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PENDLETON --- In her 25 years at Tri-County Technical College, Rachel Campbell has served in various student support roles, where she was always known and respected for her tireless work ethic and commitment to going the extra mile for students.

 

Her commitment to excellence and her devotion to student success earned her the Presidential Medallion for Staff Excellence.  President Ronnie L. Booth presented her the medallion at the fall convocation held August 17.  

 

“Throughout the years I’ve worked at Tri-County Technical College, I have thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to help students reach their educational and personal goals.  It has been a privilege to interact with many wonderful students and colleagues,” said Campbell.  

 

Campbell, who is a success coach in the College Transitions Division, joined the College in 1992 as an admissions counselor and over the years has served as international student advisor, health education admissions counselor, enrollment counselor and director of admissions. 

 

Nominations in support of Campbell praised her significant contributions to improving student learning and success.  Said one colleague, “She exemplifies the philosophy of the College -- passionate people transforming lives and building strong communities one student at a time. She has always worked to transform lives.” 

 

Another noted her rapport with students, “As a Success Coach, she wholeheartedly invests in her students, builds lasting relationships, and maintains significant contact with them beyond the first semester.”

 

“Rachel has consistently provided students with initial advising and information needed to get them on the right track toward their goal,” said a fellow staff member.  “Long before it was a requirement of the job of the “success coach” to serve as a “safety net” for students, she served in that role.   She has always followed alongside her students and ensured they were successful each semester through graduation, and often after.  Throughout her career, Rachel could often be found standing outside a classroom to catch a student after class to check in and make sure he or she stayed on track.”

 

During her time as International Student Advisor, Campbell often became the American “parent” of her international students.   Co-workers often received requests to ride with her to the airport to pick up a student who had gone home to visit or had returned after a semester break.   “She would run out and pick up medicine or groceries for students who were home sick.  She never missed a chance to provide superior service for her students (or as she called them, her ‘international children’),” said another colleague.  

 

In addition to directly supporting students, she serves on project charters and work teams and contributes to the enhancement of support services that impact student learning and success.

 

This year, she was instrumental in developing the Early Alert Response Protocol to outline how Success Coaches respond to StarFish alerts. She worked closely with others to update system access and screens to provide a more efficient process for coaches to manage their assigned caseloads. She identified new reporting needs and worked with appropriate departments and staff to provide report enhancements that are used College-wide. She manages the communication plan and contact strategy for the department and regularly sends out iContact messages to all students reminding them of important dates and upcoming deadlines. This year she served on the Advising Steering Committee, Strategic Enrollment Management Project Team, Honors Leadership Committee, Leading Edge Advisory Team, Proactive Academic Support (Project Charter) and the HIPs Communication and Engagement Workgroup.

 

Another co-workers noted, “Rachel is known for her integrity.   She always does what is right, even when it’s not the popular thing to do.  She’s respected by not only her students, but her peers and administration of the College.   Rachel is always looking at ways to connect her students to the college community.  During her entire tenure, she has been committed to excellence, even when it requires her to work many extra hours and wear many hats.”

 

According to one colleague, “Rachel’s engaging personality, genuine care for her students and colleagues, attention to detail, impeccable follow up and follow-through, institutional memory, leadership courage, integrity, and even her quirky humor make her an outstanding candidate for the Presidential Medallion for Staff Excellence.  She truly embodies our vision. She is very passionate about impacting positive change, in big ways and small ways, for each student, one at a time, and one after another for the last 25 years.”

 

Campbell holds a B.A. in elementary education and an M. Ed. in counseling from Clemson University.  She and her husband, Terry Filippo, have two children, Isaac and Ella.  They reside in Clemson.