Campus_connection_MarchApril

VC is instrumental in bringing new businesses to Crossroads area

by President Tom Butler

Lately we have been showing off the campus quite a bit to visitors who are interested in VC’s ability to help meet their workforce needs. These visits are usually arranged by the VEDC, and the visitors are interested in locating their businesses to Victoria. In the past, an event of this type might occur every few months, or less. Now they are occurring every week or two. We have had visitors from Illinois, Tennessee and South Carolina, to name a few. Recently, we have had visitors from Spain and China. Sometimes these visits are “top secret,” with no company name given and no mention of what the company makes. Other times we have more information. We were told prior to the visit from the

Chinese guests that they will be making track shoes! Nike? New Balance? No, we learned that track shoes actually propel the undercarriage of an excavator. The kind of machine that Caterpillar makes. These visits are constant reminders of how our community’s workforce needs are changing, and point us in new directions as a college. Will we soon be training future track shoe makers? Educating managers and leaders of a manufacturing company based in Spain? Of course that is unknown at this time. What seems very likely, though, is that new companies will be locating to our area and that VC will be instrumental in bringing them here.

Many businesses, both national and international, may be following Caterpillar’s footsteps by bringing their businesses to Victoria .

Employee News & Events VC Information NightTuesday, April 175:30 - 8 p.m. Health Sciences Center Be sure to invite students, potential students or parents you may know to this event to learn about VC’s programs and services. For more details, see the link on the VC website homepage.

May 2012 Ballot Victoria College’s Board of Trustees voted to place a bond issue on the May 12 ballot. If the bond is elected, VC will use $22 million to construct an Emerging Technology Center on property transferred to VC by the VSTDC.

Please remember:

• As employees, you may take any position you like (pro or con) as long as you do not present your views as representing the college.

• College resources may not be used to promote any agenda related to this bond election.

Pall presents at breakout session Sherri Pall, director of workforce and

continuing education, was one of three professionals who presented a breakout session, “Pumping Up Workforce Skills in the Eagle Ford Shale Play: Building a Team That Plays to Win!” at the TWC Workforce

Forum held April 2–3 in Austin.

March/April 2012

New Employees

Hank Pahmiyer Computer Technician

Kaye Shook Admissions Analyst

Domingo Villarreal Skills Development Fund

Grant Manager

Eliza Welder Hewitt Title V Activity II Academic Coach

Donna Castor Title V Activity II Academic Coach

New Internal Positions

Robert Reyes Financial Aid Counselor

Alyssa Hale CTE Division Secretary

Karen Duffie Allied Health

Division Secretary

Sheryl Mueller VN Secretary

Retired

Judy Klekar CTE Division Secretary

Cecilia Brubaker Admissions Analyst

Patricia Dworaczyk Cuero VN Program Chair

Karen Williams Full-time Cashier

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ClassifiedsFOR SALE - Yamaha DT Express II Electronic Drum Set with a bonus double pedal bass and drummer’s chair. Module fully functional for recording, playback and many more features, including built-in metronome. Headphones can be attached so that only the drummer hears the sounds. All original manuals included. Great for beginners or enthusiasts. $450 cash for all. Call Chris Kallus x6491 or email to [email protected].

Want to place a classified ad in the Campus Connection? Contact Katy Long at [email protected].

Susan Akin Testing Center

Receptionist/Proctor

George Martinez Facilities Assistant

VC Gonzales Center

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Terri Kurtz, EditorKaty Long, Copy EditorJulian Cavazos, Graphic Designer

VC Campus Connection is a publication of Victoria College.

©Victoria College

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Summer Schedule Reminder! VC’s summer work schedule begins Monday, May 14 and ends Friday, July 27. The summer work week is Monday through Thursday with no classes or general office hours on Fridays. In order to accommodate the shortened work week, most employees will work from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. However, offices must be open during core business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some departments may implement varying schedules as an exception to the summer work schedule, such as the VC/UHV Library, Security Services and Physical Plant employees. For more details about reporting time, please check the Employee Tools Section of the Pirate Portal.

Training & Professional Development Full-time faculty should participate in professional development activities every year. In addition to documenting all professional development activities on your Faculty Profile, a master training record for all faculty and staff training and professional development activities is kept in the Human Resources Office. After you have completed any professional development or training activities, please make sure you send documentation via email to Terri Kurtz, and include the type of training, title of the training activity, and date(s) the training occurred. More detailed information about Training & Professional Development is available online in the Employee Tools section of the Pirate Portal. For questions about Training & Professional Development, please contact the Human Resources Office.

