Vol. XXXV, No. 16

May 1, 2006

This Week at Valencia.

Wednesday, May 3

Design and Operations with Deans, 1 p.m., Osceola Campus, 3-319
Alumni Association Board of Trustees, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Center  

Thursday, May 4

College Learning Council, 2:30 p.m., Osceola Campus, 1-258

Friday, May 5

Student Development Group, 9:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, 1-258

Saturday, May 6

Commencement Ceremony, 1 p.m., Heritage Park, Kissimmee

April District Board of Trustees Meeting

The District Board of Trustees met April 18, 2006 on the West Campus. The meeting included a number of recognitions and reports in addition to new business.

Recognitions

Black History - The board recognized Dr. Stanley Stone, who was named Black History Educator of the Year by the Black History Committee of Orange County. In addition, Dr. Kaye Walter, who attended the banquet at which Dr. Stone was honored, presented the board with a check for $10,000 from the committee to support scholarships for Valencia students. The board expressed its deep appreciation to Dr. Stone for his work, and to the committee for its generous support of Valencia students.

Brain Bowl - Boris Nguyen and Lois McNamara, faculty members and Brain Bowl coaches, reported that the Valencia Brain Bowl team took third place at the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Intercollegiate Tournament, a national championship competition that was held in April. As the tournament places community college teams in with four-year colleges, Valencia had wins against Southern Virginia , Carleton College ( Minnesota ) and the University of Virginia . The team consisted of Mark Prather, Sean Platzer, Scott McMillen, Jaclyn Constantine and Van Phan. Professors Boris Nguyen and Lois McNamara introduced several members of the team to the trustees. The board congratulated the professors and students involved.

Student ADDY Awards - Dr. Ruth Prather, provost of the East Campus, reported on the work of students in graphic arts who received several awards at the ADDY competition. Kevin Scarbourough won the Best of Student award. The other awards went to Hachem Hosenbux, Phyllis Hanson, Vincent Pileggi, Garrett Burtoft, Kenneth Roy, Nicholas Melton, Stephan Telesford and UCF/Valencia students Ever Gonzalez and Gong Liu. The board invited the students to attend the next meeting held on the East Campus, and asked that its congratulations be conveyed to the professors and students involved.

Reports

Hunton Brady Architects - Representatives of Hunton Brady Architects reported that the firm had been awarded the Arch Award from the Florida Educational Facilities Planners Association, receiving first place in the community college category for the conversion of the West Campus PEC building to the Health Sciences Building . It was noted that in 1980, the same building won a design award from the American Institute of Architects. The firm noted the strong partnership of the college administration, user groups, facilities staff and the firm's staff that results in buildings that support student needs in award-winning ways.

West Campus - Dr. Paula Gastenveld reported on a number of West Campus health initiatives, including the opening of the first Blood Center to be permanently located on a community college campus and the opportunities provided to staff to exercise on the campus. She also reported on the addition of on-line components to the allied health courses and the first summer admission of nursing students. Dr. Gastenveld introduced nursing professors Betsy Guimond and Tammy Rogers, who shared 17 elements that ensure online learning quality. Professors Guimond and Rogers provided the trustees with a "tour" of some nursing online learning experiences. Each trustee used a laptop computer and experienced on-line learning as a student would.

Dr. Shugart noted that as gas prices increase, it will be helpful to the students and faculty in the health-related programs to have fewer in-person class meetings per week. He also noted that many people in the health professions, such as emergency medical technicians, can take advantage of online learning opportunities to earn higher level degrees, such as the Paramedic A.S. degree.

West Campus Student Government Association - The vice president of the West Campus SGA shared issues of concern to students, including more security cameras and lighting, improving student health by restricting smoking in doorways and breeze ways, and increasing the variety of food vendors. She noted that the students will raise funds to help with security cameras and lighting.

Dr. Gastenveld noted that a program restricting smoking in breeze ways and doorways was being implemented on the campus. Dr. Bill Mullowney, vice president for Policy and General Counsel, noted that current board policy on this matter is in keeping with state law and allows each campus to set its own smoking policy. President Shugart asked the provosts to work with student development leaders on each campus to review the current policy on each campus, and to provide a report to him.

Technology - Bill White, chief information officer, provided an annual report on technology, addressing issues of data security, application integration, technology governance and compliance, and use of portals. He shared the current organizational structure of the Office of Information Technology, which encompasses six areas: television and video, web, learning technologies, administrative systems, technology support services and refresh services, and networking and telephony.

He reported that the college performed a full disaster recovery exercise last September, and under the mock disaster scenario, was able to restore all ATLAS systems within approximately 16 hours. All of our systems are backed up every evening, supporting the full recovery.

