@PimaNews

February 11, 2009

Contents

• College Updates
  • Reminder: Computer Downtime Scheduled for Rodeo Break
  • Exempt Form W-4 Requirement
  • Security Update for Laptops
  • Artist Applications Available for Southern AZ Arts & Cultural Festival
  • Discovering Southern Arizona: National Heritage Areas
  • Training: Pima Reports – Introduction to Reporting
• Accreditation Update
• Upcoming Events
• Ongoing Events

College Updates

Reminder: Computer Downtime Scheduled for Rodeo Break
Due to a required system upgrade, MyPima and student email will be unavailable during Rodeo Break.

   Beginning:   Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.
   Until: Monday, Mar. 2 at 6 a.m.

During this period the following services will be unavailable:

• MyPima, including MyPima Course Homepages and files
• Student email accounts
• Student and employee services provided through MyPima

You will be able to access classes taught in Blackboard Vista through a special web page that will be provided in place of the usual MyPima login.

Exempt Form W-4 Requirement
The Internal Revenue Service requires all employees who claim an “exempt” status on Form W-4 (Employee’s Federal Withholding Allowance Certificate) to file a new Form W-4 each year to maintain their exempt status.  These new Form W-4’s are due in the Payroll Department on or before February 16, 2009.

Employees who had an exempt status for 2008 and who fail to file a new Form W-4 will have “single, zero allowances” entered as their tax status for 2009.  This will result in the maximum tax deduction.

2009 Form W-4’s are available from the Campus Business Offices, Employee Service Center and at www.irs.gov.  If you have questions, please call the Employee Service Center at 206-4945.

Security Update for Laptops
All staff and faculty laptops will be updated with encryption software to ensure the protection of any confidential data on the laptop. All college laptop users will be contacted to schedule a time to update their laptop between February 23rd and April 3rd. Please keep in mind that IT does not perform data backups and strongly recommends storing data on department or personal file shares.

Please direct questions to Brian Basgen at 206-4873.

Discovering Southern Arizona: National Heritage Areas
Pima Community College will present "National Heritage Areas: Celebrating Heritage and Empowering Communities.” Come with us as we travel the Santa Cruz Valley, exploring desert streams and sky islands.  Learn about ranching traditions, mining booms and busts, desert farming and local foods, settlement and military history and the unique cultures of the Valley.

“National Heritage Areas” is broadcast on Cox Cable channel 121 and Comcast Cable channel 96. The show will air on the following days and times:

  Wednesday, February 11 at 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm
  Wednesday, February 18 at 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm
  Friday, February 20 at 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm

Artist Applications Available for Southern AZ Arts & Cultural Festival
Artist Applications are now available for the 2009 Non-Juried 2nd annual Southern AZ Arts & Cultural Festival. The event will be held at the Northwest Campus of Pima Community College during the weekend of March 14 & 15, 2009.  The application can be found online through govac.org.

Pima Community College will be participating in the festival and will have booth space available. Please contact Daisy Rodriguez Pitel. After you submit an application, she will contact you about your participation.

Training: Pima Reports – Introduction to Reporting
In preparation for the upgrade to Crystal Reports being implemented February 26 -28, 2009, those who create reports for College decision makers should register for one of the following workshops. Sessions offered at District Office will offer practice in a lab setting.

Register in ED at: MyPima>@work>Log In To ED>Catalog>Instructor Led Courses>Pima Reports: Intro to Reporting

Accreditation Update
The following is an excerpt from an article by Theresa Riel in the East Campus ECHO.

The following is a summary of the committee’s activities to date, and the recommendations for this fiscal year: ...

6. SLO Facilitators met with numerous CDAC groups to provide training, follow-up and support.
7. Sent 4 SLO Teams to Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Assessment Workshops in Illinois to develop implementation strategies and plans. A series of intense working sessions provided the Team with an excellent foundation on assessment and the accreditation process.
8. SLO Team attended the 2008 HLC Annual Conference in Chicago.
9. SLO Request For Proposal (RFP) Review Group, a sub-group of the SLO Committee, prepared and issued an RFP for a Software Management System. The RFP Review Group reviewed proposals, invited finalist vendors for an interview and demonstration, and made a recommendation for selection. TracDat was purchased and initial use has begun. TracDat will be used by the College Plan, Reaccreditation, and in other ways, too.
10. At least 57 of the 65 Discipline Leaders have been hired and trained; and many of the Discipline Leaders have submitted SLO Year End Reports summarizing their progress

Several SLO activities will continue into next year: maintaining momentum and continuity from this year into next year; developing strategies to review and utilize Year End Reports submitted by Discipline Leaders; aligning and strengthening linkages between SLO process with accreditation, program review and college planning processes; promoting opportunities for SLO Committee members, Facilitators and Discipline Leaders to give presentations at professional conferences; and embedding SLO into college processes to create a culture of assessment.

Article continued next week.

Upcoming Events

• February 11: Ms. Rosa Parks Living History Makers Awards, Rigo’s Restaurant (S. 4th Ave & E. 36th St.) at 5:30 pm. RSVP to (520) 903-2838
• February 19: Health Care Community Forum, “Health Care in Pima County Community Forum”, West Campus Center for the Arts Recital Hall at 6:00 pm
• February 20: Public Lecture, “Climate Change & Water in Southern Australia” by Professor Jennifer McKay at the East Campus Community Room (L-101), 10:30 am
• February 25: Graduation Application Deadline
• February 25 – March 8: PCC Theatre Arts presents the musical “Footloose,” at the Center for the Arts Proscenium Theatre. Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Opening celebration, “80’s Night,” February 26 at 7:30 pm
• February 26-27: Rodeo Holiday
• February 27: First 5-week Session Ends
• February 28: Second 5-week Session Begins
• March 3: Lecture Under the Stars, “Our Star: The Sun” by Dr. Mark Giampapa at the East Campus Outdoor Learning Center, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
• March 5: Discovering Southern Arizona Lecture Series, Flavors of Southern Arizona: A PCC Study Tour Sampler at the Community Campus at 6:30 pm
• March 14 – 15: Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Festival at the Northwest Campus. Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• March 25: Discovering Southern Arizona Lecture Series, Fresh Ink: Student Stories from Sunnyside and Desert View High Schools at Sunnyside High School, 1725 E. Bilby Rd, 6:30 pm
• March 26: Health Care Community Forum, West Campus Center for the Arts Recital Hall at 6:00 pm

Ongoing Events

• January 20 – March 6: PCC Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery presents the Constructed Works exhibition, featuring Alice Leora Briggs, Vicki Ragan and David Adix. Contact the Gallery at 206-6942 for hours and more information.

@PimaNews is an electronic newsletter for employees of Pima Community College.  It is published by the Pima Community College Public Information Office.  @PimaNews is published weekly during the semester and bi-weekly during the summer.  Back issues are available at www.pima.edu/pimanews.  Please send announcements and news items to pimanews@pima.edu.