Continuing Education Center

Continuing Education Center

December 2013

Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees

Facilitated 596 hours of continuing education for 150 lifelong learners.

# of Classes / # of students / Total Educ. Hours
Community Education / 7 / 57 / 196
Ed2go / 14 / 14 / 196
Contract Training / 4 / 79 / 204
TOTAL / 25 / 150 / 596

Held office retreat focused upon Continuing Ed web page improvements.
Leslie Beard attended the Medical Assistant Program Advisory Board meeting on December 10.
Jodi Smith, Susie Burch and Jill Seigmund participated on the Employer/Student Roundtable on December 2.
Jodi participated on the Leadership Flathead Workforce Training panel on December 6.
Staff met with new gunsmithing program coordinator, Fred Zeglin, to plan summer program.
Connee Greig served as a judge for the Scholars Conference.
Susie and Jill attended the monthly Business Expansion and Retention team meeting.
Susie represented FVCC at the Community Development Block Grant public hearing.
Susie and Matt Springer met with associates of Maarten Fischer from the Netherlands.

Entrepreneurship Center – Jill Seigmund

Attended monthly BEAR meeting, Nonprofit Development Partnership administrative committee meeting, and Montana West Economic Development’s annual meeting.
Met with inDimension3 owners and staff regarding Market Research grant assistance.
Met with John McGinnis (Synergy), John Ghekiere (Applied Materials) and Thomas Nitopi (NXGEN) regarding their TEDxWhitefish application.
Created and distributed electronic newsletter to AMAMII list regarding Maker Faire and TEDxWhitefish.
Worked with staff to revamp curriculum for Entrepreneurship Certificate.
Participated in Power of Circles facilitation training.
Worked with TAACCCT 3 staff to arrange statewide Ice House facilitator training in September.

Small Business Development Center – John Balsam

Interfaced with SBDC Lead Center:
Completed GoToMeeting trainings with associate state director, Lori Gilliland;
Participated in videoconference quarterly director’s meeting; and
Reviewed SBDC processes and resources with Lori and state director, Ann Desch.
Met with USDA’s Rural Development staff to review small business loan and grant programs.
Met with John Donovan & Roger Hopkins of SBA-Helena for orientation re: SBA programs, procedures, etc.
Attended local SCORE chapter meeting with Jill.
Attended Ice House final class. Some of those individuals may be prospective SBDC clients.
Met with college staff regarding entrepreneurship training.
Met with 16 different clients – sometimes with multiple discussions.

Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees

Human Resources

January 27, 2014

ACTIVITIES:

Searches completed and subject to Board approval:
Coordinator, Service Learning – Wendy Jeschke
Customer Service Specialist, Financial Aid – Sherri Staat
Coordinator, Dining Services – Jessica Strickle

Searches in progress:
Tutor, Foundational Math
Clerk, Accounts Receivable
Clinical Resource Registered Nurse
Financial Aid Specialist
Clinical Coordinator, Surgical Technology
Adjunct Instructors – Math, Science, Health Science, Social Sciences, Humanities, Business, Occupational Trades

Montana University System Employee Benefits (MUS_EB) will be implementing a new program to promote the value of WellChecks health screenings. Beginning July 1, 2014, participants will be eligible for up to $500 in a Health Reimbursement Arrangement account to encourage individual proactive health care and wellness efforts.
A health insurance Special Enrollment period will be conducted February 17-28, 2014 for coverage effective April 1, 2014. This enrollment will allow employees to add dependents under the age of 26, and also will permit employees and retirees to drop coverage and enroll in the Healthcare Exchanges prior to the federal open enrollment deadline.
Systems are being put in place, forms modified, and supervisors trained on changes to the hiring process in order to monitor and collect data to ensure compliance with the ACA. Data will be provided on a monthly basis to MUS_EB for verification.
In-service for all employees was held on January 17 with a focus on Serving Veterans and Tinto Initiatives.
College and University Professional Association salary survey and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) survey for the National Center for Education Statistics are currently being completed by HR staff.
HR Staff met on the afternoon of 1/10 to collaborate and establish goals and objectives for its upcoming Instructional Support Unit Assessment which will be presented in February 2014.

Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees

Media Services and Management Information Systems

January 27, 2013

Accomplishments:

The Computer Labs have been readied for the spring semester with appropriate software changes and updates.

The online application interface and processing via the FVCC Application Portal has been upgraded for clarity and ease of use.

The network core in Ross Hall was upgraded to support 1 GigE service to the client, and the primary fiber trunk to the Arts and Technology building was upgraded to single mode.

Version 1.0.2 of the Faculty Portal Module for Learning Outcomes was brought online.

Currently in the Middle of:

The implementation of the Siemens PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software system continues, with the development of the client-side scripted software installation processes and implementation of the underlying data storage system.

Developing a concise, minimal table enrollment reporting bridge.

Staff computer replacements scheduled for this academic year continues, as per the computer replacement plan.

Planning has begun for this year’s Computer Lab Replacements and Upgrades.

Instruction and Student Services Monthly Report

January 2014

Accomplishments:

On Friday, January 17, FVCC students and AmeriCorps members celebrated Martin Luther King National Day of Service through the Read for Peace program. This involved FVCC students readinga book about Dr. Martin Luther King and then following with an activity project. This event took place at Russell Elementary School with students, grade 1-5.
Katy Brooke, New Student Admissions Coordinator, is arranging a number of high visits for FVCC faculty. Recent visits included Jim Goudy and Dawn Rauscher at Flathead High School (FHS) January 15 to present computer science and web tech to technology classes, Christina Relyea at FHS on January 28 to speak with Ecology and Environmental Science classes, and Ruth Wrightsman at FHS on January to introduce IB science student to biotechnology.
Intramurals wrapped up fall semester with 215 participants. The intramurals program will kick off spring semester with the showing of Warren Miller’s film “Like There’s no Tomorrow” during Welcome Week with door prizes to Whitefish Mountain Resort and Blacktail Ski Mountain. Spring semester activities will include basketball, indoor soccer, hockey, volleyball, cosmic bowling nights, and night skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
This fall, 22 Associate of Arts and 25 Associate of Science degrees were awarded. Additionally, 27 Associate of Applied Science degrees were awarded in the following areas: 1 Business Administration; 2 Criminal Justice; 13 Culinary Arts; 1 Early Childhood Education; 1 Electrical Technology; 5 Health Care Office Management; 2 Information Technology; 1 Medical Assistant; and 1 Welding and Inspection Technology. Eight Certificates of Applied Science were awarded in : 1 Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning; 5 Heavy Equipment Operator; 1 Medical Transcription; and 1 Payroll Accounting. Last, but not least, 16 Certificates were awarded in : 1 Industrial Maintenance Technician Level II; 1 Patient Relations Specialist; 7 Pharmacy Technology; 5 Technician Track Level I; and 1 Welding Technology.
On January 10, Beth Romain, High School Relations Coordinator, hosted a Big Sky Pathways: Manufacturing meeting with area high school faculty, FVCC faculty, and industry leaders. Beth also facilitated an all-day Big Sky Pathways: Health Sciences meeting on January 14 with FVCC faculty, area high school teachers, and OPI Specialist Renee Harris.
Student Services welcomes two new employees this month. Wendy Jeschke is the new Service Learning Coordinator; Wendy replaces Janaya Okerlund who retired in early January after serving 20+ years with FVCC. Sherri Staat, is the new Customer Service Specialist in the Financial Aid Office.
The Financial Aid Office is busy getting the 2014-2015 Scholarship Application ready for distribution as well as verifying and awarding aid for Spring 2014.Additional activities include reviewing appeals for satisfactory academic progress (SAP) and max-time frame appeals. Loan entrance counseling sessions and certifying and processing student loan requests are also underway.

