The business of the college goes on during the most exciting time of the academic year when we celebrate student success at Commencement, although we have heavy hearts over the death of a dear colleague.
The loss of Ben Edward Barnes Jr., on Monday is an especially cruel blow to our college community as it comes less than six months after the death of another beloved and long-time employee, Jim Dwyer, who died Nov. 27, 2007. As colleagues in the same division, Ben and Jim often met and worked together as facilities changed to meet new demands of information technology. When Ben asked for holes in walls for new IT connections, Jim was right behind him having them patched up or breaking new ground for WiFi, growing instructional and administrative technological needs and student access. Ben came to Brookhaven in June of 1998 after serving at Mountain View College since 1992, as a program director for information technology in Workforce and Continuing Education and later as director for data processing. His musical talent, his humor and frequent beeping of gadgets in one or another of his pockets during our meetings will be missed. See the related article for more about Ben’s work in the district and photos of the lighter moments in music and around campus that he brought to our college. Our thoughts remain with Ben’s staff, his Building A neighbors who are close to his office and, of course, with his wife Ivory, and sons, Ben E. Barnes III, and Samuel “Sammy.” Ben touched a lot of people and we mourn this loss together. I imagine that Ben would want to leave us with a smile, a hug -- and a song. Here is a song to the tune of “Favorite Things” that reminds me of Ben always asking for technology updates.
Compaqs and servers and hard disks with tape drives, Sperrys and Victors and Wangs with no disk drives. Gray IBMs with the mem’ry that sings, These are a few of our favorite machines.
Blackberries and Rainbows and Dots with no futures Trendspotter’s dead, but it draws pretty pictures. IPods and gadgets you touch on the screens, These are a few of our favorite machines.
Chorus: When the bits byte, when the bugs sting, When our code is bad, We simply remember our favorite machines, And then we know we’ve -- been had Mainframes and micros and minis with Unix, Networks and routers and mice with some new tricks. We get the Journal and read everything, So we’ll know which is our favorite machine.
Bright Macintoshes to purchase on credit, We can’t afford it this year... so forget it. Boss, we all need a big raise as you’ve seen, So we can purchase our favorite machines!
Please look for details about tomorrow’s Commencement in this edition of Chatter. Special thanks go to Vice President Claude Caffee for his years of leadership of the Commencement Committee. Thanks also go out to the following members of the 2008 Commencement Committee: Thomas Anderson, Joy Arndt, Donna Baker, Mary Beesley, Rodger Bennett, Susie Coffman, Yasaman Contractor, Michael Dennehy, Barbara Dotson, Nita Drescher DeAnna Golsan, Octavio Gutierrez, Naomi Horton, Eva Johnson, William Martz, Mike Moore, Elizabeth Okigbo, Vincent Price, Maribel Pullen, Dave Reagan, Tuyetmai Salmeron, Dessi Sanders, Ladan Scott, Monica Taliaferro, Susan Voigt, Oslynn Williams, Tim Williams and Sandy Wyche. Thank you for the immense amount of planning and work it takes to arrange a fitting celebration and tribute to the success of our 627 students who applied for graduation.
In other news, I would like to call your attention to information about the pilot program of the optional feedback process of the new DCCCD Administrators Performance System in which the Brookhaven College executive team has been participating since Sept. 1, 2007. Some members of the district executive team also are participating in the new process and are providing feedback about college-level administrators. Those in the pilot who are implementing the process also are providing feedback to the performance system’s creator, Denys Blell, vice chancellor, of the District Office’s Human and Organizational Development Department. The system calls for selected employees, who are identified by the administrator who is being evaluated and approved by the supervisor, to provide feedback about the administrator. Therefore, all members of an administrator’s workgroup may not be asked to complete a feedback form. This new process allows for supervisors to receive feedback about an administrator under his or her supervision from members across the district. The feedback includes the evaluation of work on district teams and committees as well as location-level performance.
Shortly, I will be interviewing the three finalists who were recommended to me by the search committee for the new vice president for student success and enrollment management. I plan to forward my recommendation for approval by the DCCCD Board of Trustees at their June meeting. My thanks go to Brenda Dalton, chair of the search committee, and each of the committee members: Anna Mays, Bob Smith, Dave Reagan, John Williams, Julie Perez, Marla Owens, Mildred Kelley, Ray Attner, Sylvia Coffey, Vanessa Tapia and William Martz III.
The budget allocation has been sent to us, and as expected, our portion is basically flat. Please expect my “President’s Communique” about this topic with details later this month.
Before everyone leaves for the summer, I would like to take a moment to “call a huddle” of the Brookhaven College family and ask you to embrace the life we enjoy, the time we have together and to appreciate each other. Some of you may be aware of a colleague’s private loss, family problem or personal defeat away from the college that is known only by a few in your office, but you are lending support with care. Thank you for being there for one another and for quietly helping others in need or in pain.
Have a great summer teaching, relaxing and always being dedicated to student success. I wish you a safe Memorial Day observance later this month and urge you to visit the display in the Building S lobby, called “The Human Cost,” made by the students at the Walden Preparatory School in Farmers Branch, memorializing fallen soldiers of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I’ll see you here at my next “Corner” on June 18; so, even if you’re out for the summer, check back for next month’s Courtyard Chatter.
It seems fitting to recall a saying by Abraham Lincoln: “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
