August - Chattahoochee Valley Community College

The Captain’s Journal
A publication by Chattahoochee Valley Community College
Vol. 1 Issue 7 - August 2015
CVCC Family and Friends,
Happy first day of class to everyone! We’ve had an exciting summer that recently
included making arrangements for an MOA with the Alabama Fire College that
will greatly impact our community and students. CVCC’s technical division has
earned the National Center for the Construction Trades and Research (NCCER)
certification this summer.
I’m so excited to be at the start of not only a new semester, but a new academic
year as well. We had a WONDERFUL Fall Kickoff. We celebrated and honored all
of the “U”s we have here at CVCC and began a new yearly tradition of offering
service acknowledgments to the college’s employees. I am grateful for all of
CVCC’s employees and feel that honoring them is just one of many ways to say
“thanks”. The College needs each and every faculty and staff member to serve
our students and community.
I’m looking forward to a fabulous fall semester. I hope to see you at some of our
Welcome Week events beginning on August 31. Also, be on the lookout for ways
you can help CVCC make a difference in our community by working with United
Way. We’re going to keep serving students!
Valerie A. Richardson
Sincerely,
Dr. Valerie A. Richardson
“To hand le yourself, use your head;
to hand le others, use your heart.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
August At A Glance
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
2
3
4
9
10
11
12
16
17
18
New
Academic
Year Begins
Faculty
Meeting
5
Fall Kickoff
Schedule
Adjustment
Thursday
6
Friday
Saturday
1
7
8
13
14
15
19
20
21
22
Registration
Schedule
Adjustment
Registration
Classes Begin
Registration
Graduation
Applications
Due
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Sept 1
2
3
4
5
Welcome
Week:
Dance for
Donuts
Nursing
Conference
e
Welctoom
CVCC
Welcome
Week: Free
Food &
Vendor Day
LRC Open
House
Welcome
Week: Field
Day & Cold
Treats
LRC Open
House
Adult
Education
Graduation
Welcome
Week: Unity
Fest
Josten’s
Workshop
(External)
Celebrating Years of Service!
At our Fall Kickoff 2015, Dr. Richardson and the College
honored many of our employees for their years of service.
Five Years
Marquette Brewer
Susan Bryant
Christine Cupp
Bob Dansby
Judy Ennis
Bridgett Jackson
Karen Kelly
Wayne King
Clint Langley
Resa Lord
Lannette Mitchell
Shawneen O’Neill-Collins
Michelle Ortiz
Robin Rudd
Laodecea Seay
Gil Slouchick
Kelly Williams
Ten Years
Debbie Boone
Gloria Canty
Tom Daniel
Ivory Grier
David Hodge
Freddie Johnson
Shawn Junghans
Sheila Larkin
Richard Mahone
Brion McClanahan
Andy Scales
Aurelia Smith
Greg Spence
Vickie Williams
Cory Williams
Susan Young
Twenty Years
Jackie Grant
Cynthia Floyd
Twenty-Five Years
Sanquita Alexander
Dale Boswell
Angela Harris
Fifteen Years
Vicki Braswell
Michelle Lewis
Keith Manuel
Susan McCollum
Beverly Morris
Saundra Noles
Jody Noles
Howard Paris
Debra Plotts
Christer Sanks
Adam Thomas
Bianke Wagnon
Paul Walton
Mary Ann Williams
Thirty Years
Reggie Gordy
Forty Years
Joan Waters
CVCC and the Alabama Fire College to sign MOA
Chattahoochee Valley Community College and the Alabama Fire College have
finalized details in a memorandum of agreement that will establish a new partnership
between the two organizations.
The agreement will provide CVCC students, as well as area fire and emergency
service department personnel, with opportunities to obtain both college credit toward
an associate of applied science in fire science and national/state professional fire
and emergency services certifications (such as ProBoard, International Fire Service
Accreditation Congress, and International Code Council).
Signing the agreement will also allow CVCC to collaborate and offer through the
Alabama Fire College professional development opportunities for local and regional
public safety agencies.
Dr. Valerie Richardson, interim president said, “Our collective goal is to improve
the in-field employability for our students and to provide area fire and emergency
service agencies opportunities to acquire fire and emergency service education
and training certifications at CVCC.”
Upon completion of 12 credit hours of fire science courses at CVCC, students may be
awarded college credit for fire service certifications that meet Alabama Fire College
standards and their accrediting agencies.
Kenny Harrison, director of public safety at CVCC, said “The partnership will afford
area fire department and EMS agency personnel from the Chattahoochee Valley
Region opportunities to receive Fire College certifications in their local area,
something that ultimately saves fire departments and other agencies money.”
He added, “This partnership is a great fit because the ma jority of our CVCC fire
science courses currently offered are eligible for Fire College certifications.”
The benefit is not only for currently enrolled students; area professionals may also
use this as an opportunity to advance their careers. Certifications are offered for
Fire Inspector I & II, Fire Instructor I & II, Fire Investigator I, Fire Officer I & II, Hazard
Material Awareness & Operations, Hazard Material Technician and more.
A ceremony to sign the agreement will be held on campus during the fall semester.
For more information about public safety programs at CVCC, contact Kenny Harrison
at [email protected] or 334.291.4963.
