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April 30, 2010

RCCC Will Close Child Care Center RCCC will close its North Campus child care center at the end of June. College officials say the center, which opened in the late 1970s, has fulfilled its original mission and now finds itself competing with other high-quality facilities in Rowan County.

RCCC’s Early Childhood Center will close June 30. Parents and staff members have been informed. The closing potentially will displace one full-time staff member and seven part-time employees. RCCC will continue to offer its multiple Early Childhood programs – certificate, diploma and associate degree programs. The Early Childhood Center has seen its enrollment decline over the last several years, causing it to operate consistently at a loss. With a capacity of 49 children ages 2-5, the center currently cares for 29 children. RCCC points to the dwindling number of children as evidence the center has done its job.

“When college opened the center, it did so with two primary objectives,” explained Terry Chapman, RCCC dean of health and public service technologies. “First was to meet a real need in Rowan County for high-quality child care offering an environment that

stressed early learning and development. Second was to provide an opportunity for college students in RCCC’s early childhood programs to gain experience in caring for children and operating a model facility. “Rowan County now has a number of excellent child care centers, and many of these have

vacancies. A number of our program graduates work at and/or operate these centers. These facilities

also offer good internship and cooperative education opportunities for our students. And we have tried for a number of years to boost the center’s enrollment. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for RCCC to compete with the other child care centers and to lose money at the same time. In light of our current economic conditions, the college needs to use its resources as best as possible,” Chapman said. RCCC set June 30 as the closing date to give parents ample time to find another child care facility that meets

their needs. June also is a time when enrollment at the center typically drops for the summer vacation months. RCCC plans to renovate the space currently used by the Early Childhood Center into classroom space. RCCC has seen its student enrollment grow by approximately 40 percent since 2008 and now needs more classrooms. “RCCC thanks all of the parents who have entrusted the care of their children over the years to the Early Childhood Center. It has been our joy and pleasure to watch the children grow and develop,” Chapman said. “We also thank the many staff members who have given the children excellent care and instruction. The decision to close the center was made with great deliberation and discussion among RCCC’s senior leaders. But we do so knowing the center fulfilled its mission well for more than 30 years.”

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RBI Offers Professional Development Opportunity

The Re-employment Bridge Institute (RBI), a program developed by RCCC, continues to offer other colleges and employment agencies across North Carolina the opportunity to learn from RCCC’s long-term experience serving displaced workers. The RBI also offers RCCC faculty and staff members a great way to earn eight hours of professional development credit. The RBI is a teaching/learning initiative created by RCCC through a grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Through an ongoing series of workshops and a new on-line program, the RBI is sharing best practices in responding to the multiple needs and challenges of displaced workers – the unemployed and under-employed. The RBI is sharing share ideas and helping institutions and agencies across North Carolina become catalysts for local economic recovery. The RBI’s workshop series began Jan. 22-23 and will continue through September. Thus far, more than 100 participants from 31 institutions and agencies representing more than 30 North Carolina counties have attended workshops. Approximately 200 participants are registered to attend upcoming workshops. “RBI workshops are tuition-free and open to anyone interested in workforce development best practices,” explained Jeanie Moore, RCCC vice president

of continuing and corporate education. “The RBI focuses on establishing productive community partnerships, so leaders and staff members from community colleges, Employment Security Commissions and JobLink Centers, workforce development boards, and public schools are encouraged to participate. Organizations are invited to enroll groups of participants, and multiple representatives from the same institution, county or city are welcome.” The idea to create the RBI grew out of RCCC’s substantial, multi-year experience working with displaced workers. For its work and the community partnerships it developed to help former Pillowtex employees, RCCC received a 2005 national award from the U.S. Department of Labor for the best program aimed at “special populations.” In 2007, RCCC opened the R3 Career Center in Kannapolis specifically to assist displaced workers and help them develop a plan for future career growth. “RCCC and its community partners have become a national model and broken new ground in identifying displaced workers as a specific client group with unique needs and challenges,” Moore said. “The RBI is RCCC’s mechanism for sharing our experience and learning the best practices of others with communities throughout North Carolina.” The RBI workshops are held at the

R3 Center and run Thursday afternoon to midday Friday. The upcoming workshop schedule includes the following dates, plus a free continental breakfast and lunch:• May 6-7;• June 3-4 and 17-18;• July 15-16 and 29-30;• Aug. 26-27; and• Sept. 9-10 and 23-24. On-line RBI workshops can be completed in one-week intervals. The on-line dates start May 10-16 and continue through Aug. 23-29. “These workshops come at a crucial time, as displaced workers have become a day-to-day reality for every community in North Carolina,” said Nick Gennett, RBI project director. “We think this is a great opportunity to learn about the displaced worker phenomenon and RCCC’s innovative response. We encourage RCCC faculty and staff members to register soon for one of the Kannapolis workshops. Our remaining seats are filling quickly.” For more information about the RBI, contact Gennett at 704-754-6376 or gennettn@rowancabarrus.edu. To register for an RBI workshop, contact Barbara Meidl at x7212 or RBI@rowan-cabarrus.edu, and visit the RBI webpage at www.rowancabarrus.edu/rbi/.

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Administrative Professionals Day is Big Success

On Wednesday, April 21, more than 50 staff administrative professionals from RCCC participated in professional development sessions hosted at South Campus. Sessions began at 8:30 a.m., with Joan Creeger, RCCC’s director of records and registration, conducting a FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) session and DeAnn Basden, director of corporate and professional development, conducting her first of three whole brain theory sessions. In the afternoon, Roger McDaniel, director of emergency services and fire rescue services, conducted an emergency preparedness session. The day concluded with an ice cream social sponsored by RCCC’s cabinet members.

