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RAYMOND – Veterinary Technology Program director Dr. Bobby Glenn, of Madison, and Ashleigh Chatfield, of McComb, a sophomore Interpreter Training Technology on the Raymond Campus, have been named ��«Ӱҵ’s honorees for the Legislature’s HEADWAE (Higher Education Appreciation Day – Working for Academic Excellence) program for 2017.

As the faculty HEADWAE honoree, Glenn is also one of the graduation speakers for the fall ceremonies on Dec. 16 at the Muse Center on the Rankin Campus. He will speak at the 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. ceremonies. The speaker for the 8 a.m. nursing and allied health ceremony has not been named.

Glenn, a 40-year employee of ��«Ӱҵ, received a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University. He has directed the Veterinary Tech program since 1976.

“When Dr. Muse contacted me about being named, it was quite an honor,” Glenn said. “But, it’s really about the students. They keep me motivated. As teaching methods change, you have to change with it. Back in my day, it was the blackboard and writing on it. Now, it’s PowerPoint, overheads and Internet. But, it’s affected the hands-on part very little. I could show you a slide all day about how to draw blood from a certain vein, but you wouldn’t really know about it until you do it.

“Academically, it’s challenging to the student. It’s not easy. You have to learn the skills, not only the dog, cat, horse or anything else you may be working on.”

Chatfield, who was home-schooled until she enrolled at ��«Ӱҵ, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and writes for its newsletter, The Kappa Chronicle. She is a member of the Honors Institute and plays synthesizer in the ��«Ӱҵ Eagle Marching Band.

“The Honors program has helped me grow and develop,” Chatfield said. “The Honors teachers are very encouraging and motivating. They challenge you a little bit more and the way information is presented in an honors class versus a typical class is much more interesting to me.”

Her volunteer work includes being a student missionary in Aurora, Ill., with the Baptist Student Union, and disaster relief work in Hammond, La. during the spring 2016 semester.

Chatfield is also the recipient of two scholarships that have financed her education, one for the band and another from the Honors Institute. After finishing classes in Raymond in May 2017, she plans to complete her certification as a sign language interpreter in an accredited program.

“I grew up with sign language interpreting, since my mom signed,” she said. “Before college, I started working in a restaurant and we had a man who’d come in every other day who was deaf. He couldn’t talk to anyone, but he’d bring his pictures and he’d write his notes. I knew just enough sign language to get by, but it was really sad to see him have no communication because we really didn’t know his language.”

Glenn, who is retiring in December, is a member of the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medicine Association. He had served two years in the Army, including one year of deployment in Vietnam, and rose to the rank of captain before starting a private practice. He worked for the Mississippi Diagnostic lab for two years just prior to starting work at ��«Ӱҵ.

HEADWAE was established in 1988 to honor academically talented students and faculty who have made outstanding contributions in promoting academic excellence. The 30th annual program is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017.

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