What's Happening at Ranken Technical College

Students Show Off Skills at State Competition

Over the weekend of March 30 - April 1, Ranken students who placed first or second in the Regional SkillsUSA competition had the opportunity to go to Linn State in Linn, Mo. to compete in the Missouri State competition. As in the past, Ranken students fared very well and 10 of them will be moving on to the National competition to be held in Kansas City, Mo. the weekend of June 25 -26.

Congratulations to all of our students who competed and to the first place finishers who will be moving on. Thank you to all of the faculty and staff who made the trip to Linn State to participate and support our students!

Architectural Drafting

Bryan Sohn 2nd place

Alexander Carter 5th place

 

Architectural Drafting Technical Information

Bryan Sohn 2nd place

Alexander Carter 5th place 

Automated Manufacturing Technical Information

Ian Wille 1st place

Blaine Mescher 2nd place

Jeremy Franklin 3rd place

Scott Martin 4th place

Nick Goris 5th place

Ghreg Wellmaker 6th place

 

Automated Manufacturing Technology (Teams)

Scott Martin 1st place

Blaine Mescher

Ian Wille

Jeremy Franklin 4th place

Nick Goris

Ghreg Wellmaker

 

Automotive Refinishing Technology

Katie Beck 1st place

Shawn Brummet 9th place

 

Automotive Service Technical Information

Lucas Klinkhardt 1st place

Josh Myers 3rd place

 

Automotive Service Technology

Josh Myers 1st place

Lucas Klinkhardt 2nd place

 

　

Carpentry

Ryan Faust 1st place

Joseph Len 5th place

Carpentry Technical Information

Joseph Len 2nd place

Ryan Faust 5th place

 

CNC Milling Technology

Matthew Warnecke 1st place

Jared Cheatham 4th place

 

CNC Turning Technology

Andy Schaefer 2nd place

Aaron Farrington 3rd place

 

Collision Repair Technology

Stephen Hayn 2nd place

Ben McLean 7th place

 

HVACR

Chris Duwa 3rd place

Jeffrey Thompson 4th place

 

Precision Machining Technology

Nick Moutrie 5th place

Robert Bindrim 6th place

 

Welding Fabrications (Team)

Tyler Doerr 1st place

Jeff Pope

Robert Thompson

 

　

 (Blue indicates moving on to the National competition.)

 

Campus Visitor

Photo: President Stan Shoun and Moore stop to visit with Architecture students Greg Merrell and Chris Schweiss about their current project.

Mattie Moore, United States Senator Claire McCaskill’s Deputy Director in St. Louis, visited Ranken on Wednesday, February 1. Moore wanted to visit in order to see first-hand how the College is helping create a qualified, high technology workforce for the St. Louis region. President Stan Shoun took Moore on a tour around campus to see various educational departments and talk with Ranken students.

Architecture S-STEM Students Visit HOK

Photo: Rebecca Nolan of HOK led a group discussion about being a leader in a diverse industry.

The Architecture S-STEM students visited HOK on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. Brok Howard, BIM manager, discussed leadership and technology followed by Rebecca Nolan, vice president, who explained diversity and team work within the field of architecture. Nolan also spent time with the students discussing what it takes to be a leader in a changing industry.

Charlie Lutz, a Ranken Architecture program alumnus and designer at HOK, led the group on a comprehensive tour of the facilities. The students saw the corporate half of the floor as well as the production side with various departments including healthcare, planning, structural engineering and interiors ending across the street in their model development shop. The students were inspired by the speakers and grateful for the personal attention given to them.

"Innovation is about the why, not the how or the what," said fourth-year Architecture student, Jacob Amador. "It’s about the passion and the drive that transpires into great ideas and its success resides in making others believe in its possibilities."

HOK (formerly Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum) is a global architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and consulting firm. HOK is the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering firm and the "No. 1 role model for sustainable and high-performance design." HOK also is the second-largest interior design firm. As of 2011, the firm maintains more than 1,800 professional staff across a global network of 25 offices and is active in all major architectural specialties. Its senior leaders are located in several different locations across the world.

