New Facility for Heavy Equipment Program

In the Chester County Industrial Park, a 1,494 sq ft classroom building is nearing completion for the Heavy Equipment Operator Program. The building will consist of two classrooms, one office, a reception area, service area, locker room and restrooms. The land for the training site was donated by Chester County which consists of 11.7 acres. Funds for the building were provided by the College Foundation. The building is scheduled for completion in early March 2009. The site also includes a 30 x 60 foot shed to protect the program’s equipment. Information about the Heavy Equipment Operator program is available at: http://www.yorktech.com/constructiontrades/heavy_equipment.asp.

Chester Center

A Sneak Preview event was held Tuesday, December 2 for over 150 supporters and donors that played a key role in making the Chester Center a dream come true. The journey has been a long one, but we are very excited to finally bring a higher education facility to the Chester community. The building consists of two distance learning rooms, one computer lab, three general purpose classrooms, assessment center, library, Welding lab, Mechatronics lab, student commons area, and several faculty and staff offices. Chester Economic Development offices will be located upstairs. Local residents are thrilled to have this state-of-the-art facility in Chester, and we believe the Center will make a positive difference in the lives of students and in the community. A special thanks to Dave LeGrande and Dr. Ed Duffy for their hard work and dedication to this project. I am grateful to everyone involved in making this dream a reality in Chester County.

An open house for the community is scheduled for the spring. Information about the Chester Center is available at http://www.yorktech.com/chester/.

Joint Commission and Legislative Delegation Meeting

On Tuesday evening, the College’s Commission and Legislative Delegation met at the Baxter M. Hood Center. The meeting with our legislators is held annually where we share the highlights of the past year and plans for the future. I provided an overview of our current projects which included the new Chester Center, new Heavy Equipment Operator program facility in Chester, partnership with the City of Rock Hill and our Building and Construction Trades Program to build certified energy efficient homes on Flint St., articulation efforts with Winthrop University, and our current work with the Rock Hill Schools, just to name a few. I presented the College's current budget situation and what that means to the future of the institution.

Guest speakers included Charlie Miller, CEO of Piedmont Medical Center, and Jim Morris, Site Vice President for the Catawba Nuclear Station. They spoke about the importance of preparing their workforce and the needs that they will likely see in the future. Having these two significant companies share the importance of York Technical College's role in meeting their workforce needs made quite an impression.

We also had the pleasure of hearing Beth Morgan, a senior nursing student, speak about her experience at the College and the impact Lottery Tuition Assistance has had on her life.

In addition, an overview of the 2009-2010 SC Technical College System Legislative Priorities was provided which include:

• Lottery Tuition Assistance
• Allied Healthcare Initiative
• Enterprise Campus Legislation
• Accelerated Job Readiness
• readySC
• Lottery Technology Funding

On January 13, a joint meeting with the College Commission and Chester County Council will be held at the new Chester Center. In February, our Commission will meet with the York County Council.

Faculty Recognitions

Dr. Janie Sigmon, Biology Instructor, was recently accepted as a member of the second cohort of BEN (BiosciEdNet) Scholars. The process of becoming a BEN scholar is competitive and only twenty scholars are selected each year. The goal of the BEN Scholars Program is to promote the use of digital library resources and student-centered teaching and learning methods in higher education, specifically in biological sciences lecture and laboratory courses, and in research training programs. As a BEN scholar, Dr. Sigmon will participate in two years of professional development activities, including developing submissions for digital libraries and completing outreach activities. For more information about the BEN Scholars program, please see the story published on the AAAS website at: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/0730ben.shtml

Dr. Cree Stout, Department Manager for ECT/EET, successfully completed ABET’s (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) Institute for the Development of Excellence in Assessment Leadership (IDEAL). During her time at the Institute, Dr. Stout developed skills in the principles of program assessment, change management, and facilitation. As an IDEAL Scholar, Dr. Stout will continue to interact this academic year with other scholars through sharing and discussing best practices via SharePoint portal software. More information about the ABET IDEAL program can be accessed at: http://www.abet.org/ideal.shtml

Congratulations, Dr. Sigmon and Dr. Stout!

