April-2014-Department-Monthly-Reports

Monthly Report to the FVCC Board of Trustees Institutional Research April 16th, 2014 Accomplishments:  Calculated FVCC’s final fiscal year FTE and submitted the results to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education FVCC’s total FTE for FY2014 was 1,626, down from 1,781 last year This represents a decrease of 8.7%  With the assistance of many colleagues at FVCC, finished and posted the RFP for bachelor’s degree partnerships with public universities in Montana The RFP deadline is May 15th and we are hopeful we will get a positive response that will lead to local bachelor’s degree opportunities for Flathead County residents  Produced data for the college’s Developmental Education task force, which showed a positive trend in developmental math success rates and a low number of students dropping their developmental math courses in the first three weeks of the semester  At the request of the executive team, I identified the largest FVCC courses that currently not have any online sections These courses could represent opportunities for additional online enrollment Ongoing Initiatives:  We are currently administering the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) to a random sample of our students We are hopeful the CCSSE will give us insights into our students’ behaviors and allow us to be more focused in our student retention efforts  Continuing to chair the college’s Enrollment Management Committee The Committee is working on standardizing our running start offerings so they are more easily marketable, studying student demand for expanded on-campus housing, and looking at options to increase Summer enrollment  I am chairing the hiring committee for the new Grant Administrator position We will begin reviewing applicants on Friday, April 18th We hope this position will allow for better communication and coordination campus wide regarding the college’s many grants  Continuing to provide support for the Statewide TAACCCT grant I’ve been putting together the infrastructure that will allow easy access to the data we’ll need to the federal reporting at the end of the year and provide analytical support to the project’s leadership team Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees Instruction and Student Services April 2014 Accomplishments The Learning Center recently hosted a webinar entitled “The Suicidal Student: Critical Do's & Don'ts For Faculty” The FVCC Spring Semester Blood Drive was held on March 27; 27 pints of blood were collected The monthly Flathead County Health Department information table was held on April Tobacco Prevention information tables were held on April 14 and April 21 The FVCC Reading Group discussed Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner on April 16 Over 70 employers and 600 job-seekers attended the Job Fair held on April 16 Twelve job fair preparation events were offered to students and job seekers in coordination with Job Service and offered at both locations during the 10 days leading up to the job fair Many individuals throughout campus were involved in the success of the Job Fair The TRiO staff held a brat fry fund raiser for the TRiO Scholarship on April 16 This endowed scholarship is funded by TRiO staff giving and fund raising Two scholarships are awarded each year, one to a continuing TRiO student and one to a graduating TRiO student FVCC Scholarship reading and rating was held on April 17 A daytime student meditation group and evening Buddhist lecture was held on April 17 with Open Sky Sangha The Admissions & Registration office continues to process applications, register students for classes and scan all records into the students’ files so students can access their records through the student portal Looking ahead, FVCC has received the following applications for admission for summer and fall compared to this time last year: Summer 2013 112 applications Summer 2014 158 applications Fall 2013 Fall 2014 238 applications 353 applications Area counselors from area schools, agencies and private practices were invited to attend two Area Counselors’ Meetings featuring Child and Family Services Division and The Abbie Shelter Carlin Hale hosted Advising Huddles with Adam Wenz (pre-dental hygiene), Anna San Diego (disability services), Russ Lamson (tutoring and supplemental instruction), and Janice Heil (physical therapist assistant) during the month of April Anna San Diego has been elected the Montana president of AHEAD (Association on Higher Education And Disability) The Financial Aid Office is busy working on 2014-2015 verifications and is gearing up to make awards for Summer 2014 and the 2014-2015 academic year The Financial Aid Office has received 1356 FAFSA applications for 2014-2015 compared to 1640 FAFSA applications for the 2013-2014 applications on the same day last year Jori Bullemer and Will Richards provided Lake County and Thompson Falls Job Service Offices with National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) informational presentations and testing sessions this month They will now be offering NCRC testing at the Lake County location to job seekers and employers once a month Additional NCRC presentations and testing has included the Lake County Job Service Employer Committee, Park Side Credit Union, Plum Creek, and the Job Fair at FVCC Currently, 79 