|
archives | submit an article | editorial staff Wednesday, December 1, 2010 |
Fall graduation
|
- New college-wide fax system being installed
- Theater program makes a comeback
- Changes in WITS will increase support for faculty
- Dual enrollment student shares her inspiring story
- Applied Ethics Institute recognized as Service Group of the Year
- Four honored at FACC convention
- Clearwater math instructor dies
- Shellhorn and Swift accept new positions; PAAR process changes with new year
- CoMotion Dance Theatre brings modern dance to Clearwater Campus
- First Rally Your Future attended by 139 youths
- Reminder about approval for printed materials from outside vendors
- Wellness Challenge participants must submit tracker sheets
- SPC and Phi Theta Kappa celebrate American Indian Heritage
- International Education Week draws students on all campuses
- Final days to join or renew Flexible Spending Account
- Bright Before Your Eyes parade
- Reminder: BOT agenda, presentations available online
- Meeting notices
- Cabinet members (pdf)
- December 2010 visual calendar (pdf)
- December birthdays/anniversaries (pdf)
New college-wide fax system being installed
A new college-wide fax system is being implemented that will allow staff and faculty to receive and send faxes through their e-mail. The new system has been in use by Financial Aid and Central Records for the last two months. Faxes also can be sent from Ricoh copiers on campuses.
Existing fax machines will be phased out over the next three to four months. The numbers to the old fax machines will be assigned to a designee in your department. As part of the new system, every budgeted staff and faculty member will be assigned a new fax number. Over the next two weeks you should receive an e-mail from the AIS technical helpdesk notifying you of your new number along with detailed “how to” instructions on sending faxes using the new system. There is no need to order business cards because your fax number changes. Business cards will be changing college-wide in the next few months and that will be the time to list the new number.
Benefits of the new fax system:
- Annual savings of more than $20,000 by reducing phone line costs
- Saving all incoming and outgoing fax communications, which is a state requirement
- The college ultimately will be greener by reducing power consumption from fax machines, the ink needed to print faxes, as well as reducing SPC’s overall paper consumption. It’s a win for SPC and a win for the environment.
Theater program makes a comeback
 The cast of the 1933 Mirror Lake Campus production of Shakespeare’s “A Comedy of Errors” |
After a nine-year absence, a theater progam is returning to SPC. The 2011-12 curriculum changes were proposed and approved during the November Board of Trustees meeting.
“I think that any college ought to have theater as part of its offerings for students, just like we have other fine arts programs, and graphics arts and music,” said Stan Vittetoe, Provost of the Clearwater Campus, who headed the effort to bring theater back to SPC.
The theater program grew from a club that started the year the college opened. Even former SPJC President Michael Bennett got into the act when he was cast as Erronium in a SPJC production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” opposite his wife Beverly, who was cast as Domina. Theater at the college survived the Great Depression and developed into a department in the 1960s, but was cut in 2001.
“We’ve done a lot of research with local high schools, and there’s a shortage of college-level theater offerings in this region. We expect it to be overwhelmed with students,” Vittetoe said.
Every year the Clearwater campus hosts a region-wide program for high school theater students. “So we know there’re a lot of students in high school who want theater,” Vittetoe said.
The approved new courses include:
THE 2000 Introduction to Theatre Arts (3 credits) THE 2949 Co-Op Work Experience (1-3 credits) TPA 1230C Introduction to Costume Construction (3 credits) TPA 2200C StageCraft I (3 credits) TPA 2204C StageCraft II (3 credits) TPA 2290 Technical Theatre Production (1-3 credits) TPA 2600C Introduction to Stage Management (3 credits) TPA 2949 Co-Op Work Experience (1-3) TPP 1100 Acting I (3 credits) TPP 1111 Acting II (3 credits) TPP 2192 Acting Repertory (1 credit) TPP 2260 Introduction to Camera Performance (3 credits) TPP 2300 Introduction to Directing (3 credits)
The program is officially set to start in fall 2011, but the first two sections of Introduction to Theatre Arts will be offered in the spring at the Clearwater and Seminole campuses. Two adjunct instructors have been hired to teach the courses, and a search soon will begin for a full-time instructor to lead the program.
