INTERCOM October 30, 2009

Intercom Newsletter: Intercom is a publication of Mar-keting and Communications. It is produced electronically every Friday for the faculty and staff of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Submissions: Please submit your items via e-mail to Intercom@nvcc.edu by 5:00 p.m. on Friday prior to pub-lication. Photos should be sub-mitted as digital files and at-tachments should be in MS Word or MS Publisher format. All submissions are subject to editing for length and clarity. The articles and information in this publication are written and submitted by NOVA faculty and staff (contributors) and are pub-lished with the understanding that such information is correct and verified by the contributor prior to submission. Editor: Alison Nicole Nooks Phone: 703-323-3002 For Intercom Archives and Submission Guidelines: http://www.nvcc.edu/pip/ Posting Schedule: Intercom is posted on the Web by Friday afternoon each week unless there is a holiday. Inclement weather or technical emergencies may prevent Inter-com from being posted on time. During the summer and in-between semesters, Intercom is published every other Friday. Submit your news today!

Inside: Pages 8- 10: Up & Coming Pages 11- 13: Hot Topics

Page 2: Table of Contents Pages 2 - 7: NOVA Sightings

First Cohort of NOVA Leadership Program Participants Chosen

NOVA is pleased to announce the first cohort group of participants in

NOVA’s Leadership Program, designed to help prepare current NOVA em-ployees for future leadership opportunities. The group will meet for the first time on October 30 on the Annandale Campus.

The NOVA Leadership Program is a six-month leadership development experience for faculty leaders, mid-level managers and senior administrators who want to develop their capacity to serve in more significant leadership positions at NOVA as opportunities become available. The program will pre-pare participants to understand strategic leadership issues and opportunities facing NOVA, and community colleges in general during the next several years.

The first cohort for the 2009-2010 Leadership Program was limited to 16 participants. Applications were accepted between September 15 and October 1, and the response was overwhelming. Forty-four candidates were identified. The Administrative Council chose participants based on the quality of the application, recommendation of the supervisor and provost or vice president, and evidence of leadership potential. Announced on October 23, the first group of participants are as follows: Ron Buchanan Virginia Cabasa-Hess Frances Villagran-Glover Charlotte Calobrisi Elizabeth Harper Jennifer Roberts Cathy Simpson Miguel Garcia Ed Mellon Charles Errico Mary Ann Schmitt Michael Carrington Allen Sinner Celeste Dubeck-Smith Michael Tucker Renee McLaurin

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Table of Contents:

Page 1 • First Cohort of NOVA Leader-

ship Program Participants Cho-sen

Page 2 • It’s Elemental: Manassas

Campus Celebrates National Chemistry Week

Page 3 • NOVA Board Members Hear

Obama’s Challenge Page 4 • Loudoun Campus Volunteers at

the Katherine Hanley Shelter • Loudoun’s 2nd Annual

Campus Bonfire Page 5 • Ferguson and Students Accept

a Unique Challenge Page 6 • 2009 Summer Global & Rural

Health Nursing Page 7 • Sabir Receives A Joyous

Send-Off Page 8 • Upcoming Assessment

Workshops Page 9 • NOVA Woodbridge Theatre

Group Presents “All My Sons” • Yoga for Faculty and Staff Page 10 • Call for Proposals for VCCS New

Horizons 2010: Discover What’s Next

• Power Up Your Pedagogy Conference

• Entertainment Books Are Here Page 11 • Important Changes to State

Travel Regulations Meals and Incidental Travel Expenses

• 9 “Must Know” Safety One Liners

Page 12 • Time Is Running Out to Make

Changes in Salary Deferrals • Leave Sharing Request • VALIC Representative to Visit

NOVA Campuses • President’s Sabbatical Deadline Page 13 • Benefits Open Enrollment

Periods in October • Awards Committee Announce-

ment

NOVASIGHTINGS

It’s Elemental: Manassas Campus Celebrates National Chemistry Week

Ahmed Benhusen and Pamela Kraemer promoted National Chemis-

try Week at the Manassas Campus with an eye-catching display and a con-test based on the “It’s Elemental” theme.

“I have been doing this for eight years as a fun way to introduce chem-istry to everyone at the Campus as well as engage our science students,” Kraemer said.

Participants who answer quiz questions like “Which elemental particle of the atom has no charge?” and “Can you name the subatomic particles of an atom?” earn such prizes as a periodic table poster.

