Student Retention Is Everyone's Job by Debbie Hutchison, District Office Students who have successful experiences in DCCCD colleges come away with more than transferrable classes or an associate degree. Personal attention from faculty and staff plus greater opportunities for involvement in college life inspire confidence, a desire to succeed and hopefully, a life-long love of learning. "The DCCCD Retention efforts are designed to assist all students to be successful," according to Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Affairs, Dr. Sharon Blackman. "However, emphasis is placed on "first time in college" students, who are mostly students of color, and those that are academically underprepared. These groups are specifically targeted in Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Closing the Gaps 2015 program." As chief retention officer for the district, Blackman firmly believes that everybody should do this, even the people behind the scenes who don't have daily contact with students. "If we're all working for the greater good of our students to be successful, then a lot of what we do is working with one another to ensure that we provide an exceptional educational experience for our students." [READ THE FULL STORY]   North Lake Opens Two New Neighborhood Locations by Gina Federer, North Lake College Two state-of-the-art community campuses recently opened their doors, providing students with the courses they need right in their own backyards. North Lake College South, which opened at the end of March, will hold a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 29, at 10 a.m. College and local city officials will dedicate the new building. The public is invited for light refreshments and tours of the campus. The South Campus is a 33,000-square-foot facility designed to provide a center for educational attainment that meets the economic and workforce needs of the community. Located at 1081 W. Shady Grove Road, Irving, Texas, it is on the northeast corner of Shady Grove and MacArthur. [READ THE FULL STORY]   R U Tweeting? by Nicholas Hernandez, Dallas Telecollege By now you've probably read or heard about Twitter, the newest craze in the Web 2.0 landscape. If you haven't, allow me to briefly explain: Twitter is a real-time bulletin board for the Web, although it is accessible via most cell phones. In 140 characters or less an infinity of informational tidbits are fed to the Twitter user, who can tailor his or her own experience based on the people they follow. Updates, called "tweets," are kept short, so its users must be concise. The name of the game in Twitter is value. Ideally, you want to follow people who add value to the day-to-day dealing of your life. [READ THE FULL STORY]   DCCCD Money Card Offers Students Options by April Ellis, District Office Starting in late April, DCCCD will launch a new system for processing and distributing refunds and disbursements (such as financial aid funds) to students. With the help of Higher One, a financial services vendor, students will have more options for getting their money, and they'll get it faster. Students will receive a card and instructions in the mail but may have further questions about the DCCCD Money Card. Please refer them to the DCCCD Web site or their college’s Admissions/Registrar’s Office, Business Office or Financial Aid Office for more information.   Upcoming Professional Development Events Event Date Location and Times OrgDev Miniseries: Laugh for Your Life Tuesday, May 5, 2009 LCET Room R012, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. New Employee Orientation Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DO Room 038, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Strategic Performance Management Workshop Thursday, May 21, 2009 DO Room 038, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Emergency Operations Plan Tuesday, May 26, 2009 DO Room 038 9 a.m.-Noon For more information on training/educational programs, visit the Organizational Development Web site or call 214-378-1614.   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. At the District Office ... Ann Hatch (Marketing and Communications) received a certificate for 25 years of service in institutional advancement from CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) District IV during a regional conference held in Oklahoma City this month. Hatch also has served as a mentor for people in communications and marketing who are new to higher education advancement and currently serves on the board of directors for CASE District IV, overseeing communications. Joyce Williams (Educational Affairs) will begin her two-year term as president of TACTE (Texas Association of College Technical Educators) on May 1, 2009. Williams has been a member of TACTE since 2003 and a board member since 2007. She served as chair for the spring 2008 Texas Community College Instructional Leaders conference. In her role as the chair of the WECM Leadership Committee, she works closely with TACTE liaisions to support workforce education initiatives across the state.   HR Reminders Summer Benefit Enrollment - The Employee Retirement System summer benefits enrollment program, July 6-31, is quickly approaching. Information and enrollment documents will be sent by ERS to home addresses. Please verify your address is current in our system. This year's Benefits Enrollment Information Kick-Off Fair will be held at Mountain View College on July 6. Educational Stipends for Spring Graduates - DCCCD employees earning an associate degree, bachelor's degree or master's degree this spring may be qualified for the district's educational stipend for professional support staff and administrators. This benefit provides eligible employees with a one-time stipend upon confirmation of degree earned. Please see your location HR Office for assistance. Tuition Fee Waiver Program Changes - Employees participating in this program can enroll in no more than two courses during Summer I, including May term, and two courses in Summer II. Contact your location HR Office with any questions.

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. We hope you’ll find it informative and invite you to give us feedback.

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