Donna Carney

Page 1

For as long as I can remember I have had an attraction to numbers. I liked math while in
elementary and secondary school. In high school I took recordkeeping, and then was introduced
to accounting in the eleventh grade. I loved it from the beginning. In my senior year, I got a
part-time job at an accounting firm as an administrative assistant. I copied tax returns and
performed data entry work. After high school graduation, I had planned on attending vocational
school but instead went to a local 4 year college. I earned a Bachelors degree in Business
Administration with a major in Accounting. I advanced in my job until I was a staff accountant.
I prepared financial statements, tax returns and performed audit work. After graduation, I
continued in this job until I was offered a position with another local firm. I did the same type of
work at the new accounting firm. It did not take me long to realize that if an employee did not fit
the intended mold at this firm; it would only be a matter of time before one was fired. After
working there eighteen months, my employer decided to terminate my employment. During my
time with my second employer, I was offered an adjunct accounting instructor position at our
local technical school. I began teaching accounting classes two nights a week and loved being in
the school atmosphere. It became nearly impossible for me to work this second job during
income tax season, because I was working 55 to 60 hours a week at my full-time job, so I
stepped back from the adjunct instructor position at that time.
I went on to work at an investment firm, a physicians office, a durable medical
equipment company, and the district health departments administrative office before becoming
an adjunct accounting instructor again. During my diverse accounting career I have performed
many functions such as secretarial work, accounting work, medical billing, and insurance
collections but I havent enjoyed any other work environment like I have enjoyed our local
technical college. I worked as an adjunct accounting instructor this last time for a year. An

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Accounts Receivable position opened at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (WGTC) and I
interviewed for it. I made it to the final interview round but a current employee was chosen over
me. During this same time period another accounting position opened at the college. I applied
for it but was very skeptical because it was a 3-year grant funded position. I had wanted to
withdraw my application but the Vice President of Administrative Services asked me not to
because she really wanted to interview me for this position. I interviewed for the position and
began work last November.
I am the REACH Grant Accountant at WGTC. The REACH grant is a U.S. Department
of Labor grant which was awarded to WGTC in July 2010 in the amount of $3.4 million dollars.
The grant has been used to hire additional allied health personnel and provides financial
assistance to students as well as to purchase equipment. I enjoy my job; however, since it is
grant funded it will end in two years. No one at my college understands the ins and outs of my
job. I taught myself how to perform the tasks of this job. I had a general understanding of what
was needed but I had to research everything and learn how to handle the accounting
appropriately for the U.S. Department of Labor. It has become a relatively easy position and I
have a lot of free time now. During my free time I assist the administrative staff with other
accounting work. It is my goal to move into another job at WGTC once the grant ends. I
decided the best way to handle that situation was to make myself more marketable by returning
to college. After much research I enrolled at Georgia Southern University in the Masters
program of Higher Education Administration.

I have learned a tremendous amount of

knowledge and have been able to use this knowledge in my current position. I need to obtain a
Masters degree in order to be promoted to a position of Director at my college. The pay scale
for a Director position is considerably higher than the scale for my current position. Upon

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completion of my Masters degree I may consider returning to school and obtain the Education
Specialist degree in Higher Education Administration.
During my time at WGTC I have seen a lot of issues with students, faculty and staff that
worry me. I see faculty and staff with lackadaisical attitudes toward students. The REACH staff
deals with students that come to us with their frustrations about teachers and administrative staff
(in particular financial aid and admissions staff). We do our best to calm them and get them to
discuss the issues they having. We find that our faculty doesnt do a good job communicating
material to the students. We have students struggling in classes such as Anatomy & Physiology.
Many of the A&P students need guidance to get back on track to become successful students. If
these students are successful in the first A&P class, they will easily master the second A&P class.
We tell the students they need to remain focused, study hard, stay positive, be calm, and be
prepared for tests. The REACH staff teaches our students how to talk to their instructors
regarding any problems they might be having. It truly baffles me that we have adult students that
do not know how to communicate with their instructors or school administrators. I have had to
escort some of these students to the appropriate staff members offices and assist them in
changing majors, handling matters at the bookstore, and introduce them to the academic support
center personnel.
One thing I have noticed is that new students being admitted to my institution are not
getting the support they need. First semester students meet with an admissions office staff
person and register for classes. The students will be assigned an advisor during the first semester
and that advisor will assist the students with future advisement. Our REACH staff has seen
several students that were struggling academically in classes that they should not have been
registered for until they were comfortable with college life.

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I feel students at WGTC need more guidance and attention than they are getting. I have
met with Admissions office personnel and the Executive Director of Admissions to discuss how
they handle new students. I was told that either the Executive Director of Admissions or the
Director of Admissions meets with new students to discuss the career the student wishes to
pursue. However, after meeting with several students, I have begun to feel this statement is not
true. I personally know the students I have spoken with and they told me the only person they
spoke with in the Admissions office was the Admissions Technician who registered them for
their first semester of classes. The admissions technicians have no particular training in advising
students. The personnel have very bad attitudes and do not like to be bothered by students. The
Admissions office has a large staff and I believe they have a lot of time on their hands. I feel the
Admissions Office needs greater guidance from their leader. Customer service training is
desperately needed in this division of my college. Due to bad attitudes in the admissions office
an outside person would have to teach the customer service class for it to make a difference.
I believe each department of our school needs a dedicated academic advisor to assist
students. Currently, our instructors advise students during the students college careers. I believe
with all the changes in HOPE and with possible changes coming in PELL, academic advisors are
going to be needed to work with students in order to help direct them on an appropriate career
path. WGTC has many career services available, but most of the students will never pursue
additional assistance when looking for a career. It isnt uncommon to pull a students record and
see he/she has been in several programs and may still be undecided on a major. I believe we are
going to have to spend more one-on-one time with our students and encourage them to use our
career services division. An area that needs to be utilized by students is the Retention office.
The retention office offers the Career Scope test along with other services that tells the student