If you are aware of other faculty and staff that have received similar achievements, please email jnesbitt@yorktech.com. I want to make sure others are recognized as well.

Recognition for Excellence in Teaching

Congratulations to Dr. Martha Macdonald, English Instructor, on being selected as one of four finalists for the South Carolina Governor’s Professor of the Year Award in the two-year college category. As the recipient of the York Technical College President’s Award for Instructional Excellence, Dr. Macdonald and thirty-five faculty from other SC institutions were nominated for the Governor’s Professor of the Year Award. Dr. Macdonald was recognized at a luncheon last week at the University of South Carolina in Columbia for her excellence in teaching. Congratulations, Martha!

Student Success Initiatives

Thanks to all who took time to participate in the Student Success/Institutional Effectiveness (IE) workshops. Over 150 college employees attended one of the workshops during the month of September. All sessions reflected a mix of faculty, student services, and administrative/support personnel. The purpose of the workshops was to discuss student engagement practices and ideas for setting goals to measure student success. Since the completion of those workshops, college departments have submitted IE plans that detail the strategies and measures they have set to improve student engagement and/or persistence. As we discussed at the workshops, the most obvious place to impact student success is through direct contact in the classrooms. As we also discussed, even those of us who are not in the classroom play a part in determining to what extent our students will be successful. The IE plans submitted so far reflect the varying roles that we all play. Some highlights include:

• The Business Administration Department plans to increase collaborative learning in the classroom through the implementation of in-class student group discussions and presentations.
• The Information Technology Department will offer faculty-led tutoring sessions every Friday during the semester to provide support for student learning.
• In the Criminal Justice Department, faculty will contact each student in their classes prior to midterm to assess the students’ academic progress and to offer assistance to help them be more successful.
• The Science Department will increase engagement with high-risk students by identifying those who scored a C or below on their exams and then scheduling conferences with them and assigning peer tutors.
• Staff at the Off Campus Centers will contact all students who are absent from a teleclass meeting in an effort to make those students feel more connected to the college.
• Staff in the Career Services Office will contact all students enrolled in the General Studies Program and provide them career guidance to increase the numbers who transition into a career-oriented program and remain at the college.
• The Custodial, Maintenance, and Public Safety Departments will all conduct customer surveys to determine areas where they can work to enhance their impact on the overall campus environment.

I’m excited about all of your Student Success initiatives and look forward to hearing about your progress. I will continue to provide leadership to assure progress on the five themes that we identified to support Student Success: Organizational Development, Partnerships, Branding, Campus Environment, and Programming. I will personally be involved through investing time with faculty, staff and students to improve communications and two-way understanding. I am also committed to ensuring that adequate resources are available to invest in those activities that have proven to show an impact on student success.

Vincent Tinto, Professor at Syracuse University, has researched and written extensively on higher education, particularly on student retention and the impact of learning communities on student growth and attainment. He comes from a four-year perspective but has worked very closely with technical and community colleges in recent years. His article “Taking Student Retention Seriously” outlines the conditions that support retention. Please take time to read this article and share your thoughts with me.

Maximize Student Success

Thank you for attending the Beginning-of-the-Year meeting and for your ideas on how to achieve our goal of maximizing student success. Workshops will be offered in September to discuss student engagement practices and measures, review availability of data related to student success, and brainstorm ideas for setting department goals for the measurement of student success. Please sign up for one of the workshops listed below by visiting:
http://academic.yorktech.com/department/evaluation/IE_Workshops.asp

Thursday, September 11
2-3:30pm ST-103

Friday, September 12
10-11:30am ST-103

Thursday, September 18
2-3:30pm L-113

Friday, September 19
10-11:30an L-113

Thursday, September 25
2-3:30pm L-113

Friday, September 26
10-11:30am L-113


Taunya Paul shared an excerpt from The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with me earlier this week related to helping students learn how to learn and students as customers. The analogy is one I have used often. I hope you will take a few minutes to listen to the excerpt posted in the sidebar. Let me know what you think.

