Sept./Oct. 2008

Current Issue

Past Issues

Celebration of Great Teaching

At the request of the Faculty Senate, the Celebration of Great Teaching Retreat is returning to ACC. After a five-year hiatus, the Roundup will be coordinated by the office of Professional Development & Evaluation Programs in Human Resources. The Great Teaching Round Up differs from most retreats in that the program is created by the participants themselves. The format varies but often includes teaching clinics, panels, organized discussions, “hands on” workshops, and presentations by participants. It also features choices among activities. The exchange takes place not only in scheduled sessions but also informally and in conversations. The goals of the seminar include sharing methods and techniques, celebrating good teaching, creative and realistic problem solving, exploration of new ideas, and professional and personal renewal.

The retreat's exact date (early spring 2009) and location have not yet been finalized, and the application process will begin in October. Detailed announcements will be coming soon.

New this Fall--Workshops for Department Chairs

These new workshops customized for Department Chairs can be found in the Workshop and Event Database under the prefix DC.

	DC: Stress Management: A Workshop for Department Chairs 10/3/2008, 9:00am-10:30pm, HBC 301.0 DC: Effective Leadership--A Workshop for Department Chairs 10/3/2008, 11:00am-12:30pm, HBC 301 DC: Resolving Conflict: A Workshop for Department Chairs 10/10/2008, 9:00am-10:30am,HBC 301.0 DC: Early College Start -- A Workshop for Department Chairs .10/10/2008, 11:00am-12:30pm, HBC 301

In addition to our usual offerings, the list below previews workshops being offered this fall. Just click on the name of the workshop to get more information or enroll.

Do YOU Need Calcium? 9/11/2008, 1:00pm-3:00pm, HBC 218 9/12/2008, 10:00am-12:00pm, HBC 218 10/31/2008, 1:00pm-3:00pm, HBC 218

Research Guides (Libguides) Basic Workshop
9/17/2008, 9:00am-11:00am, HBC 212
11/7/2008, 9:00am-11:00am, HBC 212

Career & Education Mergers: Transdisciplinary Learning
9/18/2008, 1:30pm-4:30pm, EVC 8500 Auditorium

Microsoft Office Word 2007: Basics
9/18/2008, 9:00-11:00apm, HBC 301.10
9/26/2008, 1:00pm-3:00pm, HBC 301.10

Course Redesign: What Is It and Why Is It Important?
9/25/2008, 1:00pm-3:00pm, HBC 218
10/24/2008, 10:00am-12:00pm, HBC TBA
12/5/2008, 10:00am-12:00pm, HBC TBA

Photoshop Elements
10/1/2008, 2:00pm-4:00pm, RVS 1121

Spanish Conversation Series
Meets monthly - Next meeting
10/2/2008, 10:00am-11:00am, HBC 222

Dreamweaver CS3 Basics
10/2/2008, 2:00pm-5:00pm, HBC 212
11/7/2008, 1:00pm-4:00pm, HBC TBA
(Dreamweaver CS3 Forms Coming Soon)

Adding Multimedia to Your PowerPoint
10/3/2008, 10:00am-12:00pm, SAC 1214.3 (FRC)
11/14/2008, 10:00am-12:00pm, EVC 2202

Microsoft Office Word 2007 Overview
10/10/2008, 1:00pm-3:00pm, HBC 212

Supervisors EAP Orientation: 5-Step Formula
10/16/2008, 10:00am-11:30am, HBC 411

The Student’s Dilemma: Maximizing Trust in Cooperative Learning Groups
10/17/2008, 9:00am-10:30am, HBC 411

New!

Free Webcasting Solutions
10/17/2008, 2:00pm-4:00pm, HBC 301.10

PowerPoint 1
10/17/2008, 9:00am-11:00am, CYP 2126
10/24/2008, 9:00am-11:00am, RGC 229

PowerPoint 2
10/17/2008, 11:00am-1:00pm, CYP 2126
10/24/2008, 11:00am-1:00pm, RGC 229

Wellness Workshops

Reducing Your Stress
10/8/2008, 12:00pm-1:00pm, SVC 133

Fast and Fantastically Healthy Lunches
10/15/2008, 12:30pm-1:30pm, HBC 301.0
11/19/2008, 12:30pm-1:30pm, PIN 1013

What I Wish I Had Known Before Cancer
6/25/2008, 12:00pm-1:00pm, NRG 3140

September Workshop

"Starlink: Safe and Secure in the Academic Environment --
A Multi-faceted Approach for Faculty Administrators and Staff'

-- Available now through September 22.

