?

The Associate of Science Degree in Digital Media Communications from 天美传媒 Bay Community College equips individuals with a robust foundation in the knowledge and skills essential to the dynamic field of Graphic Design. Our comprehensive curriculum encompasses key areas such as Graphic Design, Visual Communication, and Media Production, fostering expertise in project planning. Students also gain a solid grounding in art and design principles, ensuring a well-rounded education that prepares them for success in the competitive world of digital media.

How do you find your own creative time? What drew you to art and to art education?

As far back as I can remember, I have been deeply immersed in the world of arts. Whether it was constructing intricate projects or sketching my imagination onto paper, creativity has been an integral part of my life. My journey formally began at the age of 8 when I joined a small art school. Since then, I have consistently pursued the visual arts, engaging with various arts organizations, and showcasing my work nationwide. Over the past 17 years, I’ve operated my own workspace gallery, in Concord, where I’ve been able to cultivate and exhibit my artistic expressions.

Meet Faculty and Program Coordinator: Jennifer Ganim-Smith

Many educators begin their teaching careers in early-childhood education and move on to teach older kids. Jennifer Ganim-Smith felt called to teach the youngest of children soon after her first experience in early childhood education and chose to stay rather than return to elementary school teaching.

In the latest stage of her professional journey, she is using her vast experience in varied school and child care settings to teach early childhood education to college students preparing to enter the field.

鈥淚 always knew I wanted to teach at the collegiate level,鈥� said Ganim-Smith, who recently joined 天美传媒 Bay Community College as Early Childhood Education program coordinator. 鈥淎nd I wanted to teach at 天美传媒 Bay specifically because I immediately felt a sense of community here, and that was important to me. It鈥檚 a pathway for everybody and it鈥檚 affordable.鈥�

A resourceful leader and strategic planner, Ganim-Smith has worked in a range of early education environments over her career. She has developed high-quality programming and curricula for state agencies, center-based care, family group care, Montessori, and public-school systems. Prior to joining 天美传媒 Bay, Ganim-Smith worked as the training and marketing coordinator for Child Care Aware of New Hampshire, which is state affiliate to the national network of agencies and partners that helps ensure families have access to quality, affordable child care.

天美传媒 Bay offers a two-year associate in science degree and two certificates in early childhood education. Ganim-Smith is responsible for ensuring 天美传媒 Bay鈥檚 programs stay up to date with state and federal initiatives and that 天美传媒 Bay students are competent and confident in teaching the next generation of young children.

The biggest challenge facing the industry is a shortage of workers, which stems from the pay structure of the field. There are national, state, and local movements to support ECE concerns, as people are starting to understand the valuable role that early childhood educators play in the development of young children and the ability of their families to maintain their day-to-day routines.

鈥淲e have a staffing crisis. The pay for early childhood educators is not what it should be,鈥� Ganim-Smith said. 鈥淏ut if anything good came out of Covid in our field, it was the realization that early childhood education is essential to our society. The concerns we have had for a long time are finally being heard.鈥�

The other good news for early-childhood educators is that positions are plentiful. There are many opportunities for people who want to enter the field.

Ganim-Smith is passionate about 天美传媒 Bay and her program. 鈥淲e offer high quality education, affordability, small class sizes and the ability of students to get to know the professors. I know all of my students and they know me, and I like that,鈥� she said.

Faculty Q&A: Meet Adjunct Faculty Member Heather Glenn Wixson

Adjunct Faculty member Heather Glenn Wixson has been teaching 天美传媒鈥檚 Fundamentals of Acting course since January and brings not only years of teaching experience to the College but also has an extensive career in acting, performing Off-Broadway and for regional theatres across New England, in films, radio, and on TV.

Actress Heather Glenn Wixson has performed Off-Broadway and for regional theatres across New England, in films, radio, and on TV. She is a member of Actors鈥� Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Rarely has she felt as inspired as when she鈥檚 standing in Room 418 of the Portsmouth campus of 天美传媒 Bay Community College, leading students through her Fundamentals of Acting course.