Information Services

Earlier this year, you were asked to complete a survey evaluating the services and processes provided by the Information Services Department. This department is responsible for hardware, software, networks, programming, and related services. Your input has been very helpful in evaluating how we can improve on services and processes provided by this department. I wanted to share with you some of their recent activities, some of which are direct improvements based on the feedback you provided.

• 300 new computers installed around campus, mainly in faculty and staff offices. This is the single largest roll-out of new computers ever at York Tech. These systems will support newer Microsoft applications such as Office 2007.
• Internet connection capacity was recently increased from 10MB/sec to 20MB/sec; this has made Internet access much faster and will make Internet applications more efficient. This new connection to the Internet, supplied by Comporium Communications, is also less expensive than the circuit it replaced.
• A new high-speed (10MB/sec) circuit dedicated to interactive video classes was recently installed, which will further enhance the capabilities of the Distance Learning department.
• In cooperation with Comporium, we are completing the transition to a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) telephone system. This system provides every telephone with voicemail, caller id, and a host of other new features and functions. Thus far, over 350 new phones have been installed.
• Training sessions held on how to use Campus Cruiser to register students during open registration periods. This new method for registration should alleviate the Datatel performance issues we have experienced in the past.
• The Administrative Systems Council will replace the Datatel Core Team, which was responsible for implementing the Datatel Software. The Administrative Systems Council will be responsible for oversight of the administrative data systems which includes how students and staff interact with the systems, how data are defined for use, and how administrative and academic components interact, and how data is collected and reported. Members include Dr. Mark Ulseth (chair), Jack Bagwell, Susan Brackett, Alan Broyles, Dennis Gribenas, Mary Beth Schwartz, and Jim Werner. This group differs from the Information Technology Council which is primarily responsible for the review and evaluation of hardware requests.

Your feedback has also helped with improvements in the Human Resources Department. I hope to share those activities with you next week. Food Services will be surveyed next and will be completed by faculty, staff, and students. An ongoing rotation of feedback will help us improve services that ultimately help support student success. Thanks to Information Services for making these improvements.

Regional Education Center

As part of the Education and Economic Development (EEDA) Act, Regional Education Centers have been designated throughout the 12 Local Workforce Investment Areas in South Carolina. The purpose of the Regional Education Centers (REC) is to “…coordinate and facilitate the delivery of information, resources, and services to students, educators, employers, and the community.” Regional Education Centers will consist of a network of service providers that will collaborate to help connect the local education and business communities. Additional information about the Regional Education Centers can be accessed through http://www.scpathways.org/rec.html.

York Technical College has been appointed as the administrative partner and fiscal agent for the Catawba Regional Education Center (REC). Lisa Robbins will serve as the Coordinator for the local REC and will report to the Catawba Regional Education Center Advisory Board. The position of president of York Technical College is a permanent Board member. Lisa's office is located in the Administration Building in AD9, email address is lrobbins@yorktech.com, and phone number is 981-7702. Please welcome her to the York Technical College campus.

Sherry Glenn continues to administer our local EEDA grant that assists in implementing this legislation and in growing our dual enrollment opportunities with our area high schools. Sherry’s office is located in the Administration Building in AD 29, email address is sglenn@yorktech.com, and phone number is 325-2865.

Budget

Last month, the General Assembly passed the fiscal year 2008-2009 General Appropriations Bill which reduces the amount of funding available to the state’s technical colleges by 3 percent. This equals about $258,000 for York Technical College. Our enrollment increased 13 percent for 07/08 which means the need for more instructors, classes, and support services. To meet this demand, the College Commission met on June 10 and approved a 4 percent increase in tuition. The Schedule of Student Fees outlines the new tuition charges for 2008-2009.

