The DCE ConnectionVolume 11 Issue 9September 2013

Page 1

Coming Soon

Division of Continuing Education Kansas State University

Labor DayMonday, September 2University Closed

Newsletter DeadlineFriday, September 13

UPCEA Central Region ConferenceSeptember 25-27Minneapolis, Minnesota

Snack AttackThursday, September 26

DCE RetreatThursday, October 3Konza Prairie

New Staff

Jeff Wolfe began August 19 as the new Director of Conferences and Noncredit Programs. Jeff brings many years of conferencing experience to this position including owning Conference Partners, Inc., a special event and meeting planning company, for 12 years.

Jeff, his wife Alisa, and their daughter Maddy have made the move to Kansas from Florida.

Are you involved with continuing education professional organizations? Did you know DCE is a member of the following organizations and as a DCE staff member you can be involved too?

- Association for Continuing Higher Education

- Education Advisory Board

- Sloan Consortium

- University and Professional Continuing Education Association

- WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET)

While it varies by organization, membership can include participation in common interest groups, periodic electronic newsletters with the latest topics in higher and distance education, discounts on conferences, etc. Please consider your participation in these organizations and let Marci know if you would like to become a member of any of the organizations listed above.

Get Involved with a Continuing Education Professional Organization

New TV Commercial for DCEBelow is the link to the final cut of the commercial. This will run with the K-State sports package and on KSNT's Topeka channels beginning September 1.

http://youtu.be/5wMqnGHs05o

Page 2

Summer Means MIOP

July 2013 was time for the fourteenth cohort of the MIOP pro-gram to come to the K-State campus. The two-week session kicked off with a reception and dinner at the K-State Alumni Center. Thirteen students returned for the second year of the program and 12 new students began this year. New and returning students came from within Kansas but also from California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Washington and even Germany.

This year’s group had quite a different experience with Kansas weather than previous years as it rained more days than not during their two-week stay. Luckily, the rain stopped for the annual kickball challenge at Tuttle Creek State Park. When asked about the summer session, students gave the following responses: “I highly enjoyed interacting with not only the group from my year, but also the group from the second year. I felt like I received an enormous amount of knowledge this summer. Both instructors enjoy their subjects, and that made this an enjoyable experience in turn.”

“Trina does an amazing job of getting everything set up and organized. Her helpful attitude and willingness to do what she can to help is wonderful.”

(The best part of the summer session was) “getting to interact with the instructors and students and getting the ‘feel’ of being a K-State student.”

MAB Cohorts in Olathe and Hong KongThe MAB Animal Health Cohort held in Olathe, Kansas was August 11-16. The MAB Asia Cohort in Hong Kong was August 19-23.

Page 3

Professional DevelopmentProfessional Development Takeaway FormsBe sure to check out the reports from those who have attended conferences and professional development events. These reports are a great way for everyone to glean the highlights of many activities in a quick, concise manner. All reports can be found at W:\public\Professional Development\DCE\Report forms

Also be sure to submit your reports after attending a professional development event so you can share what you learned with your colleagues!

George Widenor attended the Grant Training Center: Writing and Designing NSF Proposals in Lawrence, Kansas on August 6. This was a one-day workshop geared for those who wish to submit winning research proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF). It is taught by experienced faculty who received vari-ous NSF grants and serve as evaluators on NSF review panels.

Jennifer Pfortmiller attended the SIDLIT (Summer Institute on Distance Learning and Instructional Technology) conference on August 1-2 at Johnson County Community College. Jennifer learned about some of the latest and greatest apps that can be used for student learning, collaboration and connection.

Rosanna Vail attended the eduWeb Conference, July 29-31 in Boston, Mass. The eduWeb Conference is an annual, internationally recognized event for the higher education community, attracting those who are involved in the design, development, marketing, strategy and implementation of their online presence. Sessions included information on how to build a stronger user-friendly website, using video to enhance brand messaging, creating dynamic annual reports, reviewing analytics for content creators and more. A conference exhibitor was OmniUpdate, which provides the university’s content management system (CMS).

Jennifer Pfortmiller attended the Kansas Leadership Center - Leadership Training in Wichita, Kansas on August 4-7.

Go Teacher celebrated 104 Ecuadorian scholars who have spent the past seven months completing the third cohort of this scholarship program. A closing ceremony and cultural activities were held August 14 in the K-State Student Union. Representatives from SENESCYT, Ecuador's governing body of higher education, participated in the ceremonies. Attendees enjoyed a luncheon with an Ecuadorian menu and a cultural dance organized by Go Teacher Cohort 4 scholars, which included a theatrical production, salsa disc jockey and a traditional Ecuadorian "Crazy Hour."

Go Teacher Cohort 3 Closing Ceremony

Page 4

Dana FlynnOffice: Conferences and Noncredit Programs, Senior Administrative SpecialistYears at DCE: 20 Hometown: Riley, Kansas Dana’s Family Includes: Husband-Clark, 3 daughters-Katelyn (15), Karlyn (11), Kennedy (4), Cat-Daisy, Puppy-Ruby

April showers bring May flowers…. Which flowers are your favorite in the spring? Tulips

Do you have any pets? Yes, 2. Cat – Daisy (just might be the world’s best kitty) and we have a new puppy. Ruby is a black and white cock-a-poo. She’s very smart and so much fun!

If you could have a vacation home, where would it be? Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Total tourist beach town but I love being there. I’m not a huge fan of the water, but love being on a beach.

What are some hobbies you have? I love to read but don’t seem to find much time to do it. I tried my first audio book a while back and loved it so I may have to do that again.