鈥淢y experience at 天美传媒 Bay has been one of the most positive teaching experiences I have had in my life,鈥� said Glenn Wixson, who has served as the Head of the Theatre Department at Commonwealth School and lead Artist-in-Residence at the Wang Center in Boston. 鈥淭he students are so interested in what we are doing, so committed to what we are doing, and the results are truly quite profound. I just constantly have this feeling of, 鈥榃ow! Look at what is happening here in Room 418!鈥� It鈥檚 extraordinary.鈥�

Glenn Wixson has taught 天美传媒 Bay鈥檚 Fundamentals of Acting course since January. It is a beginning acting class, though Glenn Wixson has attracted some experienced actors. Heather considers her devised curriculum to be like an acting conservatory in a class.聽 She introduces students to some of the physical work involved with actor training, as well as vocal work, and script analysis related to scene study. She teaches an acting method known as Practical Aesthetics.

She learned that method from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she also trained with actress Stella Adler. She has studied and taught the method since.

鈥淎s an actor, you are constantly training and exploring, learning from each other and mentors. I have continued my focus on this method throughout my career, and that is what I bring into the classroom,鈥� she said.

It is based on the practice of an actor breaking down a scene and eventually a play by analyzing what a character is doing based on the script, determining what that character wants from the other characters, and then deciding on an essential action to perform on stage 鈥渢o make the character get what they want,鈥� Glenn Wixson said.

In addition to her teaching career, Glenn Wixson is Co-Artistic Director of Threshold Stage Company, a small professional theater company in Kittery, and has performed with the Huntington Theatre, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Soho Playhouse and La MaMa in New York, and many other theater companies. Her on-camera and radio credits include work with HBO, NPR, and numerous commercials.

She stars as Annie Wilkes in Threshold Stage Company鈥檚 upcoming production of 鈥淢isery,鈥� written by William Goldman and based on the novel by Stephen King, Oct. 21-Nov. 6 at the Star Theatre at the Kittery Community Center.

In addition to continuing teaching the Fundamentals of Acting class, she hopes to add an advanced acting class and build toward a public performance by 天美传媒 Bay-trained actors. She wants to infuse the local acting community with actors trained at 天美传媒 Bay and noted that one 天美传媒 Bay student auditioned for 鈥淢isery.鈥� She also envisions a variety of internship opportunities for 天美传媒 Bay students at Threshold. 鈥淎nd if a role comes along and there happens to be a 天美传媒 Bay student who is right for it, that is always a possibility. That would be wonderful.鈥�

天美传媒 President Q&A: Dr. Cheryl Lesser

In March 2022, Lesser brought her 30 plus years of educational leadership experience to 天美传媒 Bay.聽

Beginning in March 2022, Dr. Cheryl Lesser brought her 30 plus years of educational leadership experience to serve as the next president of 天美传媒 Bay Community College. Here is a Q&A to learn about her and her vision for 天美传媒.

What led you to a career in education and how did your career pathway start? Since a young age, I have always wanted to be a teacher and had various early experiences such as teaching clarinet and swimming. I was inspired by my mother who had a love for education and had plans of being a teacher. While her dream of working in a school didn鈥檛 come to fruition, she was a teacher to my brother and I, supporting us, keeping us focused and helping us learn. This instilled my love of education when I started as a high school teacher, before the natural progression from a community college modern language faculty and holding several leadership roles as a dean, vice president and now president of 天美传媒.

Please talk about your leadership experience at community colleges. Nearly my entire career as an educator has been working in various roles at local community colleges. I started out as a Spanish and French faculty member before moving to dean then vice president of academic affairs. I have enjoyed my time working throughout the years at several community colleges as this has provided me a variety of experiences that have shaped who I am and the president that I want to be.

What is your experience with mentoring? Mentoring is a huge part of my life and something that I have formally and informally done for years. I think it is extremely important to provide support, guidance and insight to help someone succeed just the same way that I was helped through the years. As an educational leader, I take every opportunity that I can to help others along the way.