The highest priorities for the SC Technical College System were the Allied Healthcare Initiative and Lottery Tuition Assistance. Allied health programs are very expensive to operate and there is major demand both in terms of students and employers. As a system, we received a special allocation the last two years. The funding was non-recurring, which means it must be secured anew each year. This year, due to budget constraints it has been difficult to secure funding for a third time. The goal was $15 million. We received $4 million from unclaimed lottery prize money. This is not guaranteed but based on past experience it should be available. In addition, there is another funding possibility that was established for next year. This source is potential surplus in a Health and Human Services recoupment fund. At the end of the fiscal year, our system would receive the first $10 million in excess of $50 million. The end result is that we believe we can continue to operate healthcare programs at the current expanded level but next year we could have less or more funding depending on those funding sources.

The goal for Lottery Tuition Assistance was $58 million which based on estimates would provide close to a $1,000 maximum award. We received 47 million. The lottery tuition rates will be announced later this summer.

Graduation

The graduation ceremony last week was a great success. This was the first year the event has been held at Winthrop Coliseum and it went very smoothly. I am very proud of the College and the way we presented ourselves to the community. I appreciate all the hard work that was put into planning the event. Thanks to all who were involved!

The President’s Award for Students was presented to graduating students selected by the faculty in their divisions for outstanding contributions to the College and the community. Scholastic excellence, service to the College and the community, perseverance and demonstration of positive attitudes are key attributes of those nominated for this recognition. The winners included:

Joni C. Arrowood, Associate Degree in Public Service with a Major in Early Care and Child Education

Greg M. DeAngel, Associate Degree in Science

Michael W. McFadden, Associate Degree in Industrial Technology with a Major in Automotive Technology

Terry A. Mobley, Associate Degree in Business with a Major in Office Systems Technology

Brian C. Roberts, Associate Degree in Business with a Major in Management

Each year, faculty members from the academic divisions of the College are nominated by their peers to be considered as candidates for the President’s Award for Instructional Excellence. Faculty are evaluated for quality instruction, professional development, involvement with students, respect from students as well as fellow instructors and supervisors, and agreement with and support for the philosophy and goals of the College and achieving recognition for the College in the community and the State.

The nominees included:

Jane Fleischer, Program Coordinator for Nursing

Chuck Greene, Automotive Technology Instructor

Brian Hipp, Program Coordinator for Information Technology

Martha Macdonald, English Instructor

John McGill, Science Instructor

Dr. Martha Macdonald received the President’s Award for Instructional Excellence. Congratulations, Martha!

Thanks again to all who were involved in planning the graduation ceremony.

Conversations About What We Believe

In the fall, I met with over 400 faculty, staff, students, business/industry representatives, public school officials, Commission and Foundation members, and others to obtain input in the College's planning process. On April 24, we will continue this process with a Recognition Dinner for Advisory Committee and Deans’ Council members.

Six themes were identified from the sessions: student success, programming, partnerships, campus environment, branding, and organizational development. Of all the themes, none is more important than ensuring success for every student. But what does student success mean to you? What is our philosophy towards students? How should we work together? How should we support each other? Those questions and more are important in helping us better define our values, philosophy towards students, and how we will execute the strategies and initiatives to support our goal. Your input is a key part of this process. Therefore, I would like to meet with you to discuss your thoughts and ideas in a format called Conversations About What We Believe. The idea for this title came from the National Public Radio project, “This I Believe.” Here is a sample of one that I feel has relevance entitled Presumption of Decency. If you discover other relevant stories, please share them.

I'm providing a few reading materials for you to review for discussion at these sessions. The readings include Starting Right: A First Look at Engaging Entering Students, Committing to Student Engagement: Reflections on CCSSE's First Five Years, and Learn and Earn Not Churn and Burn.

Your input is vitally important to this process, so I hope you will join me in one of these four sessions. Please sign up.

