Newsletter: January 12, 2007
| Attachments: |
President's Technology Advisory Team (Word file)
GCC Temp Org Structure (PDF file) |
COLLEGE ACTIVITIES, EVENTS AND RECOGNITIONS
Welcome Back!
My first winter holiday in Arizona was enjoyable, and I hope you all had some fun as well with family and friends. I hope also that you are refreshed and ready to start a new semester in a busy new year at Glendale Community College. We are poised to build on last semester's planning and move ahead in several directions that will help us serve students better. With students' needs at the forefront, I believe we will meet with more successes and make our work that much more fulfilling in 2007.
New Employees
Please help me welcome the following new employees approved at the Dec. 12, 2006 MCCCD Governing Board meeting: Karl Krout, Biology; Sommer Pahl, Applied Technology.
Next Steps for Changes to Technology Services
I know many of you are eager to learn the next steps in our overall technology support assessment and action plan. After careful review of the GCC Technology Assessment Taskforce (TAT) recommendations, extensive evaluation of our infrastructure and challenges, and after gathering input from MANY faculty and staff, I received written recommendations from consultant William Pritchard. The recommendations were sent electronically to the college community on Dec. 15, 2006. We are now ready to begin making specific, permanent improvements for a new beginning in technology support at GCC. For background information and more details leading to these changes, please see the consultant's report. http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/admin_services/GCC_IT_Report2006.pdf An immediate change includes the temporary reassignment of Vice President Connie Stafford Sherman to Acting Vice President for Information Technology. Information Technology has been a part of Vice President Sherman's life for 20+ years, starting with systems implementation and consulting throughout California, Nevada and Arizona in the early 1980's. VP Sherman holds both bachelors and masters degrees in computer science, and has served in many technology positions across the nation. For the last three years, Information Technology has been one of many departments that reported to VP Sherman. Now she is eager to accept the challenge of concentrating on Information Technology at Glendale, implementing the TAT report and the changes suggested by William Pritchard. She welcomes your support and input as she makes technology issues her first priority in 2007. Dean Chuck Jeffery will move to Acting Vice President for Administrative Services. Chuck will also continue his work in planning for GCC. These changes are effective from Jan. 15 until June 30, 2007. (see chart attached reflecting temporary changes) A second, related change will be the formation of the GCC President's Technology Advisory Team, (PTAT) which will immediately replace the College Technology Committee (CTC). The work of CTC resulted in an important foundation for this new committee and the future of GCC. Now we will begin the transformation of our IT support services. Attached for your review and response is more detailed information about this new team, which is being formed based on the consultants' recommendations. These actions will help ensure that we are able to begin immediately developing the Strategic Plan for Technology Support. These changes build directly on the work of the TAT and provide long-term solutions for problems in a way that should be lasting and realistic. Future changes, at undetermined dates, will likely be more organizational, structural, and procedural and will result in a gradual improvement in Technology Support Services that we will begin to experience during the later part of the Spring semester. My thanks to the MANY people who contributed to the process that led us to this point. I will be providing additional updates and perspectives in future newsletters.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Event at GCC, Jan. 18
Our on-campus opportunity to commemorate the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday will feature a special presentation Thurs., Jan. 18, noon to 1:30 p.m.: "The Effect of Politics on Civil Rights: In the 1960s and Today," from Phoenix City Council Member Michael Johnson. The event will be held in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). Councilman Johnson will draw on his lengthy career in law enforcement, public service and business to address relevant issues within the context of Dr. King's legacy. I hope many of you can attend, as schedules allow.
GCC Recruitment Open House, April 13
To promote GCC as a great educational choice, highlight our many strengths and enroll new and continuing students, a dynamic College Information Day and Open House will be held Fri., April 13 on campus. The event will be linked to national Community College Week. Details are in the planning stages now, but I wanted all of you to be aware of this important event that will involve many. I am excited about the possibilities and how this new outreach could effectively supplement other efforts to promote GCC and higher education in general.
Velvie Green, Ph.D.
President
