In This Issue...

BOARD OF REGENTS NEWS
(January Meeting)

NCTC NEWS

NUTT'S TO You


GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Robert Adams
Condoa Parrent

EMPLOYEE SERVICE ANNIVERSARIES
February and March


FACULTY CONGRESS CORNER
Leadership Conference Report

STARLINK PROGRAMS
• Pedagogy 101 for Distance Learning

• Teaching and Serving Authentically: The Teacher at the Heart of the College

• Integrating Technology into Your ESOL Program

NCTC Equestrian Team

Click here for more information

This summary of the January 24, 2005 meeting is intended as a brief overview of some actions taken by the Board of Regents at its regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Relevant and pertinent details pertaining to actions taken by the Board are recorded in the official Board Meeting Minutes, prepared and maintained by the College President's Office.

REPORTS
Financial
The financial report included the following standard items:   a review of the transfer of funds for December 2004, which totaled $957,755.92; a review of funds in TEXPOOL totaling $10,951,014.47, of which $3,847,473.53 are in Board Dedicated Reserves.
The Board also reviewed the detail of security holdings, book value progression, market value comparison, treasury report, comparative financial analysis and projection report as of December.

Spring 2005 Preliminary Enrollment Report
Mrs. Condoa Parrent, Dean of Student Services, presented the spring 2005 preliminary enrollment report.   She reported system-wide headcount was up from 6,122 to 6,157 students from last year.   Total contact hours were down from 1,077,176 to 1,057,144.   She noted that every NCTC course offered on-line was closed.   A final enrollment report will be made at the February meeting.

NEW BUSINESS
Consideration of Naming the Center for the Performing Arts Center with the Acceptance of a Major Donation Subject to Approval of Agreement
Dr. Dickson made the motion to approve the naming of the performing arts building to First State Bank Center of for the Performing Arts with the acceptance of a major donation of $150,000.00 payable in three annual installments from Mr. Frank Morris, Chief Executive Officer of the First State Bank in Gainesville .   First State Bank made their first installment in December 2004.   The bank has been a good friend and supporter of the college for many years.   It will be difficult for me to make the change to refer to the facility as the CPA rather than the PAC.  

Consideration of Renewal of Faculty Contracts for 2005-2006
Faculty contracts for the 2005-2006 were unanimously approved.

Consideration of Approval of the Vendor for the Purchase of Music Furnishings and Equipment for the Center for the Performing Arts
The Board unanimously approved the bid from Wenger for the purchase of music furnishings and equipment for the center of the performing arts in the amount of $90,962

Consideration of Rescheduling the March Board Meeting
The Board unanimously approved the recommendation to reschedule the March board meeting for March 28, 2005 .  

Consideration of Offering Associate of Arts in Teaching Degree at NCTC
The Board unanimously approved the recommendation to offer the Associate of Arts in Teaching Degree effective with the fall 2005 semester. For the past year we have been offering three of the education courses approved by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.   Mrs. Emily Klement, Dean of the Bowie Campus, will develop the two remaining education courses.   Students planning to major in education will have three degree options from which to choose.   All courses are fully transferable.   Offering these degree options will provide not only opportunities for students to get an earlier start on an education degree, but will also provide an educational program for teacher aides to meet the educational requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation.

Consideration of Personnel
The resignation of Mr. Frank Lugo, Hardware Support Specialist, effective January 21, 2005 was unanimously accepted.   The Board was also informed that Mr. Steve Rigler, Systems Administrator, announced his intention to retire effective August 31, 2005.

Executive Session
The Executive Session was devoted to a discussion of the pending litigations.   No action was taken.

Open Forum
Mr. Kevin Callighan addressed the Board regarding the non-renewal of Dr. Pat Ledbetter.

Disposition of Minutes
The Board tabled the approval of the December 13, 2004 minutes as they were unable to agree on proposed wording changes requested by Mr. Gaylord.

(Editor’s Note: Condoa is the Dean of Student Services and offices on the Gainesville campus.  Condoa previously worked as the Registrar and Director of Admissions at NCTC.)

