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Message from the Dean
March Greetings Everyone!
Spring comes this month and no one is more ready for it than me. February held onto winter like fleas on a dog’s back. We’ve had more cold, wind, rain, ice, and even snow than I have come to expect in Kentucky and I’m starting to get grumpy. I’m ready to see the sun for longer periods than an hour or two at a time. As I write this on our "extra" day this year, I'm getting a cough and feeling a cold coming on. Darn, I thought I’d miss this round of that grungy stuff that many here have suffered through. I know we pride ourselves as a great team folks, but do we have to share everything? Even the germs?
February has been a month of being on the move. I had meetings at each of the regional campuses twice, including a meeting at Ft. Knox where Ron, Beth, Rob, and I made a presentation on DELO to the Garrison Commander, with special emphasis on the unique design elements and methodology we use in our online courses. I think we really impressed them. President Ransdell was also in attendance at this meeting along with others from WKU. Brenda Dickson and I attended the annual meeting of the United Way which was the final function of their giving year and our final activity as chair of the WKU United Way campaign. We are handing this detail off to Jeff Younglove for next year, with all our best wishes.
In February we’ve attended annual meetings for Chambers of Commerce in Bowling Green, Glasgow, Russellville, Scottsville, and the Bowling Green coffee hour this morning. I also spent a Sunday and Monday at Rough River State Park working on a leadership academy project for the CPE (Council on Postsecondary Education).
There’s more travel time in March. Beth Laves and I will attend the North Central Conference of Summer Sessions in Chicago and later in the month several of us will attend the UCEA Annual Conference in New Orleans.
We are still working and worrying over the proposed budget cuts to the university. The regional campuses are part of this cut and as with other units, there are few places to cut. We do hope that last year’s governor–vetoed construction projects get approved so that we can move on with our Conference Center project. In the meantime, we have remodeled the old BGCC classroom area into a very nice conference room which we have named the "Commonwealth Room". Jenna Haugen won the contest to name this room... way to go, Jenna. We will also be taking over some additional offices formerly used by BGCC. We got these in a trade for our 151 conference room that they will take over this month. We are excited about our constant change mode, because it always results in progress for us.
Welcome to Mary Murphy our newest marketing/ graphic artist. More about Mary later in this letter. Again, we are ready to "spring into spring" and I hope you are ready too.
Enjoy the letter.
Don S.
Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox News
Garrison Commander Meeting at Ft. Knox
WKU President Gary Ransdell and Special Assistant to the President, Laura Owens, along with other WKU officials met with Ft. Knox leaders in February to continue discussions about the needs of incoming military and civilian personnel associated with the new missions assigned to the base. A number of WKU faculty discussed programs that may target some of these soldiers and civilians and also prepare the local workforce for the large number of vacant positions anticipated.
Pictured at left is Ft. Knox Garrison Commander, COL Mark Needham, at the head of the table, with Laura Owens, President Ransdell, and WKU Professor LTC, John Baker, to his left and Ft. Knox officials to his right.
At right, Dr. Jeff Butterfield discusses programs for soldiers with Mr. Rob Egan, Chief Education Services Officer with the Army Continuing Education System.
Dr. Ransdell is shown discussing the many civilian jobs that are coming to Ft. Knox with COL Glikin, the first "on the ground" Human Resources Command staff at Ft. Knox. COL Glikin informed us that the advance party for the large unit will be on post by the end of this year.
WKU Professor LTC John Baker discusses WKU’s Leadership Studies program with Army officials.
LTC John Baker, DELO Assistant to the Dean, Beth Laves, and COL Greg Ogden, Deputy Garrison Commander for Transformation of Ft. Knox, discussed the major changes underway on post.
March Student of the Month – Melanie Tabolt
Melanie is currently working on a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Social Work. She is 24 years old and was born and raised in Germany. Her husband of six years is a Sergeant First Class in the US Army stationed at Fort Knox. Melanie works part time in retail and devotes a lot of time to her two dogs.
Major Renovations
The Education Center at Ft. Knox is undergoing major renovations. Building 1174, which houses the WKU Ft. Knox office, is becoming handicap accessible with larger restrooms and (hopefully soon) the installation of an elevator!
