Student Government Holds Independence Day Celebration
The Student Government Association held an Independence Day Celebration July 2nd in the Azalea building parking lot. The event included a picnic style lunch (below), music, voter registration (left) and free health screenings provided by the Asheville Lions Eye Clinic.
OD Corner: Happy New Year!
Welcome to a new OD Calendar year! Thanks to all of you who submitted feedback regarding the programs that you attended last year. Thanks, too, for all of the input for this year's planning. The more the merrier, when it comes to planning activities that will be meaningful for the largest number of employees.
I hope you like what you see in the OD Plan, which will be sent via email and posted on the OD intranet site. Please note the changes to the OD mission statement, core principles, theme, and objectives for this year. I think that they more closely align with the college's intent to be more invitational. And, I thank those of you who contributed to these positive changes.
We have been busy preparing a wide array of programs. When you review your OD Calendar for July to December, you will notice a number of new titles. You will also recognize a number of programs back by popular demand. General interest programs fall into one of the following four categories: life challenges, safety and security, technology, and work challenges. There are four groups for which focused programs have been developed: academic advisors, instructors, leaders, and office professionals. Employees outside of the intended audience who want to attend a program are always welcome as long as seats are available.
New general interest programs offered during the first half of the year include: 401(k): What you Should Know, Eat Right, Understanding A-B Tech's Benefits, Forklift Training, Collaborating with Word, Datatel Training, Invitational Communication Strategies, and Russian in the Workplace. A-B Tech will also host the community program, "Building Bridges" on our Asheville Campus on Thursday evenings from Sept. 23-Nov. 18.
Fall Professional Development Afternoon will be noon-4:30 Thursday, Sept. 16. All classes are cancelled during this period and will resume at 5:00. The tentative schedule is shown below and more details will be provided as we get closer to the event.
11:30-1:00: lunch and learn: department meetings - locations tba
1:10-2:20: concurrent professional development sessions - Laurel/Elm
2:20-2:35: break (beech tree deck/Laurel lobby)
2:35-3:45: concurrent professional development sessions - Laurel/Elm
3:55-4:30: keynote speaker - Ferguson Aud.
And, finally, a large training initiative will support the college's computer information system conversion during the next few years. At the request of the NCCCS, all community colleges will convert their information systems from IIPS (our current system) to Colleague, a comprehensive software program produced by Datatel. A-B Tech was selected to be in the second group of colleges undergoing this transition. While a core group of employees have already been involved in this training, the bulk of the training will be conducted during the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 fiscal years. We will be providing an overview of this project and updates during the year. Department heads and others in some areas have already been trained and are now training others within their departments as they begin (or continue) the conversion process. These departments include: Business Services, Financial Aid, Personnel, Counseling/Advising, Admissions, and Registration. Each department head serves as the contact person.
Instructional Services and Continuing Education will use a train-the-trainer approach. Each has selected a leadership team to oversee the conversion process for their areas. Joe Franklin and Sherry Cordell are the contacts for curriculum and continuing education, respectively.
CampusConnection: Transfer Advising Center
Geli Klimek (right) is the Director of the new Transfer Advising Center, which is also staffed by secretary Malory Presley (center) and coordinator Kenet Adamson.
The number of A-B Tech students transferring to four-year schools continues to increase, and now, thanks to a new Transfer Advising Center, the transition will become an even easier process.
Located in room 200 of the Elm building, the center has office space for five advisors - three faculty advisors plus center director Geli Klimek and faculty coordinator Kenet Adamson - and also features eight computer stations that students can utilize during their wait time.
"We wanted to develop a quality advising center for students interested in transferring," said Klimek, who mentioned that along with providing information on various colleges and helping with the transfer process, advisors can also offer academic advice to help students select the courses best suited for their four-year degrees. "Through our services, we can help ensure a more successful transfer."
And A-B Tech students have been taking credits to four-year schools in ever-increasing numbers. In 2000-01, 99 students transferred to a University of North Carolina system college. That number jumped to 128 the following year and reached 154 in 2002-03.
"This center definitely fulfills a vital role in helping A-B Tech students make the transition to a four-year college," said Klimek.
The center opened July 12 and was immediately put to use by students registering for the upcoming fall semester, and the feedback has been positive.
"I've had several students tell me that they liked the center because of its central location and the individual attention that advisors provide," said Klimek. "And the faculty advisors love it because of the overall environment and the support it provides to the advisors as well as the students."