News from the Front: Dr. Mary Kay Kickels weekly newletter to PVCC employees
 
Campus News  |  Faculty & Staff News  |  Student News
 
In This Issue … October 20, 2006
Tuition payment plan unveiledUnited Way Campaign online silent auction underwayCampus groups raise $1,750 for charityPVCC awarded Sun Microsystems grant for astronomy program
 
Campus News
 
New student tuition payment plan launched
Earlier, I shared some important information about a new tuition payment plan for students. Here are some details about the program, which was released District-wide October 16, 2006:

For a fee of $20 per semester, students can sign up for a plan that will allow them to pay for their tuition and fees in increments over a period of time while attending a Maricopa Community College. The payment plan can be set up with either a checking account or a credit card. Automatic, pre-scheduled payments are collected and applied to the student’s account until the balance is paid, with as many as six payments per semester available to those who register early.

The fully automated plan, called eCashier, is managed by Nelnet, the National Education Loan Network. To learn more about eCashier, please review the project Web site. Students can register for eCashier by visiting the PVCC Web site and clicking on the eCashier logo in the bottom right corner.

We are very pleased that the District office has put this plan into place and acknowledge the work of the members of the Committee that made this possible for PVCC students.

United Way Campaign continues with online silent auction
The 2006 MCCCD United Way “We Care” Campaigns are rolling along at all 10 Maricopa colleges and the District Office. The campaigns include golf tournaments, online silent auctions, bowl-a-thons, murder mystery parties and many more fun activities for our employees.

I am pleased to announce that the Week 2 pledge report stands at a total of over $42,300 pledges for all reporting campuses to date – nearly 15 percent of our District goal of $315,300. And, six individuals have already signed up for the Chancellor's Challenge Step Up Program. At PVCC, employees contributed $9,677 in the first two weeks of the campaign. What a great start!

Highlights of the PVCC Campaign include:

•    The Online Silent Auction, currently in progress, will end at 5 p.m. Friday, November 10, 2006.
•    At 6:30 p.m. October 27, 2006, Student Life will present a Murder Mystery Party in the Kranitz Student Center.
•    Are you left with spare change after visiting the Paradise Café, PVCC Bookstore or Fiscal Office? Thanks to the generous support of our business partners, Aramark and Follette, you can make a difference by leaving it behind as part of “Dollar Donations.”

Job Fair attracts more than 250 attendees
Thanks to the hard work of Career Services Coordinator Norma Chandler, the Career Services team and student ambassadors, Career Week was a great success. More than 250 students and community members attended a Job Fair last Thursday that capped off a week-long series of career workshops. More than 50 employers from both the public and private sectors participated in the Job Fair. These employers provided part-time and full-time opportunities in support of PVCC occupational programs, including: Business/Computers, Administration of Justice, Nursing, Fire Science, Personal Training and Dietetic Technology. Many of the attendees found employment or scheduled appointments for interviews. Employers were very happy to have found quality job candidates from our college. And, of course, PVCC was happy to make this connection with employers.
 
More buildings go wireless
Thanks to System Administrator Corey Weidner and his team in IRTS for extending the reach of the wireless world to Buildings G, J and K. Now you can access the pvc-wifi network in Buildings A, E, G, J and K, and the Kranitz Student Center.

Pottery and books sold to raise money for local charities
PVCC staff, students and faculty raised nearly $1,300 for the Foothills Food Bank in Cave Creek during the fall Empty Bowls event. Thanks to PVCC’s Partners in Art Club, club adviser/Art faculty member David Bradley, and PVCC Ceramics students and instructors, all who made spectacular bowls in every size, shape and color.

Club Ed raised close to $450 at last week’s Book Fair. Proceeds will be used to purchase books for first-year teachers and their classrooms in our low-income schools. Club Ed is hosting a Future Teachers Conference Saturday, November 4, 2006.

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Faculty & Staff News
 
College secures Sun Microsystems grant for Telescopes in Education

Carol Myers, Director, College Technology, applied for and received a grant from Sun Microsystems for three servers to be used for Physics and Astronomy programs. PVCC is in the early stages of participation in the Telescopes in Education (TIE) program.  Selected PVCC Astronomy classes have been using the development system successfully since spring semester. When installation of the project is complete, anyone in the world will be able to use PVCC’s large telescope for astronomy and physics education and discovery. PVCC’s TIE system was set up by Physics student Andrew Lewton and Physics Lab Technician David Hellman under the leadership of Science Division Chair Dr. Hank Mancini, Physics faculty member Dr. Casey Durandet and Astronomy/Physics faculty member Dr. Ed Rosenthal. The development environment for TIE was featured in a Carnegie-Mellon Software Engineering Institute national publication in which Myers contributed to an article on implementing an information security risk assessment.

Michaelle Shadburne completes supervisor development program
Congratulations to Michaelle Shadburne, Manager, Organizational Development, for successfully completing the Navigate Maricopa Supervisor Development Program. Michaelle was recognized for her achievement at the Maricopa Fall Leadership Breakfast October 10, 2006.

PVCC hosts visiting professor from Netherlands
CIS faculty member Hedy Fossenkemper is hosting Harry Viscaal, visiting professor from the Netherlands, as part of the MCCCD Netherlands Faculty Exchange Program. Harry will be at PVCC through October 28, 2006.

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Student News
 
PVCC Art students complete grade school mural
PVCC Art students under the leadership of Fine & Performing Arts Division adjunct faculty member Josie Taglienti recently completed a mural at PVUSD’s Echo Mountain Primary School. We are very pleased that Josie and our students shared their talents with others through this creative project. Thank you.


Continuing the conversation ...
I enjoyed conversing with the faculty members who joined me for coffee and tea earlier this week. It gave us a chance to chat informally about their ideas, their initiatives and other topics of interest. I look forward to the next Coffee Conversation in the KSC Gallery from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, November 8, 2006.

Mary Kay
President

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Do you have an interesting program, or outstanding accomplishment or student to highlight?
If so, e-mail the News Desk at news@pvmail.maricopa.edu.

A publication of the Paradise Valley Community College Office of the President
2006 © Maricopa County Community College District
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