Projects  |  Campus News  |  Faculty & Staff News  |  Student News   In This Issue … September 28, 2007 Enrollment… Vertical Articulations in math… President's Circle advisory… Q-Building…  United Way fundraiser… PV North news... Budget Development Steering Team... College Plan... Adjunct Faculty recognition... Journalism Day... Student testimonial... Student Leadership Council trip... PVCC student scores Republic byline... A Point of Pride   Campus News   Enrollment Our Fall 2007 semester enrollment continues upward and our FTSE has broken through into positive numbers. As of 9/27/07 FTSE was 4,003.53. While headcount was down slightly, our students are taking more credits – a good trend. Thanks to all faculty and staff for your efforts to support student success. Vertical Articulations in math On September 25, Vice President Bob Bendotti facilitated a Learning Connections Consortium-sponsored Mathematics Vertical Articulations meeting that brought together 37 members of the mathematics community, including K-12, college, and university faculty, as well as tutors. The purpose of the meeting was to align the mathematics curriculum into a cohesive whole, so that each succeeding grade level dove-tails smoothly with the next. “We identified five broad categories that will serve as a focus for our work,” Bob said. “Some of the areas we’re studying are revolutionary, such as the incorporation of new discoveries in neuroscience to help us understand how students learn math.” We are very grateful to Bob and the Consortium for piloting this wonderful project. The Learning Connections Consortium is coordinated by PVCC, with Michaelle Shadburne serving as the coordinator for all the meetings and seminars of the Consortium. Michaelle works tirelessly to make the connections with all our partners in this Consortium. President’s Circle advisory In the past month, I met with a number of community members to share information about PVCC and to invite them to serve on the President’s Circle Advisory Committee. I am pleased to announce the new members of the President’s Circle: Craig Andresen, president, North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce; John Driggs, former mayor of Phoenix; Will Gonzalez, assistant city prosecutor, City of Phoenix; Bridget McDonald, director of club operations, Boys and Girls Clubs of Phoenix; Thomas Randall, senior manager, Property Management, Paradise Valley Mall; David Schwan, councilman, Town of Carefree; and Keenan Strand, president, Northeast Phoenix Neighbor Action Alliance. We are very fortunate to have these new and current members meeting regularly on our campus to assist and support us in our work for students.   Q-Building We have received a number of proposals for ideas on the courses, programs and services to be offered in the new Q-Building.  While these proposals are being reviewed in the weeks ahead, the mechanical equipment is being evaluated by an outside firm to determine the extent of retrofitting the building to meet the needs of PVCC prior to occupation. Working in conjunction with the District Facilities Office, we are reviewing the design of the HVAC chilled water lines, and are evaluating the design for a new pathway which will connect the present campus to Q-Building. United Way fundraiser SLC has begun working on the annual Mystery Party Fundraiser for the United Way Campaign. The Mystery Party part will take place 6:30 p.m., October 26, in the Student Union, and will have a Medieval Fairy Tale theme. This promises to be fun, and I urge everyone to attend. The students take this very seriously and work creatively to decorate the Student Union in the party theme. Came and see how they take us back to Medieval times! PV North news The MCCCD Governing Board met on September 25 and approved a development agreement for PV-North (Cave Creek) and the Desert Foothills YMCA and Community Center. PVCC will have six classrooms, an administration office area, and a common area. If all goes as anticipated by the Desert Foothills Foundation, groundbreaking for this project is planned for Spring, 2008. Faculty & Staff News   College Plan The Faculty Senate has developed a subcommittee to review the College Plan, which has not been updated since 1996. This plan includes academic structures and the selection/evaluation of division chairs. Once reviewed and amended as necessary, the plan will be submitted for approval. Congratulations to Fred Reill PVCC’s Fred Reill has been elected District president of M & O (Maintenance and Operations) and will serve for three years. He will be working throughout the District on various issues for this employee group. 