Tahir Khan vividly remembers the first time he met Patrick Dean at OCC. He was getting coffee at a vending machine near Building A at the Auburn Hills campus when Dean introduced himself as a new paraprofessional working in a lab. Khan also had just started his job as a faculty member in Computer Aided Design (CAD).
The two soon realized that they worked down the hall from one another and often stopped to chat as they passed one another in the hallway.
Fast forward 40 years to present day. Dean now works as an I.T. network specialist at the College and Khan continues as a CAD faculty member and serves as a department chair in Engineering Manufacturing and Industrial Technology (EMIT) – a post he’s held for the past 30 years.
“We are blessed we are still around here,” Khan said with a laugh. “We’re alive and kicking. Patrick likes working at OCC, and I enjoy working at OCC. It’s great that we completed 40 years at the same time.”
Khan and Dean will be recognized as employees with the most years of service during an anniversary and retirement event Friday, Oct. 20 at the Orchard Ridge campus. About 65 employees will celebrate milestone years and 20 individuals will commemorate retirement.
Wired for success of others
With four decades of experience under his belt, Dean is often the guy employees reach out to when they have questions about wiring infrastructure. He currently is working with contractors and overseeing the wiring of the new Culinary Studies Institute in Royal Oak.
“Our department wants to make the College a better place for students and be mindful of their needs,” said Dean, a Clarkston resident. “We are always trying to make it easier for students to learn and want to remove as many obstacles as we can.”
Dean began his career working in a micro processing lab, which doesn’t exist anymore, and moved into his current position as a network specialist in 2000. He has gone from working on small projects to larger, collegewide infrastructure projects, helped identify spaces and route for Maze Maps. He’s also assisted employees with office relocations by making sure the electrical was set up properly.
“I like to see a project completed and individuals use what we work so hard to put in,” Dean said. “The work we do here is important. It helps students and employees, and that’s what I’m proud of.”
Building a program from the ground up
Khan started OCC’s Computer Aided Design program from scratch in 1983. It was in such high demand that classes were offered back-to-back from 8 a.m. until midnight on weekdays with additional classes on Saturdays and Sundays. It was quite a challenge at the time since Khan was the only full-time faculty.
“I thought I would work one year and get the program off the ground,” recalled Khan, a Bloomfield Hills resident. “The industry was interested in hiring me but I could never leave because I enjoy this job so much. I was developing new courses every semester. I enjoyed talking to students and teaching Computer Aided Design software to them. People ask me why I’m still working. It’s because I still enjoy it.”
Teaching Computer Aided Design has vastly changed over the years. Khan has gone from teaching students 2D design to additive manufacturing – the process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time. When students graduate, they can find jobs in such fields as computer engineering and product design, vehicle design or computer engineering structural analysis.
During Khan’s tenure, he was also instrumental in creating the associate degree in technological sciences.
“I would have never had this experience in the industry, where I would have just been one person designing something and not interacting with the younger population wanting to learn something in life,” he said.
2023 OCC Milestone Honorees
Following is the esteemed list of employees and retirees who will be recognized for their years of service at OCC.
