400 enrolled in MCC-Longview College for Kids

Students enrolled in the LEGO Racers class, which started this week as part of the MCC-Longview College for Kids program, got a chance to test out their LEGO creations during class. Click for more photos.

On Tuesday, coordinators with the MCC-Longview College for Kids summer school program announced that they had enrolled their 400th student for the 2010 summer class schedule.

Although it is not the largest summer class in the College for Kids program history, it is one of the largest jumps in attendance in a single year. In 2009, the program had roughly 310 kids sighed up for classes.

This week kicked off the second half of the exciting summer school program. There are still seats available and many classes left. For a full list of classes click here or call 816-604-2030.

Benefit for Hope House at MCC-Longview

Casey Reid and her English 102 class, which has long been an advocate for many great causes here on campus, is sponsoring a Movie Extravaganza benefiting Hope House.

Reid and her class will be screening the Will Smith movie The Pursuit of Happyness and will also be accepting donations that will go directly to Hope House, which operates shelters for victims of domestic violence throughout the Kansas City area.

Movie Extravaganza: The Pursuit of Happyness

5 p.m. on July 17

MCC-Longview Education Center

You can get into the movie by bringing a donation item from the list below or a $3 donation to Hope House.

For more information e-mail mike.ekey@mcckc.edu or call 816-604-2090.

Here is a full list of items Hope House needs to continue their great work in the community:

Paper Towels
Size 4,5, & 6 diapers
Toilet paper
Conditioners, Moisturizing Creams, and Oil Treatments (For example, African Pride Oil Moisturizing Lotion, African Pride Magical Gro, Africa’s Best Herbal Oil, Blue Magic Hair Conditioner, Soft & Beautiful Conditioning Spray, Motions Oil Sheen Conditioning Spray, S-Curl Moisturizer
Thermometers
First Aid Cream
Triple Antibiotic Ointment
Teething Gel
Pepto Bismol
Polident
Hair Brushes
White Twin Flat Bed Sheets
Infant formula
New packages of socks (white athletic, all sizes)
New packages of women’s underwear (all sizes)
Winter sleepwear (women’s larger sizes)
Women’s slippers
Towels and washcloths
Laundry soap – any kind
Conditioner
Deodorant
Big Bars of Soap
Lotion
Tooth Paste
Hair Conditioner
Body Lotion
Diapers (sizes 4, 5 & 6)
Bath Towels
Flip Flops for kids and adults
Bras (sizes 36+)

MCC in the news

MCC was featured in a recent front page article in The Kansas City Star, where columnist Diane Stafford explored the issue of structural unemployment. Stafford profiled two laid-off workers who are training for new careers late in life, including Daniel Dennis, a student at MCC-Business & Technology who is taking welding classes as he faces a September layoff from American Airlines.

Academy for Leadership and Development graduates

MCC faculty, Craig Bartholomaus (PV), Anne Mahoney (BR), Keet Kopecky (LV) , Penny Tepesch (BTC), Cynthia Proctor (MW) and Ben Wolfe (BR), graduated in June from the Academy for Leadership and Development.

The program is part of the Chair Academy, a division of the Maricopa Community College District in Mesa, Ariz., and is aimed at teaching advanced leadership skills and professional development for faculty in post-secondary institutions.

Congratulations, to all for their successful completion at the Academy for Leadership and Development

MCC-Maple Woods’ Dusty Mills to serve MoCPA

Dusty Mills, administrative assistant for student development at MCC-Maple Woods, was recently appointed as newsletter coordinator for the Missouri College Personnel Association (MoCPA) for 2010-2011.

MoCPA is an association for student affairs professionals across the state of Missouri. MoCPA promotes the learning and development of students enrolled in institutions of post-secondary education through the ongoing professional development of college student affairs administrators and student development educators.

MCC-Maple Woods July Employee of the Month: Denise Westrem

Denise Westrem, MCC-Maple Woods graduation advisor, has been named Employee of the Month for July 2010. Denise goes above and beyond her job duties of making sure students are ready for graduation and have everything they need to walk in the ceremony. One look around her office and surroundings, covered with boxes of caps and gowns and diploma covers on every available surface, and her dedication to getting students prepared to graduate and for the world they’ll enter afterwards becomes obvious.

