January 2009, Volume 3, Number 3

2009 is here! As we bid a fond farewell to 2008, celebrate this time of new beginnings, and anticipate the future, we extend our wishes to all our NISOD friends and family for a successful year. We hope that you will continue to look to NISOD for new professional development opportunities and continued improvement in teaching, learning, and leading with the ultimate goal of student success.

Happy New Year!

The NISOD Staff

• Make NISOD Your New Year’s Resolution—Join today!
• New Year Brings Extended Deadline for NISOD Excellence Awards
• Ads for Excellence Award Booklet and DVD Submission Deadlines Approach
• The Lone Star College System (TX) Holds its First Black Male Summit:  Developing Men of Distinction
• Atomic Learning: Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers for Today’s Students
• Boston Reed College (CA): Meeting the Needs of the Non-Traditional Student
• Turnitin WriteCycle Wins Best Education Solution Award at Education Computing Organization of Ontario’s Annual Conference

• Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES): Learn More about the Fulbright Scholar Program
• National Association of Community Colleges Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP): Discover the Future…Now!
• This month’s NISODcast
• CCLP Corner
• NISOD Publications Corner
• NISOD Conference Corner
• The Learning Edge Blog

Make NISOD Your New Year’s Resolution

Join NISOD for your 2009 resolution! Let NISOD serve the needs of your faculty, staff, and administrators with our many membership benefits.

NISOD is well known for its annual conference, International Conference on Teaching and Learning Excellence, which provides more than 250 breakout and roundtable presentations and bestows more than 1,300 faculty, staff, and administrators with the NISOD Excellence Awards. NISOD’s flagship teaching publication, Innovation Abstracts, is a practitioner-based weekly publication that offers useful tips for educating today’s students.

Students have the opportunity to enter the Community College Week—NISOD Essay Contest in the fall; faculty, staff, and administrators at NISOD-member colleges can attend monthly virtual webinars on the most current higher education issues; and NISOD members can participate in the NISOD Learning Scenarios, an asynchronous series of professional development courses.

And still, NISOD offers more. The NISOD staff strives to meet your institution’s needs to identify current theories, concepts, and initiatives in higher education. Submit your membership application online—it only takes a matter of seconds!

NISOD is a New Year’s Resolution that will pay off over and over.

New Year Brings Extended Deadline for NISOD Excellence Awards Submissions

There are only a few days before the extended deadline for NISOD Excellence Awards expires on January 23, 2009!  Submit your college’s names today!

Recipients of the NISOD Excellence Awards will experience a spectacular celebration this year! More than 15,000 previous Excellence Award recipients will be honored, including the 2009 recipients, during the 20th Anniversary of NISOD Excellence Awards, held at the 2009 International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence. If you do not know your username and password for submitting names, please contact Sheryl Powell.

Excellence Awards Photo, Statement, Video, and Ad Deadlines Approach

It’s not too late to take advantage of the great opportunity to promote your college and Excellence Awards recipients! The deadline for each recipient to submit a photo, statement, and video is approaching—February 2. If selected for inclusion in the video, your faculty will be in the spotlight, along with other Excellence Award recipients presented at the NISOD Conference.

Another promotional opportunity deadline is March 2—save a space for an ad in the NISOD Excellence Awards Booklet. This publication is distributed at the NISOD Conference, mailed to award recipients who could not attend, and mailed to all NISOD-member presidents.

To see past Excellence Awards Booklets or the template for submitting ads, please visit the Excellence Awards webpages for all of the latest information about this premier award in higher education.   

The Lone Star College System Holds its First Black Male Summit: Developing Men of Distinction

The Lone Star College System (LSCS), located in Houston, Texas, held a Black Male Summit on November 13, 2008, the first in a series of summits focusing on underserved males in higher education. The summit is a response to LSCS’s focus on student access and success, Closing the Gaps, Achieving the Dream initiative, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s African American Males Project. 

The summit’s goal was to encourage and support young African American males from high schools within the service area to complete high school and pursue postsecondary education. Recognition of the widening achievement gap between underserved populations and their white counterparts was a factor in presenting this summit. The message delivered was that “high school completion is critical; attending college is possible, and completing a college education can become a reality.” This message was delivered by successful role models to an audience of over 400 Black teens from 11 independent school districts. Featured speakers were Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, executive director, Student African-American Brotherhood Organization; State Representative Sylvester Turner; Judge Frank Pierce, of Harris County Court No. 2; Gerald Irons, former professional football player and corporate vice president; Kirk Nugent, author, The Unpopular Truth; and Attorney Randy Bates, Chair, LSCS Board of Trustees, all of whom shared their personal stories and challenges and discussed relevant issues facing black teens. Other program participants included Dr. Richard Carpenter, LSCS Chancellor, and Dr. Steve Head, President LSCS-North Harris.  

