decision making

Sometimes decisions just don't work out as planned. For those of you that watched the Patriots-Colts game last night, you know what I mean. Bill Belichek, the coach of the Patriots, made a decision to go for a 4th and 2, from the Colts 28 yard line, with only 2 minutes left in the game, and the Pats were winning.

Crazy call? Bad decision? Hindsight says yes it was. However, it is a decision that Belichek made earlier in the year, and many times in the past, and it turned out to be a good one. However, last night, the Colts defense held. Colts scored four plays later and won the game.

Today, the Monday morning quarterbacks are feasting on Belichek. This will probably go on for a few days, and then will be replaced by someone else's bad decision.

If you step back, Belichek's decision was based upon accumulated knowledge and insight from years of coaching, days of planning for this game, gameday performance, and instinct. He used all the tools in front of him to make the decision in a 2-3 minute timeframe. When you think about it, it's only a game. There will be another one next week. And one play does not win or lose a game.

Coaches, managers, CEO's, etc. are all faced with decision-making opportunities many times a day. Some of them have much higher profiles and are watched very closely. Others, just trickle by without anyone noticing. Occassionally, they come back to bite.

Being prepared to make decisons is paramount to making a good decision. Belichek was certainly prepared last night, but it still turned out badly for his team.

The message here today is to always be prepared. You never know when you are going to be called upon to make that game-changing decision.

Mike Kearns

veterans at MCC

Veterans Day 2009 is now past. Towns all across America celebrated the roles of the dedicated men and women who are serving, and have served in our nation's armed forces. The college has experienced significant growth in the number of students that are veterans, and we expect that to continue.

MCC had previously assigned the responsibility of servicing our veteran students to Brian Zoll in the Registrar's Office. His job as Assistant Registrar is fully demanding, and yet he ably serviced the growing number of vets. Recognizing that he could not continue in that role, we created a new position, the Veteran Services Coordinator.

Eric Corder, a vet himself and current college employee, was hired in that position. Eric's responsibilities include the servicing of each veteran's account at the college and recruiting and advising vets.

The account servicing reponsibities are demanding and require monthly monitoring of student status and compliance with GI Bill benefits. The slightest of changes in status can cause significant differences in eligibility for benefits; which is why it is so important that the student and college are in close, continuous communication.

Eric's other role is to spread the word to all vets that they are eligible for benefits from the GI Bills. The vets are entitiled to receive benefits throughout their lifetime and that is the message the college is communicating. Vet's family members, spouses and children, are also eligible for benefits; their accounts are also serviced by Eric.

If you know a vet who has questions, Eric is the man to talk to!

Mike Kearns

a busy week

This week was very busy. I travelled to Phoenix on Tuesday to meet with representatives from ASU to talk about partnering with them for bachelor degree program offerings at MCC. The same day, the community college presidents met in separate meeting with the Governor, her Chief of Staff, and representatives from a task force working on P-20 Council plans.

The Governor's Office seems to be well-grounded in the reality of the state's economy. They don't mince words, they don't sugar-coat the current situation, and are trying to be very transparent in sharing information about the economy and state budget. It looks like 2 more lean revenue years are ahead for the state, which will force reductions in state expenditures; and, that is no surprise and not new information.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I had meetings with the local school superintendants where we discussed partnerships and assisting each other. Thursday's meeting included discussions with our 3 locally elected state representatives and senator.

It's very interesting to view the differences of perspectives, having been with the Governor days earlier. Politics and idealogies are the hallmark of governing, and they are what stimulate discussion and argument; however, at the end of the day, compromise is the name of the game.

It looks like a special session of the legislature may be coming soon where we'll see how much compromise will occur. I did detect an air of optimism as each politician expressed their views; one certainty is that they each realize how important it is to adopt a state budget for this year.

Mike Kearns

another year, same as the last

The state released new information this morning regarding the magnitude of the state budget deficit for this fiscal year. Previously, it was reported to be projected at $1.5 Billion for the year; today's reports indicate a projection of $2 Billion.

Last year, the trend of escalating state budget deficit was a common quarterly announcement. It looks like the trend is continuing. Several economic indicators such as unemployment rates and income tax revenues demonstrate contrary evidence that the recession is over. Until those indicators begin a continuous and sustained upward trend the state revenues will not increase. It's really quite amazing how one instance of positive movement in an indicator stimulates the media to spin it into an economic turnaround.

