September 28, 2003 |
From John J. “Ski” Sygielski, President
Greetings!
Over the past five weeks, I continue to be delighted by you and your dedication to students and the communities we serve. In fact, in spending at least six days a week meeting key leaders in the communities we serve, I continue to hear a lot of praise regarding your good work. I also continue see outstanding quality teaching and outstanding student-centered service. I continue to be proud to serve you, our students and our communities. Finally, I sincerely appreciate your support of me during my time of “listening and learning.”
President’s Work Plan
In the last “Ski Gram,” I asked for suggestions for the work plan I will
use to focus my efforts until we are ready to implement the new strategic
plan in late winter/early spring. Dozens of you made suggestions, and I
thank you for them. I have incorporated them into my plan and would appreciate
your suggestions on how I can more effectively achieve the outcomes I’ve
established for myself.
|
Goal/Activity |
Outcome |
Tentative Dates |
Strategies |
|
Contribute to the establishment and/or maintenance of a college community based on mutual respect and full involvement of all constituency groups in planning, accomplishment, measurement and improvement. |
A campus climate and decision-making process where faculty and staff contribute their ideas and efforts towards continuous improvement of teaching, learning, community service and internal collaboration. |
Ongoing |
Remain highly accessible to LFCC faculty, staff and students. Engage regularly in two-way communication with the campus using various formats. Energize a review of LFCC’s current committee structure to determine if they are meeting the campus’ needs and intents relative to collaboration and effective outcomes. |
|
Orchestrate the development of a three year strategic plan for LFCC. |
Mission vision, priorities and strategies for LFCC. Three year strategic plan (including measurable targets and outcome measures) to guide LFCC activity. Definition of process to implement, measure the effectiveness and communicate institutional progress towards the plan’s goals. |
October
|
Gather and analyze critical data and input (internal and external) to inform planning process. Establish a system to gather, analyze and publish this information on a regular basis. Cabinet will DRAFT the mission, vision and values for LFCC to be used in future discussions. Identify and involve members of LFCC in development of the strategic plan. Provide semi-final version of LFCC’s mission, vision and values. Determine three to five institutional goals and workable strategies WE can focus our energies on. Continuously measure progress towards goals and refine/readjust when necessary. Determine a process to integrate data into the decision-making process levels of LFCC. |
|
Reinforce the comprehensiveness of LFCC’s educational mission. |
An internal and external recognition of the important integrated contribution made by all of our current and planned programs and initiatives: student service, transfer, workforce development and community education. |
Ongoing |
Spearhead interdisciplinary and college-wide initiatives which integrate effort from LFCC. Meet regularly with cross school and cross department groups of faculty, staff and students to reinforce mutual respect and integrated planning for the future. |
|
Interface and enhance “LFCC’s image” with LFCC’s internal and external stakeholders and local communities. |
Increased understanding of LFCC’s programs, service potential, and ability to collaborate in its community. Development of additional partnerships and collaborations with business and industry. |
Ongoing |
Visit and LISTEN to local community organization and key stakeholders in our communities to promote LFCC’s image and current/potential programs. Promote appropriate programming responses at LFCC to meet identified needs of local students, community organization and workforce development. Include Spanish translation of President’s message. View the revised President’s welcome at web site. |
|
TENTATIVE: Lead an effort to center LFCC’s efforts on improving student learning experiences and student learning outcomes (after discussing with Faculty Council.) |
An institution-wide understanding of the critical characteristics of a learning college. A process of measuring the success of teaching and learning at LFCC based on learning college criteria and student learning outcomes. |
|
Promote the benefits of the “learning college paradigm” throughout LFCC through workshops, special events and conversation. Collaborate with LFCC’s faculty council and various academic committees to sponsor faculty and staff development activities which promote recognition of the importance of student-centered teaching, learning and services. |
Strategic Planning
One of the most consistent comments I heard from within our college community over the past couple of months is the need to develop a strategic plan for the future. Before WE (full- and part-time staff and faculty members, students, retired LFCC faculty and staff, community members, board members and foundation board members) begin to work on a new plan over the next several months, I’d like to describe five select characteristics, I believe, a plan must possess. The plan should be:
- derived both from our internal sense of mission, purpose and priorities and from the current and future needs of our students and internal and external communities;
- data driven, forged in an atmosphere of full and accurate information, working towards milestones and measurable targets;
- flexible and accommodating to the many opportunities LFCC will encounter in the future that we cannot foresee right now;
- a simple, clear and useful document;
- developed, implemented and monitored through a highly participative process enabling us to benefit from the wisdom of each of us and when finished everyone at LFCC can focus his/her considerable energies and talents toward moving our college forward with clarity and decisiveness.
