Vol. XXXVIII, No. 31, August 17, 2009

This Week at Valencia

No meetings are scheduled on the collegewide calendar

A Taste for Learning

Valencia Foundation and UCF Foundation have partnered for this year’s A Taste for Learning on Saturday, October 17. The event will be held at Rosen Shingle Creek from 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person or $200 per couple. Please visit www.valencia.org/taste to purchase tickets and reserve your room. Rooms are now available at a discounted rate.

Through the sponsorship and support of ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, vintners from around the world will be pouring their finest wines. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak and mingle with international winemakers and vintners throughout the evening. Gourmet cuisine will also be provided and there will be a silent auction featuring wines, spirits, travel packages and unique gifts.

Call ext. 3150 if you have any questions and remember that 100% of all sponsorships, tickets and auction receipts will go directly to scholarships. So come enjoy a great night for a great cause – our students!

News from Procurement

Valencia Employees vs. Consultants - If a person is an active Valencia employee, they cannot also be hired as a consultant for the college. If the employee is doing a special job outside their normal duties, they must be paid through the payroll process. Please contact the Payroll Department for complete process requirements.

Process Improvement Opportunities - Help us help you! We would appreciate your input to help us identify processes or procedures that could be improved that may make your jobs easier. E-mail your suggestions for improvement to valenciaprocurement@valenciacc.edu

Temporary Services - The College has a contract with three reliable temporary employee services that are a result of a competitively bid Request for Proposals. Temporary services should only be used when additional help is required for a short time period. It is not to be used to replace a position that is no longer supported. 

Our agreement with the temporary agencies includes services up to a 40 hour work week. We do not pay any overtime using temporary agencies. Supervisors should be aware and clock all time worked by their temporary employee. Please keep in mind, the temporary employee cannot be a Valencia Community College employee.

In alphabetical order they are:

• Ach of America, DBA Aue Staffing
  Contact: Lance Brancato, Account Executive
  Phone: 321-752-1032
  V# V03151696
• Adecco
  Contact: Jayme Reitz, Branch Manager
  Phone: 407-240-3005
  V# V03151370
• Employment Resources
  Contact: Sherman Woodard, Business Development ExecutivePhone: 407-647-8367
  V# V03151364

Contact the HR Department first when requesting temporary help. 

PayPal and the PCard - While it’s understood that some vendors may rely on a third party processor such as PayPal to process their charges, this payment method has resulted in ambiguous vendor names appearing in PaymentNet and/or documentation that does not clearly identify the actual vendor to whom the payment is ultimately made. It is for this reason that a copy of the documentation for payments made through PayPal must be sent to the Procurement Office.

FedEx Office Mailings - Be on the lookout for FedEx Office mailings coming your way through interoffice mail. Take advantage of our discount pricing using a FedEx Office walk in stores or on-line services.

Cabin Creek Food Services - The hours of operation for Cabin Creek Food Services through August 28 are as follows:

• East and West Campus Food Courts – Open with limited menu, Monday thru Thursday, 9a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Friday, 9a.m.-12 noon, Coffee Shops Closed
• Osceola Campus: Food Court – Open with limited menu; August 6-24: Closed; August 25-27: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; August 28: Closed
• CJI: Normal Hours Monday thru Thursday - Open all days that classes are held.

Starting August 31 all shops open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Interoffice Envelopes - The Courier Services Department kindly requests that all departments send back any unused interoffice envelopes to the mail room.  Please put them in your outgoing mail box so the couriers may pick them up during their next mail run. This will help us save precious dollars as we can recycle our used ones back in the system and we won't have to buy new ones.

Procurement encourages departments to submit quotes with their requisitions under $3,500 - A quote for any item/service is recommended for purchase regardless of the total cost. This gives you (the user) a good idea of the item cost, any additional costs and freight charges. By having this information prior to the purchase there should be no surprises when the invoice is sent for payment. 

For purchases between $3,500 and $24,999, three (3) written quotes are required and should be sent in with your requisition. The PCard cannot be used for items in this category requiring quotes.

Procurement will help obtain any quotes that are needed provided we have a good description of what is required.

Wellness News

The new Step-by-Step program begins September 14. You will receive an email with the enrollment form or you can go to www.valenciacc.edu/wellness and download the form. The other Wellness offerings will begin on September 7 and run thru December 14. Check them out online.

August is Prostrate Awareness Month – Prostrate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in men behind lung cancer. The prostrate is a small gland, found only in men, that sits just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Scientists do not know exactly what causes prostate cancer, but there are certain risk factors that increase the likelihood: age, race, nationality, family history and genes, diet and obesity. You may be able to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by changing your eating habits. Scientists have found that lycopene, a substance found in tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon, may help to prevent prostate cancer. Get more details at the Valencia wellness website.

