Vol. XXXIV, No. 2

January 17, 2005

This Week at Valencia.

Tuesday, January 18
3:00 p.m. - Student Affairs Leadership Team, Winter Park, Room 123

Wednesday, January 19
9:00 a.m. - East Campus Staff Council, 5-112
10:00 a.m. - Career Staff Council, Winter Park, Room 246
1:00 p.m. - Design and Operations Team, Osceola 2-223

District Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

Recognition
Chairman Jerry Buchanan called the meeting to order and introduced the Mr. Marcos Marchena, a former trustee, who was being recognized that morning. Valencia President Dr. Sanford Shugart presented Mr. Marchena with several gifts in commemoration of his many years of service to the Valencia Board. Mr. Marchena thanked the Board and the President, noting that his service to Valencia had been very satisfying work

Reports
Valencia Enterprises: Dr. Shugart introduced Joseph Battista, Chief Operating Officer of Valencia Enterprises, who gave the board an update on the business development within the Enterprise group. Mr. Battista said that there were four distinct business units within the Enterprise group: Valencia Institute, offering continuing education and corporate training; Center for Global Languages, offering intensive language training; Inside Learning, which provides courseware and training based on the latest business authors. The courseware is sold to other colleges looking for new programs in business; and Scenarios Online, a web-based training program for adjunct faculty that is also marketed to other institutions.

Mr. Battista then showed the Board a few minutes of a marketing video that will soon be finished and used to present the Enterprise group to prospective customers.

Technology Report: Dr. Shugart introduced Bill White, Valencia's Chief Information Officer, who gave a presentation on recent technology improvements at the College. Mr. White said that during 2004, significant updates in technology infrastructure and personnel had been completed, including:
. Office of Information Technology (OIT) Organizational Changes
. College-wide Technology Summits
. Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity testing, particularly during the hurricanes
. Atlas Learning and Student Systems upgrades
. Network and Telecommunications upgrades
. Instructional Technology was moved from Collegis to Valencia
. Security Systems were enhanced
. Technology Refresh was completed
. Technology-Enhanced Classrooms were expanded

Mr. White noted that there has been a dramatic increase the use of a web course management system (WebCT) for online, web-enhanced and hybrid courses. More than 11,000 Valencia students now use WebCT for at least one class. He also reported that Valencia is beginning a new initiative to enhance college-wide reporting and knowledge management systems, including the development of an enterprise data warehouse.

Community College Survey of Student Engagement: Dr. Tracy Edwards, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Learning Officer, presented the results of this survey, which was conducted among selected community colleges across the country, and which measures key factors of student engagement. Dr. Edwards noted that the more engaged a student is with their faculty and their educational program overall, the more likely they are to succeed. Valencia ranked in the top four community colleges nationally in five key categories: Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Effort, Academic Challenge, Student-Faculty Interaction and Support for Learners. Dr. Edwards said that Valencia's excellent ranking has placed the College as a finalist for a $10,000 MetLife Award.

Financial Report: Mr. Keith Houck, Vice President of Administrative Services reported that the college's enrollment grew 2% more than was budgeted for, and that expenses were slightly below budget for the first quarter. He also noted that the college was working with its internal auditor on better methods of inventory control, and planned to do some benchmarking with other community colleges in the region as well.

Construction Report: Helene Jaeger provided the Board with a report noting that Building 3 on the Osceola Campus would be finished in time for the Spring semester startup, and was actually slightly under budget. She also reported that Building 8 on East Campus was nearing completion, and should be ready for students shortly after the start of the Spring term. Major renovations to Modules 3 and 5 on West Campus would also be completed for the January class start, and the overhaul of the Physical Education Center was on schedule.

Internal Auditor's Report: Ms. Undria Stalling, Valencia Internal Auditor, reported on several projects currently underway or recently completed by her office. She said that a review and recalculation of Title IV funds, including a return of a portion of the funds from the 2002-2003 academic year, had recently been completed. Ms. Stalling noted that training has been conducted in Financial Aid, and the SCT Banner system has been updated to avoid aid calculation issues in the future. She also reported that she is working with the Vice President of Administrative Services on improving inventory control.

