TO:
DCCCD Board Members
FROM:
Dr. Wright L. Lassiter, Jr.
DATE:
October 12, 2012
RE:
Weekend Memo #301
WHEN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS INVITES YOU TO JOIN,
SHOULD YOU?
I make a practice of advising colleagues when they are seeking an opportunity to serve
on a community-service board of directors. My first words of advice are that one’s reputation
can be enhanced by service on a community-based governing board, and there can be rewards.
The next words of advice relate to whether the mission and purpose of the organization
are congruent with one’s interests and background. One should never rush to say “Yes” just to
be able to say “I am now on a board of directors.” What follows are four factors that I ask my
mentees to consider before accepting a board service invitation.
Mission. Does the board have a well-defined mission? If not, you may be signing up to
spend a lot of time at meetings that lead nowhere. Find out what actions, if any, the board has
already taken in pursuit of its strategic goals. Have these goals changed over time? If so, why?
Alignment. The board may have very clear goals, but if they do not fit your personal
and professional values, neither side will get what it needs from your membership. Get to
know the people with whom you will be serving. Will you be comfortable dealing with them
and supporting your objectives?
Time Commitment. The meeting schedule is one factor. But whether you get together
monthly or quarterly, find out how much preparation will be expected, how long meetings
typically last, and where they are held. Remember that your primary responsibility is still to
your own organization. Do not join a board that requires you to ignore your primary
responsibilities.
Ethics. These days, you could become entangled in the mistakes and misdeeds of
fellow board members, even if you have done nothing wrong yourself. Find out what policies
the board has regarding ethical issues and decide for yourself whether other board members
are trustworthy and honest.
As the old saying goes, “the fields are white with opportunity and there are many needs
to be met by new talent on the board.” Just perform appropriate due diligence before saying
“Yes.” Food for thought, colleagues.
Cedar Valley College
Our Faculty — The Cedar Valley College fall recital series is well under way. The recital series started
in fall 1977 as part of degree plan requirements for music students. Performances by guest artists,
Cedar Valley College Music faculty and performing ensembles, and individual music students taking
applied lessons on an instrument or in voice. A recital is held each Wednesday during the fall
semester at 1:00 p.m. in the Cedar Valley College Performance Hall and is free and open to the public.
The recital series is part of faculty member/music coordinator Roger Dismore’s course load. Dismore
books the guest artists and negotiates their performance contracts, plans the schedule of recitals for
the semester and participates in dress rehearsals for student recitals. The majority of the recitals are
commercial in nature, due to the large enrollment of primarily commercial music students. Cedar
Valley College music students perform at least once each semester at the recital series, with some
performing up to three or four times in combination with other students. Some performing
ensembles, such as the Cedar Valley College Vocal Ensemble and the Lab Band, also perform off
campus when requested. For example, last spring the Cedar Valley College Lab Band performed at
the University of North Texas at Dallas. The Lab Band, Keyboard Ensemble and Vocal Ensemble
also performed at the Meyerson Symphony Center, along with headliners Wayman Tisdale and Kirk
Whalum. The fall recital series is posted on the Cedar Valley College website:
www.cedarvalleycollege.edu.
Our Alumni — Cedar Valley College alum and Family Music Theatre veteran John Campione is one
of the stars of Hello Again, being performed at the Dallas Theater Center, October 5th-21st.
Campione, an outstanding student and recipient of many awards from the Cedar Valley College
Music Department, received a full scholarship to Southern Methodist University. After working in
musical theatre in New York City, Campione has returned to the Dallas area.
Our Staff — Cedar Valley College supported and participated in the Lancaster Chamber of
Commerce Duffer’s Derby Golf Tournament at Country View Golf Club on October 8th.
Proceeds from the event will help fund educational programs for children to assist them in
becoming contributing members of tomorrow’s workforce. The motto for the tournament was
“Today’s Youth - Tomorrow’s Leaders.” The team members were Cedar Valley College’s Bob
Stewart and Azil Tipps (advisors) and Monroe Mayes (Continuing Education), along with
community member Andrew Jackson. Before the start of the tournament, Bob Stewart and Jonas
Young (Cedar Valley College Testing Center) helped in the bag drop area.