“We hope to use the spring intro courses to be a springboard for the program in the fall, along with a theater show to be produced for a possible summertime performance,” said Jonathan Steele, Dean of Humanities/Fine Arts.
The first planned show will be a musical theater performance that will involve the Music Department on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. Music Industry/Recording Arts (MIRA) students in the internship courses also will provide lighting and sound support for the performances.
“There’d be a nice collaboration there because students in the MIRA program very much want to be able to operate the sound and lighting equipment for actual programs, so this gives them some programs that they can work with,” Vittetoe said.
“It’s a real opportunity and I think it can really fit hand-in-hand with the Music Department and MIRA,” said Mark Bunting, SPC Fine Arts Technician at the Clearwater Campus, who will work closely with the new theater faculty. “Collaboration is what the arts are all about, especially theater.”
“It’s unfortunate we haven’t had the theater program all these years, but now it allows us to go at it a completely different way,” Bunting said. “It gives us a fresh perspective.”
Return to top of pageChanges in WITS will increase support for faculty
In the new year, Web & Instructional Technology Services (WITS) will roll out a new structure that is designed to help faculty get timely assistance when something in an ANGEL course isn’t working as expected. In the past, faculty called their campus Instructional Design Technologist (IDT). Since your Instructional Design Technologist is much more than just a stationary “ANGEL help desk,” he or she is frequently required to be in meetings or is helping faculty in their classrooms or offices, and therefore is unable to take your calls.
Enter the new Course Delivery Manager (CDM). This position, which will be filled by January, requires the same background and credentials as an Instructional Design Technologist but will be situated at the call center to take calls for ANGEL help. The Course Delivery Manager will troubleshoot the problem and walk faculty through its resolution.
Because the Course Delivery Manager will work closely with the WITS team, he/she will also be able to point faculty to other training and resources via their campus Instructional Design Technologist, so that faculty can learn to utilize a variety of technology tools more effectively and efficiently. This added support will allow Instructional Design Technologists to be more proactive in assisting faculty who are designing or refreshing courses to choose technology tools effectively to enhance courses in all modalities, not just for online. The Instructional Design Technologist will also have more time to conduct training on tools other than the learning management system.
The Course Delivery Manager is not a new position, but a converted position with a new name. At the end of the calendar year, Tarpon Springs Campus’ Instructional Design Technologist Greg Rabelo is retiring after more than 10 years with the college. The course delivery manager position has been converted from his position. WITS believes it can leverage this change to work smarter with the remaining five Instructional Design Technologists. Existing staff will shift to provide the new coverage.
As of Jan. 3, Karen Fritch will be assigned to the Tarpon Springs Campus. Tim Godcharles will continue to cover the Allstate Center, adding the Health Education Center to his responsibilities. When the new Veterinary Technology building opens in the coming year, Alan Shapiro will support its faculty in addition to his Seminole and eCampus responsibilities. Nancy Munce will continue to serve the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus, and Downtown and Midtown centers. Karen Hesting will remain at Clearwater Campus and the EpiCenter.
Assuming this new structure is successful, WITS is exploring the option of adding a couple of Learning Management System (LMS) specialists to work under the supervision of the Course Delivery Manager in the next academic year, providing assistance during expanded hours in the evenings and on weekends.
Overall, faculty support will be easily accessible and more robust with this shift in strategy, the idea for which was “borrowed” (with permission) from a successful experiment at Miami Dade College.
Dual enrollment student shares her inspiring story
 Valiece Long, a senior at Clearwater High School, addresses the SPC Board of Trustees. |
Clearwater High School senior and SPC student Valiece Long spoke during the Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 16 at the behest of trustee Deveron Gibbons, sharing her inspiring story of perseverance. Although Long has faced many obstacles in her life, she has worked through them and the college has offered her a full scholarship.