What drew you to 天美传媒 and what makes it so unique? The 天美传媒 community has a passion and compassion to help students succeed. The college centers around a positivity, hope and as a community the desire to be better and do better. There is such a wonderful camaraderie that’s very special among the staff, faculty and students that is welcoming and inviting, with a willingness to help and support each other in any way.

What are your goals and focus areas for the college over the next year? Focusing on student success and academic excellence in all that we do. Improving internal relationships so we are sustainable.聽 Having 聽a great culture and being financially stable along with expanding our external relationships with the community to meet workforce needs. The people who work here and the community we serve are critically important to helping us serve our students. Threading diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) into everything that we do to be a better college both in our internal culture and within the community. I am also driven to work on programing at our Rochester campus. We have a very successful welding program there and will be looking to bring other programs there that are a foundational to the community.

How do you plan to engage with local businesses? A lot of this has already started organically. I hold a board position on the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and have been interacting with them and their members. I have connected with our 天美传媒 Bay Advisory Board, which is comprised of leaders from various industries, to get their input on how to make the college even more relevant to workforce needs and move the college forward. I鈥檓 inviting the community here to see our campus through different meetings and events and will continue to also go out into the community to make connections and be available. We are focused on these connections in order to meet workforce needs regionally and throughout the state of New Hampshire.

What approach will you take with high schools to attract seniors after graduation? We are determined to connect with high schools in the area and provide a pathway to certificates and degrees. We work with Career Technical Education (CTE) Centers to make connections with students and inspire them to continue their college education in the path that they are already studying or choose a different route. We will be continuing the Soar to Success program, a five-day boot camp, to build leadership and academic skills for high school graduates to help ease the transition into college. Additionally, we are bringing more athletic programs and camps on campus for families so they can experience 天美传媒 and hopefully positively impact their college plans later in life.

How have the past two years impacted how community colleges will operate and educate in the future? Utilizing technology and incorporating remote learning into our academic programming, we have transitioned all of our classrooms in Portsmouth to be high flex, giving us the capability to teach someone in person and online at the same time. The college has adapted to technology for student advising and other services allowing for convenience and flexibility for our students.

How have you been engaging with the campus community? I have made it an ongoing priority to walk around and meet faculty, staff and students, attend campus events and committee meetings to interact and learn what everyone does. I want to know everybody’s name and how everything works so I engage in every way I can. I have spent a lot of time in the front lobby, the cafeteria and dropping in at college events, athletic activities and the student hang-out areas to connect and engage.

What do you see as innovative opportunities or practices in higher ed that you may want to bring to 天美传媒? Utilizing more digital credentialing and badging, which is something that we are already doing, and I envision will be incorporated into all industries and careers. It is skill oriented and it easily documents the learning concepts for students that employers are looking for in a digital world. Additionally, adapting the way we deliver education and being as creative as possible, whether it is in modalities like remote, hybrid, high flex, condensing course lengths, and stacking credentials. I think that is the innovative direction that we have to continue heading in.

Anything new and exciting planned for the summer or fall semesters? We are all so excited about our Gather partnership to provide space for the organization to meet its mission while at the same time establish a cafeteria/restaurant for our community. 聽We are expanding athletics and are planning more in person engagement opportunities for students on campus. Starting in the fall, we will be offering a new degree program in聽Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

As someone who is returning to New England, what do you like most about New Hampshire and the seacoast? I love the lakes and the mountains and one of my first trips back in the state was to the ocean. My husband and I love to take day trips to travel back roads through the amazingly beautiful state and enjoy the scenery. The restaurants are amazing and I enjoy trying new foods and eating at new places.

What are your hobbies and personal interests? I love traveling locally with my husband. We love the outdoors whether that is on trails or at dog parks with our Husky named Sox, kayaking or golfing. I am also a big reader and enjoy sitting down with a good book.

