First time you've visited? Please subscribe to the RSS feed or via email and be automatically alerted whenever a new Thunderbridge comes out! Thanks for visiting!
The 2007 State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) begins.
Find Your Passion.
SECC provides a way for employees of state agencies to donate to many of their favorite charities through the convenience of payroll deduction. SECC forms are distributed to workgroup division heads with booklets that include a listing of charities so that you can find your passion and make a donation to a cause that has made an impact on your life, or you can give to a variety of District and Richland-specific scholarship funds to impact another life. By payroll deduction, you can donate a specific amount from each paycheck, and make a more significant impact on causes you wish to help.
For $2/month for one year you can:
-provide one day of food and shelter to a homeless person
For $5/month for one year you can:
-pay for 10 trees to be planted in an inner city neighborhood
For $10/month for one year you can:
-provide 233 meals for hungry babies
Early Thunderduck Deadline: Meet your monetary goal with 75% full & limited full-time staff participation by Friday, Oct. 12, 5 p.m. and receive 50% matching funds plus a workgroup celebration lunch. Drop off your form before Oct. 12, and come by for free donuts and coffee on Oct. 12 starting at 9 a.m.
50% Matching Funds Deadline: Meet your monetary goal with 75% full & limited full-time staff participation by Wednesday, Oct. 31, 5 p.m. and receive 50% matching funds.
HINT: Matching funds will be based on your workgroup’s total donation, not just your goal. The more your workgroup gives, the more you will receive.
- You can pay with cash, check, or payroll deduction.
- You can donate to a specific Foundation scholarship by writing the name of the scholarship in the margin of your form.
-Several scholarships were established honoring Richland.
Please visit www.dcccd.edu/fdn/scholarships/bycampus.html#RLC to learn more about RLC scholarships. Or, donate to the district foundation at www.foundation.dcccd.edu.
Tell us your passion.
If donating to an SECC charity has special meaning for you, we’d like to know! Please send a brief description about how giving to a charity has changed, shaped or impacted your life to Whitney Rosenbalm at wrosenbalm@dcccd.edu.
News
Photo by John Pollock. From left to right: Dr. Artist Thornton, Kristyn Edney, Dr. Carole Lester, Olga Ivanova-Nuss, Aminata N’dieye, Dr. Sherry Dean, Barbara Thomas, Donna Walker, Larry Polk.
Professor Aminata N’dieye of the Ameth Fall High School in St. Louis, Senegal, visited Richland Sept. 14 to discuss a possible partnership between RCHS and Ameth, and a two-week Senegal Seminar for RCHS students slated to take place June 2008. Professor N’dieye visit was hosted by Dr. Sherry Dean, Executive Dean, Humanities.
Photo by John Pollock
The Council for Community Building (CCB) hosted its first ” Have a Ball in the Fall: 15 Minutes of Fun” on Sept. 17 in Lavaca/Fannin breezeway. Employees and students joined together to keep balls aloft on colorful parachutes, and inspire the Thundervalue of joy for a quick 15 minute break.
CCB was formed in fall 2002 and is designed, along with the Council for Teaching and Learning, to enhance ongoing college-wide communication among all divisions and work groups in Richland’s large, complex organization. The Council functions as a forum to offer input and feedback on major issues and policies within the institution.
Each spring and fall the CCB also coordinates the Student Wall of Honor to build community. The council is currently accepting nominations for current or former students through Mon., Oct. 8. It is an opportunity to recognize students with outstanding achievements and those who have made a difference in our community. All students, including credit and non-credit, can be nominated. Nomination forms can be accessed here. The fall 2007 Student Wall of Honor ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thurs., Nov. 15.
For more information on the next CCB activity, visit www.richlandcollege.edu/council or watch your e-mail for dates and times.
Mary Osentowski and Jeannette Walls, author “The Glass Castle,” posed for a picture at the Meet the Author event on Sept. 18 at Richardson High School. The event was sponsored by the Richardson Public Library. Walls’ book was the 2007 selection for the Richardson Reads One Book program and the fall selection of the RLC Uncommittee group. The Uncommittee is an interdisciplinary reading-discussion group for Richland employees. Meetings are held once a month either at participants’ homes or on campus, depending on the afternoon/evening one prefers to meet.