students (and counting) are participating in service learning activities this semester while 65 students are enrolled in AmeriCorps Mirabai McCarthy, Biology faculty, took a group of biology students to Freezeout Lake in Teton County, Montana to observe the snow goose migration Each year over 300,000 snow geese and 10,000 tundra swans rest at the lake after their 1000 mile journey from California The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience Effat Rady, Engineering faculty, visited the Schools of Engineering at MSU-Bozeman and UMMt Tech over spring break She reported being treated “like a movie star” because the engineering students that FVCC sends to these schools are so outstanding Effat Rady also agreed to serve as Department Chair for the Science Department during the 2014-15 academic year Effat takes over for Janice Alexander who will be taking a sabbatical leave during the fall 2014 semester Julian Cunningham is putting the finishing touches on the new greenhouse on the north end of campus The greenhouse serves FVCC’s agriculture programs – it will provide space for a classroom as well as a large area for growing seeds and processing produce The Math Department was very saddened by the loss of Susan Smith who served students in the Foundational Math Center Susan will be remembered as a very warm, caring and intelligent woman who found great joy in teaching and loved helping students master mathematics Progress is being made for the upgraded welding lab at Libby High School This partnership with the high school will include improvements to the electrical system to allow more new welding stations to be purchased and installed The improved lab will open up opportunities for Running Start welding students as well as traditional vocational welding training for adults The search for a LCC Welding instructor is ongoing for classes starting this summer and next fall LCC’s annual spring clean-up day will commence on Earth Day, April 22nd The students and staff volunteer to complete a deep inside and outside cleaning of the college campus The school provides a barbecue lunch with other potluck additions that further enhance the camaraderie on campus as well as strengthen the workforce Anna SanDiego (Disabilities Service Specialist), Dan Voermans (Transfer Advisor), and Charlene Herron (Career Counselor) will be traveling to Libby for meetings with LCC students on April 22nd The trio usually tries to make it up at least once a semester to counsel any students who request help Adult Basic Education at LCC completed its third testing cycle of the new HISET (high school equivalency) test with ten participants in late March Ten more students are expected to test April 21st Jan Meadows has also completed her final requirements and has achieved her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies from the University of Montana Congratulations Jan! The Lincoln County Works series is winding up another round of training this week The ten participants conclude their training by performing live site mock interviews with local business owners Professional Development Deanne Brown attended a Strengthening Big Sky Pathways meeting in Helena on March 18-20 Jori Bullemer and Will Richards traveled to Great Falls in mid-March to train eight incoming SWAMMEI Navigators from across the state and assist in partnership facilitation between schools and workforce services They also created and shared a Navigator Guide with the SWAMMEI partners Laurie Peiffer attended the Montana Advocates for Children meeting on March 26 & 27 in Helena and the Professional Development Specialist Conference on April 10 & 11 at Chico Hot Springs to learn about the new Montana Early Learning Guidelines and the Core Curriculum Bobbie Kandarian and Matt Fitzpatrick attended the TESOL 2014 International Convention and English Expo in Portland, OR, March 26-29 Brenda Hanson and Kristen Jones attended the AACC Annual Convention in Washington, DC on April 5-8 Karen Darrow attended the Cooperative Education & Internship Association Conference on April 5-9 in Seattle Nancy Hanchett, Cindy Kiefer, Sherry Staat attended the MASFAA 2014 Annual Conference in Fairmont Hot Springs and Resort on April 23-25 Margaret Girkins attended the ANI Math Institute Workshop in Helena on April 24 & 25 Dan Voermans, Russ Lamson, Anna SanDiego, Charlene Herron, and Lynn Farris will be attending the Montana ASPIRE/MCAN conference in Great Falls, April 29-30 Dan Voermans took a group of students to UM’s Transfer Transition Day on April 21 Continuing Education Center March 2014 Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees Continuing Education – Jodi Smith, Leslie Beard, Debbie Struck, Connee Greig, Leslie Rogers  Almost three thousand hours of quality programming were delivered to over five hundred lifelong learners  Thirty-eight community education classes began Twenty-six students enrolled in non-credit online classes  Continuing Education Center Staff presented at the Senior Institute on Friday, March 7th  Several staff members were chaperones for College for a Day on March  Presented a statewide Superhost live webinar "Excellent Service Begins with Excellent Work Design" on March 10; 48 attended  Workforce Training mailed postcards to 1,033 Montana Second and Third Class Boiler Engineer License Holders to advertise the upcoming High