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Media Services The president of one of the state’s fastest growing community colleges, a long-time Louisiana educator and the president of a global consulting company have been selected to receive the 2005 Alumni Awards for Achievement and Merit from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Dr. Rebecca Paneitz, president of Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, Dr. George E. Rice, endowed professor of educational administration at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and Dr. Melissa Williams, president and chief executive officer of TDIR, Incorporated of Atlanta, Ga., will be honored Oct. 21 at the university’s annual homecoming dinner. The dinner will be held at 7 p.m. in the Green Room of the John F. Gibson University Center. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at the door. Paneitz became president of NWACC on Aug. 1, 2003. A 1974 UAM graduate, Paneiitz holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a doctorate in vocational administration from Colorado State University. During her first two years as president of NWACC, Paneitz has helped create a strategic plan to guide the college through 2009 as well as a two-phase facilities master plan. NWACC broke ground in June on a $22 million building project that includes an 82,000-square-foot student center and a four-story, 800-car parking deck, the first of its kind in Benton County. Under Paneitz, NWACC has opened a learning center in Springdale, established a non-credit center in Bella Vista focusing on lifelong learning for senior citizens, and created the NWACC Regional Technology Center in Fayetteville. Prior to assuming the presidency of NWACC, Paneitz served as personnel administrator for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, dean of technology and trades and later dean of arts, business and communications at Pueblo Community College in Pueblo, Colo. She was dean of instruction at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College before returning to Arkansas. Since arriving in northwest Arkansas, Paneitz has received the “Trailblazer” award from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, been included in the 2005-06 Empire Who’s Who Registry of Executives and Professionals, been selected to be a member of the Arkansas Women’s Forum, and been appointed to the American Association for Community Colleges’ Commission for Academics, Student and Community Development.
Rice began his professional career in 1968 as an English teacher at Wilmot, became principal of Wilmot Elementary School in 1971, superintendent of schools in Garland in 1972 and superintendent of the Waldo School District in 1979. After receiving his doctorate from Ole Miss in 1984, Rice became director of instruction for the Vicksburg (Miss.) Separate School District. In 1987 he joined the faculty of Louisiana-Monroe as an assistant professor of educational leadership and counseling, and now holds an endowed professorship in educational administration at ULM. Rice has conducted extensive research in education and is a member of numerous professional honorary organizations, including Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta Pi, Alpha Chi, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the International Institute of Logotherapy.
Williams holds a master’s degree in management from Troy State University, a master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a Ph.D. in business administration from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before entering private business, Williams served on the staff of American Intercontinental University in Dunwoody, Ga., where she served as an adjunct professor, chair of the Department of Business, dean of the School of Business, and vice president of academic affairs. While at AIU, Williams was named teacher of the year in 2003.
Williams continues to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in business and management online as an adjunct professor at LeTourneau University of Longview, Texas. She is also a U.S. Army veteran who served as an ordnance officer for the 43rd Engineer Battalion in Operation Desert Storm. Have a comment? Please e-mail us. © The Voice 2005 Revised 09/17/2007 02:16:43 PM — http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/TheVoice/3_7/alumni.htm |