Faculty Association Report: There was no report given.

Valencia Foundation Report: Trustee Larry Slocum reported that the Foundation's accounts were now being fully managed by Morgan Stanley, and that the Foundation Board was very pleased with the firm's efforts. He noted that the consultants hired to prepare the Foundation for its capital campaign were hard at work interviewing prospects and ultimately determining if the Foundation was ready for the undertaking. He said the Foundation Board was continuing to add to its membership, and finally, he reminded the trustees about the upcoming signature wine-tasting event on April 30.

President's Report: Dr. Shugart began his report by announcing that the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Building 3 on the Osceola Campus had been scheduled for February 14, and that a similar ceremony for East Campus Building 8 would soon follow.

Dr. Shugart said that discussions were ensuing with the City of Winter Park on a joint library complex, tentatively planned for an area across the street from Valencia's Winter Park Campus. The president noted that the discussions currently centered on an 80,000 square-foot building, with 20,000 square feet devoted to a Learning Resource Center for the Winter Park Campus. He said that any money passing through the College to fund this building was eligible for matching monies from the State, and the progress was promising. Dr. Shugart also reported that plans for Building 4 on the Osceola Campus were slowed somewhat by a change in leadership in Osceola County, but that he hoped the project would be back on track soon. The president said that the property acquisition for Valencia's planned southeast campus was nearly complete, but that the complex partnerships being executed around the Horizon West project had slowed progress considerably on property acquisition for the southwest campus. He also reported that Florida Hospital was proposing a site on their land for the development of a full-blown health campus, in partnership with Valencia through a long-term lease to the college.

In legislative matters, Dr. Shugart and Dr. William Mullowney, Vice President and General Counsel, reported that work was beginning well in advance of the 2005 legislative session. Their primary concentration would be on lobbying for an increase in the capital improvement fee, which has not been raised since 1989. Dr. Shugart said they would be urging the Legislature to fund enrollment growth and PECO funds. In particular, they hoped the Legislature would agree to change the community college funding formula to help smaller schools, agree to accelerate raising the unit value to equalize all college's shares, and finally to raise the unit value for every school in the system. Dr. Shugart said the funding formula provides equity only if it is funded each year.

Dr. Shugart asked Dr. Edwards to report on recent licensure testing results for Valencia's various health-related programs. Dr. Edwards said it had been an exceptional year for all of Valencia's health programs, with students passing the local and national exams for licensure at unprecedented rates, with all curriculums having a pass rate of 89% or higher.

Dr. Shugart concluded his report by explaining that the Board would be voting that morning on a new contact with Collegis Sungard, the college's information technology provider. The president noted that the contract negotiations had been long but fruitful, with many changes instituted in the agreement up for approval. He said of particular note were improvements in contract language related to assessing the vendor's performance, penalties for poor performance, and provisions for withdrawal of Collegis, if that ever became necessary.

New Business
The board approved Policy 6Hx28:05-14, Substitute Admission and Graduation Requirements for Students with Disabilities, and Policy 6Hx28:02-00, Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity. The board also approved a new five-year contract with Collegis Sungard.

Hello and Goodbye.

A warm Valencia welcome is extended to Hermenengilda Berry, Custodial Services, ext. 4170, mc 6-4; Luz Cruz, Custodial Services, ext. 4170, mc 6-4; Jamie Dela Cruz, Custodial Services, ext. 4170, mc 6-4; Naomi Gonzalez, Postsecondary Transition Specialist, ext. 2591, mc 3-8; Elbert Jackson, Instructional Support Services, ext. 1488, mc 4-4; Mildred McCausland, Staff Assistant, ext. 2643, mc 3-31; Ramon Taborda, Custodial Services, ext. 1217, mc 4-9; Patrice Connell, Professor of Biology, ext. 2202, mc 3-23; Gabrielle Cuan, Professor of Speech, ext. 1313, mc 4-11; Donald Goss, Professor of Communications, ext. 1313, mc 4-11; and Eugene Launier, Professor of English as a Second Language, ext. 1074, mc 4-11.