Every year, Kraemer designs a new display for the celebration. This year’s display featured models of diamond, water and carbon dioxide and attracted the attention of everyone walking down the Colgan Hall 3rd floor corridor.

Instructor/trainer Pamela Kraemer created this attractive display to celebrate National Chemistry Week at the Manassas Campus.

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NOVASIGHTINGS

NOVA Board Members Hear Obama’s Challenge On October 7, the Marketing Program Advisory Board composed of 15 local marketing executives held

their fall meeting in the Brault Building. Special guests were two members of the NVCC Educational Foun-dation Board, the president of Todos Supermarkets, Carlos Castro and vice president of Customer Opera-tions for Cox Communications, Steve Gruneisen.

Executive Vice President John Dever presented President Obama’s challenge to community colleges and NOVA’s opportunity for leadership in expanding student training options along with increasing student graduation rates.

Committee members, several who are NOVA graduates, work with the Marketing Program in many ways offering scholarships, internships and as adjunct faculty.

Left to right: Marketing Committee Executive Secretary Katherine Olson; Executive Vice President John Dever; Marketing Director Fair Oaks Mall Ferris Kaplan; NVCC Educational Foundation (NVCCEF) Director John Ruffino; Todos Supermarkets President Carlos Castro (NVCCEF board member); Vice President Customer Operations Cox Communications Steve Gruneisen (NVCCEF board member) and Vice President Community Relations Apple Federal Credit Union Robert Sowell Sr. Photo by Kevin Mattingly

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NOVASIGHTINGS

Loudoun Campus Volunteers at the Katherine Hanley Shelter On October 20, the Loudoun Campus

Students Activities sponsored a trip to the Katherine Hanley Family shelter in Fair-fax. Loudoun students were given the op-portunity to tour the site and serve. During the day students reorganized the facility’s library books in alphabetical order, organ-ized the donation office supply room and cleaned the grounds. The students enjoyed their experience and for many of them it was their first time volunteering at a homeless shelter.

Student Activities Coordinator Tiffney Laing and Loudoun Campus students Jennifer Flo-res, Latoya Adams, Johanna Rojas, Audrey Deuglove and Timothey Crump.

Loudoun’s 2nd Annual Campus Bonfire

On October 19, Student Activities hosted

its 2nd annual bonfire. The event was a huge success with a great turn out of over 60 stu-dents. Loudoun County firefighters joined the crowd of students, faculty and staff for kara-oke, smores, hot chocolate and fun. Everyone enjoyed the activity and is looking forward to next year’s bonfire.

Loudoun Campus students Mohammed Moan (right) and Timothy Crump (left) with Student Activities Coordinator Tiffney Laing (center) enjoying karaoke.

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NOVASIGHTINGS

Ferguson and Students Accept a Unique Challenge

American Culture and Language Institute (ACLI) Instructor Kathy Ferguson's ESLA 1975 (Speaking and Listening: intermediate level) class participated in a project entitled "And We'd All Been Drinking," based on the alcohol-related death of a high school student. Reader's Digest began a contest which chal-lenged ad agencies across the country to produce effective anti-drunk driving posters/presentations. Fergu-son's class accepted the same challenge, showing the deadly consequences of drinking and driving. ESLA 1975 worked together in groups and created the posters for their joint presentations. The results are on dis-play in the upper lobby of the CF building, Annandale Campus, next to the Student Activities Office.

Kathy Ferguson (AN) (first row on the right) with her students in front of their display.

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NOVASIGHTINGS

2009 Summer Global & Rural Health Nursing

NUR 293 Studies in Global & Rural Health Nursing was offered as an experimental course in the first summer session of 2009. It was designed as a “sandwich” study abroad class with coursework starting at NOVA. It then led to travel to Bonyere-Nzema, Western Region of Ghana, West Africa. Finally, students returned with follow up study and assignments. Nine NOVA nursing students enrolled and they, along with faculty member Daria U. Amato, took this eye-opening journey. They spent 14 days at two hospitals, a ru-ral clinic, an orphanage and performing health screenings. Tourism, shopping and food were included in the experience.

It was such an amazing experience. To learn more about it, please feel free to go to the students’ publica-tion: http://NUR2932009.pbworks.com.

Students celebrate July 4 at the Elmina Resort Hotel near Cape Coast, Ghana. First Row: Rachel Wat-son, Dr. Peace Donkor (host); Shou Tzong; Reverend Charles Nyane (host). Second Row: Shoma Bhow-mik; Nnenna Uchella; Catherine Kirkpatrick; Jane Prosperi; Reverend Egya Blay (host); Daria U. Amato (NOVA faculty); Mary Carter. Third Row: Maryam Sindi and Natalie Calungui.

