Vol. XXXV, No. 41

October 23, 2006

This Week at Valencia

Thursday, October 26

College Planning Council, 2:30 p.m., Osceola Campus, TBD

Friday, October 27

Collegewide Student Development Team, 9:30 a.m., Winter Park Campus, Rm. 123

Learning Day 2006 Growing Together

It’s time to take role for Valencia’s Learning Day 2006: Growing Together.

This is a time for all Valencia employees to come together to celebrate, envision and reflect upon the college’s learning-centered mission.

This professional development day will be held on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 on Valencia’s East Campus, located at 701 N. Econlockhat-chee Trail, Orlando. Registration will begin at 7:45 a.m. and the day’s events will conclude at 4:00 p.m. Attendance is mandatory for all full-time Valencia employees. Casual dress or Valencia gear and sneakers is the attire for the day.

Learning Day 2006 will start out with two keynote speakers who will speak on topics designed to inspire and motivate you. 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 discuss practical solutions for community building. Faculty and staff are free to choose which session they prefer to attend.

Employees will then break into pre-assigned small groups to begin a conversation regarding our vision, value and mission statements and their impact on our new strategic planning process. Following lunch, provided by Sonny’s barbeque (we will have selections for omnivores and vegetarians alike), faculty and staff will be assigned to sessions related to their areas of responsibility at the college.

See you there!

District Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

Reports

West Campus Update -Valencia President Sanford Shugart introduced West Campus Provost, Dr. Paula Gastenveld, who highlighted several courses of study available at Valencia’s West Campus. Professors and staff from the Architecture, Computer Science and Construction programs spoke about their programs and students and shared innovative teaching tools. Dr. Shugart shared that the West Campus programs have received a very high level of grant support from the National Science Foundation.

Student Government Association (SGA) - Rufus Hawkins II, President of SGA on the West Campus, provided an update on the issues of interest to the SGA members. Mr. Hawkins discussed progress on the efforts to curb smoking in the breezeways, the addition of patios and outdoor seating for students, and improvements to cafeteria services. SGA is gearing up for “International Week,” an effort to promote and celebrate the food, art, music and issues in the international marketplace.

Financial Report/Construction - A summary of the college’s first quarter financial status was presented by Keith Houck, vice president for Administrative Services. Mr. Houk reported that Valencia is on target to reach its fiscal goals for the year. In addition, Mr. Houk discussed the development of buildings ten and eight on West Campus. With an architecture firm chosen for building ten, designs and development are forthcoming. Building eight continues on schedule and an update will be provided at the next meeting.

Fall 2006 Student Characteristics - Dr. Kaye Walter, executive vice president and chief learning officer, presented a report on enrollment for the Fall 2006 term. Dr. Walter shared exciting news about the College’s headcount breaking 30,000 (30,367) for the first time in Valencia’s history. In addition, 69% of the student population is classified as returning, while the remaining 31% are new to Valencia. Of the new students, 4,950 were previous year high school graduates, which is a 9.7% increase over last year. Also, she reported that enrollment of ethnically-diverse students increased by 3%, and that 82% of all Valencia’s students are degree/certificate seeking.

Faculty Association - Tom Byrnes, president of the collegewide faculty council, provided an update on the policies reviewed during the October faculty council meeting. These policies included faculty evaluation, online classes and code of conduct. Discussion will continue at the November faculty council meeting and Mr. Byrnes will provide a status report on these topics following that meeting.

Valencia Foundation - Trustee Raymer Maguire informed the Board that the Foundation executed a highly successful fund raising event on October 14, “A Taste for Learning,” with tremendous support from the business community and individual donors. Mr. Maguire reported that the Foundation met its goal for the evening, exceeding expectations for the overall event. He also noted that the on-going capital campaign continues to make good progress. Finally, he shared that the Foundation will be recognized as one of the top-tier foundations in higher education by the Council for Advancement and Support for Education, which is expected to result in national media coverage.

