Friday, February 19, 2010

Hasselvander, Dale to represent PRCC at HEADWAE program

    POPLARVILLE - A long-time instructor and a third-semester nursing student are Pearl River Community College’s nominees for Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) 2010.
    PRCC officials selected nursing instructor Rebecca "Becky" Stringer Dale as the faculty nominee. Dale chose Kathryn Hasselvander of Columbia as the student honoree.
    They will be recognized on Wednesday, Feb. 24, by the Mississippi Legislature before an awards luncheon in their honor.
    "I am honored to be the HEADWAE faculty member representing Pearl River Community College for 2010," Dale said. "Teaching nursing students for over 30 years has been a memorable experience. Thank you to the PRCC faculty, staff, and administrators who have enhanced my ability to teach."
    Dale selected Hasselvander because of her academic ability and the traits she exhibits as a nursing student.
    "She is a successful student in nursing," Dale said. "I taught her in fundamentals of nursing, and she had leadership skills. She is a very professional nursing student and gives her patients excellent care. She stands out."
    The daughter of Brian and Jennifer Hasselvander of Columbia, she is an honors graduate of Columbia Academy. She maintains a 3.64 grade point average.
    "I was shocked by the award, especially being in nursing school, it’s hard," she said. "When I was doing my basic courses, I had a 4.0."
    Hasselvander is active in the PRCC Student Nurse’s Association. She will graduate in December 2010 and plans to work toward a master’s degree at the University of Southern Mississippi.
    Dale holds the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from USM and is an active member of the Mississippi and National Organizations for Associate Degree Nursing and the PRCC Faculty Association. She received the Lamplighter’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in1993.
    "She has given long years of honorable service to the college," said Dr. John Grant, vice president for instruction. "This is in recognition of her service to the institution. She has been a quality teacher for many years."
    Dale is a member and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Poplarville and pianist at Ruth Memorial Presbyterian Church in Poplarville. She and her husband, Rocky, have two children.
    HEADWAE was established in 1988 by legislative resolution to honor individual academic achievement and the overall contribution of the state’s public and private institutions of higher learning.