Spring is here, and the landscape is bursting with the brilliant colors that nature uses to announce the excitement of another growing season.
DELO too, is bursting with exciting programs. We are looking forward to the completion of the spring semester for our cohorts, dual credit, online and correspondence courses, while at the same time making ready for the start of the Summer Sessions and renewing course plans for summer and fall. We've signed several new MOU's for cohort programs and contracts for workforce training. The new season of CE events and training programs is off to a good start. I want to give special thanks to Diana Jones and the folks who have pitched in to assist in the CE area while Sharon is assisting Winston to a full and complete recovery from his surgery. This is another example of the many instances of teamwork that DELO folks display every day, and I am so pleased and thankful to you all.
The Knicely Center roofing project is about to be finished, not too soon for most of us and our customers. Last week we held a fire drill (complete with real smoke!) just to celebrate the project. Apparently hot tar smoke reached an intake vent and set off the alarms, moving us outside for a while. Some of you were lucky enough to be around when Sue demonstrated one of her new chocolate fountains, purchased to add yet another option to meet our expanding demand for client services.
I've had the opportunity to attend several events at our Regional Campuses this past month. Ah ha, you caught it! At the suggestion of President Ransdell last week, we will now begin referring to our here-to-fore Extended Campuses, as Regional Campuses. Don't panic, the change-over will be subtle and you don't have to toss out those new items with "Extended Campus" printed on them. However, it is a notice that our marketing group will need to begin to watch that we make the change. One item that has already been changed is our new student enrollment reports for the Regional Campuses which now appear on our web page and also on each of the campus web pages. Take a look at these reports, they are very impressive. Thanks to Bob Cobb and Gina Huff at Institutional Research.
Congratulations to our Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Award winners (one per regional campus). These awards have been made possible by Provost Burch this past year, thank you Dr. Burch. (See the note later in this newsletter).
April will be exciting. In addition to our regular events, some of us will attend the UCEA Region 7 meeting in Ft. Worth, TX, and the UCEA Annual Conference in San Diego, CA. It's also just possible that Adam Joseph Beadle will arrive in this world this month as well, his ETA is April 30. If you don't know who A.J. Beadle is, you will soon. (It will be on the test.)
You make DELO bloom with excitement, have a good month.
The 2006 Summer Sessions marketing campaign theme of "Think Summer. Think Western." is in full swing.
Specifics of the marketing campaign include:
• A poster promoting Summer Sessions and listing courses offered has been mailed to current sophomores and juniors, graduate students, and potential visiting students. In addition, the posters have been given to the Regional Campuses and will be distributed at events for students.
• Post cards announcing the opening of Summer registration were sent to freshmen, sophomores and graduate students in late March. Additional post cards will be sent later in the spring.1. Dr. Linda Domerese was awarded the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year at the WKU Owensboro Regional Campus. Dr. Domerese has taught Public Health courses at the Owensboro campus since 1999. She is a superb teacher, effective presenter, and a respected leader in the community. We congratulate her on this well-deserved award!
Dr. Don Swoboda, Dean of the WKU Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (left) and Dr. Marilyn Brookman, Executive Director, WKU-Owensboro, (right) present Linda Domerese her award at the WKU-Owensboro Annual Appreciation Dinner, on March 11, 2006.
2. To help celebrate Western’s Centennial, WKU-Owensboro is hosting a 100 year birthday party for all WKU-Owensboro students, faculty, alumni, and friends on April 25, 2006. Big Red will be here, along with Julie Allen, author of "Big Red Adventures". A centennial pictorial display will be in the OCTC Library. Join us at either 12 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. in the Student Center for birthday cake.
1. Gail Ledford, Academic Advisor, and Julie Coy, ECTC faculty member co-presented a paper at the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs annual conference in Atlanta in March. Their presentation focused on the collaboration of the Community and Technical College and WKU collaboration in providing the ELED teacher education program in Elizabethtown.
2. We have hosted a number of local events this month, including:
• Local Faculty Information Session and Dinner, with Sue Lynn McDaniels presenting a program on WKU’s 100-year history.
• Annual program and luncheon with our Army Continuing Education System partners with whom we coordinate college programs for military personnel at Ft. Knox. There’s lots of action with this group now planning for the new CTAM program and for the influx of personnel coming to Ft. Knox as a result of newly assigned missions there. To the left is a listing of new missions Ft. Knox is receiving as a result of worldwide consolidation of Army units.
• Annual ECTC Leadership Program and Luncheon. We summarize collaboration activities for the past year and discuss future collaboration plans at this event. Pictured are Dean Swoboda and Dr. Ron Stephens talking with ECTC Dean of Student Services, Dr. Dale Buckles. 3. Under the direction of Dr. Sam Evans, Dean of the WKU College of Education and Behavioral Science, we have formed a Curriculum Alignment task force to fine-tune our ECTC and WKU ELED and MGE programs. The group includes eight ECTC faculty, six WKU faculty, and four ELED and MGE teachers from the local public schools. The work for this task force will be completed sometime in June.
Pictured are Curriculum Alignment task force members ECTC Provost Dr. Linda Thomas-Glover, Dr. Ron Stephens, ECTC Professor Julie Coy, and Dr. Sam Evans.
4. Ms. Marcus Pedigo has received the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award for the Elizabethtown / Ft. Knox Center for this academic year. Ms. Pedigo was nominated by students who have had her in class. She is a retired Special Ed teacher, Director of Special Ed Programs for Hart County Schools, and teaches WKU EXED courses for our teacher education majors.
Dr. Ron Stephens, Executive Director, WKU-Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox, presents Ms. Marcus Pedigo her award recognizing her as the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty.
5. The first official joint ECTC / WKU student club has been formed. WKU faculty member Dr. James Prather and ECTC faculty member Tracy Bratcher are serving as faculty advisors for the club. A constitution and by-laws have been developed in accordance with each college and officers have been elected. Approximately 30 students have expressed interest in joining, about half from ECTC and half from WKU.
Pictured are students at the first ECTC/WKU Psychology Club meeting and Dr. James Prather, WKU faculty advisor for the club.
6. Some of our upcoming events are:
RV enthusiasts from all over the United States will gather May 12–15, 2006 at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center located on the Western Kentucky University South Campus. The annual Life on Wheels conference will attract hundreds of novice, intermediate and advanced "RVers".
This 3-day series of 80 educational classes on the RV lifestyle features more than 20 experts, writers, and educators from the industry, each presenting seminars and workshops related to RV recreation and travel, equipment and maintenance, and a variety of lifestyle enhancement courses. All activities will take place inside and outside of the Carroll Knicely Conference Center.
Photos from the 2005 Life on Wheels conference at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center.
