Vol. XXXVII, No. 07, February 25, 2008

This Week at Valencia

Monday, February 25

Student Affairs Leadership Team, 10 a.m., West Campus, HSB-211

Tuesday, February 26

Info Sessions for Tenured and Tenured-Track Faculty, every half hour from 1-3 p.m., Osceola Campus, 3-110

Wednesday, February 27

DOT Deans, 1 p.m., West Campus, 7-107A

Thursday, February 28

College Planning Council, 2:30 p.m., Winter Park Campus, Rm. 221

District Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

Reports

West Campus

Dr. Jared Graber, interium provost, West Campus, discussed Valencia’s Educator Preparation Institute (EPI), which he described as an accelerated mechanism for addressing teacher shortages in Orange and Osceola counties. Dr. Graber introduced Dr. Nick Bekas, EPI director and ombudsman, who screened a short video on EPI and followed up with statistics on the program. EPI began in August 2007 with 50 students; approximately 120 students have enrolled so far this year. Dr. Bekas expects that 100 students will have completed the program by April. Applicants must have a temporary teaching certificate or bachelor’s degree. EPI is a statewide program. The college’s goal is to certify 200 teachers a year. The program has been marketed through information and enrollment sessions three times a year, with a click ad campaign planned for March. Osceola County has already adopted EPI as their alternative certification program. 

West Student Government Association

T.J. Cole, West SGA president, discussed the group’s goal of increased student involvement. Mr. Cole said that to achieve this goal, the SGA has held a very successful cook out and Matador Day celebrating the 40th anniversary of the college. These efforts and others have aided in building a sense of community, he said, not just on West Campus, but collegewide and at the district and state level.

Completers

Dr. Kaye Walter, executive vice president and chief learning officer, introduced Jeff Cornett, director of Institutional Research and Dr. Falecia Williams, associate vice president of Workforce Development, to discuss their trend analysis of graduates and certificate completers. The data showed that 2005/06 was a record year for graduates. While there was a dip in degree completers over the last year, Mr. Cornett said it was due to a flattening in enrollments overall. In 2004/05, a number of new certificate programs were created and a number of students were retroactively given certificates for courses they had already completed, which resulted in a spike of approximately 800 certificate completers. Going forward, said Mr. Cornett, you’ll see the growth in graduates mirroring growth in enrollment. Dr. Williams said that the AS degree is beginning to be treated as an AS two-plus-two due to the demand for bachelor’s degrees. At UCF, Valencia students make up the largest number of transfer students. With Direct Connect, students can now identify as UCF-bound at the start of their college careers and are guaranteed admission to UCF. 14,000 Valencia students are currently enrolled in the Direct Connect program. There is no transfer program in any part of the country that matches what is going on here, Valencia President Sanford Shugart said.

Strategic Planning Update

Susan Kelley, vice president, Institutional Advancement, said the college’s new strategic plan includes building pathways to baccalaureate programs and measuring learning outcomes, as was being discussed today. Four goal teams have received feedback from the college. Yesterday the committee finalized a series of objectives that will go to the evaluation task force that meets in March. Ms. Kelley said that they should be on target to bring a draft plan to the board for their May meeting.

Quarterly Financial Report

In his opening remarks, Keith Houck, vice president, Administrative Services, described it as a very unusual fiscal year for state government. Mr. Houck said we should know in mid March how the legislature will fund higher education for the next fiscal year. Already the college has prepared for a four percent decrease in state funding ($2.5 million) to be fiscally responsive to anticipated cuts. The Florida legislature restored a tuition increase in January. Mr. Houck also provided reports to the board with regard to the book store and other areas at the college. Revenue collections and student enrollment have been up. Dr. Shugart said that the extraordinary work of faculty, deans, provosts and their associates added enough revenue that it buffered the cuts of this year.

Construction Report

West Campus

• Module 8:  Welbro Building Corporation provided a Guaranteed Maximum Price for $5.25 million, which meets the budget price.Construction will commence by mid-February 2008, and should be completed in November 2008.
• Module 10:  The building structure and exterior framing is complete.Insulation, exterior finishes, interior piping and framing are in progress. Meetings are being held with faculty to review equipment that will be provided in the building.
• Module 11 – Joint Use:  Design development is nearly complete. Meetings are being held with the architect, construction manager and UCF to review the design.
• Interior Renovations, Modules 1, 3, 4, HSB and SSB:  This project encompasses the areas that will become vacant when Module 10 is occupied. Rhodes + Brito has been chosen as the architect and McCree Construction has been chosen as the construction manager.Program verification has begun via collaboration with the provost’s office, which will lead into the schematic design phase.The design will be completed by August 2008, and construction will begin October 2008.
• New Parking Lot:  The parking lot is almost ready for pavement striping and lighting.It will be completed in March 2008.It will add 500 spaces to the West Campus.
• Performance Contract:  The installation of chilled water lines to Module 10 is complete.The gas meter and lines have been relocated to accommodate the chiller plant renovation.The new transformer has been connected and application is on file for a new electric meter.