If you have any comments about the Strategic Planning process (which will include the VCCS Dateline 2009 Initiative) or would like to be considered to be a part of this initiative as part of either the development team or review team, please email me at johnski@lfcc.edu. (See my work plan below for timelines.)
Community Focus Groups
Over the past three weeks, I have facilitated five focus groups within five of our counties and the City of Winchester . A focus group in Fauquier County is scheduled for October 14. Anyone from LFCC interested in participating is welcome and may contact Kathy Howard (lfhowak@lfcc.edu) for additional information.
The vast majority of the comments - spoken by 100+ business, government and education leaders - confirm their strong appreciation and support for your efforts. I continually hear about the respect leaders have for you and LFCC. I also hear numerous ideas on how we may enhance or expand our responsiveness to our community. Repetitive themes indicate the following: (1) address the education needs of our growing Hispanic population, (2) ensure our students/graduates understand what “appropriate workplace behavior” is, (3) ensure our humanities and technical training programs are marketed and available at any time, place or in any format, (4) work closely with our high schools to develop and promote career paths for students; (5) understand and communicate local career opportunities to high school and college students, (6) address the growing allied health and early childhood career education needs in all our communities, (7) determine ways to address the education needs of our “out commuters,” (8) host these focus groups a couple of times throughout the year, (9) enhance your workforce development and outreach efforts into the communities, and (10) enhance LFCC’s marketing efforts. Many LFCC employees attended one or two of these sessions: Margaret Barnett, Nellie Manning, Harry Papagan, John Piazza, Eileen Rexrode, Robin Weaning, Judy Rinker and “KW.” Nancy Rudolph (ODU) also attended. Special thanks to Nancy Lloyd, and her staff, for attending, inviting internal and external community representatives and for coordinating these sessions.
Foundation Board Retreat - Summary
Two weeks ago, I facilitated the Foundation Board Retreat on Fredy Kummli’s property in Rappahannock County. After three hours of discussions and brain-storming, the foundation board will focus on the following four issues while we develop our strategic plan: (1) staff and faculty development; (2) LFCC facility enhancements; (3) student scholarships and endowed chairs; and (4) determining the future direction for the proposed arts community center by hiring a community college consultant from NY to spend two days at the end of October providing the board with review comments on the viability and usefulness of such a center.
An EMAIL FROM ME TO LFCC FAUQUIER CAMPUS REGARDING A RECENT MEETING I HAD WITH FAUQUIER PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD: “...Last evening [September 8, 2003] I attended the Fauquier School Board meeting in Marshall. I was asked if LFCC would be INTERESTED in partnering with the Fauquier Public Schools to build a “workforce development/career and technical education” building on our campus within the next two years – IF it meets both our needs.
Since LFCC is slated to construct a workforce development building on this campus within the next couple of years, Kay and I have decided to at least explore this potential opportunity since it MAY allow us a quicker and less expensive way to construct a building that can serve all of our needs (i.e. classroom space, equipment sharing, cultural activities, etc.) and the needs of the community. The Fauquier school board, Kay and I are tentatively going to visit Tidewater Community College who co-developed an Advanced Technology Center with the City of Virginia Beach and Virginia Beach Public Schools in mid-November to learn more.” Reactions to this message would be appreciated.
Select Meetings
I have scheduled numerous meetings with internal and external constituencies. The goal of these meetings is to learn how we can assist each other and our external community and how our external community may be able to contribute to our efforts. If you would like me to meet with someone who would help me learn more about our college and its communities, please email me.
Select Meetings/Events: Once again, full- and part-time LFCC faculty & staff, external community leaders and students received most of my focus; LFCC SGA, Fauquier Public School Board; NAACP Banquet; AV/IT/Distance Learning Meeting; Fauquier Technology Alliance; Interviewed two finalists for the LFCC HR position with an announcement of the person coming this week; Oktoberfest (Front Royal) chili-cook-off judge – wearing LFCC T-shirt; three “official” classroom visits (Bambara, Osborne) and numerous “quick hello” visits to classrooms on both campuses; Ambassabor’s Recruitment program (Fauquier); keynote speaker at Phi Theta Kappa (Fauquier); Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission Meeting; Inauguration of Dr. Rhodes (JSRCC); Warren County’s Sheltered Workshop; LFCC Martin Luther King Holiday Planning Committee; Governor’s Office (twice); SIS Deployment Team Meeting; Hob Nob in the Valley (Winchester Chamber of Commerce Event); College Board Meeting; Education Foundation Board Retreat (I facilitated); VCCS System Office; and President’s Cabinet (individually (every Monday for 15 minutes from 745am until 10am) and collectively (every Wednesday from 10ish until Noon with team building activities for two hours after that).