Here is her story in her own words:
One Sunday afternoon my dad and brother went fishing off the Courtney Campbell Causeway, something they enjoyed doing together. My dad got hot and decided to take a dive off the side of the boat when he cracked his skull on a rock. My brother watched as my dad’s body floated to the bottom of the water. He was rescued by the Coast Guard and taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he was left on life support for a week, but he didn’t respond. He left my mom with five children to raise on her own. After he died, we had to move. It was hard to find anyone who would be willing to take all six of us in because my mom refused to split us up. Finally my great grandma, who lived in a small two bedroom one bath duplex with my great uncle and my grandmother opened her home to us. It was either that or a homeless shelter. So we moved in.
There were only two beds in the duplex, my great grandma and great uncle got those. The two short couches and the reclining chair in the living room were turned into beds for the seven of us. My mom got a job working for an Assisted Living Facility. She barely slept because she would work double shifts to make extra money. She’d fix dinner and get us ready for bed then go to work and be back in time to get us off to school. This became her routine.
My mother finally saved up enough money so that we could move to a house in Largo where I attended Bauder Elementary School. At first I was very excited about going to school but I started struggling with just about everything my teacher put in front of me. My fifth grade teacher sat me down and told me that next year in middle school, there will be no one to baby you, you’ll either make it or not. The last grading period of fifth grade I made Honor Roll for the first time. I was so motivated by it that I started working harder in class and earned Honor roll throughout middle school.
Mom had since changed jobs and was laid off from that job. I watched her struggle to pay the bills, keep food on the table and clothes on our backs. There were many meals she’d do without so that we could eat. Sometimes we brought sides home from our school lunch like apples and crackers so that we would have something to eat. When I got older, to help my mom out, I got an after school job and gave the money I earned to her for the common good of the family.
Many children in my situation lose hope and go astray. Drug dealers, murders, teen pregnancy and stealing is the “norm” where I live. But my mom taught us to walk in faith, to work hard, and stressed the value of a good education. But how was she going to put five kids through college? Mom had a plan. Starting from 6th grade on, she placed us all in academic programs for tutoring, mentoring and leadership. That’s why when I heard about Junior Achievement’s STEM TECH program, I signed up. I’ve been involved in many programs but nothing like JA!
The program sponsored by WorkNet Pinellas engaged youth in work readiness and career exploration activities and blended them with actual visits to businesses so that we could check out different careers. Those qualified to participate came from low economic backgrounds and had to have a barrier to their education or employment. Like my fellow participant, Courtney, who dealt with her problems by running away from home and Billie who lives in a foster home because his relatives used the money the state gave them to buy expensive luxury items for themselves.
Our Junior Achievement mentors were inspirational! Ms. Dixon, Ms. Spencer, Mr. Manning and Ms. Hasbini looked out for our best interests going above and beyond what was expected to ensure that we had everything we needed to have a successful experience. From them I learned how to write a resume and handle an interview which helped me to recognize my strengths so that I can sell myself on college scholarship applications. But the two things that I benefited the most from were developing an understanding of the value of teamwork and personal direction for my life.
Junior Achievement kept us motivated by having numerous competitions which encouraged collaboration and team spirit. At the beginning of the camp we were divided into groups and given so many assignments that it would have been impossible for one person to complete them on their own. We did interesting projects like building solar powered cars and developing our own company using JA’s “Be Entrepreneurial” program. We got it all done by dividing up the tasks based on everyone’s strengths.
I’m excited about my future and hope that other kids like me have the same opportunity to experience this life changing program!
Since we all like to text, we thought it would be nice to be able to text all we wanted to for free? That was how our company, Flex-Text was born. It would be a non-profit business that would charge companies a fee to advertise their product over subscribers’ cell phones. My job was to write up the business plan and develop our financial projections for the next two years. My teammates then put it into a power point presentation. But we wanted to stand out above the other eight teams we were competing against so we created a video commercial, the writing and acting was done by my teammates. I was the girl behind the camera. With our commercial we did win the top award! I’m so proud of what we accomplished!
Going into JA’s STEM TECH, I thought I would be going to college to study business, but my JA volunteer, Ms. Bellamy, encouraged us to pick a career based on what we like doing and not on how much money you can make. I really love anatomy and studying body parts so I thought our job shadowing experiences at St. Petersburg College’s Prosthetic’s Program and MOSI was very interesting. I was intrigued by the nerves reaction to trauma. These JA experiences were the turning point in my life helping me make the decision to pursue my dream to be a neurosurgeon! Even though it’s my senior year, I’ve decided to get a jump on my career. I’m dually enrolled at Clearwater High School and St. Petersburg College taking anatomy, physiology, physics and cellular biology. Sounds like a lot but I’m LOVING it!