The Early Childhood Center recently passed all of its required inspections and received no deficiencies and, therefore, received an extended three-year license.
This month three additional LCC students GED requirements for graduation.
Work is almost complete on the HEIM line from Kalispell to Libby. This improved Internet connection should allow superior bandwidth to the school at a fraction of the cost.
The Western Regional BPA event was held at FVCC for the 20th year. Brenda Rudolph, Business Faculty, helps coordinate this event. Approximately 160 students from Northwest Montana competed in a variety of events such as accounting, keyboarding, graphic design, computer science, and public speaking. Students at this event compete for an opportunity to participation the state conference in Billings later this spring, winners there will advance to the National Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, IN.
The Foundational Math Center completed its first semester of operation. This has resulted in a strong increase in the student pass rate in all four foundational math classes in the fall semester. Lisa Angle, who has overseen the development of the courses and the center, is to be commended for her efforts.
The Wait List feature in CAMS has been is in use for spring 2014 registration. At least four classes were added to the schedule in response to demand that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
The Math Department will be converting M 111 Technical Math to an online format. This work will allow the Advanced Manufacturing Technical Track Level I program to be offered completely online.
The Chemistry instrument room in Ross Hall underwent an extensive remodel over winter break. The newly revamped room was ready for students use at the start of the spring semester.
Julian Cunningham is putting the final touches on the new Agricultural Building at the north end of campus. The building will serve as a production facility and also contains a classroom.

Professional Development:

Deanne Brown and Mike McLean attended the Big Sky Pathways: Winter Training - Focus on Building Secondary/Postsecondary Relationships meeting on January 22 and 23 in Helena.

Upcoming:

The FVCC Service Learning/AmeriCorps Office was recently awarded a $3,000 training grant to help sponsor a Veterans Workshop for Faculty, Staff and AmeriCorps members. The workshop entitled: “Our Veterans, Their Transition, Practical Strategies to Assist Them” will be held on February 13.Peter Schmidt, Project Director and Trainer for the Veterans Training Support Center of the Center for Learning Connections at Edmonds Community College, will be the presenter.
Welcome Week includes a campus-wide open house on January 29 and a Nacho Bar Social sponsored by Student Government with student organization information tables throughout the Blake Hall foyer.
This spring students will have the opportunity to win prizes throughout the semester by attending FVCC Eagle Challenge events and activities through the FVCC Eagle Challenge program. Students can pick up an Eagle Challenge punch card during Welcome Week or anytime at the Student Activities Office. For each Eagle Challenge event a student attends, a “stamp” will be made on the student’s Eagle Challenge card. Attending eight Eagle Challenge events will assure a $3 coffee card to FVCC’s Coffee Grounds and eligibility for prize drawings throughout the semester.
Mick Stemborski, Multicultural Services Coordinator, host the Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau program, “The Changing Image of American Indians in Film,” with writer and lecturer Richard Ellis on January 30.
A new Lincoln County Works series has been scheduled to begin in February. This program in partnership with the Libby Job Service is designed to give participants new job skills as well as a new resume and improved job interview techniques.
Two guest faculty will be teaching for theater this spring…Nicholas and Rebecca Spears. Locally involved in professional acting companies, the husband and wife duo will bring musical performance to the theatre program. They will teach several classes including a workshop on musical theatre.
Conrad Rauscher, English faculty, will be innovating in the classroom. He is creating a course where students bring their own technology. For those without technology access, he applied for and received a foundation grant to allow the purchase of Chromebooks. Students will be able to check these out for a semester.
In addition, the English department is piloting the idea of an open textbook, free to students, for all WRIT 101 courses.

Monthly Report to the FVCC Board of Trustees

Institutional Research

January 20th, 2014

Accomplishments:

Updated FVCC’s net price calculator. The calculator is a Federal requirement and is used by prospective students to estimate the financial aid package they would receive at FVCC given their particular financial circumstances.

Presented data and analysis on the impact of scholarships and loans at the FVCC Foundation Board retreat. I gave particular emphasis to the outcomes of students who received newly created Foundation scholarships.

Compiled data on developmental math success for college leadership and the math department. During Fall 2013, the first year of full implementation of the new Foundational Math program, three of the four developmental math courses enjoyed their highest success rates since I’ve been tracking the data.