What is one thing you cannot go a day without? Diet Pepsi

Jessica RockersOffice: Duplicating/Mail Center, Student Assistant Years at DCE: 1 year, 7 monthsHometown: Garnett, KansasJessica’s Family Includes: Brian and Julie Rockers- parents, Bailee and Ryelee Rockers- younger sisters, Marley- dog (border collie)

Do you have any pets? I have a border collie named Marley.

What is something you look forward to at the beginning of the day? Coffee.

What movie are you looking forward to seeing in theaters? Blackfish

What would be the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery? I would pay off all my student loans, then buy Marley a really awesome toy.

What would you do if you had a snow day? I would wonder why there was a snow day in August.

Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? I will never tell you.

What is your favorite season and why? The in-between seasons- Fall and Spring; because it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold.

Page 5

New StudentsZaldy DoyunganDepartment: Student and Faculty Services Room #: 131Responsibilities in DCE: Student assistantHometown: Corpus Christi, TexasMajor: Journalism and Digital Media Year at K-State: SeniorHobbies: Dancing, eating, sleeping and sports...specifically K-State.

Laura SommersDepartment: Student and Faculty Services Room #: 131Responsibilities in DCE: Student assistantHometown: Robinson, KansasMajor: Dual major in English and Secondary Education Year at K-State: Senior (with a 5th year to come)Hobbies: Working out, baking, being with friends and family, snow skiing, water skiing/wakeboarding and reading.

Claire MersmannDepartment: Student and Faculty Services Room #: 131Responsibilities in DCE: Student assistantHometown: Eudora, KansasMajor: Education Year at K-State: FreshmanHobbies: Anything art related.

Virtual Open House

Through the DCE Student Communications goal group, DCE has developed a "virtual open house" website as a new way to connect prospective and current distance education students to campus. The site officially launched in conjunction with the start of fall term. Publicity about this launch will be coming out through campus publications. MCS will be working to get the site linked from various other pages on the DCE website.

http://www.distance.k-state.edu/openhouse/

You can send any input about the virtual open house to Marci Ritter and Rosanna Vail as needed. We will continue to update the site with new features/content down the road.

Page 6

Couple Places in Top 3On August 18, 2013 both George Widenor, Coordinator for Market Research, and Laura Widenor, Faculty Services Coordinator, participated in the Manhattan Apple Triathlon at Tuttle Creek State Park. A sprint triathlon consists of a 500 meter swim, a 12.5 mile bike, and a 5 k run. They both placed in the top 3 of their age group and George was 8th overall! Congratulations on this accomplishment!

Go Teacher Scholars Say Farewell to Sharon

The following is from the Go Teacher newsletter:

The Go teacher scholars prepared a farewell party to Sharon Brookshire. During the period that she was in charge of the program, she dedicated her entire time to help Ecuadorian students to succeed throughout the program. It was very sad for us to see her leaving the program. We wish her all the best in her future life.

On the 21st of July the ESA (Ecuadorian Student Association) prepared a nice reunion with the students of cohort 3 and cohort 4 to say good bye. Karen Merino and Karen Cevallos prepared a farewell speech with heartfelt words to Sharon. During the party some people from Cohort 4 performed a traditional Ecuadorian Dance. It was very beautiful to see how people demonstrate their gratitude towards the effort and excellent job that Sharon did since our program started. We will always remember her as our “mother in US”. Thank you Sharon!!

“Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget.” A few weeks ago it was with a sad heart that we got the news of Sharon’s departure, but is it with a thankful heart that we wish her the best in every step of her way. There is no doubt that the memories we have made and the moments we have shared will last for a lifetime.

Since the GO TEACHER PROGRAM started it was Sharon, as the leading lady of the team here at Kansas State University, who took care of every single detail. Her warmth, commitment and hard work to ensure our well being is something that will remain in our hearts for a life time.

Throughout life, there is always something to be thankful for, and we are glad we found a helping hand here at K-State, our temporary home. Sharon’s willingness to help, her smile, her smooth talk and patience are things we will always remember.

Good luck on this new stage of your life dear Sharon. Keep always in your heart our gratitude and affection. “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so... get on your way!” We may encounter one day to share great moments again.

DCE Conference Calendar

Birthdays

The DCE Connection is published monthly by the Division of Continuing Education at Kansas State University. Send inquiries or submissions to: mcsdce@k-state.edu

Archived newsletters can be found at:www.dce.k-state.edu/intranet/pio/newsletter.html

September20 ..... Missy Jacobsen, Administration and Finance21 ..... Casey Mason, Marketing and Communication Services, Web team23 ..... Matthew Blomberg, Marketing and Communication Services25 ..... Giselle Gamba, Conferences and Noncredit Programs27 ..... Sue Maes, Dean’s Office27 ..... Sean Swanson, Administration and Finance

If you would like to be added to the birthday list, please send an email to mcsdce@k-state.edu

SEPTEMBER18 .......... CPSI Conference Series: Disciplinary Literacy ................................... Manhattan, Kansas19 .......... Radon Certification ........................................................................ Lenexas, Kansas19 .......... How the Brain Learns Symposium ................................................... Manhattan, Kansas22-24 ...... North American Power Symposium .................................................. Manhattan, Kansas23-26 ...... National Resources Management Officer Meeting ............................... Manhattan, Kansas27 .......... Core Outcomes Project .................................................................. Manhattan, Kansas30-Oct 1 . University Engineering Alliance ....................................................... Kansas City, Missouri

Charlene Brownson’s grandson: Alistair Wayne MartinBorn August 12 at 2:03p.m.19 inches long, 6 lb. 13 oz.

He is a red head like his mommy!

Marla (Quick) Lohmann received her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of North Texas, Denton Texas on Friday, August 9. Marla is the daughter of Larry and Marcia Quick. Marla and her family currently live in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa.