TO:
DCCCD Board Members
FROM:
Dr. Wright L. Lassiter, Jr.
DATE:
February 19, 2010
RE:
Weekend Memo #179
POEMS FOR REFLECTION
At my church we engage in a period of fasting at the beginning of each New Year. For 2008 this
experience was for 21 days; for 2009 it was for 30 days and for the current year the fasting period
is 40 days.
During those periods we have a very restrictive diet, we engage in the careful reading of an
assigned book, we deepen our prayer and devotional periods. We also heighten our periods of
reflection and meditation. During one of my periods of reflection, I came across three poems that
touched me and I thought that they may interest my DCCCD colleagues. They are offered for your
consideration as this week’s commentary.
When Someone Deeply Listens To you
When someone deeply listens to you
it is like holding out a dented cup
you’ve had since childhood and
watching it fill up with
cold, fresh, water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin,
you are loved.
When someone deeply listens to you,
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote
your first poem
begins to flow in your mind’s eye.
It is as if God has been discovered!
When someone deeply listens to you,
your bare feet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home with you.
(John Fox)
A Far Deeper Hope
There are two kinds of hope.
First, the hope of success,
which gives man daring,
and helps them win against odds.
That isn’t the best sort of hope,
it’s dangerous like drug-taking.
You must keep on increasing the dose,
and blind-folding your reason.
Men who do it are buoyant,
self-confident,
but some of their integrity is lost.
The best kind of hope is not about success
in this or that undertaking,
it’s far deeper;
hence when things go against you,
it isn’t destroyed.
It is hope about the nature
and future of man and the universe.
(Clarence Day)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dale Witherington penned a poem that he called “The Lifebuilder’s Creed.” In part this is what it
says:
Today is the most important day of my life.
Yesterday with its successes and victories, struggles and failures, is gone forever.
The year is past. Done. Finished.
I cannot relive it. I cannot go back and change it.
But I will learn from it and improve my Today.
Today. This moment. NOW.
It is God’s gift to me and it is all that I have.
Tomorrow with all its joys and sorrows, triumphs, and
troubles aren’t here yet.
Indeed, tomorrow may never come.
Therefore, I will not worry about tomorrow.
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Today is what God has entrusted to me.
It is all that I have. I will do my best in it.
I will demonstrate the best of me in it –
my character, giftedness, and abilities –
to my family and friends, clients and associates.
I will identify those things that are most important
to do Today,
and those things I will do until they are done.
And when this day is done
I will look back with satisfaction at that
which I have accomplished.
Then and only then, will I plan my tomorrow.
Looking to improve upon Today, with God’s help.
Then I shall go to sleep in peace . . . content.
Food for reflection, meditation and careful thought, my friends.
District Administrative Office
Snow and cold could not keep away determined students and parents who wanted to participate in a Tech
Prep Career and Technology Fair on Saturday, February 13th. The collaborative event, presented by the
DCCCD Tech Prep office and Richland College, was coordinated by Lisa Gref of Richland College and
Tanisha Shorter from the district office. The objective of the fair was to educate high school students,
parents and counselors about DCCCD’s technical programs, career pathways and opportunities.
Students and parents were able to talk to representatives from six technical programs, Richland College’s
Career Center, advising, admissions, Rising Star and financial aid offices.
Eastfield College
A picture taken by Jamison Hammett, an Eastfield College student, is featured on the Big Thicket
Association (BTA) web page at http://www.bigthicket.org/. This will be sent to all BTA members and
it is read nationally. Hammett took the picture when he was a participant of the college’s Summer
Institute in 2009. The BTA, a 501(c) (3) organization founded in 1964, was formed to save remnants of
the once extensive historic Big Thicket forests with its remarkable diversity. The association’s efforts led
to the establishment of the Big Thicket National Preserve in 1974 (a National Park System Unit, the first
National Preserve). Threats to the fledgling preserve have proliferated over the years and in 2003 the
preserve was designated by the National Parks Conservation Association as one of America’s ten most
endangered national parks, and in 2007 the Neches River (part of the preserve) was named by the
American Rivers Association as one of America’s most endangered rivers. (See article attached.)