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NOVASIGHTINGS

Sabir Receives A Joyous Send-Off

Nighat Sabir enjoyed a send-off dinner with some faculty in the former Visual and Performing Arts and

Public Services Division (VPA & PS). She now joins the Financial Aid Center and the Academic Center for Excellence. With over 20 years of experience, Sabir started as a student hire, promoted to student activities accountant, later promoted to secretary and senior secretary of VPA & PS and finally to office manager. Her expertise and assistance will be greatly missed, but her genuine collegiality will be missed the most.

From left to right: Linda (Page) Carr, Sarah Raymond, Virginia R Primus, Brenda Lewis-Holmes, Angela Copeland, Gail E Freedman, Jacqueline Schillig, Ivy Beringer, Nighat Sabir (with balloons), William R. Schran and Nancy B. Gleeson.

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UP&COMING

Upcoming Assessment Workshops

As part of NOVA’s ongoing commitment to student learning, the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) and Academic Assessment continue its series of workshops devoted to student learning outcomes (SLOs). Our next workshops will be devoted to developing rubrics for evaluating student work and to classroom assessment techniques (CATs).

For the two remaining sessions, you must RSVP by close of business (COB) on the day before the meet-

ing so that your e-mail address can be entered into the class, after which you will be sent the link for the session. Please note the maximum online capacity is 20. For information on attending eMeetings (including system requirements), see: http://www.nvcc.edu/current-students/technology/emeeting/before/index.html.

For questions or to RSVP, please contact the Coordinator of Academic Assessment, Jennifer Roberts, at jeroberts@nvcc.edu or 703-323-3086.

Developing Rubrics October 30 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. eMeeting

RSVP by October 29 20 person limit

Classroom Assessment Techniques November 4 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. eMeeting

RSVP by November 3 20 person limit

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UP&COMING

NOVA Woodbridge Theatre Group Presents “All My Sons” The NOVA Woodbridge Theatre Group of the Woodbridge Campus presents Arthur Miller's drama of

guilt, responsibility and redemption, “All My Sons.” Performances are will be November 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 8:00 p.m. and November 14 and 21 at 2:00 p.m. The location of the performances will be at the Lake-side Theatre on the Woodbridge Campus, 15200 Neabsco Mills Road, Woodbridge, Virginia 22191-4099. General Admission is $10, and students, faculty/staff, seniors, children (12 and under) and the military ad-mission is $5. Tickets are available at the door or http://www.nvcc.edu/nwtg/reservations.htm. For ques-tions, please contact 703-878-5750 or etrumbull@nvcc.edu.

Yoga for Faculty and Staff

Yoga is available for faculty and staff! The classes will be offered on Wednesdays from 12:00 p.m. to 12:40 p.m. and on Thursdays from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. starting in November and will run through December 17. The classes will be located in the CE Building, room 107 .

Submit to the Intercom!

Deadline: Submissions must be received (via e-mail) by 5:00 p.m. on Fridays for the following week’s edition. Submission Guidelines: Submissions should be e-mailed to intercom@nvcc.edu. Unformatted text should be sent in an MSWord document or may be put into the body of the e-mail. All photos should be attached as jpeg, bmp, tiff or eps files; photo captions should also be included with your text. For guidelines go online to: http://www.nvcc.edu/pip/guidelines.htm. Please remember all news submissions should highlight NOVA faculty and/or staff. NEXT EDITION: November 6

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UP&COMING

Call for Proposals for VCCS New Horizons 2010: Discover What’s Next

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) New Horizons 2010: Discover What’s Next confer-ence will be held April 7 to 9, 2010 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. High-tech, mid-tech and no-tech proposals that are geared toward enhancing teaching and learning are all welcome.

Go to the New Horizons front page and bookmark it: http://www.vccs.edu/FacultyStaff/ProfessionalDevelopment/tabid/120/Default.aspx. They will frequently update the site to keep everyone informed of the latest developments. You can access the call for proposals link on the left to submit your proposals. The deadline for submission is 12:00 p.m. on November 16.

It is going to be great! The VCCS hopes you can come and make this the best New Horizons ever!

Power Up Your Pedagogy Conference Academic Services, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), the Extended Learning

Institute (ELI), Human Resources (HR), Technology Applications Center (TAC) and Web Services & Digi-tal Media (WSDM) are gearing up for the 4th Annual Power Up Your Pedagogy Conference. The PUP faculty development conference is “by and for” NOVA faculty.

The PUP conference will be held at NOVA’s Annandale Campus on January 6 and 7, 2010. This is our second year of combining Cross Campus Day with the PUP Conference. All NOVA faculty (young, old, emeriti, part-time, full-time, teaching, professional and administrative) are welcome to attend.

College Staff from Academic Services, CETL, ELI, HR, TAC and WSDM are welcome to attend and will also be presenting.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Encouraging Excellence!” There will be six strands: 1. Excellence in Academic Leadership 2. Excellence in Instructional Technology 3. Excellence in Online and Hybrid Education 4. Excellence in Professional Development 5. Excellence in Student Services 6. Excellence in Teaching and Learning Early bird registrations are now being accepted! To learn more, go online

http://www.nvcc.edu/faculty-and-staff/teaching-support/cetl/index.html.

Entertainment Books Are Here The Entertainment 2010 coupon books have arrived! They make a unique holiday gift.

The Entertainment 2010 books are available in room 817 in the Pitney Bowes Building. The books cost $30.00 each. The NVCC Educational Foundation receives $5.00 from each book sold. The books contain over 500 discounts for dining, vacation packages, music, theaters and even online shopping. You may pay by cash, credit card (VISA or MC only) or check. For more information, call Michelle Beaini at 703-323-3023 or e-mail mbeaini@nvcc.edu. Entertainment 2010 may be used immediately, so do not delay – buy yours today.

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HOTTOPICS

Important Changes to State Travel Regulations Meals and Incidental Travel Expenses

As of October 1, 2009, a flat rate of $5.00 per diem amount is paid for each day of overnight travel

regardless of destination, for incidental expenses such as bellhop/waiter/taxi/limousine tips, personal tele-phone calls, laundry and transportation between lodging or business and places where meals may be taken. The incidentals amount is not prorated on a travel departure or return date. The flat $5.00 per diem is paid on all travel days.

Standard meal and incidental reimbursement guidelines (including all related taxes and tips) are pro-

vided in the Lodging / M & IE Guideline Tables on pages 22 through 27 of the State Travel Regulations. For a complete guide on State Travel Regulations, please read Topic No. 20335 of the Commonwealth

Accounting Policies and Procedures (CAPP) Manual by clicking on the following link: http://www.doa.virginia.gov/Admin_Services/CAPP/CAPP_Topics/20335.pdf.

TOTAL $41 $46 $51 $56 $61 $66 $71 Breakfast $7 $7 $8 $9 $10 $11 $12 Lunch $11 $11 $12 $13 $15 $16 $18 Dinner $18 $23 $26 $29 $31 $34 $36 Incidentals $5 $5 $5 $5 $5 $5 $5 75% Travel Days $32 $36 $40 $44 $47 $51 $55

9 “Must Know” Safety One Liners

1. If you are sick, and seasonal flu/H1N1 is suspected or confirmed, please remember to notify your supervisor/ faculty member who is responsible for filling out the “Health Hazards Flu Response Pro-cedures Checklist and faxing it to the Office of Emergency Planning 703-323-3718 or 3121.

2. During the flu/cold season be conscious of social gatherings such as birthday parties, holiday parties or general office functions. Social distancing is important.

3. Please be comfortable in “voluntarily” wearing the surgical/dust mask; the masks prevent /reduce airborne droplets from entering your space.

4. Those who are sick need to stay home. If you get sick while at the College, please go home. 5. If your colleagues are sick, encourage them to go home. 6. Supervisors should encourage their sick employees to stay home or go home. 7. Supervisors who are sick should lead by example and go home or stay home when sick. 8. Prevent your own emergency: watch out for those slips, trip and fall hazards. 9. For those labs or departments requiring a hazardous waste pick up, please contact your Campus En-

vironmental Officer.

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HOTTOPICS

Time Is Running Out to Make Changes in Salary Deferrals

Employees who wish to increase their salary deferral amounts to reach their IRS calendar year goals need to monitor their per pay period deferrals. Following the November 1 pay, there will be four remaining pay periods in this calendar year for salaried employees. Adjunct faculty may only have one remaining pay period. The third party remitter of 403(b) funds has cut-off dates for submission for the rest of the year. The 457 plan also has cut-off dates to effect payroll changes. The general limit for either the 403(b) or 457 plan is $16,500; if using the age 50 catch-up, the maximum deferral is $22,000. Please direct your questions about salary deferrals to the Human Resources (HR) benefits team. As a reminder, new enrollments or change in deferrals for the 457 plan are done using your PIN number. Please contact the VRS-DC plan at 1-877-327-5261 if experiencing access problems.