Denise assists students in making sure they have everything required to complete their courses in time to graduate: she loans out books, helps them choose the right courses, serves as an encouraging ear. She also takes care of her coworkers, offering to take over the front desk so the front line can attend training sessions, workshops or take a much-needed break.

Amazing Work by Cisco Faculty

MCC instructors Kate Douglas and Ed McCarty were key players at SkillsUSA last month. They are both on the five-member national technical committee for internetworking, which plans and manages the contest. The online and hands-on competitions are designed to test the skills needed for successful entry-level performance in specific occupations. The Internetworking contest is based on the most current CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) standards.

McCarty is the Cisco Networking Academy coordinator at MCC-Business & Technology campus, and Douglas was hired full-time at MCC-BTC this year. She previously taught in the Cisco Academy at Herndon Career Center. She’s very proud of one of her Herndon grads, Stephen VanHorn, who took 3^rd in the national contest last month!

MCC-BTC to host First Robotics team

MCC-Business & Technology campus has begun recruiting home-schooled high school students from the KC area for a FIRST Robotics team. FIRST Robotics is an organization that develops technical, career and business skills in young students. BTC already has a mentor team (Joe Roche, Gene Giarratano, Dave Hawkins, and Andy Brewer) in place with over 60 year of industry experience behind them.

The student members will have the actual responsibility of raising the funds for the project (aprox $6,000-10,000), as well as designing and building the robot. The team will compete in the Greater Kansas City regional competition starting March 4, after only six weeks to design and build a working robot.

For more information about FIRST Robotics - http://www.kcfirst.org/ For more information about the MCC-BTC team contact Joe Roche – 816.604.5417

AC Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Lori Palmer, program specialist for instructional support, for being selected as the AC Employee of the Month.

Lori was nominated by several co-workers because of the time she spends volunteering for many of the committees created to organize events and do fundraising at the AC.

“She is always there putting to use her organizational skills,” said one nominator. “She is involved with every bake sale, book sale and holiday party every year. We wouldn’t get anything done without her.”

Lori began her 17 year career with MCC as a business office assistant at the Independence campus. In 2003, she worked in the Longview PACE office for Jane Zeitner, until moving to the AC in 2006 in her current position.

Insider: Why do you work at MCC?

Lori: Because you make a difference here. You can make a difference in some people’s lives and not even know it. We change a lot of people’s lives.

Insider: What is your dream job?

Lori: When I retire, I want to volunteer to rock babies at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Insider: What is the first thing you’d buy if you won the lottery?

Lori: A round-trip ticket for me and my husband to Australia.

Insider: What are three things you can’t leave your house without?

Lori: My cell phone, driver’s license and car keys.

Insider: What are your hobbies?

Lori: I sew, garden and sing in my church choir, which I really enjoy.

Region XVI Academic Team

Nine student athletes from MCC-Blue River's Trailblazer soccer teams have been selected by Region XVI of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for its academic team.

Isaiah Johnson and Jacob Rockhold will represent Blue River from the men’s soccer team. From the women's team, Aria Witherell, Rachel Thiel, Allison Hugill, Katherine Amos, Anna Johnson, JoAnna Driskell and Michelle Smith were selected.

To be recognized, a scholar athlete must be nominated by his or her athletic director, have completed two semesters of college work, have participated in one season at the varsity level and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or better.

MCC-Blue River student named All-American

The NJCAA national office in Colorado Springs, Colo., is pleased to release the names of the 2009-2010 NJCAA Distinguished Academic All-American and Academic All-American awards as well as the 2010 Spring All-Academic Teams. This year over 1,300 NJCAA student-athletes met the requirements for the individual academic honors while over 340 teams qualified for academic team accolades.

MCC-Blue River soccer player Anna Johnson has been named an Academic All-American. Johnson played two years for the women’s Trailblazer soccer team. At MCC-Blue River, Johnson was also active in the Martial Arts Club. Johnson graduated last May and will continue her education at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo.

