PR2005 May 23

THE ELEANOR STORY

“Although our school has grown tremendously over the last few years, our faculty and staff still works extremely well together and I believe that each and every one of them is totally committed to making a difference in the life of every student who walks through our doors,” remarked President Rogers. Taking their cue from the school’s slogan, “It’s all about results,” staff members from various departments at Shelton State Community College joined together to achieve positive results for a young woman who had enrolled in Focused Industry Training (F.I.T.) at the West Alabama Center for Workforce Development located at the school.

Eleanor Davis had a degree from the University of Alabama in Management Information Systems and a minor in computer science when a tragic automobile accident in April 2004 left her in a coma for two months. The resulting Traumatic Brain Injury caused her to lose most of her memory as well as creating physical mobility problems. During her recovery, she was recommended to participate in the F.I.T. program.

“I talked to her a long time about the demands of the class,” said Kathy Coleman, a program instructor. “I explained that with her difficulties in talking and even walking, it would be very challenging for her. But she was a most determined young woman.”

Focused Industry Training is a 400 hour program taught over a ten week period. Typically students receive education in basic education (math, reading and communication skills), computer skills, problem solving, workplace behavior, manufacturing and job acquisition.

“One of the strengths of Shelton State is its ability to customize its programs to fit specific needs,” said Susan Miller, director of the Center for Workforce Development. “And that is exactly what happened in Eleanor’s case.”

Because Eleanor already had computer skills, as her training began she started to recover her memory of how specific programs worked and soon was typing almost at her 85 word per minute pre-accident rate.

“It became obvious to us that she was going to do fine in the computer portion of the program but that her physical limitations from the accident would still be a liability for her,” said Coleman. “That’s when Mike Fields from the Job Placement Center suggested sending her down to the Wellness Center for a few hours each week.”

Coleman contacted Dr. Milady Murphy, who heads Shelton State’s Wellness Center and asked if she could evaluate her.

“We placed her in Ms. Dolores Royal's class where she exercised in a chair 2 days a week performing stretches, calisthenics and light resistant activity with weights,” said Dr. Murphy. “From there she progressed where she could walk more efficiently, with better balance. The exercise program not only helped her physically but it enhanced her self-esteem and boosted her confidence.”

But the inter-departmental cooperation didn’t end there.

Darrell Wright, instructor of computer sciences at Shelton State, also met with Eleanor and worked with her on more advanced Microsoft programs that were not part of the F.I.T. training.

“She already had the knowledge. It was just a matter of showing her how the programs worked and once she saw them in operation her memory began to come back. It won’t be long before her speed and confidence return as well,” said Wright.

According to Kathy Coleman, Eleanor’s speed at word processing won’t be a problem for long.

“I had been teasing her about burning up the keyboard on her speed tests,” said Coleman. “Then one day, just as Eleanor was leaving the building, the fire alarm went off. I called to her and said, ‘I told you you’d set off the smoke detectors one day!’” laughed Coleman.

All employees at Shelton State Community College go through a Total Quality Management (T.Q.M.) program. One of guiding principals of the training is a focus on “customer service.”

“At Shelton State we emphasize that our students are our customers,” remarked Randy Jarrell, T.Q.M. instructor. “Just like in any retail business, if you’re not happy with the way you’re treated, you’ll take your business elsewhere. We train our faculty and staff to strive to treat each student fairly and try to meet their individual needs to the extent of our abilities.”

As Eleanor prepares to reenter the job market, she said “I did my first two years of undergraduate work at Shelton State so I was familiar with the school and the faculty. They provided me with motivation and stimulation I needed to start putting my life back together.”

“Eleanor’s story is not unique at Shelton State,” said President Rick Rogers, “but it is a wonderful example of how committed our faculty and staff are to making a difference in the lives of our students.”