On February 10th, Eastfield College presented the mathematics outreach and dissemination tool known
as “Calculus: The Musical.” This is a one-hour play produced by the Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Ohio.
The play is a comic review of the concepts and history of calculus. Two professional actors, Jae Boley
and Sean Powell, use musical parodies that range from light opera to hip-hop. One-hundred high school
juniors and seniors from Bishop Lynch, Skyline and Samuell High Schools attended the production,
along with over 100 college students, faculty, and staff. This performance was a collaboration of the
NSF STEP Program, the Division of College Readiness, and the Division of Science and Physical
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Education. Exit opinion surveys gave the musical high marks. The mission of the performance was to
attract mathematics majors to the college.
Cathy Night, an Eastfield College student, has been selected as one of five to represent the DCCCD in
the League for Innovation National Exhibition in Print. Her work, “Smart Water,” Polaroid transfers on water
bottles will appear in a catalog of all selected works for the national exhibition which will be released in
the fall of 2010. The jurors for this regional competition were the artist collaborative team of M.K.
Semos and Hugo Garcia-Urrutia. The League is an international organization dedicated to catalyzing the
community college movement. It hosts conferences and institutes, develops web resources, conducts
research, produces publications, provides services, and lead projects and initiatives with its member
colleges, corporate partners, and other agencies in a continuing efforts to make a positive difference for
students and communities.
Eastfield College is one of three colleges in the DCCCD that has received a $987,302 grant titled
“DCCCD Child Care Quality Initiative” from Workforce Solutions for Dallas County - stimulus funds
provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestments Act. Eastfield, Brookhaven and Cedar Valley
Colleges are collaborating this spring on the grant, delivering credit and continuing education courses –
including tuition and materials – to more than 300 individuals who already are child care providers in
Dallas County. The grant provides the three colleges with funds to offer credit and continuing education
courses at a variety of locations both on and off campus, using multiple methods, including online
instruction, webinars and hybrid classes. An internship or co-op is included as part of each specialized
series of credit courses, which allows the instructor to provide on-site technical assistance and coaching
for each student. Students began enrolling in classes funded by this grant for three fall 2009 credit
classes (which started later that semester) and a director’s continuing education orientation meeting last
December.
Cedar Valley College
Student Success – Alan Simms, Cedar Hill city manager, will be the featured guest for the last installment of
the African American Male Initiative Speaker Series. His topic will be “Leadership.” Mr. Sims was
appointed city manager in March 2000. From 1986 to 2000, he held various positions with the City of
Overland Park, Kansas, most recently serving as deputy city manager. Mr. Sims received both his
bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas, earning
the latter in 1988. The series will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd, beginning at 11:00 am and will
be held in the performance hall.
Spirit Day! was celebrated this week on the Cedar Valley College campus. This event provided
an opportunity for students and staff to show “CVC pride” by wearing college attire, and to show
support for the college “Suns” basketball team, who are embarking upon their first winning season in
almost ten years. The day included a student forum with the president and then an invitation for all to
attend the game that evening against the Richland College Thunderducks.
Community Support – The Cedar Valley College Art Gallery is currently featuring the works of Elaine
Pawlowicz. “Block Party” is a series of paintings made from acrylic on rives paper. Her work addresses
concepts addressing personal space and ideas about home, memory, and desire. Ms. Pawlowicz is
currently employed as an assistant professor of art at the University of North Texas. A reception for the
artist was held this week in the gallery.
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North Lake College
Our students, employees and community – The office of Student Life hosted its first African-American Expo
for students, staff and the community on February 18th. Representatives from the Irving Arts Council
and the U.S. Census Bureau participated and shared African arts and crafts, books, brochures and
promotional materials. Students performed a variety of live acts, and refreshments were provided by the
Student Life Center.
Our students – On February 17th, the TRiO Student Support Services department hosted a study skills
workshop on plagiarism facilitated by Dr. Jessica Thompson. Approximately 50 students attended the
workshop and received certificates of attendance.
