The Digest
What’s Happening at KVCC
What’s below in this edition
Welcomers (Pages 1/2)Day-care hours (Page 9)
Food schedule (Page 2) CNM update (Page 10)
Winds of change (Pages 2/3) Odyssey Day (Pages 11/12)
Grant deadlines (Pages 3/4)Fitness challenge (Pages 12/13)
Cougar Connection (Page 4) Haunted house (Page 13)
So long, Tom (Pages 4-6)‘AmazingCastle’ (Pages 13/14)
Swap Meet (Page 6) 40th seals (Page 15)
Arctic peril (Pages 6-9) Lead safety (Page 15)
KVM T-shirts (Page 9) And Finally (Page16)
☻☻☻☻☻☻
Student welcomers to launch fall semester
Faculty and staff will be manning welcome-back-students tables on both the TexasTownship and Arcadia Commons campuses for an hour or two to launch the fall semester on the right foot.
Those who would like to volunteer for Tuesday and Wednesday duties can contact Rose Crawford at extension 4347 to sit with a colleague at locations around the Texas Township Campus, answer questions,and give directions. Folks can also stop by her desk in the Admissions, Registration and Records Office to sign up.
Personnel at the Arcadia Commons Campus can contact Jackie Cantrell at extension 7805 to volunteer, offer directions and answer questions. Mary Johnson is also looking for table sitters as part of Cougar Connection festivities.
Among the 63 bringing their smiling faces and affable ways to the tables at the entrances by the tower and the flags, as well as at the gateway to technology wing and Student Commons are:
Terry Coburn, Cynthia Schauer, Jim Taylor, Michael McCall, Jamie Tucker, Tom Thinnes, Dan Mondouz, Robyn Robinson, Pam Siegfried, Matt Dennis, Colleen Olson, Lois Brinson, Dorothy Kovacs, Teresa Hollowell, Helen Palleschi, Nancy Taylor;
Ezra Bell, Muriel Hice, Steve Cannell, Diane Vandenberg, Jaime Robins, Courtney McCaul, Darlene Kohrman, Sheila Eisenhauer, Kathleen Cook, Laura Cosby, Sommer Hayden, Lori Evans, Ray Andres, Jackie Howlett, Tom Lentenbrink;
Mike Hall, Karen Phelps, Haley Crites, Pat Conroy, Stella Lambert, Mary Martin, Deb Bryant, Lori Hatfield, Ray Hendriksma, Wanda Scott, Theo Sypris, Marylan Hightree, Harland Fish, Dwight Coblentz, Terry Hutchins, Mel VanAntwerp, Carol Orr;
Patricia Niewoonder, Pat Pojeta, Rick Margelis, Thomas Hughes, Renee Mielke, John Holmes, Louise Anderson, Bala Balachandran, Denise Baker, Lynn Berkey, Rick Ives, Kate Ferraro, Charissa Oliphant, Arleigh Smyrnios and Karen Visser.
Food-service hours back to normal
Normalcy in food service on the Texas Township Campus returns to its regular hours beginning Tuesday (Sept. 2), while the coffee shop in the Student Commons is also back to full brew with a few new wrinkles added.
The cafeteria hours through the fall semester are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. The new food-service manager is Mark Tucker.
The coffee shop will be serving from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Muriel Hice reports the shop will be offering Starbuck’s coffee as well as some of its other beverages.
Wind turbine to rise on KVCC campus
Speaking on the Texas Township Campus Wednesday to launch KVCC’s entrance into the Wind Energy Era, Congressman Fred Upton echoed T. Boone Pickens’ energy-independence crusade now under way as he lauded the evolving partnership between the college and WesternMichiganUniversity to move the process along.
Upton, third ranking Republican on the 57-member House Committee on Energy and Commerce, reported that WMU’s highly visible wind turbine has doubled its generating capacity in the year it’s been operational because of ever-advancing technology, and he predicted KVCC’s unit, which will be constructed during the fall semester on the bluff overlooking the soccer and ball fields, will be equally productive and educational.
Pickens, a lifetime Texas oil man, says the United States can’t drill its way out the current energy crisis. He is urging Americans to spur Congress into creating a renewable-energy network and break the OPEC cartel by emphasizing cleaner, cheaper and domestically produced energy from a variety of sources.
In introducing Upton, President Marilyn Schlack said that “if all goes as planned, in the near future Michigan’s windy days will be blowing good fortune on our state and its economic vitality, and Congressman Upton has been, is and will be playing a key role in bringing that all about.”
Jim DeHaven, KVCC’s vice president for economic and business development, said the original plan was to install the 120-foot, 50-kilowatt turbine – powered by a trio of 25-foot blades – on M-TEC property along I-94 for public-visibility purposes.
But the environmental price of that would have been high because dozens of healthy trees would have been felled to place it there and provide space to maintain it. Besides, he said, the wind there isn’t all that good. But it is ample on the western edge of the campus.
The turbine will serve as the symbol of the educational partnership between the WMU College of Engineering and KVCC. One of the offshoots will be the conversion of a lab at the M-TEC for the training of what could be a growing cadre of wind-energy technicians and to offer research-and-development opportunities for regional businesses.