Feedback from the participants was positive. In fact, 97.8 percent of survey respondents said the workshops they attended would be helpful to their work at RCCC. All in all, the participants said they appreciated the attention paid to the event. Many individuals were given the entire day to devote to their individual

professional development. Administrative Professionals Day is celebrated around the world. Last year, RCCC President Carol Spalding focused on providing staff training and development on this day and has encouraged all areas to provide time for their staff to be allowed to participate.

A whole brain theory session offered during Administrative Professionals Day at South Campus.

Sign Up for Johnson & Johnson Training TodaySpaces are open in Cohort 5

Do you want to retire tomorrow with a $1 billion in the bank? Then don’t become part of Johnson & Johnson Cohort 5. However, if you desire to. . .

• Help our students become more successful learners, or

• Help our students become more responsible learners, or

• Approach your content area from a different perspective or to approach how you provide services to

students from a new perspective, or• Meet colleagues across RCCC and

other campuses, or• Make more of a difference in the

lives of the students, and • Move RCCC further along the path

toward becoming a learning- centered institution, then join Cohort 5.

WHAT: To find out more about co-operative learning, visit the Johnson & Johnson website: http://www.co-operation.org/. You can also contact Lynn Eisenberg at x3881; Michele Chance at x3905, Larry Davis at x3907; or Jackie Allen at x3759; or speak to members of previous cohorts.

WHEN: The training consists of four seven-hour days (lunch will be provided for all meetings). Please note: the only make-ups allowed will be completed by coming to the other day that the same session is being held. Any missing sessions will require that the whole sequence start again in a different year.

There are the two options to consider:

Option 1: Thursday, Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Option 2:Saturday, Aug. 14, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.Saturday, Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Saturday, Oct. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Saturday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WHO: Any full-time faculty or staff, any member of Cohort 1, or any part-time faculty may join. To request register now, follow the link below and submit your request.

NOTE: The deadline is May 7.http://www.rowancabarrus.edu/cgi-bin/rws3.pl?FORM=QEP_Cohort5

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SACS Section With RCCC approaching its five-year review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the eNews will devote space regularly for information and news related to our SACS efforts. This debut “SACS Section” article looks at what SACS considers substantive changes and why colleges must pay attention to these requirements and procedures.

SACS Substantive ChangeWhat is it and why should we care? Substantive change is any signifi-cant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. Federal regulations, dealing with financial aid, stipulate that at a minimum, substantive change includes:

• Any change in the established mission or objectives of the institution;• Any change in legal status, form of

control, or ownership of the institution;• The addition of courses or programs

that represent a significant departure, either in content or

method of delivery, from those that

were offered when the institution was last evaluated;

• A change from clock hours to credit hours;

• A substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program;

• The establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus, at which the institution offers at least 50 percent of an educational program;

• The addition of courses or programs at a degree or credential level above that which is included in the institution’s current accreditation or reaffirmation; and

• A “significant departure” from existing programs, such as substantially new additional faculty

or courses, additional library or significant other learning resources, new types of equipment or facilities or a different resource base.

Why does SACS care? They want to understand how the institution is evolving and growing. They do this by:

• Reviewing proposed changes in

terms of the institutional mission;• Considering the impact of change

on existing programs;• Determining whether the institution

has sufficient resources to implement the change; and• Evaluating the soundness of the

proposed change.

Why should we care? It’s important because:

• Maintaining communication with SACS about our programs helps create and sustain our partnership in fostering academic quality;

• Reporting substantive changes in a timely fashion ensures compliance with federal regulations; and

• It’s important to us and our students since federal dollars for student financial aid are tied to approval of substantive changes.

Are you interested in learning more? Contact Michael Feldstein, RCCC director of planning, research and institutional effectiveness, at michael.feldstein@rccc.edu, or x3910, or visit: www.sacscoc.org/SubstantiveChange.asp.

RCCC Foundation

Offers ‘Student Impact Grants’ All RCCC employees can apply for a Student Impact Grant through the RCCC Foundation. These grants will be awarded yearly based on innovative concepts, the ability to directly impact students, and the connection between the College and Foundation missions. The mini-grants will be $500 - $1,000 for an academic year. The application deadline is June 1 for a 2010-11 academic year grant. For guidelines and application see: http://info.rowancabarrus.edu/rccc-foundation/employee-information/student-impact-grants.aspx.

‘Impulse 2010’ Art Show is

Sunday The RCCC community and the public are invited to see the diverse artistic works of RCCC students at the “Impulse 2010” art show and reception on May 2. The public viewing and reception will run from 2 to 4 p.m., in Building 100 (throughout the building) and Room 251, at RCCC’s North Campus. An eclectic collection of artistic works will be on display, including oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, drawings and renderings, mixed media, photography and digital photography, and sculpture. Many of the artists will be present to discuss and answer questions

about their work. More than 40 RCCC student artists will display their work. Some of the pieces will be available for purchase. For more information about RCCC’s “Impulse 2010” art show and reception, contact art instructors Jonathan Church at x3819 or Jenn Selby at x3820.RCCC offers a wide range of arts courses, including drawing, painting, watercolor, photography, digital photography, design, art appreciation, and a survey of American art. In addition, the college now offers an associate-degree program in fine arts (AFA).

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• Surf Simulator• Make Your Own Street Sign• Free Gary’s Bar-B-Que• Vote for SGA Officers• Sand Art

Sponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored by Student GovernmentSponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored bySponsored by Student GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent GovernmentStudent Government

...a 2010 Spring Fling Experience Spring Fling Experience Spring Fling Experience

Boardwalk at the Beach

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Check Out “Woof Stock” at Spring Fling—bring donations to the Humane Society table. Needs: cat and dog food.

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