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Update From President, Jason S. Wood, Ph.D. – July 23, 2021

Jason WoodPosted on Posted in COVID-19, Update

Greetings, Colleagues!

Go ahead and celebrate…BUCKS IN SIX!!!  Congratulations to our very own Milwaukee Bucks for winning the NBA championship.  As a fan of both basketball and competition, I enjoyed learning more about Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo.  This glimpse into what he has overcome to rise to the very top of his profession, yet still remain grounded and humble, is inspiring. (Delete reference to the Green Bay Packers for obvious reasons)

News from around a super awesome two-year technical college:

  1. COVID Update
    1. We are aware of the highly contagious Delta strain now dominating the new cases.  At this point we are monitoring the local situation, staying updated with recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, watching for state-issued requirements, and consulting with local health officials.  Our COVID Operations Team is considering the best options to keep people safe and continue learning in our programs.
    2. We emphasize the importance of vaccinations while recognizing some people have a medical or non-medical rationale for not getting vaccinated.  We will continue to respect each other despite a variety of philosophical differences guiding our individual choices.
    3. Please know the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths are now among the unvaccinated but we stress the fact you can still get sick even with a vaccine.  If you have been vaccinated, we encourage you to wear a mask especially if you are concerned.  If you are not vaccinated, masks are required on campus.  We should all continue to maintain physical distance, stay home if sick, and regularly wash hands.  Please stay tuned as we learn more.
  2. Project Rise (Enterprise Resource Planning – ERP)
    1. Finance Module is live!  There are many, many people who have made this possible.  Special thanks to Kelly Kelly, Amy Campbell, Ashley Crubel, Holly Crubel, Kim Govier, Mackenzie Moravitz, and Andy Draus for their efforts to plan, design, train, and implement the new module.  Sarah Delegge said, “I cannot congratulate this team enough for their dedication to getting it right and their positive we-can-do-this attitude.”  We are appreciative of everyone doing their part to make this new system work, especially the patience by system users and communication of issues to the Project Rise team.
    2. Please note we anticipate process changes as the various ERP modules go live.  The finance module, for example, provides the opportunity for pre-approval of purchases.  This benefits the college by allowing us to track funds in real time, ensure better spending practices at a critical time, and address concerns about appropriate controls raised in past financial and state compliance audits.  Many processes will change as we have planned throughout the implementation.  We expect better efficiency and increased effectiveness which both contribute to an improved experience for our students and each other.
  3. Leadership by Example
    1. Please note that Dr. Chantel Hampton is replacing Dr. Derek Dachelet as co-chair of the Leadership Council with Kris Wubben.  Derek will be leading our outreach and listening sessions with local businesses.  Thank you Derek! Welcome Chantel! We appreciate your continued commitment, Kris!
    2. This week’s Leadership Council agenda is attached.  I am grateful our Leadership Council is participating in the “Ouch, That Stereotype Hurt’s” training.  We are also developing a training on the legal implications of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI).  Two of our long-time college attorneys, Eileen Brownlee and Jon Anderson, will facilitate the training in September.  Through sharing expertise and hands-on learning activities we will improve our understanding of the legal requirements and implications of DEI at the college.  We will establish the foundation of expectations for our behaviors and interactions recognizing the aspirational goal of improving our culture through our Respect Pledge.  You can sign it electronically and we currently have about 150 signatures with a ways to go considering nearly 1,000 people receive this email.  😊
    3. One of the best ways I know to increase respect, empathy, and mutual understanding is to genuinely care enough to get to know someone with a unique background.  If you have ideas on how we can learn or grow in this area, please send them my way.
  4. New Student Orientation (NSO)
    1. Thank you to everyone who helped with NSO this past week.  Well over 200 hundred students participated.  Robin Hamel played a key role in leading the efforts.  We thank the many, many faculty and staff who helped by providing tours, teaching sessions, setting up, cleaning up, distributing laptops, sharing information with students, and generally being very welcoming.  Nice work!

In closing, please enjoy the last week of July.  I hope you are able to spend some time doing something you like with people you love.  We’ll be welcoming students back into our classrooms soon.  And it will be great to help them be successful which is what we do best…especially when we work together!

Thanks,

Jason

P.S. For those of you who do not receive the Fennimore Times, the article that was published yesterday is attached and expands on the thoughts I shared in last week’s update.  Feedback or comments are appreciated!

Posted in COVID-19, Update