 

 

RCDC Program Wins National Award

Recognizing a need for housing in the community it serves, Ranken established the Ranken Community Development Corporation (RCDC) in April 1994. The program combines the technical skills of its students and faculty with the need for affordable housing, enhancing North St. Louis City's neighborhoods.

Through the RCDC and their required curriculum, students receive hands-on experience in the construction and renovation of single-family homes. The non-profit organization has built more than 50 homes to date. For each house, students and faculty members from Architecture, Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical and HVACR use their skills to build houses in the neighborhoods surrounding the College. Once the houses are completed, they are sold at affordable prices. Proceeds are then used to build more homes and involve future students in home building projects.

The program has evolved over the past 17 years and has had to grow and change along with advancements in construction and technology. Just as most business and industries are looking at ways to become more "green," RCDC continues to look for more environmentally-friendly building techniques.

The program has started participating in Energy Star home inspections by Applied Science Energy Ratings (ASERusa) in order to learn how to build more energy efficient homes.

"We started participating in these inspections for many reasons," said John Wood, vice president for student success. "One is that in the long run it saves our future home owners money to heat and cool their home. It is also a great learning tool for our students who will be able to go out into the work force with this knowledge and potentially teach their employer these new building techniques. Overall, it's just the right thing to do."

This past year, RCDC has continued to stay up-to-date on the latest energy efficient building techniques. The program has started using advanced framing techniques that involves two-foot framing centers, which minimizes material usage and waste. On one of the homes being built this year, RCDC used a product called the Superior Walls System, which are precast concrete walls made with steel rebar, making them stronger than traditional foundations. The walls, which come pre-insulated and include features like built-in accesses for wiring and small plumbing, stud facing for easy drywall installation and custom openings for windows and doors, are more energy efficient, sustainable and environmentally-friendly. RCDC has also started using the ZIP System roof sheathing and wall sheathing, which are structural panels with built-in protective overlays that eliminate the need for housewrap or felt forever. Siding and roof covering can be installed directly on top of the panels.

In recognition of their innovation and the use of cutting-edge technology, Ranken's RCDC program was recently awarded the 2012 Outstanding Technical Program Award from the American Technical Education Association (ATEA). The award will be presented at their National Conference on Technical Education held in Biloxi, Mississippi at the end of March.

ATEA promotes the advancement of postsecondary technical education and the intent of this award is to recognize an outstanding technical program at a postsecondary technical education institution anywhere in the U.S.

Congratulations to all of our students, staff and faculty who have made this award possible!

"Rebuilding Day" Annual Community Service Event

Alumni and students are invited to participate in the national Rebuilding Day sponsored by St. Louis' Rebuilding Together organization. This day of giving back to the community by repairing, rebuilding and upgrading homes of the elderly, handicapped and low income in the St. Louis area will be held on Saturday, May 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Groups all over the country will be joining together to help others on this national day of service. This is the 3rd year for Ranken's involvement in this event and is a fun day supporting a good cause. Only a helping attitude, 25 workers and a house captain are required. Personal tools are a plus! Join us as we assist a homeowner near the Ranken campus and continue support of our neighbors.

Pictures of previous Rebuilding Days can be found at our Flickr Page.

Contact Kathy Fern, (314) 286-4895 or email ktfern@ranken.edu with your interest or questions.

Time To Nominate Distinguished Alumni!

It is time again for annual nominations for the Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Young Alumni Award to be presented at Ranken's May 12 graduation celebration at the Chaifetz Arena. These awards honor Ranken graduates who have excelled in their career and given back to their community. The deadline for nominations is January 31, 2012. 

The criteria, nomination form and additional information can be found at  http://www.ranken.edu/alumni/honoring-our-alumni under Awards. Any questions can be answered by contacting Kathy Fern, (314) 286-4895 in the alumni office.

Recipients will receive a commemorative plaque and name inscribed on a perpetual plaque. 

Past recipients are Distinguished Alumni Earl Walker (2010) and Tom Wood (2011) and Distinguished Young Alumni are Andy Raines (2010) and Jeff Scott (2011).

Alumni Remember the Past

William Boedeker (Machine Shop 1965) retired in 2001 from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and tells us he was recently evacuated from his home during the Las Conchas wildires. Luckily for him he was able to return after seven days without any loss. What Bill remembers about his Ranken education is "the personal attention I got from the instructors".