Owensboro News
WKU Owensboro has had a snowy, icy February!!
The Owensboro Toppers is our newly formed student–led advisory team with the purpose of planning activities for Owensboro students and receiving feedback on programs. Pictured are (left) Neil Bradley, (clockwise from Neil) Shawn Jackson, Jason Rolfingsmeier, Penny Riley, Brooklyn Belcher, and Andrew Coin.
Thanks to the wonders of IVS, Owensboro students interested in teaching are able to "attend" the Orientation for Teachers held in Bowling Green each semester.
Glasgow News
Writer–in–Residence Workshop
The Glasgow Campus hosted an Unblocking Writers Workshop with Diana McQuady as a part of the Writer-in-Resident Workshop Series presented by WKU Libraries. It focused on dealing with "writer’s block" and setting writers on the journey of finding their own writing voice. The attendees participated in writing exercises as well as a question and answer session. It was a fun and informative presentation, as well as an opportunity to meet a native Kentuckian who has been recognized for various writing awards.
Gamma Beta Phi
The Glasgow Regional Center Chapter of Gamma Beta Phi held its spring 2008 induction on Monday, February 18, 2008.
President Kristen Shive presided over the meeting.
Advisor James McCaslin led the new inductees in the Gamma Beta Phi oath.
New inductees this semester include (l to r) Becky Tracy, Michael Pendleton, Sr., Jessica Harrelson, Nina Knight, Karen Johnson, and Tiffany Arnold.
Dave Ramsey’s Lead Financial Counselor
Russ Carroll, Dave Ramsey’s Lead Financial Counselor, spoke to a group of 65 students, faculty, staff, and community members on Thursday, February 28 about "Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps to Financial Freedom."
Gamma Beta Phi members Mary Stockler and Nina Knight served as greeters and swiped students’ ID cards to register their attendance electronically. This was the first time WKU – Glasgow was able to use this new technology.
Pictured with Russ Carroll (far right) are (l to r) Beta Alpha Psi member Irina Smith, WKU – Glasgow Director Dr. Juanita Bayless, Beta Alpha Psi members Ryan Graham and Shelly Klefot, and Accounting Instructor Sheri Henson.
Spanish Students Volunteer
at Festival
Five of the Spanish 102 students at the Glasgow Campus joined their instructor, Bonita Phelps, at the Kentucky World Language Association Foreign Language Festival held on the main campus. Ms. Phelps said they did a great job and that she is very proud of them.
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Dr. Karl Laves, the Assistant Director of Testing and Counseling Services at WKU, was a guest presenter in SOCL 435 Family Violence class at the Glasgow Campus. Dr. Laves’ presentation related to the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. He addressed the relationship of the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia in a cultural context.
DELO Partnerships
DELO’s mission "to extend the education and information resources of WKU to the citizens of Kentucky and beyond," fits well into the Challenging the Spirit campaign – the university’s 5-year strategic plan that was unveiled in the fall of 2007. DELO is positioned to play a big role in all five strategic goals in the plan. Strategic Goal 4 relates to partnerships and is particularly important for DELO. It states that WKU will improve the Quality of Life in Kentucky and beyond. As part of that, DELO’s goal is to increase the number of partnerships with business and industry to 100 by 2011/12. Several units are working to reach this goal well in advance of the target date. Continuing Education, Center for Training & Development, Cohort Programs, and the Regional Campuses are all working hard to foster new partnerships.
In the 2006/07 year, DELO listed 24 partnerships ... a long way from 100! In only the second year of implementing the strategic plan, DELO has increased the number to more than 60 partners with even more in the planning stages. A few examples of new partnerships are described briefly below. Congratulations to everyone involved on facing this task head–on!
City of Bowling Green Leadership Project
The Center for Training and Development partnered with the City of Bowling Green to deliver a customized training program for supervisors and managers. The program is presented to 20 employees periodically throughout the year and includes such topics as Leadership Fundamentals, Emotional Intelligence, Communicating with Men and Women, Dealing with Change, and Resolving Team Conflict.
Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
& Four River’s Behavioral Health – Masters in Social Work Cohort
WKU partnered with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services to provide a Masters in Social Work Cohort program to its employees in the Upper Cumberland and West Tennessee regions. The Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services asked WKU to undertake the outreach program to help meet the needs of the department’s employees. The Department of Children’s Services (DCS) is responsible for child protective services, foster care, adoption, programs for delinquent youth, probation/aftercare, and treatment and rehabilitation programs for identified youth.
The blended delivery program began with offering one course in Spring 2007 and providing students with admissions assistance and GRE test preparation. A Cohort of 26 students was admitted this fall. Students in the Upper Cumberland Region meet for face–to–face classes at the DCS office in Cookeville, TN and those in the Dresden, TN area travel to Paducah to join with a Cohort of Kentucky students who live in the Purchase area. Four Rivers Behavioral Health has partnered with the university to provide the classroom space. WKU has been charged with servicing the western area of the state with Masters level Social Work education and the program centered in Paducah helps the university fulfill this mission.
SKY SHRM – Inclusion is the Bottom Line Seminar
Continuing Education partnered with SKY SHRM (Southern Kentucky Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management) to bring internationally known speaker, author and facilitator Simon T. Bailey, Catalyst for Brilliance, to the Carroll Knicely Conference Center in November 2007. Bailey’s presentation on diversity was entitled "Inclusion is the Bottom Line" and was well received by the attendees. This successful partnership has since brought about multiple other new partnerships for the Continuing Education & Event Planning unit.
Center for Training & Development News
Grant Writing Workshop Participation
In February, Manon Pardue, Center for Training and Development (CTD) Director, in partnership with the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, completed a professional grant writing workshop in Louisville, KY. The workshop was an intensive and detailed introduction to the process, structure, and skill of professional proposal writing. This course is characterized by its ability to act as a thorough overview, introduction, and refresher at the same time.
Manon gained knowledge in the entire proposal writing process and completed the course with a solid understanding of not only the ideal proposal structure, but a holistic understanding of the essential factors which determine whether or not a program gets funded. Courses covered in this program include: Fundamentals of Program Planning, Professional Grant Writing, and Grant Research.
National Association of Workforce Boards Forum
As part of the CTD strategic plan to develop partnerships, Manon serves on the Barren River Area Development District (BRADD) Workforce Investment Board. As a new board member, she was invited to attend the National Association of Workforce Boards Forum in Washington DC on February 24 through the 26. This conference provided information on new challenges America faces to prepare a workforce for a globally–competitive, knowledge–based economy, where future jobs will require higher–skilled workers and, therefore, higher education and lifelong learning in order to prepare future workers for jobs that don’t even exist today.
CE and CTD Collaborate with the Industrial Training Consortium
DELO’s Continuing Education (CE) and Center for Training & Development (CTD) units are proud to announce the addition of online non-credit courses to the Warren County Industrial Training Consortium. The consortium was started by the Bowling Green/Warren County Chamber of Commerce and is now made up of more than fifteen local industries. Its goal is to meet the diverse training needs of its members. The ITC, WKU, and the Chamber of Commerce are partners in developing the skills needed to meet the training needs of today’s workforce. Manon Pardue, CTD director has worked with the consortium extensively since its inception in 2004. In an effort to offer expanded training resources through WKU, Continuing Education and CTD have teamed up to provide a wide array of online courses to consortium members. The Chamber of Commerce has received a Bluegrass State Skills Grant, which pays approximately half of the cost of the courses for member companies.
In a meeting on February 29, DELO introduced a user–friendly online registration system that allows consortium members to register their employees for selected online courses. The courses being offered will change quarterly and range from Accounting Fundamentals to Customer Service to Fundamentals of Supervision and Management. This partnership is a win–win for consortium members and for DELO as it provides much needed and relevant training courses to the industries involved and results in additional enrollments in CE’s non–credit online courses. The online format of these courses provides the flexibility that is needed in today’s changing workforce, and the collaboration between CE and CTD meets that need at a very reasonable cost to the member companies.
