Alexandria, La., December 21, 2021 — Don Sanders, Director of Welding Technology for Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC), is accustomed to watching students walk across the stage to accept their degrees. On Saturday, it was his turn to walk across the stage as he received his Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.
“After 18 months and 13,464 miles of commuting, two hurricanes, two ice storms and COVID, I am very happily looking forward to having a weekend to myself. It felt odd over the weekend not having to study. You get into that habit,” Sanders said.
“We are all so very proud of Don for his accomplishments,” said CLTCC Chancellor Dr. Jimmy Sawtelle. “This is tremendous for everyone – this benefits Don as it adds to his already considerable skill set, it enhances the learning experience his students will receive, and it benefits CLTCC to have highly educated administrators. We are truly grateful to Don for his commitment to excellence and his professional development and to his family for their support. We are also grateful to the Rapides Foundation and Louisiana Central for their support in establishing the position of Director of Welding Technology at CLTCC.”
Sanders was aided in his pursuit of an MBA when he was named the recipient of the 2020-2021 William Kielhorn Educator Scholarship, a national scholarship from the American Welding Society Foundation designed to assist current welding educators improve their knowledge and training skills through continuing education or professional development.
Ray Peters, formerly with RoyOMartin in Alexandria, is MBA Director at Nicholls State. "It was an absolute pleasure having someone of Don's dedication and commitment participate in our Executive MBA program. His many years of manufacturing experience added an insightful perspective to class discussions. Included in his final program paper, Don quoted Abraham Maslow, who said, 'If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy for the rest of your life.' It's clear that Don's vision is to be the best version of himself," Peters said.