Rob Wirth (Architecture 1971) is the president of Wirth Professional Services, Inc. in Gillespie, Ill. He remembers "the only attitude that was acceptable at Ranken was that I was there to learn. All the instructors had a personal interest in me, our well-being and to give us a good education."

Dean Tepen (Automotive Maintenance 1986) remembers "the fact that I made it!"

Marshal Pinnix (Precision Machining 1999) wrote that his favorite memory of Ranken is "walking across the stage to receive my diploma. I'm proud to have gone to a college with zero tolerance for those who choose not to succeed. Ranken was hard and demanding. Thanks to all for the experience!"

Elizabeth Maue (Advanced Welding 2009) is a maintanance engineer at Dillard's. She says, "my favorite Ranken memory is meeting new people and having great teachers!"

Send your memories of your Ranken education to ktfern@ranken.edu to be posted or published. We are happy to hear from our alumni and look forward to seeing you back on campus in the near future. 

Alumnus Celebrates on Campus

Rolf Mitchel, 1943 Patternmaking, and his son, Hobie, visited campus after many years away. Rolf celebrating a career in data processing, logistics and the air force, lives in Las Cruces, NM, while Hobie resides in Herndon, VA. Both brought to St. Louis for a family reunion and the celebration of Rolf's 87th birthday took time to visit campus. After meeting President Shoun and receiving an official Ranken transcript and birthday cake, Rolf had this to say, "I want to thank you for being among those wonderful people who made this visit such a memorable occasion. It was a pleasure to meet you and converse with you and spend some time in your presence. Thank you for those special moments."

Rolf recently published a book of his memoirs that will be available in the Ranken library. Rolf's family escaped Germany, entered the United States through New York and settled in St. Louis where many of his relatives reside.

S-STEM Students Visit Savvis

S-STEM students from Information Technology and Architecture visited Savvis’ global headquarters in Chesterfield, MO on Wednesday, April 13. The group met with Spencer Gohre, senior recruiter and Ben Martin, director of technical operations and attended a 45 minute presentation learning about Savvis and how teamwork is integral to their success. The presentation was followed by a discussion on employment opportunities and program specific tours.

Savvis has been around since 1996 and is a global leader in IT infrastructure services with a platform spanning North America, Europe, and Asia. Savvis is among the best in the industry in delivering IT solutions that enable customers to focus on their core business while Savvis ensures the quality of their IT systems and operations.

Ranken Alumni Leadership Council Grows

Three graduates have recently been added to the Alumni Leadership Council, the advisory board for alumni campus activities and the Alumni Relations office. 

Dave and Jack are the two newest members, starting in January 2011. Megan joined the group in the fall of 2010. "We are happy to have them with us," says Bill Layman, council president.

Dave Garvin (1981 HVAC) is currently one of three Product/Brand Managers at Nordyne LLC.  Nordyne is an O’Fallon, Mo. based manufacturing company of residential manufactured housing, and light commercial HVAC products. Nordyne has three manufacturing plants in Missouri and one in Tennessee. As product manager, Dave has responsibility for all packaged products. Nordyne manufactures its domestic products in the Midwest and sells them under consumer names like; Maytag, Frigidaire, Westinghouse, Tappan, Intertherm, Miller and others. Dave has taught night school at Ranken in the past.

Jack Cleaver (1962 RAH) is currently retired and resides in Cadet, Mo. Jack was owner of Control Specialties in St. Louis, Mo. from 1994 to 2007. Prior to that he was Group Operations Supervisor for Landis & GYR in St. Louis, Mo. Jack’s work history includes working with mechanical contractors, managing employees and multiple projects in the control systems and piping industry. Jack has taught at Jefferson College, Ranken Technical College, North County Technical School, and Basic Institute of Technology. His hobbies are fishing, camping and rebuilding old cars.  Jack is a routine visitor to the Ranken Car Show.

Megan Rawson (2008 ART) is currently a Construction & Bearcilities Coordinator for Build-a-Bear Workshop located in St.  Louis, Mo.