ANC symposium draws hundreds

Arkansas Northeastern College hosted a Student Success Symposium on Wednesday, and with nearly 425 participants in attendance, organizers called the symposium was a tremendous success.

"The success of such a large scale event relies upon the collective efforts of numerous college departments and personnel who are committed to building partnerships," said conference organizer Sherri Bennett.

Speakers present at the symposium were praised for delivering relevant and engaging sessions on building stronger partnerships between secondary and post-secondary educators.

"It was a remarkable day in terms of participation, content and quality," said June Walters, ANC executive vice president.

A key speaker in attendance was Paul Vitale, who spoke to several groups about the leadership and determination required to achieve excellence. He stressed the significance of optimism and a strong work ethic in achieving set forth by those organizing the conference. Vitale speaks all over the country to a wide variety of clients including ESPN, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several others.

Local speakers included Deanita Hicks, coordinator of communications and humanities at ANC, who spoke to a large group of local high school teachers on the importance of collaboration, coordination and cooperation in making sure that each student is equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in each level of their education.

"We're excited to have the opportunity to work with all of the school districts in the county and have all of our combined faculties work together to try to provide a better, more seamless educational path for all of our students," said Dr. Robin Myers, president at ANC, about the symposium, in response to the overall atmosphere of Wednesday's collaborations.