BARE will bare it all at MCC-Longview Studio Theater

BARE, the cult-hit coming-of-age musical that took Los Angeles and New York by storm, comes to Kansas City in a new, vibrant staging. The award-winning rock-pop musical plays at the MCC-Longview Studio Theatre July 9-18.

BARE is a searing and beautiful coming-of-age story told through a brilliant, pulsing pop-rock score played by a live band. This production features an immersive, environmental staging that is sure to be an exciting theatrical event!

A group of high school seniors at a Catholic boarding school faces issues of sexuality and personal identity. As they struggle to come to terms with who they are, and who the world thinks they should be, they seek answers in the church confessional and in less formal venues including a stage, a rave, a well-locked dorm room and ultimately, from within themselves. Its rich, vibrant score draws on many styles of contemporary music.

BARE is staged as part of an effort to produce contemporary or off-the-beaten-path works for Lee's Summit and the surrounding areas.

BARE features book and music by Damon Intrabartolo, and book and lyrics by Jon Hartmere, Jr. The award-winning musical premiered in Hollywood in October 2000. It was supposed to run for 32 performances at an 87-seat theatre on Santa Monica Boulevard. Four months later, it had become a multi award-winning sensation created by two 26-year-old writers and a 23-year-old director. The musical won the L.A. Weekly Award for Best Musical, the Ovation Award for Best Musical and the L.A. Drama Critics Award for Best Score. The show went on to a successful New York run, performing off-Broadway at the American Theatre of Actors.

Ten years after BARE's premiere, its themes of acceptance, tolerance and equality are increasingly relevant today.

The show will play the following performance schedule: July 9th, 10th, 17th & 18th at 7:30pm, with matinee performances July 11th & 17th at 2:30pm.

All performances take place at the Studio Theatre in the Cultural Arts Center on the MCC-Longview campus.

Regular tickets are $15. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased online at www.BareInKC.com. Group ticket rate available for parties of 10 or more people. For group sales, contact Ashley Gordon, ashley@BareInKC.com. Audience members are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, as this intimate production features a strictly limited number of seats for each performance.

BARE is rated PG-13. The show is not recommended for children under 12 years old.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.BareInKC.com.

MCC-Longview’s Kopecky graduates from Academy for Leadership and Development program

MCC-Longview biology instructor Keet Kopecky successfully graduated this past month from the Academy for Leadership and Development.

The program is part of the Chair Academy, a division of the Maricopa Community College District in Mesa, Ariz., and is aimed at teaching advanced leadership skills and professional development for faculty in post-secondary institutions.

Kopecky graduated from the year-long program, which covers topics such as strategic planning, diversity training, organization leadership and many others, on June 18.

To participate in the program, Kopecky was selected and nominated by MCC-Longview faculty and administration to attend. Congratulations to Keet Kopecky for his successful completion at the Academy for Leadership and Development.   

Choose Your Career Path

80 programs - 5 campuses - 1 college

visit http://www.chooseyourcareerpath.com/.

MCC-BTC shines at Skills USA

The 46th annual Skills USA Conference returned to KC's Bartle Hall and MCC-Business & Technology June 21-24. More than 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students competed hands-on in 96 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Students worked against the clock and each other proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts.

MCC-BTC hosted a portion of the competition in its state-of-the-art Precision Machining lab.

SCOREBOARD!

Crews spent all day Tuesday tearing down the old scoreboard that for more than 25 years stood just beyond the outfield fence at the MCC-Longview baseball fields.

The board was being replace with an new board that will be ready to use once baseball season starts up again in the spring semester.



The original baseball scoreboard was donated by the MCC-Longview student government in 1984 and has not worked in the past season due to its age. Coaches and athletics department officials said they were excited to have a new scoreboard when they start the season next year.

For more photos from the scoreboard installation click here.

Teacher of the Year Award

Debbie Moore-Hargrove, community relations specialist at MCC-Penn Valley, recently received the June 2010 Kansas City Missouri Adult Basic Education Award for Teacher of the Year.

“I have been teaching GED classes at Penn Valley for 6 years,” said Moore-Hargrove. “A progress report was given stating that my sight made the most progress, so I feel honored about receiving this prestigious award.”