Members of the RLC Knitting Club from left to right: Claudia Goodson, Sandy Groom, Mercy Fernandez, Babs King, and Afaf Abughazaleh along with Delores Elder-Jones (back).
The RLC Knitting Club will have its first organizational meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Fri., Sept. 28 in C-150. Beginning in October, the group will meet on the second and fourth Fridays of each month from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The club will be knitting baby hats, blankets, and booties for infants born at Parkland Hospital. Over the past year the group has delivered more than 250 items. Members will also be delivering fleece blankets for the “Blankets of Comfort” project to benefit the residents of Garland’s Nursing and Rehab Centers. For more information, contact Claudia Goodson at 972-238-3784 or cgoodson@dcccd.edu.
Subway is our new contracted Food Service vendor at Richland. Manager Peter Roberts can assist employees with catering services for events on campus. Familiar Subway menu items can be ordered including a healthy selection of salads and soups and new items as they become available. Breakfast and reception options such as muffins, cookies, coffee, and tea are also available. Subway is currently updating their corporate menu and Food Service will be receiving copies soon. For more details and information on the new catering procedures, contact Terry Lefler at 972-238-6036
Sabbatical application deadline
Monday, October 1
Alamito 216
Contact: Sarah Gardenhire at 972-238-6383
“What Al Gore Won’t Tell You (The Real Inconvenient Truth): Why Our Food Choices Matter”
A presentation by Cardiologist John J. Pippin, M.D., Senior Medical and Research Adviser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
12:30-2 p.m., Mon., Oct 1 in C140 and again at 7-8:30 p.m., Tues., Oct. 2 in E070
Contact: Neal Abramson at 972-238-3767
Depression Information Sessions
10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 2 and Thurs. Oct. 4
Crockett 140
Contact: Angelique Starr at 972-761-6768
Student Wall of Honor nomination deadline
Mon., Oct. 8.
Submit your online nomination at www.rlc.dcccd.edu/council/nomination/
Richland Theatre presents “Rhinoceros” by Eugene lonesco
7:30 p.m.
Oct. 10-13
Fannin Performance Hall
Contact: Debi Ruiz Esparza at 972-238-6256 or Chuck Sheffield at 972-238-6255
Sixteenth Annual Fall Thunderduck Classic Golf Tournament
Thurs., Nov. 1
Riverchase Golf Course in Coppell, located 16 miles from Richland in the Valley Ranch area of Coppell
Cost: $32
Contact: Paul Baldwin at 972-238-6264
Fall 2007 Student Wall of Honor Ceremony
10:30 a.m.
Thursday, Nov. 15
Crockett Hall
Contact: Whitney Rosenbalm at 972-238-6023
Need publicity for your upcoming events? Information Services has a variety of outlets to help you get the word out including the ThunderBridge, RLC Web calendar, and campus electronic signage. Submit information online at www.rlc.dcccd.edu/events/submit.
by Justin Jones, RLC Sports Information
When it comes to comparing last year’s men’s NJCAA Division III championship soccer team with this season’s squad, T-Ducks head coach Sean Worley said this year’s team is younger.
However, as quickly as Worley talked about the youth of this year’s team to start the season, he was equally prompt in saying his squad is learning rapidly and the T-Ducks are becoming a quality team that’s mistake free.
“We have given up only one goal in the last three games [as of Thursday, Sept. 27] and that’s how I like it,” Worley said. “I like for us to play defense and be mistake-free.”
Following the T-Ducks 3-0 shutout victory over Cedar Valley College in Metro-Athletic Conference action Wednesday, Sept. 16, Worley said his team had outscored its opponents 12-1 in the last three games.
He also said the victory at home was against a quality team. “Every time we play a league match against a team from the Dallas Community College District, it’s always a good match,” Worley said. “They were a quality team and we went out there and won.”
The win was the third in a row and second shutout of the season for the T-Ducks, who are ranked No. 3.
