Monthly Report to the FVCC Board of Trustees

Monthly Report to the FVCC Board of Trustees

Institutional Research

December 10th, 2013

Accomplishments:

·  Reviewed and suggested changes to a survey on veteran’s services for the Veteran’s Advisory Committee. They will administer the survey at an information session at the college in-service in January.

·  Provided Karrie Bolivar with an updated list of students who qualify for her services under the “CHEO” TAACCCT grant. She will be advising and coaching these students.

·  Sent data to Laura VanDeKop, who heads up our efforts to monitor and improve the transfer education core theme objectives and indicators. The data included the college-going rate of our running start students compared with the national average, the majors of our students upon transfer to the Montana University System campuses, and the high school “capture rates” of FVCC compared with Montana University System campuses.

Ongoing Initiatives:

·  Working with Sally Peterson, a doctoral student at Colorado State University, and Brenda Hanson, Dean of Students, to help Sally conduct a qualitative study of the community college experience of non-traditional working parents.

·  In discussions with the Commissioner’s Office to lay the groundwork for statewide TAACCCT grant compliance reporting.

·  I accepted the opportunity to conduct professional development for Glacier Bank on the subject of macroeconomics. This will be the second year I have provided this training as part of their professional development series.

·  I am beginning the process of updating FVCC’s Strategic Plan. We are scheduled to update the plan every two years. As a first step, I’ve discussed with President Karas the need to get the Board’s input on the plan.

·  I am writing an article for the Department of Labor and Industry’s “Main Street Montana” publication on the role of workforce navigators in the statewide TAACCCT grant.

·  Studying the “Community College Survey of Student Engagement” (CCSSE) to decide whether it should replace the Noel-Levitz survey we have been giving our students each fall or if we should administer both surveys.

·  Working with District 5 to implement our new math placement policy for recent high school graduates. The new policy will incorporate ACT and high school math grades.

Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees

Instruction and Student Services

December 2013

Accomplishments:

·  Chef Howard and Katy Brooke spent three days on the road to market the Culinary program. In Billings Howard and Katy attended two career fairs with more than 1500 combined students in attendance. They also stopped in Butte where Chef Howard did a cooking demonstration for the high school culinary class.

·  Additional campus visits this past month included school groups from Columbia Falls, Libby and Blackfeet Academy. In total 120 students participated in group tours. Individual tours of campus included students interested in elementary education, EMT/paramedicine, emergency management, nursing, cabinet and furniture technology, and welding.

·  College Application Week in Montana ran November 11-15. Participating high schools allowed seniors to take time out during the school day to fill out college applications. FVCC received more than 20 applications as a result of outreach efforts during College Application Week.

·  Beth Romain hosted a Running Start an evening informational session for interested students and their parents on November 26 on the FVCC campus.

·  Sponsored by the AMAMII TAACCCT grant, a student employer roundtable was held on December 2 with 16 students from the occupational trades and job service attending. Six employers facilitated the discussions which focused on universal soft skills. Also included in the discussion were the two FVCC navigators, Jodi Smith, Susie Burch, Dan Leatzow, Pete Wade, Job Service Veterans representative, and Karen Darrow. Following each question the employers switched tables in order for all students to be part of the robust discussions with each employer.

·  On December 3-6, Occupational Trades students were also invited to attend workshops on FVCC Career Services with Karen Darrow, resume writing with Kristina Santee of Flathead Job Service, online applications with Nich Moschetti of Flathead Job Service, and interviews with Lori Reiner of Flathead Job Service. Current job opportunities relevant to the trades programs are currently posted in the OT building.

·  FVCC Native American students were invited to attend a student scholarship essay writing workshop on December 3 and 4. Prior the workshop, Mick Stemborski sent a mailing to all FVCC Native American students which included a list of 80+ state and national scholarships and grants available for underrepresented and Native American Students.

·  The Service Learning / AmeriCorps office sponsored a “Stress Management” workshop for AmeriCorps members and site supervisors on December 4. The presenter, Sherri Gerrick, gave participants tips on juggling classes, family and holidays during this time of year.