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what fields will be appropriate for him/her. If a student is undecided between majors, this test
can be a great asset to the student.
I believe more attention should be focused on scores obtained by students on the
COMPASS test (test required for admittance to college). The admissions office has access to
all the students scores. If a student takes the COMPASS test over and over and can never
increase the scores, I believe the admissions office should stop and discuss career options with
the student that will be appropriate for his/her COMPASS scores. One particular WGTC student
that participates in the REACH project has very low scores in Reading and Math. She has been a
student for quite some time. She started taking certified nursing assistant classes. She
performed satisfactorily in the CNA class but has now moved on to the Medical Assisting
Program. She has not taken the COMPASS test again. The college is doing a disservice to her if
we do not encourage her to enter a program that is appropriate for her abilities. She continues to
come to school and receives HOPE and PELL awards. Eventually she will exhaust her HOPE
benefits because she will not be able to keep the required GPA.
I expect a BANNER Accounts Receivable Accountant position to become available
within the next year. I plan to apply for this position. I will learn more about the BANNER
student information system in this position and it will make me a more valuable employee with
opportunities for advancement. After working in the BANNER A/R position for a couple of
years, I believe my college will create the position of Academic Advisors for all departments of
the college. A bachelors degree will be required for this position. I will be well prepared to
advance to this position in the Admissions office. By becoming an Academic Advisor, I will be
able to assist students in making decisions regarding majors and help get them started on the
right track. After being in the Academic Advisor position for several years, there will be

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openings available in the Admissions office due to retirement of key personnel. During this time
I expect our Executive Director of Admissions will retire. This position requires a Bachelors
degree along with five years of experience in post-secondary education in the admissions office
or registrars office. Experience in the BANNER student information system is required. A
Masters degree in education or a related field is the preferred qualifications. I would love to
have this job. I would be an excellent employee for the college. By the time the Director is
ready to retire, I will have completed my Masters degree in Higher Education Administration
and I will have the required years of experience.
I am currently staying up to date with the developments in Higher Education by reading
professional literature such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse Issues in Higher
Education, materials from TCSG, reports from the U.S. Department of Education, various
educational publications, regional newspapers, and federal and state legislation. It is important
to be able to plan around new developments in higher education if one knows about the
developments in advance.
In order to stay current with latest developments in higher education administration, I will
join the following organizations: Georgia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions
Officers (GACRAO), American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Georgia Institute
of Strategic Enrollment Management (GISEM), and I will attend any Technical College System
of Georgia (TCSG) events that highlight changes in the field of higher education. I believe these
organizations will help me gain a richer understanding of economic changes, changes in rules
and regulations dictated by state agencies, and changes in federal and state laws. By attending
conferences offered by these organizations, I will learn how others in higher education are

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handling issues and changes due to state and federal legislation so I can implement changes at
my institution.
I chose Mrs. Teresa Spires, Executive Director of Admissions at WGTC, as my mentor.
I selected her because I was very interested in how the Admissions office conducts business with
regards to how students are admitted to our college. I also chose my mentor because I have
many suggestions that will benefit the students in the admissions and advising process and I
wanted my suggestions to be taken seriously. I have had several meetings with Mrs. Spires and
she has agreed to let me shadow her on a regular basis. I have met with her and discussed her
daily activities and will continue this relationship with her.
Our REACH staff is working in conjunction with the Admissions office on a grant they
are administering which is known as the Plus50 grant. We meet regularly with the Director and
admissions office staff regarding the grant and how our REACH grant can be coordinated to fit
their students. We are participating in community outreach programs with the Plus50 grant to
recruit more students to our technical college.
Mrs. Spires cares deeply about our students and wants to see the students get a quality
education so they can have a rewarding career. Mrs. Spires has been very willing, generous and
helpful to me regarding my research into the admissions process. We work as a team at WGTC
and want our students to succeed. I believe the beginning of the students success will be in how
they are treated in the admissions office and how helpful the information they receive is to
planning and implementing their future career.
I will also continue to work with our Foundations office to assist students with attaining
their goal of receiving a college degree by utilizing each departments financial assistance and

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referral service. I will work with the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) office at my school to
offer financial resources to students as they work to obtain their diploma/degree. Many of our
students are unemployed due to no fault of their own. I will work with the Academic Support
Center (ASC) to assist with academic resources available to struggling students. The ASC has
general resources for students in core academics. The REACH Project has resources that are
specific to allied health sciences to assist students who are struggling academically.
Outside the area of higher education administration, I will work with my local legislators
so I can have an effect on legislation affecting my part of the state. I already personally know
my legislators. I plan to attend hearings and committee meetings regarding developments in
education. I will develop relationships with middle and high school educators/administrators and
the members of the local board of education to develop lasting relationships to assure the
students graduating from high school and coming to technical colleges and universities are
prepared for the rigors of college.
I am truly concerned about the future of our educational system in Georgia. Many
students are not prepared for college. Once they get into college, these students get discouraged
and do not know where to turn for guidance. I want to be in a position where I can better serve
our students and assist them in reaching their goals. Someone is going to have to take
responsibility to assist our students. Hopefully my college administration will see the need for
academic advisors and I can begin my journey into the admissions office. I want to make a
difference in education and feel I can if I am afforded the opportunity. The position I desire is to
become the Executive Director of Admissions. I am fully capable of performing this job and I
am looking forward to making a difference. We are only helping ourselves and our economy by
encouraging our students to succeed and enjoy the ride to their career goals.