President's Blog

It’s been several weeks since I’ve posted a message and I’ve realized that in just a few more days the spring semester of classes will end. This semester has passed so quickly and I have realized just how much has been accomplished by our students, by our faculty, and by our entire college community.

Our athletic teams had a stellar year – the men’s basketball team finished with the Jayhawk West title, the Region VI tournament championship and a 3rd place finish in the NJCAA national tournament. Darko Cohadarevic and Reggie Chamberlain were named to the NJCAA national tournament team and they, along with other players, received conference and region honors. Coach Zollinger received conference and region coaching recognition as well as being named the Kansas community college coach of the year. Our Lady Saints team also had a great year with individual honors and Tegan Cunningham named an All-American once again. Our Lady Saints tennis team has qualified for the national tournament which will occur this weekend in Arizona. Our baseball team has won the Jayhawk West title and enters Region VI tournament ranked in the top 10 teams in the nation. Our Lady Saints softball team finished in 2nd place in the Jayhawk West and begins Region VI tournament play this weekend in Wichita. Several individual honors have been received by our baseball and softball players including NJCAA player of the week recognition. Please visit our athletic website at www.sccc.edu to get more details about the great athletic achievements of our teams and players.

This is the time of year when we are able to recognize the many accomplishments of students, not just athletes. I often refer to this month as “banquet month” and joke about gaining a few pounds. However, the great aspect of the many banquets and functions is the opportunity to recognize the individuals and groups for their achievements. Our music program held wonderful concerts with group and individual performances. I am continually impressed with the talent that is here at SCCC, and with Darin Workman and Lori Geis’ leadership in conducting and directing the wind ensemble and choirs. I was pleased to be able to attend the agriculture banquet and recognize the students who will pursue careers and further education in such a vital industry. The livestock judging teams had a successful year with team and individual awards, but equally impressive is their involvement with community activities such as “farm education day” and the establishment of the “Collegiate Farm Bureau” chapter here at SCCC. These students have active schedules, heavy academic schedules, and travel extensively to compete at national contests, yet their GPA is consistently high and university scholarships are awarded.

Yesterday I had the chance to attend our multicultural banquet and recognize students from our BCU, HALO, and International Student Organization (a new club here on campus). It’s truly inspiring to hear students discuss their goals and achievements, many are first generation college students, all of them are proud of their heritage and culture, our international students haven’t been home to see their families for several months, and they all understand that lifetime friendships and support have been created here at SCCC. As I mentioned to them at the banquet we are all excited to keep in touch with them to help celebrate their future accomplishments whether that is becoming a physician, an attorney, a professional athlete, a teacher, a private business owner, etc., - these are students with great talent, intellect, perseverance, and compassion for education.

Next week we will hold our commencement ceremonies and the Phi Theta Kappa recognition breakfast. This will be the final “formal” ceremonies for our graduating students and we’ll bid farewell to another group of outstanding students. Community colleges often only have students on campus for 2-3 years or less, so the chance to recognize these students for such great accomplishments in such a short time is truly rewarding.

Finally, I want to recognize the sponsors of our student organizations, the coaches of our athletic teams, and of course the faculty for challenging the academic ability of our students. There are numerous motivational statements about accomplishments, goal attainment, etc. and all of those wise and inspirational statements can be applied to the effort and results of these faculty and staff members who push the students toward greatness. One of my favorite statements credited to Jonathan Swift is “Vision is the art of seeing the invisible” – and the support, instruction, guidance, and tenacity that our faculty and staff provide on a daily basis has resulted in our students achieving goals which just a few months ago were “invisible” to them.

Thanks to all of the students, faculty, and staff for another great academic year here at SCCC.

The year is off to a great start with a lot of different activities, events, and initiatives underway at SCCC. The spring semester will come to an end before we expect it, and we'll see a lot of our students enter their next avenue of success - enter into a career or transfer to a university for further degree and course work.

