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WKCTC Nursing Students to Receive Nursing Pins May 6 at Carson Center

Academic Affairs VP and Former Nurse Retires After 32 Years of Service

WKCTC MEDIA RELEASE: Paducah, KY (04/28/2017) — Dr. Tena Payne, West Kentucky Community and Technical College vice president of academic affairs and former nurse and healthcare educator, will retire June 30 after 32 years of service to the college, its students and the community. Dr. Payne will offer comments at the 2017 nursing pinning at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center May 6. The ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m.

Before earning her doctorate degree in higher education from the University of Kentucky in 2000, Dr. Payne began her nursing career in 1971 as a full-time nurse aide and worked in various healthcare positions as she earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Murray State University in 1976 and a master's degree in nursing from the University of Evansville in 1985.

In August of 1985, Dr. Payne accepted her first position as a nurse educator at then Paducah Community College. She worked in the nursing division as a faculty member until 1992 when she became the dean of nursing at the college.

"In my comments, I hope to share the value of a career in nursing, and the broad opportunities of a nursing education."

Dr. Payne has served as the college's vice president of academic affairs since 2006.

Sixty-five students will cross the Carson Center stage to receive nursing pins in their respective programs with 41 receiving pins representing the completion of the associate degree in nursing (ADN) program and 24 receiving pins representing the completion of the practical nursing program (LPN).

The pinning ceremony is a symbolic welcoming of recently graduated nurses into the nursing profession.

Those receiving pins for the associate degree in nursing are listed by county residence.

Ballard County
Kevin Abanatha, Nicholas Dillon, Taylor Foster, Brooke Forrester, Matthew Severns, Lindsay Slone

Caldwell County
Mary Hannah Moller

Calloway County
Sarah Goad, Brittany Lamb, Sarah White

Carlisle County
Abigail Frazier

Graves County
Daphne Choate, Amanda Forsythe, Charles Hayes, Michalea Jackson, Nicole Nanny

Hickman County
Rachel Kimbell

Livingston County
Xun Sun

Lyon County
Kristen Swiader

Marshall County
Elizabeth Arant, Keeley Barrow, Lisa McCaleb

McCracken County
Cody Bechtold, Michal Bechtold, Sarah Brettell Stunson, Sarah Byassee, Michelle Chambers, Christine Gill, Lacey Grimmitt, Madison Guthrie, Erica Johnson, Benjamin Lowery, Sally Moseley, Theresa Ridley, Nicholas Roberts, Bing Rounsavall, Slayden Whitney, Andrew Smith, Clarissa Walden, Allison Wood, Kelly Word

Those receiving pins for practical nursing are listed by county residence.

Ballard County
Kaylee Meyer, Katelynn Turner

Carlisle County
Hailey Dixon, Lauren Dudley, Danielle Walker

Fulton County
Gelsey Cole, Anthony Rendleman

Graves County
Terri McKinney, Ashley Miller, Amanda Stevens, Kelsey Thomas

Marshall County
Brittany Griggs, Kayla Henderson, Cassandra Moore, Cassidy Moore, Shelbi Nelson, Krystal Smith

McCracken County
Natalie Bailie, Ashley Lastinger, Michelle Walton, Jennifer Wilson

Trigg County
Jessica Allen

ILLINOIS
Massac County
Morgan Mccutcheon, Chelsi Werner

The 2017 Commencement will follow the nursing pinning ceremony with 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. ceremonies. Over 700 WKCTC students are eligible to participate in commencement.

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West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) has been recognized four consecutive times by The Aspen Institute as an Aspen Prize Top 10 Community College and twice as a Finalist with Distinction for providing students with strong job training and continuing higher education opportunity, for achieving high completion and transfer rates, and for providing strong employment results for its graduates.

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Dr. Tena Payne, WKCTC vice president of academic affairs and former nurse and healthcare educator, will retire June 30 after 32 years of service. She will offer comments at the 2017 nursing pinning at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center May 6.

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