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 AFS Opportunities for Young People As you know, AFS is about transforming lives and creating a more just and peaceful world. AFS is successfully fulfilling its mission--we exchange more than 13,000 young people between 54 countries each year. But there's one aspect of our mission where we in the United States can do better. We can find and inspire more U.S. students to study abroad on AFS programs. Consider: fewer than one in thirty U.S. high schools sent even a single student on an AFS program last year. Yet AFS is the market leader, sending more students abroad than any other CSIET-certified organization. Imagine how much more impact we could have if everyone who knows about AFS identified a few great students to go abroad. To help this happen, we have developed a referrals program, AFS Global Connections, that makes it easy for you to nominate students for AFS programs. Each AFSer you nominate will receive a $75 credit towards tuition. You, in turn, will collect "Connections Credits" that may be converted to scholarships for students in your community,or for AFS-related travel opportunities. To make a nomination, all you need is a student's name, high school, and email address. Surely you know a future AFSer. Nominate this young person for an website (http://www.afsusa.org) or the first-hand accounts from current AFSers at the AFS Blog (http://afsgoabroad.blogspot.com). If they have questions about hosting an AFS exchange student, visit the website , we are happy to help. On behalf of all of us at AFS, thank you, and warm, holiday regards.
Jonathan Shakes and
Dr. Barbara Y. Wills
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 New Director takes helm at Dickson Technology CenterIn a way, Mark Powers has come back to his roots. Powers, a long-time employee of the Tennessee Board of Regents, has been named the director of the Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson. He fills the spot vacated by Bob Sullivan who retired from the center June 30 after 32 years at the helm. With deep family ties in Dickson and Montgomery counties, Powers is glad to be back in Middle Tennessee. For the last seven years, he had been director of the Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman in East Tennessee.
The faculty and staff at all locations have proven themselves to be very capable and have demonstrated their abilities to me in a very positive manner," Powers said. "I look forward to continuing the great work that these people have begun as we seek to serve the citizens of our delivery area." Powers has a bachelor’s degree in history from Middle Tennessee State University and an MBA from Belmont University. He spent 10 years in industrial sales for chemicals and equipment and three years in healthcare marketing. Powers said those years in the business world prepared him for moving over to workforce development. He joined the staff of Volunteer State Community college in 1995 as director of the business and industry institute, working to set up and deliver workforce training programs. Moving from the community college to the technology center at Harriman in 2001 was "a natural fit," Powers said. "I felt like the workforce development needs were better met by the technology center system. We have more of a direct impact on skills training and workforce development," he said. "You see a quicker turnaround...lives are impacted more quickly. You get to witness and experience that more directly. Colleges and universities do that as well, but it takes longer to see." Powers believes the role of the state’s 27 technology centers is only going to grow in importance. "As technology moves even more into the world of business and industry, it's going to require a higher skilled workforce to operate and maintain. That’s what we do here. We train highly skilled technicians to operate and maintain technical equipment." The biggest change Powers has observed since his entry into higher education has been the prevalence of the computer. "The computer has just taken over every aspect of every program we have here," he said. "You can't be an auto or diesel technician or a machinist without some computer skills. All skilled trades are computer controlled. The computer has become more of a critical tool. The day of the shade tree mechanic has gone by the wayside." Powers said the required knowledge level for math and communication skills has remained the same over the last several years but required reasoning capabilities have increased. "With the integration of technology into all that we do…the diagnostic equipment that we use, the maintenance equipment we use. . .you have to have higher skills to understand how to operate the systems," Powers said. Powers' short-term goal is "not lose anything we have gained over the past years. I want to be able to maintain current programs and continue producing quality graduates. I do want to work on how we deliver the training to produce a better skilled graduate." When the state budget situation improves, Powers' longer-term goal is to expand the extension campus in Clarksville "to meet the growing needs and demands of industry," he said. A secondary goal would be to expand the space on the Dickson campus to expand the allied health programs. Powers said he'll be reviewing the offerings at TTC Dickson's Waverly and Franklin instructional centers to determine "any program changes or additions to meet the needs of those communities." Powers is returning to the area which holds fond memories of trips to grandparents' house. His grandparents are buried in Montgomery County and he still has relatives in Dickson and Montgomery counties. Powers and his wife Judie, a retired public school teacher, are now living in Dickson. They are the parents of an adult son and daughter who are both married. The Powers have two granddaughters. The Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson, with satellite campuses at Waverly, Clarksville and Franklin, is one of 27 technology centers governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The institution serves students in Dickson and seven surrounding counties with 20 full-time and special industry programs. For more information, call the center at 441.6220.
 In fall of 2007, a group of school system employees and several community business representatives including: The Leaf Chronicle; Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce; Clarksville Board of Realtors; DBS Engineering, The Trane Company, Crye Leike, realtor Joe Haley, Jostens Publishing and others, joined to form the Project Graduation Team.As a result, plans were put in place and a logo and mantra were developed to convey the community's support in helping all students from Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools graduate from the school system. If you would like to have a representative from the Graduation Project Team present to your civic organization, place of business or worship please contact Michelle Newell or call 920-7928 to make arrangements.
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The Tennessee Board of Regents made the appointment in late October. Powers has spent the last month getting acquainted with the staff at TTC Dickson’s four locations and community leaders in the center's eight-county service area.
"TTC Dickson has for years been considered one of the premier schools in our system. |