East Campus

• North Parking Lot: Design is in progress for the new north parking lot, including parking on the recently purchased Collins property and paving the existing overflow lot.First phase of construction should occur next summer. This will add approximately 580 spaces for East Campus

Collegewide

• Way Finding:Shop drawings have been approved and samples have been received. Signs installation will start in March 2008.

Performance Management Project

Mr. Houck discussed Siemen’s performance contract with the college. He said there was a large sustainability effort at the college including faculty, staff and students to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. The board approved Siemen’s contract costing $13,500,000. Phase 1 was completed in June, resulting in an energy savings of $400,000 a year to go directly to our operating budget. These improvements were paid with PECO funds allocated in 2007/2008. As they move forward with Phase 2 at East and CJI, Mr. Houck said they expect it to result in $500,000 in additional savings, to be funded with a Capital Improvement fee or quasi–endowment fund initially, and later reimbursed with PECO funds. Examples of the steps taken include a new chiller plant on West Campus, lighting changes, recycling efforts collegewide that have resulted in increased energy efficiency and cost savings. The college is very proud of its sustainability efforts. When Phase 2 ends, we’ll be generating $900,000 in savings that we would not have had otherwise.

Spring Term Enrollment

Dr. Joyce Romano, vice president, Student Affairs and Dr. Walter shared enrollment growth numbers with the board, an increase that was almost as big as fall’s, they said. Dr. Walter said that it would not have happened without the offices of Human Resources, Marketing and Media Relations, and Student Services. She also recognized the provosts for “their incredible leadership for the last two semesters in very challenging times of being under budget while continuing to serve record numbers of students.” Dr. Romano said that collegewide headcount at the time the report was pulled was 30,900, with returning students making up a greater proportion of the overall figure while showing a slight decline over last year. In spring we had 4,059 first time at Valencia transfer students and 1,818 first time in college students. The percentage of African American students was up. Almost 85 percent of Valencia students are degree seeking: 65 percent are pursuing an A.A. degree, and 35 percent are AS/AAS/certificate seekers.

Audit Report and Update

Undria Stalling, internal auditor, reported that there were no audit issues, but one recommendation: that a reconciliation be performed to make sure billable credit hours match projected revenue. She also suggested an update of the technology fee policy so that plans reflect the actual usage of collected fees. Trustee Lewis Oliver added that a similar report from the auditor general had only one minor recommendation for Valencia. Valencia’s board applauded the efforts of college’s business office that resulted in such clean audit reports.

Faculty Council Report

Rose Watson said the Faculty Council was concentrating on refining their communication skills. She said they’ve held a training session which they hope would improve their effectiveness as faculty.

Valencia Foundation Report

Rayment Magure, board campaign chair and college trustee, was not able to attend the recent foundation retreat. President Shugart, who did attend, said that it was the best ever held, and that the board requested that they get to know more about the college first hand. He said that college staff are currently pulling together faculty and students whose lives have been changed through their educational experiences to speak to the foundation board.

President’s Report

Dr. Shugart updated the board on the legislature. He said that the governor released a budget prior to Election Day, allotting $58 million in his budget to fund community college enrollment. Dr. Shugart said the governor was basing this on very optimistic projections of revenue. The president estimates that the Legislature will take $2 billion out of the budget going forward. The community colleges message to the Legislature is that we’re not capping enrollment, but without enrollment money a lot of students will be turned away. In the next two weeks there will another revenue estimating conference (in March) that will most likely show reduced revenues of another half billion. The Council of Presidents has recently put together a compact on how we’re going to control costs for students; it was presented yesterday to the governor’s staff. This is part of the work that is going on to ensure that Valencia fares well in the budget. The president said they would keep the board posted as things go along.

The board went on to discuss the site plan for West Campus; illustrations were shown to the board to visually describe the two parcels of land that the college is interested in selling. Mr. Houck said that the design criteria going out to bidders establishes buffer zones and replanting of trees. In addition, the college plans to add trees around Lake Pamela and more natural development, with a covered area providing greater access to the lake. Even if the parcels sell, a large amount of land on campus will remain undeveloped. After reviewing the site drawings, the board members were comfortable that the charm of the campus would be maintained with the plans that are in place.