October Workshop

"Put More Money in Your Pocket Today" -- Peter Bielagus

--Available from September 29 through October 13, 2008

A licensed financial advisor, Peter is known around the nation as the “Go To Guy for Young People and Their Money”. Peter has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and the New York Post. He writes a personal finance column for Boston.com, and has published a financial guide titled Getting Loaded: A Complete Personal Finance Guide for Students and Young Professionals.

• Ditch credit cards without damage
• How to clean up your credit.
• Find FREE money for life
• Get out of debt

Register for both of these Starlink webcasts through the Professional Development Workshop Database.

ACC Academy

The ACC Academy is the first leadership academy in ACC’s history and is an important component in Dr. Kinslow’s Succession Plan Initiative. The goal of the academy is to develop the leadership skills of ACC full-time staffing table employees who demonstrate future leadership promise and to foster the presence of effective leadership in higher education. Participants will have opportunities to enhance their leadership skills, foster personal and professional growth, and gain hands-on leadership experience.  In addition, participants will engage in dialogue with a mentor that will support their professional development.  Lasting for the entire academic year, the Academy will kick-off with a full-day retreat on Friday, September 19th, at the Round Rock Center for Higher Education.  At the retreat, participants will get to know each other, meet the mentors with whom they will work all year, and learn their own leadership style through True Colors training. 

To learn more about the ACC Academy and see the list of this year’s participants, please go to http://www.austincc.edu/hr/profdev/academy/index.php.

New Faculty Have an IMPACT on ACC

Adjunct Impact

The new and improved adjunct orientation program, Adjunct Impact, is ready for adjuncts at http://www.adjunctimpact.com/u/acc. Departments may begin enrolling adjuncts into this comprehensive program that includes interactive classroom scenarios, syllabus and lesson plan builders, and detailed “need-to-know” information about teaching at ACC. For more information, contact Melissa Richardson at mrichard@austincc.edu or attend an Adjunct Impact Training on September 26.

Mentor Impact

The ACC New Faculty Mentor program continues to run strongly, with new full-time and adjunct faculty getting paired up with experienced mentors. Last year saw a record number of mentor/mentee relationships, and our office received a lot of positive feedback about the learning opportunities forged by this program. We have implemented a new Mentor Orientation program on the adjunct impact site, replacing the old Blackboard program. New mentors, or mentors needing to repeat the orientation, may self-enroll at http://www.adjunctimpact.com/u/acc. Contact Melissa Richardson at mrichard@austincc.edu with your orientation quiz results, and Melissa will place your name on the Current Mentor List.

On another note, Mentor Assignment forms are due in the Professional Development office, HBC Room 604, by September 12.  Please get them in on time so that the mentor stipends are not delayed at the end of the semester. For more information about mentoring, go to http://www.austincc.edu/hr/profdev/mentoring.php.

Sabbatical Leave Requests Due on December 1

Sabbatical leave may be granted to staffing-table employees for personal or professional leave that benefits both ACC and the employee. Sabbatical leave is often used for formal or informal study, acquisition of new skills, keeping abreast of new technologies, research, or community service.

Sabbatical Leave Request Applications for 2009-2010 leave must be turned in to the Professional Development Office, c/o Melissa Richardson, by December 1, 2008. More information about the Sabbatical Leave request application and the Administrative Rule may be found at http://www.austincc.edu/hr/profdev/sabbaticals.php.

Dr. Martha Perez

With 14 years of Policy Planning and Evaluation in the state of Texas, Martha Perez brings the Professional Development and Evaluation Programs team a wealth of history and experience as the new Faculty and Staff Evaluation Coordinator. She worked in Policy Planning and Evaluation for both the Texas Education Agency and theTexas Higher Education Coordinating Board before coming to ACC. She has taught World Geography and Cultural Ecology at The University of Texas, Texas State University and Southwestern University. Martha has ten years as an Evaluation Consultant while she earned her doctorate, which she received from UT in 2001.

It was actually the congas that led her to her dissertation subject. Her involvement in playing the congas sparked an interest in Caribbean music and dance, which led her to study the cultures of the Caribbean. Haiti soon caught her attention because of its geographical isolation and became the central focus of a dissertation around the impact of belief systems on ecology. Meanwhile, around 1990, she met her husband, Eric, who happened to be a percussionist, blending perfectly with her own rhythm and dreams.

If you happen to be on the 6th floor of HBC, stop on by the suite across from the elevator and say hello to Human Resource’s newest staff member, Martha Perez.