Vol. XXXV, No. 38

October 2, 2006

This Week at Valencia.

Monday, October 2

Professional Staff Leadership Team, 2 p.m., West Campus, TBD

Career Program Advisors,3 p.m., Osceola Campus, TBD

Wednesday, October 6

Design & Operations-Deans only, 1 p.m., Osceola Campus, TBD

Thursday, October 7

Atlas Access Meeting, 9 a.m., Osceola Campus, 1-258

College Learning Council, 2:30 p.m., Downtown Center, Conference Room A/B

News from Procurement

With the implementation of Banner Financials in July 2007, Procurement is busy cleaning up the supplier database to ensure we have updated and current information from our suppliers. We are sending letters that include a revised Vendor Business Profile and W-9 form to our top 500 suppliers to complete and return to us. Only returned forms will be entered into the new system. We are asking departments to send us their list of commonly used suppliers, in case they are not on this list, so that we may contact the supplier in advance and have the information available to you by July 1, 2007. Remember, when using your P-card, vendor business profiles are not required. Please send your supplier list to and include the name of the company as it appears in Oracle.

P-card users may now use your P-card to order from MarkMaster. Please add the following updated link to your favorites: http://www.mmmarketplace.com/Valencia.aspx.

When ordering toner cartridges through our Web site, please make sure the name and model number of the printer are on the request form to ensure the correct cartridge is ordered. When placing an order for toner cartridges and using a P-card please provide us that information and we will be happy to order the cartridge for you.

Supplier nomenclature - purchasing organizations, both private and public sector, have different terminologies for the naming of their supplier databases. Valencia is attempting to phase out the use of the word "Vendor" and replace it with "Supplier". You will see this change on the Procurement Web site and on forms in the coming weeks. The following terminology is used by Valencia Procurement Services to identify our suppliers:

Pre-Qualified Suppliers - these are suppliers that have participated in an open, competitive qualification process and have been approved by a Valencia committee, and if the conditions warrant, also by the District Board of Trustees. An example of pre-qualified suppliers is the current list of general construction contractors and construction managers (CM). Every year, beginning in early May, the college sends out a public announcement that we are accepting applications for pre-qualifications for general contractors and construction managers. Potential firms are evaluated on criteria such as bonding capacity, financial strength, insurability, experience and resolution of claims and references, to name a few. A Valencia committee, in a public meeting, discusses the firm's qualifications and then recommends the ones that are the most qualified be placed on a pre-qualified list. The suppliers on the pre-qualified list are the only ones that will receive notification of any construction work for the next fiscal year. Construction projects are still competitive solicited, but only amongst those on the pre-qualified list. This list is available for viewing at the Procurement Web site: http://www.valenciacc.edu/procurement/bids.asp.

Preferred Supplier - a preferred supplier is one that consistently provides the college with the best overall quality, services and pricing during a particular time period. A preferred supplier is one that may have a competitively bid state or community college contract that is available for all to use. A preferred supplier may be a local developing business, as defined by college policy (6Hx28:02-06) or a minority or women owned business enterprise (MWBE) (6Hx28:02-05). A preferred supplier is one that we encourage our departments to utilize, but their use is not a mandatory requirement. The best example of a preferred supplier is our college bookstore. Please utilize them as much as possible as the revenues from the bookstore help support many academic initiatives throughout the college. Colamco, MarkMaster and Seminole Imaging are three preferred local minority firms that we encourage the use of for toner cartridges, name tags and stamps. Another example of a preferred supplier is Office Depot. Office Depot won, through a competitive request for proposals, the contract rights to supply office products to the twenty-eight Florida Community Colleges. Although the use of the contract is not mandatory, Office Depot offered the best quality, service and pricing when asked to put it all on the line with the other national and local competition. In order for the college as an individual institution and the consortium of community colleges to continue to command such outstanding pricing and services, we must live up to our end of the deal and encourage our departments to purchase from our preferred suppliers.

Contract Supplier - this type of supplier is one that has been awarded an exclusive competitively bid contract. There are no exceptions. All the goods and services that were stated in the bidding document are to be purchased at the agreed upon price; for a fixed amount of time; under the stated terms and conditions; exclusively from the contracted supplier. An exception to the rule would be if the contract supplier would not be able to supply the agreed upon volume of goods or services. The college could then go to the open market to acquire the good or services needed. Examples of contract suppliers are Unisource, who has an exclusive contract to supply the college with toilet tissue, Peninsular Paper who has an exclusive contract to supply our custodial department with trash can liners and paper towels and The Little Bean Company, who has the exclusive contract to provide food and vending services at all college locations.

Procurement attempts to select the best suppliers available for your use. However, should you experience any difficulties with any of our suppliers, please let us know immediately. We have developed a supplier evaluation form that is located on our website:

Use this form to let us know a suppliers performance, both good and needs improvement!!

Focus on the Workplace 2007 Now Accepting Applications

Don't miss out on your opportunity to participate in Valencia's "Focus on the Workplace" program during 2006-07. We are now accepting applications for Spring Term and Summer Term A 2007. It's a great opportunity to gain information about today's job market, learn about the future trends and technological advances in your field, and validate "first hand" the critical skills your students need to be successful in the workplace.

