Planning for the Future

Our first planning focus group session was Friday! We learned some interesting information about our co-workers, including their taste in music. One of the first concerts Don Michael attended was Earth, Wind, and Fire and Teresa Smith jams to Sammy Hagar and Lynyrd Skynyrd on her way to work.

Don Michael, BCAS Teresa Smith, HHS

After having some good laughs, we got down to business and reviewed the values that were compiled at the beginning of the year meeting. Jim McDermott commented that he was surprised that diversity was not higher on the list. As we go through these sessions, the list of values may change depending on your feedback. We also discussed ideas for the future of the Institution ranging from case management of students to outdoor seating areas that would provide opportunities for engagement between faculty, staff, and students. It was good to hear a free flow of ideas. These along with yours will be the basis for our Institutional goals. I hope to capture the spirit and many of the specifics of what is shared to form the three to five big goals for the College. Thanks to this first group for kicking things off in a great way!

Recognition of CDC

As we all know, teaching is one of the most significant and powerful jobs in the world because teachers have the opportunity to change lives for the better. It may not immediately occur to you but there is one group of teachers that influences lives from the very beginning - the wonderful teachers and staff at the Child Development Center. It is with great pleasure that I share with you a recognition letter I recently received from a parent. It demonstrates the powerful impact they make in the lives of many. I add my thanks to that of this parent - well done CDC teachers and staff!

Values Tally

Thanks to all who have viewed the blog and thanks to those who have left comments. I will be making attempts to address your thoughts but in the meantime, keep checking in or sign up to receive notification.

I enjoyed our time together Wednesday and I am impressed with the values that came out of the exercise. Although there is no perfect science to the tally, this helps us gauge where we are in the process. The list will change as we hear from others that have not participated. In addition, there may be broad categories that we combine to help facilitate a more concise value. While all our expressed values are relevant and important, it would be nice to narrow our "corporate" list to a number that was manageable. What I am shooting for is a list that is representative and memorable such that we can easily refer to them on a frequent basis, hopefully from memory.

I look forward to your feedback!

Welcome

Welcome to the YTC Blog! The purpose of this blog is to share with you what's on my mind and important College information. My goal is to post a new comment each week, although there may be more than one a day. The blog will be available through spring, when we hope to culminate the planning process. I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to share your thoughts by commenting on the posts. Also, if you want to receive email notifications of new posts, just signup by clicking the subscription button on the sidebar on the right.

Please remember to sign up for a planning session. I hope you have a wonderful fall semester!