What is your biggest accomplishment? I’m proud of so many things along the way, from my daughter who is an amazing woman, to becoming president of a community college. As an administrator, it is all about impacting students in different ways personally and academically for individual growth. The individual student stories are the proudest accomplishments that I have and I am looking forward to adding more from 天美传媒.

Faculty Q&A: Linda Richelson

Richelson is an Associate Professor of Business Administration. She previously held careers at several major national companies.

Linda Richelson joined 天美传媒 Bay Community College as an Associate Professor of Business Administration in January 2020, just before the pandemic sent everyone home.

She has been teaching at the college level for more than 30 years and has decades of real-world business experience with major national companies, including Gillette, Hewlett Packard, and the consulting firm Drake Beam Morin. She earned an MBA and a Master of Science in mental health from Southern New Hampshire University.

An academic adviser at 天美传媒 Bay, Richelson works with business department chair Lynda Bonneau and adjunct faculty members to offer a dynamic, hands-on educational program that prepares students for real-world business experiences. In addition to teaching at 天美传媒 Bay, she has taught at SNHU, Merrimac and Endicott colleges, as well as other community colleges.

Richelson recently spoke about her job, her career, and the opportunity to study business at 天美传媒 Bay.

Q: What does the business department at 天美传媒 Bay do well?

A: Lynda and I and the adjunct faculty have been engaged in teaching and in corporate life for years. We bring our experience into the classroom. That is important. Students receive not only the philosophy of education, but they receive an applied education as well. They can see what we are doing in class applied in the real world, and that is significant for students. A lot of time they will look at what they are learning in a class and ask, 鈥榃hat am I going to do with this?鈥� We show them what they can do with this.

Q: What is the hallmark of the department? What does it do well?

A: We prepare student for the outside world. We prepare them to be the good workers they want to be. We want them to take initiative to learn and then apply the skills they have learned to their work, and we want them to bring a sense of ethics and social responsibility to their work. We want them to have good communications skills, so they can communicate effectively and can articulate what their needs are and what their business is all about and what it does well.

Q: How has the business curriculum adapted to the times we are living in at the moment, with the uncertainty of the pandemic, the upheaval in the job market, and other factors that impact business as we know it?

A: We spend time with businesses in the area to determine what their needs are and how we can best fulfill them. We鈥檝e reviewed all of our courses over the past couple of years, and we have added one course, an Ethics and Social Responsibility course, which is very important in today鈥檚 environment. We are constantly revisiting everything we do. One thing Lynda and I are well known for, we change our courses every year. We have changed how we deliver our material, as well. We have adopted open educational resources and selected textbooks online that are free to students. If a student doesn鈥檛 have to pay for a textbook, that鈥檚 meaningful.

Q: Why is this a good time to be study business?

A: Business is involved in anything a student chooses to do. Whether they work in an office, in healthcare, whether they become an electrician, a lawyer 鈥� no matter what they do 鈥� business is a part of their world. We want to continue to stay on top of the requirements of the outside world. It is very important for us to prepare our students for whatever profession they would like to enter. That is a major focus for us.

Faculty Q&A: Kurt Douglas

Douglas is Program Coordinator and Instructor for 天美传媒’s ACM, CNC and NDT Programs

Kurt Douglas completed an educational circle when he arrived at 天美传媒 Bay Community College to begin his teaching career five years ago. After graduating from Spaulding High School in Rochester, Douglas enrolled at New Hampshire Vocational Technical College in Portsmouth, which many years later became 天美传媒 Bay Community College with campuses in Portsmouth and Rochester.

鈥淪o I consider myself an alumni of 天美传媒 Bay Community College, just through the family tree,鈥� he said.

In between his time as a student and his current role as an instructor of the high-tech trades in Rochester, Douglas spent 35 years at Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant. An electronics technician by trade, Douglas became director of maintenance at Seabrook Station and helped supervise maintenance at sister plants in Wisconsin and Florida.