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Welcome to the New Year and to another exciting semester at SCCC. As can be expected, there will be a lot of new and exciting accomplishments awaiting our college and our students this year; however, we also anticipate surprises and likely some disappointments as well. We know a lot of our students will complete their academic experiences at SCCC this spring and we will wish them well as they graduate. We also know a lot of students will be returning to SCCC after this spring semester, and we will be diligent in meeting their needs as they continue their educational achievements.

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Yes these will be somewhat typical Thanksgiving comments, but as I hear about our student achievements, the innovative instructional techniques our faculty use, the challenges our Board members and our administrative team face, and the interest in serving our community’s educational needs – I am truly thankful to be associated with SCCC. We are nearly engulfed in the holiday season, and borrowing the concept of one of my favorite holiday songs I thought I would list you a few of "my favorite things" to be thankful for:
• I had the opportunity to see four of our Student Government Association members represent us at a recent meeting of the Board of Regents’ Student Advisory Council meeting. I was impressed with their presence, their interest in improving Kansas higher education, and their genuine appreciation for having the opportunity to attend. I was thankful for the way they represented our college and their families – and for the involvement of our Dean of Students, Ms. Celeste Donovan in making the arrangements;
• Our faculty members are utilizing advanced technologies to provide interactive instruction to students who reside miles away from Liberal as well as to students in the same rooms as the instructor. I’m thankful that SCCC has dedicated instructors who choose to be innovative and embrace the concepts of various teaching styles.
• SCCC has over 30 international students here who are pursuing their associate degrees. Additionally, we have scores of international students at the Colvin Adult Learning Center who are improving their knowledge of English as a new language and are pursuing United States citizenship. We held a short ceremony last week acknowledging these students and showing our gratitude that they chose to attend SCCC. I’m thankful that our College recognizes the value of learning about the world and the various cultures. I’m very thankful that I might have a small part in the experience these students have – and it was truly wonderful to have these students tell me how thankful they are to experience SCCC.
• We’ve started an informal book club on campus and we recently finished “The Kite Runner” written by Khaled Hosseini. I’m thankful that we have employees interested in reading and sharing their thoughts about this book. Throughout the reading and the discussion, I regained my appreciation for the open atmosphere of our higher education system and the encouragement we provide to students and families to receive an education.
• We will have a few days this week in which we can spend time with family and friends. Our students will have time to make a trip home or perhaps travel to a friends home and experience different holiday traditions. I am thankful that we have the opportunity, provided by our Board, to enjoy a short vacation as we draw another semester of classes to a close for this fall.

Enjoy this Thanksgiving and I encourage you to take time and reflect on what you may be thankful.

Halloween 2007 is just a memory but our College’s relationship with a lot of families will be a long lasting memory due to "Trick or Treat Street." Approximately 2000 kids dressed in their finest costumes were on campus and were truly treated to a great time. Nearly a dozen of our student organizations provided different activities (and candy too) for the youngsters with everything from a bag toss to having their pictures taken. Additionally, for those brave enough, a haunted hayrack ride provided that extra amount of Halloween excitement. (Periodically visit the on-line Crusader www.crusadernews.com for pictures) That interaction with our students and staff will be long-held memories for the families as they think about SCCC.

It is that memorable relationship between SCCC and our community that is critical for our College’s ability to meet an important aspect of our mission. We know that an increasing number of our students are the first in their family to attend college. We know that great organizations develop effective relationships with their constituents - and our community families are our constituents. We know that many of the parents of the children attending "Trick or Treat Street" are students at SCCC. We know that if they had a great memory those families will return to our campus for additional activities, classes, events, and educational assistance. We know that having our "traditional" students understand the importance of community relations is an important aspect of higher education. We know that those youngsters will be making decisions about education as they grow, and we hope they have such a great memory of SCCC that they do pursue higher education.

