TO:

DCCCD BOARD MEMBERS

FROM:

JOE D. MAY

DATE:

DECEMBER 5, 2014

RE:

WEEKEND MEMO #37

COMMENTS FROM JOE D. MAY Good afternoon! Several exciting events occurred this week: the DCCCD Board of Trustees approved our recommendation to hire Dr. Fernando Figueroa of Del Mar College as our first vice chancellor for educational policy and Mr. Mark Hays of the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology as our first vice chancellor for workforce and economic development. Congratulations, also, to Dr. Pyeper Wilkins of El Centro College, who was approved to serve as our new associate vice chancellor of advancement and the executive director for the DCCCD Foundation. Additionally, I accompanied Dr. Kay Eggleston, president of Richland College, to Washington, DC, for several days to participate in the White House College Opportunity Day of Action. I will share those items and more in our next video message but, until then, have a great weekend — and thanks for the hard work that you do to help our students grow and succeed.

Joe May (Note: For the best viewing experience, please use the latest version of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, or Apple Safari.)

Richland College Sustainable Community Building — Richland College students, faculty, and staff opened their hearts, pantries, and pocketbooks to support the Richland College Professional Support Staff Association (PSSA) and Honors Academy in their two community-building Thanksgiving initiatives to help less fortunate individuals in the service-area community. The PSSA collected groceries and donations to provide Thanksgiving food baskets for the families of three deserving students in the Richland College Working Wonders program, which prepares and supports students pursuing career-technical degrees in meeting the challenges of re-entering the workforce. Honors Academy students collected a total of 329 pounds

of canned goods to help provide 274 meals for chronically hungry children, families, and senior citizens through the North Texas Food Bank. Student Success — On November 19, Richland College hosted three Developmental Education (DE)/English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) focus group meetings on behalf of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). These focus groups are part of a study the THECB has asked The University of Texas-Pan American to conduct on ESOL programs throughout Texas to provide students, faculty, and administrators opportunities to share impressions, opinions, and critiques about their programs, and ask questions and discuss the state of DE and ESOL education programs in the state. The THECB is gaining insights into various DE/ESOL pathways available to Texas students, informing best practices and requirements across the state, and guiding its work in ESOL matters and directions. Employee Success — John Spriggins, Richland College Gallery coordinator, was the solo artist in the exhibition, “Paper Dolls,” that was on display in the Richland College Brazos Gallery, November 10-28. An artist talk and reception with students, faculty, and staff was held on November 10. The artistic exploration of how outward influences, particularly the media, affect the self-images of young girls growing into women and developing authentic self-identity is expressed in collage silhouettes of women from a variety of ages, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds, constructed with contemporary magazine covers of the media attempting to present solutions for issues surrounding self-acceptance, love, relationships, and external appearance. Institutional Effectiveness — The Richland College Office of Planning, Research, Effectiveness, and Development has completed the annual Richland College End of Year Report. The Report is a compilation and analysis of Richland College’s performance on measures identified as key to the school’s overall health. Cedar Valley College Our College — Cedar Valley College has been named an alternative finalist in the category of Planning, Governance & Finance for the 2015 Bellwether Award. The Cedar Valley College application, titled “Transitioning to Performance Funding: Leveraging Current Resources to Improve Student Completion,” focused on the DCCCD Texas Completes program. Had one of the top 10 finalists chosen not to accept the award, Cedar Valley College would have been invited to present at the 2015 Community College Futures Assembly to be held in January in Orlando, FL. Our Students and Staff — On November 22, Cedar Valley College Athletic Department’s Krasi Kolarov, director of athletics and coach; Chris Carter, head basketball coach; and Robert Dally, senior athletics and head baseball coach, participated in the City of Lancaster Park and Recreation Department’s Turkey Bowl Block Party, which took place at Meadowcreek Park in Lancaster. The event was a showcase of soccer and basketball games, followed by one hour of health and fitness skills and drills for the young children of the community; approximately a hundred children participated in the event. Thirty-five Cedar Valley College student athletes representing men’s basketball and baseball, and women’s soccer and volleyball volunteered to help with the Turkey Bowl Block Party. The highlight of the event was the bowling competition, where Dally and Kolarov both won Butterball® turkeys, which they donated to needy families on behalf of Cedar Valley College. Our Resource Development — Cedar Valley College representatives Dr. Jennifer Wimbish, president, and Patricia Davis, executive dean of community and resource development, attended the Best Southwest (BSW) Legislative Send-Off hosted by the University of North Texas at Dallas on December 4. All State of Texas legislators serving the 13 BSW cities in Southern Dallas and Northern Ellis counties were invited to attend this informative event. The Core Initiatives of the BSW Partnership are: Transportation,

