Shane Talbott has been named dean of the Mathematics and Science Division at Volunteer State Community College. Talbott comes from Florida Gulf Coast University where he was director of Academic Advising.
“This job spoke to me, because it allowed me to bring everything full circle in my career; my science background, my work as a teacher, and my positions as advisor,” Talbott said. “We also wanted to be closer to my family in Kentucky. At the time, my husband and I didn’t think that Florida was that far from home, but with COVID we realized that we want to be closer to home.”
Talbott held the positions of interim assistant dean, lecturer, and academic advisor while at Northern Kentucky University. He also taught science at Somerset Community College in Kentucky. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and a Master of Science in Chemistry degree from Auburn University in Alabama.
“One of the things that community colleges do well is to complete a ladder for students. Often people see higher education as a filter. We need to be that ladder. I was a first-generation college student, myself. My father had a fifth grade education. He wanted his children to have more education than him.”
The Math and Science Division at Vol State offers 16 programs to prepare students for careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and health care related fields. The division also offers degree and certificate programs in veterinary care. For more information visit: www.volstate.edu/mathscience