He brought his experience with him to 天美传媒 Bay. Douglas is Program Coordinator and instructor in computer numeric control (CNC) and nondestructive testing (NDT), and teaches courses on math and measuring, blueprint reading and manufacturing ethics. He is also working with Seacoast manufacturers to develop short-term, non-credit programs to help fill pressing workforce needs.

After your career in nuclear energy, why did you want to become a teacher?

鈥淚 had a lot of experience and a lot to share, and I believe very strong in the community college way. Community college is near and dear to me. Nobody will ever hear me say anything bad about a community-college education.鈥�

Why?

鈥淏ecause of the opportunities it creates. I can give you example after example of classmates of mine who went to what was once referred to as the vo-tech to get our associate degree, and then we went to work for good companies that were willing to pay us to continue our education and training while we were working. It led to a great career for me and many of my classmates.鈥�

In terms of your student population, who do you see in your classes today?

鈥淚 would say the majority of our students are non-traditional students. They are the people who are trying to get their credited degree or certificate so they can continue moving forward in their company and their careers. And there are people, who, post-Covid, do not want to go back to what they were doing. They want to try something new, to see what鈥檚 out there. The average age is probably 30-something years, men and women, although not as much of the female population as we would like. We would like to see more diversity in that area.鈥�

There鈥檚 no better time than now, right?

鈥淚n both CNC and NDT right now, demand is high — and that demand is very consistently high. New Hampshire and Maine are experiencing low unemployment rates, and manufacturers are looking for both skilled employees and even less-skilled but trainable employees.鈥�

How do non-credit classes factor into your vision of how 天美传媒 Bay can help Seacoast employers attract qualified employees?

鈥淲hat we want to do is break down the paradigm of paying for college credits and simply allow people to receive the training they need to advance in their careers. In January we are offering classes in three methods of NDT, and we are not going to require it as a prerequisite that you have taken the previous classes. Companies that have Level 1 inspectors who need to get to Level 2, we want to say, 鈥楥ome to 天美传媒 Bay. We will give you the required classroom hours.鈥� But the prerequisites are not necessary. We want to be able to be more nimble.鈥�

Faculty Q&A: Catherine Brophy

Brophy is a Teacher Prep/Education Program Coordinator for 天美传媒’s Teacher Preparation Program

Catherine Brophy is an innovative and creative leader in the field of education, with more than 30 years of experience across educational settings in New Hampshire, and expertise in the use of technology to expand and enhance inclusion and equity. Her skills proved timely during the pandemic, when 天美传媒 Bay moved to remote learning, and will be vital going forward as the college blends hybrid learning in its efforts to train the teachers of tomorrow.

Brophy, who lives in Stratham, coordinates 天美传媒 Bay鈥檚 teacher preparation program. She has a background in K-12 education with teaching experience at middle- and elementary-schools and has worked at the district level integrating technology. She is certified as a principal in New Hampshire and spent several years creating online and blended professional development content for Heinemann Publishing of Portsmouth. She is also a Google Certified Instructor, who understands the role of technology in building healthy learning communities.

The education program at 天美传媒 Bay prepares students to transfer to four-year schools and to work as paraeducators. Students spend much of the first year in the field observing, and in the second year they choose an area of specialty, including math, science, social science, English, foreign language, special education, and elementary education.

Brophy has been with 天美传媒 Bay for three years, and recently spoke about career and the state of education today.

What brought you to 天美传媒 Bay?

鈥淚 was looking for opportunities and happened to see that 天美传媒 Bay had an opening. I thought it would be a really good fit for me. Earlier in my career, I taught at Plymouth State College, and Nashua Community College, so I had some experience at the community college level. I have always enjoyed working with teachers and young adults, sharing expertise and knowledge, and trying to make the world better one teacher at a time.鈥�

What are the strengths of the teacher prep program at 天美传媒 Bay?

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very strong preparation program for students who want to transfer into a four-year university. They are provided a solid background in the foundations of education, and we also teach Intro to Exceptionalities, and within those two courses students are required to have 50 hours of field-observation experience in a K-12 setting. They get a lot of exposure to best teaching practices on the Seacoast.

