@PimaNews

July 15, 2009

Contents

• College Updates
  • Celebrate PCC’s 40th Anniversary at Tucson Toros game July 25
  • Browser Upgrade
  • New Training Available in ED
• Benefits
  • New Urgent Care Facilities
  • A Key to Paycheck Codes
  • Thank you from the Benefits Team
• Accreditation Update
• College Plan: MyDegreePlan
• Inside Story: New! FAW Courses
• Best Practices: Retail Management Certificate
• Upcoming Events

College Updates

Celebrate PCC’s 40th Anniversary at Tucson Toros game July 25
Head out to Hi Corbett Field on July 25 and celebrate the 40th anniversary of two Tucson institutions - Pima Community College and the Tucson Toros professional baseball team. Game time is 7 p.m., but a pre-game wine tasting is being held, from 6 to 7 o’clock, with free hors d’oeuvres provided by Elle, Wine Country Restaurant.

The first 1,000 into the ballpark receive a PCC/Toros backpack. In addition, PCC Chancellor Dr. Roy Flores will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The entire College community is encouraged to buy tickets and support the PCC Foundation, which gets 10 percent of the night’s proceeds. Tickets range from $5 to $10 each and are available at the box office, 700 S. Randolph Way, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 10 a.m. until game time on July 25; by phone, 325-1010; or online, www.tucsontoros.com.

The Toros lead the league in attendance, with an average of 4,338 fans per game and had five players on the league All-Star team. The Toros have a few PCC connections this year. Pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen is the son of PCC’s Joanne Wilhelmsen, support coordinator in the Northwest Campus President’s Office. In addition, Toros players Jason Jacome, Chris Luera and Rene Garcia, and Toros bullpen coach Steve Kelly all played for PCC.

Browser Upgrade
The college is upgrading the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser from version 6 to version 7.  We have not been able to upgrade before due to a conflict with Banner.  That issue has been resolved.  The upgrade to version 7 will now remain compatible with TurnItIn, assistive technologies, ADA requirements and Adult Education administrative tools.

The upgrade will occur during the nightly maintenance processes the weekend of July 17 – 19.  If you have questions or comments, please contact the Helpdesk at 206-4900 or Helpdesk@pima.edu.

New Training Available in ED
A new version of the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam is available now in ED. In addition, there are Project Management Institute (PMI) PMP courses and learning materials designed for the development of effective Project Managers in ED.

Options designed to help employees develop effective listening have also been incorporated into ED.  The suite of offerings includes: a course, The Mechanics of Communicating Effectively; a book, Effective Listening; and an article, “The Three Different Levels of Listening.”

To get to ED, login to MyPima, and click ED on the @Work tab.

Benefits

New Urgent Care Facilities
CIGNA has added two more NextCare Urgent Care facilities for its members:

NextCare Urgent Care
5369 S. Calle Santa Cruz, Suite 145
Tucson, AZ 85706

NextCare Urgent Care
4280 N. Oracle Road, Suite 100
Tucson, AZ 85705

To contact any NextCare Urgent Care facility or to find other locations, visit www.nextcare.com or call 1-800-819-8566.

A Key to Paycheck Codes
Here is a key to help you understand the codes on your paycheck or direct deposit form:

*only shown on second check of the month
**one-time annual deduction

Thank you from the Benefits Team
The Benefits Team would like to express its thanks to the Payroll, Human Resources and Banner teams for their help during benefits open enrollment and the fiscal year rollover. Their hard work, diligence and spirit are greatly appreciated!

Accreditation Update

The College is entering the final and busiest academic year of the Reaccreditation Self Study process.  The Writing and Editing Team is preparing a preliminary draft of the Institutional Self Study Report, which will be reviewed in detail by the subcommittees and the Reaccreditation Self Study Steering Committee.  An interim draft of the Report will be sent to our HLC facilitator, Dr. Mary Breslin, at the end of October. 

A team will begin designing the District evidence room and collecting and organizing the supporting documentation; each campus will also be working on its campus evidence room.  The Steering Committee will be requesting information and actions from across the District Office, and a detailed timeline will be submitted regularly to the Chancellor’s Cabinet.

Phase 3 Self Study Professional Development Workshops will focus on “rehearsing” for the HLC Review Team visit, which will occur September 10-15, 2010.

College Plan: MyDegreePlan

The College is on track to complete Strategy 3.2, which calls for the implementation of a functional degree audit application. Counselors, advisors and degree checkers are currently being trained to use MyDegreePlan, a new online degree audit and planning tool that went live this month. The program allows students and their advisors to track a student’s progress on his or her course of study and to explore other degree options. The program lists the requirements toward a student’s degree or certificate, including courses completed, courses currently being taken, transfer credits earned and courses the student still needs. Students will gain access to the program August 26, which will help them to plan their class schedules.

Inside Story: New! FAW Courses

Starting in the fall, Fitness and Recreation courses (FAR) change to Fitness and Wellness (FAW), with some Fitness and Sports Sciences courses (FSS) also reclassified to FAW.

The change allows Fitness and Sport Sciences Department to group activity classes (FAW) and degree and certificate courses (FSS).

It also standardized activity courses, with the exception of two popular ones, to be one credit each. The exceptions are for intermediate and advanced weight training and cardiovascular fitness - previously FSS 186 and FSS 187 - now FAW 110F2 and FAW 110F3, respectively, and worth two credits each.

Pima offers 57 FAW activity courses, with about 2,000 students per semester enrolled in these courses that do not count specifically toward a degree program. 

Creating the FAW reflects the district’s commitment to wellness as an official initiative, says Susan L. Heinrich, Fitness and Sport Sciences Department Chair.

“By having the activity courses consolidated, we think it will be easier for our employees and students to find courses to help them with their personal wellness goals,” she says, adding that employees can take courses using the tuition fee waiver. 

Best Practices: Retail Management Certificate

A partnership between Pima Community College and the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC) is helping retail workers enhance their opportunities for promotion into middle management.

Students, usually individuals already employed in retail, take 10 courses to earn the Retail Management Certificate. Students have the option of completing the program by taking accelerated eight-week courses just one evening a week over two years. Those accelerated classes are offered sequentially on Tuesday nights because the WAFC has identified Tuesday as a slow night for the grocery store business. The first Tuesday night cohort of five students graduated in May.

About 150 community colleges across the western states offer the same or a similar curriculum approved by WAFC, which allows students who move away from Tucson to continue their studies toward a certificate at another community college.

Upcoming Events

• July 25: PCC Night with the Tucson Toros at 7 p.m., Hi Corbett Field
• Aug. 20: Faculty Accountability begins
• Aug. 21: All College Day
• Aug. 26: Fall Semester begins
• Sept. 7: Labor Day Holiday (College closed)
• Sept. 23-Oct. 4: PCC Theatre Arts presents Ramona Quimby, West Campus Proscenium Theatre. For information and tickets, call 206-6986
• Nov. 4-15: PCC Theatre Arts presents See How They Run, West Campus Black Box Theatre. For information and tickets, call 206-6986

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