Leave Sharing Request Manassas Campus Police Officer Daniel Russell has requested to participate in the leave-sharing pro-

gram. If you would like to donate leave hours to Russell, please contact Sonia Aboulhosn at 703-323-3119 for a leave donor form or go to the Human Resources (HR) Web site http://www.nvcc.edu/hr/forms to download the Leave Donor Form. Please fax the form back to HR at 703-323-3155. Leave must be donated in eight-hour increments and only annual leave may be donated.

VALIC Representative to Visit NOVA Campuses A VALIC 403(b) representative, Bill Frogale, will be available for consultation and review of plan de-

tails with VALIC participants at the Alexandria and Annandale Campuses on several dates in Novem-ber. All visits are scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On November 11, Frogale will meet appoint-ments and walk-ins in the Annandale Campus Provost’s Conference Room. He will also be available to meet with participating employees at the Alexandria Campus on November 17 and 18 in the Bidsorf (AA) Building Room 158. Please call Frogale at 571-221-1983 to set up an appointment.

President’s Sabbatical Deadline The President’s Sabbatical Award will allow three faculty members, one of whom can be on a twelve-

month contract, to receive a semester of leave with full pay. Proposals will be awarded based on their excel-lence and a candidate’s potential to contribute to the long-range mission of the College. Those wishing to apply for the award for the 2010-2011 academic year will need to submit their proposal by December 1.

Proposals should be no longer than 1,000 words and specify how the sabbatical leave will uniquely benefit both the individual and the College. The proposal and a 50-word executive summary should be sent to Human Resources as an e-mail attachment along with NVCC form 105-100. Faculty members on the Personnel Services Committee (who are not eligible for the award) will evaluate the proposals. Award re-cipients will present a lecture on their sabbatical experience to the College community during the year fol-lowing their leave. Questions concerning this important professional development opportunity should be directed to your local representative on the Personnel Services Committee or to the chair, Charles Errico, at 703-878-5639.

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HOTTOPICS

Awards Committee Announcement

Opportunities are available for NOVA full-time faculty to apply for two major programs sponsored by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS): the Chancellor’s Commonwealth Professorship and the Chancellor’s Faculty Fellowship.

The Chancellor’s Commonwealth Professorship provides reassigned time, summer stipends and funding for reimbursable expenses over two years for faculty to pursue self-directed projects. Up to three individuals may be designated Chancellor's Commonwealth Professors each year. For detailed information, go to http://www.vccs.edu/FacultyStaff/ProfessionalDevelopment/Scholarships/tabid/387/Default.aspx and click on “Chancellor’s Commonwealth Professorship.”

The Chancellor’s Faculty Fellowship provides support to faculty pursuing doctoral degrees. The Chan-cellor's Faculty Fellowship is awarded annually to up to three professional educators in the VCCS. To learn more, go to http://www.vccs.edu/FacultyStaff/ProfessionalDevelopment/Scholarships/tabid/387/Default.aspx and click on “Chancellor’s Faculty Fellowship.”

Applications for NOVA faculty are processed through the Awards Committee. Those interested in pursuing either opportunity for the next academic year should submit the required materials to Debbie Rosen, chair of the Awards Committee, by November 16.

Benefits Open Enrollment Periods in October Two benefits programs have an Open Enrollment period in the month of October. The first one is an

open enrollment period for the College’s long-term disability program with UNUM. The second Open En-rollment period is for faculty who are current participants in the Optional Retirement Program.

Optional Retirement Plan Participants - Provider Change Opportunity: The Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) has two providers available to plan participants. They are Fidelity Investments and TIAA-CREF. If an ORP participant wishes to change his/her current vendor, a request to Human Resources for a Provider Change Form is needed. In addition, the enrollment and beneficiary form of the new provider must be completed. Information on each provider is available on their respective Web sites, http://www.fidelity.com/atwork and http://www.tiaa-cref.org. This enrollment period does not permit cur-rent plan participants to convert to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) defined benefit plan. All forms requesting a change in providers must be received in Human Resources by close of business on the last business day in October. Please contact Eileen Sorenson at 703-323-3396 or Janice Cottingham at 703-323-3336 with any questions.

Please note that the attachment section of the Intercom can be accessed online at: http://www.nvcc.edu/pip/103009attachment.pdf.