Remember: Good Health Begins with YOU!

Leadership Valencia

Preparing Yourself for Retirement, a four part series, presented by Helen Von Dolteren-Fournier and sponsored by the Valencia Chapter of AAWCC. A continental breakfast will be served at each presentation.

• Session I of IV: Budgeting Your Needs - Budgeting your needs will be based on your current habits, your retirement picture, and any social security income, defined benefit income, etc.We will forecast federal income taxes and average inflation with all of these figures for your personalized retirement plan. September 8, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GBYN-3
• Session II of IV: Different Retirement Savings Choices, Which is Best - What is the best for you? How can you know? Does your tax bracket today influence your decision? Investment choices include 403B, Roth 403B, 457, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, full pension versus partial pension with cash plan. So many choices! September 15, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GDRC-3
• Session III of IV: Picking Your investment - After you determine your risk tolerance and asset allocation, we will utilize Morningstar to determine which mutual funds fit into your allocation perfectly. We will discuss when you should consider cutting loose your mutual funds due to poor performance, etc. Additionally, you will have an opportunity to review the Morningstar report on your current mutual fund holdings. September 3, 9-10:30 a.m., East Campus, Room 5-112. Registration Code: GPYR-1; September 10, 9-10:30 a.m., West Campus, Room 6-202. Registration Code: GPYR-2; or September 22, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GPYR-3
• Session IV of IV: Wrapping Up, Completing an Analysis –Completing this analysis based on your personal income and expense information that we have compiled throughout this workshop. You will know if you need to save a little more to reach your perfect retirement or if you can actually retire earlier than you thought. September 17, 9-10:30 a.m., East Campus, Room 5-112. Registration Code: GWU-1; September 24, 9-10:30 a.m., West Campus, Room 6-202. Registration Code: GWU-2; or September 29, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GWU-3

21st Century Learning Environments – (Presenter: Jim Belcher) Creating environments for learning and exchange, not just delivery - applying research to design. We will have fun experiencing first hand, not just talking about, some of the more innovative and effective recent ideas including:

• Parker Palmer's "community of truth" vs. "the objectivist myth of knowing".
• Juanita Brown and David Isaacs' "World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter" technology.
• Margaret Wheatley's "calling of circles to give birth to new ideas, new courage, and new companions for the journey".
• Harrison Owen's "Open Space Technology".
• The three new R's - relevance, resonance, and response.
  Lessons learned from three years of experimental room design
• in EC Room 8-144.
• And, YOUR best practice ideas, for designing more effective learning environments.

Please send any questions and comments to Jim Belcher, jbelcher@valenciacc.edu. September 24, 12:45-3 p.m., East Campus, Room 8-144. Registration Code: G21CLE

Consensus Building: How to Effectively Reach an Agreement within a Group – (Presenter: Joseph Sarrubbo) Participants will work individually and in groups in order to learn techniques for effective consensus building. Sponsored by the Valencia Chapter of FACC. September 30, 10:30 a.m.-12 Noon, West Campus, Room SSB-110-D. Registration Code: PCS-1

To register for all classes go to http://valenciacc. edu/leadership. Please be sure you have the approval of your direct supervisor prior to registering for a workshop. If a workshop is canceled, only those registered can be sent a cancellation e-mail. To view the status of a particular workshop and to see a full listing of workshops check the Leadership Valencia calendar located online.

Termination Reminder for Supervisors and Managers

Supervisors/Managers of part time hourly and work study student employees, are reminded to notify Human Resources when an employee resigns, transfers to another department, or is dismissed and will no longer be working for the department or Supervisor/Manager. HR will need the last date worked for the specific position number which needs to be ended / terminated.

Please contact Human Resources at ext. 8033 to be directed to an HR Specialist for assistance.

Thank You

I want to thank my Valencia family for the encouragement, support and prayers during my father's illness and his passing into eternal glory with our Lord.
                                               

                                                Paul Matson

SAVE THE DATE

Full-time Faculty and Professional Staff:

Academic Assembly will be held Wednesday, August 26 on East Campus. This important gathering will provide an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of colleagues and gather to launch the vital work of Valencia’s forty-third year of service.

• Please note that a light continental breakfast will be served in the Cafeteria from 8:00 – 8:30 a.m.  The program will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center.
• Please wear your employee nametag.  If you do not have one, there will be nametags available as you enter the cafeteria.

The following is a schedule of the morning’s activities:

Please e-mail your achievements, awards, recognitions and relevant information for the college community to Mary Jane Jones in the Marketing and Media Relations office. Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. on Tuesday to be included in the following Monday’s publication.