Goal I. Access To Higher Education
NLC hosted the ACCD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee meeting on August 13, 2007. NLC President, Dr. Eric Reno, presented the most recent design renderings and building floor plans, and provided current and projected NLC headcount data to the committee. Also included in Dr. Reno’s presentation were current photographs of building construction as well as new aerial photographs of the 250 acre NLC property.

Goal II. Student Support
On Saturday, August 18, 2007, Sandra Thomson, NLC Reading Coordinator-Communications Department, conducted a three hour in-service professional development workshop for seven adjunct reading instructors at Northeast Lakeview College entitled Touching an Elephant: An Approach to College Reading. In response to research-based best practices in developmental education, Ms. Thomson has developed a self-paced, mastery program for community college developmental reading students. This project, funded through Achieving the Dream funds, will provide the training of reading faculty on an innovative approach to teaching developmental reading designed to increase the success rate of students. Ms. Thomson has piloted this approach and has seen positive results. This project will be implemented for a full year, and data will be gathered and analyzed to assess the impact of the approach. It is anticipated that the model could later be replicated in other developmental courses. A Powerpoint presentation is available for anyone who is interested.

Goal IV. Capacity to Serve
On Tuesday, August 14, Dr. Eric Reno, President-NLC, attended a meeting regarding the Bexar County Amateur Sports Facilities held at UTSA’s Downtown campus. Focus areas included partnerships and operations of recreational and sports facilities within Bexar County.

Goal IV. Capacity To Serve
Faculty and staff participated in the 2007 Convocation on Thursday, August 23, 2007. A separate evening event was held for Adjunct Faculty. Staff and faculty were recognized for their years of dedicated service to NVC, the Faculty Senate, and Staff Council, as well as completion of academic degrees and promotions.

Critical data about NVC’s performance were presented. Topics covered included: NVC Enrollment, Financial Aid, Student Retention, Success and Persistence, Graduation, Part Time vs. Full Time Students, and Internet Courses. Feedback from the suggestions made at these sessions will be compiled and used to make adjustments in the NVC Strategic Plan.

Three Excellence in Teaching Awards were presented to faculty members, Nick Delillo, Geology; Ron Wojnar, Multimedia; and Denise Tolan, English. Ms. Tolan was also nominated for the Piper Teaching Award. Additional awards were given for ideas that have enhanced our ability to serve students:

• Student Success Team Leader James Searles worked with IT staff to develop an online registration system for Group Advising. Now students have the convenience of on-line registration and they receive an email confirmation with a campus map and temporary parking permit!

• NVC has a new and dramatically improved on-line college allowing for instant changes and easily links from course descriptions to degrees plans.

• William Keith, faculty development coordinator, and the members of the faculty development advisory team, enhanced our approach to faculty development and initiated a tracking system. The development sessions consisted of training for new as well as seasoned faculty.

• An Employee Development Tracking and Registration team collaborated so that employees can now: track total faculty & staff development offerings by category and track session hours by category, person, or area. Employees can register on-line and have an annual transcript .

• The Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum team has worked diligently to define what critical thinking "looks like", developed a rubric to assess it, and conducted the first assessment of critical thinking across the curriculum.

• A service award was given to Julie Pace, dean of performance excellence, for her efforts to lead the College to continuously improve the quality of learning and service for our students.

• A second service award was given to the Crisis Action Team. This team has been instrumental in developing and implementing teams and processes related to safety and emergency preparedness.

• Instructor Kevin Kelly was recognized for his commitment to integrating service learning into his macroeconomics classes, partnering with Junior Achievement of South Texas (JAST) and local schools to teach economics and basic financial literacy! This initiative also integrates ASK Service Learning and Cooperative Learning.

Goal I. Access To Higher Education
PAC’s Career and Transfer Center met with representatives of Stephen F. Austin State University’s articulation team to begin the process of developing transfer and planning guides between the two institutions.

