< Previous18 WWW.FAYTECHCC.EDU FROM OUTDOORS ENTHUSIAST TO PARK RANGER Graduating from FTCC's Basic Law Enforcement Training Program meant a career in nature for alumnus Jacob Fields Fields rakes ground by a pier that burned in a fire at Carvers Creek State Park. Part of Fields’ job includes making the park a family-friendly and safe environment for all visitors. T he cold tucked itself away for another day. The warm sun had nothing to hide behind on a Wednesday morning in April. The day was ideal for Ranger Jacob Fields who works at Carvers Creek State Park north of Spring Lake. He carried a shaved Crepe Myrtle as he crossed a small stream through the park. As he walked toward the millpond – damaged and dried out by Hurricane Matthew and a massive flood in 2016 – something on the ground caught his eye. “It’s sunbathing,” Fields said with a smile. He gently picked up the corn snake. Its brownish body, decorated with dark, orange circles of different shapes, quickly began to coil around Fields’ wrists and lower arm. Its thin tongue shot in and out of its mouth. It reminded Fields of a time he and a family walking one of the many trails at the park came across a hognose snake, less docile than a corn snake and an expert at playing “possum.” “They got to see the snake bluffing – making hissing noises and then playing dead,” he recalled. “When it plays dead, it will roll itself back over if you try to flip it. I’m pretty sure they’ll remember that.” And it’s those teachable moments Fields looks forward to sharing as, he too, learned himself. His love and enthusiasm for nature didn’t begin overnight. It started simply, in childhood, when he played outside and muddied himself in puddles. As a teenager, he spent two weeks at Camp Celo, a Quaker-based summer camp for ages 7-12 in the western part of North Carolina. He learned to milk a cow, went on multiple hikes each day, camped overnight, and even swam in nearby rivers. “You learn about how to be outside,” he said. “I just loved being outside, without any walls. There’s always something that I learn when I go outside. For instance, it rained pretty hard [recently] and all of these spotted salamanders were by my house in Carthage, and I had no idea they were there before.” As a high school student, Fields joined the Junior Curators program under the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The opportunity allowed him to work with researchers and curators, teaching him how to care for wildlife (even in the museum’s live animal collection) while participating in educational programs and events. The Raleigh native participated in the program every year before he graduated. He proudly calls himself a “nerd” as he still remembers the ABC’s he learned: every letter in the alphabet corresponded with the Latin name of wildlife species such as the letter “A” for C. (Cryptobranchus) alleganiensis, the FTCC ANNUAL REPORT 19 species name for the hellbender salamander. Back on the trail at Carvers Creek, Fields let the corn snake uncoil itself from his wrist and arms. It slithered against the bumpy trail back into the shaded shrubbery. He took a sip from his blue hydration pack on his back. He began walking. The North Carolina State University graduate earned a degree in fisheries and wildlife in 2010. Then, Fields worked as an interpretive ranger on the attraction part of Grandfather Mountain before becoming a ranger at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. There, he earned his basic certification as an EMT (emergency medical technician). He applied for a position with Carvers Creek in 2015 and six months later, he earned the job. He’s been working at Carvers Creek for the last four years. Part of becoming a park ranger was earning the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) certificate within his first year of employment. He enrolled in Fayetteville Technical Community College’s BLET program, which is overseen by Program Coordinator Yovana Vest. Nature came easy to Fields. BLET came with challenges. The physical training, tests, and classroom work were intense as the program includes 700 hours of training over 16 weeks. Choosing FTCC to obtain a BLET certificate wasn’t a hard choice for Fields. It was close to his family’s home and two of his colleagues – a park ranger and a superintendent – both graduated from FTCC’s program. He mentioned the support from fellow cadets and instructors during his time in BLET. “That camaraderie helped some of us,” he said. “You have people pushing you and cheering you on. Not one time did I feel like there was an inability for teachers to teach. I’d say if I can do it, you can do it. It takes perseverance and a positive attitude.” North Carolina State Parks officially swore in the now 31-year-old law enforcement officer in 2016. As a park ranger, some of Fields’ duties include leading educational programs, monitoring the park’s plants and animals, ensuring visitor safety, and prohibiting hunting. He