“If we play defense and mistake free first then we can score some goals,” said Worley, whose team was 8-2-1 after the T-Duck victory over Cedar Valley College. “We have only allowed one goal and have scored 12 goals [in the last three games]. That’s a sign … we may be a young team but we are growing rapidly.”
For the latest in Thunderduck sports news, please visit richlandcollege.edu/thundersports. Get Thundersports news automatically! Two options: Sign up here to receive update emails or subscribe to our RSS feed.
Professional
Members of the Richland College Upward Bound staff including Vanieca Jones, Eloise Pinckney, Dehamus Sallis, Tanisha Shorter, James Spigner, and Associate Dean Deb Somero attended the 26th Annual Council for Opportunity in Education Conference held Sept. 5-8 in Chicago. Spigner was the moderator for the Pell Institute’s “How Does Your State Measure Up in College Opportunity” workshop. Conference topics included “Encouraging Student Success in Math & Science,” “College Selection: Making the Match that Endures,” and “Building a College-Going Culture.”
Richland recently received a grant to host Fulbright scholar, Anastasia Klenova, from Russia. Klenova began her work at RLC in mid-August and will work through May 2008. She is currently teaching several courses including an advanced-level Grammar and Reading course for ESOL students.
Klenova, a professor from Saratov State University, will be involved in many academic community activities to fulfill her scholar’s obligations. She will be speaking to several student and community groups such as the English Speaking Union of Dallas, Dallas Jewish Community Center, and others. She will also give a presentation about contemporary Russia and Russian society to the Dallas-Saratov Sister-Cities Committee. She previously worked on this committee and was instrumental in developing a joint partnership between Richland and Saratov State to offer online courses.
Barbara Dogger (WLCC) has completed her work on the Planning Committee for the National Assessment of Educational Progress Writing 2011 Project. For the past 18 months, she has met on a quarterly basis with the committee, ACT staff, and the Executive Secretary of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) in Washington, D.C. During this process, the group developed the writing framework, specifications, and background variables for this large group assessment, which will be utilized (K-12) in states across the country from 2011 to 2020. NAGB unanimously approved all three parts of the project in August 2007.
Members of Information Services and the RLC Web Team are up for two Medallion Awards from National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) for their work on the Continuing Education Summer ‘07 Catalog and the online Class Schedule/Catalog. Winners will be announced at the NCMPR district conference held Oct. 22-24 in Galveston.
Photo by John Pollock
Janice Fallin, Humanities
Excerpt from Janice’s congratulatory note from Dr. Mittelstet:
Dear Janice:Congratulations on being selected the Richland College Outstanding Employee for October 2007. Your award is well-deserved recognition of the exemplary service you have provided Richland College.Your colleagues honor you today for you ongoing commitment to the success of Humanities students, faculty, and staff, and they extensively rely your expertise and skills in assisting everyone in the Humanities Division, especially the Executive Dean, with whom you work closely in supporting various functions of the division office. . .
Kay Coder and her line dancing partners cut a rug Wednesday at the RLC “A Taste of Texas” Welcome Party. Students, faculty, and staff celebrated the beginning of the fall semester southern style with barbeque and music.
You won’t find any football jerseys or attend any pep rallies at the Richland Collegiate High School for Math, Science, and Engineering (RCHS). But that doesn’t mean a competitive spirit doesn’t exist. Though students at this charter school aren’t involved in UIL sports like football, basketball, or track, they find other ways to compete…with robots.
Several RCHS students have recently banded together to form a robotics team. Rather than a battle of brawn, this competition involves brains and many hours of technical skill. The students, with the help of coach and Richland College adjunct faculty member Jim Bradbury, will build a robot to serve a particular function or solve a specific problem. The robot should model a device that can be used in the real world. With equipment furnished by Texas Instruments, the team will have six weeks to build a robotic machine to compete against other teams from area high schools.
RCHS will compete in the robotic championships on Oct. 27 at the University of Texas at Dallas. Each robot in the competition will be judged on functionality, design, documentation, and even the team’s involvement in community service.
