What's Happening at Ranken Technical College

Blues Discounts Available

Ticket purchases for 10 Blues home games are discounted for Ranken students, alumni and friends courtesy of the Blues organization. Follow this link  https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=blues&o=6962936&g=549

Use RANKEN as the promo code to recieve tickets at a discounted price for 10 home games for tickets purchased online only. A small portion of your ticket price will be donated to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund by the Blues organization. Taxes and handling fee will be assessed as usual.

Games available for discounts are:

Saturday, February 23 - Columbus

Friday, March 1 - Edmonton

Tuesday, March 12 - San Jose

Thursday, March 28 - Los Angeles

Sunday, April 14 - Chicago (11:30 a.m. televised)

Friday, April 19 - Dallas

Thursday, April 25  - Calgary

All games start at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Go Blues!

Instructor Leaves Lasting Impression

 
Robert Raymond Ruth always had a knack for fixing things and started his career as an airplane mechanic. After discharge from the military, he enrolled in the (at that time) David Ranken Jr. School of Mechanical Trades' automotive classes. Upon his graduation as an automotive mechanic in 1942, he went to work for local auto dealerships before joining Ranken as a full-time instructor in the automotive division. Ruth was remembered by former student Mike Hecht (AMT 1975-1977), "Mr. Ruth always asked us why. It wasn't enough that the motor was broke or not running right and we were trying to fix it. He always challenged us to think about why it broke. I have a great respect for him. He will always be Mr. Ruth to me."

Listening to Reverand Bill Myers give Bob's eulogy it was obvious that he was a spiritual and kind man. He had a thorough knowledge and recall of the Bible and could quote for any encounter. Stories were told of the many strangers Bob had helped who were stranded on the road with car problems. How he always carried his tool boxes, how they were organized and how his lab coat weighed more than he did with pockets filled with tools.

It was noted by many that Bob had a knack for automotive repair. Ruth could look at exhaust smoke from a car and diagnose a problem or he could hear the sound of an engine and diagnose its misfire. Bob had a great gift for mechanics and shared that gift and love of automobiles with each one of his many automotive students. Even though Mr. Ruth has passed now, his generous spirit and automotive aptitude lives on with many students whose lives he touched from 1964 to 1990. Mr. Ruth was honored with an award in 2007 as one of Ranken's Top 100 alumni in celebration of the school's centennial year, and he was also honored with a 50-year Ranken service award from President Ben Ernst. Long after his retirement, he could be found on campus, giving an invocation at an alumni meeting or graduation ceremony. Reverand Myers referred to Ruth as a "Ranken Jedi Knight" for his automotive aptitude since he went far beyond being "Ranken Material."

A Robert R. Ruth Memorial Scholarship has been created for a student enrolled in the automotive maintenance program for the 2012-1013 term who demonstrates financial need. Anyone interested in donating to this fund in honor of Mr. Ruth may send their checks to Rose Crawford, Development Office, 4431 Finney Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63113.

Mr. Ruth's wife, Jean, preceded him in death. Surviving are his two sons, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. 

A Note of Thanks

Ranken wouldn’t be the institution that it is today without help from generous contributions. From January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2012, the alumni, faculty, corporations and friends below gifted $1,000 or more for programs, equipment and scholarships. Any gift of any size is welcomed. We couldn't do it without you - thank you!

Advertisers Printing Company Inc.

American Express/Members Give

Anheuser-Busch InBev

Gertrude and William A. Bernoudy Foundation

bioMerieux Inc.

Boeing Company

Cardinal Steel Supply, Inc.

Chelar Tool & Die, Inc.

City of St. Louis Community Development Adm.

Classic Aire Care

Datotel

Charles Disbrow

Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers

Dennis Donnelly

Drury Hotels Company, LLC

EMS Group Inc.

Emerson

Enterprise Holdings

Fluke Corporation

John Henry Foster Company

Robert Gau

Goedecke Company Inc.

E. Reuben & Gladys Flora Grant Charitable Trust

Heidtman Steel

James Hoagland

Mary Ranken Jordan & Ettie A. Jordan Foundation

MB Steel Company, Inc.

Major Brands

McCarthy Building Companies

Michael McMillan

Mississippi Lime Company

Monsanto Fund

National Sales Company

National Science Foundation

Marianne Nothum

Pepsico

Jerry & Peggy Ritter

Rotary Club of St. Louis

Santie Oil Company

David Schepers

Seyer Industries Inc.

Drew Shands

Stan Shoun

Snap-On Industrial

Edith Spink Estate

Strait-Flex International, Inc.

True Manufacturing

Tubular Steel Inc.

U.S. Department of Education

 

Discounted Blues Tickets Available

Ranken Blues fans can now purchase discounted Gold, Silver and Bronze level tickets for 10 season games thanks to the Blues and Ranken's Alumni Relations offices. 