We have already run forecasting models based on the initial deficit projection. Today, I have requested that we expand that modelling to a higher level of deficit reductions.

As you may know, we have adapted a strategic financial analysis model to our financial and budget processes. I am confident that we can maintain the financial strength of the college by using these analytic processes; however, I don't know at what expense to current operations.

As the year progresses, and the legislature reconvenes, we will be getting more news; and, I know it won't be any better than what has been released already. I'll try to keep everyone informed as we learn more.

Mike Kearns

safety is always on my mind

Can you imagine a new rendition of a favorite Willy Nelson song, "Safety is always on my mind". I don't want to claim that this haunts me on a daily basis, but it is something I think about several times every day.

The college is responsible for the safety of students, employees, visitors, passersby, and even those who access our websites. There are so many ways that we influence people to make decisions; whether it's to park their car in this space or that, to turn left instead of right, to enter through this door or that one, etc. Each choice has so many variables and consequences if the space is not safe and secure.

We've had folks slip and fall on wet floors because they were not aware of someone mopping; we've had lacerations, bruises, and contusions due to equipment malfunctions or misuse; we've had accidents in science labs, we've had people trip on cracks in the sidewalks, we've had people scared out of their wits because of "strangers", etc.

Safety is a concern for all of us. It takes a team effort to identify risks. What is normal to one person can be perceived as a risk of injury or personal security to another.

The college is making a concerted effort to heighten the awareness of personal safety in all aspects of operations. The Safety Committee meets monthly to discuss these issues. A regular agenda item addresses every incident report that is filed and recommends corrective action so that the incident won't be repeated. Dave Brusby is the chair. Blaine Yost, the Risk Management Officer, is a key member of the committee.

If you have concerns regarding any safety issue, please bring it forward to the committee. If you are troubled by bringing it forward yourself, ask your campus dean to do it for you. This is too important an issue to let it slide; yours, or another's, safety may be at risk!

Mike Kearns

conference update

This past Thursday and Friday, I attended the American Community College Trustees Congress with one of our board members. The hot topics were the nation's economy and the American Graduation Initiative proposed by President Obama, which has found its way through the House as HR 3221 and will be heading for a vote in the Senate very soon.

The most hotly debated topic in this bill relates to student loans. The President proposes the removal of private banks from the process and using the direct student loan plan of the federal govenrment as the only source of loans. This will eliminate the "middle man" costs which will be poured back into the amount available for lending. The banking industry is lobbying hard to get this removed.

As previously mentioned in my blogs, there is also $2.5B dedicated to community college renovations and facility construction, which has really piqued our interest.

The leadership and lobbyists of all our national associations are working long hours in their attempts to get this bill through the Senate. If it passes, we are probably a year away from the dollars actually becoming available.

The college has also been vigorously pursuing other competitive grants from the stimulus plan. Of the 3 opportunities submitted so far, we just received news that one was approved. It involves another partnership opportunity with the Local Workforce Investment Board. (This will be our second such stimulus funded project with them).

Politics and philosphy aside, it's great to know that stimulus dollars are finding their way to Mohave County. We all contribute through our taxes; it's refreshing to see it come back our way.

Mike

a proposed budget cut or an opportunity

The state has requested that Arizona Community Colleges respond to a proposed 15% midyear budget reduction. Mohave CC has been appropriated about $3.6M from the state for fiscal year 2009-10. A 15% reduction is about $540,000. Last year we were appropriated over $4M and were reduced over $1.2M by the time the fiscal year was finished.

The reduction proposal was not unexpected; state revenues have been less than the budgetted amount since the new fiscal year began on July 1. The shortfall continues to increase as each month passes. My expectation is that 15% will not be enough; I expect the total amount to be over $1M by the end of the year.

The college administrative staff has been targetting specific budget items for conservation and reduction in such ways that would not directly impact the delivery of instruction to students. In fact, some have added service while reducing cost.

We have viewed the reduction in state funding as an opportunity to not only review expense items but also seek out new revenues by increasing service in venues not previously served, searching and applying for new grants, partnering with other organizations and community colleges for the delivery of programs, and making sure we are accessing the federal stimulus dollars in as many ways as possible.