April 25 9am-12pm
May 2 9am-12pm
May 14 9am-12pm
May 21 9am-12pm

Phi Theta Kappa

On Saturday, March 17, York Technical College's Alpha Alpha Iota chapter of Phi Theta Kappa was recognized at the Phi Theta Kappa Carolinas Region Convention held in Clemmons, NC, for their hard work last year. Kirk Adams, President of PTK, has provided outstanding leadership to the College's local PTK chapter. His dedication to PTK and to the College demonstrates the level of commitment and engagement we hope for all of our students. Karen Hedgepeth and Bill Bass, faculty advisors for the local PTK chapter, have worked very hard supporting our students efforts and are to be commended.

The chapter received the following awards at the Phi Theta Kappa Carolinas Region Convention:

Carolinas Superstar Award - for 90 percent participation in Regional and International events.
Four Clover Challenge Award - for completing four environmental projects including planting trees, recycling, and providing environmental awareness information.
5-Star Chapter Award - for reaching the highest level of participation for a chapter, completing four International Honors Topic projects, four International Service Topic projects and much more.

The International Honors Topic and Service Topic Projects must involve some or all of Phi Theta Kappa's Hallmarks (Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Fellowship). Within Scholarship, our chapter shared their knowledge and experience with others in the school, community, and region. For the past two years, they have provided historical presentations at Jefferson Elementary School. They presented movies on campus with discussions afterward on how they relate to the Honors Topic, "Gold, Gods, and Glory: The Global Dynamics of Power." They have empowered those in the community and internationally through Project Graduation and Better World Books where they collected food to be donated to a local soup kitchen and books to be donated to The Children's Attention Home, Family Literacy, and Books for Africa.

In line with their Service Topic, "Operation Green: Improving Our Communities", they held a waterway cleanup at Ebenezer Park for the last two years, planted flowers around the school and trees in the community to help to reduce our "carbon footprint." In addition, they have distributed information in ways to keep the environment clean and handed out over 200 pocket ashtrays on campus.

Scholarship Hallmark Award - (awarded to the top 5 chapters in NC & SC) for projects making an educational impact on the college, community, and regional levels.
Service Hallmark Award (Honorable Mention)- (awarded to the top 10 chapters in NC & SC) for service projects making an impact on the college, community, and regional levels.
Hall of Honor Award (for Patricia Celley) - This is given to members who are nominated for Distinguished Chapter Member/Officer/President/Advisor Awards
Distinguished Chapter Officer Award (Patricia Celley) - This is given to the top 5 Chapter Officers in the region for their impact in the chapter as well as in the class and college.
Distinguished Chapter President Award (Kirk Adams) - This is given to the top 5 Chapter Presidents in the region for their impact in the chapter as well as in the class and college.
Horizon Award (Bill Bass) - For contributing to their chapter's continued advancement in the region.
Horizon Award (Karen Hedgepeth) - For contributing to their chapter's continued advancement in the region.
Distinguished Chapter Award (Honorable Mention) - (awarded to the top 10 chapters in NC & SC) for the highest overall scores/awards.
Distinguished College President (Dr. Greg Rutherford) - awarded to the College President who provided the highest level of support to the colleges Phi Theta Kappa Chapter.

As Kirk Adams stated, "our goal as a Phi Theta Kappa chapter is not just to be recognized for academic excellence, but to make a difference on our campus, in our community, and ultimately in our world by sharing what we have learned and giving back of our time and talents. We want to help with Dr. Rutherford's vision of making York Tech the best place to work and to learn by contributing in any way we can."

Thank you Kirk, Karen, Bill, and all the PTK members for a job well done!

Week of the Young Child

The Child Development Center will be celebrating the Week of the Young Child April 14-18. This celebration is in conjunction with the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Week of the Young Child is held each year to honor young children and thank early childhood teachers and all those who make a difference in young children’s lives. The theme for Week of the Young Child 2008 (WOYC) is:

Bring Communities Together for Children
– Children Bring Communities Together

Proclamation

Whereas, the York Technical College Child Development Center and other local organizations, in conjunction with the National Association for the Education of Young Children are celebrating the “Week of the Young Child”; and

Whereas, these organizations are working to improve early learning opportunities, including early literacy programs, that can provide a foundation of learning for children in York and surrounding Counties; and

Whereas, teachers and others who make a difference in the lives of young children in York and surrounding Counties deserve thanks and recognition; and

Whereas, public policies that support early learning for all young children are crucial to young children’s futures;

I, Dr. Greg Rutherford, President of York Technical College, do proclaim April 13 – 19, 2008 as the “Week of the Young Child” at York Technical College and encourage all citizens to work to make a good investment in early childhood education in South Carolina.

Academic Calendar

Over the past year, I’ve received many inquiries regarding the College’s Academic Calendar. One of the most frequent inquiries is if the College could schedule its spring break at the same time as the local school districts to provide faculty and students with school children an opportunity to have a week together for vacations or other activities. Although I no longer have school age children, I certainly understand the convenience of having spring break the same week. In response to these inquiries, I asked the Academic Calendar Committee and the Council of Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) to evaluate the pros and cons of changing the dates for the 2009 spring break from March 9 – 13 to the area school districts’ spring break of April 13 – 17. They determined that leaving spring break in the middle of the semester was a more valuable and academically sound decision. The College began scheduling spring break at the mid-point of the semester a few years ago as a response to student and faculty concern that an April spring break was only a few weeks before the end of the semester, and that a mid-semester break more closely aligned with higher education calendar models.

In addition, there is no guarantee that all public and private schools in our service area will schedule spring break the exact same week every year; therefore, changing the calendar would not address everyone’s needs. Spring break, of course, is just one of the many concerns that you have shared with me. Other concerns include the desire for a fall break, to close the College for Easter Monday or Friday, not use annual leave during winter break, to have more workdays at the beginning of the semesters, etc. As you can imagine, there are many constraints that must be considered when scheduling the academic calendar such as: number of minutes of classroom instruction, number of faculty non-work days in the 39 and 13 week agreements, state holidays, etc. Faculty who have challenges with the scheduling of spring break should work with their academic associate vice president to determine possible options.

The Academic Calendar Committee will meet soon to begin planning the 2009-2010 Academic Calendar. If you have suggestions, please feel free to contact one of the following Committee members: Susan Feemster, Gina Misle, Jacquelyn Nesbitt, Al Sanderlin, Laura Sturgis, Marc Tarplee, or Mark Ulseth. If you wish to be involved in the planning of the academic calendar, please contact Jacquelyn Nesbitt.

I appreciate your input and hope you will continue to provide suggestions to me and others. I am sincere about working with you to help make YTC the best place possible to work. At the same time, I want us to balance that with learning and economic development. I don't think it would be right for me to only consider my definition of what that means so please continue to provide your perspective. When possible dig a little deeper to see why things are the way they are and when real constraints exist, how we can work within them, while considering the impact on our total organization and our stakeholders.

New Phone System

During the fall focus group sessions, many of you mentioned the need to update technology on campus and specifically phones. Well, good news! We are in the process of replacing the College’s current phone system with VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol. VOIP is a method of taking analog audio signals (like what we currently hear when we talk on the phone) and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the internet. What this means for us is that we will receive new phones with features that most of us have on our home phones like voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting. Yes, the brown phones are history! There are a number of additional features that can be utilized with this system and information will be provided when installation is complete and everyone is comfortable with the initial set-up.

Phones were installed in ST-Building on February 26, and B-Building is scheduled for installation this Friday, March 21. Our plans are to install phones in one or two buildings per week, depending on size, with installation complete by the end of May. During each building installation, representatives from Comporium will be on campus to provide assistance with set up and to offer training on how to use various services. As Telephone Services Coordinator, Debbie Bailey will also serve as system administrator for the VOIP system.