·  Lincoln County Campus held its first Student For a Day on December 5. Approximately 230 freshman and senior students from Libby and Troy high schools experienced college life, received classroom demonstrations in sociology, math, medical science and occupational trades from FVCC instructors. The day also included a question and answer panel allowing participants to learn more about LCC, enrollment opportunities, and preparing for college success.

·  Scholarship reading and rating for Spring 2014 scholarships was held on December 5. Eighty-two students submitted applications for consideration. Students will be notified prior to the holiday break, if they were selected for a scholarship.

·  Beth Romain travelled to Thompson Falls on December 5 to meet with their principal, counselor and superintendent regarding Big Sky Pathways and concurrent enrollment opportunities. Beth also delivered a presentation in two classrooms regarding Running Start opportunities as well as advised their new and current Running Start students for spring semester courses.

·  Arranged by the Multicultural Affairs Office,Fulbright Exchange Professor Robert Friel discussed contemporary issues of the Russia on December 10.

·  On December 11, Mick Stemborski hosted a holiday lunch for Native American students to discuss upcoming events and promote fellowship.

·  To date, the Financial Aid Office received 2,874 FAFSA applications resulting in 1,255 FAFSAs being packaged compared to 3,179 FAFSAs received with 1,629 FAFSAs packaged on the same date last year.

·  To date, the Admissions Office has received 253 new applications for Spring 2014 compared to 236 applicants for Spring 2013 on the same date last year.

·  Ninety-four students submitted graduation applications for 100 degrees/certificates for Fall 2013.

·  The Service Learning / AmeriCorps office collected gifts for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocacy) by hosting three angel trees on campus in December.

·  The Foundational Math Center is nearing the end of its first semester of operation. Both faculty and students like the new format for the foundational math classes.

·  Students in M 090 now have the option of retaking the Compass test at the end of the semester; several M 090 students have already used their new Compass scores to skip M 095 and place directly into college level math.

·  The Wait List feature in CAMS is in use for spring 2014 registration. The division directors are able to see demand for classes and adjust the class caps or add sections to meet student needs. Class loads in highly requested classes such as Microbiology and Anatomy and Physiology are being monitored daily.

·  New activities classes are on the schedule for spring 2014. Bootcamp and Aquazumba will be taught at the Summit and hopefully will appeal to our fitness-minded student population.

·  The Scholars Conference was held on December 6th. Stirring opening presentations regarding the value of the program by three current students set the stage for the afternoon. More than 80 projects were presented, with involvement of 106 students. Oral presentations as well as a poster session demonstrated the results of a wide variety of research projects.

·  Reckless, a unique Christmas fable has had many positive reviews. The cast moves through a fast paced script that engages the audience. Productions continue through December 14th.

·  Students and faculty held an Arts Fair showcasing and selling a wide variety of art pieces from ceramics to photography to jewelry.

·  E.B. Eiselein will be retiring at the end of Fall Semester. He has served as an adjunct for over 20 years and was an integral part of the implementation of the Scholar’s Program.

·  LCC held a campus student Christmas party at the local roller rink; the party was well-attended and a great success.

·  The Lincoln County Works series completed on November 20th. This 6 day training seminar that was taught in tandem with LCC staff andLincoln County Job Service representatives provide free job readiness training that includes resume writing, cover letters, and practice job interviews. The class had 8 students enrolled and will serve as a spring board for students continuing their education in the college setting.

·  The first set of Libby CDL students completed their driver’s license test. All of them passed and at least two of them are already employed. This class has been scheduled to return to Libby next spring as we are seeing a lot of interest in it.

·  The Brown Bag Lunch faculty lecture series at LCC concluded December 4th with the final topic titled Budgeting Bootcamp. The attendees throughout the series felt the topics were very informational and were delivered in a low key no pressure manner. The staff will get together to determine other topics that would be suitable for future lectures.

·  Reconstruction of the Men’s restroom at LCC is coming along nicely. All the materials have finally arrived and tiling has commenced. The Women’s restroom will begin soon which upon completion will make LCC’s lavatories fully ADA compliant.