Dr. Shugart continued his remarks by noting that the college just hosted the legal conference, now in its third year, as a collaboration between the Office of Policy and Legal Council and Conference Management.

Dr. Shugart said that the president of FSU has approached the Council of Presidents about a constitutional amendment that would link school funding, university funding and community college funding. It is currently being studied by the Council of Presidents. Dr. Shugart will forward the proposal and Bill Mullowney’s analysis to the board for their review.  

New Business

Consent Agenda – Approval under a consent agenda included the Valencia Community College Foundation approval of state matching requests; budget amendment request numbers 1 and 2 for FY 2007-2008; revised Technical Fee Improvement Plan; Downtown Center lease amendment; HVAC renovations, building 3, East Campus; dental hygiene equipment; additions, deletions or modifications of courses and programs; Valencia Enterprise courses and fees; submission of grant proposals; and property deletion

Internal Search for 4-Month SLS Faculty Opening at West Campus, Deadline March 7

If you have a Master's Degree, experience teaching student life and study skills, and would like to be considered for a 4-month SLS 1122 teaching position for Fall and Spring Terms 2008-09 at the West Campus, please submit your resume and a statement of interest to Interim SLS Director Mary Allen (mallen@valenciacc.edu, mail code 3-24). For more details, contact SLS Administrative Assistant Myrna Figueroa at extension 2802, or mfigueroa@valenciacc.edu. 

Destination 2008

Teaching and Learning Support would like to invite you to join us this summer in Destination 2008, Valencia’s annual faculty development opportunity which brings educators together to define outcomes, design lessons, and learn techniques that will lead to improved student learning. All faculty, full and part-time, including counselors and librarians, are eligible to participate. 

Destination 2008 is designed to offer different programs to faculty who wish to experiment or are curious about various tools to improve student learning. We are able to provide the following tracks this summer:  Action Research, LinC, Alternative Delivery, and General Education Outcome. A full schedule, online application form and flyer are all available at http://faculty.valenciacc.edu/destination/

PDT Information Sessions for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

The Professional Development Implementation and Oversight Team (PDT) will be holding thirty-minute information sessions for the Professional Development Component to the Faculty Compensation Plan on the following dates and campuses:

• Osceola Campus, February 26, 1-1:30, 1:30-2, 2-2:30, and 2:30-3 p.m., Room 3-110
• West Campus, March 4, 1-1:30, 1:30-2, 2-2:30, and 2:30-3 p.m., Room HSB-211
• East Campus, March 6, 1-1:30, 1:30-2, 2-2:30, and 2:30-3 p.m., Room 8-122

Full details about the plan can be found at: http://faculty.valenciacc.edu/association/pdtTeam2.asp

Deadline Approaching for 2008-09 Endowed Chairs for Learning Leadership Program

Applications are now being accepted for the 2008-09 Endowed Chairs for Learning Leadership Program. The program provides resources tofull-time teaching faculty for the advancement of instruction and learning. This year the Valencia Foundation is offering 39 chairs, altogether totaling $197,400. Of special note is the $25,700 Maguire Family Teacher Enhancement Chair open to all academic disciplines.

The guidelines and application package can be found on the Foundation’s Web site at http://www.valencia.org/ or by calling Becky Gallup at ext. 3218. Applications must be received in College & Community Relations by February 28 at 5 p.m.

Procurement News

The essentials of a valid contract - Four essentials must be present to create a valid and enforceable contract:  (1) agreement (sometimes referred to as offer and acceptance), (2) made by competent parties, (3) concerning legal subject matter, and (4) supported by mutual consideration. Please see College Policy 4-25 for additional information. Valencia faculty and staff do not have the authority to sign agreements, contracts, or authorize purchases, unless specific written authority from the President or his designee has been granted.

Purchasing Card FAQ - Q: Is there a list of suppliers that accept the PCard? A: No. Any supplier that accepts MasterCard should accept the VCC PCard, and in general, they do not have to be in Banner prior to use. Ask the supplier prior to purchasing if they accept Master Card. Please check your Purchasing Card Procedures Manual, located on the web at: http://valenciacc.edu/ procurement/ProcurementCard.asp for complete details and how to acquire and use a Valencia PCard.

