Vol. XXXVIII, No. 37, September 28, 2009

This Week at Valencia

Monday, September 28

SALT mtg., 10 a.m., Osceola Campus, 2-225

Data Team mtg., 2 p.m., West Campus, 6-202

Tuesday, September 29

Student Development Collegewide Team mtg., 8:30 a.m., East Campus, 3-108E

Wednesday, September 30

Student Development Collegewide Staff Assistants mtg., 9 a.m., West Campus, 3-149A

Board Summary

West Campus Report

Jared Graber, provost, West Campus, welcomed the board and said he was happy to report that, as a result of the fine work of faculty, staff and students, the fall term of 2009-10 got off to a great start. Dr. Graber said that the West Campus continues to grow in FTE and headcount, and welcomed 775 UCF students to the new University Center, which formally opened on Aug. 31. He noted that the dedication ceremony for the new building would be held with UCF on Oct. 29. He said that numerous renovation projects have enhanced the learning environment on West Campus, including the new Bldg. 1 geology lab, Bldg. 4 student lounge, Bldg. 7 mathematics lab, Bldg. 3 Student Development area and EMS lab, and the soon-to-be-completed anatomy & physiology lab in the HSB. Lastly, he said that renovations are planned for the second floor of Bldg. 9 to provide studio space to support our evolving 2+2+2 program with UCF and UF in architectural studies.

West Student Government Association Report

Robert Stio, West Campus SGA president, thanked the board for the recent book store discount and asked trustees to consider making Valencia’s campuses smoke free. Sanford Shugart, Valencia president, acknowledged that having designated areas for smoking has not proven to work very well, and that more discussion would be forthcoming.

Fall Enrollment Report

Joyce Romano, vice president, Student Affairs, reported that the College experienced double digit enrollment growth for the fall term. While the College had planned to grow by 6% FTE, we successfully accommodated nearly 11% growth, she said. Headcount collegewide was reported to be 38,951 by the end of add/drop for the fall term. The number of students taking courses on more than one campus has also grown to 9,456. Kaye Walter, executive vice president and chief learning officer, said that the College had reached 92-93% of the available capacity in the class schedule, leaving few seats that were not filled with students. Dr. Romano estimated that approximately 3,000 to 5,000 students were unable to make a schedule. Dr. Walter showed a chart of high enrollment classes where the College has had a difficult time finding adjuncts, limiting the number of sections that could be offered.

As would be expected in the current economy, Dr. Romano said it was another year of tremendous growth in financial aid that was awarded, an increase of 32% over last year’s awards, and a doubling of the total number of students awarded financial aid since 2006. Dr. Romano said the Federal Pell Award increased slightly this year. Of the total number of students enrolled, 40% are receiving financial aid this fall.

Dr. Romano went on to review the characteristics of fall term students. In what is seen as a positive indicator of the College’s efforts to increase student persistence, Dr. Romano said that the proportion of returning students increased to 71.6%. Collegewide headcount is 38,773 (as of 9/10) for fall. Just over 72% of students are traditional age college students (24 and under). The racial and ethnic make-up of the student body is 39.5% Caucasian, 27.9% Hispanic, 15.9% African American, 11.1% other (typically multi-ethnic students who don’t identify themselves in one ethnic category), and 5.3% Asian/Pacific Islander.

Dr. Romano reported that Valencia is seeing growth in the number of students from the work force, with a slight increase in the average age of incoming freshman and a 4% increase in the number of students pursuing A.S., A.A.S. and certificate programs (39% of the total number of degree-seeking students). Those pursuing A.A. degrees still represent the majority of students (61%). She said that 2,185 Valencia students were admitted to UCF this fall as new transfer students.

Dr. Shugart, responding to a question from a trustee, said that Valencia has added the equivalent of West Campus’s FTE enrollment in the last three years while at the same time that funding has been reduced.

Recognition of Outgoing Board Member Ron Blocker

Dr. Shugart took a moment to recognize Ron Blocker, outgoing Valencia board member and superintendent of Orange County Public Schools, for his service to the College. Dr. Shugart said that Mr. Blocker had been a tremendous support both personally and professionally, and opened the door for Valencia to connect with the school district on many levels. He said that Mr. Blocker’s legacy in the community is extraordinary, with 70 new schools having been built during his tenure as superintendent. His efforts to transform the county into an "A"-district resulted in Valencia receiving better prepared students from Orange County Public Schools, Dr. Shugart said. Calling him an anchor in the storm, the president presented what has become atraditional gift to trustees whose terms are ending, a caricature drawing created by staff artist Dean Scott. Mr. Lew Oliver, chair, Valencia Board of Trustees, added that a very large part of the success of this institution is owed to the Orange County School System.

Annual Financial Review for 2008-2009

Keith Houck, vice president, Administrative Services, began by thanking Jackie Lasch, assistant vice president, Financial Services, for doing a “masterful job” of creating the annual financial report. Mr. Houck said that the College’s operating fund balance, derived principally from tuition and state government funds, increased to $12.4 million, of which $3.5 million is reserved by the Board for land acquisition. He said this is the first year where less than 50% of the College’s operating revenue came from the State of Florida. Students are continuing to carry a growing proportion of the cost. Total operating revenue was reported to be $130.2 million for FY 08-09.

Mr. Houck reviewed definitions of the nine funds used to account for college dollars. The consolidated financials showed that,assets totaled $280.4 million, including capital assets. Completed capital projects in 2008-09 included the West Campus Culinary Arts addition, West Allied Health Building,and West Campus chiller project. Construction in progress at year end included WestCampus Building 11(officially titled the University Center) and the East Campus chiller plant. He pointed out thatValencia’s liabilities were fairly small at $21.9 million. Total revenues for the year (all funds combined including federal and PECO funds) were $267.4 million, he said. Personnel continued to be the biggest expenditure representing $105 million of $232 million in total expenditures.

Construction Report

Mr. Houck reported that classes are now in session in the University Center on West Campus, with an additional elevatorbeing installed. The other major on-going project is the East Campus chiller plant.

Compliance and Auditing

Undria Stalling, internal auditor, provided a report on a compliance audit of a nursing grant that was funded by the Department of Labor. She said the almost $2 million grant was a partnership between Valencia and several other institutions. Ms. Stalling said that the audit disclosed less than $17,000 in charges that were deemed unallowable under the grant. It was concluded that Valencia’s controls used to determine the allowability of costs could be strengthened to ensure compliance with federal requirements. Valencia’s process, she said, has since been modified to provide for the additional controls.

Faculty Council Report

Jean Marie Führman, president, Collegewide Faculty Council, discussed the new online professional development program as well as work underway by faculty to infuse reading, study skills and critical thinking skills into college-level courses. Ms. Führman reported that the Faculty Council had sent out two fact sheets to full-time and adjunct faculty at the start of the term, with a listing of area resources and internal resources for use with assisting students. Response, she said, has been positive.

Valencia Foundation Report

Jerry Buchanan, trustee, mentioned A Taste for Learning on Oct. 17 and ABC Wine & Liquors’ Save the Corks campaign.

President’s Report

Dr. Shugart also invited trustees to the annual Taste for Learning fundraiser on Oct. 17 as well as to the ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 29 for the new University Center on West Campus. The president reported that the College was close to a final decision on a land purchase for the Southeast campus. He said they had looked at four property options, narrowed it to two, and expected to have a staff recommendation by the October board meeting. He said some additional properties had been brought to the College’s attention, which staff will be looking at in the next week. In the mean time, Dr. Shugart said the College is conducting conditional negotiations with land owners in preparation for the formal discussion at the October board meeting.

New Business

Southeast Campus Property Options

Dr. Shugart tabled this discussion for October due to information about additional property that the College would like to consider prior to making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees.

Consent Agenda

Approved under the consent agenda were: Budget Amendment Request – 2008-2009 Final Adjustments to Budget; Additions, Deletions or Modifications of Courses and Programs; Valencia Enterprise Courses and Fees; Human Resources Agenda; Submission of Grant Proposals and Property Deletion.

Save the Corks! for A Taste for Learning

Recycle your corks and upcycle our efforts through the Save the Corks! campaign. Now through the end of December, you are welcome to send your recycled corks to Valencia Foundation (DTC-1) or take your corks to Save the Corks! containers at participating ABC Fine Wine and Spirits locations. Through a partnership with Nomacorc and Terracycle, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits will donate $.02 to A Taste for Learning for each cork recycled. And for those attending A Taste for Learning, be sure to bring your corks the night of the event – see you there!

For more information about Save the Corks!, visit www.abcfws.com#corks. To purchase tickets for A Taste for Learning, visit www.valencia.org/taste.

NISOD Award Nominations

Please consider nominating a worthy colleague for the National Institute for Staff & Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence in Learning Leadership Award. The purpose of the NISOD awards program at Valencia is to recognize full-time members of the faculty, staff and administration for outstanding accomplishments in improving student learning. Recipients should have demonstrated meritorious learning leadership, as outlined in the award guidelines.

To request a nomination form and guidelines,please contact Natalie Ferenc, College & Community Relations, ext. 3126. Please note the submission deadlineis Wednesday, November 4, 2009. For more information about NISOD and this year's conference (May 30 – June 2, 2010), visit www.nisod.org.

Applications are Now Being Accepted to Participate in Valencia’s Focus on the Workplace Program

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to participate in Valencia’s “Focus on the Workplace” program this year! We are now accepting applications to participate during Spring Term and Summer Term A. This is a great opportunity to gain information about today’s job market. Get a different perspective, learn about the future trends and technological advances in your field and validate “first hand” the critical skills your students need to be successful in the workplace.

All full-time, tenure or tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply with your Dean’s approval. Eligible faculty are released from two 3-credit hour classes to participate. In the Spring Term, it will be two days a week over the course of the Term. Or during Summer Term A, it will be for a six week period. For more information and to get an application, go to: valenciacc.edu/focus/ or call LeSena Jones at ext. 3344. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 30.

News from Procurement

Using Item Text on Banner Requisitions - When creating a Banner requisition where additional information needs to be added to a description line, use the Item Text under Options so that it will print on the Purchase Order. DO NOT use Document Text or Commodity Text.

Creating Banner Requisitions - When creating a Banner Requisition, the Requestor is the person who will receive the invoice. The Attention to: is the person who will receive the goods or item.

Checking Funds - Prior to any purchase, funding must be available before a requisition is approved by a supervisor or the College credit card is used. Monies must be in the appropriate GL for the item or service that is needed. It is the budget manager’s responsibility to ensure funds are distributed correctly. If a budget transfer is needed, the budget manager can request a budget transfer through the appropriate budget office.

Transaction Notes in PaymentNet - Transaction notes in PaymentNet should list the type of items/services you have purchased. If the vendor does not have Third Level reporting capabilities like Office Depot or Dell where you can drill down to the line items, then a good description of your purchases should be listed. While an invoice number may be a reference to you, it is not clear to the folks who audit.

Do not type “supplies or miscellaneous items” for XYZ function. We need to know what type of supplies and what purpose they are being used. Purchases may be self explanatory to the card holder, but approvers, administrators and auditors need detail.

Hope you will join us for the lunch and learn opportunities this week. Tuesday. Sept. 29 on West for "5 Secrets to Feeling and Looking Good" 1-2 p.m. in 5-215 and Thursday, Oct. 1 on East for "Taking Sleep Seriously"; 1-2 p.m. in 3-113. Also, Zumba will begin on Sept. 30 on East from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in the gym. This is a great workout and a lot of fun.

If you haven’t taken your on-line assessment for your insurance, I encourage you to do it today. If you missed the Biometric testing conducted last week through this week you will have another chance at the Benefits Fair beginning Oct. 5. Please go to the HR website and follow the links for your assessment.

Want to begin your day stress free? Join us for Yoga on Wednesday mornings on East from 7 to 7:45 a.m. in 6-104.

Outlook Tip-of-the-Week: More Unified Messaging

The new Voice Mail system is part of the MS Exchange system accessible through your telephone via ext.1805 or your Outlook e-mail. Voice mail resides only on the MS Exchange server; there are no longer two disparate systems – voice mail and e-mail are integrated.

That being said: If you have a message light on your phone, but do not see a new voice mail in your Outlook, trust Outlook to be the final authority. Just remember; there is only one system - voice mail is in one place, not two.

Extension 1805 and 1806 functions and calling extensions that do not have voice mail:

• Accessing your voice mail from a phone other than yours is slightly different. When you dial ext.1805 (or press the message button on the phone) you will need to press the start (*) button and then follow the voice prompts.
• Express messaging: Transferring a call to someone’s voice mail dial ext. 1806 and follow the voice prompts.
• Setting your own phone to go to voice mail: Press the Forward button on your phone and enter 1806 then follow the screen prompts on your specific phone.
• If you dial an extension that is not set up with voice mail the system will route you back to your phone. This is a clear indicator there is no voice mail for that particular number.

The Unified Messaging guide is available in the FAQ’s at: http://answers.valenciacc.edu/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5572&task=knowledge&questionID=1315 or go to answers.valenciacc.edu - Keyword: Unified

Leadership Valencia

(Due to space limitations please visit the Leadership Valencia website for descriptions of each class)

Preparing Yourself for Retirement: Session IV of IV: Wrapping Up, Completing an Analysis – (Presenter: Helen Von Dolteren Fournier). September 29, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GWU-3

Consensus Building: How to Effectively Reach an Agreement within a Group – (Presenter: Joseph Sarrubbo) September 30, 10:30 a.m.-12 Noon, West Campus, Room SSB-110D. Registration Code: PCS-1

Banner Finance for Beginners – (Presenters: Mary Ellen Davies, Brian Bastin, Nicoleta Brandolini) October 2, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Winter Park Campus, Room 219. Registration Code: TFBC-2

Hurricane Protection – (Presenter: John Egeli, Liberty Mutual) October 6, 2-3 p.m., East Campus, Room 8-232. Registration Code: GHP-1

How to Run Reports in the Data Warehouse – (Presenter: Jim Ferrari) Please Note: This is the same training as the Data Warehouse Training for Cognos users. October 8, 1–2:30 p.m., West Campus, Room 6-326B. Registration Code: LRRDW-3 OR October 14, 1-2:30 p.m., Criminal Justice Institute, Room 228. Registration Code: LRRDW-4

Building Communities of Convergence: Exploring Peace and Justice at Valencia (World Cafe Dialogue) – (Presenters: Jim Belcher and Rachel Waite) October 16, 2-4 p.m., West Campus, Room HSB-211. Registration Code: GEPJ-1

Fall Budget Forum – (Presenters: Sherri Dixon, Keith Houck, Pedro Rivera) Choose from one of the following:

• October 20, 2:15-3:45 p.m., West Campus, Room 6-202. Registration Code: LFBF-1
• October 22, 1-2:30 p.m., East Campus, Room 5-112. Registration Code: LFBF-2
• October 23, 10-11:30 a.m., Winter Park Campus, Room 226. Registration Code: LFBF-3
• October 29, 1:30-3 p.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: LFBF-4

Collaboration at the Learning College – (Presenters: Dr. Shugart and Michael Shugg) - October 28, 2-4:30 p.m., East Campus, Room 5-112. Registration Code: PCALC-3

Email 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. Mary Jane can be reached at ext.1017, mc 4-34 or mjones2@valenciacc.edu