·  The LCC faculty and staff Christmas party was held on Friday, December 13th.

Upcoming Events

·  The Service Learning / AmeriCorps office will be participating in Martin Luther King Day by sponsoring a “Reading for Peace” event at Russell Elementary School the week prior to MLK Day.

·  The FVCC Reading Group will be discussing A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson on January 22.

·  The Spring Semester 2014 Welcome Week events are being planned for January 29 and 30.

Continuing Education Center

November 2013

Monthly Report to FVCC Board of Trustees

·  Facilitated 1,565 hours of continuing education for 378 lifelong learners.

# of Classes / # of students / Total Educ. Hours
Community Education / 28 / 227 / 1036
Ed2go / 16 / 16 / 224
Contract Training / 1 / 50 / 50
SuperHost / 3 / 85 / 255
TOTAL / 48 / 378 / 1565

·  Interviewed prospective spring instructors.

·  Finalized draft of spring schedule and forwarded to Sally.

·  Karen Darrow and Jodi Smith hosted a Resume Cafe for 61 FVCC students who were interviewed by 12 area human resources professionals. The event was co-sponsored by the Flathead Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management.

·  Jodi Smith and Pete Wade attended the Jobs Across the Border Symposium in Eureka hosted by MT Representative Mike Cuffe.

·  Established a formal partnership with the Wildland Firefighters Training Institute (WFTI). The WFTI, led by Suzanne Flynn an FVCC alumna, will offer classes for all levels starting this spring.

·  Jodi Smith held discussions with the MSU Facilities Department on a possible partnership in offering the High Pressure Boiler Operator program on the MSU campus in spring 2014.

·  The Phlebotomy class filled in record time – three weeks from opening to full, with 10 students. The course is now offered only once per year through Continuing Education due to the constraints of clinical rotation time at KRMC.

·  Hosted Meet the Poets:A Poetry Reading by Lowell Jaeger & Hannah Bissell; 30 people attended.

·  Susie Burch presented information about FVCC’s manufacturing training as part of the November Columbia Falls Chamber luncheon program.

·  Susie attended: Montana West Economic Development’s annual banquet; Business Expansion and Retention team meeting; and met with Carl Coletti from Nomad Global Communication Solutions.

·  Leslie Beard attended a meeting to discuss the potential for bringing the background check process on campus.

·  Connee Greig attended a Festival of Flavors wrap up meeting.

Entrepreneurship Center – Jill Seigmund

·  Marketed and hosted the Best of TED Festival Nov. 19 – 21. (Estimated 350 participants over three nights, 200 unique individuals)

·  Interviewed featured individual and wrote entrepreneurship article for Dec/Jan issue of 406 Woman.

·  Attended monthly BEAR meeting and participated in two BEAR interviews.

·  Attended Kalispell Chamber Annual Banquet; Flathead Library Foundation open house for new director; Nonprofit Development Partnership’s annual retreat; and Montana West Economic Development’s annual meeting.

·  Met with City of Kalispell’s Community Development staff and new SBDC director

·  Added nearly 100 names to AMAMII e-list.

·  Continued work on TEDxWhitefish and Kalispell Mini Maker Faire.

·  Participated in Profit Mastery and Power of Circles facilitation training.

·  Facilitated Reality Check class and Ice House Entrepreneurship Program class (6 participants).

·  Helped orient new SBDC director.

Small Business Development Center – John Balsam

·  John Balsam started as the new SBDC Regional Director on November 18.

·  Met with former director Chris Parson on two occasions to review materials and discuss procedures and clients.

·  Participated in three hours of online training with the MT SBDC Lead Center and in the monthly state SBDC conference call.

·  Contacted over 25 clients who had left requests for assistance while the position was vacant; counseled two of these clients in person.

·  Engaged with numerous local economic-development groups, including the Job Service, the Chamber of Commerce, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, the City of Kalispell’s Office of Economic Development, the Montana Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) program, and Montana West Economic Development.

·  Attended and participated in Jill Seigmund’s Ice House Entrepreneurship Program.

·  Met with Jill and other Continuing Education Center staff on several occasions to discuss their respective roles and activities.