Focus Groups: (Discussed above)
Select Individuals: Bill Sirbaugh (SBDC), Talmage Reeves (Director, Fauquier Economic Development), Dr. Northern and staff (Shenandoah Public Schools); Mr. Lee (Principal, Triplett), Vince Poling (Shenandoah County Administrator); Tyson Gilpin (President, Coalition for Racial Unity); Bob Lee (Administrator, Fauquier County to discuss Fauquier campus advisory committee); Jim Davis (President, Shenandoah University. We met over lunch at SU for two hours where we discussed the possibility of using SU available space and/or faculty if needed. We also discussed having both our nursing faculty meet to discuss common issues); Bev Fleming (Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors); Tom Christoffel (Director, Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Partnership); Karen White (Director, Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County); James Kilby (Vice President, NAACP Warren/Page Counties); General Mack Hobgood (President, RMA); Patrick Barker (Economic Development Director, Winchester/Frederick County), Ron Mabry (Chair, Warren County Economic Development Authority), Dennis Kellison (Superintendent, Winchester), June Wilmot (College Board member), Bill Dean (Superintendent, Frederick County) and Debbie Willis (Follett Bookstores).
Upcoming Part-time Faculty Meetings: Meetings are being scheduled at the Middletown and Fauquier campuses in October to continue our discussions begun in August. More information will follow shortly.
Interviews: Fauquier Democrat Leader and Northern Virginia Daily
(I am on the Fauquier campus Tuesday and Friday (351-1513) and the Middletown campus Monday, Wednesday and Thursday (868-7101)).
Select Recent Celebrations
IN THE NEWS: Barbara Green was pictured in the Winchester Star highlighting her as one of three Directors of First Impressions (Judy Green & Liz Branch are the other two).
LFCC Part-time Faculty Member PUBLISHED: Jonathan Noyalas (Fauquier) will have his book, Plagued by War: Winchester, Virginia, during the Civil War, published in mid-October. Gauley Mount Press, in Leesburg, Virginia is the publisher.
Class of 2021 ANNOUNCES NEW STUDENT: Nicole Martin gave birth to a ten pound baby boy last week. Hollis Ford Martin, his parents and brother are doing well.
RECOVERING: Al Toxopeus, former LFCC Board member and current LFCC Education Foundation Board member and VCCS State Board member is recovering well at Winchester Medical Center after breaking his back almost two weeks ago. (He fell off a ladder in his barn.) I visited him last evening and he is in good spirits and is beginning to walk with a walker. He will be in the hospital a short time and will recover at home for the next several months. He should recover fully.
VCCA REPRESENTATIVES: Carolyn Haines and Professor Grisdale will represent LFCC as Showcase Recipients later this week in Richmond.
NEW CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION MEMBERS ANNOUNCED: Lesley Casula, Andrea Ludwick, John Updike, Ann Simpson and Bill Warren will now join Ernie Grisdale, Betty Ward, Gene Loranger, Ann Currie, Joan Osborne, Brent Kendrick, Susan Short, Kay Dunkley, Harry Papagan and John Piazza on this committee.
FACULTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS: Ramon Selove, Frost McLaughlin and David Powell have been reelected to the Faculty Council. They will serve 2 year terms. Larita Jacobs has been elected as adjunct faculty representative for a one year term. They join Joe Whitehorne, Cyril Petras and Alan Nordling who are serving the second year of their two year term.
BRAGGING RIGHTS:
(I recently received the following emails from two full-time LFCC faculty members)
“…I thought you would like to know that yesterday LFCC's William & Mary contingent (five students who graduated from LFCC last year and enrolled at W&M this year) were sent home because of Isabel. It was a beautiful day in the Valley; they could have chilled out, visited with friends & family, played golf.... No. What did they do? They descended en masse on our fair campus, for the sole purpose of visiting with professors and friends. Several were students of mine [x]; others of Dr. Whitehorne and Prof. Ludwick. They even brought a couple of W&M buddies along, apparently to show them "where they came from."
“…This is just a quick note to let you know how much I appreciate our library staff. Joyce Earhart has once again helped my ENG 112 students by coming to my classes (3 sections) and briefing them on changes to our electronic databases. More importantly, she and other librarians are patiently taking my students down the myriad paths of research, even when they have difficult topics and seem to have “hit the wall.”
Evaluation
Please let me know if you found this communication tool helpful and how it can be enhanced. Write me at johnski@lfcc.edu or prezearLFCC@aol.com. Thank you!
This edition was written and edited by John Ski on Sunday, September 28, 2003.