Area Commission Planning Meeting

For those who were off last week, welcome back. I hope you enjoyed your time off. For those of you who did not take off please make plans for some vacation time in the near future.

I apologize for not posting any updates in a few weeks. Last minute preparations for the Area Commission Planning Meeting were overwhelming. The Planning Meeting was held over two full days, with nine of the ten Commission members in attendance. We presented pertinent information related to the six planning themes that were identified from the faculty/staff focus group sessions: student success, programming, partnerships, campus environment, branding, and organizational development. Our discussions focused primarily on student success and how the other themes support our efforts to help students achieve their goals.

We introduced the future concept of building a 55,000 sq ft allied health facility. The allied health sector is growing rapidly and there is great demand for us to expand our programming and provide facilities to meet those needs. Adding an allied health facility to our campus would free up space in A and C buildings for new and expanding programs.

The potential for a major partnership with the Rock Hill School District was discussed. The school district is evaluating a possible location for a fourth high school. One of three ideas they are exploring is locating a non-comprehensive high school on our College campus. This option is very similar to the Early College concept where students could simultaneously earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree. Opportunity exists for all or part of the programs at the Applied Technology Center to relocate to the College campus, which would provide additional space on the Northwestern campus. The new high school could potentially accommodate as many as 1200 students or be designed for mostly grades 11 and 12 and be as small as 500. There is no date certain but if both administrations and governing boards agree this could become a reality by 2012.

I believe Commission members were engaged and appreciated the time spent covering the major opportunities and challenges ahead. I am very grateful to our Commission members for their support. I am also very appreciative of the hard work by many individuals who helped us prepare for the meeting.

Investing In Our Community

Despite economic hardship in year 2007, which reduced the amount of contributions by other institutions to the United Way, York Technical College was able to increase its pledges by nine percent over 2006. YTC employees contributed $13,824.50 to the 2007 United Way Campaign. I am delighted to know that in addition to your regular duties, you are also adding value to the community through your charitable contributions. Special thanks to Shahram Mazhari, Teresa Bomar, Brandy Piner, Deborah Jones, Anita McBride, Teresa Smith, Gingery Dewey, Cynde Marshall, Mary Davis, and Julie O'Dell for leading the College’s United Way Campaign.

"Give Kids a Smile"

On February 1, our Dental Health Professions programs, in partnership with the Tri-County Dental Association, provided free dental care to 46 kids as part of "Give Kids a Smile!" Day. Volunteers included nine area dentists, seven hygienists and assistants, and 42 students enrolled in the dental program. According to the American Dental Association, $16,349 in services was provided by these great volunteers. Thanks to the Dental Department faculty, staff, and students for providing such a wonderful service to our community.

Planning Update

We continue to collect stakeholder input in to the College's planning process. Yesterday the College hosted a planning luncheon for leaders of all six of the school districts within our service area. I am pleased to report that 36 representatives, including superintendents, associate superintendents, applied technology center directors, high school principals, and others were in attendance. It was a great opportunity to hear their challenges and opportunities, ideas to improve collaboration and engagement, and to learn what additional services we can provide. It was also a fitting occasion to share and celebrate the fact that York Technical College had the largest dual enrollment of high school students among the 16 technical colleges in fall 2007. This accomplishment would not be possible without the support of the school districts, as well as the hard work of Sherry Glenn and others to increase dual enrollment opportunities. We look forward to working even more closely together in the future.

On January 30, the College hosted a Small Business Providers' luncheon to learn how we can further support small businesses and entrepreneurs in York County. Winthrop and York Tech representatives will meet on February 15 to discuss course articulation. These two meetings were not formally part of our planning outreach effort but will certainly benefit us as we move forward. On February 26, we plan to engage the York County Council in the College's planning process. That meeting will conclude the external stakeholder input piece of the process. In the meantime, I am working with a small group to develop a proposed framework that integrates all of the feedback we have received to develop a new strategic plan that is simple, meaningful, and inspiring.