Our Campus — The Cedar Valley College Family Music Theatre, which is celebrating its 20th
anniversary season, will present one of the greatest family musicals of all time, The Wizard of Oz,
October 12-13th, 19-20th and 26-27th. With music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg,
The Wizard of Oz features many memorable melodies, such as “Over the Rainbow,” “Munchkinland”
(Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead), “We’re Off to See the Wizard” (Follow the Yellow Brick Road),
“The Merry Old Land of Oz” and “If I Were King of the Forest.” Tickets are now sale at the Cedar
Valley College Business Office (Building L). For more information, visit
http://www.cedarvalleycollege.edu/fmt.
El Centro College
At the recent National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges (NN2) 25th
Annual Conference in Annapolis, MD, Dr. LaCheeta McPherson and Sondra Flemming were coawarded the first NN2 Janell Lang Leadership Award for their service to NN2 on a national level.
The award was named in memory of a former president of NN2 who passed away shortly after
leaving office. McPherson and Flemming have each served as president of NN2 and also the
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Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Going to the State Fair of Texas? Before you feast on beer-fried Oreo burritos and the food coma
sets in, be sure to stop by the Texas Discovery Gardens (inside Fair Park) where metal artwork from
current and former welding students of El Centro College Bill J. Priest Campus awaits you! Keeping
up the tradition of partnership with the Fair that has blossomed over the past four years, students
have designed pieces with science and nature themes, and have worked with the Texas Discovery
Gardens staff to create installations that complement the natural beauty of the outdoor exhibits. Al
Valdez, Jesse Palmer, Colby Nash and Diane Van Buren are some of the students showing works that
range in size from skee-ball to Big Tex, and instructors Byron Zarrabi and Chris Wood have
contributed pieces as well. This kind of collaboration between students and community members in
the Cedars neighborhood and South Dallas area is emblematic of a number of ongoing projects in the
welding program. (See the Bill J. Priest Industrial Arts and Technology Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bill-J-Priest-Industrial-Arts-and-Technology/311493193294.) If
you are curious about exploring your own talents in metalworking or would simply like to take a tour
of the shop — the most technologically advanced environment to learn the trade in the DFW area,
contact Byron Zarrabi at 214.860.5880.
The first national Health Professions Pathways (H2P) Consortium Grant meeting was attended by
El Centro College’s Dr. LaCheeta McPherson, Pyeper Wilkins, Iris Freemon, David Barrientos,
Paulla Sandoval, Dianna Drury, Beenah Moshay and Sondra Flemming. The consortium is made up
of nine community colleges that received a $19 million Department of Labor (DOL) grant to
address health career pathways. Also, the National Advisory Committee for the H2P Consortium
Grant met at the same time. Dr. Paul McCarthy, president of El Centro College, is on the
committee with representatives from other community colleges, business and industry, such as ACT
(American College Test), American National Standards Movement, The American Nurses
Association and The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions. McPherson, executive
dean/Health and Legal Studies, and Flemming, vice president/Health and Economic Development,
were the featured speakers on core curriculum for health programs. One major focus of the grant is
a national core curriculum pathway for health programs; El Centro College is serving as the national
model and will be working with the DOL, etc. to provide a possible national model.
The Dallas/Fort Worth District Encore Entrepreneur Mentor Day Mini Fair held October 2nd at the
Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development served to promote entrepreneurship for the encore
entrepreneur. Many factors contributed to the huge success of the event, which was attended by more
than a hundred individuals. The large pool of knowledgeable resource partners from the Small
Business Administration, Small Business Development Center, Service Core of Retired Executives,
and North Texas Association of Guaranteed Lenders, and a very diverse panel of encore
entrepreneurs shared stories of how they achieved their successes. Panelist statements like “Don’t
give up,” and the emphasis of perseverance and keeping one’s core strong served as mantras for the
day.
Mountain View College
The Career Services Department at Mountain View College will host the fall 2012 Job Fair on
October 24th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the West Campus Building. There will be more than
30 employers at the fair to explore career opportunities with students and the greater community.
This year’s Job Fair will include a drawing for a $300 scholarship, which will be applied towards
spring 2013 tuition at Mountain View College. For more information, call 214.860.8677 or
214.860.8561.
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Save the date! On November 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mountain View College will hold an
Adjunct Faculty Job Fair in the Economic and Workforce Development Building (B Building). For
more information, please call 214.860.8703 or visit www.mountainviewcollege.edu.
Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School at Mountain View College
The front page of The Dallas Morning News Neighborsgo - Best Southwest Edition for October 5th
featured a story on the many accomplishments of Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School
at Mountain View College. Earlier this year, the school was named winner of the National Center of
Urban School Transformation’s 2012 Excellence in Urban Education Award among high schools.
The school is only one of three in the country to receive the award, which recognizes academically
high-performing urban schools serving low-income communities. Approximately 86 percent of
Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School students are eligible for free or reduced-price
lunch programs. Principal Dr. Janice Lombardi credits the school’s magnet image to its rank among
15 percent of Dallas ISD schools to meet the state’s average yearly progress standards; its 100
percent graduation rate since it opened; and last year’s 98.9 percent attendance rate. To view the full
article, go to http://www.neighborsgo.com/blogs/6/87829. (See attached article.)
Eastfield College
Enabling Employee Success — At the Texas Community College Instructional Leadership (TCCIL)
2012 Conference in Austin, Dr. Lindle Grigsby, Eastfield College dean, Career/Technical
Programming, was named the first recipient of TCCIL’s Leadership Award. Hereafter, the name of
the award will be the Dr. Lindle Grigsby Leadership Award. TCCIL is an “umbrella” association
made up of members from the Texas Administrators of Continuing Education (TACE), Texas
Community College Instructional Administrators (TCCIA) [vice presidents of instruction], and
Texas Association of College Technical Educators (TACTE) [technical deans]. Members of these
three associations represent the administration of community college instruction and develop plans
to promote community college instructional activities. Grigsby has served as TCCIL conference
planning coordinator since the association’s inception in 2004. He served as president of TACE
from 1991 to 1993; prior to that, he was vice president and the chair of numerous committees.
Grigsby served TACTE in various capacities, including chair of the Continuing Education
Committee and, after that, secretary. He served as TACTE president from 2003 to 2005 and past
president for two subsequent years; in 2007, he became the volunteer executive director and
continues to serve in that capacity.
Art Sykes, Eastfield College director of College Facilities Management, was inducted into the
Wadsworth High School Hall of Fame in Wadsworth, OH on October 5th. The 1954 graduate
lettered in football, basketball and baseball, and was a member of the National Honor Society,
Choir, Glee Club and Barbershop Quartet. Sykes is a graduate of Bowling Green State University
with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After military service, he worked one year at the Department of
Defense and two years for the Social Security Administration. Sykes has been an outstanding AfroAmerican pioneer in social, business and academic areas. He began his career in college facilities
management in 1982 and has been active in local, state and national facilities management
organizations from which he has received many meritorious awards.
Meeting Community Educational Needs — As part of Hispanic Heritage Month at Eastfield College, a
lecture and mini-art show were presented by local artist Marty Ruiz (October 8th) and a fall recital
series performance featured the University of North Texas Latin Jazz Ensemble under the direction
of José Aponte (October 10th). This 10-member ensemble is recognized nationally. Aponte, a
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native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, is a graduate of the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico and
Musicians Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at
the University of North Texas. Hispanic Heritage Month events and presentations will continue
throughout October sponsored by the Eastfield College Arts, Language and Literature Division;
Social Science, Human Services and Business Division; and Office of Student Life.
Eastfield College Gallery 219 is featuring the “Las Manos Negras: Territories” exhibit through
November 2nd. Lakewood neighborhood residents Scott Gleeson and Dane Larsen, along with
Justin Shull, developed the exhibit, which is a controversial art project on immigration and
workplace injustice in North Texas. In August 2011, Gleeson partnered with Larsen (who speaks
fluent Spanish) to establish “Las Manos Negras: Territories” as an aesthetic response to published
reports on Texas construction industry labor violations and the passage into law of TX SB 1024.
For this effort, the artists were awarded a coveted 2012 Idea Fund grant from The Andy Warhol
Foundation for the Visual Arts. The exhibit marks the project’s first anniversary and features a
collection of texts, graphics and audio that maps the effects of border politics within the spaces of
self, neighborhood and city.