Legislative Priorities - William Mullowney, vice president for Policy and General Council reported upcoming legislative issues that will have an impact on Valencia. Legislative priorities for Valencia include supporting the State Board of Education (SBOE) budget requests which will fund colleges in various areas including, capacity building, equitable funding among colleges, performance based budget funding and enrollment growth. In addition, Valencia will be supporting other key components of the budget request that includes matching funds for scholarships, increased funding for the educator preparation institutes, programs that fund SUCCEED, Florida grants and funding that supports a curriculum to promote technical innovation, education and training themed to regional workforce priorities. Mr. Mullowney concluded by mentioning Valencia’s support for full funding of the SBOE’s Florida Community College System 2007-2008 Capital Outlay project list request.

President’s Report

Dr. Shugart underlined the importance of the legislative budget issues that Mr. Mullowney discussed. He asked the Board to assist in winning support for funding in keeping with the new budget model. Dr. Shugart reminded the Board that the 40th Anniversary of Valencia will be celebrated in 2007-08. A book chronicling the history of the college is nearing completion. Lastly, Dr. Shugart called on Susan Kelley, vice president for Institutional Advancement, to provide an update on progress on the strategic planning efforts underway. She reported that over 70 volunteers are involved in the work of the various task forces, and that all is progressing according to the timeline shared with the Board of Trustees in July. (Note: details are provided in a separate article in this issue of the Bulletin.)

Strategic Planning Update - College Planning Committee Named, Four Planning Task Forces Formed and Work Is Underway

This is to update you on strategic planning activities underway this Fall, provided by Fitzroy Farquharson and Susan Kelley, co-chairs of the College Planning Council. The Council is charged with designing and carrying out a collaborative strategic planning process that will yield a new strategic plan for 2008-13.

In July 2006, you may recall that a collegewide invitation was issued to participate in a new comprehensive, collegewide strategic planning process that will influence key decisions about Valencia’s future. A number of you volunteered and four task forces have been formed.

Also, Dr. Shugart appointed a 30-member college planning committee, which will make decisions about the content of the plan based on input from the college and community. The committee met for the first time on September 29 to review the planning process and planned activities. Minutes are available from Rita Moore, rmoore38@valenciacc.edu.

Members of the college planning committee are: Joe Battista, Amy Bosley, Tom Byrnes, Julie Corderman, Suzette Dohany, Fitzroy Farquharson, Geraldine Gallagher, Jared Graber, Thomas Greene, Marisa Guilfoyle, Keith Houck, Susan Kelley, Sue Maffei, Michele McArdle, Kenneth Moses, Bill Mullowney, John Niss, Ruth Prather, Joyce Romano, Sandy Shugart, Larry Slocum, Stan Stone, Linda Swaine, Chanda Torres, Kaye Walter, Rose Watson, Bill White, Falecia Williams, Renessa Williams and Silvia Zapico.

The Communications Task Force is organizing itself into teams for college-wide communications, campus-based communications, and external communications. The teams will share information and solicit your feedback for use in the planning process. Their aim is to make sure you are aware of the process and your opportunities to be involved, and to ensure that your feedback is heard. You will begin receiving regular communications and updates from these teams monthly, starting in early November. Karen Blondeau is serving as Task Force Convener, and members are: Linda Anthon, Karen Blondeau, Amy Bosley, Joanna Branham, Lois Brennan, Ron Colburn, Michelle Foster, Teresa Gallagher, Sharyn Gaston, Bill Gombash, Priscilla Gray, CoCintheane Hutchison, Sonya Joseph, Kim Long, Robynne Miller, Kevin Mulholland, Joe Nunes, Darlene Powers, George Rausch, Jane Renfroe, Patti Riva, Barbara Shell and Angela Trujillo.

The data and situational/needs analysis task force members have been working in September and October to select over 60 sets of data for analysis and based on a team review, the task force will describe the college’s current situation and the needs (gaps in results) which the community hopes to close with the college’s help. A summary of this draft situational/ needs analysis will be shared with you on Learning Day and you will be invited to comment and add to it in the weeks that follow. Fitzroy Farquharson and Susan Kelley are serving as task force conveners, and members are: Fiona Baxter, Jennifer Britton, Christian Campagnuolo, Rhonda Glover, Liz Gombash, Carin Gordon, Thomas Greene, Joe Lynn Look, Julie Phelps, Ruth Prather, Andy Ray, Pedro Rivera, Cheryl Robinson, Valerie Russell, Allison Sloan, Joan Tiller and Elizabeth Washington.

