In a report given by Magda Gluszek, Northland Pioneer College (NPC) art faculty and chair of the professional development committee, to the Navajo County Community College Governing Board it was noted the NPC faculty involvement outside of the classroom includes everything from participating at national conferences to judging county fair entries and volunteering at local events.
Using an annual budget provided by NPC, the committee encourages faculty to research and develop ideas as well as attend conferences and speak. “We, as a committee, feel that these opportunities are significant because NPC is in a rural location and travel can be expensive,” said Glusek. “I think what we are doing is really important. I enjoy hearing what my colleagues are doing and how they bring that back to the college and to their students.”
Glusek noted several faculty members who had presented at conferences, including Dr. Eleanor Hempsey, faculty in biology, at the Western Regional Human Anatomy and Physiology Society; Dr. Allision Landy, faculty and Early Childhood Studies chair, at the Arizona First Things First Childhood Education Summit; Randy Hoskins, welding faculty, at an American Welding Society recertification seminar; and Dr. David Smith, faculty in Biology, at this year’s Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference in Albuquerque.
In an effort to fight against hunger in the White Mountain area, Gluszek is coordinating the Empty Bowls Project for the fourth year. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or whenever the soup runs out, on Friday, Nov. 16, at NPC’s Show Low campus. For a donation of $10, people can receive a handcrafted bowl filled with soup donated by Persnikkity’s Café and Bakery in Show Low, and a piece of bread donated by Karen’s Country Bake Shop in Lakeside. Past events have raised more than $5,000 for The Love Kitchen in Pinetop.
Chief Business Officer Maderia Ellison advised the board of the planned purchase of three new vehicles from Sanderson Ford, a state approved contractor, for a total cost of $124,558. “Each vehicle falls below the $50,000 threshold for approval by the board,” said Ellison, “But since the purchases are occurring at the same time and will be placed with one vendor, staff wanted to advise the board of the purchases.”
The Maintenance Department will be receiving two trucks: a crew cab truck for $44,972 and a super cab truck for $42,185. The Information Systems Department will be getting a transit van for $37,401. All three vehicles were included in the Fiscal Year 2018-19 capital budget.
September new staff hires include Jameson Rusch, information services support technician; Mary Burkart, faculty in educational technology; Curtis Roberts, junior network and systems administrator; and Todd Wilcox, grant advisor and recruitment specialist.
In other business, the board:
* Received a report on the success of Pedal the Petrified, which garnered more than $30,000 for student scholarships.
* Approved the renewal of agreement between Navajo County Community College and Hopi Junior-Senior High School to provide dual enrollment courses that may be counted toward both high school and college graduation requirements at the Hopi High School during the school day.
* Approved the adoption of Board Policy for free expression to bring the college policy into alignment with Arizona Revised Statutes.
* Approved the 2019-20 strategic planning and budget development calendar.
* Approved the renewal of the existing support contract from Logicalis for a total price of $58,565. This annual contract provides technical support, upgrades and warranty services for TALON grant classroom and network equipment. The contract is budgeted under and funded by the existing TALON project U.S. Department of Education Title Three grant.
* Approved the purchase of CampusLogic financial aid verification software for a five-year period, for a total value of $272,078 for the entire period. Money is available in the Financial Aid budget for the purchase. The software will allow financial aid staff to streamline the verification process by communicating with students via text messaging and will allow them to upload documentation with their mobile phones.
The next meeting will be at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at the Tiponi Community Center on the Holbrook Painted Desert Campus at 2251 E. Navajo Blvd.