The RCHS team will be demonstrating the robot to local elementary and middle schools. This will give the team an opportunity to not only test their product before competition but to recruit future RCHS students and promote the importance of math, science, and engineering to a younger audience.
RCHS Robotics Team Schedule
“Kick off” day at TI Campus
9 a.m., Sept. 15
“Mall Day” at TownEast Mall
RCHS showcases their robot to public
9 a.m., Oct. 20
Competition Day at UTD
8:45 a.m., Oct. 27
News
Richland personal counselors do not provide long-term therapy to students, but they do intervene in crisis situations and offer short-term personal counseling to help the student adjust to college life and deal with situations that may impede success in college. Counselors refer students and college employees in need of long-term counseling or therapy to professionals in the community.
Faculty and staff can page 972-297-9981 for emergency responses to an emotional crisis situation. This pager number is the most effective way to connect with a counselor under these circumstances.
For non-crisis situations, appointments can be made by students themselves via the Health Center, 972-238-6135, or by calling a counselor directly. For additional details, visit the Counseling Services web page.
“Aqsa Shakil: I’ll be Outside” exhibit
Brazos Gallery (C140)
Sept. 14-Oct. 12
reception: 6-8 p.m., September 14
Visit artist Web site here
The Richland Chronicle, a student newspaper, is among the finalists for the 2007 Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker Award. The Chronicle is one of only 55 college newspapers in the country – and one of just 15 community college student newspapers – to be selected as a finalist for this award. The publication will be judged based on coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, design, photography, art, and graphics.
Winners will be announced at the National College Media Convention, to be held Oct. 24-28 in Washington, D.C. For a list of finalists, click here.
This is the fifth time since 2000 that ACP has selected the Chronicle as a finalist for this award, widely recognized as the college equivalent of the Pulitzer. The Chronicle has won the Pacemaker twice, in 2000 and 2001, and also earned finalist status in 2003 and 2006.
Our friendly DCCCD competitors, the North Lake News-Register and the Brookhaven Courier, also merited recognition as ACP Pacemaker finalists this year.
The Council on Community Building invites you to nominate current or former students for the Student Wall of Honor. It is an opportunity to recognize students with outstanding achievements and those who have made a difference in our community. All students, including credit and non-credit, can be nominated. Nomination forms can be accessed here and by clicking on “Nomination Form.” The date of fall 2007 Student Wall of Honor ceremony will be announced soon.
The RLC Business Services office in Thunderduck Hall (T140) has several offfers on discounted tickets to local entertainment venues and attractions. You can find these deals at the cashier windows, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Mondays-Thursdays, and Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Please note that ticket sales are not done on Saturday. Cash and major credit cards are accepted. Please see cashier for details on Richland’s personal check policy.
Six Flags Over Texas – Arlington only
One-day “Super Saver” pass: $20 each
Valid through October 28 during Fright Fest.
Present pass at admission booth to exchange for ticket.
Not valid for admission to haunted house exhibits or concerts.
For more info, click here.
2007 State Fair of Texas
Open from September 28 – October 21
Adults – $11.50 ($14 at the gate)
Children – $9 ($10 at the gate, 48″ and under)
Seniors – $9 ($10 at the gate, 60 years and older) Seniors admitted FREE every Thursday!
For more info, click here.
AMC Theater Pass
$5.75 each – no expiration date – valid seven days a week at any AMC Theater in the U.S. Present to theater box office to exchange for ticket. A few restrictions apply, including Special Engagements. Typically, AMC lifts the restriction on Special Engagements after the second weekend of the film’s release.
If you enjoyed throwing the giant beach ball at Convocation with us, the Council for Community Building (CCB) would love to see you at the first “15 Minutes of Fun” event!
Monday, September 17, 2007
1:30 – 1:45 p.m. (15 minutes only)
Fannin/Lavaca Breezeway
Parachute games and refreshments
Students and community members are welcome! CCB members will be on the look-out for those thunderducks having the most fun, and they’ll be rewarded with a free t-shirt! So, come out to relieve some stress and enjoy refreshments.
