Dr. Sharon L. Blackman
I am pleased to begin my column today with good news about our bond project. Last night the Farmers Branch City Council unanimously approved the site plan for the new Science and Allied Health Building. The first phase of the project will begin with the demolition of Building G in the next few weeks. We are projecting a public groundbreaking for the new building in January.
I want to thank the members of the Brookhaven Student Government Association, the Brookhaven Courier, students from Marshall Hobbs’ government class and students from Nancy Barlow’s class, and other students and citizens for coming to last night’s council meeting to support the college in this effort.
I also want to thank Brookhaven College staff members who were present. The DCCCD Bond Project Office director, the city engineer and members of the city’s planning department answered the council’s questions regarding water drainage. This issue seemed to be the major concern of council members. The council accepted the HDR hydrologist’s explanation about how the construction of a detention basin will significantly reduce water flow into the creek. The council acknowledged Brookhaven College as being an integral part of the Farmers Branch community and recognized the assets of the college to the city. Council members also commended the college for an excellent and thorough presentation of the building project and said that the Brookhaven presentation had set a new standard for presentations to the council.
We continue to move forward with the other parts of our bond package. Each project will move forward through the process as an independent item. The Automotive Technology Building expansion is completing its design phase. Once the construction design is completed, this project will be the next item to move forward for site plan approval. The automotive project will add 12 new bays, which will allow for program expansion. It also will include some renovation to the existing facility.
The design work of the Workforce and Continuing Education Building is in the early stages of design and site location. A new Web site is on the Internet to help keep you informed about the Brookhaven Bond Program. This page will be updated periodically.
Congratulations to Chong Chu, fine art professor, who received the “2007 Building Bridges Business Award” from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce last week. Professor Chu received the award for bridging the art communities between the U.S. and Korea. His artwork in the to-be-constructed Royal Lane Station of DART in the Asian Trade District clearly demonstrates his artistic ability in communicating to the Western world about Asian art.
Kudos to Brookhaven’s Alpha Phi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Inc. for receiving the Pinnacle Award for being one of the first of 200 chapters to increase its membership by 10 percent this year. The chapter conducted its fall initiation Sunday when more than 65 family and friends came to see 38 of the new 120 students initiated into Phi Theta Kappa. This brings the total chapter membership to more than 230 members.
If you did not attend the FAN JAM sponsored by our Brookhaven Bears Basketball Team, you missed a fun time. The men’s team demonstrated its talent with several basketball shoot outs and a scrimmage among the players. Fans also had a chance to get into the action by participating in free throw contests. We wish the men’s team luck as they begin their season.
Since we are sending good wishes to our student athletes, we extend best wishes to the Women’s Volleyball team. As of today, they are 6-0 in conference play and it looks as though they will make the nationals again this year. If you have not been to a game, I encourage you to support our Lady Bears by attending one of their games.
We are making good progress with our contributions to the SECC campaign. If you have not already done so, please submit your pledge to one of Brookhaven’s SECC committee members. We would not only like to increase our pledge amount but also the number of employees who participate in the campaign. Remember all it takes is a minimum of $2, but we also encourage you to think about payroll deductions. If you have made your pledge, thanks for giving back to our community. If you have not, please take a few minutes today and submit your pledge.
Speaking of community service, remember that Friday, Oct. 19 the Brookhaven Community-Service Project committee will have a fall event, which also provides the opportunity for some campus community building. The committee has identified a letter-writing campaign for the troops as one of its projects. You may bring a potluck dish to share as you drop a few lines to our service men and women. A card-decorating contest also is planned, so if you have been holding back those design skills, now is the time to release your hidden talent! As part of the fall community-service programs, the committee has determined that college employees will work more closely with our Brookhaven Student Government Association’s service project the “Angel Tree.” The committee is completing plans for the spring event, which will involve students and employees working together to support a local community organization.
Plans are moving forward with Conference Day 2008. Based on the suggestions you have made about professional development activities for the day, the conference committee is working to meet your needs. However, the Brookhaven committee needs your help. If you are interested in offering some assistance to the committee chairs, Monica Taliaferro, John Williams and Deanie Martin, please contact them. They are working hard to plan a very eventful day for you.
We send get-well wishes to members of the Brookhaven family – Delryn Fleming, Pat Byars and Marie Maness. May you all have a speedy recovery and return to Brookhaven very soon.
We are at the halfway point of the fall semester; let us continue to build bridges for a better future for our students.