Upton said the WMU-KVCC partnership to create the WindEnergyCenter is “American ingenuity at work.” The doubling of the electricity generated by the WMU unit in only one year is another example of that, as are the giant wind-energy turbines being built for national distribution by K & M Machine-Fabricating Inc. in CassCounty.
“T. Boone Pickens already has the plan,” the Republican congressman said. “We must do it all. We can’t just rely on one source of energy. Congress is not doing its job to bring this about, to make certain that wind energy and solar energy are part of the picture. Renewable sources of energy have to be part of the mix.
“The technology is advancing every day,” Upton said, “and Congress must follow that lead. Something has to be done because the soaring energy prices impact the most on Americans with limited financial resources.
“Great things happen when leaders work together,” Upton said. “What is happening here will be great for students and great for the future of our communities.”
In addition to serving as an instructional resource for current and future wind-energy technicians, the turbine will be generating power for the college’s use by some time in November.
Equipment will provide students “real-time” experiences with this alternative source of energy and train the next generation of technicians in this field. A secondary goal is to utilize this equipment to train the existing technical workforce in the design, assembly, maintenance and repair of this emerging technology.
Other objectives include educating the public about alternative sources of energy and to get high school students, such as those enrolled at the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and ScienceCenter, involved so that they can increase their knowledge and awareness about the efficiencies of wind energy.
“An educational institution leading by example is the way I see it,” DeHaven said. He believes that the KVCCWindEnergyCenter will have educational, job-training, employment, entrepreneurial, and research-and-development ramifications for this part of the state.
Funding willing, four turbines could someday be rotating along that bluff.
Last August, Upton unveiled energy legislation that will establish a $1-billion grant program to develop carbon-capture and storage technology that WMU researchers are already actively pursuing. The program is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capturing and injecting underground the carbon dioxide emitted from electricity-generating plants and industrial emitters that use fossil fuels.
KVCC Foundation sets grant-proposal schedule
For the 2008-09 academic year, the KVCC Foundation has established funding-application deadlines for internal grant requests.
Faculty and administrators interested in seeking funding for programs and projects have three application dates beginning in September.
Here’s the schedule:
● Proposal deadline – Sept. 30; decision by the KVCC Foundation Board of Trustees, Oct. 30.
● Deadline – Jan. 19; decision, Feb. 19.
● Deadline May 8; decision, May 21.
For more information, contact Steve Doherty, KVCC’s director of development, at extension 4442 or .
Cougar Connection 2008 on Tuesday
Pancakes and omelets prepared by solar power will be among the attractions to welcome back fall-semester students atthe 2008 Cougar Connection on Tuesday (Sept. 2)from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Texas Township Campus.
Instructor “Bala” Balachandran will be setting up the college’s solar-cooking unit in the morning for students, vendors and visitors to enjoy sky-powered pancakes and omelets. He and organizer Mary Johnson are looking for some volunteers to help with the food preparation. People can contact her at extension 4182 to sign up for those duties and to staff some welcome tables in the Student Commons.
In addition to showcasing KVCC programs, departments and services, this year’s "Connection" for new and returning students will also feature:
♦ door prizes and other give-aways, including a computer
♦ a variety of games
♦ free food provided by vendors
♦ fitness orientations by the KVCC Wellness and FitnessCenter.
♦ a scavenger hunt
♦ massages by the KalamazooCenter for the Healing Arts
♦ a local radio station’s remote broadcast
♦ food and refreshments.
♦ displays by college organizations and programs.
♦ and promotions by local financial institutions, restaurants, and businesses.
All will be free at the seventh Cougar Connection whose main sponsor is the Educational Community Credit Union.
Vendors for the 2008 Cougar Connection include: Midwest Radio Group AM 1560, Arra Insurance Agency, Boesky Chiropractic, Caricature Drawing, Charter One Bank, the Child Development Center, Downtown Kalamazoo, Inc., 1st Community Federal Credit Union, Frayed,Great Clips, Greenleaf Hospitality Group, JC Penney Salon, Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts, Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center, National City Bank, Papa John's Pizza, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Saffron, Sam's Club, Soccer Zone Multi-Sport Complex, S.W.A.T., Sweetwater's Donut Mill, Taco Bob's, The Coffee Bar, The Pointe at Western, The Spicy Pickle, U.S. Army, and the Young Chefs Academy.
KVCC programs and services to students that would like to gain exposure during the 2008 Cougar Connection should contact Johnson, student activities and programs coordinator in The Student Commons.
To arrange for a table and any other preparations, contact her at extension 4182 or e-mail her at .
Jefferson exhibit closes on Labor Day
Thomas Jefferson’s far-reaching interest in the sciences is the theme of an exhibition that will end its stay in the first-floor gallery of the KalamazooValleyMuseum on Monday (Sept. 1).
Featuring scientific instruments, furniture, maps, and Native American objects from the period of Jefferson’s life, all are from the private collection of Paul Millikan, retired professor of history at KVCC.
To augment this special showcase, the museum is showing a series of free documentaries on Sundays at 3 p.m. in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater about Jefferson and his times.