Brookhaven College
Each semester, Daniel Rodrigue, Brookhaven College Journalism and Photography professor,
dedicates one class period in his Photography classes to the use of instant film. Students who are
used to having hundreds of chances to take a photo with a digital camera gain a different perspective
from shooting with very limited number of images that generate an instant result. This year, he
invited Justin Goode, professional photographer and instant film fan, to speak to the class. Goode
contacted The Impossible Project (the company that now makes film for Polaroid cameras) about
his upcoming guest lecture and the company sent cameras and hundreds of dollars worth of film for
the students to use that day. Goode took the student’s photos and scanned and posted them to his
blog; he also tweeted about the lecture. The Impossible Project USA Team retweeted the posts and
photos to its more than 14,000 followers. Goode’s blog post can be viewed at
http://goodephotography.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/spreadin-the-love-of-impossible-project-film-at-brookhavencollege/.
The work done by students in the Geospatial Technology Program at Brookhaven College will soon
serve as a resource for educational programs around the country. George Dailey, Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) in Schools program manager for Esri, has asked Scott Sires, Brookhaven
College GIS Technologies professor, if the company may use the college’s ArcGIS Online public
gallery as a reference site for other institutions or public entities interested in leveraging the tools of
GIS for public projects. Esri is the maker of geographic information systems software used
throughout the world for mapping, modeling and analyzing data.
The Office of Student Life and the Institute for Political Studies partnered to bring José Angel
Gutierrez, Ph.D., J.D., associate professor of Political Science at The University of Texas at
Arlington and licensed attorney, to Brookhaven College to discuss Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA). The event was just one piece of the college’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage
Month. On October 16th, Student Life has coordinated a DREAMers Immigration Workshop for
students who might benefit from DACA. On October 9th, cultural performances included a
celebration of Latin heritage through dance with the Ollimpaxqui Ballet Company. On October
11th, the first production for fall from Theatre Brookhaven opened (which focuses on issues of
immigration) and also the play, ¿De Dónde?, by Mary Gallagher.
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Aamir Ashiqali, principal of Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, invited Marilyn K. Lynch,
Brookhaven College associate vice president for Career and Program Resources, to Governor Rick
Perry’s news conference at the high school, October 2nd. Gov. Perry used his time at the school to
announce his intentions to focus on accessibility, accountability and affordability in higher
education. It is fitting that Lynch represented Brookhaven College at this event at Thomas Jefferson
High School, as the college has focused outreach efforts towards the school for several years with
presentations to seniors about college applications and what to expect in college, and preparation for
Free Application for Federal Student Aid. To view an article about Gov. Perry’s news conference,
go to
http://www.dallasisd.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=769&ViewID=047E6BE36D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=15720&PageID=2704.
North Lake College
Our Students — On October 9th, North Lake College students enjoyed a campus visit from MEGA
107.5 FM radio personality and motivational speaker “Shoboy” in celebration of Hispanic Heritage
Month hosted by the Student Life Center. Attendees were entertained and informed by “Shoboy’s”
inspirational presentation.
Our Community — The North Lake College Department of Career Services hosted the fall Job Fair
on October 10th in the Student Life Center. Approximately 350 job seekers completed registration
forms for the opportunity to speak with representatives from 48 companies. Each hour of the fair,
a drawing for a $500 scholarship to North Lake College was conducted, for a total of $2,000 to four
job seekers. The event was sponsored by Volt Workforce Solutions, FedEx, GEICO, Kelly
Services, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, OmniAmerican Bank, and Parkland Health & Hospital
System.
Our Community and Our Employees — “HATS of HOPE” is a display of hats worn by North Lake
College Speech faculty member Dr. Linda Long at the annual Joanie Hatcher Memorial Luncheon.
For many years, this luncheon was sponsored by Jim Hatcher to honor his wife’s memory and legacy
as a person who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Through Mr. Hatcher’s generosity, anyone who
had been diagnosed with breast cancer could attend the luncheon at no cost. Held in the grand
ballroom of a local hotel, it was not unusual for 1200 to 1500 people to attend. To ease the selfconsciousness of persons who might currently be in treatment and, therefore, bald, attendees were
encouraged to wear hats to the luncheon. A prize was given for the biggest hat, the pinkest hat, and
the most whimsical hat. Each of the hats on display won in one of those categories. The hats were
created by Long’s husband, Ralph. “HATS of HOPE” will be exhibited in the North Lake College
“J” Hall Gallery display cases throughout the month of October, which is National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month.
Our Employees — North Lake College’s Lee Echols, Jr., adjunct Mathematics faculty member, has
been appointed by the Fort Worth City Council to the Board of Adjustment - Commercial and the
Fort Worth Alliance Airport Board of Adjustment. Echols’ terms on the nine-member boards
began September 9, 2012 and will continue through October 1, 2014. Echols is also a coach and
assists with the North Lake College Blazer basketball team.