Where did you work before coming to NCTC? I worked at Murray Chiropractic Center in Gainesville  •  What do you consider your hometown? Gainesville •   What is your alma mater (High School, College/University)?   Gainesville High School •   Who was your career/professional mentor, and why?  Janie Neighbors, Dean of Institutional Research at Weatherford College.  Janie has always been extremely supportive and encouraging of my professional and personal goals.  She is a good friend and mentor. •  Who was your hero or idol when you were a young kid, say 12?   Paul Michael Glasser – Starsky from the old Starsky and Hutch series. •   What book in your professional area have you read recently that you think other people would benefit from reading?   Embrace the Oxymoron: Customer Service in Higher Education •   What kind of music is your favorite?   I listen to Contemporary Christian music  •  Which performers?   Michael W. Smith and the Newsboys   Is there a TV show currently running that you try to see every time it comes on?  I love E.R. •  Which non-network channel do you watch the most?   I love the FOX News Channel – The O’Reilly Factor is my favorite •   What physical object is your most treasured object, and why? •   A piano bench with pictures inside – it was my grandmothers and we used to sit for hours and look at her pictures when I was a little girl. •  Which is your favorite movie of all time?  It’s a Wonderful Life – I always cry  •  What is your favorite place to dine out?  Oucho’s  •  What is your favorite at home menu?   Grilled steak and peppers/onions with a salad  •  What place you have never visited would you love to go to someday? I would love to see Australia. •   Where would be your favorite place to live, if you were not living here?   Some place in the mountains by a lake – maybe Tennessee •  What is your favorite non-workday activity?  I love to get up before everyone else and sit and listen to the quiet.   Then I enjoy spending the day with my family.

The following faculty and staff members celebrate their NCTC "birthdays" in February and March.

February			CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO NCTC.
Nancy Kirk	22 years
Robert Adams	11 years
Pedro Vargas	5 years
Hollie Scargall	5 years
Jason Mann	4 years
Jerry Jones	1 year
Jan Trinklein	1 year
March
Djuana Forrester	6 years
Dawn Porter	5 years
Beverly Neu Menassa	4 years

Faculty Congress Officers Attend Leadership Conference 
On October 15-16, 2004 Faculty Congress Officers; Scott Robinson, Keith Bailey, Kathy Corley, and Jane England; attended the 25th Annual Conference for Faculty Leaders in Austin, Texas.   The Conference is an annual event sponsored by the Texas Community College Teachers Association.  Each year faculty members representing a cross section of state’s 50 community colleges are invited to this forum in which colleagues, officials from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the TCCTA lobbyist, state legislators, and members of the Hill-Gilstrap Law firm discuss major educational issues.  

The key note speaker for the Friday night session was the new Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Raymund Paredes. Dr. Paredes has a strong background in academics having taught Literature at UCLA for 30 years and in administration having served as the Vice President of UCLA .   Dr. Paredes discussed the Closing the Gaps program which is designed to enroll 500,000 more college students by 2015.    He emphasized that the goal is to increase the number of students who go directly from high school to college and to raise the ratios of Hispanic and African American students in higher education.   Another issue which Dr. Paredes addressed is the failure of Texas high schools to prepare students for college level work.   The Commissioner called for a state wide rigorous high school curriculum and for senior year and summer school college preparatory courses. Throughout his speech, Dr. Paredes reiterated that community colleges have a major roll to play in providing quality undergraduate classes and in meeting local demands for technical and work force training.

Beaman Floyd, the TCCTA Lobbyist, spoke at the Saturday morning session and explained the challenges inherent in dealing with the state legislature.  He noted that while most praise the community colleges and recognize the significance of the work that two year institutions do, politicians are often hesitant to provide the necessary financial support. Mr. Floyd stressed that membership in TCCTA is a key element in getting the attention of legislators.   He encouraged members to become personally involved in furthering community college interests by attending Community College Day in Austin (Feb. 17, 2005), contacting government officials to express opinions on policy issues , and inviting   politicians to speak at college functions. Mr. Floyd stressed the importance of TCCTA members showing legislators “who we are and how much we care.”

State Representative Fred Brown from Brazos County was the next speaker at the conference.   He serves on both the Appropriations Committee and the Higher Education Committee and is, therefore, deeply involved in formulating policies that effect both 4 and 2 year institutions. Representative Brown predicted cuts in funding for universities that spend too much money on “extravagances” and reduction of fees for Saturday and evening classes. He also said that various   committees   were examining the feasibility of developing 3 year colleges and passing legislation that would guarantee no increase in costs for students who complete their degrees in 4 years .   He received some unexpected feedback when he suggested allowing community colleges to offer 4 year degrees. The audience reacted   negatively to the idea and Representative Brown indicated that he would reassess his position in light of the concerns raised during the question and answer period.

