Campus News  |  Faculty & Staff News  |  Student News   In This Issue … February 16, 2007 President's Advance... The Student Information System... County Library News... Capital Projects... Phi Theta Kappa... Scale Model Solar System... Women's Leadersthip Group... College Goal Sunday   Campus News   Tenth Annal President's Advance The tenth annual President's Advance is scheduled on Friday, February 23, 2007. The program for this year's advance will challenge each of us to learn together and to think in new ways about PVCC--past, present and future.  Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in this collaborative approach to shaping the future of our college.  There will be two duplicative sessions, one beginning at 9:30am and the other at 1:00pm in KSC 208. Please select the session most convenient for you to attend and RSVP online at www.pvc.maricopa.edu/eol.  Questions regarding this year's Advance can be directed to Michaelle Shadburne.  I look forward to your participation and ideas. CCSSE This spring, PVCC is again participating in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), a national survey focusing on teaching, learning, and retention in community and technical colleges. We originally conducted this survey in 2005, and are looking forward to discovering the effects it has had on our students. The new survey will be administered in classes randomly selected by CCSSE in order to ensure a representative sample and preserve the integrity of the original survey results. Your cooperation and participation in this exciting national survey are sure to enhance our educational programs and services to students. To learn more about CCSSE, please reference PVCC’s related website at www.pvc.maricopa.edu/ccsse  or the CCSSE project website at www.ccsse.org.  If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Paul Dale, Dr. Laurie Pemberton, or Paul Marsh. Gina Kranitz Memorial Thank you to Vice President Paul Dale and the faculty and staff who contributed to creation of the beautiful memorial of PVCC’s former president, Dr. Gina Kranitz.  Thank you to David Bradley who created the bronze sculpture of Gina, and to Judy Galbraith and David Rubi for providing the narrative for the plaque’s inscription. The plaque was installed in late January at the entrance to the Kranitz Student Center. PVCC Inventory Congratulations to Dave Vice, Property Control Technician, for his commitment towards ensuring the integrity of our campus resources. PVCC recently completed the district-wide inventory of items valued at $5,000 and more. All were scanned and accounted for, and no exceptions were reported.  We are proud of the diligent work and stewardship of Dave Vice. We also offer thanks to Sandy McDill for her work with inventory control. Student Information System (SIS) The activities related to the implementation of the new SIS are requiring significant energy and focus by many individuals at our college.  All of the efforts of the staff involved are so important to PVCC’s successful launch of the system in October 2007. A special thank you to Carol Myers for her campus leadership and Dr. Paul Dale for his district and college leadership in aggressively addressing the project tasks, decisions, and challenges. Capital Projects Special thanks to our Science faculty and staff—Hank Mancini, John Jones, Jane Marks, Dave Harbster, Deb Adair, and Jim Doyle—who serve on the Ed Spec Committee for our new Science building.  On Friday, February 9 these members and district office representation interviewed architectural design firms for the building.  A firm was selected pending approval of the governing board at their February 27, 2007 meeting.  The firm will be announced at that time. County Library As I mentioned in the January 19, 2007 News from the Front, the Intergovernmental Agreement from Maricopa County Library District on the County Library was received.  In considering this agreement, we have been asked by the District Office to review the original capital development projects planned--the PVCC North Education Center/YMCA Project and the General Purpose Classroom Building—in light of the potential that the County Library offers us. Due to a number of factors, including the opportunity to purchase the Library at a significantly reduced price, financial and construction inflation constraints, and the timing of the PVCC North/YMCA Project, it is not feasible to construct, purchase and/or renovate all three of these projects at this time.  This new information is being shared with the President’s Leadership Team, the College Leadership Council, the President’s Circle, Division Chairs, Faculty Senate, faculty/staff and district personnel for input.  The preliminary educational specifications work initiated by faculty and staff during the Summer of 2006 will inform our planning and help shape our capital development projects.  I encourage each PVCC employee to participate in the creation of solutions that are responsive to the needs of our students, our community and our employees. We will be sending additional information next week in an email to the campus community and we will follow-up with a campus conversation and Q&A on capital development projects. In the meantime, if you have questions, please feel free to contact your faculty division chair, or the vice president for your area. Faculty & Staff News   Scale Model Solar System Last week Dr. Hank Mancini, Science Division Chair, sent out an email informing us about the Science Division’s Scale Model Solar System Project (SMSS). This project is quite unique, and I encourage you to support the creative work of our Science faculty. For more information on how to support SMSS, contact Dr. Casey Durandet or Dr. Ed Rosenthal. Women’s Leadership Group The Women’s Leadership Group will once again recognize an outstanding woman from PVCC for the 2007 Woman of Distinction Award. This individual will be honored for her demonstrated success and/or achievement during the past year in service to PVCC and the Maricopa Community College District, or for other leadership, innovation and service to women. Any woman from the employee policy groups—PSA, Faculty, MAT, M&O, Crafts and Security—is eligible for the award.  The exceptional women from each of the ten colleges and the district office will be honored at an annual spring luncheon on April 18, 2007.  I encourage you to submit a nomination to Michaelle Shadburne no later than Friday, February 16, 2007. College Goal Sunday On February 11, 2007 the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) hosted College Goal Sunday (CGS).  The purpose of CGS is to assist college-bound students and their families with the financial aid process, thus completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  This is the eighth year that the OSFA hosted this learning opportunity for our community.  Over 100 high school students, college students and their parents attended one or more of the four workshops offered last Sunday.  College Goal Sunday was sponsored by Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, the Arizona Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the LUMINA Foundations and others. Thank you to OSFA, the staff of Institutional Advancement, Computer Commons, Student Development, Media Services, Facilities Management and the Paradise Café for their continued assistance and support of this important service for our students. Student News   Phi Theta Kappa Congratulations to Steve Nicoloff, Faculty Advisor, and Phi Theta Kappa students for achieving Five Star Status for PVCC’s PTK chapter.  The term “Five Star” is the peak of excellence when rating products and services such as restaurants, automobiles, and hotels. The same term holds true for chapters participating in Phi Theta Kappa's Five Star Program. These chapters will gain recognition for their success by meeting the higher standards of quality programming that the term Five Star symbolizes. This program, which reflects the scholarly ideals of Phi Theta Kappa, serves as a blueprint for developing a strong chapter and for earning local, regional, and international recognition. Participation in the program encourages excellence and recognizes progress in the attainment of goals set by the chapter.  We are very proud of PVCC’s PTK Five Star Award. Presidents Day Weekend The college will be closed on Monday, February 19, 2007 for Presidents Day.  Enjoy your weekend! Cordially, Mary Kay President Do you have an interesting program, or outstanding accomplishment or student to highlight? If so, e-mail the News Desk at pvcc.news@pvmail.maricopa.edu A publication of the Paradise Valley Community College Office of the President 2007 © Maricopa County Community College District