HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Yes, it's officially 2007. As I write this on our second workday of the new year, January 3rd, it's 57 degrees outside, the sun is shining brightly, and there is no wind. Tomorrow it is to be in the lower 60's. Have I mentioned lately that this native Nebraskan is indeed blessed to be living in Bowling Green, Kentucky, if for no other reason than to have the opportunity to miss the incredibly cold and horrible winters of Nebraska? But then there are many other reasons I'm grateful for being here, and of course the major reasons are WKU, DELO, and YOU.
We had a wonderful holiday break. We visited friends and family in Iowa and Nebraska, but the greatest fun was spending time at our daughter Teresa's home in Des Moines, with both daughters, their husbands, and our three grand kids...Jake, Molly, and Adam. Ginny got me a GPS unit in the hope that I will be lost less of the time. It really works great, and is probably only appropriate that the verbal directions it gives comes from a female voice.
The only glitch in the fun resulted from my "dive" down the sidewalk steps outside WAB, causing the ligament on my right thumb to be torn from the bone. Fortunately the Des Moines Orthopedic Group has an excellent staff of hand specialists and an impressive surgery center where I underwent surgery to repair the hand on December 15th. My son-in-law removed the stitches and put a cast on the hand on Christmas day, having your own surgeon in the family does have its perks...thanks Jeff. I have an appointment on January 12th (exactly 4 weeks after surgery) to have the cast cut off and the pin removed (right here in BG) and I've been told I'll be good to go. It's amazing how many things a right-handed person cannot do, or at least cannot do very well, left handed.
My accident caused me to miss this winter's commencement ceremony, where I would have personally witnessed the graduation of our own Pam Wilson who earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration, and at the same time completed a Certificate in Organizational Communication...Congratulations Pam! Laura Ricke has also earned a Certificate in Organizational Communication...Congrats to you too, Laura!
The second Winter Term started on Tuesday with a significant increase in enrollment over last year, looks to be over 1,900 by the time everything settles out for the term. Cheer on Beth and Alicia as they run by you in their race to see that everything is administered successfully again this year. They won't have time to stop and talk, but probably could use a drink of water and a smile as they run past. Good work again by the entire Winter Term team.
January is the month for annual performance evaluations, lots of time consumed in this process, but a chance to be impressed by the great work done by DELO staff. I hope 2007 will be a fabulously successful year for DELO and each of you personally.
Don
The 113th Army Band Dragoons serenaded the Extended Campus at Ft. Knox in December with traditional holiday songs. (A dragoon is defined as a mounted infantryman or a cavalryman.) They were wonderful and brightened up everyone’s Christmas spirits!
For the second consecutive year, The Elizabethtown Regional Center had the highest regional campus enrollment for Winter Term. Several kickoff events announced the classes, and we are seeing increased interest in Winter Term classes. All Winter Term students were recently treated to a pizza party. Pictured are students in Dr. Suna Barry’s Psychology of Sexuality class.
This was the time of year when thoughts turned to friends and family – and finals. Wrapping up another successful semester here at the Glasgow Campus, students scurried to complete projects, study for finals and sell books back. Even with this, we still had the opportunity to engage in some very rewarding extras.
Dee Miller’s WKU Elementary Education Block II students from the Glasgow Regional Center engaged in "Eureka Bonanza", a night of fun and learning through science investigations, at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club in Glasgow. Director Kelly Lile Jenkins met with groups of WKU students and collaborated to plan and execute the event. Children at the club ranged from Kindergarten to High School and were divided into an elementary and a middle school/high school group. WKU students had developed the highly motivating activities as part of their ELED 406 methods for teaching science.
Both the WKU students and participating children had a great experience working together and making discoveries. At the end of the evening the WKU students were called to the gymnasium for a rousing "THANK YOU" from the children and presented with cups, pencils, and bookmarks as mementoes of the evening. Many thanks to Ms. Jenkins and all her staff for the opportunity to hold the "Eureka Bonanza" at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club. We are looking forward to a long partnership for us there.