Goal II. Student Support
PAC is hosting a “Palomino Round-Up” during the first week of the Fall Semester to welcome students back to campus. Events planned for the week include free hot dogs and drinks, a club fair, a scavenger hunt in the Ozuna Learning Research Center, and a free concert by Lynette Rocks! in the Student Center

Goal III. Workforce Development
PAC’s Alternative Teacher Certification Program began its fall semester, Aug. 20. Twenty-four new students have enrolled in PAC’s six teaching certificates; 21 continuing education students have enrolled in one of three pedagogy and professional responsibilities courses; and 19 teacher interns are teaching in 17 schools from elementary to high school in San Antonio.

Goal IV. Capacity To Serve
Dr. Stacey Johnson, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, will be Co-Chair of the GoGirlGo! San Antonio Committee for a second year. GoGirlGo! is a Committee of the National Women’s Sports Foundation and works in concert with the San Antonio Sports Foundation. Dr. Johnson and her Co-Chair partner, Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, work to achieve the goal of getting 100,000 sedentary girls active and healthy in San Antonio. Dr. Johnson’s main efforts include Chairing the 15-member Committee that distributes approximately $100,000 annually in grants to girl serving agencies throughout San Antonio.

Goal V. Organizational Communication
PAC held it Fall Convocation for full-time faculty and staff members, Aug. 20. Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzmán, PAC president, presented a “State of the College” address and awarded plaques to faculty and staff members who reached milestones in their employment with ACCD and PAC. Special recognition goes to Robert Triana, Facilities Superintendent, for 35 of service to ACCD.

Goal I. Access To Higher Education
The St. Philip's College Enrollment Support Team implemented a plan to assist students in all aspects of the registration process by recruiting staff volunteers from across the college to insure that higher levels of service would occur for students choosing to enroll at SPC. Volunteers are to assure that the entire registration process is streamlined and students’ experiences are positive and productive. The new Enrollment Support Team consists of staff from across the College including individuals that are not typically engaged in registration-related activities.

The Learning Resource Center Library was designated as a registration site and staffed by Library employees and volunteers from other SPC departments. Current and prospective students were provided with one-on-one assistance related to admissions, registration, financial aid, and payment of tuition.

Goal II. Student Support
An orientation meeting was held for the SPC class of the Alamo Community Colleges Student Leadership Institute. Students received information regarding the 2007-08 program and engaged in group activities related to leadership development.

The First Time in College Program hosted a St. Philip's College Convocation with Jonathan Sprinkles (the 2006 College Speaker of the Year) as the motivational guest speaker. The convocation theme was “Never Give Up!” Incoming freshmen were informed of the services that St. Philip’s has to offer and they participated in trivia games based on the history of SPC. Door prizes were awarded.

Goal IV. Capacity To Serve
SPC Information Technology staff members were engaged throughout the week in supporting computer-based testing for Nursing Education students. In addition, IT staff assisted in delivering Professional Development Week activities as well as activities related to registration. Preparations continued as staff worked to ensure that the new Student Technology and Tutoring Center as well as other computer labs were made ready for the beginning of the fall semester.

The Bookstore opened for special hours on Saturday, August 18, in order to assist Project Quest students. (The Bookstore is not normally open on Saturdays during the summer.) Approximately 100 students took advantage of the special opening and purchased their books by payment vouchers.

Goal V. Organizational Communication
Dr. Adena Williams Loston instituted Professional Development Week at St. Philip’s College. This new week-long program included activities designed to encourage an environment of transparency and accountability as well as shared values and common goals. The SPC week began with the President’s All College meeting, “Moving from Good to Great;” division meetings focusing on district goals, drivers, and Baldrige criteria; departmental meetings focusing on curriculum review, academic standards, academic integrity and district/college goals; orientation to SPC for new employee; and a New Faculty Prep Program. The Professional Development Week was designed to revitalize the College with a clear and organized focus on student success.