Professional
Jerry Owens and Eddie Hueston present Juan Casas with the Facilities Services Employee of the Quarter award. This honor is bestowed on employees by a vote of their peers. Juan is the first employee to receive the award.
Tonya McMillan was featured in the Dallas Morning News on August 24 in the “Why I Teach” profile. View her submission here.
People
Carol Faulkner; Coordinator, Instructional Labs; Tutoring Center
Ami Stovall; Coordinator, Instructional Labs; Tutoring Center
Heather Appleby, Physics Faculty, M/S/BS, not pictured
To: Ron Clark, Deborah Clark & Larry Grant, Business Office
From: Whitney Rosenbalm & Patricia Benter, Information Services
Thanks so much for expediting the P.O.’s for Graduation. Your quick and efficient service made it possible to provide a stellar experience for our graduates, and let us concentrate on producing the art. Much appreciated!
Just a short note to say thank for your cooperation and allowing us to use the Test Center as a great resource for our TAKS retesters. We tested Tues – Fri of last week without a glitch…all went well. Please extend our “thank you” to Kellie and Joel as well. They and other staff members were extremely helpful and accommodating to our nervous examinees. Thanks again.
Dear Steve (Mittelstet):
I want to commend you and your staff, the students and parents of the Richland Collegiate High School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering for achieving the state’s highest academic performance rating of Exemplary. This is extraordinary in your first year of operation. Clearly this recognition can be attributed to the culture of excellence that has been cultivated at the Richland campus. As we have struggled across the state with the issue of achievement at charter and regular public schools, your students and staff at RCHS have demonstrated what really can be done. Congratulations!
Sincerely,
John Carona
I wanted to tell you and the whole staff thank you for helping the “newbie” parents work through questions, forms, and anxiety with starting our son into your program. Beverly has been such a help and I want to single her out for all of her support and help along the way. I would not be surprised if the parents were more fearful than the kids. Josh is looking forward to attending the RCHS in the fall and was the one who kept pushing me. He is our youngest child and both his mother and I didn’t know if we were ready but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. . . .
Thank you,
Sidney Hathcock
“Reinventing Richland: Celebrating 35 years of Teaching, Learning, and Community Building” was the theme for Convocation 2007. The week began with an Employee Buffet Luncheon, held August 20 and continued with various TOLI Professional Development workshops and an all-faculty convocation on Thursday, August 23. The highlight of the week was the annual All-College convocation.
Those who received awards at this year’s convocation include:
Innovation of the Year
ThunderBbolt Training - Audra Barrett, Patricia Spence, John Barrett, Ralph Blackburn, Gwen Hester, Jean Conway, Sam Tinsley, Eleanor Browne, James Walters, John Stanson, Jo Blackburn, and Peter Irwin
Jean Sharon Griffith Award – Tara Thompson
Administrator of the Year – Zarina Blankenbaker
2006-07 Full-Time Professional Support Staff Employee of the Year – Carolyn Lindeman
2006-07 Part-Time Professional Support Staff Employee of the Year – Babs King
Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching – Caron Tate
Continuing Education Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching – Jasmina Fahrendorff (no photo available)
Full-Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching – Trudi Swedlund
Convocation Week Photos:
photos by John Pollock
News
The RLC web team has created some new and inventive ways for the RLC family to stay connected. The online staff directory is now available in a printable format. Click here to view and print your copy. For a quick view of names, numbers and departments visit, or print, the Quick Quack at click here. This link allows you to locate staff by last name, first name, department, or services.
All of the DCCCD, including Richland College students, are invited to the 2nd Annual Urban Arts Festival at South Side which will be held 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sept. 8, adjacent to Poor David’s Pub and Bill’s Records at 1315 S. Lamar St.
This free festival will showcase some of Dallas’ best contemporary visual and performing arts, artisan vendors, and the Dallas Museum of Art Children’s MIY program. The lineup includes:
• Live amateur music, theatre performances, and street performers
• Spoken word, interactive poetry
• Live art and insightful symposiums
• Make-it-yourself, hands-on children’s art activity area
• Experimental art, painter’s platforms, and chalk art
• Urban artisan fair
For information about the event, visit urbanartsfest.com.