The vision, values and mission task force has been working throughout September and October to launch a collegewide consideration of our important guiding statements of vision, values and mission, starting on Learning Day and continuing with multiple opportunities to discuss the statements and gather your thoughts through February 2007, when recommendations will be made regarding any changes that may be needed. David Rogers is serving as task force convener, and the members are: Shauna Anstey, Johnny Aplin, Danielle Boileau, Michael Bosley, Julie Corderman, Carmen Diaz, Kurt Ewen, Barbara Frazier, Tim Grogan, Debi Jakubcin, Carol Johnson, Lesena Jones, Scott Launier, Linda Neal, Ann Puyana, Dennis Weeks and Falecia Williams.

The evaluation task force will meet for the first time on October 23 and will design and implement an evaluation process for the planning process and its products, as well as recommend an evaluation plan for the strategic plan as it is implemented in 2008-13. Tom Byrnes will serve as task force convener, and the members are: Nick Bekas, Tom Byrnes, Helen Clarke, Toni DeMaglio, Jeffrey Donley, Becky Gallup, Jennifer Lawhon, Maryke Lee, Paul Licata, Marie Martin, Sonia Navarro, Julie Phelps, Jovan Trpovski, Martha Williams and Silvia Zapico.

The college planning council will meet on October 26 to receive reports on progress and to consider a draft situational/needs analysis. The council will then consider opportunities and threats in our external environment, as revealed in the situational/needs analysis, as well as the college’s strengths and weaknesses. The college planning committee will also consider these issues at its meeting on November 29.

If you are interested in volunteering to serve on one of these four task forces, or if you have questions or comments about strategic planning, we would be glad to hear from you. Agendas and minutes of all meetings are available from Rita Moore, rmoore38@valenciacc.edu, or extension 2967.

Also, please feel free to call or email questions or comments to the co-chairs of the college planning council: Fitzroy Farquharson, ext. 1198, ffarquharson@valenciacc.edu (professor of mathematics on West Campus) and Susan Kelley, ext. 2969,skelley@valenciacc.edu (vice president for Institutional Advancement).

Thank you.

News from Procurement

Procurement cardholders did you know that you have resources at your fingertips to conveniently check your P-Card’s current available balance? You can check your available balance by calling the card member service’s “800” number found on the back of your credit card or running the PayNet Cardholder Status report (step-by-step instructions for running this report can be found at the back of your manual.) Give it a try; it’s fast and easy!

Scam Alert! E-mails appearing to be from legitimate financial institutions including Fairwinds Credit Union, PayPal and Chase Manhattan have been popping up in P-Card user in-boxes requesting credit card verification information. Do not respond to these types of e-mails. JPMorgan Chase has assured us that they will never send an e-mail to card holders requesting any information. Correspondence from our P-Card’s bank, JPMorgan Chase, will be made through the Procurement Office.

Strategic Equipment Update - this year’s strategic equipment list is over 50% completed! Thank you to all who have submitted their completed Form B’s to the designated GroupWise address and included any quotes that were required. Quotes are required on all goods and services between $3,500 and $24,499 no matter the funding. Procurement can help obtain these quotes if needed. Any item or service over $25,000 must to be submitted as a formal bid. This process usually takes one month to complete. Only approved items on the strategic equipment list will be purchased. Questions or concerns should be directed to Procurement at x5532.

You are Invited to Attend Upcoming Achieving the Dream (AtD) Activities

Imagining a Start Right Experience (SRE) for Our Students: A Beginning Conversation - November 3, West Campus, TBA, 1:30–3:30 PM. This will be a conversation about the evolution of what we are learning from Achieving the Dream and a way to start thinking together about the design of a system for serving the students who need us the most. To RSVP or to request more information about the conversation, please contact Tiffany Tierno at ttierno@valenciacc.edu or extension 2511.