Leadership Valencia Offerings

Formation: A Little Lunch, A Little Literature and A Lot of Lively Discussions - Bring your lunch and join us for lunch and literature. This is a one-hour relaxed discussion with colleagues around poetry or short prose chosen each meeting by one of the group. February 26, 1-2 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-212B, registration code: LFORM-7 and March 4, 12 noon-1 p.m., East Campus, Room 4-212B, registration code:LFORM-8.

Banner for Beginners Finance & Procurement -Includes INB and Self Service. February 28, 8 a.m.-12 noon, Criminal Justice Institute, Room 228, registration code: TBB-4.

Refresh Banner for Finance & Procurement - Open to all who have attended a Beginners Finance & Procurement workshop. February 28, 1-4 p.m., Criminal Justice Institute, Room 228, registration code:TBR-4.

Authentic Engagement and the Creativity Imperative - This session could be called "from good to great". It is about you. It is about finding your passion in life, your path, and taking the right actions. Whatever collective, collaborative situation you are in-classroom, family, study team, peer group, department, committee or taskforce-all can benefit from more authentic engagement and creativity. For more information, email jswanson5@valenciacc.edu or JBelcher@valenciacc. edu. February 28, 1-4 p.m., East Campus, Room 5-112, registration code: LAECI-1 or March 4, 1-4 p.m., West Campus, Room 6-202, registration code:LAECI-2.

Reading Circle: Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit - With the appearance of Leading with Soul in 1995, Terry Deal and Lee Bolman became pioneers in the movement to reconnect work and spirit. Since then interest in the spiritual dimensions of leadership and work has exploded. Join us for this brown-bag lunch reading circle sponsored by the AAWCC. February 29, 12 noon-2 p.m., Winter Park Campus, Room 226, registration code: PREAD

Sexual Harassment Learning Scenarios (Kickoff Meeting) - Become familiar with what constitutes and what does not constitute sexual harassment. Define sexual harassment and the two types: Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Work Environment. Learn what Valencia's policy is on this issue. Gain an appreciation as to how sexual harassment affects different individuals and the organization as a whole. Learn what to do as a victim or witness of sexual harassment at the workplace. Presented by Joe Nunes, Human Resources and Vanessa Moreno, Valencia Enterprises. February 29, 9:30-11 a.m., Criminal Justice Institute, Room 228, registration code: LSH

New Multimedia Tools - This workshop will assist participants in identifying and incorporating multimedia and instructional tools to accommodate students' diverse learning styles. NOTE: This workshop is optional for faculty seeking certification as a Digital Professor. All activities that are to count toward a full-time faculty member'sProfessional Development Plan need to be approved in advance by their dean or director.March 6, 1-2:30 p.m., Osceola Campus, Room 2-116, registration code:TNMT

Visit the Leadership Valencia Web site at http://valencia. cc.fl.us/leadership to register for all Leadership Valencia workshops and additional information.

Freedom From Smoking

Do you want to quit smoking but have a hard time quitting? Have you had a hard time trying to stay smoke-free after you quit? Do you feel like you owe it to yourself and those you love? Then the Freedom From Smoking program is for you. This program consists of eight sessions over eight weeks. Each session will focus on a different topic:

• Orientation/Discussion Process
• Coping with Urges
• Making a Plan to Quit
• Stress Management
• Weight Control
• Relapse Prevention
• Graduation and Celebration!

Freedom From Smoking offers a good support system and provides you with the resources to stay smoke-free for good. We will meet every Friday starting March 14 through May 9 (except April 4). The cost is $15 for a participation kit. Each kit includes a workbook from the American Lung Association used in each session and a relaxation CD.

Please contact Debi Jakubcin at ext. 2281 or email djakubcin@valenciacc.edu to register.

Make plans to join us for the next brown bag lunch: “Stressed? Don’t Blow It!” presented by Valencia’s Wellness Program in conjunction with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida on March 20

• East Campus, 11 a.m.-12 noon, 3-113
• West Campus, 1-2 p.m., HSB-120
• Osceola Campus, 11 a.m.-12 noon, Auditorium
• Winter Park Campus, 1-2 p.m., Room 224

An exciting extra bonus for Valencia employees:  Sign up today for a YMCA membership and have the enrollment fee waived! Employees who join can go to any YMCA in the area. The YMCA has many benefits so please take advantage of this great offer!!

Thank you

We would like to thank our Valencia friends and colleagues for the thoughts, prayers, cards, e-mails and beautiful flowers received during the recent passing of my Mother and Sherri's Grandmother. 
                                  Helen Dyer and Sherri Dixon