Presented the results of the Ad Astra scheduling study to the Scheduling Leadership Team. The team the use the results to streamline the FVCC course schedule in a way that promotes efficiency and student access to courses necessary to graduate.

Ongoing Initiatives:

Continuing to monitor and analyze Spring enrollment for the Executive Team

Chairing the newly formed Enrollment Management Committee. The Committee’s purpose is to coordinate FVCC’s marketing and recruitment efforts.

Working with Colleen Unterreiner and Susie Burch to propose some options for governing the proposed Higher Education Center to the Commissioner’s Office.

Working with Great Falls College to put in place processes for collecting data on the outcomes of the statewide TAACCCT grant.

Institutional Advancement

Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees

January 2014

Foundation

Festival of Flavors committee met January 13 to begin planning for the 7th season, September 26- October 24, 2014. Final net profit from the 2013 festival was $146,000.
Foundation annual retreat was held January 14 facilitated by Jody Smith. The theme was “Growth and Impact” in support of scholarships, programs and building projects. Brad Eldredge and Jane Karas were guest presenters. Committee meetings in February and March will consider the retreat ideas/input to strengthen the work of the Foundation.
Alumni & Ambassadors Council meeting was held January 16 to firm up plans for the A&A luncheon scheduled for Tuesday, March 11 which will feature the Fine Arts at the FVCC and include the presentation ofthe Distinguished Alumni Award. Nomination forms for the awardare now available on the FVCC website or in the Foundation office.
Planning continues for the special Chef’s Table “Casablanca- The Dinner” scheduled for Saturday, April 12.
New scholarship established:
Ralene Sliter Honor Scholarship - $500 a year over the next five years to assist an FVCC student with child care expenses.

Communications, Marketing and Web Activities

Designed new brand, logo and sponsorship materials for the Flathead Valley Job Fair; developed a marketing plan for the fair which will be held at FVCC in partnership with the Flathead Job Service on April 16.
Developed marketing materials for “Eagle Challenge” student engagement program which will start this spring
Orchestrated presentations by President Karas for Bigfork Rotary and Kalispell Noon Rotary
Scheduled legislative visits with President Karas and trustees planning to attend the Association of Community College Trustees national conference in Washington, D.C., in February
Held an initial planning discussion of the development of a new safety e-newsletter for FVCC employees and students
Developed plan with Career Services to streamline Career Services web pages
Assisted with filming and creation of a video for Maker Faire featuring Ian Reynolds, the owner of Glacier Prosthetics
Updated search functionality on search feature no longer uses Google, allowing users to get more relevant search results without leaving the FVCC site
Implemented code improvements on fvcc.edu to no longer require “.html” on new shortcut URLs; began testing with the goal of making this change retroactive and site-wide
Continued development of new website for FVCC Theatre
Matt Zak attended WordCamp Las Vegas for training WordPress development and security best practices and networking with professional WordPress developers and agencies.
To align skills and strengths to better meet our growing needs for communication and marketing, Tara Roth isleading internal and external communications in her role as the Director of Communications, and Katie White, is leading all marketing efforts in her role as Associate Director, Marketing. Both report to Colleen Unterreiner, Executive Director, Institutional Advancement.

Grants

Assisted the Foundation staff with Institutional Advancement’s self-study for accreditation activities regarding resource development
Hosted Beth Shumate of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Recreational Trail Program to show 1st phase of FVCC trail project
USDA SPECA grant final report was submitted by Dr. Estrada, finishing off the grant that initiated our new agriculture program
Performed close-out activities for NSF’s EnGIneering Flathead’s Future grant which enhanced opportunities for veterans by creating more hands-on opportunities in introductory engineering courses
Matt Springer, former Associate Director, Grants and Resource Management, has taken a new job as the state-wide project director of the Montana TAACCCT III grant. We extend our best wishes to Matt on this new opportunity and thank him for the impact he made at FVCC.
An executive level committee is reviewing the grant position to refine our direction and make our next grant position hire.

Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees