Vol. XXXVIII, No. 40, October 19, 2009

This Week at Valencia

Tuesday, October 20

DOT Deans mtg., 9 a.m., West Campus, 7-107A

Wednesday, October 21

Learning Evidence Team mtg., 2:30 p.m., West Campus, 6-202

Friday, October 23

Valencia Theater presents Lucky Stiff, 7:30 p.m., East Campus, PAC

News from Human Resources

The October issue of HR Notes is posted on the Human Resources web site. The title of this issue (#98) is CIGNA Health Assessment FAQs. Please contact Human Resources if you have any questions.

Holiday Hiring Guidelines - Due to the large number of holidays during the months of November and December, we do not normally have new employees begin work during this period. New employees should begin work on or before November 9, 2009. After that date, recruitment activities may be conducted through the Human Resources department and offers of employment may be extended, however, newly hired employees may not begin work until January 4, 2010.

Last Opportunity To Participate In Focus On The Workplace Program

Time is running out. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to participate in Valencia’s “Focus on the Workplace” this year which enables you to observe, work and learn in an exciting business environment! You have one week left to get your application in. We are currently accepting applications to participate during Spring Term and Summer Term A. 

This is an excellent opportunity to gain information about today’s job market...get a new perspective...learn about the future trends and technological advances in the workforce…and validate “first hand” the critical skills and “soft 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 would be 2 days a week over the course of the Term. Or during Summer Term A, it would be for a 6 week period. For more information and to get an application, go to: www.valenciacc.edu/focus/ or call LeSena Jones at ext. 3344. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 30th.

Leadership Valencia

Here is a quick glance at upcoming Leadership Valencia workshops. For a complete schedule of all workshops and registration details go online to http://www.valenciacc.edu/leadership.

• How to Run Reports in the Data Warehouse
• Building Communities of Convergence: Exploring Peace and Justice at Valencia (World Cafe Dialogue)
• AAWCC Reading Circle: The Beggar King & the Secret of Happiness
• Fall Budget Forum
• Collaboration at the Learning College
• Circles Of Belonging
• Organizing an Effective Office
• Fire Protection
• Making Sense of Your Data with Excel
• Dynamic PowerPoint

Outlook Q & A Webinars:

• Managing Your Mailbox
• Distribution Lists
• Resource
• Outlook Calendar
• Out-of-Office Assistant
• Polling Your Audience With CPS
• Using GoToMeeting for Virtual Meetings
• Using GoToWebinar for Engaging Virtual Sessions

Procurement News

Attention Procurement Cardholders - If a transaction appears in PaymentNet under your account and you have not received the items and/or an invoice, please contact the responsible vendor immediately to rectify the problem.  In good practice, a vendor should not charge your account until the items have been shipped.  If this is a continued problem for you despite attempts to remedy the situation, you may want to consider obtaining your items from another vendor. 

What department to call?

• Accounts Payable Department: questions regarding check request,
• invoices or anything that has to do with a payment
• Budget Department: questions regarding your budget or accounts
• OIT: If you need assistance with your Banner Login contact Dodie Dingley at ext. 1340
• Procurement: Banner requisitions, supplier information, supplier business profile and W-9 forms, call ext. 5532 or email: valenciaprocurement@valenciacc.edu

Help us help ourselves! We need your input to help us become a more efficient department. Let us know what process or procedure could be improved to make your life easier!

Panasonic Multi-functional Devices - Every Panasonic MFD comes with a helpful Operating Instructions Manual inside the front panel of your unit. Instructions on how to enter/modify FAX numbers or E-mail addresses can be found along with diagrams on how to replace paper, toner and staple cartridges.  

Outlook Tip-of-the-Week:  E-mail and Password Security

Chances are you have a door lock and a deadbolt on the doors to your home; some people also have a safe, or a locked filing cabinet, in which to secure valuables or important items.  Locking the doors and windows in your home or place of business is a deterrent to criminals, but only to the extent of how good the locks are, and how diligent you are in assuring your property is safe.

Cyber crime poses a threat of a different nature; your identity, your home, your business, your personal records, credit cards numbers, payroll information, social security number, banking information, etc., can all be compromised without any physical or visual damage that makes the crime readily obvious. Too often we grumble about having to periodically change passwords, having to have complex passwords, or needing more than one password to access many systems.

Now that we have moved to a Microsoft Active Directory network which allows Outlook, and now Unified Messaging, to use one password, it is more important than ever to protect the security of your password. One password now gives you access to your personal e-mail, possibly a departmental e-mail account, network resources (the I and S drives) and voice mail. Simplistic passwords, such as the name of your pet, child, spouse, sports team, etc., are easily compromised. Here are some suggestions on selecting a secure password:

• Use at least seven characters; the more characters, the better (as long as you can remember them). You can use up to 25 characters, so be creative.
• Make your password easy for you to remember but hard for someone else to guess. Picking letters from a phrase that's meaningful to you may be the source for a good password. In this way, your password is really a "pass phrase." ("Do you know the way to San Jose?" could be D!Y!KtwTSJ?)
• Intersperse punctuation marks or symbols such as #, $, %, etc. Do not use a blank space.
• Always use a mixture of upper and lowercase characters.
• Never write down your password; someone else might see it.
• Select a unique password. Do not use a password that you are using for some other purpose, such as your PIN at the bank or your password to another system.
• Never share your password with anyone.

 Note: Obviously, you shouldn't use any of the passwords used as examples in this publication. Treat these examples as guidelines only.

