Dr. Sharon L. Blackman
Congratulations to our Brookhaven College District award winners and to all of the campus award winners. Kudos go to President Jennifer Wimbish and Claire Guantlett for serving as conference chair, Cedar Valley College, and all the Brookhaven staff who assisted with the District Conference Day! I have heard from many employees who commented about how much they enjoyed the conference. The committee did an excellent job of planning a well-rounded conference, one that included a little something for everyone's taste.
Next year will be Brookhaven's turn to host District Conference Day. A decision has not been finalized about whether the district will continue with a combined faculty, administration and staff development day. This year's evaluation of conference day will be an integral part of the decision about whether to remain as one or return to separate events. I strongly encourage you to complete the District Conference Day evaluation when you receive it in your e-mail.
Continuing the theme of "Building Community," the Brookhaven "Fun Factor" committee is planning a "Building Heroes: One slice at a time" progressive lunch on March 23. This is an opportunity for you to connect with other colleagues from across the college. Mark the date now - more information will be coming from the committee in the near future.
If you have an opportunity, I encourage you to take an hour and attend the presentation called "Geographic Information Systems: From Road Kill to Spatial Data Visualization" at the Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute on March 1 at 1 p.m. The one-hour presentation outlines the creative and integrated approach used by our Brookhaven colleagues to transition learning in spatial data visualization and geospatial technology from middle school students to college students. It was this program that earned the college a place as a finalist for the 2007 Bellwether Awards from the Community College Futures Assembly. This event is part of the "Spotlight on Geospatial Technology Week" program coordinated by the Career Development Center.
This week marks the second year of our college-wide community service project - "Brookhaven Bears Take a Bite Out of Hunger!" Although we will not be able to pack food at the North Texas Food Bank, due to remodeling at the center, this is still a good time for us to work together to provide a much needed resource for our community. You can do your part by contributing food or money. Check out the daily campus event schedule for your building's drop-off point.
Today, the Brookhaven Bears Men's Basketball team will start its bid to participate in the national championship. The Bears came in second place in the Metro Athletic Conference regular season. They will host the post-season tournament at our home site. What better way to support our student athletes and give a special acknowledgement of our outstanding part-time employee, Kevin Hurst, than by coming out to the tournament game today to root our Bears on to the championship.
It's that time of year when we commit our plans for the next year onto paper. The process begins by reviewing those goals and objectives we set for ourselves last year. Did we accomplish our goals? What do we want to accomplish next year as we continue on the road to student success? This is the step to set new goals, or modify our goals, for the new year. Our work is focused on student success and this is what drives all of our daily work. You will see an announcement about our planning process in the next few days. So, put your thinking cap on, as you prepare for the new academic year.
In a couple of weeks, faculty and students will have a well deserved break. As you re-energize for the remainder of the semester, may you have a safe and relaxing spring break.
