Pellissippi State Community College has hired Priscilla Duenkel as dean of the Blount County Campus. The community will hold a “meet and greet” with Dean Duenkel at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at the campus, 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Friendsville. RSVP by Friday, Feb. 18, to rsvp@pstcc.edu.
Duenkel joined Pellissippi State on Sept. 1, 2020, when the college was still primarily working and learning from home due to the pandemic. A native of Sweetwater and a graduate of Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, and McKendree University in Illinois, Duenkel most recently served as assistant director for student success at Roane State Community College, where she was accountable for the supervision and performance of 15 success coaches as well as advised students in academic course selection, financial aid and career counseling. She previously worked at Tennessee Tech and King University.
“I have a passion for first-generation students,” said Duenkel, who found her calling in higher education while working as a resident chaplain at Lee University. “That’s why I wanted to transition to community colleges.”
Duenkel’s goals as Blount County Campus dean include fostering community on campus, making sure all the resources provided to students on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus also are available to students who attend classes on the Blount County Campus and increasing diversity.
“I want to create an environment here so that students want to be on campus and spend time here, not just come here for their classes and leave,” she said.
Despite starting her new job during a pandemic when most of her interaction with colleagues and students was virtual, Duenkel said her transition to Pellissippi State has been a good one.
“I worked across the street from the Hardin Valley Campus for six years when I was with King University, and I did a lot during that time with King’s admissions team. I knew Pellissippi State was an inviting community.”
With most students back on campus now, Duenkel is looking toward the future.
“This is an exciting time for the Blount County Campus, with our new workforce development center opening this year,” she said. “That building will bring lots of opportunities and resources not only to our students, but also to the community – everything from workforce development to our culinary arts program.”
Pellissippi State’s vice president for student affairs, Rushton Johnson, also announced the hiring of Stella Bridgeman as dean of the college’s Magnolia Avenue Campus.
Lesli Bales-Sherrod does marketing and writing for Pellissippi State Community College.