We also know that we can't continue to operate the organization in the time-honored traditional style of the past. Many of those traditions have added to the financial burdens that now have become a challenge to overcome in this economy. An organizational transformation of operating paradigms is necessary. Next week, the college will be undertaking the final stage of the strategic planning process; this topic has already arisen in previous stages, and looks to be one of the areas of focus of the college in the future.

MIke Kearns

sustainability initiatives

Two new project committees have been created to move the college forward in the sustainability arena. One committee will focus on institutional activities, the other will focus on integrating sustainability issues and concerns into the academic programs of the college.

It may be somewhat puzzling to see where sustainability issues fall within the boundaries of history, medical assisting, or Spanish classes. But after a few moments to ponder the thought, one can readily recognize that green concerns are in every industry, trade , and profession. Our students will need to be fully aware of sustainability and green concerns in whatever career choice they make.

The college must also put forth a concetrated effort to identify and reduce its own waste of resources, recycle where we can, reduce consumption of chemicals, and create its own "green" identity.

Many institutions across the country have been engaged in sustainable practices for years. We can learn from them the best practices and implement them at MCC.

The committees are just getting underway and are sorting through suggested topics for their agenda. I have asked that they not try to tackle everything all at once. There are so many directions that we can go, and if we attempt to address everyone one of them we will set ourselves up to not do any of them very well.

It's also quite obvious that the committees won't be successful without student input, as well. Once the semester has progressed a little further and the committees have had a chance to sort through the startup struggles, we'll recruit students to join them.

Mike Kearns

HR 3221 goes into the Senate

After passage of HR 3221 in the House, the bill will make its way to the Senate for a vote in about 10 days. There is great debate over the student loan portion of the Senate version of the bill. Now that the private banking industry has had more time to study the effects of moving toward government backed direct student loans and excluding private banks in this market, they are lobbying hard to stop the bill from moving forward in the Senate. Consequently, we don't yet know the final language of the bill that will hit the floor for a vote.

Once we know more, we will once again be calling on students, faculty, and staff to make the calls to our Senators, McCain and Kyl, to voice our position. If party lines hold, as they did in the House, it would be of no surprise to see our delegaion vote against the bill.

Stay tuned, I'll keep you informed.

Mike

expanded partnership

Folks,

Mohave Community College is expanding our partnership role with the Mohave County One Stop office to develop "fast track" academic programs in a few selected disciplines. Over the last several weeks we have been working with One Stop staff to test and place students who are interested, and qualified, for these programs.

The college has partnered for years with our friends at the county workforce development offices. The unique aspect of this initiative is that the primary funding source is the American recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), otherwise known as stimulus money.

It is great to see that Mohave County citizens is receiving its share of the money. The college will be receiving ARRA money directly from the Governor's Office in a few days that will partially offset the reduction in state appropriations in the last fiscal year which ended on June 30. Without that money the college would have faced even tougher decisions in how to continue to operate and provide quality services.

Mike

H1N1 flu

MCC students and staff,

The H1N1 flu has been documented in Mohave County and will eventually find its way to all our campuses. The college has undertaken prevention startegies to curb its onset and spread. Hand-sanitizer dispensers will soon be in many locations on all the campuses. Surfaces will be cleaned daily with disinfecting chemicals. Posters reminding everyone to wash their hands frequently throughout the day are displayed in all our buildings.

Your assistance is needed in order to minimize the impact to our institution. If you develop flu symptoms, please stay home. Do not go back to public places for at least one whole day you last have a fever (even though you may feel fine). Stay home; you are still contagious.

Together, we can prevent significant outbreak.

Thank you for doing your part.

Mike Keanrs

birthday thank you's

Thanks to the Vice-President and three lovely women who sang Happy Birthday to me today. Not exactly the infamous "Happy Birthday Mr. President" memorialized in our nation's history; but, just as heartfelt!

Thanks to all who called Congressman Franks office over the last few days. Feedback from the office indicates we made quite an impression; and that is exactly what we needed to happen.

Mike

need your support on Congressional Bill HR3221

MCC Community,

Community colleges across the country stand to benefit greatly if a bill now before Congress finds its way into law. HR 3221 will be voted upon by our Congressman, Trent Franks, this week. We need you to call his office and urge him to vote in favor of this bill.