All full-time, tenure or tenure-track faculty, full-time counselors and advisors and professional staff are eligible to apply with your supervisor's approval. Eligible faculty are released from two three-credit hour classes to participate. Advisors, counselors and professional staff are released for 40-80 hours (one-two weeks) and can participate any time during the year. For more information go to: valenciacc.edu/focus/ or call LeSena Jones at ext. 3344. Deadline is October 18.

Upcoming Leadership Valencia Classes

Formation is For Everyone - Join us for ongoing, relaxed lunch conversations around Parker Palmer's essay, "13 Ways of Looking at Community."  Our first meeting will be to introduce Parker Palmer and Formation; thereafter, alternating lunch on East and West campuses throughout the year, each time talking with others about one of the 13 Ways. It's an opportunity for faculty, staff and administrators to practice ways of speaking and being heard that allow a group to become a deeply respectful and caring community-in-learning where each person has a voice. October 5, 1-2 p.m., West Campus, Room 9-140B, registration code: LFORM5 or October 10, 1-2 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-212B, registration code: LFORM7.

Graphics and Imaging -This fun and informative course will teach you the basics of computer graphics. You will create your own electronic designs using PowerPoint as a toolbox. No artistic background is needed. October 4, 1-5 p.m., West Campus, Room 6-326A, registration code: TGI or October 5, 1-5 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-122, registration code: TGI2.

Excelling with Excel: Introduction to Microsoft Excel -This session will provide participants with basic Microsoft Excel worksheet skills, including entering and editing data, navigating, formatting and printing the worksheet, along with basic Excel functions and formulas. October 4, 2-3:30 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-210, registration code: TIE1; or October 6, 2-3:30 p.m., West Campus, Room 6-326A, registration code: TIE2; or October 12, 1:15-2:30 p.m., Osceola Campus, Room 2-116, registration code: TIE3.

Word Styling Online -Go beyond word processing to word styling.  Avoid the common word-processing mistakes most people make, such as multiple spaces, poor use of tabs, and too many fonts.  By making use of styles in Microsoft Office, you can easily change the look of your document, coordinate your fonts and appearance across multiple documents, and increase compatibility with the web.  With word styling, you will soon be creating documents with a consistent and professional look.  Note: This is a four-week online course, requiring approximately 60 minutes each week.  You will be required to log on and participate with assignments and interactive learning tools.  Once you sign up, you will be e-mailed additional information regarding how to proceed.  October 9 - November 3, registration code: TWSOL.

Enhancing Your WebCT Course With Streaming Video Using Visual Communicator - Create professional quality video for your online course.  Visual Communicator software can be used to create an orientation video for your students, as well as online video reviews and lessons.  You will be introduced to Visual Communicator,  shown samples of finished video, participate in a brief videotaping session, followed by a discussion of best practices and an opportunity to sign up for individual sessions. October 10, 1-2:30 p.m., West Campus, Room 6-326A, registration code: TEYW.

Migrating Your Existing Course From WebCT 4.1 to WebCT 6 - This workshop will show you how to move your existing WebCT course from version 4.1 to the latest version 6. You will be given information on how to perform the procedure, learn some common pitfalls, hear about some migration strategies, and see an example of how existing content moves into the new environment. You will have the opportunity to schedule an appointment with an LTAD staff member at the conclusion of the workshop. October 13, 1-3 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-149, registration code: TWCT1013.

To register for Leadership Valencia classes and for more information go to http://valencia.cc.fl.us/leadership.

Thank you

A heartfelt thanks to my friends at Valencia for their cards, telephone calls and the donation to the Alzheimer's Association following the recent death of my father. Valencia may be a better place to start but it's also a better place to work, thanks to all of you.

- Patty Nicholas

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 on Valencia’s East Campus

Agenda:
7:45 – 8:35 a.m. Check-in
Continental Breakfast Location TBA

8:45 – 10:15 a.m. Opening Session
Keynote Address PAC and Gym

10:30 – 12:00 p.m. Visioning Scan for the new
Strategic Planning Cycle TBA

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch Barbeque in the Mall

For the Afternoon Sessions, Academic Departments will focus on the development of course outcomes

1:15 – 4:00 p.m. Academic Department Meetings TBA

Career and Professional Staff may not require the full afternoon department meetings. Schedules will be provided at Learning Day registration

1:15 – 2:30 p.m. Afternoon with Teri Yanovitch PAC

2:35 – 4:00 p.m. Department and/or Development meetings TBA

Morning Sessions-two keynote presenters will begin the day. Peggy Maki, former Senior Scholar and Director of Assessment at the AAHE, will speak on assessment strategies in the learning college. Clifton Taulbert, author of Eight Habits of the Heart and President of The Building Community Institute, will share his powerful and practical solutions for community building. The remainder of the morning session will be devoted to a “Visioning Scan” for the new Strategic Plan process. Employees will discuss, in small groups, an overview of key changes during the 2000-2013 period in our students, the College, and the community. At the end of discussions, all will be asked to consider whether to recommend any updates to Valencia’s statements of mission, vision, and values.

Sonny’s BBQ Lunch-lunch will be provided by Sonny’s barbeque and include selections for omnivores and vegetarians alike.

Afternoon Sessions-upon arrival at Learning Day you will be assigned to an afternoon session. For example, Teri Yanovitch, consultant and trainer with expertise in the area of creating a culture of exceptional service, will speak on teamwork and leadership. Academic faculty will meet in college-wide discipline groups to focus on the development of course outlines and outcomes. Other Career and Professional staff opportunities will include department and unit meetings, as well as focused discussion on college initiatives.