For more information on password security, please go to answers.valenciacc.edu and, in the search box, use Keyword: Password

To view the College’s IT Policies go to valenciacc.edu, click on Faculty and Staff and, under Employee Resources, click on Policy Manual

For more tips and FAQs please click on the OIT Tools icon on your desktop and select “Ask a Question”

Valencia Student to be Featured on CNN Special, “Latino in America”

Valencia Community College student Carlos Robles will be featured in the documentary, “Latino in America,” which will debut Oct. 21 and 22 on CNN and CNN en Español. Robles’ story will air on the 22nd.

The two-night, four-hour documentary, hosted by correspondent Soledad O’Brien, examines the growing diversity of America, exploring Latino-American culture through personal stories. Several U.S. communities, including the Puerto Rican community in Orlando, are featured.

Robles, who was a police officer in Puerto Rico, aims to become a sheriff with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. However, he is worried that his struggles with English may keep him from his dream. To work on his language skills, he is enrolled in Conversational English courses through the Center for Global Languages at Valencia Enterprises, the continuing education division of Valencia Community College. CNN followed his progress for eight weeks, documenting his class work and gaining insight into his life in Orlando.

Students from Puerto Rico make up nearly 10 percent of the Conversational English courses at the Center for Global Languages.

Valencia’s service to the Hispanic community is also noteworthy in the following ways:

• Hispanics account for almost 27 percent of the 50,000 degree-seeking students at Valencia.
• Because enrollment exceeds 25 percent Hispanic, with at least half coming from lower-income families, Valencia is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution.
• Valencia ranks 3rd among the nation’s two-year institutions for the number of associate degrees awarded to Hispanics (up from 5th in 2008).

For more information, visit www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/latino.in.america.

Wellness News

Have you made significant strides at becoming healthier?Valencia wellness program needs you. We would like to start showcasing those employees who are making some positive strides in improving their health. If you are willing to share your story (and even before/after photos) please send to Debi Jakubcin at mail code 3-29 or email djakubcin@valenciacc.edu. You deserve to be recognized.

Guided Relaxation begins on West Campus October 21 from 1 to 1:45 p.m. in 1-212. If you have a hard time relaxing, sleeping or just stay upset all the time, this session will teach you techniques to overcome many obstacles that life can throw at us. This is a six-week session but attendance to all is not required. Come when you can.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. A breast cancer awareness workshop is October 22. Join us on East at 11 a.m. in 8-101 and West at 1 p.m. in HSB-220. Also join us for the “Central Florida Race for the Cure” on Sunday October 25 at the Bright House Stadium at UCF. Visit the komencentralflorida.orgwebsite for more information.

Valencia Theater Presents "Lucky Stiff" for the Opening Production of the Season

The Valencia Character Company will present the musical farce "Lucky Stiff," with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, as the opening production for its 2009-2010 theater season.

The musical opens on Friday, Oct. 23, with additional performances on Oct. 24, 25, 29, 30, 31 and Nov. 1. Curtain time is at 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances and at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays.

All performances take place at the Performing Arts Center on East Campus, Ticket prices are $10 for general admission and $8 for seniors and Valencia students, staff and alumni. For reservations and further information, please call the Box Office at 407-582-2900. Advanced reservations may also be made at www.redchairproject.com.

A musical comedy meets murder-mystery, "Lucky Stiff" revolves around a hapless British shoe salesman who inherits $6 million in diamonds from an uncle he never knew he had. There's just one catch: to collect, he must first take his uncle's corpse on one last great adventure vacation to Monte Carlo.

When it turns out that a group of mafia members and a charity are also after the money, mayhem ensues, with all kinds of zany characters getting caught up in the action. Finally though, disguises fall away, the truth is revealed, and maybe even love is born.

Based on the book, "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo," by Michael Butterworth, "Lucky Stiff" is created by the same collaborative team that wrote "Ragtime," "Once on the Island" and "Seussical."

For more information on Valencia’s theater season, go to www.ValenciaCharacterCo.com.

Kudos

Jeff Goltz, director, Criminal Justice Institute will have an article titled "A case study of the effects of the service population on crime and the officer ratio in Orlando, Florida" published in an upcoming issue of the International Journal of Public Policy (Inderscience Publishers).

A Warm Welcome to New Full-time Employees

Michelle Menke, technical specialist, Financial Aid, West Campus, mc 4-17, ext. 1784

Kevin Moll, IT manager, Network/Server Systems, West Campus, mc 4-12, ext. 1081

Catharine Penfold, director, Student Success, East Campus, mc 3-24, ext. 2089

Ronald Rivera, security officer, East Campus, mc 3-14, ext. 2000

Kim Tash, instructor, Biology, West Campus, mc 4-3, ext. 1683

Valerie Burks, director, Honors Program, West Campus, mc 4-16, ext. 1373

Lorielle Ferlita, Staff Assistant, Criminal Justice Institute, mc 3-9, ext. 8249

Robertson Gayahan, lead custodian, West Campus, mc 4-9, ext. 1237

Carmen Lockward, coordinator, International Program, Valencia Enterprises, mc 8-1, ext. 6601

Marc Moseley, systems administrator, IT, West Campus, mc 4-12, ext. 1396

Reginald Andry, technical support specialist, IT, West Campus, mc 4-12, ext. 1815

Johnny Mullins, web/portal developer, IT, West Campus, mc 4-12, ext. 5530

A Fond Farewell to Retiring Full-time Employee

Barbara Bolinger, Osceola Business Office, retiring October 30