40 Years
- Patrick Dean – Network Specialist (AH)
- Tahir Khan – Faculty, Computer Aided Design (AH)
35 Years
- Stephanie Holman – Accounting Specialist I, Accounts Receivable (AH)
30 Years
- Rita Hayes – Administrative Specialist II, Teaching and Learning Center (OR)
- Michael Khirallah – Faculty, English as a Second Language (OR)
- Jeffrey Parent – Faculty, Mathematics (RO)
- Eleanor Wilkinson – Faculty, English as a Second Language (OR)
25 Years
- Patrick Buck – Associate Director of Financial Aid (Systems & Operations) (AH)
- Mary Eichold – Materials Specialist (SF)
- Wilma Porter – Director of Student Financial Resources and Scholarships (RO)
- Gary Vickers – Custodian (AH)
20 Years
- Antoine Bright – Grounds Keeper (SF)
- David Ceci – Academic Dean, Public Services & CREST (AH)
- Sherri Colon – Administrative Assistant, Economic & Workforce Development (AH)
- Shawn Dry – Faculty, History (AH)
- Regina Dunham – Administrative Specialist II, Nursing (HL)
- Dawn Edford – Faculty, Biology (OR)
- Lina Gerchak – Program Manager, EMIT (AH)
- Carol Johnson – Department Secretary, Health Professions (SF)
- Darlene Johnson-Bignotti – Faculty, Librarian (RO)
- William Konkolesky – Paraprofessional, Academic Support Center (SF)
- Richard Lee – Paraprofessional, Chemistry (OR)
- Lori Linden – Faculty, English (RO)
- David McRoberts – Customer Relationship Management Specialist (AH)
- Robert Montgomery – Vice Chancellor for IT/Chief Information Officer (AH)
- Michelle Pergeau-Dudgeon – Faculty, Interior Design (OR)
- Jearlene Phelps – Custodian (AH)
- Pamela Ryals – Facilities Manager (RO)
- Michael Schmidt – Manager Environmental Health & Safety (AH)
15 Years
- Kenneth Aud – Faculty, Oakland Police Academy (AH)
- Nestor Baron-Lopez – Paraprofessional, Academic Support Center (RO)
- Kimberly Combs – Administrative Specialist II, Student Services (RO)
- Thomas Dennis – Faculty, Music (RO)
- Valerie Emanoil – Faculty, History (HL)
- Kenneth Faulk, III – Events Coordinator (DO)
- Krystal Ford – Accounting Specialist I, Accounts Payable (AH)
- Jessica Lizardi – Financial Aid Advisor (AH)
- Robert Long – Faculty, Paralegal (OR)
- Gina Mandas – Faculty, Spanish (RO)
- Tameka McClellan – Administrative Specialist II, Police Academy (AH)
- John Mousty – Faculty, History (AH)
- Cheryl Neely – Faculty, Sociology (RO)
- Chad Nykamp – Faculty, Physical Education and Recreation (AH)
- Rosalind Reaves – Faculty, Academic Support Center (RO)
- Krishna Stilianos – Faculty, Psychology (HL)
- Kelly Taylor – Facilities Manager (AH)
- Kathy Tiell – Faculty, Psychology (AH)
- Rasheedah Wright – Faculty, Counselor (OR)
10 Years
- Kevin Batt – Printing Specialist (AH)
- Melissa Beadia – Paraprofessional, Art (AH)
- Celeste Bogan – Faculty, Mathematics (SF)
- Brianne Bouska – Faculty, English (RO)
- Charles Lavis – Facility Technician (RO)
- Jacob Liska – Public Safety Officer (SF)
- Angelika Maly – Faculty, Nursing (HL)
- Michael Maurer – Materials Specialist (OR)
- Cherie Nolff – Accounts Payable Manager (AH)
- James O’Connor – Faculty, Electrical / Electronics Technology (AH)
- Monika Oery – Faculty, English as a Second Language (RO)
- Christina Santos – Student Services Specialist (AH)
- Julie Selonke – Faculty, Culinary Arts (OR)
- Susan Snyder – Faculty, Nursing (HL)
- Shelby Stoll – Welding and Fabrication Specialist (AH)
- Laura Wicklund – Faculty, Mathematics (AH)
2023 Retirees
- Paula Baldwin, IT Support Center Supervisor (AH)
- Edward Bowie, Custodian (AH)
- Lorenzo Brown, Facility Technician (AH)
- Evelyn Chan, Faculty – Business (AH)
- Wendy Conway, Faculty – Mathematics (HL)
- Richard Driscoll, Faculty – Collision Auto Repair (AH)
- Bryan Dubin, Faculty – Political Science (HL)
- Michael Halaburda, Campus Facilities / Energy Manager (HL)
- Rickey Jones, Grounds Keeper (OR)
- Gerald Kelley, Paraprofessional – CIS (AH)
- Dan Kendall, Grounds Keeper (SF)
- Matthew Madden, Facility Technician (AH)
- Marina McKenzie, Payroll Specialist (AH)
- Mary Moon, Faculty – Communications (HL)
- Mary Prieto, Paraprofessional – CIS (HL)
- Anthony Ragland, Facility Technician (OR)
- Bobbie Remias, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services (AH)
- Mary Ann Sheble, Academic Dean of Learning Resources (AH)
- Dianne Smothers, Faculty Secretary (AH)
- Kurt Wirth, Facility Technician (R0)
- Gayle Zirwes, Administrative Specialist II – Police Academy (AH)
About OCC
Oakland Community College offers nearly 100 degrees and certificates programs with the resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling with face-to-face and online options. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training with expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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