Employee Newsletter

Spring 2015

Letter from the President

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Retention Report 2Retention “belongs” to everyone...(more>>)

Department Highlight: 2Midstate College recog-nizes learning (more>>)

HR Corner 3Planning for retirement...have you perused through (more>>)

Upcoming Events 3

Academic Update: 4Several departments had recent deadlines for annual (more>>)

Featured Employee:Robert Rachowicz 4“Do, or do not. There is no (more>>)

Practicing What WePreach 5A congratulations is in order to a valued member (more>>)

Direct Deposit 5Over the last few years, Midstate has (more>>)

Warm Welcome 6Just as our enrollment numbers grew (more>>)

In this issue...Dear Faculty and Staff,

I have always loved the concept of oppor-tunity thinking. Many would consider this is a way of seeking opportunities leading to growth and improved results for ourselves and our company. To be open to new ideas and believe there is a better way of doing things, to recognize those ways when we find them, and to act on them demon-strates we are opportunity thinkers. Oppor-tunity thinking is often the best way to take a negative situation and figure out how to turn it into a positive one.

Let us take the example of recent declining enrollments at Midstate. Our ever-chang-ing environment requires us to constantly respond and shift our assets to meet the moving targets that are always present in the field of higher education. To over-come these challenges, we are focused on improved partnerships with businesses and other educational institutions. Articulation of credits offered at other institutions into Midstate College programs has taken on even more importance. Students are shop-ping their credits to find the best college for them to transfer into. Credit transfer means time and money to them. Our Prior Learn-ing Assessment program is a great avenue for students to gain credit in addition to forward-thinking articulation agreements which maximize students’ opportunities to complete their programs successfully in the most efficient time frames.

Other opportunities we are working on in-clude developing new programs geared to fulfill the changing needs of the workforce and our community. The time-tested edu-cation Midstate College provides continues to be a special learning experience for stu-dents attending the college. We have the opportunity continue to use this strength to build upon. What makes Midstate College different is our focus on successfully plac-ing students in careers for which we have prepared them with special support and attention which aides in their development as professionals.

Last, but not least, we are making sure we are all doing our best to support the needs of our students and reaching out to them in every possible to make sure they have proper advisement and strong engagement with the Midstate College community. We all have a responsibility to help improve the retention of our students. We all have the opportunity to improve the relationships we build with students and ensure that we pro-vide strong links between the students, staff and faculty of Midstate College.

Let us consider our blessings, promote our engagement in opportunity thinking, and guide ourselves and Midstate College suc-cessfully into the foreseeable future.

Yours Truly,Meredith N. Bunch

President and Chief Executive Officer

Spring 2015Employee Newsletter

Retention “belongs” to Everyone

Data at the end of Fall 2014 term:• 40 students on suspension [23 stu-dents wrote appeals and are on SAP plans]• 8 students successful from the sum-mer term and continue on SAP from previous terms to reach 2.0 GPA and/or 67 percent completion rate• 9 students off SAP completely• 13 students on academic warning• 8 students off warning

Collected Data for the Winter 2014 term as of 02-06-2015:• 123 referrals to Sudent Success

(unduplicated) from 14 different instructors for 25 different classes

• 138 students contacted through Student Success not as a result of referrals 28 tutoring opportunities in 9 different classes 11 adminis-trative drops

So, are we making headway, yes. Can we do better, yes!

Student success, student persistence, and graduation rates are frequent topics of intense debate at educa-tion conferences and institutional meetings. Therefore, the research has largely focused on the role of student persistence and graduation. Most recently, however, the role of the institution is taking center stage. The College Board Study on Student Retention identifies a consistent short-coming as, “the institutions’ failure to document the extent to which they match their rhetorical dedication to student success and graduation with an accompanying commitment in campus resources, policies, and practices designed to increase stu-dent persistence.”

So what are some of the tactics that Midstate College employs…

• Orientation…research shows that orientation programs maintain and increase student persistence. The “connection” of commitment to ex-pectation lays important groundwork. • Early alert of at risk students. Your referrals to Student Success for tutor-ing; techniques to improve study skills, note taking abilities, etc., provide sup-port in the academic environment.

Retention Report

Vicki DrakslerDean of Students

See “Retention Report” on page 6>>

Midstate College recognizes learning acquired from experiences outside of a formal classroom setting by offering students the opportunity to earn aca-demic credit through portfolio assess-ment, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), American Council on Education’s (ACE) evaluations of work and military training, and credit by de-partmental proficiency examination. This updated program was created as the result of an AQIP Action Project in 2012.