For more art right here on the Richland campus, visit the following art exhibitions this Fall:
“Inside Out” featuring: Lily Hanson, Donna Huanca, Peter Ligon, Robert Moore, Polly Perez, and David Wilburn
Lago Vista Gallery (Library)
Sept. 6-Oct. 5
Reception: 12:30-1:30 p.m., Sept. 6
“Aqsa Shakil: I’ll be Outside”
Brazos Gallery (C140)
Sept. 14-Oct. 12
Reception: 6-8 p.m., Sept. 14
For more details, click here.
Subway opened for business this past week and is operating from its “interim” food service set-up. Remodeling plans will be finalized soon and the project is expected to be completed by Spring 2008.
Subway will be providing familiar menu items and adding new ones as it becomes more practical to do so, including breakfast. Subway management is also looking at ways to speed up service times, possibly by offering pre-made sandwiches and adding a second cashier. Subway’s hours of operation for Fall 2007 are:
Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Council for Teaching and Learning (CTL) sponsors a program that promotes featured teaching and learning practices at Richland College. The Richland Wall of Honor recognizes individual instructors and shares their innovative and successful teaching practices with the Richland learning community.
Anyone who teaches at Richland College, credit or continuing education (full-time or part-time), may be nominated. Nomination forms for fall 2007 awards are located here.
This month’s featured Faculty Wall of Honor profile- Maria Rojas
Click here to view her profile.
Professional
Noeli Biggs, Richland College program services coordinator-Multicultural Center, was recently selected by the United Nations Association (UNA) of Dallas to serve on its board as Director at Large – International and Community Outreach. Established by Judge Sarah T. Hughes in the 1950’s, the UNA of Dallas is devoted to shaping an agenda for a stronger, more effective United Nations, improving the lives of people throughout the world, and enhancing U.S. participation in international institutions.
Richland’s team of 12 faculty, staff, and administrators from across the college joined teams from most of the DCCCD colleges and a District-wide team in San Antonio for the annual CQIN (Continuous Quality Improvement Network) Summer Seminar, along with more than 300 representatives from 36 other CQIN institutions. The seminar was sponsored by Human and Organizational Development. Seminar Learning Partners included Toyota North America, U. S. Air Force Strategic Management Division, Valero Energy, Goodwill Industries, and host institution Northwest Vista College; the latter two organizations are recipients of the 2007 Texas Award for Performance Excellence. All presentations and interactive sessions fostered team learning about leadership, individual responsibility, and organizational culture shifts necessary for sustaining vibrant, high-performing institutions. Immediately prior to the seminar, Dr. Mittelstet convened a one-day “visioning charrette,” conducted by business partner IDEO, for a consortium of CQIN institutions committed to a multi-year project to help colleges engage their institutions and their students in a “21st Century Community College Vision to Build Sustainable Local and World Community.”
People
Diana Bustillos,World Languages, Cultures & Communications
Excerpt from Diana’s congratulatory note from Dr. Mittelstet:
Dear Diana:
Congratulations on being selected the Richland College Outstanding Employee for September 2007. Your award is well-deserved recognition of the exemplary service you have provided Richland College.
Through your efforts first in Student Programs and Resources and then in the Multicultural Center you worked with and advised a countless number of students in furthering their educational goals. Your assistance in submitting Richland’s SEVIS paperwork to the Immigration and Naturalization Services allowed Richland College to issue I-20 documents to admit foreign students who sought to study in the United States.
Always an innovator, you established several improvements in Richland’s ESOL program, such as developing a Hybrid curriculum for the ESOL Reading area and undertaking to infuse Computer-Assisted Language Learning in the ESOL Listening/ Speaking program. As a result of your leadership in the Listening/Speaking program, enrollment has increased to 133 students this past semester in contrast to a combined enrollment of 297 for the previous three semesters. As co-chair of the Listening/ Speaking Intellectual Competencies Committee, you effectively worked to develop an assessment tool for all disciplines to measure Listening/Speaking skill in the classroom. . . .