This bill provides funding from the stimulus plan for renovation and construction of facilities on community college campuses, as well as providing funding for financial aid and academic programs.

Our bond issue failed last November; and without a significant turnaround in the economy it is unlikely that the voters will approve adding another tax.

Please call: 202-225-4576

Ask Congressman Franks to support HR 3221

Thanks,

Mike Kearns

fall enrollment

The MCC fall enrollment is experiencing double digit growth for the 3rd year in a row. As exciting as that is, it also creates challenges to students and staff.

Students are finding that classes fill faster than they are accustomed, and the classrooms seem to have shrunk with all the bodies. The academic chairpersons were feverishly recruiting new faculty to teach all the new course sections that were added.

Our facilities and maintenance staff were also very busy renovating and adding new classrooms; stop in to take a look at the fresh, new spaces.

We are fortunate to have been able to make these facilities upgrades this summer. After the bond election failed last November, we did not receive the funding source for new construction and renovation. We searched for funds in other places. Due to aggressive fiscal review, we were able to put together the funding required. We also searched the campuses for underutilized space for classroom locations, and have created fresh, new classrooms.

Mike Kearns

welcome to the start of a new semester

It's almost here! The start of another semester. Wow! The summer has passed so quickly.

Several of the campuses have had renovations which involved relocating several familiar classrooms for a few programs. Be sure to check the room numbers carefully to avoid the embarassing situation of walking into the wrong class. I recall my own "redfaced" experience of doing just that many years ago.

The faculty have returned to campus; this year we have several new members of the faculty spread across the college. Please pass along a friendly welcome to our newcomers!

I hope all of you get off to a great start to this exciting new academic year!

Mike Kearns

President, MCC

TGIT----!

The summer hours at MCC are almost over for all of us. No more Fridays off after this week. Started the day at Lake Havasu High School with dual enrollment students. Students that were juniors last year are all looking so mature this year----and they have all their paperwork done! Wow what I difference a summer makes! Thanks guys I appreciate all that work!

Dual Enrollment one of my favorite times of semester

Lake Havasu High School has gone back to class and this is one of my favorite times of year! I love working with the LHHS students on their dual enrollment classes because I get to meet so many students with really wonderful and ambitious dreams of where they are going after high school. I don't think that at their age I was that ambitious about my future and career choice. Wow!

Welcome back faculty

Faculty,

Welcome back to campus!

We had a very busy summer as we planned for the start of the fall semester. The new ITV system is up and running; be sure to attend the training sessions so you will feel comfortable on the first day of class. An Angel upgrade has a few new twists and turns that I'm sure you will be interested in knowing more about; training sessions are also scheduled.

Many new staff have joined the college at each campus, please give them a warm welcome as you meet them in your travels about campus. Also, we ask for your patience as they learn their new roles.

Welcome-back luncheons sponsored by the Foundation are scheduled on each campus. See you there!

Mike Kearns

It is not too late to register for MCC Fall classes

If you're thinking about going to college it is not too late to enroll at Mohave Community College for the Fall semester. Classes begin August 17th! Come in to speak to an advisor about attending classes. MCC offers classes from firefighting to foods (Culinary Arts) and much more.

The job market now is asking for people interested the Allied Health fields and MCC has some of the best degree and certificate programs in these areas including Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Surgical Technologist, Pharmacology Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Medical Assistant, Chemical Dependency Assistant, and more. Call MCC today in Kingman, Bullhead, Lake Havasu City, and our North Campus at Colorado City.

We also offer Distance Education classes online. Call toll free at 1-866-664-8832 today.

Visit the LHC Campus MCC Booth at Havasu Stick'Em this Saturday

Join MCC Lake Havasu Admissions Counselor (me) this Saturday at the 4th Annual Havasu Stick'Em at the Aquatic Center 100 Park Avenue from 8 AM to 1 PM. Even if you aren't taking advantage of this Free Immunization Clinic for kids ages 0-18 come by to visit the booths! Entertainment, food, games, fun and lots of information.

I will be there with information about MCC programs, degrees, GED testing and registration, EMT, Firefighter, and Culinary degrees info, Fall 2009 schedules and lots of nice give aways. Register to win an MCC tote bag full of goodies or stop by and let the kids play bean bag toss. For more information give me a call or email me.