also finds time to visit FTCC’s Spring Lake Campus to visit Vest and his former BLET instructors. For Fields, FTCC isn’t just “a community college.” “That’s not the case,” he said. “The resources you have available to you, it’s what you start with in the beginning and you move from there. It’s a wealth of knowledge. It’s a great educational, inspiring, and even scholarly resource.” “I’d say if I can do it, you can do it.” — Jacob Fields North Carolina Park Ranger Jacob Fields holds a corn snake that was sunbathing on a trail at Carvers Creek State Park. 20 WWW.FAYTECHCC.EDU And as a former student, he finds himself becoming the teacher. In 2018, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan recognized Fields for completing the Environmental Education Certification Program. He completed a project to earn the certification, restoring the wiregrass in a visible area to the public near the main Carvers Creek park office. He worked with Boy Scouts, volunteers, and staff members on the effort; it improved his teaching techniques where he now includes an outline and list of objectives while addressing the bigger picture of why he teaches. He had a similar experience earlier this year when he received a call from an Appalachian State University student. He was interested in becoming a park ranger after being a part of parks and recreation activity at school. Fields and the student chatted. The student called back to say he had applied for a position at Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, which spans 50,000 acres in North Carolina and Virginia, according to the North Carolina State Parks website. “He said he looked forward to seeing me in training,” Fields said with a brief laugh. “It’s those small things that don’t happen much. I like for people to reach out if they have questions. We are very different from other law enforcement agencies — we’re also educators. We’re very helpful.” Moments like those remind Fields, even on the long days, why the career he’s in suits him best. Top photo: A corn snake slithers across one of the many walkable paths at Carvers Creek State Park in Cumberland County during a spring afternoon. A few minutes prior, North Carolina Park Ranger Jacob Fields held the snake and let it coil around his wrist and hand. Back on the ground, the snake moved quickly to a small bush near the trail. Bottom photo: Park Ranger Jacob Fields works alongside a fellow state park employee in April 2019 as they clear debris and charred earth at Carvers Creek State Park on Long Valley Farm. The fire also burned down a pier that stretched into the lake where the state park is located, on Long Valley Farm.“I just loved being outside, without any walls. There’s always something that I learn when I go outside.”22 WWW.FAYTECHCC.EDU A YEAR IN COLLEGE REVENUE State Aid: $53,351,311.78 State and Local Grants & Contracts: $3,179,764.81 Tuition and Fees: $15,638,383.90 Auxiliary: $4,295,844.51 Federal Grants: $25,597,461.31 Gifts: $919,345.00 County Appropriations: $22,148,405.45 Investment Income: $389,342.79 Other Income: $214,912.65 42.5% 2.5% 17.6% 12.4% 3.4% 20.4% 0.7%0.3% 0.2% TOTAL: $125,734,772.20 100%96%94%94% PHARMACY TECH TOP LICENSURE PASSING RATES NAIL TECH PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY ASSISTANT Total number of programs of study at FTCC 78% Retention rate for the 2018-2019 school year 283FTCC ANNUAL REPORT 23 COLLEGE EXPENSES TOTAL: $109,902,602.88 Instruction: $46,259,449.45 Institutional Support: $12,978,910.26 Academic Support: $6,777,494.72 Student Services: $5,882,317.74 Auxiliary: $7,806,168.91 Operations and Maintenance of Plant: $9,588,187.88 Financial Aid: $18,215,940.97 Depreciation: $2,394,132.95 Pension Expense: $0 42.1% 11.8% 6.2% 5.3% 7.1% 8.7% 16.6% 2.2% 0% 20 4060 80 100 0 97.4% 98% 97.1% 97% TOP FOUR GRADUATE SURVEY RATES Graduates satisfied with overall quality of academic programs Graduates satisfied with the quality of instruction Graduates satisfied with the overall quality of FTCC Graduates satisfied with the quality of instruction in program area courses NUMBERSWWW.FAYTECHCC.EDU COMMUNITYFTCC ANNUAL REPORT 25 Students work together to build the inner frame of a Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity home on Link Street in downtown Fayetteville. For years, students from the College’s Building Construction Technology and Carpentry programs have assisted in building homes for the nonprofit organization, serving a two-fold purpose: hands-on learning and training while helping a family in need of housing. MUNITY26 WWW.FAYTECHCC.EDU Partners rooted in building A student wearing a hard hat yelled the phrase as a warning to classmates surrounding him on an early morning in September. The sound of air echoed as a nail shot out of its namesake gun tool, piercing wood. A group of students, wearing heavy tool belts slouched on their waists and hard hats, moved quickly to place the wood as part of the future home’s frame