Want some info on the Woods? Come to Spring Visit Day!

Whether you want info on financial aid, career programs or even the MCC-Maple Woods student experience, you can find out everything there is to know about the Woods at the annual Spring Visit Day! HS juniors, seniors and other interested prospective students can attend the information session for free, from 8:30 a.m. - noon Feb. 21. Please sign up here or call 816.604.3263 to RSVP.

Countdown to tobacco-free campus – 170 days

As reported in an MCC Insider post on Jan.18, MCC will become a tobacco-free campus effective Aug.1, 2011. The official announcement was made by Chancellor Mark James at the Nov. 9, 2010 Chancellor’s Cabinet meeting.


Tobacco-free refers to all types of smoking and smokeless tobacco products. Once implemented, all areas of MCC properties and grounds will be tobacco-free. All students, employees, visitors, contractors, vendors and delivery personnel will be required to follow this initiative.

The tobacco-free committee continues to meet and work through the details of this initiative and The MCC Insider will keep all informed as the initiative evolves.

MCC Board of Trustees meeting

The next MCC Board of Trustees regular meeting is scheduled for  Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the MCC-Business & Technology Conference Annex, room 104. 

MCC-Maple Woods Fitness Center presents Fitness Friday!

MCC and MDC partner to teach residents how to use native Missouri plants in your garden at home

Native plants are a beautiful and environmentally friendly landscape option as the snow melts and the spring growing season begins.

Naturalist and author Dave Tylka of Imperial, Mo., will present “Native Landscaping—A Natural Way to Spice Up Life” at a workshop on Feb. 25 and 26 at Metropolitan Community College-Longview in Lee’s Summit that will showcase how to use native Missouri plants in your garden at home.

“It’s like bringing a piece of your favorite nature back home if you like prairies or forests,” Tylka said.

Other experts will also make presentations at the “Landscape Design with Missouri in Mind” workshops, which are sponsored by “Grow Native!” and MCC-Longview. Tylka will discuss his book “Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People.”

MCC-Maple Woods students learn the ABC's of college transfers

More than 40 4-year colleges and universities were on-hand to help MCC-Maple Woods students with any questions they might have about transferring. Advisers, counselors and reps were available to answer questions, hand out materials and help students get a handle on the transfer process.In addition to the colleges and universities, reps from Cerner were on-site to talk to students and take resumes for their internship program. Cerner sponsors a part-time paid internship program for students seeing business-related degrees, such as business administration, finance, economics, or accounting.

MCC-Maple Woods Spotlight: Collegiate Activities Board

Movies, choirs and hypnotists, oh my! (and lots of giggles.)

MCC-Maple Woods Business Program continues to build on strong foundation

Whether students are seeking a solid business foundation before transferring to a four-year institution or completing a two-year degree designed to get them into the workforce faster, the MCC-Maple Woods business faculty are making sure the program fits the needs of students taking just one course or completing their degrees.

Development of a two-year course load, mixing on-campus and online courses, has been developed by faculty and designed to make the most out of students' time.

Business Program Highlights:

• New Business Classroom - Classroom 105 in the Computing-Business building has been redone and is being used for classes this semester. This classroom has been redesigned as a “smart” classroom. Traditional desks have been replaced with workstations that house computers that lift up out of the desk. The room can quickly convert to a working lab. The computer monitors can then be lowered and are out of sight when not in use, giving students’ clear workspace.

• Additions to the MW Library - Over the past six years, we have added 221 new business books to the library collection. These books have assisted our students with assignments, projects, and are keeping students abreast of current events in the business world.

• VITA Program - MCC-Maple Woods will once again be hosting a Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (“VITA”) site on our campus during the 2010 tax filing season (i.e., February 2011 – April 2011). This year the site will be moved from its previous location in the Learning Resources Multi-Media lab to the new classroom discussed above (CB 105). We are moving to the larger room to accommodate more taxpayers. The VITA program is staffed by community volunteers, as well as students that complete BSAD 252: Individual Income Tax (this is a service learning class). BSAD 252 is an excellent class for students planning to major in Accounting – it looks good on a resume and allows students who are proficient in accounting to see how their skills can be a tremendous resource to the community.

• Facebook - The Business program has created a “fan” Facebook page to better serve and connect with students. The use of social media to promotes the program, sends out announcements, facilitates business discussion, offers business tips and suggestions, informs students about job leads, etc.

Future Initiatives to Expand/Improve the Business Program

• Continue to invite MaryLynn Munger, student employment coordinator, into classrooms to discuss cover letter, resume and professionalism in the workplace.
• Invite the Writing Center into classrooms each term to assist students with basic writing skills.
• Invite Mary Northrup, reference librarian, into classrooms to discuss and inform students about library support services.
• Invite the Financial Aid department into classrooms to help students understand the financial aid process and what it means to receive and properly use financial aid.

For more information on the MCC-Maple Woods Business Program, or to offer feedback to the instructors and program coordinators, contact business instructor Jim Moes.

Health screenings return to MCC-Longview Rec Center

An important part of a healthy lifestyle is getting screened early for any potential problems. The MCC-Longview Recreation Center is gearing up for a two-hour health screening on April 2.

Health Screenings

Saturday, April 2

8:30-10:30 a.m.

MCC-Longview Recreation Center

Read more to see what the screenings will include and how to sign up.

