Agricultural News
CareerTech Director Brings Enthusiasm to Strengthen Education
Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:11:18 CDT
The head of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education has a big vision for education in the state. Dr. Marcie Mack came on board this year as the 8th state director. Mack wants to see the number of programs offered through CareerTech grow even more. That's a great signal that the state's agricultural education program will get even stronger, as one of the areas offered through CareerTech. Dr. Mack was in Oklahoma City this week for the 2015 Oklahoma FFA Convention. She said the event highlights all of the great accomplishments of FFA students throughout the year.
"They have the opportunity to have over 430 programs in the state of Oklahoma and teach young people about agriculture, about agricultural education and the importance of it, not only in the state of Oklahoma, but for the nation as a whole," Mack said.
Through agricultural education, members learn a variety of technical skills. Mack said students learn about animal science and agri-science, but one of the unique components of the FFA organization is the opportunity for students to learn leadership, teamwork and communication. She said students get to practice those skills on a daily basis in working with other individuals and working on their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project.
In looking at the future of CareerTech, Mack also wants to ensure the institution is providing the best quality education and providing the necessary resources to teachers and their classrooms. Annually CareerTech has more than 500,000 enrollments. Mack said career and technology education from CareerTech is offered in more than 391 schools, 29 technology centers and 13 correctional facilities.
"Individuals may not realize that they are working with career and technology education and that is the heart and soul of many of the programs that we have across the state and make a huge impact for the state of Oklahoma," Mack said.
Mack has a long history with the agency. She spent the first 19 years of her career with the Autry Technology Center in Enid, one of the 29 technology centers within the CareerTech System. In July 2013 she became the deputy state director/chief operations officer. Mack has been serving as interim state director since August 2014 and began her official duties as state director on February first. As the state director, she said she will continue to promote career and technology education through various programs.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with Mack at the 2015 Oklahoma FFA Convention. Click or tap on the LISTENBAR below to listen to the full interview.
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