Jeremy Houston Roden, Business and Information Technology
Amy Bell, Humanities
Ambronita R. Douzart, Humanities
Mae Spicer-Hudson, HAD
Rex Rayfield Jr., Athletics/PE
To: Various ThunderDucks
From: Roy Bond
I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation to all those who helped make this week’s League for Innovation’s Learning College Summit–held at the Hilton Anatole and hosted by the DCCCD–a huge international success for the Dallas County Community College District. The event was a tremendous success, due in large part to the work of the many Richland employees and students who worked as volunteers, presented workshops, and attended the events held Sunday evening through Wednesday morning. Special thanks goes to the following Richland colleagues:
M. T. Hickman (TEMM), who chaired the Hospitality Committee. M. T. staffed the hospitality station with TEMM students, secured a donation of cookies for all conference participants provided by El Centro’s Culinary Arts Program, and worked with the Dallas Chamber to have maps and other area information on hand.
Charmayne Hightower (Facilities), Michael Brantley (Facilities), and Jimmy Lopez (Media) for volunteering to provide technology support for the 50+ general and breakout sessions attended by the conference participants.
Zarina Blankenbaker (ACCESS), Andy Tubbs (ACCESS), Steven Taylor (Educational Transitions), and Woody Oglesby (TOLI), who organized and put together an ad hoc campus tour (in the driving rain!) for a group of eight faculty and administrators from Central New Mexico Community College (formerly Albuquerque Technical & Vocational Institute).
Again, a sincere “Thank You” to all who presented and attended sessions. I will send a separate message of thanks to our colleagues around the District, who helped make this event a shining example of what a little “Trust and Collaboration”–to borrow a phrase from our Chancellor–can bring about!
Hi Cindy (Casteneda, ESP):
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to let you know that I
will be leaving Dallas within the next few days. I have the
opportunity to teach Summer 1 at El Paso Community College. I start
right after Memorial Day so I am heading out this weekend. I feel the
need to be around family before my intense doctoral studies!
I wanted to thank you for your mentorship. It’s invaluable to me. I’ll
keep you posted on what’s happening at UCLA. I plan on finishing my
coursework in three years, ambitious, I know. I’ll be working on a
grant this summer in El Paso too and I hope to use that data for my
dissertation somehow.
Teaching at Richland was an awesome experience. I had such a good time
with the students! They are so sharp and really stepped up to the
challenges I presented them. As a matter of fact, one of my students,
Aaron Kucera gained admission to Beloit! He visited, but is still on
the fence about the decision.
Also, the support I received from the ACCESS office made my job so
easy. It’s a joy to work amongst such professionals. Andy Tubbs is
particularly knowledgeable and patient! They’re awesome.
Again, thank you for your help and friendship.
Best, Olivia
Ms. Luz Villegas (Educational Transitions),
Thank you for taking your own personal time to come and talk us about your career. I think that you have been soon a big help to me. I was born in Mexico and my parents are just like yours. They do not make a lot of money but they always find a way to encourage me and my siblings to get an education. My dream has always been to be a teacher, I have always helped my little cousins and I just enjoy it. I think I have a lot common with you. I love to write and I enjoy school. I want to get somewhere in life and be successful in life. Thank you again for everything, and I think that you might be hearing from me.
Sincerely,
Guadalupe Rentena
Forest Meadow Jr. High
Richardson, Texas.
Valenda Archer, former Richland Dean of Information Services, and husband, Jim, welcomed new granddaughter, Kathryn Bailey Coppinger, Aug. 13, 2007. Katie weighed 7 lbs., 15ozs and is 21″ long. Parents (and Richland alumni) Lisa and Jim Coppinger and 3-year-old twin brothers, Michael and Christopher, are doing well.
Sarah Cardona gave birth to a beautiful and healthy boy at 8:55 p.m. on August 24. Both Sara and baby are doing well. (No photo submitted)
• What’s on the DCCCD Board of Trustees meeting agendas?
Click here.
• What’s on the DCCCD Board of Trustees meeting agendas?
Click here.
RSS Feed