Breakout session topics included strengthening the family, closing the achievement gap, developing and fostering positive relationships, and staying on course with one’s goals. On a follow-up survey, 91 percent of attendees said the summit motivated them to want to pursue higher education and agreed that the speakers helped them to recognize that they have the capacity to accomplish their goals. 

David Torrence, 16, a junior at Dekaney High School in Spring, Texas, was quoted in The Houston Chronicle as saying that he receives a lot of positive advice from his single mother, but Thursday was the first time he had received the message from Black men. Another teen interviewed declared, “I’m going to stop being lazy in class and go to college!”

Surprisingly, when asked if they believe they face significant barriers to attending college, 63 percent stated they did not perceive any barriers in spite of a dominant percentage coming from single parent households. Creating cultures that motivate students to pursue an education appears to be the most influential variable. 

In spring 2009, look for a summit for underserved, first-generation Hispanic high school/college students.

This article was prepared by Dr. Donetta Goodall, Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs and Student Success, Lone Star College System. For more information, contact Dr. Larry Rideaux, Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Success (832.813.6520).

Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers, and Lone Star College-University Center, with an enrollment of more than 51,000 students in credit classes this fall.

Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers for Today’s Students

Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic are not enough anymore. Today’s K-12 students are living and learning in a Web 2.0 world that places both exciting and intimidating expectations on tomorrow’s teachers. More than ever before, College and Departments of Education are seeing a need to provide K-12 students with the knowledge and resources to enter the workforce fully prepared.

In addition to gaining teachers that are prepared to teach students 21st century skills, many districts are desperately seeking special education teachers and staff. The skills and resources that these teachers acquire while in college will determine if they have the competitive advantage and have the skills local school districts desire.

One company that has been selected by numerous colleges to keep education pre-service students current on the technologies needed both in and out of the classroom is Atomic Learning. With a variety of products specifically geared to meet the needs of educators, Atomic Learning provides a consistently updated and expanding technology training resource for students to refer to now and later when they are in the classroom.

For special education, the Assistive Technology Collection is a perfect fit—offering training not only in special education software, but also in assistive technology training devices and accessibility features. In general education, the Technology Skills Collection has become an integral part of many curriculum programs. With this product, Atomic Learning offers training that technology teachers are sure to use in the classroom in addition to a variety of adaptable, technology-infused lesson plans that streamline technology integration.

For campuses across the county, Atomic Learning has become a valuable resource for Colleges and Departments of Education as well as all students, faculty, and staff. To learn how Atomic Learning can work for your school, call 866.259.6890.

Meeting the Needs of the Non-Traditional Student

Two major foci at community colleges is on two-year degrees and transfer to four-year institutions—and rightfully so. But education and advancement is a journey, and not every student can begin at the degree program level.

There are thousands of students who lack direction, finances, or both. There are thousands of baby boomers who need a new career. There are people of all ages who need employment as fast as possible to take care of “real life” before they can consider committing to a pathway that leads to a degree.

In the news we have heard predictions of a need for at least one million nurses by 2020 because of the aging population and the impending baby boomer workforce looking to retire. But there is also a predicted gap of 3.2 million non-nursing job openings. The Allied Healthcare field comprises over 60 occupations that support high-degree professionals (physicians, nurses, and pharmacists). These include phlebotomists, medical assistants, patient care technicians, and dozens of other professions.

One profession is Pharmacy Technician. According to the U.S. Department of Labor the need for Pharmacy Technicians is expected to grow 30 percent by 2012. Walgreens, one of multiple national pharmacy chains, announced that they will hire 10,000 pharmacy technicians over the next 5 years.

Six out of the top ten fastest growing occupations are in the Allied Healthcare sector. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that there will be a 52.3 percent increase for Clinical Medical Assistants alone. As this nation’s largest industry, healthcare is an occupation that has need, opportunity for growth, and promises good salaries for skilled professionals. If the healthcare workforce gap is the “perfect storm,” than the non-traditional learner is the “perfect student.” Community colleges can meet the needs of these students who possess a myriad of different educational motivations by working in partnership with the flexibility that the continuing education (non-credit or fee-based) program can provide. Healthcare providers desire a skilled workforce, and community members of all ages need jobs. It’s a match that cannot be ignored. Regardless of whether these continuing education students come back to pursue lifelong learning at the college, they have obtained skilled training, medical knowledge, health career experience, and self-confidence for life!