We’re launching our "recruiting teams" and with that comes a need to understand the purpose. That purpose is to build and strengthen community relationships – not just to recruit students to campus, but to recruit an understanding of what SCCC can provide. Whether the need is for a traditional class offering, an out-reach class, and on-line class, a business/industry customized training, a cultural event, assistance with understanding the nuances of federal financial aid programs, or simply to understand that our faculty are experts and can provide technical assistance – the relationship with our area communities is what makes us a “community college”. Something as simple as handing out candy during "Trick or Treat Street" is an effective community recruting activity. Full support and participation in the recruiting teams is critical for us to meet our mission.

One of the roles of SCCC is to help students develop and expand their awareness of the larger world as they mature in their personal, social, and career “lives”. Each student is expected to learn about those around him/her either through class discussions, course assignments, involvement in student organizations, or simply through socializing with other students/faculty/staff through informal settings. That may be accomplished by playing pool, eating a meal in the cafeteria, having a hall-way conversation or through a cooperative assignment, community service activity, or enjoying a family meal with a new acquaintance.

Recent information from an ETS, Inc., report entitled “America’s Perfect Storm” indicates that the majority of U.S. population growth will be realized through an increase in resident immigration. An understanding of this population growth is important for us in order to educate our students regarding the necessity of creating new acquaintances, learning new cultural practices, and understanding the students’ own deeply held beliefs, interests, and family activities. We encourage students to listen to a different music genre, try a different menu item, or discuss a different philosophy of beliefs – all of those are important aspects of being a student of higher education. College students need broad exposure and the opportunity to evaluate his/her own personal attributes in order that he/she validates those attributes.

I am very pleased that we have three new student organizations available to students this year – all of which can assist the participants to expand their awareness of cultures, careers, and philosophies. These organizations (Collegiate Farm Bureau, Students Pursuing Education Careers, and International Student Organization) all fulfill an important aspect of our mission – improving the lives of the individual student – while also allowing the student to develop his/her understanding of the “larger world” aspects of their careers and personal lives. I am a firm believer that student organizations, effectively advised, create strong leadership skills and help the students mature. These new organizations provide another avenue for student understanding and appreciation of the world in which they will participate throughout their lives.

I just returned from the American Community College Trustees (ACCT) annual congress and am excited about what is happening in higher education particularly at community colleges. I joined SCCC Trustee Dr. Steve Cauble and my administrative assistant Ms. Pam Perkins for the conference. I am especially proud that Pam was handled the “gavel” to begin her role as President of the Professional Board Staff Network – the national association of individuals who are assistants to the boards of trustees at community colleges throughout the country. It’s an honor for Pam to have been selected for this role, and it is truly an honor for SCCC to have one of our “own” in that national leadership position. “Congratulations Pam – we are proud of you!”

The sessions I attended focused on a variety of topics including brand image campaigns, sustainability of rural community colleges, changing demographics and economic issues on the national level, and issues related to student retention and work-place readiness. Keynote speakers focused on the global economy and our ability to educate individuals for careers which can support a family, and the variety of issues related to national trends in ethnicity of our population. One session that I particularly appreciated was presented by individuals from the “Encuentros Leadership of North County San Diego” and the accomplishments they are making in retaining Hispanic young men in completing a college education. Their vision statement is that these young men “will become productive citizens of this nation (through improved educational opportunities, personal commitment, and community involvement)”. Those involved in the leadership program serve as speakers, facilitators, and role models for the young men participating in the program. It appears to be a valuable asset to the communities in north San Diego County in California. Another session I attended that I found fascinating was “America’s Perfect Storm” presented by ETS. This is a non-profit institution with the “mission to advance quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services for all people worldwide”. ETS was founded in 1947 and works extensively in research and assessment of student learning and achievement. “America’s Perfect Storm” is in reference to the convergence of three critical aspects of our country: 1) changing demographics; 2) changing economic issues; and 3) decline in literacy rates among youth and adults. The website www.ets.org has the full report, the presentation, and a video of the presentation. I encourage anyone involved in education to visit that website and determine your own perspective of the “Perfect Storm” – you may be equally fascinated as I am, and equally concerned about our ability to address those issues.

