Patrick Blessinger of Acworth, a North Metro Technical College instructor, is the first recipient of the Fulbright Scholar grant within the Technical College System of Georgia.  He recently completed a lecture term abroad in Denmark where he taught students on U.S. marketing concepts while also sharing his knowledge of technical education and workforce development with his Danish professional counterparts.

This was all made possible by the Fulbright Program, which encourages academic and cultural sharing in over 150 countries worldwide and is sponsored by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of leadership and academic and professional achievement; more than 800 U.S. educators and professionals to travelled abroad as Fulbright Scholars during the 2007-08 academic year.

An instructor of marketing management at North Metro Tech in Acworth, Patrick lectured to students at Denmark’s EUC Nordvestsjaelland and Salendia colleges during the fall of 2007. His goal, he said, was to provide information to Danish students about U.S. marketing concepts, as well as to expose them to “another teaching perspective to give them a global view on issues.”

Patrick added, "It was a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to represent the Technical College System of Georgia as a Fulbright Scholar.  I really enjoyed the time I spent with the Danish students and the time I spent getting to know the Danish culture and people.  The experience has made me a better educator."

His recognition as a Fulbright Scholar and his experiences abroad will not only serve his students very well, but also the entire Technical College System of Georgia, said TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson.

“The TCSG is pleased that one of our own received the Fulbright grant.  It’s a tremendous honor for Patrick and a point of pride for us,” said Jackson. “He’s an example of the consistently outstanding caliber of 6,000 instructors who teach and assist the 140,000 students of the TCSG. It’s exciting to consider the myriad opportunities that Patrick will have to share his experiences with others, especially students, throughout our system.”

According to North Metro Tech President Steve Dougherty, “Patrick has a tremendous amount of energy which he has used to build student service organizations on campus. For example, he was a major stimulus behind starting our Rotaract Club, which has given many students first hand opportunities to perform community service.”

Patrick has 8 years of college level teaching, having also taught as an adjunct instructor at Georgia Perimeter College and Shorter College.  During his career in teaching, he has lectured on a wide range of courses in business economics, business information systems, management and marketing. 

Patrick’s honors include the Fulbright Scholar, a Governor’s Teaching Fellow for the State of Georgia, and an honorary member of the Cartersville Rotary Club.

Prior to his teaching career, Patrick worked 12 years in the private sector working for two start-up companies, FirstWave Technologies and Syntellect Communications, and two international companies, Hitachi Telecom and MCI Communications.  At these companies, Patrick served in various senior analyst and leadership positions in the areas of marketing, product and systems development, project management and strategic planning.

Patrick earned an AS degree in business administration from Southern Union College and a BS degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and information systems management (cum laude) from Auburn University.  He continued his education with a MS degree in management with a concentration in marketing from Georgia Tech.  He’s currently pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Georgia.