The award was given at the June 17 GED graduation at UMKC Pierson Hall. One of Moore-Hargrove students, Miranda Gilmore, was valedictorian and received a scholarship to attend Penn Valley and UMKC.

“Many of my students transition from my GED class to Penn Valley which promotes better education for them and helps them progress,” she added.

For more information about GED classes, visit: http://mcckc.edu/main.asp?P=TAGed

MCC-Maple Woods’ Winchester on fire for Barnstormers

Zack Winchester, freshman infielder and pitcher for the MCC-Maple Woods Monarchs, is leading the Jefferson County Barnstormers to an impressive 13-3 record this summer. The 2009 Hillsboro High School graduate, who just finished a solid pitching season for Maple Woods, currently leads the Barnstormers in batting and homeruns, and is also the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association’s (SLABA) top hitter.

Winchester played all four infield positions for the Monarchs in addition to pitching, finishing the season with a 5-2 record and average more than a strikeout per inning. He was also one of the best hitters on the team, although near the end of the season he focused primarily on pitching due to a rash of injuries to several other Monarchs starters. Winchester will return to the team this fall as a sophomore.

Walter-Mack appointed to Chief of Staff

Kathy Walter-Mack has been appointed to a key leadership role at MCC. Walter-Mack will serve as chief of staff to the chancellor. She will be responsible for facilitating communication between the chancellor and employees, leading the district’s diversity efforts, developing community contacts and providing legal counsel, among other duties.

Walter-Mack’s appointment comes as Mark James assumes the role of MCC chancellor. James has served as vice chancellor of administrative services since January 2009 and was appointed to chancellor designee by MCC’s board of trustees in January 2010.

“Kathy has played a significant role for MCC as director of urban affairs and inclusion,” said James. “Her extensive legal and policy experience in the field of education and ties to the Kansas City metropolitan area made her an obvious choice to serve as my chief of staff.”

Walter-Mack has served as director of urban affairs and inclusion at MCC since April
2009 and previously had provided legal services to the district. She will assume the role on July 1.

Message from Mark James - Transition

Good afternoon students and colleagues of MCC,

On July 1, 2010 I will assume the responsibilities of chancellor of MCC. As chancellor, I will become your biggest advocate. During a recent campus town hall meeting I was asked what my top priority would be. I gave a multi-part answer because of the intricacies of our many challenges. When I finished my answer, the astute questioner succinctly summarized for me that my job as chancellor will be, “to keep the doors open”. I readily accept the charge but I will go one step further--not only will I keep the doors open, but I will aggressively look for new doors for MCC to walk through.

While all public institutions are faced with significant economic challenges, MCC has unprecedented opportunities before us. However, before we can maximally avail ourselves of these opportunities, we have to get our house in order, and this starts with creating a culture of unity of effort. Working with the Chancellor’s Cabinet, I will challenge everyone to think and work beyond their immediate sphere of influence in making MCC fiscally sound for the future and more effective in preparing students, serving communities, and creating opportunities. We have some tough decisions ahead and we are going to tackle them together, not in organizational stovepipes or silos. While unity of effort will be the enabler, the following priorities will be my focus during fiscal year 2011:

· Identifying Revenue Growth Opportunities
· Budget – FY12 and Beyond
· Updating of Policies
· Communication

In the coming weeks, I will share more specific ideas within each of these strategic areas. As we move forward, I will work to ensure our workplace is civil, lawful, ethical, respectful, diverse, inclusive, responsive, enjoyable, and transparent. Helping me in this endeavor, will be my chief of staff, Kathy Walter-Mack. Kathy has served as the chancellor’s director of urban affairs and inclusion for the past year and has proven invaluable in resolving internal issues while improving MCC’s external relations. Kathy brings years of legal and policy experience in the field of education as she previously served as chief counsel for the Kansas City, Missouri School District as well as owned her own consulting business. Kathy has readily accepted my challenge to take on the “24/7” responsibility of serving as my chief of staff. Her skills and experience will serve MCC well. Please see her attached bio for further details.

These are challenging but exciting times for MCC. Together, we will excel, achieve, and remain a recognized cutting-edge leader in higher education. We are one MCC.

Sincerely,
Mark