During the final session Attorney Frank Hill discussed The Rights and Responsibilities of Community College Faculty. Mr. Hill is an expert in education law and his firm has represented TCCTA and its members for over 30 years.   He described the dangers that face faculty members in regard to academic freedom.   He noted that in this time of national insecurity it takes real courage to stand up and speak out.   Mr. Hill cautioned faculty to be prudent in the classroom and to address only those public issues which fall within the parameters of their individual disciplines.   According to Mr. Hill, faculty members’ major protection is in joining together, participating in organizations such as TCCTA, and working as a group to promote the open exchange of ideas by supporting those who are under attack.

The TCCTA Conference also included opportunities for faculty leaders to meet informally during dinner, breakfast and lunch.   Scott, Keith, Kathy and Jane were able to establish contacts with colleagues from other colleges with whom they exchanged information and discussed constructive approaches for problem solving.   They returned from the conference with new insights and ideas for achieving current Faculty Congress goals and for planning future activities.  Jane England

For more information and news about the Faculty Congress, click here.

STARLINK THIS WEEK
Feb. 21 -27, 2005

Available from STARLINK this week are one live show and two streaming videos. The streaming programs can be accessed 24/7 from our webpage http://www.starlinktraining.org/ and are best viewed with a high-speed Internet connection. Complete program information is attached.

Feb. 24, 2005 1:30 - 3:00 PM Central Time, Live via the Internet* - "Pedagogy 101 for Distance Learning." Closed captioned. Produced by Dallas TeleLearning. The packet can be downloaded at http://www.starlinktraining.org/packets2005/partpack2005.html..

What this seminar offers
A substantial body of research has been developed so that faculty can benefit from good distance learning pedagogy.
* Learn what works, and when, how and why to apply it
* Get web access to tips and techniques that can increase effectiveness and efficiency, to make your online and distance teaching more rewarding

*Internet password and information
The link to the live Internet webcast will be available after 1:00 PM CT on Thursday, Feb. 24, from our homepage www.starlinktraining.org. The link will be on the right-hand side of the page under the "take a look" box and will have the program's name. IF YOU DON'T SEE THE PROGRAM NAME AFTER 1:1*0, HIT "REFRESH" ON YOUR BROWSER. The PASSWORD is peda101 (case sensitive).

Windows Media Player will be used for both the live Internet webcast and the on-demand stream. The on-demand stream will be available by noon on Friday, Feb. 25 and will continue through March 4. The link will move to under the "Members Only" section near the bottom right. Free media player download from www.windowsmedia.com (Version 9).

Streaming video of Teaching and Serving Authentically: The Teacher at the Heart of the College should be available on Wednesday and will continue through March 2 under the "Members Only" section. Uses Real Player (free at http://www.real.com). PASSWORD: heart18 (case sensitive). RUNS: 60 min. Download the participant packet at http://www.starlinktraining.org/packets2005/partpack2005.html.

The February streaming program, "Integrating Technology into Your ESOL Program" continues through Feb. 28 under the "Members Only" section on our homepage. It also uses Real Player. The PASSWORD is esol28 - that is ESOL28 in lower case. RUNS: 90 min. You can download the packet at http://www.starlinktraining.org/packets2003/packet108c.pdf.

This teleconference looks at ways in which technology is being used to increase teaching and learning in ESOL courses, not only on campus but also through the Internet. Examples of best practices, and innovative programs and ideas will be shown.  Marilyn Herridge, Starlink

New Books

NEW BOOKS ON THE PROFESSIONAL SHELF
The following new titles are shelved at the Gainesville campus.  To check out one (or more) of these books, faculty at the Corinth or Bowie campus can place an Intercampus Loan Request through the catalog or ask the campus librarian for assistance.

The Adjunct Professor's Guide To Success:  Surviving And Thriving In The College Classroom   LB 1778.2 .L96 1999
Success Stragegies For Adjunct Faculty   LB 2331.71 L.96 2004
Teaching College In An Age Of Accountability   LB 2331 .L96 2003