The PLA program at Midstate College formulated a brochure explaining the program, a portfolio development handbook and the creation of an on-line PLA Portfolio Workshop. Through the required workshop students discov-er how learning from life experiences, both professional and in service to the community, may be accepted as an equivalent to college level learning. Working on a portfolio can aid a stu-dent’s confidence. It brings a lot of previously unrecognized skills and tal-ents students have to the forefront. The first student submitted a portfolio using the new process in December, 2012. While there have been a number of counseling sessions with interested students, only six students have tack-led the portfolio process. Five of them have successfully submitted portfolios and received credit for various cours-es. There have also been a number of students who have received credit by taking proficiency exams, and one stu-dent has received credit through ACE evaluation of work training. The PLA Program is still in its infancy, but there is

Department Highlight:Prior Learning Assessment

Wayne HollyDirector General Studies

See “Department Highlight” on page 6>>

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Spring 2015Employee Newsletter

Spring 2015

Planning for retirement…have you perused through MassMutual’s site, www.massmutual.com, and estab-lished your online access to follow your 401k contributions? If not, take a tour of their recently enhanced site, and check out the “Plan for Retirement” section for assistance on reaching a variety of retirement goals. In a recent study sponsored by MassMutual, America’s retirees overwhelmingly report that they are enjoying themselves and discover-ing that pre-retirement fears of bore-dom, financial insecurity, and lacking purpose were largely unfounded. For further assistance in planning your retirement, our financial consultant, Nathan White from John Graham & Associates, will visit campus this June (date forthcoming) to meet with participating employees individually.

Insurance renewal is around the cor-ner! We will soon begin preparing for open enrollment in June. Although our group size limits plans for us to consider, Midstate College will again aim to offer full-time employees

good insurance coverage options. Medical, dental and vision will again renew this year on July 1. Parking…if you choose to park in front of the buildings, please park away from the buildings to reserve closer parking spaces for our students and other campus visitors. Thank you!

Thank you, Bob! While the Spring term marks the beginning for new stu-dents at Midstate College, it will also mark Bob Rachowicz’s last term as Program Director for our Accounting Department. As we prepare to wish him well in his retirement beginning May 20, we thank him for his dedica-tion over these past 14 years! Rach, you have earned this opportunity to enjoy more time with your family and grandchildren! Congratulations and thank you for your service!

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” So, THANK YOU for all that you give to Midstate College, and make it a great Spring term!

HR CornerEllen JansenHuman Resources Manager

Upcoming EventsMarch Meetings/Events 14th: Alpha Iota Sorority Meeting @12:30PM12th: WHIP Trail Clean-up @5PM17th: Business/Accounting Meet & Greet @5PM23rd: Midtate Jurists Meeting @5PM 24th: Allied Health/Health Information Meet & Greet @5PM30th: LSJ Meeting @5PM

April Meetings/Events9th: WHIP Trail Clean-up @5PM13th: CIPA Meeting @5:30PM14th: Alpha Iota Sorority Meeting @6PM22nd: Go Green Day 23rd: Tech Day @5:30PM

May Meetings/Events5th – 7th: NCRA Approval Visit12th: Alpha Iota Sorority Meeting @6PM14th: WHIP Trail Clean-up @5PM

For even more dates, check out Midstate’s Online Calendar!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Walk to Cure ArthritisSaturday, June 68:00 AM to 11:30 AMMidstate Back lot & Rock Island Trail

Midstate Commencement Ceremony Saturday, June 2010 AMEmbassy Suites & Conference Center, East Peoria & Online!

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Employee NewsletterSpring 2015

Featured Employee:

Academic Update:Accreditation

Several departments had recent deadlines for annual program ac-creditation reporting or longer re-ports such as self-studies. The Allied Health (AH) department completed and submitted the 2014 Annual Re-port labeled, “MAERB” or “ARF”, to the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The AH department met all target thresholds for the 2013 pe-riod including retention, graduation,

job placement, and exam pass rates. On February 12, 2015 the Legal Stud-ies Department submitted the Col-lege’s three-year Paralegal Studies Interim Report to the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals to maintain accreditation for the Paralegal Studies, Associate of Applied Science degree. Additional-ly, the Health Information Technolo-gy (HIT) department put forward their Annual Program Assessment Report (APAR) for the 2012-2013 academic year. The HIT department reported on enrollment, attrition, graduation rates, graduate satisfaction, graduate employment, and Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam pass rates. The HIT department met all target thresholds except for one.

The Realtime Reporting program will

be going through the certification pro-cess with the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) in 2015, and at-tempting a new online program cer-tification. Online program certification is also an objective set forth in the Training for Realtime Writers Grant Pro-gram, which is in its last year. The cer-tification process assesses whether the Realtime Reporting program meets the NCRA Council on Approved Stu-dent Education (CASE) General Re-quirements and Minimum Standards. The NCRA on-site visit is May 6 and 7, 2015. The Self-Study is due 30 days pri-or to the site visit. If granted, the Re-altime Reporting program (Judicial, Captioning, and CART programs) will be certified for day and online modes of delivery for a period of five years.

Ruth ShafferDean of Academics

Job Title: Director of Accounting

Years of Service: 14 yrs (started in 2/15/2001)

Hobbies or Interests: Walleye & steelhead fishing and Iowa Hawkeye football

Favorite Food: Steak & baked potatoes

Favorite Book: Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne Series

Favorite Quote: “Do, or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda

Five Songs on your Playlist: 1. Why I play the Blues, BB King2. Keys to the Highway, Eric Clapton 3. Sympathy for the Devil, Rolling Stones 4. Hey Jude, Beatles5. Sunshine of my Heart, David Hole

Anything else you would like to add: I hope to move out West to be near my kids in the next few years.