A Chair Academy was held for all department chairs on Friday, August 17, 2007, in order to develop an institutional perspective for shared visioning and planning.
Sessions included Schedule Building by Mary Kunz and Ruben Torres; Legal Issues in Education by Martha McCabe; Who we are in Facts and Figures by Dr. Maritha Burmeister, Mecca Salahuddin, and Dr. Karen Sides; Building a Budget/Problem Solving Scenarios by Gladys Jacobson; Ethical Decision-Making by Reverend Robert Douglas; and Good to Great, Visioning, Planning and Action by Dr. Adena Williams Loston.

Plans are underway to develop a master calendar for the College which will include new procedures to reserve facilities such as the Watson Fine Arts Center Theater, the Morgan Gallery, the Heritage Room and other facilities/classrooms throughout the campus.

Goal I. Access To Higher Education
San Antonio College has received a $597,530 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program to build a community center to serve low- and moderate-income residents in the college’s surrounding neighborhoods. The Mi CASA (Career Advancement and Self-Sufficiency Assistance) Center will be an 1800-square-foot building located on W. Evergreen adjacent to the Seguir Adelante Community Center, with construction planned to begin in late spring/summer 2008. The Mi CASA Center will provide comprehensive career advancement services and wraparound social services designed to lead to further training, college enrollment, and eventual self-sufficiency. These services include career development, tax assistance, fair housing/foreclosure assistance, homebuyer education classes, financial literacy, computer literacy, social services referrals, and eligibility screening.

Goal IV. Capacity To Serve
San Antonio College held its annual New Faculty Orientation on August 21, introducing them to various departments, college and district policies, faculty and staff. President Zeigler hosted the new faculty in a luncheon in the Employee Lounge, where other college leaders introduced themselves and offered a welcome. Other activities of the week included the first session of the Murguia Learning Institute (MLI), Club and Organization Advisors’ Brunch, the MLI Reunion of 2005 and 2006 classes, New Adjunct Faculty Orientation, Adjunct Faculty Convocation, Service Learning Training, and meetings of the Joint Chairs and Chairs.

Goal V. Organizational Communication
San Antonio College held its annual Fall Convocation on August 20 at 2 p.m. in McAllister Auditorium, followed by refreshments. After President Robert Zeigler welcomed everyone back for the new academic year, Interim Dean Bill Richardson. Dean Lu Pelayo, and Dean Emma Mendiola introduced new faculty in their respective divisions, and Vice President Kristine Clark introduced the new Director Admissions, Martin Ortega. Dr. Zeigler and Dr. Clark introduced Emeritus Professors (who totaled 209 years of experience), and Dr. Zeigler honored faculty with 40 years of service (who totaled 160 years of experience). President of the Faculty Senate Terry Walch, Chair of the Chairs Council Jeff Hunt, President of Staff Council Gil Castillo, Student Government Association President Matt Williams, and TCCTA Representative Ellen Brennan offered comments and a welcome. A video and PowerPoint presentation titled “Why We’re Here” featured student, faculty, and staff interviews that show the positive impact of the college on students. Music Instructor Cynthia Sanchez led the audience in the alma mater.

Foreign Language Chair Anna Budzinski joined other instructors Len McClure (Chinese), Yuko Kawabe (Japanese), Francesca Bronder (Italian), and Pierre Schmitz (French) as guests on “San Antonio Solutions,” which aired on KTSA-AM 550 and Jack-FM 102.7. They gave an overview of the department and the variety of courses offered in response to student and industry demand and the current economic and political issues in the world. In addition, McClure (who lived in Asia for more than 20 years) and German Instructor James Dunn were featured guests on KABB’s Fox News First, channel 29 (cable 11), discussing the Chinese language and culture, demonstrating Chinese characters, and discussing German instruction at San Antonio College. Public Information Officer Deborah Martin arranged both interviews.