The last 2009 issue of Campus News will be sent on the first day of finals week - December 14 and will resume publication on January 11, 2010.

The Distance Learning Department encourages all students to do course evaluations of their fall semester courses. The link to the Evaluation Form is on the login page to D2l, on the student D2L homepage, in their D2L email, and in their courses.  For information, contact Michelle Rudolph at michelle.rudolph@msugf.edu.

Submitted by Mel Lehman
Scott Karaffa and I recently traveled to the Endurance Wind Power Testing Facility in St. Jean Port Joli, Quebec, Canada, near Quebec City, to see the 50kW wind turbine the college is purchasing, and to meet with Endurance engineers and other  company representatives to discuss installation, operation and maintenance requirements. Endurance Wind Power is a leading North American manufacturer of small or community-scale wind turbines and the design, development and testing of Endurance 50kW wind turbines is currently being done at their facility in Quebec.  While there, we toured the shops and facilities where the turbines are being assembled and tested, and spoke with design engineers and the craftsmen manufacturing the wind turbine blades, and those involved with the electrical and mechanical design and assembly of the turbine.  
Endurance Wind Power, headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., was one of several wind turbine manufacturers whose products were reviewed by the MSU-Great Falls wind turbine selection committee for a campus turbine before a final selection was made. Installation of the Endurance 50kW wind turbine on the MSU-Great Falls campus will be in the spring of 2010 as part of the Wind Montana Project; a project developing state-wide energy technician training programs on four Montana State University System partner campuses including MSU-Great Falls, MSU-Northern-Havre, MSU-Billings and UM-Montana Tech-Butte.

Submitted by Dr. Cherie McKeever
Science faculty members invited current A&P I and Human Biology students (pre- A&P's if you will) to the second annual Inspiration night and had a great response - 127 students attended! The students chose two health programs  they are  interested in learning more about. This year, the participating programs included EMS, PTA, Resp therapy, Surg Tech, LPN, Bozeman RN, Rad Tech, and Dental Hygiene.  Students were split into groups based on their selections and proceeded through two rotations, one for each of the programs they selected. Each session involved interacting with current students in the program of choice, usually in that program's designated area. For example, students who selected Surg Tech were escorted to Surg Tech's mock Operating Room  where they participated in hands-on activities designed to give them some insight into the value of the A&P they are studying, as well as to introduce them to the skills and requirements of careers in Surgical Tech.  The activities were led by students currently finishing up the Surg Tech program.

Our goals with A&P Inspiration Night:
1.      To vividly illustrate the value of the content that they are currently being asked to master in A&P,  and to directly involve students in the  practical application of that content, just as they will be required to do later in their health careers. These hands-on activities help motivate and boost students' persistence in learning the difficult material that is inherent in college level A&P.  We want to lift them up and show them the light at the end of the tunnel. By mid-November, students are feeling  a lot of stress and fatigue in difficult courses like A&P. Our timing is strategic. And the feedback we get from students is terrific. Comments such as "thanks for reminding me how important A&P is to my future career plans," "What a great event! A&P is so hard, but last night helped me to realize that the hard work  will all be worth it."  And my favorite this year - "I was about ready to give up. But this was a great reminder of how much I want to be a nurse. I am determined to finish A&P this semester. Thanks for the boost."

2.      Our other major goal is to get A&P students interacting with Health Sciences students who are successfully completing the health program they are interested in. There is no better source of information and inspiration than the students who have 'been there and done that'. Q and A time is built into each session, so the A&P students can ask questions ranging from study tips for A&P to program application procedures and questions related to the profession (starting salaries, job opportunities, etc.).

3.      A smaller, but perhaps increasingly important goal is to educate students about alternative choices. As competition for seats in the health programs continues to rise, we take advantage of the opportunity to expose students to other options. Thus the two sessions, rather than just one. This gets students thinking about alternative plans should they not be selected into their original program of choice. For example, Rad Tech accepts only nine students from almost 50 applications.
 
One unexpected consequence of this event has been some students have changed their career goals based on information they learned at A&P Night. This year we had eight students change programs. One student told me she didn't even know what a  Surg Tech was before, but now she can't wait to apply to the program. It's important  students know all of their options so they can make good career decisions early on, rather than finding out about a program after they have already put in a year or two toward a different career.

Dr. Greg Paulauskis presented at The 55th American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) International Respiratory Congress on December 6. His presentation topic was "Conducting Site Visits under New CoARC Standards." His presentation focused on how to prepare for an accreditation site visit under the new CoARC (Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care) from the perspective of the department chair, dean, and key program faculty. General topics included planning ahead to ensure participation by key individuals; gathering and organizing essential documentation; and preparing  students, faculty, and administrators for the site visit. Between 9,000 and 10,000 people attend this annual conference.

Lynn Ward lives in Maine and works full-time for MSU - Great Falls as Director and Faculty member for the Health Information Technology program. She recently gave the faculty member's perspective on teaching online through a webinar presentation to the Montana University System. She spoke about what works and what doesn't work in online instruction. Ryan Schrenk participated in the presentation by presenting the general facts on distance learning.

Deby Gunter recently attended the 2009 BSPPA Symposium and Marketing Exchange and accepted the position of Secretary on the Big Sky Public Purchasing Association (BSPPA). Membership is open to anyone involved in public purchasing and provides training and networking opportunities for its members. 

Submitted by Pam Parsons
Sign up for our immediate emergency notification system, MSUGF Alert, is fast and easy - you will find a link on our home page. Severe weather alerts are now available to you as a feature of the emergency notification system. When you sign up, just check 'NOAA Severe Weather Alerts' and you will receive them by text and/or email, depending on how you sign up. If you want to change your subscription features or have any questions, please contact me at 771-4314 or pparsons@msugf.edu.