I am also planning to continue the discussions with you that we began in the fall. I will host sessions in March and April where we can more fully explore our collective values and how they can inform an overall college philosophy. More information about these sessions will be available in the next few weeks.

Student Advocacy Day

The Lottery Tuition Assistance (LTA) Program has made education possible for thousands of students throughout the state. On Tuesday, January 15, over 300 students representing the 16 South Carolina technical colleges gathered at the State House to show their support for the LTA Program. Students wore shirts proclaiming, “Lottery Tuition Assistance makes a difference….one of $175,000+,” referencing the number of technical college students who have utilized the lottery-funded aid. Twenty-four York Technical College students, Kelli Dawkins, Warren Cook, and I rode by motor coach to Columbia to show our appreciation to the General Assembly. Dr. Barry Russell, System president; Senator John W. Matthews (D-Orangeburg), Senate Education and Finance Committees; Representative Dan Cooper (R-Anderson), Chair, House Ways and Means Committee; and Catalina Abruntilla, an LTA recipient and student at Midlands Technical College spoke to the hundreds of students gathered at the steps of the State House. As members of the House and Senate began their sessions, they recognized sixteen students representing each of the technical colleges. I enjoyed spending the day with the students and greatly appreciate Kelli Dawkins, Sherry Glenn, and Carolyn Stewart for all their hard work in making the day a success!

Lottery Tuition Assistance is just one of the many legislative priorities for the SC Technical College System this year. The following link provides a list of the System’s legislative priorities.

http://www.sctechsystem.com/LegislativePriorities/2008-09/index.html

The 2008-2009 Legislative Priorities: An Overview provides a brief summary of all the priorities.

2007 Benefactor of the Year

Joe McElwee, a York Technical College Foundation Board member since 1990, was recognized at the South Carolina Technical College System Benefactors Make a Difference ceremony which highlights the generosity and efforts of individuals who have partnered with South Carolina's technical colleges to make a college education possible for hundreds of students.

McElwee is a major supporter of the College’s efforts to build a higher education facility in Chester County. He is helping the College’s Foundation raise funds from private sources to make the new Chester Center a reality. “The one thing missing in Chester County for a long time was the lack of post-secondary opportunities. Seeing the construction of the new York Technical College Chester Center is the fulfillment of a lifetime dream,” said Joe McElwee.

Joe’s contributions to the College are highlighted in the video. The College is thankful for his leadership and support, and we are very proud to recognize Joe as our Benefactor for 2007.

Welcome Back and Happy New Year!

2008 . . . I should get used to the year changing but I never do. It always seems to boggle me for a little while. I will struggle to get it right for a week or so, as I write the date, then it will become normal. Growing up, the thought of a new millennium seemed strange. Being a sci-fi guy and watching the futuristic TV shows and movies made me think that 2000 was incredibly far away and not really real. Now, in 2008, the thought of crossing that time threshold seems less strange but still odd none-the-less. Neither 2001: A Space Odyssey (released in 1968) or the sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984) got the timing right on man orbiting Jupiter but we have achieved many things envisioned by science fiction writers.

One thing that hasn’t changed a great deal though is organized learning: technical, academic, and otherwise. Of course, we have much more sophisticated technology and much more of it. But the real ingredients of education stay the same—namely people working with people to build upon, transfer and apply knowledge that adds value to the individual and society. Such is our endeavor and a most significant one at that. When teaching, I often feel inadequate. In part because I realize how little I really know and because I know I have so far to go. That doesn’t change the fact that the person who I am responsible for is looking to me for guidance and there is no ready alternative. That realization helps me to take stock, refocus and improve. You see, I can simultaneously be grounded in the knowledge of my limitations, help others learn and get better myself. It is an amazing human endowment. So without getting into the whole resolution thing, I will endeavor for our organization to grow and improve in 2008, while I too strive to grow and improve. I know you will join with me in that challenge and as such feel confident that we will have a great 2008. Welcome back and Happy New Year!