Diversity Conversations for Students - East Campus, 8-101, November 6, 1–2:30 PM or West Campus, HSB 105, November 7, 1–2:30 PM. Please encourage your students to attend and engage with diversity consultant DeEtta Jones about “Achieving their Dreams.” DeEtta will discuss her history as a student in college and the challenges she had to overcome to earn her degrees. For more information, please contact John Stover at jstover@valenciacc.edu or extension 1122.

Diversity Conversations for Faculty and Staff - East Campus, 8-101, November 6, 3–4:30 PM or West Campus, HSB 105, 3–4:30 PM. Come hear diversity consultant DeEtta Jones discuss her history as a student in college and the challenges she overcame to earn her degrees. Engage in the conversation about what faculty and staff strategies make the most difference in influencing student success. To RSVP or to request more information about the conversation, please contact Tiffany Tierno at ttierno@valenciacc.edu or extension 2511.

Leadership Valencia

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. This is a time 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 24, 1-2 P.M., East Campus, Room 4-212B, registration code LFORM8 or November 7,
1-2 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-212B, registration code LFORM9.

Reading Circle: Eight Habits of the Heart - Pack your lunch, you are invited to join this two hour discussion of Clifton Taulberts book Eight Habits of the Heart. Note: Sponsored by the Valencia Chapter of American Association for Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC). October 25, 11A.M.–1 p.m., East Campus, Room 8-105-D, registration code LREAD.

Circles of Belonging - Ever wonder what makes a person tick? Individual experiences play a huge part in shaping the way in which we interact with others and view the world around us. This in-depth interactive workshop will examine how diversity of experience impacts our interpersonal communications and relationships. Through discovery and discussion, learn more about yourself and the people around you. Participants will leave the session with an increased understanding of and appreciation for similarities and differences. October 27, 9 A.M.-3:30 p.m., Osceola Campus, Room 2-240, registration code PCOB4.

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 27, 1-3 p.m. Osceola Campus, Room 3-300, registration code TWCT1027 or November 3, 1-3 p.m., Winter Park Campus, Room 114, registration code TWCT1103.

Holocaust Study: A Visit to Auschwitz, Warsaw and Kracow - Learn how Professor Gair's endowed chair funded trip to Holocaust sites in Europe and Israel enriched his teaching of Holocaust literature. November 6, 2–4 p.m., East Campus, Room 5-112, registration code GVHS.

Microsoft Tips and Tricks - Increase your efficiency with MS Office programs. Session will include Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Learn shortcut keys, similar icons and helpful toolbars that are applicable across multiple Microsoft programs. November 6, 2–3:30 p.m., West Campus, Room 6-326A, registration code TMTT1 or November 8, 2–3:30 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-210, registration code TMTT2.

Annual Hiring Freeze

The annual hiring freeze for new full-time employees will soon be in effect. To hire an employee before the freeze becomes effective, the employee must begin work on or before November 13, 2006. After that date, recruitment activities may be conducted through Human Resources department and offers of employment may be extended, however, the employee may not begin work until January 8, 2007.

A Warm Valencia Welcome to These New Full-time Employees

David Heffernan, assistant director, Criminal Justice Institute, mc 3-9, ext. 8212
Jeffry Post, security field supervisor, Security-West, mc 4-28, ext. 1309

Kudos

Colin Archibald presented a paper entitled “Course Prefix Usage in the Computer Science and Computing Technologies Discipline” at the Florida IT Educators Summit meeting in Daytona Beach on September 29.

Jeffery Donley, professor of Fine Arts, Humanities, made a presentation titled “Rocking the Dead Sea Scrolls” to ninety students and faculty on the West Campus.

Regina Seguin, part-time librarian at the West Campus Library was recently awarded special recognition by the Ask-A-Librarian Service (virtual librarian program) sponsored by the Florida Division of Library and Information Services. Regina and several other Valencia librarians participate in this cooperative statewide service. Regina was recognized for doing a remarkable job representing virtual reference librarians during a time sensitive chat session on the day that much of our state was under Hurricane Ernesto watch. Despite the fact that Valencia was closed because of the storm warnings, Regina staffed the statewide virtual library help-line from home. A link to Ask-A-Librarian can be found on the West Campus Library homepage valenciacc.edu/library/west.