Southeast Community College

[Photo: From left, Southeast Community College John Deere Tech instructors Jeff Slafter, Doug Reznicek and Dale Lawver will be recognized in Wichita, Kan., in October as master technicians. ]

Three instructors in Southeast Community College's John Deere Tech program will receive recognition as Master John Deere Tech instructors during the annual Instructor Development Week Oct. 5-9 in Wichita, Kan.

According to Jenni McClure, manager of college partnerships at the John Deere Ag Marketing Center in Lenexa, Kan., Doug Reznicek, Jeff Slafter and Dale Lawver are among just five of the 50 John Deere Tech instructors nationwide who received the award last year. In order to reach the Master level and receive a plaque, the instructor must complete 300 credit hours, McClure said. They must complete 16 continuing education credits in order to receive a plate each year.

Bill August, chair of SCC's John Deere Tech program, said Reznicek had more CE credits last year than any other John Deere Tech instructor in the nation.

"Needless to say, I am very proud of each one of them," August said. "They are a credit to their profession and Southeast Community College."

Reznicek said he was proud of the accomplishment, but credited SCC for helping make it happen.

"I'm very fortunate to work for an institution that promotes further education and training of its instructors," he said. "The support the College gives us is unbelievable. There are a lot of ag tech programs out there that look at training and consider it a budget issue. But Bill August and Glen Williams (dean of SCC's Transportation and Manufacturing Division) tell us that if we can work training into our schedule, go for it."

Reznicek said there were many trainers who reached the Advanced level, but few who met the goal of Master level.

"Once you reach a goal, you have to take so many hours of continuing education to maintain that standard," he said.

Reznicek is a 1981 graduate of SCC's program and has taught in the College's John Deere Tech program since October 1996. Originally from Rising City, Reznicek owned and operated an independent repair shop for 10 years following graduation from SCC. He then worked for a dealership, eventually becoming service manager, before starting at SCC.

John Deere Tech instructors have a variety of training methods at their disposal, including Distance Learning Classrooms that are live, Internet-based training sessions; Distance Learning Modules, computer-based training programs that can be taken at any time; and face-to-face classes at either the Wichita or Davenport, Iowa, training centers. IDW also allows time for training.

Slafter, originally from the Murray area, is a 1985 graduate of SCC's Diesel-Farm Technology program. Prior to teaching at SCC, he worked more than 15 years as a technician and shop foreman at John Deere dealerships in Plattsmouth and Syracuse. He's taught at SCC for nine-and-a-half years.

"It definitely is an honor," Slafter said. "Those 16 credits are above the three certifications that each of us already has."

Slafter said students in the program benefit greatly by learning from highly qualified instructors.

"It's a huge benefit for the students," he said. "We're up to date and kept up on the latest technology, and hopefully we can teach that to them. It's a huge advantage for them and the College."

Slafter said it was rewarding to "get to see the light come on in students' eyes once they finally understand how things work."

"The biggest change I've seen in the last five years has to deal with John Deere's Ag Management Solutions," Slafter said. "Technology that includes precision farming products has just exploded. We're constantly going to school and getting updated. It never stops moving."

Slafter said when he began as a technician, a tractor may have had one computer on board. Now, there may be as many as 20.

"It's unbelievable where the technology is headed," he said.

Lawver, originally from Friend, is a 1992 graduate of SCC's John Deere Tech program. He worked in a John Deere dealership in Geneva nine years as a technician and later shop foreman before coming to SCC in 2000.

"Gaining the certification is a lot of work," he said, "but it adds credibility to the program and College. SCC's dedication to have the most trained instructors at their institution is a feather in their cap. They can say that all of their instructors meet the highest standard in training."

Lawver, whose primary focus is on hydraulics and power trains, said technological growth during the last decade has been greater than the previous 20 years combined.

"Ten years ago, we had the option of basically a maximum of four different transmissions," Lawver said. "Today, there are in excess of 20."

Graduates from SCC's program are in high demand, Slafter said.

"We can make a phone call and they can get a job almost immediately," he said. "There's a huge demand from dealers for technicians who have certifications when they graduate. And it's not just John Deere. Other manufacturers, and the railroad, want our students."

Persons wishing more information on SCC's John Deere Tech program are asked to contact Bill August, program chair, at 800-973-7223 ext. 8281, (402) 761-8281, or baugust@southeast.edu


For more information, contact:
Stu Osterthun
Administrative Director of Public Information and Marketing
(402) 323-3401
sosterthun@southeast.edu