Planning Retention Strategies Can Be Fun Dr. Jean Conway, interim president, Eastfield College and Dr. Michael Gutierrez, vice president, teaching and learning at EFC, engage in an exercise to identify needs, challenges and a wish list for retention resources during the recent Student Success Summer Institute. “The program was well planned and our time well spent," according to Conway. Gutierrez was impressed with national speakers who emphasized focusing on two or three  initiatives across the entire curriculum to achieve maximum results. More on the institute in the story below.   An Advising Team That's All Heart Wow! Story by Debbie Hutchison Working late is the last thing most people want to do, especially when the workload is already heavy. But the academic advisors at RLC do just that twice a year. Why, you ask? After you hear their story, we bet you say Wow! During the final two weeks of registration for the long semesters, things can get pretty hectic on any college campus. Here's what the academic advising department at Richland College is doing to make things go more smoothly at this critical time. “Even though the admissions office closes at 7 p.m., we continue to sign students in to see an advisor until the last student has been admitted,” said Cindy Berry, director of academic advising since 2004. “Of course, this process results in advisors staying as late as 8:30 or 9 p.m.” [READ THE FULL STORY]   Go Green, $ave Green by Jonathan Blundell   Lately it seems that everybody’s going green – at home, at work, at school and on the road. Sustainability – using resources to meet our immediate needs while preserving the environment for future generations – is the new “cool.” So we thought it would be great to see what DCCCD employees are doing to reduce their carbon footprint while hopefully saving some cash in the process! Are you reusing, recycling, simplifying your life, or building something environmentally awesome? Tell us what you're doing to go green via e-mail including your name, title and location extension by Friday, July 31. We will share these ideas in the August issue of the Employee eNews. In the meantime, let’s look at other possible ways to save some green by conserving energy and water:   Save energy While the initial cost to convert your home to energy efficient CFL (compact fluorescent light) or LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs might be large, the savings can quickly add up. CFLs last eight to 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs, and LED bulbs typically last 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs. The table below compares the details to be considered when considering lighting purchases. [READ THE FULL STORY]   In Case of Emergency ... by Ann Hatch and Rick Rosen Planning for emergencies — both natural and man-made — is like saving for a rainy day: you try to anticipate what problems you might encounter, what actions you can take to solve those issues and how you can communicate with others about the challenge at hand. DCCCD, like other higher education institutions, has an emergency operations plan (EOP) that includes a process for responding to emergency situations; a structure of persons who assist in that process (and how they work with one another under adverse conditions); and methods of communication to ensure that students, faculty, staff and administrators — as well as the general public — are informed during these events. As each emergency situation unfolds, people in charge on campus determine a course of action. They communicate with both college and district marketing and media relations staff members so that information can be shared internally and externally. When college public relations staff members are directly involved with crisis management on campus, the district’s media relations office steps in to assist with media inquiries, interviews and advice; it also can monitor social networks to learn about external questions and provide information to people who are discussing the emergency on Twitter, on news blogs and through other electronic outlets such as e-mail and text messaging. For additional information about DCCCD's EOP, contact Brigham Wilcoxson. Select your location's EOP link from the list below, and contact the EOP administrator at your location if you have any questions. BHC - CVC - EFC - ECC - MVC - NLC - RLC and LCET - DO - DSC   Keeping Students in School Institute Focuses on DCCCD's Top Priority -- by Rick Rosen The opening of the first annual Student Success Summer Institute on June 11 fell on the day of one of the worst rainstorms in memory. Still, more than 100 employees showed up to attend the conference on student retention.   “People showed their commitment,” says Dr. Sharon Blackman, senior associate vice chancellor for educational affairs and the district’s chief retention officer. All total, 118 faculty, staff and administrators took part in the one and a half day conference at the Bill J. Priest Institute. Many even showed up 45 minutes early – and it was early – on the morning of the second day, Dr. Blackman says. “I think people did get a great deal out of it,” she adds. The institute, with its secondary title of “Engaging Our Students for Student Success,” was designed to give the employees who participated a firsthand opportunity to hear about practices that work to keep students in college and be successful. Employees learned of the latest methods and data, and heard from speakers from colleges both inside and outside DCCCD  about initiatives that are helping with retention. [READ THE FULL STORY]   Upcoming Professional Development Events Event Date Location and Times HR Hiring Process A-Z Wednesday, July 29, 2009 DO Room 038 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Emotional Intelligence Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009 DO Room 038 9 a.m.-4 p.m. New Employee Orientation Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 DO Room 038 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Strategic Performance Management Workshop Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 DO Room 038 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Risk Avoidance Training for Supervisors Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 DO Room 038 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information on training/educational programs, visit the Organizational Development Web site or call 214-378-1614.   HR Reminder ERS Summer Enrollment is the time to make insurance choices for you and your family members for the next plan year (September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2010.) Everyone must sign a summer enrollment form, even if you are not making changes and/or enrolling online. Summer enrollment will end July 31, 2009, so contact your location HR office for more details.

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