Play Ball! Spring Athletics are back at MCC-Maple Woods!

The baseball and softball Monarchs are back in action at MCC-Maple Woods for the spring semester.
The baseball Monarchs begin their season on the road, but will play their home opener against Iowa Central College at 1 p.m. Feb. 26 at the MCC-MW baseball field.


The softball Monarchs also start the 2011 season on the road, and will play a double-header home opener against Highland Community College at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. March 8 at Happy Rock Park in Gladstone, Mo.

MCC-Maple Woods host Late Night Cafe for evening students

Evening students get a taste of Campus Life & leaderships hospitality at the Late Night Cafe.

Collegiate Activities Board students served Frito pie and chili to evening students as a way to include them in campus activities.

MCC-Maple Woods Spotlight: Veterinary Technology

MCC-Longview Library display honors Black History Month

The MCC-Longview Library, in honor of Black History Month, is displaying a series of local photographs and books that highlight the the achievements and success in the black community. Swing by the library to see the impressive collection.

Message from the Chancellor - Budget Website Launched

Dear MCC Colleagues,

As you know, MCC’s current budget outlook is challenging. While the officers, with the input of individuals and teams from across the district, are working to find solutions to our sizable budget deficit, I want to be sure all of you are informed about the various factors related to budgetary decisions.

We have created a website called MCC Budget Source where you can access all of this information. If you have questions about changes related to the MCC budget, take a few minutes to look through this site, which includes an FAQ section. If you have additional questions, email them to budget.source@mcckc.edu . While we cannot respond to each question individually, you can watch for responses to frequently asked questions to appear on MCC Budget Source. Also, please continue to direct feedback and questions to your Budget Response Team representatives, who are listed by name on the MCC Budget Source site.

As additional budget information becomes available, we will continue to update the site, so feel free to check back often for additional information.

Please use MCC Budget Source to stay informed and provide input into these important decisions. I believe that we can meet the challenges we now face and continue our mission of preparing students, serving communities and creating opportunities.

Mark James

Chancellor

MCC-Maple Woods offers free computer courses to community

Whether you’re confused by Excel’s frustrating formulas, need to learn Access for a new job or just want to brush up on some basic skills, MCC-Maple Woods offers computer classes and lab access to the community. The courses require registration and attendance at an orientation session.
To register for courses or the orientation session, contact the MCC-Maple Woods community education office at (816) 604-3011. The orientation session and courses are free, and there is a one-time fee of $3 for an MCC-Maple Woods ID card.

MCC Notify Me Text Messaging Interruption

It is crucial that MCC students and employees receive information about a crisis or weather related closings as quickly as possible. As such, MCC recently established the MCC Notify Me text messaging system, upgrading our ability to send text messages to students and employees who subscribe to this free service.

However, MCC has just learned that particular cell phone carriers have begun blocking these text messages from reaching subscribers. As a result, MCC is exploring alternatives that will insure text messages reach all intended recipients. In the meantime, please continue checking any of these sources, where emergency and weather-closing information will also be posted:

• your MCC e-mail
• the MCC home page
• MCC Alert web page
• Blackboard 
• myMCCKC portal.

We apologize for any inconvenience and will provide you with an update as soon as we have additional information.

MCC welcomes new employees

New Date for AAWCC Meeting at the BTC

Please join members from the MCC community as they lead a discussion about the benefits of joining the Kansas City Chapter of The American Association for Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC). The AAWCC focuses on community service, scholarship opportunities for all students, and activities related to professional growth and development.

The details for the meeting are:
Date: March 3, 2011 (NOTE: Date Change) 
Time: 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: BTC, Conference Annex 104A

MCC-Longview Debate brings home first place at Kansas Wesleyan tournament, Feb. 4-6

Opening the 2011 debate season, MCC-Longview took home the top prize in the Kansas Wesleyan debate tournament’s community college division on Feb. 4-6.

Overall, Longview brought home fourth place at the tournament beating out many four-year universities and colleges.

Debaters from MCC-Longview crisscrossed the state this past month competing in two tournaments and brining home victories in several different categories.

On Jan. 28-30, MCC-Longview debaters headed to Webster University in St. Louis, one of the largest tournaments of the season and faced arguments from some of the toughest debate teams from around the region.

Debaters Natalie Reeves and Jonathan Stacy partnered to compete in Parliamentary Debate for the first time. Coach Kris Stroup said that although the team did not advance to the elimination rounds of the Webster tournament, the outing there gave both debaters a lot of experience collaborating with debaters from Truman State University as they prepare for the national tournament in April.

“We used this tournament as an opportunity to put our nationals team in place so that we could start playing with new strategies,” Stroup said.

Immersion Trip to Uganda at MCC-Blue River

Want to end the year 2011 with a bang? Well, MCC-Blue River mathematics instructor, Eric S.Parsons has a fabulous idea of how you can. He’s planning an immersion trip to Uganda, and he’s inviting MCC employees and students to come along for the learning and fun.

Mesmerized by Uganda’s landscapes and ornamental beauty, Winston Churchill once described Uganda as “The Pearl of Africa." Blue River’s Eric Parsons is similarly captivated by the splendor of this country. Having spent two years in Uganda as a Peace Corps volunteer, he’s excited to re-visit a country he loves and introduce his MCC friends to the wonders of this “Pearl of Africa."