Customer Spotlight
Learn How Jimmy Stratton Is Revolutionizing Technical Education with South Plains College’s Industrial Technology Program
Title
Department Chair of Industrial Technology, Associate Professor of Welding Technology
Institution
South Plains College
Tenure
18 Years
Anthology Community Involvement
Catalyst Award Winner 2025
Social
Meet Jimmy Stratton
Jimmy Stratton, department chair of Industrial Technology and associate professor of Welding Technology at South Plains College, is passionate about building futures through technical education. Stratton says his mission is simple: “Equip students not just with skills, but with confidence, curiosity, and the ability to solve real-world problems.” With over 18 years of experience in higher education, Stratton was nominated by his peers and received the institution's Faculty Excellence Award in 2025, which only reinforces his commitment to innovative teaching and student-centered leadership as he collaborates with educators across the state to advance workforce readiness.
How Stratton and His Team Are Making an Impact
Stratton’s mission is accomplished each day through South Plains College’s Industrial Technology Program, along with colleagues Heather Medley and Amy Shriver, he blends hands-on learning with industry-driven standards to prepare students for in-demand careers. Using Blackboard®, “faculty have developed Open Educational Resources (OERs), structured learning modules, AI-driven industry simulations, and automated feedback tools, ensuring students master both theory and practical skills,” he said.
This impact has not been limited to the institution. The team plans to share these resources to help make technical education in Texas more accessible, affordable, and innovative while initiating industry-wide change. Through maximizing their use of Blackboard’s features, Stratton and South Plains College have lowered financial barriers for students, created a scalable model for other community colleges to follow, and expanded access to industry-aligned resources increasing student preparedness across programs like Automotive Technology, Welding, Automotive Collision, and Culinary.
We’ve decided that Blackboard is the best choice for faculty and students. It’s a very user-friendly platform. It’s a platform that's able to save us instructional time, especially in technical education where our students prefer to be in the shop rather than the classroom.
-Jimmy Stratton, Department Chair of Industrial Technology and Associate Professor of Welding Technology, South Plains College
A True Partnership: Jimmy Stratton and Anthology
Stratton and the Industrial Technology Department recently won a 2025 Anthology Catalyst Award for Leading Change. By leveraging progress tracking and digital skill evaluations, the team has experienced incredible success. Within their nomination, they reported the department is yielding higher exam scores, some programs are seeing demand grow by 30%, student retention has increased by 20%, and there has been an overall improvement in job readiness.
Pictured from left to right: John Johasky (Anthology), Heather Medley, Jimmy Stratton, Amy Shriver, and Josh Portnoy (Anthology).
[Anthology] has been tremendous for what we do, our interactions with students, and I’d like to continue to look into more options and see what we can do to promote more success.
-Jimmy Stratton, Department Chair of Industrial Technology and Associate Professor of Welding Technology, South Plains College
Anthology congratulates Jimmy Stratton, Heather Medley, Amy Shriver, and the team at South Plains College on their Catalyst Award win!
Interested in becoming a Catalyst Award winner? Learn more about our 2026 Catalyst Awards cycle and read about our 2025 winners by visiting our website.