Pressure course scheduled for May  Jodi worked with Karen Darrow to host the spring Resume Cafe, connecting 50 students with 12 employer representatives  The third community lecture in the “50 Years of Wilderness” series, “Leaving a Legacy: Passing on the Wilderness to the Next Generation” was presented on Thursday, March 13; eighty people attended Economic Development – Susie Burch  Worked with DeAnn Thomas to draft an outline for the next Flathead Business and Education Council meeting  Met with Montana Manufacturing Extension Center Field Engineer Paddy Fleming and updated the MOU between FVCC and MMEC  Along with Jane Karas, attended a meeting with Small Business Administration representatives from Helena  Along with Colleen Unterreiner heard a proposal about emergency management from FVCC faculty member Kris Long and Carl Coletti from Nomad Global Communication Solutions  Offered suggestions for the 4-year programs RFP prepared by Brad Eldredge Entrepreneurship Center – Jill Seigmund  Continued exploration of business incubator potential: Met with Tom Nitopi/NXGEN, Jan Hollez/POSIOS and Jane Karas; met with Whitefish Chamber’s economic development committee; and toured Eureka Rural Development Partnership’s incubator with Director Tracy McIntyre  Served as coach at Startup Weekend Missoula and observed process to aid planning of Startup Weekend Glacier Country  Began facilitating 9-week Ice House Entrepreneurship Program course with students registered     Facilitated Business Model Canvas workshop in collaboration with MWED Collaborated with Job Service staff to evaluate Walmart Foundation’s Job Ready, Willing and Able grant opportunity Worked with faculty, staff and students to recruit FVCC participation in the University of Montana’s spring Business Plan Competition Coordinated market research services for Kettle Care Organics through Wichita State University Small Business Development Center – John Balsam  Met with 15 clients Obtained Incumbent Worker Training grant for one of the businesses  Worked with Jill Seigmund on several first-time, early-stage clients  Conducted four BEAR interviews  Presented monthly Reality Check and Business Essentials classes  Completed Profit Mastery certification training  Promoted statewide SBDC network’s Invest in Success conference in mid-April  Spent several days with U.S SBA District Director and some of his staff touring Eureka and Libby, making bank visits, meeting with economic developers, and discussing resources for specific clients Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees Media Services and Management Information Systems April 28, 2014 Accomplishments:  The computers in the LRC Math Lab and the Broussard Center computer lab room 120 have been upgraded to Windows 8.1  A large event wireless network was brought up for the Job Fair Currently Right in the Middle of:  The computers in the Library are being upgraded to Windows 8.1  The early summer replacement systems for BSS134 and AT122 are being configured and purchased  The computer labs with summer room layout changes are being configured for various floor layout and wiring scenarios, and being perused by faculty principals  A physical inventory of the computers on campus is underway, verifying location and use Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees Human Resources April 28, 2014 ACTIVITIES:  Searches completed: o Curriculum Development Specialist – Marti Altucker  Searches in progress: o Teacher, Early Childhood Center o Grants Administrator o Maintenance Worker o Maintenance Assistants o Clinical Resource Registered Nurse o Clinical Coordinator, Radiologic Technology o Program Director, Surgical Technology o Business, Faculty – cancelled o Criminal Justice, Faculty o Adjunct Instructors – Anthropology, Chemistry, Engineering, Math, Social Sciences, Occupational Trades, Political Science  The benefits ‘Spring Tour’ was conducted on April 9th with MUS benefits, Wellness team, Delta dental, Take Control, Allegiance, and FVCC Human Resources participating and sharing information Deb and Kathy attended the Campus Benefit Representatives meeting on March 26 and 27 to learn more about upcoming benefit changes prior to Open Enrollment Open Enrollment is currently ongoing until May Faculty negotiations are currently in process Adjunct faculty have requested to open negotiations Karen provided training to veterans on interviewing and resume presentation on April 11 HR recruited for various positions at the Job Fair on April 16 The ADP payroll software upgrade is underway with staff training being conducted for approximately 20 staff hours per week for the payroll changeover and implementation of a new time and accounting system May 30 is the anticipated transition date for first run of payroll        Institutional Advancement Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees April 2014 Foundation  Fieldwork for the audit of the Foundation’s 2013 financial statements conducted by JCCS April 7-8  Recruited over 40 volunteers to assist with the spring tours of the Bibler Home and Gardens scheduled for weekends of May 10/11 and 17/18  2,000 promotional postcards announcing the Bibler Spring tour dates mailed  Invitations mailed to nearly 400 donors in the President’s Circle to attend the annual President’s Dinner scheduled for Thursday, May 15  Over 40 volunteers