Members of the Glasgow Dynamic Leadership Institute (DLI) Phases I and II were honored with a graduation dinner and awards ceremony at Bolton’s Landing. Dr. Bayless and James McCaslin joined Scott Taylor in congratulating the group.
Each year, the Glasgow/Barren County Chamber of Commerce sponsors Leaders of the Future, a group of 8th and 9th graders from the Glasgow, Barren County, and Caverna school systems. On December 1st, 24 students in the program toured the Glasgow Regional Center and learned about the postsecondary educational opportunities available in their community.
The Glasgow Psychology Club, sponsored by Dr. Shana Pack, held a bake sale to raise money with which club members planned to purchase gift items for the residents of the Glasgow Health Care and Rehab nursing home from their "angel tree." The club also purchased some gifts for the facility, such as games.
Reed Vesey, Director of Study Abroad/Global Learning, Office of Internationalization, was at the Glasgow Campus to meet with students interested in the Study Abroad Program and to answer questions.
President Gary Ransdell, Dr. Bayless and Big Red were the Grand Marshals of the 2006 Glasgow Christmas Parade in honor of WKU’s Centennial year. The weather was cold, but the welcome was hearty. This was President Ransdell’s first time experiencing the Glasgow Parade which, according to the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, is the largest nighttime Christmas Parade in the state. The WKU Associated Student Body won third place with their float: Elves Workshop - Rudolph - We Are Santa’s Elves.
The Glasgow Campus Float included students from the American Sign Language classes signing "We Are Santa’s Elves" from the float as seen on the clip on the right. (The video clip is a QuickTime movie and plays more readily in Mozilla or FireFox browsers than in Internet Explorer.)Four of our faculty, Jesse Brown, Lisa Boswell, James McCaslin and Trina Rickard, completed the first semester of Dual Credit courses at Glasgow and Barren County High Schools. Twenty high school seniors participated, earning high school credit and beginning their postsecondary transcript. Mr. McCaslin offered, "Teaching that class was the highlight of my week, every week."
This was the first year that the Glasgow Bookstore held an Open House. In combination with the Open House, the bookstore gave an additional discount to faculty and staff who donated a book to Toys For Tots. The items collected at the Glasgow Bookstore were added to those collected in Bowling Green. Glasgow Bookstore Manager, Wanda Quiggins, was pleased with the turnout for the first open house. She hopes this will become an annual event.
Everyone approaching the Glasgow Campus is now greeted with a new sign on the building. When President Ransdell spoke at the WKU-Glasgow Centennial Marker Dedication, he announced that the campus would be receiving this sign. We are pleased to show the results (pictured at left) and to thank President Ransdell.
On December 14, 2006, city and county officials dedicated 29 acres on South Highway 231 across from the present OCTC campus as a future home for the WKU-Owensboro Regional Campus. Judge-Executive Reid Haire (pictured) and the Daviess Fiscal Court have approved spending $555,000 to purchase the land, the county will borrow $6 million for construction of buildings and the remainder would come from state funds planned for the second phase of the advanced technology center at OCTC. Nick Brake, president of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. and Tracy Marksberry, Executive Director of the Learning Community spoke at the ceremony supporting the plan for a four-year public university to complement OCTC, Brescia University and Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro. The Kentucky General Assembly must first approve funding the second phase in its 2007 legislative session. Officials from WKU and OCTC will then meet to work out financial details of the proposal.
WKU-O is proud to announce the addition of Greg Arbuckle to the staff at WKU-O. Greg is here to expand our Architectural and Manufacturing Science Program by working with Owensboro leaders, businesses, OCTC and WKU in Bowling Green. Greg will also be advising AMS transfer students.
WKU-O now has 6 billboards featured throughout Owensboro. Look for them on Highway 60E close to the new bridge, Highway 81 at Keller Road, Parrish Avenue at Audubon Plaza Shopping Center, J R Miller Blvd, Highway 54 close to Old South Barbeque and Southtown Blvd. (pictured below) at Garden Gate Nursery.