on Link Street near downtown Fayetteville. The future one-story home was one of a handful students who attend Fayetteville Technical Community College have worked on through the years. FTCC and Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity have been partners in the community for decades. Students from the College’s Building Construction Technology and Carpentry programs assist the organization by building homes for residents in need nearly every semester. Both programs are under the Engineering & Applied Technology Department. The Fayetteville chapter is part of the global nonprofit organization's efforts to help those in need of decent and affordable housing through service projects and its homeownership program. Habitat works in local communities across all 50 states and in roughly 70 countries, according to its website. Construction students spend up to 18 hours a week building a home during the school year. They began work on the future one-story home at 604 Link Street in late summer 2019. Instructor Keith Carter, department chair for both building construction technology and carpentry, said the partnership between the College and Habitat began before he started teaching at FTCC. “I’ve been with the college for 21 years,” he said. “The students do the frame, siding, interior trim and sometimes, we install the cabinetry. We also get the house ready for shingles as well. The plumbing classes do some work too along with electrical. It’s a good thing.” Back on Link Street, the students broke into smaller groups as they worked across the home’s foundation. Some measured wood. Others carefully placed pieces of wood next to each other, building the home’s inside frame. One student, wearing a white hard hat, sat on the edge of a truck. He bit into a sandwich and sipped water before 10 am. Carter watched the students near a sign in the home’s front yard. It read, “A project of FTCC Building Trades.” Carter has seen how building homes is more than just work for the students. He also looks at it from the perspective of being a pastor at Piney Green Missionary Baptist Church for more than 15 years in Salemburg in Sampson County. “I’ve seen them become more eager to help those that need help,” he noted. “Some of my students have volunteered with Habitat after they graduate. Some have worked for Habitat. It opens their eyes to the need that’s out there that we can help with. It teaches them life lessons, too.” The partnership benefits the College and Habitat in other ways, too. The projects allow for hands-on learning. Habitat is able to save thousands of dollars on a single project when students provide the labor. Tracy Coffin, project manager for Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity, said money saved can be used for other needs and projects the organization can provide to the surrounding community. The organization plans to build 47 more homes in the future, bringing the total count to 200 within Fayetteville. FTCC students have been and will be a part of the eight homes planned for Link Street. “That outdoor experience in the classroom is going to enhance their ability to perform those tasks when they get out of school, making them more proficient in their craft,” she said. “Oftentimes, we find families in homes do better in school and later on in life. It’s a partnership we have to continue not just for Habitat, but for students to have the best experience possible as they transition to work outside the classroom. It’s a ripple effect in the community.” Coffin, an Army veteran who served for 25 years, has something in common with construction students at FTCC: she, too, volunteered with fellow soldiers on building a Habitat home. She described the transition as going from service to her country to service to her community. Service A student focuses on hitting a nail correctly into a piece of wood, a small piece in the future home on Link Street in downtown Fayetteville. Students from FTCC’s Building Construction Technology and Carpentry programs have assisted in building homes for families in need, teaching them hands-on skills for their future careers while helping the non- profit organization keep construction costs down, allowing donated monies to fund other critical projects in the area. A look at the decades-long relationship between FTCC and Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity CHANGING THE COMMUNITY “FIRE IN THE HOLE!”FTCC ANNUAL REPORT 27 FTCC Students work together on the framing of a future home in downtown Fayetteville, which they helped build for Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity. Work on the home began in late summer 2019. “It’s a partnership we have to continue not just for Habitat, but for students to have the best experience possible as they transition to work outside the classroom. It’s a ripple effect in the community,” said Tracy Coffin, project manager for Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity.Next >