Gracie McLaughlin Receives Tri-County's
Presidential Medallion for Instructional Excellence

CONTACT: LISA GARRETT, EXT. 2315

FOR RELEASE ON MAY 15 AFTER 8 P.M., PLEASE

PENDLETON - Gracie McLaughlin, Office Systems Technology department head for the Comprehensive Studies Division, received the highest award presented to the faculty, the Presidential Medallion for Instructional Excellence, at Tri-County Technical College's 37th commencement May 15.

Dr. Don C. Garrison, president, presented the medallion to the Anderson resident. The medallion is presented each year to the instructor who has contributed the most during the academic year to the profession of teaching, to the development of the College and to the students.

"Faculty and staff in our College must demonstrate their commitment to staying current with the many technological changes that occur daily in every field," said Dr. Garrison. "Through her efforts, Gracie clearly demonstrates that she desires to keep her department's faculty, curriculum and equipment up to date. She uses the expertise and knowledge of her advisory committee to assist her in identifying the skills and knowledge students need to meet the challenges of tomorrow's job market. I am proud of the positive impact she has on the lives of so many individuals within our community as she fulfills her responsibilities each day in her classroom here at Tri-County," said Dr. Garrison.

"She epitomizes the very best in community college education – she is student-oriented, dedicated to making a positive difference in people's lives and is capable of seeing possibilities in situations where others see only limitations," Dr. Garrison continued.

Earlier this year, Mrs. McLaughlin's commitment to students, contributions to business education, and her support of programs that provide opportunities for students earned her the S.C. Business Education Association's Post Secondary Teacher of the Year Award.

Mrs. McLaughlin, who has been teaching at Tri-County since 1973, was named department head in 1995.

She has actively sought and obtained numerous grants for the Office Systems Technology department, thus making it possible to keep abreast of the latest technology. "She has led the department in efforts to develop some of the best course materials on campus and takes pride in the fact that all curriculum materials are reviewed regularly, thus ensuring their relevancy to business and industry needs," said Dr. Garrison.

Mrs. McLaughlin is active with area high schools and serves as the Business and Human Services Division's School-to-Work liaison. She conducts the fall articulation meetings with high school teachers to review articulation procedures and to make revisions. She also visits business education classes to make presentations about Technical Advanced Placement (TAP) and offers high school students the opportunity to take the TAP exam on the Tri-County Tech campus.

She served on the Pendleton High School Business Education Advisory Council and the School to Work Advisory Council and served as chair of the School Improvement Council.

Mrs. McLaughlin has been instrumental in making Tri-County's School-to-Work process a success at Tri-County. She visits local high schools and presents the Office Systems Technology program, as well as other Tri- County programs. Through these presentations, she gets students interested in attending college and explains what it takes to be successful in the workplace.

In addition to South Carolina Business Education Association (SCBEA), Mrs. McLaughlin's professional affiliations include the Southern Business Education Association, the National Business Education Association, and the South Carolina Technical Education Association. She is a 1999 member of the SCBEA Constitution and Handbook Committee.

Mrs. McLaughlin has served as a judge for the Professional Secretaries International Secretary of the Year, in addition to the Lieutenant Governor's Writing Program for Riverside Middle School and the Anderson Association of Educational Office Professionals Administrator of the Year award.

In 1996 she was among eight Tri-County Tech instructors selected to receive the NISOD Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to teaching and learning.

At the College she is former vice president of the Faculty Senate and has served on the Instructional Affairs and Student Retention Committees. She has been instrumental in establishing and developing the off campus Office Skills Continuing Education Program which has 48 courses offered annually for people in clerical occupations who want to upgrade their office skills.

Mrs. McLaughlin holds a B.S. degree in business education from Erskine College. She and her husband, Dave, live in Anderson and have three children.
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