Discounted tickets are available online only through Ticketmaster at this web site https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=blues&o=6962936&g=549 using the code word RANKEN.

For each ticket purchased, a donation will be made to Ranken's Alumni Association Scholarship Fund by the Blues organization. This season give a gift of education by having fun with the Blues! Discounted tickets are available for these game nights only:

1. Tuesday, October 23 - Chicago
2. Saturday, November 17 - Nashville
3. Thursday, November 29 - Columbus
4. Wednesday, December 12 - Minnesota
5. Saturday, December 29 - Philadelphia
6. Sunday, January 13 - Montreal
7. Friday, January 18 - Vancouver
8. Sunday, February 10 - Detroit
9. Tuesday, March 12 - Edmonton
10. Thursday, March 28 - Los Angeles 

Anyone with questions should contact the Alumni Relations office (314) 286-4895. 

 

MVTAP Awards Annual Scholarships

Photo: Members of MVTAP present a scholarship check to JD Chesser (front row middle).

On Tuesday, September 11 members of the Metro Vocational and Technical School Assistance Program (MVTAP) met in the College’s CARSTAR classroom in the Rodenheiser building and presented their annual scholarships to two Ranken Automotive Collision students.

MVTAP was started in 2004 with the mission to professionally advise and assist vocational-technical collision programs in the Metropolitan St. Louis area. The program is currently made up of 20 members who are all associated with AASP-Missouri, local body shops, insurance companies or collision suppliers or vendors. MVTAP strives to collect and distribute donations (such as scholarships) with the intention of raising the quality of education and training for students to better prepare them to enter the collision repair industry. MVTAP provides $6,000 in scholarships each year to students graduating from North and South Technical high schools and Lewis and Clark Career Center. The scholarships can be used at any post-secondary technical school but are matched if the student chooses to attend Ranken.

During the meeting, first semester ACR student James (JD) Chesser, a graduate of Lewis and Clark, was awarded a $1,500 scholarship from MVTAP and will receive the same amount for the spring 2013 semester. Ranken will match both of the scholarships provided by MVTAP and has also awarded Chesser $4,500 in scholarships for his excellent outcomes at the district, state and national SkillsUSA competitions.

Mike Smith, a first-semester ACR student from South Technical High School was also awarded a scholarship during the meeting in the amount of $750. Like Chesser, Smith will receive this amount again in January and Ranken will match both scholarships. Smith also received $1,000 from the College for his performance during the SkillsUSA competitions.

Along with providing scholarships, MVTAP offers support by providing financial assistance to Skills USA membership dues for students, assisting with the Regional SkillsUSA competition held at Ranken, sponsoring Ranken’s annual car show and serving on the high schools’ advisory boards to guide to programs with expertise in the industry and by suggesting equipment needs and curriculum. MVTAP host an annual Golf Tournament to help raise funds to support their program’s mission.

To apply for the scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:

• Academics (Maintain 80% or B average in shop class. Maintain 70% or C average in academic classes)
• Reliability (able to complete assigned tasks in a timely manner
• Dependability (maintain 80% attendance in both shop and academic classes
• Leadership (the ability to influence others in a positive manner
• Teamwork (the ability to work toward a common goal by supporting / encouraging others)
• Work ethics (act ethically and honestly in all business practices
• Pride in their Work (having a positive attitude in completing a quality repair job)
• Member of Skills U.S.A. (in good standing)
• Recommendation from shop instructor or school principal.
• 500 word essay on why they want to be a collision repair technician.

Photo: Members of MVTAP present a scholarship check to Mike Smith (front row middle)

Red Bud Industries Awards Annual Scholarship

Pictured L-R: Brent Piel (Red Bud Industries) and Steven Roy

As part of the celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2009, Red Bud Industries in Red Bud, Ill., established a $5,000 annual scholarship to Ranken Technical College. The goal of the scholarship is to help the company remain a leader in their industry by helping the next generation of local students gain the skills necessary to build world class equipment for a global economy.

The scholarship is awarded annually to a student who has been accepted for admission to Ranken and first preference is given to students who graduate from Red Bud High School or Christ Our Savior Lutheran High School in Evansville, Ill. Awardees must be enrolled full-time in one of the following degree programs: Control Systems Technology, Electrical Systems Design Technology, Electrical Automation Technology, Industrial Technology or Precision Machining Technology. Selection is based on class rank, grades, ACT/SAT scores, high school activities and community involvement.

On August 15, Red Bud Industries presented the 2011 scholarship to Steven Roy of Red Bud, Ill. Roy graduated from Red Bud High School in May 2012 and began Ranken’s Control Systems Technology program this fall.

Roy is the son of Kevin and Jacquie Roy.