Continuing Education News
Topper Music Camps
The Continuing Education office continues to expand their partnerships with the Music Department. This summer, the Continuing Education office will be assisting Dr. John Cipolla, Assistant Professor of Music, with the development of two music camps. The Topper Clarinet Weekend and Topper Saxophone Weekend, both scheduled in June, are two–night, residential camps meant to improve students’ playing and expose them to WKU. More information on the camps and other Continuing Education programs can be found at www.wku.edu/ce.
More Than 100 Online Courses Available Through Continuing Education
2008 Session
Start Dates:
A new session of every course will begin on:
- March 19
- April 16
- May 21
- June 18
- July 16
- August 20
- September 17
- October 15
- November 12
- December 10
Online learning is a convenient and affordable way to continue your education, whether you’re interested in personal development topics such as childcare and parenting or professional development courses such as accounting or web design. WKU’s Division of Extended Learning & Outreach offers more than 100 non–credit online courses through its Continuing Education unit. Courses are project–oriented and include lessons, quizzes, hands-on assignments, discussion areas, and more. The best part is that you can take these courses from the comfort of your home or office at any time of day or night when it is most convenient for you.
Most courses run for six weeks, with a two–week grace period at the end. All courses include expert instructors, many of whom are nationally known authors. In today’s fast–paced world, it’s difficult to take time away from work and family to attend school. Continuing Education makes online learning affordable, interesting, and convenient – even for those with the busiest schedules. For more details and a complete list of online courses available, visit www.wku.edu/ce.
Carroll Knicely Conference Center News
The Commonwealth Room
A new room is now available for rent at the Knicely Center. The space was formerly occupied by the Community College and was used for classrooms. It has since been remodeled into an open area with new carpet, paint, and a registration area. It also has direct access to restrooms and a coat check closet.
The room was named "The Commonwealth Room" by Jenna Haugen (shown at left), office associate for Cohort programs. Jenna won four free lunches to Fresh Foods for suggesting the name for the new space. The Commonwealth Room can accommodate 250 – 300 people and is ideal for meetings, wedding receptions, and banquets. To reserve space at the Knicely Center, please call 745-1908.
Bridal Fair
The Carroll Knicely Conference Center was the site of the 2008 Party1 SuperStore Wedding Celebration on February 16. This is the sixth year the Knicely Center has hosted the event. More than 130 brides–to–be and their families and friends came to learn more about their choices for wedding venues, photographers, caterers, attire, and more. The 70–plus vendors who presented their wares during the celebration were pleased with the attendance at the event and were thrilled to market their items to a captive audience. The Knicely Center has been target marketing to brides and grooms for the past several months in anticipation of the bridal season.
Spell–a–Bration
On February 26, the "DELO Characters" competed in the third annual Spell–a–Bration in an attempt to defend their 2007 championship performance. The event is an adult spelling bee that raises funds for Community Education’s programs for children and adults. DELO’s brave spellers were Mary Cole, Sharon Woodward, and Beth Laves with support and encouragement provided by Big Red and several DELO employees. The team did a great job and lasted through the 8th round. The "Powers That Bee", a team from the Bowling Green City Schools, took the 2008 crown.
DELO Marketing Welcomes Mary Murphy
The DELO Marketing Department is very excited to welcome Mary Murphy as our new Marketing/Graphic Artist. Mary is originally from Burkesville, KY and earned her B.A. from WKU in Interactive Advertising in December ’06. She just got married last October and her husband, Jarrett, is an assistant coach with the WKU track team. Mary is looking forward to starting a new career with her alma mater.
Mary is currently getting settled in her new office space and her contact information will be available shortly.
DELO eNewsletter
The goal of the DELO eNewsletter is to share highlights of DELO and the individual DELO units with employees and interested individuals.
You are an important part of the success of the DELO newsletter. Submit information or story ideas to Elizabeth Main, (elizabeth.main@wku.edu) by the end of the month. Topics could include new program offerings, new employees, contracts made with outside organizations, professional awards received by you or your employees... anything that your fellow DELO employees might be interested in. Don’t be timid – take this opportunity to brag on your professional accomplishments!
Please send your information or comments to Elizabeth. We want to make the information in this newsletter interesting and useful for you.
Past issues of the DELO eNewsletter can be found at www.wku.edu/delo/NewslettersHTML/newsletterArchive.htm.