2

Education, and Health Care; the BSW Partnership Legislative Committee is chaired by Marcus Knight, mayor of Lancaster. Senators and representatives were asked about the key points of each Core Initiative, and the possibilities of accomplishing those needs during the 2015 Texas Legislative Session. Our Community Outreach — On December 6, Cedar Valley College will co-sponsor the monthly Male Initiative, Project MALE Mentoring Program, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas, mentoring kindergarten through sixth-grade minority male students from Dallas, Lancaster, and Cedar Hill ISDs, Inspiring Body of Christ Christian schools, and other neighboring southern sector schools. Cedar Valley College’s Dr. Jennifer Wimbish, president; Jarlene DeCay, dean of student success; and Dr. Ryan Thornton, marketing and public relations coordinator, along with several other Cedar Valley College student and staff volunteers, commit to mentoring and empowering young males and their parents/guardians of the southern sector of Dallas County at this monthly community event. El Centro College The Food and Hospitality Institute (FHI) at El Centro College served just shy of 1,600 turkey dinners at Peoples Baptist Church in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. This very meaningful event is in its 13th year and was executed by FHI students and faculty in partnership with Hoffbrau Steaks and the S.M. Wright Foundation. El Centro College Chef Instructor Chris LaLonde is a member of the Wright Foundation Board of Directors and is the leader of this annual endeavor. The team effort requires several hundred volunteer hours from students, faculty, and staff to prepare and serve approximately 1,800 pounds of turkey, 350 pounds of mashed potatoes, 600 pounds of stuffing, 12 gallons of cranberry sauce, and 24 gallons of gravy! Dallas ISD Emmett J. Conrad High School presented a dropout-prevention program called Latino Men LEAD, to reach Hispanic males. According to a 2012 policy brief sponsored by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, Educational Testing Service, and The University of Texas at San Antonio, “Latino males have the lowest high school graduation rates and the lowest college enrollment and completion rates of any subgroup.” Professor Ceaser Espinoza of El Centro College was invited to share his inspirational story about not letting their past or present circumstances define them and to use education as a tool for prosperity. On November 21, the Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development was the site of a hiring event for the Texas Construction Career Academy in joint partnership with The University of Texas at Arlington and the Workforce Training Department. More than 12 companies participated, including TxDOT, Balfour Beatty, and Trinity Industries. Two of these three organizations have already put people to work and many others have placed the graduates on their “hot lists.” The event was successful and meaningful for the participants and companies; for many, it was their first introduction to the Bill J. Priest Institute. El Centro College student leaders, Curtis Lee, Laura Bueno, Ana Estrada, Terry Felty, and Chris Nguyen, recently attended the 2014 National Conference on Student Leadership in Orlando, FL, where they participated in a variety of leadership enhancement sessions and became Certified Student Leaders. Associate Dean Shaneé Moore and the students presented a session detailing the El Centro College civic engagement project, Hearts at Work, which is a joint pantry between El Centro College and Antioch Church. The session highlighted various obstacles that an urban commuter campus and its students face, and how the Hearts at Work project is helping to combat some of those issues. Moore and the students also shared with other campuses that El Centro College is the first two-year institution to charter a Sigma Alpha Lambda Leadership Fraternity. At the closing ceremony of the Conference, students received their student leadership certifications; they work continuously to develop student

