Thursday, November 9, 2006

IMPORTANT AQIP Update:
It has come to the attention of the AQIP Steering Committee that some individuals were having trouble submitting the ideas ballot online. In order to accommodate anyone who has experienced difficulty completing and submitting the survey, the AQIP Committee recommends the following:

Send an email to Frankie Hale fhale@cscc.edu in order to receive a paper copy of the survey. Return the completed paper copy survey to Bruce Massis in Columbus Hall (CO114) by Monday, November 13.

If it is more convenient, you may also try logging onto another computer, such as one in a student lab, to access the survey at the following link: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB225TC3WT4QB

Come on over and Cut the Ribbon! A wide-angle lens provides this curvaceous view of the bookstore Discovery Exchange, which will host its official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Nov. 13. Monday, November 13, is the official Ribbon Cutting for the brand-new Discovery Exchange and all employees are cordially invited to attend the ceremony. The event begins at 11 a.m. with guest speakers including Mayor Coleman and members of the Discovery District Development Board speaking at 11:30. We will cut the ribbon; enjoy refreshments, music, tours and some excellent promotional activities coordinated by the hard-working group at the new DX.   If you haven't yet stopped by for a Sneak Peek, take this opportunity to join the rest of the downtown community for a celebration of our new retail complex, Discovery Exchange.

Venditelli nominated for Coach of the Year award
The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) has nominated Coach Tom Venditelli for the National Assistant Baseball Coach of the year 2006. The award will be presented at the ABCA convention in Orlando, Florida January 3-8, 2007.

Coach Venditelli has been a college coach for 35 years, with 19 of them at Columbus State. He is also the athletic recruiting coordinator. His baseball career includes 10 years with the New York Yankees and Kansas City organizations. He has been a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates for the past 35 years.

Cougar Athletic Director M.D. Ferguson says, "Coach V. is certainly well-deserving of this nomination and honor. His knowledge of baseball is vast, and he works hard on behalf of Columbus State student athletes."

Coach Venditelli is also a member of the OHSAA Hall of Fame for basketball officials, receiving that honor in 2003. He and his wife Jo have lived in Westerville for the past 23 years.

Allen presents at Student Development conference

Barbara Allen from the Student Assistance Center was recently invited to present at the National Council for Student Development's (NCSD) annual conference in Tacoma, Washington. Allen's session was entitled, " Columbus State Community College's Student Assistance Center: A Cross-Collaborative Initiative in Student Assistance, Success and Retention." 

NCSD is an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the only organization solely dedicated to serving the needs of student development professionals in the community college. NCSD is the nation's primary voice for sharing knowledge, expertise, professional development and student advocacy for community college student development professionals.

Barbara Allen also participated in NCSD's annual leadership institute. Yearly, 25 participants are selected nationwide to study in an intensive workshop setting focusing on leadership and student development theory in the community college setting.  

"We are so proud of the Barbara's work and for representing Columbus State Community College as a shining example of leadership," said Jackie Stewart, associate registrar. "We appreciate her commitment to our college and our students."

In-Service Day effort raises record amount for Lunch Money campaign The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) thanks everyone at Columbus State who contributed to the Children's Hunger Alliance Annual "Lunch Money for a Day" campaign during In-Service Day, October 25. Through your efforts SAC raised $1,145.14 for the campaign--$300 more than was raised in 2005.

Theater Department to present "The Laramie Project"

Theatre Columbus State will present a very challenging play under the direction of Frank Barnhart and featuring a guest artist, actress Lori Cannon.

"The Laramie Project" is a play by Moisés Kaufman about the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, widely considered to have been a hate crime motivated by homophobia.

The play draws on more than 200 interviews conducted by the Tectonic Theater Project with inhabitants of the town, company members' own journal entries, and published news reports. Eleven actors portray more than 60 characters in what have been described as scripted "moments," rather than traditional acts and scenes.

Admission is free to the play, which will be performed in Nestor Hall Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 17, at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, Nov. 18, at 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.

2006 Combined Charitable Giving Campaign

Featured Agency:
Earth Share of Ohio & the Ohio Wildlife Center

By making your donation to the environmental federation Earth Share of Ohio, you will make a difference that helps to preserve and protect our environment, locally, regionally, nationally and globally.   This federation contains 62 nonprofit beneficiary organizations, one of which is the Ohio Wildlife Center.

Dr. Donald Burton, founder and executive director of OWC, examines a scarlet tanager. Presented to the OWC clinic with a broken shoulder and head trauma, this bird recovered and was successfully released back into the wild.

The Ohio Wildlife Center (OWC) operates in a veterinary hospital and has an excellent reputation for medical treatment of injured, sick, displaced and orphaned wildlife with the goal of returning healthy animals back to the wild for independence. Founded by local veterinarian Donald Burton, OWC is the only hospital of its kind in the region and admits and treats nearly 4,000 native animals each year.

The Ohio Wildlife Center is nationally recognized as an authority on native Ohio wildlife issues. In the last two years, more than 8,500 injured and orphaned wild animals representing 137 species were admitted to the emergency facility.   OWC is also the only wildlife center in Ohio equipped with immediate and continual veterinary expertise and services.

The Ohio Wildlife Center's mission is to foster awareness and appreciation of Ohio's native wildlife through rehabilitation and education programs. Over 200 students, seniors and caring citizens actively participate in animal care, outreach programs, hotline operation and fund raising events.

For information about Ohio Wildlife Center, visit www.ohiowildlifecenter.org. To make your 2006 Combined Charitable Giving Campaign donation to the Ohio Wildlife Center, select code number 2041.