I am able to bring my connections to the many school districts I have come in contact with over my years to really connect students with teachers and administrators who are at the top of their profession. New Hampshire has excellent schools. What our students are seeing when they go into those classrooms is very good teaching. It鈥檚 very inspiring.鈥�

Who inspired you?

鈥淚 come from a family of educators, though not in a traditional sense. My grandmother many years ago had one of the first day-cares out of her home in Massachusetts, educating the little ones. My uncle was a high school business teacher. My mother worked with special education students for many years, and my daughter has followed in her footsteps and is working in a high school as a special educator right now.鈥�

What are your classes size like now?

鈥淐lasses are now pretty much full, between 15 and 20 students per class, which I consider a full class load. And the students I am seeing are very enthusiastic about wanting to be a teacher, in spite of the negativity that teachers are experiencing all around them. The students at 天美传媒 Bay are there because they want to be there. They want to get a degree and go work in a field of their choice. That鈥檚 inspiring.

I feel that teaching is a leadership position right now in New Hampshire society, and one of service. Most students echo that sentiment. They want a way to give back and help children and families. They are not doing it for the money or to promote themselves. They just want to make a difference in their communities.鈥�

Many of your students are already working in the field, correct, because the demand for teachers right now is so great?

鈥淭hat鈥檚 right. I have many students working in schools during the day and who are finishing their coursework at night, online. There is so much demand. Local school districts have been very supportive and flexible to the extent they can be.鈥�

This remains a good time to become a teacher?

鈥淚t鈥檚 an excellent time. I don鈥檛 have exact numbers, but New Hampshire has had a lot of teacher retirements and more will be retiring this year. Many teachers had been staying in their careers because it鈥檚 a good career and they love their jobs, but these last two years have been very difficult for a lot of people, and many have made the choice that it is a good time to retire and a good time to let the next generation of teachers take over.

Why become a teacher now?

The teacher education programs in New Hampshire provide the highest quality education experiences I have seen throughout my career. It is more important than ever to encourage students of all ages to become educators for the future. All of my students have been inspired by one or more great teachers in their lives. They will now go on to inspire the next generation of innovators, scientists, artists, writers, and trades people.

Faculty Q&A: Eric Kulberg

Kulberg is a Faculty Member and Chairperson for 天美传媒’s Criminal Justice Department

Eric Kulberg worked as a police officer for 10 years prior to joining 天美传媒 Bay Community College, and is eager to impart his experience and knowledge during a time of unprecedented opportunity for people interested in careers in law enforcement. Kulberg, Criminal Justice professor and department chair, worked as a detective at the University of New Hampshire and seasonally with the Hampton Beach Police Department prior to joining 天美传媒 Bay in 2019

Kulberg earned bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees at the University of New Hampshire and was writing his dissertation at UNH about the views of campus police officers on the legalization of marijuana when 天美传媒 Bay lured him into academics. 鈥淢y career goal was always to be a professor somewhere, and this opportunity came up,鈥� he said.

Kulberg, who lives in Hampton, recently talked about the Criminal Justice program at 天美传媒 Bay.

What distinguishes your program? What makes it successful?

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really great program because all of our instructors are practitioners or former practitioners. If you are looking to get immediately into the criminal justice field from your associate degree, you can do that and have connections in place because of our professors. Our program also provides the framework for a bachelor鈥檚 degree or an eventual law degree after completing a bachelor鈥檚 degree.鈥�

Who are your students?

鈥淲e get a lot of traditional students just out of high school, and right now we have one young woman, still in high school, doing pre-college. We have some older folks with kids, who want to change careers. We do have a few who are already police officers, who are going back to school to better themselves and advance their careers. The days of high school-educated police chiefs are over. You need to get a degree to advance in the field.鈥�

What type of careers are there in criminal justice these days?