3

leaders on campus. The video that was shown at the opening of the presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2NOyT1suJk. District Office The annual DFW Private Equity Golf Tournament benefiting the Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Foundation has raised a record $73,000 from 27 local sponsors this year to support scholarships awarded to DCCCD students. The tournament was held November 20 at the Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine. Current and former recipients of the Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Endowed Scholarship attended the event, including 2014-15 scholar Ibrahim Kamara, a pre-engineering student at Brookhaven College; Ruth Clason, a pre-med student, who also attends Brookhaven; and Elizabeth Shirey, a special education major at Eastfield College. Gina Patterson, Eastfield College graduate and one of the first recipients of the Scholarship, was also in attendance. Kramp Foundation Board member Pete Stein of Trinity Hunt Partners organizes the tournament each year. Michael Brown, DCCCD Foundation Board member, has served as president of the Kramp Foundation since its inception in the late 1990s. Named in honor of the late Erin Tierney Kramp, a local capital investor who died of breast cancer in 1998, the Scholarship is awarded annually to a DCCCD student who has demonstrated courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. Dr. Hamaria Crockett, director of the DCCCD College Credit for Heroes program and who oversees the Military 2 Manufacturing program, was featured in a Dallas Morning News business column by Robert Miller, titled “Free training for vets available at DCCCD,” about her work with the free training program that is available to veterans. Crockett stated, “Advanced manufacturing is the wave of the future in the DFW area. We urge veterans in our area to enroll in this free training program that focuses on manufacturing, so that they can upgrade their current skills.” Anyone with training questions should contact Mountain View College at 214-860-8609; Richland College Garland Campus at 214-360-1201; or the Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development at 214-860-5806. Joyce Williams, interim vice chancellor for workforce and economic development, was recently quoted in a Wall Street Journal article, titled “College Diplomas, With a Side of Specialized Study,” about a trend occurring at DCCCD and across the country: students who have already earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees are returning to school at community colleges to earn workforce-ready certificates that enhance their skills and increase their earning opportunities. The article was published on November 21 after Williams was referred to The Wall Street Journal reporter several months ago by Ann Hatch in the District Office of Public and Governmental Affairs. Hatch also placed two child development experts — Johnny Castro (Brookhaven College) and Sandra Saucedo Scott (Eastfield College) — in a U.S. News &World Report article, titled “What Type of Child Care Can You Afford?” which focused on the cost of various types of child care. North Lake College Our Students — The annual North Lake College Meet the Faculty event was held on November 18-19. The event was designed to allow current and prospective students an opportunity to meet instructors, just in time for spring registration. Fifty-two faculty members representing 30 disciplines were on hand to greet hundreds of students that filled the Student Life Center over the two-day period. Rachelle Powell, EDUC instructor at North Lake College, coordinated the program. On October 15, North Lake College Financial Aid Director Vitoria Rae announced the winner of the 201415 Valarie and Charles Boesch Scholarship. Congratulations to North Lake College student, Andrew Collins, for being selected as this year’s recipient!

4

North Lake College student, Cindy Villalta-Fuentes, has been selected as a 2014 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar. The scholarship is designed to provide new Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society members with financial resources to help defray educational expenses while enrolled in a two-year college, while also encouraging participation in Honor Society programs. This year’s recipients were selected by a panel of independent judges from more than 900 applicants. Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars are chosen based on outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential. Fuentes is vice president of membership of the North Lake College Alpha Zeta Eta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Construction Education Foundation Career Day was held at North Lake College West Campus on October 29. Twelve hundred students attended the event, where more than 45 construction companies, vendors, and suppliers were on hand to discuss career opportunities. Brookhaven College Student Success — On November 1, the North Texas Radiologic Technologist Society celebrated Radiologic Technology Week by hosting its 9th Annual Top 25 Luncheon at The Fort Worth Club. The Luncheon, attended by physicians, nurses, and radiology technicians, celebrates the Top 25 technologists and Rising Star radiologic technology student nominees. Brookhaven College was well represented with three radiologic sciences program graduates — John Babu, Cody Cormack, and Dedra Smith — receiving Top 25 Technologists awards. Two current students in the program, Tuija Kyrolainen and Angela Toombs, were nominated for the Rising Star Award, which honors students in their last year of schooling who excel in their class and clinical performance, and in community involvement. Toombs received the second-place award, which included a trophy and $250 cash. The annual “Texas 2Show” has been on display in the Atrium Gallery at Brookhaven College featuring the work of visual communications students. The exhibit’s pieces were selected from work entered by students in two-year design programs throughout Texas. The Visual Communications Department at Brookhaven College submitted 21 pieces for consideration. Twelve of those were selected (from the almost 100 statewide entries) by juror Dick Mitchell, formerly of The Richards Group and now the principal at Dick Mitchell Associates. Mitchell has more than 30 years of graphic design experience. Community Engagement — The Brookhaven College Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement held its biannual Civic Engagement Showcase on November 25. The event highlights ways that servicelearning students used their time, resources, and influence to address community needs or areas of concern. Students compete at the Showcase with video or graphic presentations that reflect on their learning and experiences while working with a community partner. Fall Showcase winners worked with the cities of Rowlett, Wylie, and Garland, and a Susan G. Komen walk. Vanessa Soriano was the overall winner; she received a $150 book voucher to the Brookhaven College bookstore. Mountain View College Employee Success — On December 3, Mountain View College faculty, staff, and friends celebrated the retirement of Fred Taylor, facilities custodial services supervisor. A 30-year veteran of Mountain View College, Taylor has worked tirelessly over the years to ensure the quality of campus facilities and, in the process, has also touched the lives of many students and employees. Taylor has been a great asset to the college and will be sorely missed upon his departure in early January. Student Outreach — In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the Mountain View College Office of Student Life hosted Dallas’ Bear Claw Singers on November 25. Guests enjoyed dancing, drumming, singing, and storytelling as well as the group’s elaborate costumes. The Bear Claws have been performing for more than 13 years, and actively serving as community leaders and spokesmen of their culture.