District Service Center
Eddie Tealer, district director of Business Services, was recently invited by the College of Business at
the University of Dallas (UD) to join a select group of alumni who will meet with a visiting peer
review team as the college seeks to become an accredited member of The Association to Advance
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Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). Founded in 1916, AACSB International is
the oldest accrediting body for academic business schools and is widely considered the benchmark
for business school quality in higher education. Tealer earned his master’s degree in
Management/Corporate Finance from UD in 2004 and is a member of Sigma Iota Epsilon, a
national honorary and professional management fraternity. He also serves as an adjunct instructor
in UD’s College of Business where he teaches Managerial Finance at the graduate level.
Clyde Porter, associate vice chancellor of Facilities, was the closing keynote speaker at the Inaugural
Strength Through Diverse-Cities Multicultural Summit held September 21st-22nd in Dallas. Hosted
by The American Institute of Architects, the summit was created to promote action needed to
achieve diversity and inclusion in the profession of architecture.
DCCCD was a silver-level sponsor for the Community College Business Officers (CCBO) 30th
Annual International Conference held September 29th-October 2nd in Orlando, FL. Ed DesPlas,
DCCCD executive vice chancellor for Business Affairs, served as president-elect and conference
chair for 2011-12. He was elected president of CCBO during the group’s annual business meeting.
El Centro College’s David Browning, vice president of Business Services, and Elsy Carranza,
assistant director for the Business Office, presented “No Limits to Benefits Between Friends:
DCCCD and DART.” J.D. Haight, associate district director of Information Technology, presented
“Baselining Your Security Obligations – Developing Good IT Security Posture.” Other attendees
from DCCCD included: Sharon Davis, Mountain View College vice president of
Business Services; Shannon Weaver, North Lake College interim vice president of Business Services;
Kate Kelley, District Service Center director of Human Services; Denise Zackery, LeCroy Center
executive dean of Financial Affairs; Adrian Douglas, Eastfield College vice president of Business
Services; and Theresa Rose, executive assistant to the DCCCD executive vice chancellor for
Business Affairs. Congratulations to Elsy Carranza and Shannon Weaver, who both graduated from
the two-year CCBO Leadership Academy!
Richland College
Sustainable Community Building — “Social Equity and Justice” and “Economic Viability” — Rich
Krause, who graduated from Richland College in 1991 with an Associate in Applied Science - Small
Business Management degree, was recently elected to the City Council in Heath, TX. Krause, a
program manager for L-3 Communications, also earned Bachelor of Science in Human
Relations/Business Management and Master of Business Administration degrees from Amberton
University.
Student Success — Congratulations to J.A. Dalley, Richland College/Richland Collegiate High School
graduate, who recently had his first novel (The Zochtil) in his science fiction Almek Manning series
published. The series is about Almek Manning, an 18-year-old living in the bombed-out ruins of
London, who has a dream to reach for the stars and interstellar space. Dalley simultaneously earned
his high school diploma and Associate of Science degree in May 2010. He is currently working on
the second and third novels in the series and has just released The Zochtil in audio book format.
Employee Success — Congratulations to Richland College’s Heather Appleby, Physics professor; Bryan
Gibbs, Geology professor; and Dr. Polly Schulle, Mathematics professor, on their recent
appointments as 2012-13 DCCCD STEM Institute CITI Faculty Fellows. They were selected for
demonstrated experience in their fields, proven desire to work with students and recommendations
from Dr. Ray Canham, Richland College executive dean, School of Mathematics, Science and Health
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Professions. They will attend the STEM orientation reception to engage with DCCCD STEM
Scholars and Faculty Fellows Institute mentees with whom they will work during their fellowship.
Institutional Effectiveness — Richland College initiated the fall pilot of its 2013 Quality Enhancement
Plan (QEP), “Learning to Learn: Developing Learning Power,” in three History 1301 sections
taught by Dr. John Trickel, Dr. Clive Siegal and Nicole Coffelt. Students in the selected classes
recently completed the initial Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI) and received feedback
regarding their scores on the seven dimensions of learning power. These same students will retake
ELLI at the end of the fall semester to see if the learning power techniques to which they have been
introduced during the semester have improved their performances, with particular emphasis on the
two learning dimensions of Critical Curiosity and Meaning Making.
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