attend the scholarship reading/rating committee meeting on Thursday, April 17th to review over 200 applications for scholarships available for the summer 2014 semester and 2014-2015 academic year  President Jane Karas to meet with major donors and corporate sponsors at a lunch scheduled for Wednesday, April 30 on campus  Mountainettes/Mountaineers Committee continue to meet to plan the second reunion planned for Weekend of August 8/9  Chef’s Table Casablanca the Dinner was attended by 114 guests on April 12 to raise money for scholarships and programs as the spring production of Festival of Flavors 2014  New scholarship funds established:  PEO Chapter BJ (Libby) - $400 to assist students who are residents of Lincoln County  Mary Ellen Jystad Scholarship - established by Women of Rollins Club via Dr Gary Jystad - $1,000 annually to support students who are active in their communities  Rotary Club of Whitefish Scholarship - Full tuition and fees to a resident of School District No 44  Summer Special Dinner is planned for Thursday, July with Silver Oaks Cellars Winery Chef Dominic Orsini, his second visit to the Flathead Valley 90 tickets for sale with all proceeds going to scholarships and programs This event is the special summer edition for Festival of Flavors  Plans, sponsorship solicitation, and venue confirmations continue for fall Festival of Flavors, scheduled September 26- October Invitations will be out in late May Communications, Marketing and Web Activities  Organized the K-12 luncheon hosted by President Jane Karas; Principals and superintendents of junior high/middle schools and high schools in Flathead and Lincoln counties have been invited to the event scheduled for April 29                     Coordinated the Tobacco Use and Attitudes Survey distributed to all FVCC students via email; the data from the survey, distributed by the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The BAACCHUS Network, will be used as a baseline for college’s future involvement in the Montana Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative Katie White attended training for Meltwater Group software This new software will allow the marketing department to more effectively track, report and analyze media and social media attention the college receives A copy of the media report will be included with each monthly board report in the future (see attached for the April report) Katie White joined the SWAMMEI Marketing Work Group, a group made up of marketing professionals from statewide two-year colleges who are part of the SWAMMEI group The group will help develop a marketing plan for SWAMMEI programs Designed promotional materials, implemented an advertising and PR plan, and helped facilitate the Flathead Valley Job Fair which attracted 625 participants, including 125 veterans Katie White and Tara Roth participated in a Boss Lift organized by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve; in addition to serving as a thank you for the job fair, the event promoted awareness of the importance of hiring our nation’s national guardsmen, reservists and veterans and the resources available to employers Completed the Continuing Education Summer Schedule which was mailed to all Flathead Valley residents Designed and created decor and promotional materials for the Chef’s Table Casablanca fundraising dinner Developed marketing plan to promote summer courses Katie White served as a guest speaker, discussing the marketing profession and opportunities at FVCC for three high school business courses at Flathead High School Katie White presented ideas for marketing and alumni engagement at the April FVCC Alumni & Ambassadors Council meeting Created invitations for the Donor Dinner and other luncheons Designed promotional materials for the FVCC Theatre’s production of Opal Designed posters/flyers for student government activities Developed marketing plan for Spring Bibler Home & Gardens tours Created ads, tickets and postcards for the Bibler Garden Spring Stroll Launched new Scholars Conference registration website (http://scholars.fvcc.edu) Revised http://montanasuperhost.com registration/training process Updated website error reporting procedures to be more cross browser compliant Implemented improved newsletter signup forms on http://www.fvcc.edu Katie White helped facilitate St Ignatius Freshman High School Visit, discussing benefits of FVCC with approximately 30 students and taking them on a campus tour Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees Business Services April 28, 2014 Accomplishments:   Converted Kiln Room to a closed in room and installed new higher efficiency gas kiln 2013 financial statement audit has been completed – will be presented at the May Legislative Audit Committee in Helena New Initiatives:  Convert classroom, AT 243 into a new, larger Mac Lab  Expand bistro seating for student study areas to additional buildings  Re-align several Occupational Trades Building bays for expanding programs and construct another second level with three classrooms and seven offices in the largest bay  Sent out bid packets for upcoming pavement maintenance project to repair, seal and stripe several campus parking lots and access roads  Upgrade front wall and stage backdrop in AT 139 meeting room  Install new, free standing campus building signage for better directional recognition