5

Community Outreach — On December 6, Mountain View College will host its annual community band concert, “Sounds of the Season.” Directed by Randy Garmon, Mountain View College adjunct professor, the concert will be performed in the college Performance Hall at 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Come enjoy an afternoon of festive music and celebration! For more information, please call 214-860-8682. Eastfield College Meet Community Educational Needs — Dr. Lars Krutak, an author, photographer, and tattoo anthropologist who has worked as a research collaborator in the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian Institution, gave two lectures at Eastfield College on November 20 as part of the college’s Common Book Project. His visit also included having lunch with a small group of students. Krutak shared stories from his travels to remote locations around the world where he has documented a variety of traditions involving body art and modification; he also discussed his writing and photography. The college’s Common Book is The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. The Eastfield College Art Department hosted guest lectures by New York artist Diego Leclery, whose work was recently included in the Whitney Biennial 2014 exhibition, and Chicago artist/gallerist Sabina Ott, with work in the collection of the Whitney Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Leclery, Ott, and Eastfield College Visiting Scholar Ryder Richards participated in the Texas Association of Schools of Art 2014 Conference, “Off Center,” held in downtown Dallas, October 23-25. The three artists discussed alternative methods to navigate the art world and exhibit work. Richards also presented a demonstration on techniques for drawing by igniting gunpowder. Advance Student Success — Three Eastfield College students have signed baseball scholarships with four-year institutions during the early signing period. Outfielder Jason Serchay, a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American who graduated from Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, signed with The University of Texas at San Antonio. Also signing were left fielder Mason Arasato, a graduate of Frisco Heritage High School, who is headed to Southern Arkansas University, and pitcher Emilio Gonzales, a graduate of Pflugerville High School, who is moving on to MidAmerica Nazarene University. Foster Employee Success — Roy Bond, dean of workforce, corporate, and continuing education at Eastfield College, was honored with the Chairman’s Award at the Mesquite Chamber of Commerce annual awards luncheon on November 20. As a board member, he was recognized for his contributions to the Chamber’s success over the past year. In January, Bond will assume the duties of Chairman of the Board for 2015. LeCroy Center LeCroy Center Provost Dr. Pam Quinn recently attended the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) Board meeting in Atlanta, GA to get the latest findings on state authorization for institutions offering online classes. The Board is working through the details of how to set up a national system to allow institutions to follow state laws, yet still enroll students in other states. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is submitting proposed wording for legislation, so that the state of Texas can join Southern-SARA. Currently, the DCCCD is a member of the Southern Regional Education Board, which approves participating state institutions offerings within member states. Once Texas joins Southern-SARA, DCCCD colleges can participate in the national effort.

6