“I have always had an abiding interest in the genius that was Thomas Jefferson,” said Millikan, who taught history at KVCC for 32 years. “A true Renaissance man, he was statesman, architect, political philosopher, author, diplomat, designer, musician, collector, inventor, and always the keen observer, analyst and recorder of the things around him.”
Born in 1743, Jefferson grew to adulthood during the Age of Enlightenment, and lived to see the beginnings of America’s Industrial Revolution before his death on the Fourth of July in 1826. In one of U. S. history’s most remarkable coincidences, fellow American Founding Father John Adams died that same day – the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson had a passionate interest in learning, from political philosophy to the latest invention or scientific discovery. That curiosity was not only a personal thirst for knowledge, but was aimed at applying that knowledge to better the lives of humankind.
In Jefferson’s time, scientists were often referred to as “practical philosophers” who were trying to learn as much as possible about the natural world and scientific phenomena.
Jefferson, who came to be recognized as a pioneer in numerous branches of science, said: “No inquisitive mind will be content to be ignorant of the sciences of astronomy, natural history, natural philosophy, chemistry, and anatomy.”
Following his two presidential terms, Jefferson in retirement at his home in Monticello said: “Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science by rendering them my supreme delight.”
The exhibition provides a glimpse of the range and breadth of his scholarship and pursuits.
“Upon my first visit to Monticello in 1962, I was very much taken with Mr. Jefferson’s interest in natural history and his collections of specimens,” said Millikan, who is also a prolific collector of Civil War artifacts. “I began to read about all of Mr. Jefferson’s scientific interests.
“When I purchased part of the petrified tusk of a mammoth,” he said, “the collector bug had bitten and I determined to collect duplicates of as many of the scientific instruments, specimens, and objects in Mr. Jefferson’s inventory at Monticello as I could. The results of that collecting interest are presented in this exhibit.”
In the exhibition are an 18th-century electric-generating machine, surveyor’s equipment, telescopes, maps, and a replica of a painted buffalo robe given by the Mandan Indians to Lewis and Clark, who sent it to Jefferson.
Specially featured is a pair of Country Chippendale chairs that were made to Jefferson’s order for him at the joinery at Monticello.
All other pieces are duplicates of items that Jefferson owned. The originals are found at Monticello, the University of Virginia, and the PeabodyMuseum at HarvardUniversity.
“It is my hope that the exhibit will add to the education, inspiration, and enrichment of this community and the surrounding area,” Millikan said. “I believe it to be a unique look at an often overlooked facet of one of our most diverse and complex founding fathers,” he said.
Here is the remaining lineup of documentaries:
♦ Sept. 7: “Monticello: Home of Thomas Jefferson.”
♦ Sept. 21: “Saving the National Treasures,” an account of how a team of conservators, engineers and historians worked to save the Declaration of Independence and other original documents that are being ravaged by time.
KVCC’s want-ad, bartering network in full swing
The Office of Human Resources’ web page contains a want-ad system to link KVCC folks with their colleagues in the sharing of talent, knowledge, skills, goods and services.
The “KVCC Swap Meet” provides a forum to barter goods (made or grown) and to post information about services that can be provided -- painting, sewing, computer assistance, etc.
It can also be used to post an announcement about services or goods that are being sought.
There are four categories on the site: Services Needed, Services for Hire, Goods Needed, and Goods for Sale.
This site is for KVCC employees only and is intended as a way for employees to network with each other for trade or sale purposes.
KVCC will not be responsible for any transactions or the satisfaction of either party, and will not enter into dispute resolution.
“KVCC Swap Meet” is housed on the Human Resources website under Quick Links.
To post a service or item, just click Post Ad, select the appropriate category, complete the online form and click submit.
Co-workers will be able to view the posting by the next business day.
It is requested that the postings be made during non-working hours.
Among the services for hire are carpet cleaning, floor covering, sewing, dog boarding, legal services, knitting, and arranging for live music at events.
The inventory of goods for sale includes cosmetics, air conditioners, a car, a food dehydrator, horse bits, a collection of cigar boxes, and scrapbook supplies.
Among other items that are available or being sought are a cadre of volunteers for a fund-raiser, the notice of a garage sale, free puppies and kittens, free vegetables, a time share for a vacation, a swap of plants, and a large dog house.
The KVCC’ers who are using the “Swap Meet” include Jermaine Clark, Lynn Berkey, Nancy Conrad, Sue Nemedi, Nick Meier, Becky Herington, Nick Rankin, Kathleen Cook, Lisa Blewett, Kim Campbell, Jennie Huff, Simonny Breviglieri, Lori McCormick, Lynne Morrison, Diane Vandenberg, Ron Adams, Mary Lawrence, Kelley Asta, Kathy Godin, and Candy Horton.
The fatal trek of Kalamazoo’s Arctic pioneer
The story of the 19th-century Kalamazooan whose name is on the roster of explorers who died on treks to the Arctic in the name of science is the opening installment of the KalamazooValleyMuseum’s “Sunday Series” 2008-09 presentations about the history of Southwest Michigan.