January 17, 2013

Actor/producer Danny Glover holds a fireside chat with members of the college’s M.A.N. Initiative and Pono Learning Community after the annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration January 14.  Glover gave the keynote speech at the celebration and stayed afterward to “chat” with the smaller group of students and employees. Kimberly Brazwell, manager of Diversity Initiatives, (background) coordinated the event. You can see a highlight video of the MLK Day Celebration produced by Mark Van Horn here:

Barnhart, student nominated for theater awards

Frank Barnhart

To commemorate the historic 100-year anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Titanic, Columbus State theater instructor Frank Barnhart set out to create an original stage play about several passengers on board the ship. Titanic: A Retrospective was performed for the first time last February.

Barnhart and a Columbus State student are now being recognized with nominations for the annual Central Ohio Theatre Roundtable Awards. The play has been nominated for the Best Central Ohio Production of 2012. Barnhart was nominated for Best Director. Student Julie Flynn received a Best Design nomination for her costumes. Flynn is a sophomore Arts and Sciences major with a theater emphasis. Cate Blair-Wilhelm, a guest artist who was working at the college, received a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

The Central Ohio Theatre Roundtable Awards will take place at the Jewish Community Center in Columbus on Sunday, January 27, 2012 at 6 p.m.

Thanks for your survey responses!

Columbus State wishes to thank employees for their participation in two important assessments during 2012: the Great Colleges to Work For survey and the survey assessing Internal Communication.

The college has received the overall Topline Summary Report for the Great Colleges survey, which provides the overall response rates in fifteen workplace categories. The college was rated “Very Good to Excellent” in the Pride category with a favorable response rate of 76%. Ratings of “Good” were received in the areas of Professional Development (70%); Compensation, Benefits, Work/Life Balance (68%), Supervisors (68%), Teaching Environment (67%), and Job Satisfaction (66%). Among the areas indicated as “Warrants Attention” are Communication (49%), Shared Governance (50%), and Faculty, Administrator and Staff Relations (51%). 

To learn more from this survey, the college has ordered detailed reports on our survey results. We have also ordered benchmark reports comparing us to similar institutions and highlighting effective practices. These will help us with continuous quality improvement in many areas.

The Internal Communication survey revealed that while we communicate successfully about some initiatives, we can communicate in a more timely and effective manner about others. As we move into 2013, look for more formal opportunities to learn and ask questions, and for improved online information about the work of various committees. 

Employees can view the summary results of the Great Colleges to Work For survey, and detailed results of the Internal Communication survey, on the Intranet at: http://intranet.cscc.edu/commstudy/. (Intranet is not available off campus.)

Babette Money

Babette Money to retire

The Public Safety Department invites all to stop by and wish Babette Money best wishes on her retirement at a reception Wednesday, January 23, from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in Room 017 of Delaware Hall. 

Babette has 30 years of service to the state of Ohio, many of them spent at Columbus State. Please come to Public Safety in Delaware Hall and share some memories, cake and refreshments with Babette and her Columbus State family! Questions can be forwarded to Tim Butcher or Vanessa Cummings.

Local independent filmmaker stops by Columbus State for location shooting

Just before the holiday break ended, filmmaker Paul Levitt brought a small cast and crew onto campus for his latest project. They spent Saturday, January 12, inside the GA building where a patient bed from the nursing program was used for one scene. Later, they used an ambulance in a parking lot for another scene.

Paul Levitt, President, Unapologetic Entertainment, (in the bed) directs from the hospital bed in the Columbus State nursing lab while also portraying a patient in
his company’s new film short.

Levitt is president and CEO of "Unapologetic Entertainment,” a local production company specializing in narrative storytelling. Their new short film is titled “Self-Diagnosed.” Levitt describes it as, “A satirical ‘dramedy.’” He says, “It revolves around contemporary society's eagerness to use online resources to, most often inaccurately, self-diagnose an illness, as opposed to seeking proper, professional medical attention.”

Nursing teaching assistant Norm Jones helped coordinate with the crew while they were on campus. For use of the college nursing lab, Levitt’s company made a small donation to The Columbus State Foundation to be used toward a nursing scholarship.

Production has now wrapped up and the film has a tentative release date of March 1. With an expected length of about 12 minutes, it will be entered in regional contests as a film short.

Adams presents at Education of Young Children conference

Melanie Adams

Melanie Adams, assistant professor in the Early Childhood Development and Education Program, recently presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Atlanta, Georgia. The presentation was done jointly with the Columbus Museum of Art's Jen Gillette and was titled, "Early Childhood at the Art Museum: Creatively Connecting Educators, Preschool Teachers and Preschoolers." 

Collaboration between the ECDE Program and the Museum has been an ongoing three-year endeavor and has grown to involve the sharing of classroom space, field trips by Columbus State students, internships and guest speaking by Museum staff to promote creativity and art appreciation as a curriculum component in classrooms for young children, as well as the sharing of expertise in the field by Columbus State faculty members.

SEaL Blood Drive Program places first with Red Cross

The American Red Cross recently held its annual Life Sharing Challenge Recognition Luncheon, naming Columbus State’s Blood Drive Program No. 1 in the College Division. The Blood Drive Program, coordinated by Student Engagement and Leadership (SEaL), collected 707 productive units of blood last year and helped save the lives of many people. 

SEaL invites college departments to get more involved in the Blood Drive Program on campus by taking part in the first annual Blood Drive Challenge! Numerous blood drives are scheduled for the Spring Semester.  If your department accepts the challenge, your team will name a captain, encourage co-workers and others to donate, and assist with check-in at the Blood Drive. Be as creative as you wish--you are encouraged to get the word out through posters, emails, and more. The department or team who collects the most units of blood at “their” drive will win a prize, be highlighted on the SEaL website and be winners for Giving the Gift of Life!

Lives are changed because of blood donors. The stories of those affected can inspire and motivate everyone to give. Please watch this video to see how the Columbus State community can help save lives: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHsfi2fExuo.

To sponsor a Blood Drive, contact Heather Borland hborland@cscc.edu for a Challenge Entry Form. Dates will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Blood Drive Dates are January 17, February 5 and 18, March 6, April 11 and 22, May 28, June 26, August 20 and 28. All Blood Drives are held in Nestor Hall West Lounge.