During December, the DELO Testing Center proctored exams for 683 students and sent out paper exams and exam passwords for 46 additional test-takers at other locations. The Testing Center, located in Garrett Conference Center, serves the proctored testing needs of students taking online courses and correspondence courses. Testing Specialist Tabatha Spain provides assistance to distant students who need help finding proctored testing locations or help setting up their exams at other sites.
Students taking exams in the DELO Testing Center.
Testing center proctor Sarah Shrum updates the start and end times of test-takers in the DELO Testing Center.
Manon Pardue, Director of the Center for Training and Development (CTD) will serve as chair of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce 2007 Workforce Development Committee. Manon served as vice chair for the committee in 2006.
The mission of the Workforce Development Committee (WDC) is to help employers attract, recruit, retain and advance qualified workers and help low skilled, low wage workers advance in their skills, obtain jobs and find opportunities for employment stability.
"Because of my role as CTD Director, my involvement in this committee is a perfect match since it concentrates on developing the work force," Manon explains. "I am able to communicate information about the services DELO can provide while doing my part to help shape the economic future of Southcentral Kentucky."
The CTD and the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Committee partnered to create the Warren County Industrial Consortium program. The Warren County Industrial Consortium provides training opportunities for employees that will result in a better trained workforce for companies in our area. This initiative helps with economic development opportunities in the region. The consortium brings local industries together to identify common training needs, then reduces the costs associated with this training by applying for grant monies.
"One of the unique things about the Industrial Consortium is that it is industry driven. This is just one example of local leaders helping industries to succeed in the fast-paced high-tech market," Manon explains.
Three employees of DESA have completed the requirements necessary to receive Supervisory Certification via classes taken through the Warren County Industrial Consortium. They are Tammy Monday, Stephanie Phelps and Penny L. Cowles. These three individuals have completed the 7 core courses of Fair Supervisory Practices, Decision Analysis, Time Management, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Informal Report Writing, Team Leadership and Dealing with Difficult People. In addition to these core courses, 4 elective classes were required. Congratulations to these employees! Maintenance Technician and Principals of Quality Management Certification are also offered through the Industrial Consortium.
The 2007 WKU Winter Term is underway with enrollment topping the mark set in the first year. Over 2,100 students are taking classes, an increase over the approximately 1,580 students who took classes during the University’s first ever Winter Term in 2006. There are 161 faculty members leading 218 sections during the 2007 Winter Term.
The WKU Winter Term runs from January 2 – 19. The University will be closed January 15 in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
WKU Winter Term courses are on the Bowling Green campus as well as the regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox and Owensboro and on-line. WKU also has 68 students participating in 14 Study Abroad courses during the Winter Term. Courses are being offered in Chile, India, Great Britain, England, Ireland, Mexico, Costa Rico, and Puerto Rico.
The Winter Term program is partnering with the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to provide special activities for students on the Bowling Green campus.
For information about the 2007 WKU Winter Term, go to www.wku.edu/winter or call (270) 745-5308.
The following are pictures from the free lunch at Fresh Food Company for Winter Term students and faculty, sponsored by Winter Term and the Campus Activities Board on January 4:
Each month in the eNews, we highlight a few of the individuals who help make DELO a successful organization. Many of these same people are also doing great things away from the office and we want to share those stories and achievements as well. With that in mind, this month we are pleased to introduce 
.
will be an occasional feature which will list some of the many outside activities DELO employees are involved in. These could include, but are not limited to...
When you are involved in any activity, whether it is within a campus organization or away from work, you are also representing your department, DELO and WKU. Many times this opens the door for opportunities to fulfill the community outreach mission of DELO.
We need YOU to make work! This is your chance to help let everyone know about some of the great things DELO employees do. It’s not bragging, so don’t be shy!
To kick off , here are a few of the activities DELO employees are involved in.
Please submit your information to Bill Oldham, DELO Marketing Manager, by the end of the month. We will include in the newsletter once we have several items to list.