There were times that I would ask myself: “Why didn’t I get a chance to know my father? Why did I have to do without on most birthdays and holidays? And why did I have to endure so much hardship?” I think it was so that I will be grateful for all the things in my life and not to take anything for granted. It’s not where you come from that matters, it’s where you’re going. Thanks to Junior Achievement, I know where I’m going! I’m excited about my future and hope that other kids like me have the same opportunity to experience this life changing program! Thank you!
Applied Ethics Institute recognized as Service Group of the Year
 Applied Ethics Institute faculty members, students and some of their family members were involved in the fall 2009 project at Coachman Ridge Park. |
The SPC Applied Ethics Institute was named the 2010 Service Group of the Year by the City of Clearwater Parks & Recreation Department for its volunteer work in the city for the past four years.
The Applied Ethics Institute has often provided 30-50 students for large-scale invasive and debris removal projects for the department. In addition to the two projects they designate each year for their adoption, the program also refers countless students to the department each semester for assigned hours.
The effort was started by Jane Till, Associate Professor of Ethics, in 2006. It was headed by Nicholas Manias, Associate Professor of Ethics, for a couple of years, and has been under the direction of Eric Tucker, Professor of Ethics, since 2009.
The fall 2009 project had the largest turnout with 74 students, their families and faculty in attendance.
Four honored at FACC convention
 From left: PJ Petrick, Project Technologist; Andrea Henning, Executive Director; and Alan Martinez, Business Development Officer. |
 Brad Jenkins, Program Director of Engineering Technology |
Four SPC employees received awards at the 61st annual 2010 Florida Association of Community Colleges convention in Jacksonville on Nov. 17-19. The event includes exhibits, diverse educational programs, membership and association-related meetings, exemplary practice presentations, recognitions and awards, as well as networking and social opportunities.
Collaborative Labs’ Executive Director Andrea Henning; Business Development Officer Alan Martinez; and Project Technologist PJ Petrick; received the 2010 FACC Exemplary Practice award for the SPC Change Leadership Collaborative. The collaborative is an innovative, experiential leadership series that integrates institutional vision and strategies in the development of leadership competencies. The process accelerates results by engaging participants in collaborative teamwork where leaders develop in motion and achieve results by applying behaviors, tools and techniques. Every engagement is fully documented in a dynamic Real-Time Record and is available to participants the next business day, reinforcing learning retention and accountability by all participants. College leaders were one of the groups to participate in a Change Leadership collaborative.
Brad Jenkins, Program Director of Engineering Technology and Co-Principle Investigator of the Florida Advanced Technological Education Center (FLATE), received the 2010 Chancellor’s Best Practice Award for the Engineering Technology A.S. degree program. The award recognizes effective and innovative programs in the Florida community college system. The ET program, one of 10 in the state, consists of four specializations: electronics, quality, digital design and modeling, and biomedical systems with one common core. It prepares students for employment, or provides additional training for persons previously or currently employed in the manufacturing, medical, electronics, aerospace and other related industries by providing additional technical specializations and certificates to stay current as technology continues to advance.
Clearwater math instructor dies
 Joe Skala, Mathematics Instructor |
Clearwater Campus Mathematics Instructor Joe Skala, 66, of Largo died on Thursday, Nov. 18. He began teaching mathematics courses at SPJC in 1980 and managed a grant the college received from the National Science Foundation. He worked at the college until September when his cancer forced him to retire.
Before he died, he shared his thoughts that were read at his funeral.
“Joe Skala was as nice a man as I ever met,” Clearwater Provost Stan Vittetoe said. “He was always willing to help. He always enjoyed playing Santa Claus at the Women on the Way holiday luncheon.”
He retired from Florida Power Corp. in 2000, after 30 years of service.