Allied health careers also “travel well.” A pharmacy technician instructor at the Central Texas College District in Killeen, Texas, told her students with military spouses, “I have traveled with my husband all over the world and have been offered a job everywhere I go. This is one profession that every community needs and hires!” To meet the high-job demand opportunities in your community, consider outsourcing with an approved allied health course provider. Boston Reed College, a NISOD Bronze partner, has graduated 60,000 students for allied health careers since 1991 using the classrooms of colleges and adult schools throughout the nation. Giving ALL students purpose, direction, opportunities, and career training contributes to the economic stability of our students and our communities.

For more information about allied health partnerships, register for a live weekly webinar entitled, “Why Outsource Allied Health Courses?” with Dr. Wendy Flint at www.bostonreed.com/outsource.

Turnitin WriteCycle Wins Best Education Solution Award at Education Computing Organization of Ontario’s Annual Conference

Web-Based Instructional Tool Improves Student Writing

OAKLAND, California—The new Turnitin WriteCycle™ suite, a 100-percent digital workflow solution aimed at improving student writing by improving the feedback process, is the winner of the “Best Education Solution” award given by The Educational Computing Organization of Ontario (ECOO) at its annual conference held November 13-14, 2008 in Ontario, Canada.

The award recognizes WriteCycle as the best overall education technology solution for 2008. It is one of three ECOO Vendor Excellence Awards recognizing outstanding contributions of education industry leaders in demonstrating their commitment to excellence and innovation in education.

Introduced in September by iParadigms, LLC, creator of the award-winning Turnitin plagiarism prevention and originality checking service, WriteCycle features three inter-related services to help students better engage with their course material, instructors, and peers. The three services in WriteCycle are: Turnitin Plagiarism Prevention, GradeMark, and Peer Review. Turnitin Plagiarism Prevention helps students identify various forms of unoriginal content, correct potential problems, and develop citation and original thinking skills. GradeMark™, Turnitin’s innovative paperless mark-up and grading tool enables instructors to give faster and more in-depth feedback, leaving the days of red ink and stacks of papers behind; and the patented Peer Review environment helps students to evaluate and learn from one another’s work.

Turnitin offers free, daily, live professional development webinars for WriteCycle customers; a monthly schedule is posted at http://www.turnitin.com/static/training.html under the title “Free Introductory Online Training.” As of last month, a sequence of four short, self-paced, narrated videos of the same material is freely available to everyone on the Turnitin website. For information on new live, interactive webinars starting in January 2009 to help instructors use new teaching techniques based on WriteCycle, send an email to Turnitin.

About iParadigms, LLC

iParadigms LLC, is the leader in textual intellectual property protection and a pioneer of web-based services for collaborative, online educational support. The company is at the forefront of using technology to increase awareness of best practices in teaching and learning as it relates to the use of others’ textual content.

Turnitin is a registered trademark, and GradeMark and WriteCycle are trademarks of iParadigms LLC.
Media Contact: Katie Povejsil, Vice President of Marketing; phone: 510.287.9720 x287

Learn More About the Fulbright Scholar Program

From its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has sought to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of countries around the world. Designated the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the United States Government, Fulbright has provided to approximately 300,000 participants an opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research while also exchanging ideas and working to find common solutions to shared problems. The Fulbright Scholar Program currently operates in more than 130 countries worldwide, supporting the work of some 800 American and an equal number of Visiting Scholars each year. 

Community college faculty have much to offer through Fulbright. Strongly student-oriented, their classrooms typically reflect America’s different cultural, ethnic, linguistic and learning traditions, preparing them for the challenges of assignments overseas. Community college faculty lecture in widely divergent fields—American studies, agriculture, communications, information science, journalism, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), vocational education, criminal justice, public health, nursing, social work, and workforce retraining. Additionally, Fulbrighters from community colleges are often experts in curriculum evaluation, administration, planning, and other matters outside the classroom, but critical to the proper functioning of their institutions.

The Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) works to support America’s community colleges. CIES not only oversees grants to faculty, it tries to develop a better appreciation for the significant contributions to American education made by them. This year, for instance, a new award for the Russian Federation was announced for community college faculty. CIES actively participates in NISOD’s annual conference, presenting how-to workshops, talking with potential applicants, and reconnecting with Fulbright alumni. Through the Fulbright Scholar Program, America’s community college faculty and administrators have an opportunity to share their expertise, enriching the world and growing as professionals. The competition for Academic Year 2010-2011 opens March 1, 2009, with all materials available at http://www.cies.org. 

NACCTEP: Discover the Future…Now!

The National Association of Community Colleges Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) promotes the community college role in the recruitment, preparation, retention, and renewal of diverse PreK-12 teachers. NACCTEP serves as a voice for community colleges in national discussions about teacher education, works to enhance current community college teacher education programs, and serves as a resource for those looking to develop new programs. NACCTEP currently has members from 41 states, the District of Columbia, and the Marshall Islands. 

