October 18, 2016
Welcome to the October edition of News & Views. Although Fall officially arrived late last
month, the most recent weather had been anything but autumn-like, with temperatures steadily
holding in the 80s and grass still growing steadily as leaves begin to intermittently drop from the
trees.
Speaking of fall, Beloit College recently published its annual Mindset List, which provides a look
at the cultural influences that have shaped the lives of students entering college, this year being
the class of 2020. According to the Beloit website, we have experienced the NOW generation…
and are squarely facing the RIGHT NOW generation! This fall’s entering college students were
born in 1998 and cannot remember a time when they had to wait for anything. They also can’t
recall a time when the United States was not at war, or when someone named Bush or Clinton
was not running for office.
Dr. Ray Cummiskey
[email protected]
In their lifetimes they have always had eBay and iMacs, and India and Pakistan have always had
the bomb. The Sopranos and SpongeBob SquarePants have always been part of popular culture,
Gretzky and Elway have always been retired, and Vladimir Putin has always been in charge in
the Kremlin.
“They know that they’re going to have to wait for that first breakthrough job and getting their
school loans paid off,” said Tom McBride, one of the List’s authors. “They’re an impatient
generation learning how to be patient.”
The complete Mindset List for 2016 can be viewed online.
Listening…Acting…Moving Forward
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Town Hall meeting earlier this month, or who
took the time to stop by or email me their thoughts and concerns. Using those comments and
feedback submitted from our three constituent groups, it’s time to begin the hard work of collectively
identifying and implementing solutions in a positive fashion, rather than continuing to dwell on
problems.
The next step in this process is the appointment of a Task Force through the President’s Leadership
Council and the Quality Work Environment Task Force. Membership will be confirmed in the near
future. The focus of this group will be to work with me to develop solutions to issues raised during
our Town Hall meeting and through constituent groups. Undoubtedly, this is an important initiative
and I appreciate everyone who is willing to help us address these and other issues that impede trust,
shared governance, and open communication.
I have asked Jim Reeves, moderator of the Town Hall, to work with the Task Force as a facilitator as
necessary. Our first meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 25, at 2:30 in the Viking Room, in lieu
of the October PLC meeting, which will be cancelled.
1
Related to the issue of trust and transparency, I want to remind everyone that minutes from the
weekly Administrative Team meetings are now posted in MyJeffco under the Employee and Faculty
tabs. As employees (regardless of position, title or length of service), each of us has the responsibility
to be actively involved in the communication process by attending committee and constituent
meetings, reading minutes/summaries, reviewing Board of Trustees agendas, presenting potential
solutions for improvement, and sharing information with fellow employees.
Monthly President’s Leadership Council meetings are also open to everyone as a means of sharing
important institutional information, so feel free to attend whenever your schedule allows. The next
meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 29, at 2:30 in the Student Center Viking Room.
I am strongly committed to addressing concerns as they impact all of the college’s employees—not
merely complaints limited to a single individual or personal issues. We will explore all possible
avenues to resolve commonly expressed concerns…working together.
Thank You: Here’s a Pat on the Back
The Pat-on-the-Back (POB) program is an employee-recognition initiative sponsored by the
Employee Support Committee. POB cards are available online and next to specially designated
boxes around campus. When an employee goes above-and-beyond, a co-worker, supervisor,
student, or community member can fill out a card to give them a “pat-on-the-back” in
recognition.
In addition to News and Views, nominees are recognized on the Employee Tab of MyJeffco and
entered into a quarterly drawing for a $25 Visa gift card.
The following individuals received a Pat-on-the-Back nominations for September:
Beverly Meyers, Lora Warner, Donna Allen-Freese, Matt West, Patti Bone, Justin Dean, Marie
Self, Lisa Deevers, Stacey Wilson, Alex Buxton, Sheryl Zysk, Michelle Cobb, Vicky Sebold,
Deneen Mains, Sue Lerch, Miriam Rouggly, Shannon Meyer, Michelle Conway, Sara Denny,
Stacy Dean, Amanda McKay, Chris Lile, Gregg Crain, Ashley Mangrich, Lisa Vinyard, Richard
Stephenson, Meghan Lucas, Anita Nobles, Lisa Pritchard, Scott Merseal, Trisha Aumann, Tina
Jokerst, Suzie Welch, Beth Clack, Joel Vanderheyden, Dave
Leonard, Allan Wamsley, Amanda McCarty, Tina Robinson,
Patty McDaniel, Douglas Hale, and Lauren Murphy. Special
POB received: Recruit Angelina Sansone-Dunphy, Peter
Nystrom, and the Buildings and Grounds/Maintenance
Department. Thank you for all that you do for Jefferson
College!
Congratulations to all those who received nominations for
the month of September and to Matt West for winning the
Visa gift card for the 1st quarter drawing. His POB stated,
“Matt went out of his way to give a prospective student a firstrate tour of the CIM classrooms and thorough information
about the CIM program. He spent his personal time giving the
prospective student and his parents VIP treatment, which they
very much appreciated. Thank you, Matt!”
The next drawing will be held in January 2017 for the months of October, November, and
December.
2
October 2016
All monthly agenda items and detailed supporting materials are posted online via the BoardDocs
site accessible through MyJeffco under the Employee tab > President’s Office and from the
Jefferson College website homepage by clicking on Welcome > About Jefferson College > Board
of Trustees links.
Items approved were:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Consent Agenda Items (Minutes, Financial Statements, Faculty Load, and Curriculum)
Appointment - Board Administration Team (BAT)
Appointment - Board of Trustees Budget Review Sub-Committee
Ratification of Emergency Electrical Repair
Purchase of Baseball Field Bleachers (FY17 Capital Project –Strategic Planning Committee)
Waiver of Internal Testing and Posting Fees for ITT Students
Revision - Board of Trustees Policy II-011.07, Leaves of Absence: Personal Leave (Rules
Suspended and Passed on First Reading)
In Person or Online: Board Meetings Open to All
Upcoming meetings of the Board of Trustees are scheduled for November 10 (5:30 p.m.) and
December 8 (5:30 p.m.) on the Hillsboro campus. Anyone may attend…of course you can also
follow along in live time online.
3
College’s Excellence Is Reflected in Excellent
Achievements
Thank you to everyone who has been involved in the effort to support displaced ITT students
following the school’s sudden closure in September. To date, Jefferson College is the only
institution that has been granted permission by the Missouri State Board of Nursing to create a
“teach out” plan for up to 20 students who were on the verge of completing their degree at ITT.
Beyond the impact of local residents, word has spread about this and we are getting calls from
students in places as far away as Oklahoma about our plan. These are just some of the things
being done by Jefferson College (and the Foundation) to assist ITT students from an academic
and financial basis. Great job!
I want to thank all the College employees involved in bringing and supporting the 9/11 Never
Forget mobile exhibit to Jefferson College a few weeks ago. The response and attendance
(estimated between 10,000-12,000 visitors) was phenomenal. I want to give special recognition
to Betty Boyer and Jim Bringer for their hard work as event co-chairs, as well as to the
Foundation for providing some of the funding. The interest in the event and the attention the
College received was remarkable!
Thank you to Assistant Nursing Professor Louise Jadwisiak and Assistant Sociology Professor
Suzie Welch for their work with the Buildings and Grounds department to place trauma kits
around campus near fire extinguishers. Louise discussed the project during a presentation to the
Board of Trustees last week.
A great big thank you to Sandy Davis, Teresa Schwartz, Donna AllenFreese, and many others across campus who were instrumental in
the College’s winning the 2016 Active Minds Healthy Campus Award
as one of the healthiest college campuses in the nation. We are only
higher education institution in Missouri and the only community
college in the U.S. to be acknowledged. This recognition reflects
the collective efforts of our staff and faculty and many resource
partnerships to create a supportive campus environment where
comprehensive well-being is a priority. I hope you will attend the award ceremony and
celebration this Thursday, October 20, from 4-6 p.m. in the Viking Room to share in this
campus-wide honor.
Congratulations to all ATS and CTE faculty and staff for a successful Manufacturing Day last
week. Over 150 high school students participated in a full day of activities, including table top
exhibits, manufacturer’s panel, and tour of area manufacturing sites in Jefferson County.
4
Kudos to the Foundation Board, as well as Patti Christen, Marie Jennewein,
Mike Kumpf, and all the members of the Foundation Golf Committee for
their hard work this past month—the Golf tournament was great and raised
over $22,000 to provide scholarships, emergency loans, assistance with
textbook costs, and support of other programs and projects to directly
benefit our students.
Thank you to ATS Building Trades Associate Professor Chuck Nitsch for showing off the nearly
completed house construction project and to Chef Garrett Miller and our College Culinary Arts
students for providing a great meal prior to last week’s Board of Trustees meeting. Thank you for
your commitment to our students.
Dr. Joel Vanderheyden, Associate Music Professor, was interviewed recently on the local NPR
affiliate about his band Koplant No.
As God Looked On, a literary novel edited by Associate English Professor Amy Call, was
reviewed in the prestigious literary publication, Kirkus Review.
Art Professor Blake Carroll’s artwork was displayed at the recent Art St. Louis exhibition
“Serendipity,” as well as the current exhibition “Mix Tape” (through October 27).
Feel Free to Call, Email, Stop By
You’ve read it before and I sincerely mean it: anyone who has questions, suggestions
or concerns are welcome to stop by my office, call me at extension 3100, or email me at
[email protected] at any time. Thanks to those who have recently taken advantage of my
longstanding “open door” policy.
P.S. The college will be closed in observance of Veterans Day on Friday, November 11, during
which time the Avenue of Flags will be on display near the Jefferson County Veterans Memorial
on the Hillsboro campus coordinated by the Korean War Veterans Association. Speaking of
Veterans Day, thank you to Gerard Uhls and Bradley Berrey and our Automotive Technology
students who will once again be participating in the annual free oil changes for veterans
program at area Meineke stores.
5