Sharon Blackman
As I write this letter, it looks like fall is finally upon us. As we begin to settle into the changes of the season, I am beginning to get settled into Texas. I have completed my first trimester and must report that it has been a great one. I feel as though I’m really getting to know more members of the Brookhaven College community and it’s a great feeling to be able to recognize people and call them by name. I’m becoming more familiar with the physical layout of the campus each day, although sometimes, I may take the long way to get to where I’m going.
While I’m getting settled at the college, I’m also getting settled in my new house. Now my focus is making my house my home. It feels so good to be back in Texas and it seems as though Texas is glad to have me back. We’ve had some unseasonably warm weather, but you will hear no complaints from me. I’m truly enjoying this balmy fall because this is perfect weather for me.
As I’ve been settling into my new surroundings there has been a lot going on at the college. First, I’d like to say thanks to all of the faculty members who have worked on the various lecture series for our students and staff. I’ve had the pleasure of attending several of these lectures and found them to be well planned, informative and engaging. The high caliber of our faculty is not surprising and tells me that we will continue to offer excellent educational opportunities at Brookhaven College.
At the All-College Meeting Nov. 4, we shared with you the update on the Brookhaven College Bond Program. Since then, the Allied Health and Science Building Team met with David Dailey, program director from DMJM, the program management company. The Brookhaven College project manager, Doug Wallace, is now on board and specifically assigned to Brookhaven College. We still are working toward the scheduled completion of the building project in 54 months, but due to recent disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, we expect higher costs and difficulty in acquiring some materials in a timely manner. We are beginning with the Allied Health and Science Building, then the Library/Classroom addition is scheduled, followed by the Automotive Technology facilities expansion. The selection of the architect for the Allied Health and Science Building is the next step, which will be conducted next month.
The Achieving the Dream Success Team is getting underway. F.A.S.T., Future Achievers Succeeding Today, the pilot program under this initiative, is off to a good start. We had 27 students participate in the summer program where an intensive instruction in developmental course work was provided to have them prepared to begin in college-level courses this fall. All but five students, who continue to need some math development, were successful. The AtD Success Team, along with other college participants, had a kick-off retreat Oct. 14 to begin developing their work for the year.
The Nursing Department has been working hard over the past year and conducted a successful site visit from members of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc. Our nurses also had a successful meeting Oct. 21 with members of the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners in Austin.
Thanks to all of you who are participating in the community service activities representing Brookhaven College and demonstrating the true meaning of “community.” Through the work with Service-Learning, Texas Campus Compact and mentoring school children through Big Brothers/Big Sisters, we continue to serve others beyond the boundaries of our walls. Being a part of the community was demonstrated even further, through our successful participation in the SECC campaign. We had more participants, more 100 percent participating departments, and more pledges this year, exceeding the goals we set for ourselves. The SECC Team members are to be commended for all of their hard work and commitment to this worthwhile cause.
As an extension of service and community, I’ve asked Vice President Claude Caffee to coordinate a food drive to help refill the stores of the North Texas Food Bank. This is an effort where we will work with student organizations and the members of college community to collect perishable and non-perishable items for distribution to food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in North Central Texas and Texoma to help those in need.
As I continue to become acquainted with the members of the college, I want to remind you that we have more sessions of “Sharing with Sharon” scheduled. Periodic notices of these meetings will be sent via e-mail and will be posted to the Brookhaven College Employee Intranet under “President’s Corner.” You are welcome to attend more than one sharing session. If your schedule has not permitted you to come yet, there will be other sessions in the spring.
Also, from my conversations and meetings, it seems that there may be some uncertainty as to where to find information about college initiatives and programs. First, let me say that the Courtyard Chatter is the primary medium for information about the happenings of the college. So, if you are not a regular reader, I encourage you to become one. Second, you will find additional information on our Intranet. Use the link on the college’s Web site to easily access the Brookhaven College Employee Intranet for specific information about the college’s initiatives, committees and programs.
On the college’s home page, www.BrookhavenCollege.edu, look in the top green bar for the words “Employees / News.” The word “Employees” links directly to our Intranet and the word “News” links directly to the Chatter. On our Intranet you will find committees’ agendas, meeting dates, minutes or notes along with many other valuable information resources. Each committee has a communication liaison to provide timely updates for the Intranet. Information about the AtD Success Team, all-college meetings and the Bond Program also are on our Intranet. So, I encourage you to become familiar with our employee Intranet so you can stay informed.
In my last corner update I shared the Brookhaven College goals for the 2005-06 year. I also asked you to ask yourself two questions: “Where do I fit?” and “Does my daily work move the college forward toward accomplishing our goals?” If you have not taken a few minutes to answer these questions, this is a good time for you to do so. It is a good time for departments to address these questions as well. We soon will prepare for budget development and it’s not too early to start planning where you want to go and where you would like to see Brookhaven go in its work to help students succeed.
This has been a rather lengthy update but since it’s a little past the mid-term there’s been a lot happening and I wanted you to know that I’m pleased to see so much involvement of our members in our “community.” Keep up the good work and I’ll talk with you soon.