Our employees – Dr. Gabriel Bach’s Government Leadership Seminar series was featured in the Dallas
Morning News Irving Blog on February 16th. The web article, written by reporter Brandon Formby,
spotlighted the recent debate between House District 105 candidates Loretta Haldenwang and Kim
Limberg, and a panel discussion of local Libertarian candidates. Each semester, the seminar series brings
local community leaders to the classroom to share their perspectives with students, employees and the
community. (See article attached.)
Our employees – On February 18th, Dr. Pius Aboloye and Dr. Ticiano Algre attended a UT Southwestern
Medical School dinner honoring under-represented minority students who have been accepted to the
medical school. The dinner gave students an opportunity to meet community leaders and understand the
depth and support of the Dallas/Fort Worth community.
Brookhaven College
Members of the Brookhaven College Student Government Association (SGA) spent two weeks selling
snacks and Valentine treats in the lobby of the Student Services Center. In that time, officers and
members were able to raise $2,000 in support of two causes they had selected to support. A donation of
$1,000 will go to the Red Cross to aid in Haiti relief efforts and $1,300 will go to help pay for cancer
treatments of an instructor at the Brookhaven College Head Start Center. The additional $300 was raised
during the fall semester for the instructor. “I am extremely proud of student government’s hard work
and dedication toward these two great causes,” said Yasaman Contractor, assistant director of the
Student Life Office and SGA advisor.
Parents of students at Thomas Jefferson High School visited Brookhaven College on February 9th to
learn about college opportunities for themselves and their children. In addition to the “College 101”
information, the twenty (20) parents participated in a sample of an English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) class taught by Sam Govea, interim dean of social sciences and distance learning, and
Christy Whetstone, ESOL instructor. Student volunteers, Arturo Moncada, Karen Cruz, Serafin
Guzman, Johathan Ricado, Jessica Rodriguez, and Gustavo Rodriguez, took the parents on a tour and
participated in a speakers’ panel about why they went to college. Monica Pauken, outreach and
recruitment coordinator, arranged the visit through the Dallas Concilio and worked closely with Texas
Woman’s University to fund the transportation to the event. Suzette Vaquera-Constantine, outreach and
recruitment coordinator, also helped with the event.
A Brookhaven College student was making news in Grand Rapid, Michigan last week as part of the
“Professional Bull Riders” tour. A story in The Grand Rapids Press on February 11th highlighted the
talents of Rocky Johnson, bull rider and business student. Johnson competed in the SuperBull Series over
last weekend, but spends much of his time as a full-time student at Brookhaven College working toward
a business degree. He’s ranked 57th in the Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division. Grand Rapids
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is the sixth of 11 stops on the series, which is the world’s oldest professional bull-riding circuit that
spawned the Professional Bull Riders. You can read the full article online at the following link.
http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/02/professional_bull_riders_visit.html.
(See article attached.)
El Centro College
On February 16th, El Centro College took time out to celebrate the re-dedication of the Mildred Finch
Learning Center. Located in room A350, the center has been remodeled and named after one of the
most beloved college faculty and administrators. Dr. Paul McCarthy led off the celebration explaining
how much the center means to the success of El Centro College students. He was followed by Dr.
Georgia Francis, who was instrumental in setting up the learning center. Next presenter was Richard
Menchaca, a faculty member who has been the beneficiary of the services provided by the center. He
was followed by Martha Harmon, a retired El Centro College faculty member and also a champion of the
center. The presentations concluded with the testimony of student Nickie Ray, the recipient of the 2010
Mildred Finch Scholarship. The Mildred Finch Learning Center has been an excellent asset for the
college and a key element in the college’s new culture of service.
