Welcome to Staff Development!

Extra Effort Awards – October 19, 2020

 

Deborah Bowers, Adjunct Professor, HPED/Wellness

– Nominated by Ann Nordyke

I want to recognize Deborah for her excellent work with the employee small group fitness program. She has done amazing work setting up our classes and working through technology issues so that we can have a high quality, fun experience. Great job, Deborah!

– Nominated by Karen Koller

Deborah is amazing at keeping her small group fitness classes engaged and moving, even while we are all at home using Zoom.  There have been many technical challenges, but she keeps her positive attitude and we always get in a great workout (and she also records the sessions so we can get a third workout in each week).  Thank you, Deborah, for making these sessions excellent, despite the virtual challenges!

– Nominated by Ashley Jost

Deborah has stepped-up and kept us moving forward toward our fitness goals in the employee personal training class as it transitioned to Zoom!  She has provided her personal attention, even while juggling multiple groups and sessions, department staff retirements, and beyond!  I am so grateful for her positive enthusiasm and motivation in coordinating this opportunity for employees!

– Nominated by Gerry Barrett

Deborah is ALWAYS willing to help any of her students, at any time, during or outside of class time. She always devotes many hours of her personal time preparing sessions for personal training. She has gone the extra mile to make adjustments to teach via Zoom.

 

Steve Franklin, Coordinator Student Basic Needs, Student Activities – Nominated by Janice Blansit
JCAE staff became aware that one of our students was experiencing a sudden, severe hardship.  The student is 110% committed to learning English as she knows it will be important for securing a good job.  As part of a domestic dispute, she lost access to her computer, which would have forced her to drop her JCAE class.  Steve Franklin was able to gain support for an exception (for our non-credit student) and agreed to provide the student with a loaner laptop.  Additionally, the student is working long hours to provide for her young child.  To help her meet all her obligations, Steve is taking the computer to West Park next Monday evening to have her sign for it!  As soon as that step is completed, a JCAE staff member will work directly with the student to prepare the device with all the applications and resources she will need to continue her class.  Finally, childcare is a challenge now as the student’s work hours are so long, and Steve provided a link for childcare resources near her residence that may help her.  Three cheers for Steve and the Basic Needs Center!

 

Ed Keating, Adjunct Professor, Industrial Technology/ Automation Engineer Technology – Nominated by Hugh Clark
Ed Keating goes way beyond the requirements of an Adjunct. He travels from Topeka and arrives early on campus, by several hours, to prep great lesson plans. This allows for students who want more time to work with the trainers and complete labs this opportunity outside of the normal schedule. This lab schedule allows students to fully grasp the concepts of the courses.

  

Randi Capehart Worley, Coordinator, Academic Support Division – Nominated by Tai Edwards
Randi joined the Academic Support Division during the pandemic. Not only is this daunting timing, but she is expected to serve an eclectic division that has very technical and varied needs. Randi has learned the copious software systems required for this position and executes assisting and coordinating for the division with great organization and rapid speed. In a world where very, little seems to work well (and definitely not quickly), Randi stands out as a colleague who truly embodies “Academic Support.” I am very grateful for Randi’s excellence as it makes my work serving students and the community also more effective. Thank you, Randi!

 

Phil Veer, Professor, Mathematics – Nominated by Melissa Weston
As director of the Quick Step Plus College Algebra program, Phil has faced many obstacles during the pandemic from unstable technology, unhappy teachers, loss of campus resources, and the list goes on. Throughout the difficult months of preparing for the upcoming school year, he worked tirelessly with no complaint even as situations and needs were changing daily, and he was asked to go back to the drawing board over and over. Phil looks to find the best outcome for all involved and truly exemplifies the mission of the college. He is an inspiration to the colleagues in the program.

 

The Quick-Step Plus Team:
Phil Veer, Professor Mathematics, Mathematics Department
Whitney Turner, Asst. Prof Mathematics, Mathematics Department
Melissa Weston, Asst. Prof Mathematics, Mathematics Department
Stacey McMillen, Asst. Prof Mathematics, Mathematics Department

– Nominated by a colleague

The team is enrolling high school students for college credit in college algebra called Quick-Step Plus. They, along with some of their department colleagues, are proctoring placement exams. In a normal year, the students would go to the JCCC Testing Center. They are scheduling in-person weekdays and weekends for the Blue Valley students. At least one member of the group (Phil, Stacey, Melissa, or Whitney) is present at every session. With two sessions per day (late afternoon and evening) in addition to their regular duties with self-paced courses the amount of time and effort this team is putting forth in the evenings and on the weekends for the college and the department is admirable.  Thanks for the Extra Effort!

 

Moving forward, the virtual Extra Effort Awards will be announced bi-weekly.  The virtual Extra Effort Award nomination form can be found at https://blogs.jccc.edu/staffdev/awards/extra-effort/