Wow! Story From time to time, we’ll be highlighting “Wow!” stories of DCCCD employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help someone. Bobbie Harrison, Richland College director, Student Programs and Resources, praised Janice Bell in SPAR and Dusty Reasons, Richland Collegiate High School (RCHS) yearbook sponsor, for making the most of such an opportunity recently. She recalls: Not long ago, we had the opportunity to assist the grandfather of one of our Richland Collegiate High School students. He had come to campus to pay for and pick up his grandchild’s 2007-2008 yearbook. After he had paid, he was told that he could pick up the yearbook at the Student Programs and Resources Office. The problem was this: We didn’t know anything about the yearbooks! We didn’t know who was responsible for them or where they could be picked up! [READ THE FULL STORY]   CERT Teams Forming Pictured from left: Vicki DeFord, David Hay, Norman Howden, Shad Rasco, Joe Curtis, Toni Barajas and Mary Greely-Miller work through a rescue exercise under the watchful eye of CERT instructor Joe Clark. Thirteen class members were awarded certificates upon completion of the series, which included a disaster simulation. Risk Management and the City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management have joined forces for an important project. Their goal is for every DCCCD location to have an active Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) ready to mobilize and respond to immediate needs in the event of an emergency such as a natural disaster, fire or terrorism. [READ THE FULL STORY]   All Locations Exceed Goals for SECC As the 2008 State Employees Charitable Campaign ended Oct. 31, all DCCCD locations reported exceeding their contribution goals as well as their employee participation goals. Dr. Paul McCarthy, El Centro College president and campaign chairperson, said he was extremely impressed with the outcome. “It looks like our employees saw the hard times ahead for the groups served by SECC charities and stepped up to make a difference,” he said. The total raised was $475,229, which is $147,116 more than our goal of $328,113. Employee participation figures ranged between 80 percent to 99 percent. In addition, there was an increase in Leadership and Chancellor Circle donations, benefiting DCCCD Foundation scholarships by $143,353. [READ THE FULL STORY]   Students as Customers? A College as a Business? You Can’t Be Serious! Roy Bond, associate dean of Organizational and Staff Development at Richland College offers these thoughts on seeing students as customers and college as a business. What follows is excerpted from an article he is writing for the Quality Texas Foundation. Many of us in higher education bristle when we are asked to consider our students as customers. Yet the continuous quality improvement process, to which our district has long been committed, requires that we not only consider them as customers, but even as our stakeholders. I suspect that our reluctance to view our students as customers derives from the implication about what the commodity is that students are purchasing from our institutions: a grade? a credential? a certificate? a diploma? [READ THE FULL STORY]   Planning for Retirement? Human Resources (HR) is here to help with districtwide retirement information events.  Employees with Optional Retirement Plan coverage met on Friday, Nov. 14, at Eastfield College. Teachers Retirement System members will be invited to participate in a similar experience on Friday, Feb. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. also at Eastfield College. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The purpose for each educational session is to present information that will help employees in both categories make the retirement transition smoothly.  [READ THE FULL STORY]   Upcoming Professional Development Events Event Date Location and Times Visions of Excellence-Diversity Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 MVC Room W171, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. SPM Workshop Monday, Nov. 24, 2008 LCET Room R012 & R019, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. OrgDev Mini-Series-Professional Boundaries in the Workplace Friday, Dec. 12, 2008 LCET Room R012, 2:20 p.m.-3:30 p.m. OrgDev Mini-Series-Professional Attire Friday, Jan. 9, 2009 LCET Room R012, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Visions of Excellence-Learning Strategies Friday, Jan. 30, 2009 RLC Room TBA, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. New Employee Orientation Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 BJP Room 1530, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. OrgDev Mini-Series-Stress Management Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009 LCET Room R012, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Visions of Excellence-Assessment Techniques Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 CVC Room TBA, 1 p.m.-4 p.m OrgDev Mini-Series-Green in the Workplace Thursday, March 12, 2009 LCET Room R012, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Visions of Excellence-"You Asked for It" Friday, March 27, 2009 NLC Room TBA, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. OrgDev Mini-Series-Growth Opportunities in the District Monday, April 13, 2009 LCET Room R012, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Visions of Excellence-Celebrating Successes Friday, April 24, 2009 BHC Room TBA, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. OrgDev Mini-Series-Laugh for Your Life Tuesday, May 5, 2009 LCET Room R012, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. For more information on training/educational programs, visit the Organizational Development Web site or call 214-860-5944.   eNews Bulletin Board Got news? Share it with the DCCCD family through the eNews Bulletin Board. Send us information about weddings, funerals, honors, etc. We look forward to including your personal and professional notices in future issues. W.G. Garland, left, (Educational Affairs) married Bernice Phillips on Aug. 15 at the District Office. The ceremony was performed by Wright Lassiter after which the couple “jumped the broom,” a traditional African-American wedding custom.

The DCCCD Employee Newsletter is a joint publication of Human Resources (HR) and Organizational Development (OrgDev). We hope you’ll find it informative and invite you to give us feedback.

All DCCCD employees — including part-time staff and adjunct faculty — are sent this newsletter as a means of sharing important information about the district, employee rights and responsibilities, and the wide range of benefits available to DCCCD administrators, faculty and staff.

If you believe you are receiving this publication in error, please send an e-mail to internetpublishing@dcccd.edu.