NACCTEP’s Executive Board consists of community college leaders from around the country. The Board meets annually with federal legislators and their staff members in Washington, D.C., to advocate for the community college role in teacher education. NACCTEP provides members support through the creation of Policy Briefs, newsletters, reports, and resources. A current project near completion is the development of an online professional development program for residential and adjunct faculty. Teaching Strategies to Supercharge Your College Classroom will include modules on student engagement, active learning, designing and effective learning process, and assessment. 

Each year, NACCTEP hosts a national conference for teacher education staff, administrators, and partners to network, showcase innovative programs, and explore new ideas. NACCTEP’s Discover the Future of Community College Teacher Education Programs Conference will be held on March 13-15, 2009, in Reno, Nevada. NACCTEP has partnered with NASA to provide a pre-conference workshop for community college faculty who work with pre-service teachers. NASA scientists and educators will share Earth and space science activities, data, and resources with participants.

Each month, NISOD brings you conversations with educational leaders from across the globe, exploring urgent topics, innovative solutions, and success stories from NISOD members and partners. These short conversations are a great way to explore expert opinions on diverse topics from the comfort of any Internet-ready computer. No special software is needed—just click the link below.

This month, NISOD Associate Director, Dr. Coral M. Noonan-Terry, speaks with Dr. Terry Calaway, President of Johnson County Community College (KS), about workforce development and what that looks like in today’s community college.

Listen to the podcast.

NISODcast is password-protected for NISOD members only. For access, email Sheryl Powell.

NISODcast sponsored by

Watch our vodcast with Dr. Steven L. VanAusdle, President of Walla Walla Community College (WA) and Dr. Evelyn Waiwaiole, Suanne Davis Roueche NISOD Director, as they discuss Walla Walla’s “dream but no money” three major challenges (safety and security, prosperity, and sustainability and environmental restoration) and the solutions to some of those challenges.

View the Vodcast.

NISODcast is password-protected for NISOD members only. For access, email Sheryl Powell.

 Vodcast sponsored by

Spring CCLP Block #64 Elated About 2009 Opportunities

Each fall, a new cohort or “Block” of doctoral students join the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) at The University of Texas at Austin to learn, explore, and grow together. This year’s cohort, Block #64, completed a successful fall semester in December, 2008. We learned daily from many distinguished community college leaders; attended the Association of Community College Trustees Conference in New York; visited Kingsborough Community College and Bronx Community College  in New York as well as made site-visits in Texas at El Centro College and Richland College in the Dallas Community College District and South Campus at Tarrant County College District. We look forward to the spring semester with a full slate of educational and networking opportunities with guest lecturers as well as at conferences and college site-visits.

Block members are interested in new opportunities to learn from NISOD-member college leaders near and far in this upcoming semester. To locate CCLP students at the events listed below, just look for their Texas Longhorn nametags!

The 2008 Block Guide offers full details about the CCLP program. For more information about the Community College Leadership Program, contact Ruth Thompson.

Celebrations

Celebrations is a NISOD occasional publication, featuring written versions of special presentations at NISOD-sponsored events, periodic thought pieces, and abstracts of research conducted through the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP).

NISOD members can search and download past issues of Celebrations by logging in to the members-only section of our website. If you are a member and do not know the password, click here to complete a password request form.

Innovation Abstracts

Visit NISOD’s fully searchable online archives containing all of our archived Innovation Abstracts published over the past 30 years. Innovation Abstracts is a password-protected resource for NISOD members only. Members who do not have a password can complete a password request form.

Publish Your Good Ideas in Innovation Abstracts!

Are you an administrator or instructor who has successful practices, innovations, programs, or initiatives that work for you, your college, and your students? Consider sharing them with NISOD readers in an upcoming Innovation Abstracts. Find out how!

NISOD’s 31st annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence is just four months away—May 24-27, 2009! If you have not visited our conference webpages, make sure you do that soon and stay up-to-date on the latest conference events and activities. Check out the preliminary agenda, Preconference Seminars, and Special Sessions. Our conference hotels are ready to accept your reservations. The deadline for presentation proposals has been extended to Friday, January 23, 2009. Judging from the proposals already submitted, this year’s conference promises to be one of the best ever! Presenters of accepted proposals will be notified Monday, February 9, 2009.

Registration opens later this month. Take advantage of the early-bird registration fee by April 30. Discounts and incentives are available for group registrations.

This month on The Learning Edge:

Join the discussions on multicultural role models needed on campuses, diversity in higher educational administration, and diverse enrollment opportunities.

Share your thoughts.

Coral M. Noonan-Terry, Editor-in-Chief
Hook’Em Up is published monthly by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, 1 University Station, D5600, Austin, Texas 78712-0378, (512) 471-7545.

© The University of Texas at Austin, 2008, All rights reserved.