Employees make a difference

As many of the VC community have heard, VC has recently acquired a “new” building to be used as the Liberty Street Industrial Training Center. Making sure that the building is usable for its intended purpose by April has required the application of much “elbow grease.” To follow is a recap of how much elbow grease has been applied so far: • Many of VC’s custodial staff have put in long hours, including overtime, to get the concrete floor cleaned and sealed. Several custodians worked through their Spring Break. • Building maintenance staff have torn out the old restroom and removed 90 floor bolts. • HVAC/Electrical staff members inspected the electrical service before and after power was restored to the building. • Groundskeeping staff provided a generator to help with the cleanup that began before the utilities were restored to the building. They also helped with some bolt removal from timbers. • Central Receiving/Warehouse staff made arrangements with Waste

Management to ensure that the dumpster and port-o-potty arrived quickly. These efforts have all been very well orchestrated and the “plan” came together seamlessly. What makes this effort even more remarkable is that work requests and scheduling plans for Spring Break courses and events were also being done at the same time. To all the Physical Plant Staff I would like to say: Very well done. I am proud of what you accomplished.

-Robert Duffie, Director of Physical Plant

Compliments from one VC employee to another

Recently, as I was teaching class, I could not get the projector to work. I sent Kenny Brown an email asking for help and he came right away. The projector needed a new bulb. When he came back with a bulb, he got the projector

working in no time. He was very efficient and there was little disruption to my class (even when he had to use the ladder). I was able to continue the lecture as I intended (with the projector) because

he came so quickly. He is always very conscientious and helps me all the time! We have a really great crew in Tech Services. I frequently call on Jeremy Gould, Kenny Brown and Chris Potts for Starboard help (and ITV last semester). I also call Dave Sulak and Eric Sanchez frequently. They are all very patient and very helpful and always solve my issue in a timely manner. They also never make me feel like an idiot, which is a huge plus! I also think Ann Brogger does an amazing job! She always helps me with whatever I need and she really cares about what is best for our students. She always goes above and beyond in her job.

IT Department is quick, smart, patient and helpful

Melanie Yosko, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Mathematics

Physical Plant staff came together to prepare Industrial Training Center

The Industrial Training Center will primarily house training for employees hired to work at the new Caterpillar hydraulic excavator manufacturing facility.

Formerly known as Media Services, VC’s Printing & Mailroom Services is part of the Marketing & Communications Department. Printing & Mailroom Services is located in the College Services & Training building and is your one-stop shop for copying, printing, signage and mail services. Print services include high-volume, specialty and color printing. This includes posters, fliers, banners, signage, business cards and name badges. (For key card badges, please contact the IT Department). These services are available to college employees who provide a budget number, but employees and the community may also pay with check or cash to use VC’s printing services. To request any of these services, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. This email address is received by both Angelica and Monica.

All incoming and outgoing U.S. and interoffice mail should be sent to the mailroom, along with requests for bulk mail services and requests for interoffice envelopes. Printing & Mailroom Services pricing guides and request forms are available under the Employee Tools Tab in your Pirate Portal.

Angelica Alvarado, right, is the Printing & Mailroom Specialist, along with Monica Carbajal, left, part-time Printing & Mailroom Services Assistant.

Can you imagine working two jobs, plus taking classes, plus taking care of your kids and grandkids? That’s what VC Custodian Liz Ramirez does. Ramirez has been working at VC for nearly a year and a half, and this semester, she began taking classes as well. Her goal is to earn a degree so that she can eventually work in a less physical job. “I’d like to work in an office one day,”

said Ramirez. She’s taking both English and reading classes and spends three and a half hours every weekday in the Tutoring Center. For Ramirez, studying is a short break in a very long workday. She begins at 5 a.m. working in Building A, the Museum of the Coastal Bend and helping out in the Technology Center. She’s in the Tutoring Center from 2 to 5:30 p.m. every day, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she goes straight to class after tutoring until 8:15 p.m. She also has a second job she works seven nights a week with Girling Home Health Care. Ramirez, who has four children, spends much of her time at home taking care of her eight grandchildren. On weekends she spends time caring for all eight, and during the week, she cares for her three-year-old grandson while her daughter works the graveyard shift. Ramirez smiles when she talks about her grandchildren and said she loves talking about her family. “We call my grandson ‘Chino,’ because he has curly hair,” she said.

Employee spotlight: Liz Ramirez

Liz Ramirez, a VC custodian, manages her time between two jobs, going to school, and spending time with her family.

Birthdays April1— James Martinez

2— Patricia Rehak

4— Lori Uhlman

4— Sharon Vaclavik

5— Melissa Salinas

8— Mary Kitchens

11— Kelly McKay

19— Yolanda Perez

20— Illiana Rodriguez

21— Daniel Gonzalez

21— Sharon Wagner

22— Guadalupe Martinez

23— Karen Hoblit

24— Gena Leur

24— Marty Stockbauer

26— Sue Prudhomme

30— Wade Vrana

May 1— Staci Kelly

4— Bertha Sanchez

7— Linda Ruddick

11— Lydia Huber

13— Janie Villarreal

14— Fran Lothman

15— Lisa Edwards

15— Chris Potts

16— Rachel Winkenwerder

20— Matt Cancio

22— Jessica Olivarez

25— Rusty Tripp

26— Charles Gyamera- Acheampong

26— Jon Hayden

26— Melanie Yosko

27— Larry Dunn

28— Anna Striedel

31— Edward Gonzales

Department highlight: Printing & Mailroom Services