The opportunity to attend the congress is something I truly appreciate. I always gain insight into the issues facing education whenever I attend a conference, and I work hard to bring those ideas and issues back to our campus. However, I am also always glad to get back to our campus and realize that we are doing so many things right and for the right reasons.

One of the great roles of any community college is the relationship the college has with the local community. A vital aspect of SCCC’s well-being is recognition by the community that our college serves the role of providing educational opportunities but also cultural, entertainment, and social awareness opportunities as well. Recently, with the help of Wade Lyon, SCCC Director of Student Activities and other college personnel, SCCC hosted an awareness activity related to the United States Constitution. The popular television game show “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” was imitated with a fun event featuring our students and 5th grade students from Cottonwood Intermediate School. The event provided an awareness of the importance and content of our Constitution, but also created a connection between SCCC and Cottonwood students, parents, and teachers. Similarly, Darin Workman, SCCC instrumental music instructor, students from Lori Geis’ vocal music classes, other students, and staff performed recently at our first Sunday Brunch for the fall semester. This event allows our students an opportunity to showcase their talents in an informal setting, and allows our community members a chance to enjoy a wonderful meal and fantastic music. These are just two recent examples of how SCCC meets an essential feature of the educational, cultural, and social awareness aspects of our community.

Another successful “party auction” concluded this past Saturday evening (Sept. 22, 2007) with plenty of wonderful food, fantastic student entertainment, and a fun filled atmosphere. Many thanks to Tammy Doll, SCCC Director of Development, and Andy Yoxall, SCCC Director of Public Relations, and the many other individuals who helped make this a successful event. The student performers certainly add a significant aspect to the evening. Those students along with the student ambassadors and presidential scholars provide the auction participants with an insight to the great students who are able to attend SCCC due to the generosity of the Development Foundation. A special thanks to those who purchased tickets, contributed items, and/or brought a guest to the event. As final numbers are determined, I’ll let you know how many dollars were raised for student scholarships and institutional improvements.

Well here goes – I’m finally getting around to getting my “blog” established. My intent is to place something on our site at least bi-weekly; however, if the need presents itself, I will use this forum more often to address an immediate issue related to SCCC.

Our 2007-08 academic year is off to a great start. Unfortunately, due to a sudden health issue, I was not able to be here for the “welcome week” activities. I’ve heard very positive comments about the hamburger cook-out, the activities fair, and the many other activities which our staff provided for students to become acquainted with each other and with our fantastic college.

As we launch a new academic year I am very proud of the focus SCCC continues to place on student success and academic progress toward the individual student’s goal. Our students excel as they transfer to bachelor’s degree programs at colleges and universities; our students excel in obtaining employments after completing our career programs; and our licensure exams exceed statewide averages (our nursing licensing exam passage rates are 100%). Considerable effort is provided by our faculty advisors, our student support services, and our entire college organization to do all we can to help the first time student, the returning student, and the continuing student to achieve his or her academic and career goals. We continue to improve our advising processes, and our “early alert” system allows faculty members to identify necessary support procedures which can be used to help the student complete the individual class in which he or she may be having difficulty. Our student support services provide individualized support for first generation students, and our entire student services team does a wonderful job in providing financial aid services, counseling, and a variety of activities to ensure the students have support to address their financial, emotional, and social needs. Our security team is diligent in providing a safe atmosphere, and of course our maintenance team is unmatched in ensuring that our facilities are clean, attractive, and create a sense of “welcome” to all of our students and guests.

Successful organizations require full effort from everyone in the organization. I believe SCCC students succeed because of the efforts of everyone at SCCC – the faculty, the administration, the support staff, and certainly the decisions and vision of our Board of Trustees and the Liberal/Seward County community. It’s a wonderful college with genuine concern for the individual student – and the success our students attain is evidence of that genuine concern.