News from Procurement

Beware of solicitors calling you regarding your copier toner needs. This is a scam and the college will be billed an over inflated price for the goods. Our current copier companies DO NOT call employees. Orders are placed when needed, and the company supply/service phone number is found on the unit. In many cases, the toner cartridge is included in our service agreement. All invoices for supplies or service should be sent to Procurement at MC 4-42.

College Policy 6Hx28:04-04 states that Agents, sales persons, and solicitors are NOT permitted on campus to distribute literature, solicit funds, or sell to faculty, staff, students, or campus organizations without specific approval by the president or an authorized designee. If you have an un-welcomed sales person show up, please direct them to the Procurement Office located on the West Campus, Bldg 14 or have them call 407-582-5532 to make an appointment.

Have a problem with a vendor? Contact the Procurement Office to help 'fight your battle'. We will assist you with any vendor relationship issues. As part of our on-going effort to improve college/vendor relationships, the Procurement Office documents any problems that you may have with vendors. This provides us with the justification not to utilize vendors that do not provide excellent customer service.

AAWCC and Junior League of Orlando form Partnership

Valencia's AAWCC (American Association for Women in Community Colleges) and Junior League of Orlando have established a partnership to benefit Valencia students. Junior League will accept a total of 25 vouchers for business attire for Valencia students (male or female) this academic year. For specific details, contact Patti Riva at priva@valenciacc.edu.

The latest from Leadership Valencia

TLC Showcase: Come out and meet the Faculty Technology & Design Support Staff, learn about new technology tools and services to enhance teaching as we provide a showcase of resources and an opportunity to meet the support staff face-to-face all in one place. The following dates and times are available: Tuesday, January 18, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Osceola Campus, 2-116, registration code TLCS118; Wednesday, January 19, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.,West Campus, 6-220, registration code TLCS119; Thursday, January 20, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., East Campus 4-120, registration codeTLCS120.

Inclusion & Diversity: Participants will explore learning opportunities that acknowledge, draw upon and are enriched by student diversity in all learning environments. Thursday, January 20, 2:00- 4:00 p.m., East Campus, 3-113, registration code LID303 or Friday, January 21, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., West Campus, LRC Third Floor Study Gallery, registration code LID304.

Macromedia Flash - Level One: Want to learn the basics of this amazing web development and animation software? This beginner's workshop will provide a complete tour of the user interface and its many controls, and focus on working with symbols and layers, and making use of multiple Timelines. Prerequisite: Computer Graphics and Imaging or equivalent experience. Thursday, January 20, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m., West Campus, 6-220, registration code TMF120.

Creating a Culture of Trust: Encouraging faculty, administration, staff, and students to create an environment that is both comfortable and secure and that encourages creative risk taking is one of the aims of Valencia. In this workshop we will focus on ways to increase the culture of trust at Valencia through the use of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, especially in regard to technology. Issues of having students become more engaged with technology (computers, WebCT, databases, etc) and increasing their comfort zone within and beyond the classroom will be specifically addressed. Come and explore with us! Monday, January 24, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Winter Park Campus, Room 226, registration code GCCT.

Home Fire Safety: This workshop is designed to help identify and eliminate common household fire hazards. Some of the topics that will be covered are preparation and training for household fires and emergencies, using the EDITH program, identifying different types of fires, and proper use of fire extinguishers. Tuesday, January 25, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., East Campus, 5-112, registration code GFIRE.

Submissions to the Bulletin are encouraged, so please e-mail your achievements, awards, recognitions, and relevant information for the college community to Mary Jane Jones, Staff Assistant in Marketing and Media Relations. Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. on the Tuesday preceding each Friday's distribution. Mary Jane can be reached at ext.1017, or mjjones@valenciacc.edu.