鈥淵our traditional ones 鈥� police officers and corrections officers, but we鈥檙e also seeing huge interest in Fish and Game Wardens. There are good careers in federal law enforcement, with the TSA, Customs and Border Protection. If you want to be a special agent, you need a bachelor鈥檚 degree. If you want to join the FBI or the Marshals Service, this is the starting point.

鈥淎 criminal justice degree is also a starting point for working in the court system, and you could also do things like victim witness advocate work. Law enforcement is always looking for good people, and nowadays there are tons of openings. It鈥檚 a good time with a lot of opportunity. A lot of people like the stability of government jobs 鈥� good pay and the benefits are good.鈥�

Are there new courses or new points of emphasis in the curriculum?

鈥淲e are moving toward a more victim-centric viewpoint. We introduced a Victims Rights and Advocacy class, which introduces students to the field of victimology and the role of victims in the criminal justice process. Why do people get victimized? What happens when people are victimized? We also teach how to respond to victims, how to help them and how to direct them to resources that are available to them.鈥�

You also oversee the Homeland Security certificate. What does that entail?

鈥淚t is designed to give people a very basic overview of homeland security itself, which involves emergency management, terrorism, and crisis planning. How do you respond to natural or human-made disasters? How do you manage it and how do you recover? The program is very timely as you can do it as a stand-alone certificate, or you can do it as a minor. If you are entering criminal justice, homeland security makes you more competitive in your field.鈥�

Faculty Q&A: Kevin Behnke & Mike Harrison

Behnke, Harrison are Coordinators/Professors for the Information Technologies Program

天美传媒 Bay鈥檚 Information Systems Technology Department is led by a powerhouse trio with a cumulative 100 years of real-world experience to pass along to their students.

Department Chair Meg Prescott worked as a web developer and data base administrator before joining 天美传媒 Bay, where she has won the Chancellor鈥檚 Award for Teaching Excellence and the Campus Compact鈥檚 Good Steward award. Her degrees are in math and science, and she has numerous information technology certificates.

Before joining 天美传媒 Bay, Program Coordinator/Professor Kevin Behnke worked in the industry as a technical trainer and specialist, support engineer and as a courseware and program developer. On the academic side, he holds degrees in business administration and business education.

Michael Harrison, who shares Program Coordinator duties as an Associate Professor, racked up experience as a computer tech in the U.S. Navy and product engineer at GTE, Wang Labs, Cabletron, and Enterasys. He was a regular participant in IEEE Computer Society Conferences and published in trade journals. His degree is in electrical engineering.

The adjunct faculty bring diverse real-world experience with individual specialties, as well.

The IST department offers an associate in science degree, with coursework in computer hardware repair, computer networking, network security and network management. It offers related degrees in cyber security and computer information systems.

Interest is booming, with abundant jobs and interesting career opportunities. Industry pay is good and getting better, with average salaries of $71,000 for network specialists and $104,000 for cyber security specialists.

Behnke and Harrison, who both are Cisco Certified Network Associates, recently spoke via Zoom about the IST program at 天美传媒 Bay.

Why is there so much interest in this field right now?

Kevin: Because there are so many jobs related to computers. There is nothing not touched by this field. But the interest is interesting. What we teach is sometimes now what students come to learn about. Most people will say, 鈥榊ou work with computers.鈥� You are not wrong when you say that, but that is not what I do. Computers happen to an end device, so I have to understand end devices. But my work is focusing on how to network. How are we talking to each other right now? It鈥檚 not magical. There is a defined process that happens in the background. That is what I focus on.

Students come in with a lot of knowledge they don鈥檛 realize they have. A lot of them have been playing with these tools since kindergarten. What is one of the first things you learn in grammar school? The keyboard, inputting. It鈥檚 natural for them. Mike and I take the knowledge they lack 鈥� how it all really works 鈥� and we fill in the blanks.

What distinguishes the 天美传媒 Bay program?