CVCC Foundation & Hall of Fame
The CVCC Foundation Board has been busy this summer awarding $5,000 in
scholarships to 12 deserving students for fall semester, planning a fall event that will
bring local professionals to the CVCC Campus, and kicking off the planning for the
upcoming Hall of Fame event to raise money for scholarships.
The Foundation is soliciting nominations for the Hall of Fame.
nomination forms are available on the CVCC website.
Information and
The Foundation’s previous budget for allotting scholarships was $5,000 a semester.
Due to the amount of money raised at the annual Hall of Fame event, the Foundation
Board voted at the July meeting to double the amount of scholarships funds to
$30,000 per year.
This would not be possible without the very generous Hall of Fame community
sponsors, tickets purchased, CVCC employees’ donations and silent auction donors.
The CVCC Foundation Board members are very grateful for the support to help them
raise money and awareness for the College.
Sherry Martin (CVCC Alumna and Foundation Board Member) spoke briefly at the
campus fall kick-off on August 11. She spoke fondly of her experience as a student
at CVCC. Ms. Martin mentioned how helpful the instructors were during her time at
the College. CVCC offered her the opportunity to take needed classes as an adult
student before applying to Auburn’s Pharmacy School. Ms. Martin is an Outpatient
Pharmacy Operations Coordinator with Columbus Regional Health.
Ms. Martin reminded us of the important role CVCC plays in this community. She
spoke about how honored she is to have the opportunity to give back to this institution
by serving on the CVCC Foundation Board. Ms. Martin encouraged us to give back
to the community and the College with our talents and our finances.
QEP Year-End Review
The ongoing-goal of the QEP is to help students who place in developmental math
courses be more successful in math. Beginning Fall 2014, the developmental math
courses were redesigned to incorporate computer-assisted instruction (MyMathLab)
with a one day in class, one day in lab format. In the classroom, time is spent
discussing concepts and connections, modeling methods for solving problems and
paying particular attention to commonly misunderstood concepts and skills. In
the Math Computer Lab in Brassell 201, students work on MyMathLab assignments
and have an opportunity to ask questions and receive one-on-one assistance from
their instructor.
One student has said in their evaluation, “I wish they had this tool back when I first
started college because math is much more enjoyable and not as overwhelming.
My math teacher also was very helpful and patient with me during class time
instruction. I love the option to help me solve and see examples of how to answer
the equations when I am NOT in class.” Another student felt “it was great to be able
to get help from the teacher in the lab.”
Being successful means more than succeeding in the current course; it means being
well-prepared to succeed in the next course. In addition to redesigning courses
and incorporating MyMathLab, other components of the QEP include improving
placement through On Board, enhancing math tutoring services, and improving
instruction. Multiple interventions make it difficult to attribute effects to a particular
cause, and there is still a long way to go, but overall, the QEP is making a difference.
•55% of MTH091 students from Fall 2014 who were successful and went on to take
MTH092 in Spring 2015 passed MTH092. This was a 12% increase over the baseline.
•69% of MTH092 students from Fall 2014 who were successful and went on to take
MTH100 in Spring 2015 passed MTH100 with a D or better and 51% passed with a C
or better. Both are significant improvements over the baseline of 39%.
Students are working harder than ever before, and it is paying off. How can you
help? Continue to be an advocate for math and for the QEP. Encourage students
to sign up for the next level math course, the next semester! Make a trip to visit
the Math Tutoring Center during the LRC Open House on September 1 or 2, and
encourage students to take advantage of this free service. Save the date also for
our first in a new series called FUNctional Friday, September 4.
Congratulations, LPN students!
Andrea Fowler
Sarah Holbrook
Samantha Lavender
Teresa Liimatainen
Jennifer Mitchell
Georgia Poh
Kristy Rains
Calista Smith
CVCC at the Student Leadership Institute
Lady Pirates at Summer Splash Bash
Four Lady Pirates on the women’s
basketball team helped at the Summer
Splash Bash event on Saturday, July 25
for the residents of the Grand Reserve
Phenix City apartment community.
There the booths were Tropical Slide,
Hawaiian Slide, Big Bertha, Dunk Tank,
Floating Ball, Jungle Combo, Snow
Kone Machine, Edible Sand Art, and
Basketball Pitch. We love sharing our
pirate pride in the community!
Adult Education Success
Devin Rollins enrolled in CVCC’s Adult
Education Program on January 12, 2015, and
earned his GED on February 12 that same
year. Immediately afterwards, he enlisted
in the U.S. Army. Devin completed Basic
Training and Advanced Individual Training
(AIT) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He
stopped by the CVCC Adult Ed office recently
to tell us that he will be stationed at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas, as a military police
officer. We are so proud of Devin!
Celebrate
DIVERSITY
Fall 2015
Unity Fest – Sept. 3
National Hispanic Heritage Day – Sept. 29
National Coming Out Day – Oct. 13
Veterans Day – Nov. 12
Native American Heritage Month – Nov. 19
Welcome Week
AUG. 31-SEP.3
featuring
Dance for Donuts
Wilson Hall • 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Monday, August 31
FREE FOOD & VENDOR DAY!
Vendors inside Wilson & Food Outside • 12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 1
Field Day & Cold Treats
Wilson Hall Back Lawn • 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 2
UNITY FEST!
IPAC Atrium • 12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 3