Mr. Skala taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics at the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida and Valencia Community College.
With Florida Power colleague Warren DiNapoli, he established the DiNapoli-Skala Families Scholarship at SPC. The scholarship was funded by their teaching salaries.
 Wendy Shellhorn, Assistant/Associate Professor for Health Services Administration |
 Chris Swift, Technology Project Manager, National Terrorism Preparedness Institute, Allstate Center |
Shellhorn and Swift accept new positions; PAAR process changes with new year
Wendy Shellhorn, formerly an adjunct instructor for Health Services Administration at the Health Education Center, has accepted a full-time position as Assistant/Associate Professor within that department.
Chris Swift, former Project Technologist for the National Terrorism Preparedness Institute at the Allstate Center, has been promoted to Technology Project Manager within that department.
PAAR changes
The process of submitting a Personnel Action Authorization Request (PAAR) is going to get easier in 2011, thanks to a new electronic PAAR system.
“There are a lot of problems with the PAAR process,” said Joe Shields, a Program Analyst for Human Resources who has been developing the new electronic system since May. “The process now has a lot of paper copies, where people don’t know the status of their PAAR.”
Shields said that because of this, managers have often submitted multiple PAARS for the same thing, which leads to a lot of confusion.
PAARs are used for a number of changes: budgets, hiring, pay raises, department transfers and facilitating credentialing.
Shields said the new electronic PAAR should streamline the process. The new form features a series of drop-down menus from which the user makes selections. It also features a Commonly Asked Questions section to help guide users.
The biggest change is that users no longer will have to call Human Resources to find out the status of a PAAR, as they will be able to view it online. However, Human Resources still will be able to answer additional questions and concerns.
CoMotion Dance Theatre brings modern dance to Clearwater Campus
CoMotion Dance Theatre, resident dance ensemble of SPC, celebrates its 26th year with performances Nov. 18-20, in the Arts Auditorium at the Clearwater Campus. From left: Veronica Carroll, Administrative Specialist I, Humanities/Fine Arts; and students Brittany Jackson and Rachael Turnage. View CoMotion performance on YouTube.
First Rally Your Future attended by 139 youths
One hundred and thirty-nine youths attended the first Rally Your Future event on Nov. 23 at the Job Corps complex in St. Petersburg. The event was hosted by SPC in collaboration with Job Corps, Ready for Life, Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Directions and Camelot, and Florida Gulf Coast Jewish Family Service Centers.
The event reached out to youth who are aging out of the foster care system at 18. Career assessments were available to each attendee, and SPC recruiters and financial aid representatives were available to answer questions. The next youth rally is planned for spring in North Pinellas County.
Reminder about approval for printed materials from outside vendors
If you are ordering any printed material from an outside vendor (T-shirts, trophies, banners, pens, signs, advertising, etc.), the artwork and words must be produced by or approved by Institutional Advancement to assure compliance with the college’s professional standards.
It is the responsibility of the budget supervisor or designee to get Institutional Advancement’s approval before the requisition or purchase order is submitted to Purchasing.
The Institutional Advancement graphics department can provide the official college logo and will consult on the official college colors and fonts. Once IA approves the design, it is the responsibility of the budget supervisor (or designee) who places the order to secure final proofs from the vendor and to verify that names are spelled correctly (if applicable) and that the content is in compliance with what was approved.
Wellness Challenge participants must submit tracker sheets
As the Wellness Challenge comes to a close, it is now time to enter your final point total and evaluate the program. Your completion of the fall 2010 Wellness Challenge will also earn you 20 points in the Wellness Warriors Rewards Program.
Two Steps to Gain Credit for Completion:
- Please enter your final point total and evaluate the program
- Email your completed tracker sheet
For questions or comments, contact Wellness Coordinator Steve Malla at Ext. 3083.
SPC and Phi Theta Kappa celebrate American Indian Heritage
 Communications Instructor Gabe Horn and his wife, author Amy Krout-Horn, introduce the film “Clearcut” in the Administration building at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. More than 50 students, faculty and guests attended the showing. |
Phi Theta Kappa and Student Life and Leadership celebrated National American Indian Heritage Nov. 13-19. Three films—“Trudell,” “Powwow Highway” and “Clearcut”—were shown on different nights at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. Over the three nights, Communications Instructor Gabe Horn and his wife, author Amy Krout-Horn, spoke to approximately 150 students, faculty and guests about the historical importance of the films and the psychological and political struggles faced by Native Americans.
