Goodbye 701 Elm Hello 1601 S. Lamar! Excitement is in the air as District Office employees from 701 Elm, the Moline Building, the Universities Center at Dallas and even some at the Bill J. Priest campus of El Centro all converge on their new home at 1601 S. Lamar. More than a year has passed since Chancellor Wright Lassiter announced the acquisition of the property and set the wheels in motion to make the new headquarters a reality. During this time, employees have been able to track the project on the Moving to 1601 S. Lamar intranet site. By Feb. 1, 2009, the move should be complete, and almost 150 employees will be settling into their newly renovated space. After that time, the R.L. Thornton Jr. Building will become part of El Centro College. [READ THE FULL STORY]   Spotlight on ... Organizational Development Advisory Group Do you have staff development wants or needs? Ideas for staff development are always welcome, and suggestions for new workshops or programs should be made to OrgDev office staff or to the OrgDev Advisory Group. This group meets the third Thursday of each month to collaborate on staff development offerings. Made up of Organizational Development employees from each location, the advisory group representatives work to improve the training and development available to faculty and staff through districtwide and campus-specific programs. [READ THE FULL STORY]   Want to Look Great at Performance Review Time? Keep Track of Your Staff Development! Did you know that any DCCCD employee can easily access their staff development records through the eConnect employee menu?  Presently, employees and supervisors can access records back-dated through Spring 2007 for training done at the district level. The System for Recording Training (SRT) is a great tool to keep track of this professional development, both for personal records as well as for inclusion in the annual employee performance review. According to Yolanda Nolan, district director, Human and Organizational Development, “By staying abreast of developments and learning new skills, faculty and staff can maintain pride and professionalism.  In addition, they can help DCCCD continue to be on the cutting edge of educational institutions in the country,” she added.  “Our bottom line is serving those who serve students.” SRT training sessions for local campus coordinators/directors of professional development will be scheduled soon through OrgDev. This department encourages all employees to take advantage of the impressive array of staff development opportunities available throughout the year.  Check the calendar below for upcoming professional development events.   Upcoming Professional Development Events Event Date Location and Times OrgDev Miniseries Coaching Friday, Jan. 9, 2009 LCET Room R012, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. OrgDev Miniseries Professional Attire Friday, Jan. 27, 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 Miniseries Stress Management Thursday, Feb. 5, 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 Miniseries 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 Miniseries 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 Miniseries 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.   HR Announcements Holiday Leave Requests - The district will be closed from Dec. 25, 2008, through Jan. 1, 2009. Requests for holiday leave should be pre-approved by the employee’s supervisor and submitted to HR for input. If circumstances prevent this from happening, leave forms should be given to HR as soon as the employee returns to work. Employee Leave Statements - Your leave statement is available through the DCCCD eConnect Web site. To view and print, select "My Leave Information" from the eConnect employee menu. Please review your leave statement for accuracy and current balances. It is your responsibility to contact the location Human Resources Office immediately to report leave discrepancies. Unauthorized Recording - No employee may record by any means a conversation of an employee or student unless all of the following criteria are met:     1. A legitimate purpose for the recording     2. A recording device is in plain view     3. Written authorization from an employee’s supervisor Secret recordings are strictly prohibited unless authorized in writing by district legal counsel. Violation of this provision may result in disciplinary action or termination. W-2 Reminder - W-2 forms for 2009 will be released to home addresses on or before Jan. 31, 2009.  Please check with your location HR office if you have experienced a change in address that may not have been recorded in the HR system. W-4 Exemption - If you are claiming exempt on your W-4 then you must have a new W-4 on file on or before Feb. 15, 2009, as your exemption expires on Feb. 16, 2009.  See your location HR office to update your forms, if needed.   Second Life Shines in Red, White and Blue Avatar Fashion and Art Show on DCCCD Island Pictured: Patti Lemuria, avatar for Patti Jennings, views the BHC business office entry which won Best of Show honors in the Nov. 4 DCCCD Second Life art show. A collaborative effort of the entire business office, the artwork represents a Betsy Ross-type flag made up of the faces and figures of office employees dressed in red and white.  This team-building project was headed by Barbara Neal, who put together the collage effect by cutting and pasting photos of employees’ legs and feet into "Old & New Glory." While Americans were voting on Election Day, visitors to DCCCD's Second Life island were busy participating in a patriotic but nonpartisan "Express Yourself in Red, White and Blue" fashion show. Dozens of avatars showed up for the event, which included a juried art show and dancing. Student Avatar Fashion Design awards included: 1st Place: Craig Hendrix 2nd Place Robert MacKey 3rd Place Alisha Lucio / Charlene Abramson Creativity Award: Daryl Makalina The BHC Business Office took Best of Show honors for their original artwork. Screenshots of the event and art are available at: http://touch-the-future.blogspot.com/. [READ THE FULL STORY]

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.

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