Transition Advisory Taskforce (TAT) Review Meetings
I wanted to remind you all that we are hosting two review sessions for the college community on our first two draft project charters: Comprehensive Program Review and Transformation of Physical Infrastructure. Michelle Graham recently added these to all calendars to share the Zoom links. Please join us! If you are unable to attend, we will be recording the sessions and will make them available. We plan to build our resources on our website, so watch for that announcement in my December update.
· Wednesday, November 11th at 12:00pm: Comprehensive Program Review of All Academic Programs
· Thursday, November 19th at 2:00pm: Transformation and Investment in our Physical Infrastructure
TAT in Motion
Some of the work of the Physical Infrastructure charter has already begun. Recent moves are the manifestation of our goal to create opportunities for property sales that can fund other infrastructure priorities. The Admissions team has completed their move to the Administrative Center so we can put the Allen House on the market. The move includes the Marketing team and Resource Development and Administration consolidating their office spaces into one office each, still within Admin. The Nursing department staff have also relocated to Clark near the lab. The simulation lab has moved to the Gifford campus, further integrating our students into real-world settings and advancing the continuing education of Gifford employees. Change is good in these cases!
Spring Academic Calendar Starts February 1
The academic dean’s office has announced the academic calendars and updated them on the college website. Vermont Tech is following the guidelines from the State by starting our spring semester on February 1, 2021. This is designed to avoid as much of the common flu season as possible gathered as a community and avoid confusion with COVID illness. Residential housing will be offered on our two residential campuses again next semester. Watch for an email from Student Affairs soon to sign up for housing. We anticipate move-in dates of January 15 for any early arriving populations (like athletes) and January 28 & 29 for the rest of the residential population. The winter Practical Nurse semester begins on December 7, 2020 and spring semester begins April 19, 2021.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Kathleen Mason and Hartness Library continue to provide us all with amazing learning opportunities in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. I strongly encourage all of us to participate and engage, to do the work needed to foster a more welcoming, vibrant community. The next session for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is Friday, November 13 at noon, on Becoming an Ally. The next Hartness Library Racial Justice discussion is Friday, November 20, with a book and movie review.
Expanding and Sharing Hartness Library Across the System
Hartness Library Director Jim Allen is chairing a taskforce with representation from all the institutions of the Vermont State Colleges System to look at how Hartness might serve Castleton and Northern Vermont University as it does the Community College of Vermont and Vermont Tech. We know we all benefit from the existing collaboration greatly and look forward to sharing the wealth with our sister institutions!
Who’s New at VTC?
We have a few new faces and names to share with you of those that have recently joined the Vermont Tech ranks. These employees have started after our last update in October:
· Stacy Plourde, RDH, MS, CPHDH is our COVID-19 Coordinator
· Phyllis Mitchell is the NEK Site Director for the Nursing Program
· Barbara Mills is a new Custodian/Housekeeper
· Stephannie Peters is the Director of Vermont Career and Technical Teacher Education for Continuing Education and Workforce Development
Welcome, all, to our community!
Shared Resource
As a reminder, all meeting minutes must be posted to the R drive in the VTC Meeting Minutes folder as a shared resource for the entire college community. Please also include any documentation about your organization’s structure and team members for reference. These monthly updates are saved there in addition to online in Tech Talk. If you are responsible for a group and need to have meeting minutes added, please contact Michelle Graham.
Resource Development
Curtis Ostler in the Development Office has secured over $270,000 in grants and gifts in the first quarter of the fiscal year:
In closing out their organization, the Vermont Municipal Highway Association granted $102,455 to Vermont Tech toward the Judith & SSGT Jamie Gray Memorial Scholarship. Curtis arranged with the principals to use $50,000 in a spend-down scholarship to attract new students and boost enrollment in the next two years in the Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Renewable Energy programs.
The Davis Educational Foundation awarded Vermont Tech with a $25,000 Presidential Grant to use in supporting our transition to Alternative Academic Delivery.
The Vermont Community Foundation granted $145,000 to support five of our non-degree programs – Practical Nursing, Certificates in Computer Software Development & Web Development, and Plumbing & Electrical Apprenticeships through CEWD.
Maureen and Curtis worked closely with the McClure Foundation to be featured in the upcoming biennial Promising Jobs brochure (in conjunction with VDOL), this year with an insert for Best Bets in Career Training, featuring the same five programs.
Curtis continues to pursue grants and gifts from alumni and foundations to support all of our programs and with a special focus on the needs and challenges that this unusual year has presented. He is also working on the next issue of the Alumni Magazine, featuring Our Campuses this year, and continues to connect with Vermont Tech alumni.