He also reported on:

- new systems in place for student loans (TIPS), parking and car registration (Boss Cars), and budget development (BDS),

- the progress of our major upgrade of Atlas and Banner systems,

- plans to implement SAS Data warehouse and business intelligence systems, SAS IT intelligence systems,

- work underway to investigate Finance/Human Resources/Payroll systems and document imaging and management systems,

- the reorganization of learning technology support into a centralized unit on each campus, with a new director, Angelique Smith,

- the offering of telecourses in an on-demand format, with most students now choosing on-demand rather than viewing when scheduled on cable television,

- the creation of the Alternative Delivery Standards plan by a group led by Amy Bosley and Angelique Smith, and scheduled for a faculty vote shortly,

- the addition of a new area, the OIT Lab Technology and Services, which will examine best practices for labs across all campuses and promote centralized software purchasing to save money, with $35,000 in savings in the last six months,

- the addition of 59 new smart classrooms in the past year,

- a major upgrade of the WebCT software to support online learning,

- the provision of a range of services by the TV/video services staff, including large event support, video productions for courses, provision of telecourses over cable TV, and the leasing of ITFS band width,

- efforts to maintain data security and compliance, safeguarding against hackers and spam, and complying with federal privacy laws,

- technology plans for new buildings and renovations, including the Criminal Justice Institute, the Health Sciences Building on West, and Building 8 on East,

- the continued growth of the wireless network at Valencia as new antennas are added collegewide, and with stickers being mounted around campus to denote wireless areas, requiring an Atlas User ID and password for access,

- the migration of campus-to-campus networks from ATM to Ethernet by the end of the year,

- the planned implementation of server upgrades,

- continued expansion of video conferencing, with desk top video conferencing in our future,

- current projects to upgrade email and voice mail, including a pilot project to investigate Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange,

- web services improvements, including Atlas portal improvements and new applications such as online orientation, course outline builder, online course schedule, the new prospective student module, and the new homepage design to be debuted in May,

- current web projects include an employee services tab, moving protected content to the Atlas portal, Web content management systems improvement, foundation web site re-design, and an electronic property control system,

- the activity of the Help Desk and Technical Support Services office which receives 1,500-2,000 calls per month to the Help Desk, which continually addresses issues related to adware, spyware and viruses, and

- the deployment of approximately 1,500 new PC's as a part of Tech Refresh Program last year, and a pilot program with Dell to provide environmentally-friendly technology recycling, the Dell Asset Recovery Program.

Business Process Improvements - Keith Houck, vice president for administrative services, reported on several business process improvements, including:

- Pay for Print, which has been installed in the libraries,

- the Tuition Installment Plan (TIPS), which provides short-term loans to students through a third party, eliminating approximately $120,000 per year in bad debt that the college experienced when the program was administered internally. Additionally, the number of loans (students served) has increased by nearly 70% and the amount available has gone from $1 million to $4.7 million annually, and

- the Procurement Card, or P-Card, which expedites purchasing at the departmental level, reduces time and paperwork involved, and provides a cash rebate to the college. With 100 cards in use, $48,000 in rebates were received this year.

Annual Fiscal Audit & GASB 45 - Keith Houck reported that the college has received a clean audit for 2005-06. He introduced Jackie Lasch, assistant vice president of financial services, who reported on the projected impact of GASB Statement 45 on the college. GASB 45 will require that the college account for the costs of post-employment benefits other than pensions when earned, rather than when paid, placing these on the accrual basis. She explained that the college must calculate the "implicit rate subsidy," which is the difference between what the retirees pay as part of a group policy and the rate they would pay if purchasing insurance individually. The difference is subsidized by the college and must now be accounted for. The college will calculate a "catch up" cost for prior years over a 30-year period. The amount to be financed in the future will be accounted for by restricting a portion of our fund balance as is similarly done for sick leave and vacation. An actuary will be hired to evaluate and quantify the cost to Valencia.

Construction Report - A written construction report was provided to the board, updating progress on construction collegewide.

Internal Auditor's Report - Internal Auditor Undria Stalling presented an annual report on the work of her office, and a multi-year audit plan that she created in consultation with management, and through the use of a formal risk assessment process, with input from state auditors, review of former audit findings, and a consideration of state and federal issues. The plan was approved by the trustees.

Foundation Report - Trustee and Foundation Board Member Bertica Cabrera-Morris reminded the trustees that the Taste for Learning fundraiser is set for October 14, 2006 at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando Resort.

President's Report

Legislative Session - Dr. Shugart reported on the legislative session, noting that the House and Senate differ significantly in terms of funding for community colleges, and that much work is underway to support the House version, which would result in Valencia receiving $3 million more in funds for 2006-07 than the Senate version would.

He also reported on three substantive issues of importance to Valencia:

- a bill is in process that would exempt textbooks from sales tax, in effect, reducing the costs for our students by 6 percent, if passed

- a bill known as the Dream Act would adjust the residency requirements for the purpose of tuition rates, accepting as a resident anyone who graduated from a Florida high school and attended Florida schools for the past three years.