25th annual PSA summer conference PVCC’s local PSA president, Lori Espinosa, reports that the 25th annual PSA summer conference was held at the Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains. The conference provided several career-enhancing workshops for PSA participants. Adjunct Faculty recognition The PVCC Adjunct Faculty Recognition Event was held September 6, in the Center for Performing Arts. At the event, Joe Fanella (Math) and Marion Peters (Fitness) were recognized for 20 years of service, and Patricia Marchok (Behavioral Sciences) was recognized for 16 years of service. Student News   Journalism Day Thanks to Ken Lesinski, Editor-in-Chief of Puma Press, and his staff, Paradise Valley Community College will host the third annual Journalism Day on October 19. The event offers journalism students and college newspaper staff from across the district an opportunity to meet with media professionals to discuss relevant issues. This year’s invitees include:     John Dickerson – feature writer, The New Times     Le Templar – senior opinion writer, East Valley Tribune     Daryl James – assistant metro editor, East Valley Tribune The Journalism Day event will be held in KSC 208 from 11:30 until 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided.   Student testimonial Heather Kruse reports that she received a wonderful testimonial from an adult re-entry student about AAA115, our new College Success course.    “I took a pre-algebra class about 10 years ago and dropped it twice both times. My inner critic thought I just wasn’t smart enough to do math and it was my entire fault… I started this class (AAA115) with a very negative attitude, thinking that I wasn’t someone that needed it… [But] the book and what is being taught is great not only for students, but for work and home. It can be applied to pretty much everything in life. It actually teaches you some very valuable lessons if you choose to apply them. I feel my making the decision in this class and do my best was a very smart choice.”    We agree with this motivated student and wish her every success at PVCC.   Student Leadership Council trip On September 27, seven members of SLC flew to Washington D.C. for the ASGA (American Student Government Association) conference. SLC worked diligently this summer to raise money for the trip. PVCC student scores Republic byline  PVCC’s Journalism program head, Judy Galbraith, reports that Arizona Republic editor Maureen West recently visited her Puma Press newspaper staff meeting.  As a result of putting the students in contact with this professional, one student writer scored a by-lined freelance article in this major U.S. daily newspaper.  Former Puma Press editor Ron Sanzone’s article, “Woman Turns Grief Into Foundation to Help Others,” appeared in the Sept. 22 edition of the Phoenix Republic section. A point of pride At the invitation of the Maricopa Community College Foundation Board, PVCC was featured as the inaugural presentation to Board Members at their September 27 meeting. The Foundation president requested an overview of the college, including “points of pride/opportunities for investment,” and a review of our current fundraising projects. Thanks to the many outstanding programs and services at PVCC, I was able to share many highlights about what we are doing, and what we could do and want to do if we had additional funding.    As part of the presentation I introduced Michael Swann, PVCC Student. Michael came to PVCC from Deer Valley Charter School and is currently working towards an Associate’s degree in Arts and Biology while awaiting entrance into the District’s Nursing program. Michael is the recipient of the Foundation’s scholarship from the Maricopa Council on Black and African-American Affairs. At PVCC Michael is a member of the national champion cross-country team. He is also an active member of the Philosophical Society Club. The members of the Foundation Board were touched by Michael’s inspirational story. We are very proud of Michael Swann, whose sister is our very own Ryan Martin, Student Life Program Specialist. Projects Update   Budget Development Steering Team gears up The Budget Development Steering Team (BDST) met on Tuesday, September 25th.  This group will review and approve FY 08-09 Budget Initiatives, review budget requests and make recommendations to the President.  The committee includes Jeanne Franco, Marilyn Cristiano, Chris Scinto, Shirley Green, Mary Lou Mosley, Paul Golisch, Bob Bendotti, Paul Dale and Kurt Conover, Interim Vice President Academic Services.  I would like to sincerely thank the committee members for the work they will be doing this coming business cycle.    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