Robert Rachowicz

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Employee NewsletterSpring 2015

Direct Deposit Now Available For Students

Practicing What We Preach:Grebner Continues Education to Earn PhD in Health Services

Over the last few years, Midstate has been working with Commerce Bank to provide options for our students to make payments on their accounts and receive their stipends. For the last two years, students were able to have their stipend funds applied to a Commerce DirectCheck Debit Card instead of re-ceiving a paper check. Due to chang-es in Department of Education regu-lations, Commerce has discontinued the program. Students are now able to have their stipends directly depos-ited into their bank accounts. If they choose not to participate, we will issue the stipends via a paper check. These checks are mailed on Mondays. If a student’s funds are on hold due to an attendance concern, we will issue a paper check regardless of enrollment in the direct deposit program.

Students were notified in January by letter and email of the changes. Any student interested in participating will need to complete the Authorization Agreement for Direct Deposit form. The form was included with the letter and email. If students need a copy of the form, they can contact Nicole Ren-ner at nrenner@midstate.edu. They will also return the completed form along with a voided check to Nicole.

We are currently working with Com-merce to provide additional ways for students to make payments on their account balance. Look for more infor-mation on this to come in the next few months.

Angie HattenController

A congratulations is in order to a val-ued member of the Midstate com-munity! Our very own, Dr. Leah Greb-ner, Health Information Technology Department Director, received her PhD from Walden University.

On January 31, Dr. Grebner attend-ed the formal graduation ceremo-ny to receive her doctoral hood in Health Services with a specialization in Community Health Promotion and Education alongside 1,000 other stu-dents from 99 countries at the Gay-lord Palms Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Passionate about healthcare and education, Dr. Grebner is no strang-er to the industry. With more than 25 years in the Health Information Tech-nology field, Leah is a seasoned professional.

Aside from teaching at Midstate Col-lege for the last 12 years, her back-ground also includes career-related experience in areas such as acute in-patient and out-patient care, home health, skilled nursing, phy-sician office work, and consulting. In addition, Dr. Grebner serves on several healthcare-related profes-sional organizations, including the American Health Information Man-agement Association (AHIMA) as a member of its Professional Practice Experience Workgroup and its Con-sumer Engagement Practice Coun-cil. Involvement in the classroom and with these professional organizations has opened many doors for Dr. Greb-ner in the realm of public speaking as well. Leah frequently shares her knowledge of the Health Information Technology field with other industry professionals at regional, national, and international conferences, in-cluding most recently at AHIMA As-sembly on Education in July of 2014.

Dr. Grebner is committed to educat-ing not only our students, but other professionals in the field, and we are proud to have her be a part of the Midstate family!

Ashley SpainExecutive Director ofMarketing & Enrollment

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Employee NewsletterSpring 2015

Retention Report

Reaching out to a student regarding excessive absences, poor work quality, etc., creates a positive learning environ-ment that promotes retention.

Every person in every capacity plays a critical role…

• Help students achieve their goals…give them a clear picture of their program/class requirements.

• Provide personal, meaningful support. This support isn’t just with classes, but with other obstacles that might stand in the way of their success. Personal con-tact sends a positive message. Interact with students; be a resource and seek resources offered by the college and re-fer students to those resources.

Take ownership and join forces be-cause…Retention really does “belong” to all of us.

optimism that more students will take advantage of the opportunity it presents them. In a national study of 48 colleges, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) found that students who completed some form of prior-learning assessment had higher graduation rates than other students and completed their degrees faster. PLA can also be a cru-cial marketing tool, a powerful incentive to enroll, and a key retention tool. At its best, a portfolio program can motivate anxious adults who may not have set foot in a classroom for many years.

Interested students should contact Wayne Holly via email at PriorLearning@midstate.edu or by phone at extension 3001.

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Warm WelcomeAshley SpainExecutive Director ofMarketing & Enrollment

Just as our enrollment numbers grew with the start of a new term, so did the size of the Midstate Faculty/Staff Family. This year, we welcomed three adjunct faculty members to our team - Matthew Roedell in the Accounting Depart-ment, Heather Segerstrom in the Health Information Technology De-partment, and Ashley Miller in the Legal Studies Department.

Matt currently works at David Mills, CPA, LLC as an accoun-tant, and prior to this position he was employed with Risinger Bros Trans, CityLink, and Alliance Ben-efit Group. Aside from his love for accounting, Matt is also a huge soccer fan having previously served as the Director of Soccer for the Germantown Hills Athletic Club.

Heather currently is a coding super-visor at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, and recently received her certification as a Registered Health Information Administrator. Outside of her interest in the medical field, she loves to read and write, but she’ll be the first to admit her chil-dren are her life.

Ashley works full-time as a law clerk at the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. She actively uses this experience in her classroom to provide her students with real-world experience, and like her students, she is also learning as a first year teacher at Midstate.

If you see either of these three on campus, make sure give them a warm Midstate welcome!

We are so lucky to have such great additions to our faculty family!

Department Highlight:Prior Learning Assessment