The week-long celebration began with a children's story-time reading at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs library on Nov. 13, which was sponsored by the library and the Eta Nu chapter of PTK. Horn gave a reading of his book, “The Great Change,” which was honored in 2004 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
National American Indian Heritage Month was established in November 1990 by President George H. W. Bush in honor of the significant contributions of Native Americans.
International Education Week draws students on all campuses
SPC International Education Week, Nov. 14-19 was well attended on all campuses. Students were exposed to new cultures during a variety of campus activities. From left: Megan Young, SP/G Campus Student Assistant for Student Life and Leadership, serves international student Besiana Qose during the SP/G Study Abroad Espresso Social.
Final days to join or renew Flexible Spending Account
New for 2011: over-the-counter items require a doctor’s written prescription
Sign up and save money with a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) in 2011. FSA enrollment ends Sunday, Dec. 5 at 11 p.m.
All budgeted employees qualify to establish the accounts, whether purchasing the college’s Aetna health insurance or not. With an FSA, you can set aside – little by little – money to help you pay for a variety of things, including:
- covered medical expenses such as doctor visits and prescription co-pays
- child care or adult care expenses (with restrictions)
- adoption expenses
How does it work? You set aside money in 24 of your 26 yearly paychecks. Your annual contribution can total up to $5,000 per household ($2,500 if filing taxes separately). Because the money is set aside before taxes, you reduce your taxable income. The medical expenses and child/adult care expenses are set up as separate accounts.
Over-the-counter medical items now require a written prescription from your doctor. The prescription needs to be mailed in, along with your receipt, to request reimbursement from your FSA funds. Debit cards will not work for purchase of over-the-counter items.
All employees with FSAs have the option of obtaining and using a debit card – rather than having to track their purchases and submit their receipts (though receipts always should be kept). You still can submit paper receipts and a claim form to request your reimbursement.
The total amount you plan to set aside during a year would be placed on your debit card up front. Then, when you have a covered expense, pay the expense with the card and your FSA account is debited. (In some cases, supporting documentation will be required).
An overview of how an FSA can be used is available on the official Custom Benefits Services website.
To sign up
If you have an FSA in 2010: You will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to access your information online and enroll for 2011. All online enrollments must be completed by 11 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5.
If you do not have an FSA in 2010: Download the FSA enrollment form, print and mail it by Dec. 3 to Anh Nunag, Human Resources, EpiCenter Services Building.
Bright Before Your Eyes parade
The Seminole Campus won first place for its float in the Bright Before Your Eyes parade in Seminole on Nov. 21. The campus float was one of 44 entries in the holiday parade.
Reminder: BOT agenda, presentations available online
The agenda, supporting materials, videos and highlights of all Board of Trustees meetings are available online. This includes presentations made at the board meetings.
Meeting notices
Board of Trustees updates
SPC encourages open access to all Board of Trustees information. Organized by date, the BOT website serves as an ongoing record of all BOT meetings and decisions, and includes the most current information on:
- Board meeting schedules, legal notices, agendas, rule development notices, supplemental board materials, meeting minutes and highlights
- Official board rules
- Board member profiles and terms of service
NEW! Highlights of Nov. 16 meeting
NEW! Notice of Meeting for Dec. 14
The SPC Board of Trustees will meet Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 8:30 a.m. in the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus Student Services building, room 202, to discuss general business and other matters.
The Development Committee for the Board of Directors of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. in the museum’s Interactive Gallery to discuss general business.
The Collection Committee for the Board of Directors of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 2:30 p.m. in the Registrar’s Office of the museum to discuss general business.
The Finance Committee for the Board of Directors of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 3:30 in the museum’s Interactive Gallery to discuss general business.
The Education and Outreach Committee of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 3 p.m. in the Fine Arts building, room 132, to discuss general business.
Follow us on ...