Hope to see you there!

Career Fair!

Are you looking for a job? Are you wanting to change careers? Mohave Community College is having a FREE Career Fair this Saturday, July 25th from 10am-3pm. It will be located at 400 Grandview Avenue in Kingman, AZ. Meet with employers and fill out applications on the spot. If you have any questions about the Career Fair please do not hesitate to give me a call or e-mail. 928-704-7784 or ksantangelo@mohave.edu. Hope to see you there!

No summer time blues for Dr. Mike Rourke

Dr. Mike Rourke, life sciences faculty at the Lake Havasu Campus is working at Mono Lake in California for the summer. Dr. Rourke has been doing this summers for a long time--even his wife Lien (MCC business associate faculty) and son Chris (MCC 2009 grad) work there too! Dr. Rourke has a sign outside of his office that says "If you visit Mono Lake this summer, look me up. I'll give you a tour of South Tufa."

Dr. Rourke is also advisor on campus of the Global Concerns Club that hosted this year's Earth Day at LHC MCC and also is group leader of the MCC birding group that meets each month for an outing from September to April. To reach Dr. Rourke with questions about science, the global concerns club, birding, or Mono Lake email him at mrourke@mohave.edu .

Fall Registration Begins June15th

Hope everyone is having a great summer! Don't forget if you would like to register for Fall semester classes we will begin in-person registration on Monday, June 15th. Hope to see you all here on campus. If you have any questions don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an e-mail. :)

Dual Enrollment at LHHS growing

The end of the school year just means the beginning of another at MCC and Lake Havasu High School. I just got the tentative rosters for dual enrollment classes this coming fall for LHHS and it looks like the classes are really growing for the 2009-2010 school year. A couple of computer classes have been added to the schedule this year including CIS 115 Computer Repair I and CIS 125 Basic Game Design and Creation taught by Robert Treichel who is new this year to to the dual enrollment classes--welcome!

If you don't know what a dual enrollment class is ---well here it is---"a dual enrollment class is a college-level course conducted on a high school campus that is applicable to an established community college academic degree or certificate program. . ."


MCC has been offering dual enrollment classes at the high schools near them--both high school districts and charter school since the 2003-2004 academic year and it has been growing ever since. For details students can contact the admissions counselor at each MCC campus or contact their Guidance Counselor for a complete list of courses at their high school.

Lake Havasu faculty Lori Howell visiting Germany this summer

Just got a "gone for the summer" note from Chemical Dependency Therapy Assistant program coordinator Lori Howell (MC, NCC, LISAC) who is going to vacation for a while in Germany this summer. Lori said "I'm going to Germany to trace my family roots on my mom's side. She escaped East Germany. I'm also making cultural and substance use observations in preparation for (anecdotal opportunities in) my Multicultural, Family Systems, and Foundation of Chem Dep classes in the Fall."

Now that is a working vacation!

Congratulations Seniors!

Congratulations to all Seniors in Mohave County!!! I hope that you all have a great summer and good luck with your future college or career plans.

Just a friendly reminder that MCC is currently registering students for summer classes. We also will be starting registration for the Fall semester on June 15th. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask! (928-704-7784 or ksantangelo@mohave.edu)

Lake Havasu High School Career Quest a Huge Success

Thanks to Lake Havasu High School for the great welcome for the Career Quest that MCC helped host on April 22nd for all their 9th and 10th grade students at LHHS.

Congratulations to Mr. Ted Darnell and his sophomore "Knight Time" advising group for winning a gift tote for Mr. Darnell and a "Career Quest Seeker Extraordinaire" certificate for his group for collecting the most treasure bucks during the Quest. Each student earned one buck at each career table they visited during the quest. MCC is certainly looking forward to next year's event.

Thank you Kingman High School Seniors

It was a pleasure having you on campus April 30, 2009.

May barbecues set for prospective truck driver students

Read the story: http://blogs.mohave.edu/mohavewire/press-releases/may-barbecues-set-for-prospective-truck-driver-students/

LHC promotes College for Kids at Chemehuevi event

Read the story: http://blogs.mohave.edu/mohavewire/press-releases/lhc-promotes-college-for-kids-at-chemehuevi-event/