Liz Klimback, North Texas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) executive director, and Jim
Berish, technology assistance SBDC director, presented another successful small business community
training workshop at the Bill J. Priest campus of El Centro College. The annual Small Business Innovation
Research workshop provides, North Texas and beyond, small business community opportunities to apply
for FEDERAL GRANTS to perform government agency research. This was an all day workshop last
Thursday that in spite of the snowfall and afternoon closing of the DCCCD colleges all 45+ small
business and university representatives stayed from beginning to end. Representatives from Texas Tech
University (Lubbock), Texas A&M (Corpus Christi), and UT Dallas were present. For additional
information contact Liz Klimback at 214.860.5835 or Jim Berish at 214.860.5860.
The latest issue of the El Centro College Chess Club Newsletter highlighted the following: Roberet Sanchez,
El Centro College Chess Club member, achieved his highest ever official national rating, earning
“Expert” class status, which placed him in the 98th percentile of active U.S. players. The Chess Club
hosted a highly successful community scholastic tournament at the West Campus on January 23rd in
which 56 inner-city school children competed. Thirty-two of the participants earned their first ever
official national ratings. Appalled that the Bridge Homeless Center residents were using scraps of paper
for chess pieces, the Chess Club donated four (4) tournament sets to the metro Dallas Homeless
Alliance. (See attached newsletter.)
Pyeper Wilkins, executive dean, served as a panelist at the request of the Texas Workforce Commission
(TWC) at the agency’s quarterly forum on February 9th in Austin. The panel featured a discussion by
three community colleges that have stepped up their efforts to recruit business partners for Skills
Development Fund grant projects. El Centro College’s Bill J. Priest campus has received over $6.5
million in grants from the TWC over the past three years to help meet the training needs of businesses in
Dallas County.
DCCCD Campus High Schools
Clarisse Estrella, a senior at the Middle College High School (MCHS) at El Centro College, has been
admitted to Texas Christian University. Kirk Ramos, another senior, has been admitted to the School of
Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. The MCHS is a member of the Middle College
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National Consortium and is an active participant in its staff development activities. Eric Markinson,
MCHS principal, participated in a three-day Principals’ Workshop, sponsored by the consortium, on
February 5-7th in California. The MCHS was recently visited by Terry Born, the consortium
instructional coach. Teachers are engaged in developing students’ college readiness by applying concepts
developed by David Conley who was instrumental in developing the Texas College and Career Readiness
Standards adopted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
With twelve weeks left in the spring semester, this year’s Richland Collegiate High School (RCHS)
seniors have already amassed academic transfer scholarship offerings totaling $2,119,456 from 60
different colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The 60 higher education
institutions awarding RCHS students scholarships include MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Notre
Dame, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, University of British Columbia, University of
Ottawa, Brown, and Carnegie Mellon. Congratulations, RCHS seniors.
Administrators and staff with the Early College High School at Mountain View College are currently
preparing for the annual Student Awards Ceremony on February 26th. The ceremony, which will be held in
the performance hall, will honor academic excellence and a variety of other student accomplishments for
students’ in grades 9-12.
Richland College
Sustainable Community Building – Jerry Owens, Richland College assistant facilities services director, is
coordinating a LEED High-Performance Cleaning and Green Cleaning Workshop to be hosted at Richland
College on February 26th and conducted by instructors from Pollock Paper, a district-approved vendor.
This unique training opportunity will take place in the college’s new LEED Platinum-designed/
constructed science building. Participants will hear tips from Larry Singleton, a high-performance
cleaning specialist; learn how to maximize points for a LEED high-performance cleaning program;
receive a Guide to Green Cleaning, required LEED forms and high-performance cleaning manual; and tour
the sustainable features of the new science building. All DCCCD location facilities services workgroups
are invited to participate.
Student Success – Richland College’s Journalism and Student Media department has been busy advancing
the study of journalism and building community. Thanks to assistance from James Ragland, Dallas
Morning News columnist and Richland College’s guest lecturer; Mike Devlin, WFAA general manager;
college student reporters Conner Hammett, Adrien Merliss and Dacota Taylor, who attended the debate
between Republicans Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison; and Debra Medina at the Channel 8 studios.
Thanks to Meg Fullwood, former KDUX web radio adviser and now with KERA, Richland College
student reporters Connor Hammett and Christina Shams, who attended the debate between Democrats
Farouk Shami and Bill White at the Channel 11 studio. The college’s journalism students in classes
taught by Erica Edwards, Cyndy Moore, Steve Noviello, Dusty Reasons, and Doug Wilson have been
contacting U.S. House, Texas Senate, and Texas House candidates, who represent Dallas County
residents, to learn their positions on issues vital to community college students. Matt Hinckley, assistant
dean journalism/student media, recently presented a gallery talk, “Photojournalism of the Civil Rights
Movement: A View of the Cold War’s Home Front,” at the University of Texas at Dallas on at the Cecil
and Ida Green Center.
Employee Success/Student Success – The Richland College Music Department was well represented last
weekend at the 2010 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Clinic/Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Michael Crawford and Derrick Logozzo, Richland College music directors, presented a clinic,
“Community College Education as a Viable Option: The First Two Years in a Four-Year Music Degree,”
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and the college’s jazz singers and percussion group served as demonstration groups for the clinic. Both
ensembles also performed in the TMEA musical showcase on Saturday afternoon. Twenty-three (23)
student musicians and four faculty members served as the college’s delegation. Richland College was the
only two-year college represented at the yearly convention, the largest gathering of music educators in the
nation.
Institutional Effectiveness – Professors Amy Bell and NeKeith Brown recently led a Richland College team
to North Carolina to attend the 2010 Achieving the Dream Strategy Institute. Other members of the team
included Professors Mike Bell and Rachel Maverick; Kay Eggleston, interim president; Tony Summers,
vice president of student services; Mary Darin, Thales Georgiou and Fonda Vera, executive deans; and
Zina Gardner, assistant director of advising. The team attended workshops on strategies for closing the
gaps in performance between all college students and those students who have been historically
underserved.
Mountain View College
As part of its celebration of Black History Month, the Office of Student Life at Mountain View College
welcomed guest speaker Carlotta Walls LaNier on February 19th. LaNier held a student book signing
following the presentation. In 1957, at age 14, LaNier was the youngest Little Rock Nine member to
integrate Central High School. This act of courage and defiance became the catalyst for change in the
American educational system. Inspired by Rosa Parks, and the desire to get the best education available,
LaNier endured her difficult circumstances and graduated from Central High School in 1960. In
addition to the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal and the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to her as a
member of the Little Rock Nine, LaNier is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters
from the University of Northern Colorado and an inductee in the Colorado Woman’s Hall of Fame and
the Girl Scouts Women of Distinction.
Mountain View College students and staff attended a pair of fascinating lectures pertaining to African
American history and culture on February 16th. Noted author Leo Hicks, author of The New Cotton: From
Race Chattel Slavery to Race Conviction Slavery, gave a presentation focusing on “The Effects of the Prison
Industry on Black Families.” The presentation was held as part of Dr. Pamela Hill’s Black Family course.
Donald Payton of the Dallas Genealogy Society also facilitated an African American Genealogy Search
Workshop on February 16th. The workshop was uniquely designed to assist African American’s in
searching their family history, using resources such as death records, baptismal record, slavery bills of
receipts, and census reports. The workshop, which was sponsored by the Mountain View College Office
of Student Life, encouraged all African Americans to research their family histories.
David Barrientos, Mountain View College outreach and recruitment specialist, conducted a campus tour
for eleven (11) seniors from Cornerstone Academy on February 16th. As a follow-up to their campus
tour, those students returned to campus to participate in college placement examinations in the college
testing center on February 19th. Cornerstone Academy, located in south Dallas, is a private institution
which specializes in the educational and social development of at-risk youth.
Dr. Molly Boyd, associate dean of exemplary programs, and colleague Denise Devora, interim dean of
arts, humanities and social sciences, represented Mountain View College at a district meeting on February
17th regarding the usage of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board funds linking K-12 institutions
with institutions of higher education. The meeting was held as part of the Texas College Readiness
Project and was attended by a number of College Readiness special advisors.
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