- adjustments to the Governance Bill in order to do no harm to community college governance.

UCF Partnership - Dr. Shugart thanked the trustees for their support for the UCF/Community College Partnership, recently announced in a regional Chamber of Commerce meeting. Trustee Bertica Cabrera-Morris commended Dr. Shugart for his leadership role in this effort.

Achieving the Dream Initiative - Dr. Shugart reported on the April 1 Community Conversation held as part of the Achieving the Dream Initiative. The conversation provided an opportunity for close to 100 community members to discuss how we can work together to support the success of community college students. He noted that working through the Office of College and Community Relations, the college will continue to hold Community Conversations, which will inform our next strategic plan. The College Planning Council is currently in the process of designing a recommended new planning "architecture" that will yield a new multi-year strategic plan via a collaborative process.

The president noted that in his most recent meetings on the campuses the most frequently communicated concern is that we stay the course with our plans for the Achieving the Dream Initiative, and that the college should not back off or allow another priority to take its place. He noted that initial data on the impact of supplemental learning on student success is remarkable.

Commencement - Dr. Shugart reminded the board that commencement will once again be held in Kissimmee, on May 6, 2006, and noted the hard work of the Student Affairs and College and Community Relations offices on this event.

Action Agenda

The board approved: the 2006-07 college catalog as presented; the 2006-08 audit schedule; additions, deletions and modifications of courses and programs as presented by the College Curriculum Committee and recommended by the president; Valencia Enterprises courses and fees; the Human Resources agenda; submission of grant proposals (including proposals for funds to expand teacher education programs, employee training for Adacel, Inc., literacy resources for Valencia's campus libraries, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics experiences for middle school girls); and recommendations regarding property deletion.

Commencement Ceremonies

Commencement ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 6, at Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee . The commencement ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Please allow adequate travel time.

All ceremony participants are to wear full academic regalia and report to room number 157, between 9 and 9:30 a.m. at the Silver Spurs Arena. Staff will be available at the main entrance to direct you to this room.

Please remember that a ticket is necessary for each family member, including children, regardless of age. If you wish to obtain tickets for guests, please contact Paula Kerr at extension 1506.

News from Procurement

A recent Request for Proposal was completed and awarded for temporary services used by the college. The new contract went into effect April 16. The contracts may be extended for four additional one-year periods. The agencies awarded are: AppleOne Employment, CareersUSA, Corestaff, Top Talent and Tri-State Employment. If you are in need of temporary services, please complete the HR Approval Form found under the Valencia Forms Generator on the Website.

Procurement has a common phone line and email address for all your needs! The phone extension is 5532 and the email address is . Your requests will be responded to quickly by any of the staff members.

The Florida Retirement System (FRS) is in the process of preparing the 2006 FRS Member Annual Statements for all employees participating in the FRS Pension Plan. If you have had a change of address within the last year, please make sure to update this information with the Human Resources department. This will ensure timely delivery of your FRS Member Annual Statement to your home address. A change-of-address form is available on the college website or you can request one by calling x8033. If you have any questions please contact Barbara Luse, Human Resources, ext. 8045.

Kudos

Dr. Falecia Williams, Ed.D., director of College Transition Programs, successfully defended her dissertation on March 31, 2006.

Marilyn McLatchey, professor of Humanities, East Campus, will have her poetry published in the summer 2006 edition of The Disquieting Muses Quarterly Review, a literary journal that publishes poetry and art in dialogue with one another.

Cheryl Cicotti, RN, MSN, professor of Nursing and Community Based Job Training Grant Project Director, presented at the Nursing 2006 Symposium in Las Vegas on April 18-21. Her presentation, Nursing Internships - An Avenue to Address the Nursing Shortage, highlighted the unique partnerships between Valencia's IPO program and area health care facilities.

John J. McAuliffe, adjunct professor, Business, East Campus, has been appointed to the Entrepreneur Advisory Board for Disney/SBA National Entrepreneur Center (NEC). As a board member, Mr. McAuliffe will advise, advocate and assist the NEC Director and NEC Management Board in creating meaningful programs that benefit entrepreneurs. Mr. McAuliffe has been a member of the Valencia adjunct faculty for over 17 years, during which time he participated in the Horizon Jobs grant, in conjunction with Seminole Community College and assisted in developing the courses/programs for the A. S. degree in E-Business Technology, concentrating in the area of small business management.

Tony D'Alessandro, reading professor, Osceola Campus, will present at Villanova University's Writing for Publication workshop on May 5.

Shari Koopmann, English professor, Osceola Campus, has two recent/pending publications. Shades of Grey: A Discussion of Pat Barker's Regeneration, Atlantic Literary Review. Vol. 6, No. 1-2, January-March and April-June, 2005 and The Displaced Critic: A Discussion of Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People" has been accepted for Atlantic Critical Review Quarterly.