Ranken Training Eleven Summer Interns

This summer Ranken has eleven young new faces on campus working as interns through the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant. With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the ATE program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation’s economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions; and other activities. Another goal is articulation between two-year and four-year programs for K-12 prospective teachers that focus on technological education. The program also invites proposals focusing on research to advance the knowledge base related to technician education.

Ranken was awarded the $900,000 grant in September 2011 which was part of a $1.9 million package to create an "educational pipeline" to careers in technical fields. This grant combines with the College’s new $1 million scholarship fund, which will be used to ensure St. Louis city students have access to an education at the College.

"There is a significant need for highly-skilled technical workers in this region," said Ranken president, Stan Shoun. "We have to make sure that we are graduating enough students with the right skills to meet the needs of employers." In order to do that, Shoun says the school has to do three key things. "We have to provide a great technical education, we have to make sure that education remains accessible to all types of students, and we also have to get these kids interested in a technical career at a young age. This grant and scholarship fund will help students learn more about the lucrative, secure careers that are available."

Other programs included in the grant are Ranken’s Summer Adventure Academies, workshops for educators, support for local robotics leagues,

SkillsUSA, Dual Enrollment, microenterprises and a new TRiO Mentorship program.

The interns, who are all high school graduates who will start classes at Ranken in the fall, are working in various areas around campus depending on their major. They are paid an hourly wage through the grant and are required to complete 150 hours of service in their assigned area this summer.

Some of the students were identified and selected based on their performance during SkillsUSA. Other students were selected by the individual department.

bioMerieux Microenterprise

Andy Alderman, HVACR Lewis & Clark

Zach Engelmeyer, PMT South Tech

Tyler Laird, EAT Alton HS

Machining Microenterprise

Willie Greer, PMT Collinsville HS

Brandon Kutrip, PMT South Tech

Nickolas Setchfield-Lenox, PMT South Tech

Automotive Division

James Chesser, ACR Lewis & Clark

STEM Pathways Office

Marin Dunn, IT Notre Dame HS

HVACR Department

Robert Gamache, HVACR South Tech

Carpentry Department

Michael Johnson, CRP South Tech

Welding Department

Mike Tomaszewski, HVACR Collinsville HS

Three of the interns placed during various levels of the SkillsUSA competition and were awarded Ranken scholarships:

1. James Chesser - Received $1,500 for placing first in Automotive Refinishing at districts, $2,000 for placing first at State and another $3,000 for placing second at the National competition.
2. Robert Gamache - Received $1,500 for placing first in HVACR at districts.
3. Nickolas Setchfield-Lexon - Received $1,000 for placing second in Precision Machining Technology at districts.

Another Year for Service Project

Ranken students, alumni and staff participated in Rebuilding Together (RT) working to upgrade a home on Euclid just West of the Ranken campus. Led by alumnus, Nick Wiltse (INT 2011) 30 volunteers painted, trimmed, cleaned and installed cabinets for two elderly women who met the guidelines for the Rebuilding Together project. 

Joining Team Ranken were members of a Christian fraternity fellowship group who assisted with a home in South City. Members of each group worked to fulfill scholarship and grant service hours or out of kindness to others. Through corporate sponsorship and private donations, 50 homes requiring over 1,200 volunteers were serviced in the St. Louis area. RT will hold two more service days in July and September.

Thanks to all the volunteers who gave up their Saturday to help in this project. We hope you will join us again next year!

Spark Plug Contest Success

Weather could have been better for the 9th annual car show and alumni gathering but even so 232 cars came out for the shortened day. The alumni Spark Plug Challenge contest (4 out 4 in timed event) was a hit. Nathan Allen (Ranken alum) won a "champ" trophy and screwdriver set donated by Snap On tools for a time of 38.20; Thomas Cole came in second with a close time of 38.87 and Walter Wright with 40.68. My time was 1.08:59! What fun it was and all for Ranken Alumni Scholarships. You'll see it again next year!

Thanks to ET Tuning in Union, Mo. for sponsoring the event and donating cylinder heads and plugs including volunteers Marty Hill and Dave Riley (Ranken alum) employed there. Ranken alums, Don Huster, Mike Schweiss and Larry Schmidt were also instrumental in making this activity a success!

Much thanks also goes to Schaefer Auto Body Centers who provided lunch for all the Ranken alums who came to the alumni area. See you next year!

Erzinger Receives James W. French/French Gerleman Scholarship

Electrical student, Philip Erzinger was recently awarded the James W. French / French Gerleman Scholarship.

This scholarship was set up In memory of French Gerleman’s former president, James W. French and is awarded to students enrolled in Ranken’s Electrical Automation Technology program.

Erzinger graduated from Valmeyer High School and is a second-year EAT student. He also serves as a student worker for the maintenance department on campus.