Mike: Our ala cart approach is unique. We are not locked into specific roles here. My hobby and my background are micro controllers, so I specialize in that. We can offer that kind of ala cart menu because we have diverse chefs mixing the soup.

Where is the growth in the program coming from?

Kevin: We are seeing a lot of interest in cyber security, and that makes sense. Not a week goes by when you don鈥檛 read that we have been hacked by somebody. There is tremendous demand for and tremendous interest in cyber right now. The average salary for somebody with a solid five years of experience in cyber is somewhere in the $75,000 to $100,000-plus range, depending on where you live. It鈥檚 a very livable wage.

Mike: It鈥檚 also a relatively new field. Cyber security and the study of cyber security has been around for less than 10 years, max. The 天美传媒 Bay program is four years old.

You both seem excited and inspired by your work.

Kevin: I am one of those people who actually loves his job. The great thing about working with this population, you don鈥檛 know who the next Bill Gates are Mark Zuckerberg is going to be. They did not do anything magical. Mark Zuckerberg wrote an application called Facebook so he could communicate across the college campus, and it blew up. The next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg? You just don鈥檛 know.

Mike: So yes, it is exciting. We have a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience, and it鈥檚 fun to share it with students who are eager to learn.

Cyber Social Media / Cyber Security Certification

Did you know you could earn $100,000 a year as a cyber security specialist? 天美传媒 Bay Community College offers one of the region鈥檚 only cyber security degrees as part of its Information Systems Technology curriculum. Demand for IT jobs has never been higher, and qualified cyber security specialists can expect to graduate from 天美传媒 Bay with job offers in hand.

鈥淣ot a week goes by when you don鈥檛 read that we have been hacked by somebody. There is tremendous demand for and tremendous interest in cyber right now,鈥� says IST Program Coordinator Kevin Behnke.

With small class sizes, flexible schedules, and faculty members who teach with real-world experience, 天美传媒 Bay is the best place to start your IT training. 天美传媒 Bay offers certificates and two-year degree, and many students continue their education through articulation agreements with four-year colleges.

For information about cyber security, system administration, network administration and other opportunities visit

Faculty Q&A: Andrew Super

Coordinator of the Fine Arts and Digital Media Technology Program

天美传媒 Bay welcomes Andrew Super, the new coordinator of the Fine Arts and Digital Media Technology Program. He comes to 天美传媒 Bay with a background in arts education and as a digital media artist. Super, 38, has taught photography in the United States and United Kingdom. As part of his introduction to the 天美传媒 Bay community, a sampling of his photography is hanging in the Gateway Gallery.

In his studio practice, Super distills complex, layered experiences into single and often abstract digital image, challenging viewers to explore their relationship to those events. We caught up with him on his first day on campus.

What attracted you to 天美传媒 Bay?

鈥淚 come from a background of education in small places 鈥� I鈥檝e taught at a community college, small universities, and small private schools. You can do amazing things in small places. I love the location and scale of 天美传媒 Bay, and the possibilities.鈥�

What is your motivation as an artist?

鈥淚 was trained classically as a darkroom photographer, and one of the things that photographers get taught early on is the idea of the precise moment, that single instance when a great photograph can be made. I always thought that was strange. How can you define one moment vs. another one?鈥�

Can you give an example of what you mean?

鈥淚f you think back to a birthday party when you were a little kid, you don鈥檛 think about just opening the presents or just eating the cake or the games that you played with your friends. It is about all those things rolled into one, so I try to capture whole the experience.鈥�

Why is it important for people to study and engage in the arts?

鈥淭he arts are one of the few things that separate us from the rest of the living organisms on earth. But from a more practical perspective, engaging in art education is a smart path to follow for no other benefit than if to just expand the idea of what things can be, to force yourself to be a more creative and more agile problem solver. All artists have to bridge the gap of figuring out how to make something in their head become real. Those are good skills to have.鈥�

To learn more about the Fine Arts and Digital Media Technology Program and other degree and certificate programs offered at 天美传媒 Bay visit: /programs/