The deadline for submitting a basket for the raffle is Friday, April 9. The theme this year is: 'It's a Small World, Award Winning Books from Around the Globe.' Contact Kirsten, Beth, or Ben in the Library for further information.

Students and current employees at MSU - Great Falls are invited to nominate an instructor for the first annual Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. This award is for full-time faculty who have been at the College for at least five years. Criteria for the award include high quality instruction, constructive feedback, integration and appropriate use of technology, relationship with students, learner engagement, high standards, and other attributes. The instructor who receives this award will be an excellent teacher, a person who has encouraged students and had a positive influence on their personal development, work, and career preparation. Only one instructor will be chosen for this award.

Details for nomination are available at www.msugf.edu.  The deadline for nominations is April 16, 2010. The recipient will be announced on April 30, will receive a $1,000 cash award, and the honor of joining the platform party and addressing the graduating class during commencement exercises on May 8. 

There will be two sessions of mandatory Non-Discrimination Training for faculty and staff on Friday, April 9. The two sessions will be held:
·         10:00 am to Noon in B139
·         1:30 pm to 3:30 pm in B101

 

On Saturday, March 27 the Dental Assistant and Dental Hygiene program students participated in the 6th Annual Give Kids a Smile Sealant Day at the college. 45 DA and DH students worked with volunteers from the local dental community to screen children for dental sealants and  place over 115 sealants free of charge. Students from both programs worked cooperatively over the past several months with Dr. Bonnie Lederman to organize the event. The annual event allows for the dental program students to work with the local dental community while providing oral health education and a needed service for children in the community. American Dental Association sponsors Give Kids a Smile each year and that the 4th District Dental Society has helped by volunteering and donating to the cause. Thanks to the dental faculty for volunteering!

Bruce Gottwig has been selected by the Cisco Networking Academy Program as one of 20 members of their worldwide Design Team. The Design Team is a global group of Cisco Networking Academy instructors who provide input on Networking Academy offerings and the overall program. Feedback from the Design Team is used to help make decisions on product design and future enhancements. The Team meets monthly using WebEx. Between meetings they use Moodle, a Learning Management System to communicate.

Know you Sharing a Wealth of Knowledge and Experience - Dr. Charles Jennings, a Great Falls orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand surgery, volunteered his time for several MSU - Great Falls COT Anatomy & Physiology I labs over the past few weeks to share his expertise with our students. Dr. Jennings provided clinical insight and supplemental instruction during dissection labs. 

According to Quincie Lords, the A&P lab instructor who coordinated the visits, "Dr. Jennings is amazing. He is very approachable and has an incredible ability to simplify the complex. The students were thrilled and really benefited from their interactions with him. We are very grateful to Dr. Jennings."

Students agreed."He not only helped with the anatomy, but as a surgeon he also gave us great insight into dissection technique and  better use of the instruments, " said one.

Last Friday, Dennis Veleber, Social Sciences Department Chair and Don Fish, NAS Adjunct Instructor, traveled to Bozeman to give a presentation to the Council of Tribal Elders for MSU. Dennis gave a short overview of our campus and community demographics and some history of the NAS courses that we are currently teaching.  He also spoke about our Diversity Action Plan. Don Fish introduced himself to the Council in the Blackfoot language.  Don did a great job of talking about the courses that he teaches, the outcomes that he has established for them and how he assesses his student's comprehension of the course material.  The presentation went very well and Dennis and Don both felt very privileged to have been a part of the experience. MSU President, Dr. Cruzado, who organized the entire event, is a real team builder and should be applauded for her efforts to promote the development of diversity programs and to increase the retention and graduation rates of our Native American and other minority students. Dennis and Don were grateful for this unique opportunity to be a part of the effort on behalf of MSU-Great Falls.

When you hear the familiar whump-whump  of Mercy Flight passing over the city, chances are that our own Chad Rebo is aboard. Chad is the adjunct instructor for A&P II labs. He also serves as a flight medic for Mercy Flight. In spite of the sometimes crazy schedule, Chad says he loves having one foot planted in each setting - the academic and the clinical. His pre-health students at the COT certainly benefit from his practical medical experience and expertise.

According to Science Department Chair, Cherie McKeever, "Chad is an incredible asset to our science program. He enriches his labs with a wealth of knowledge and real-life experience.  We are very fortunate to have him."

Chad also facilitated a recent trip for our A&P II students over to UGF to participate in a cadaver lab. When Chad is not navigating students through A&P II or working diligently to save someone's life high in the sky, Chad enjoys spending time with his wife and two-month old daughter, Cadence.

All your work throughout the year is about to pay off!  Submit your credits and if they total a minimum of 15 you will receive your $100 award.
 
Since we are using a new program for WellAwards, you will need to set up a user account first. Access it through our webpage at www.montana.edu/wellness, and then select WellAwards or click here: https://secure.mahcp.info/WellnessPortal/account/login.  Click on "Sign up" to set up a username and password then login. 
 
*** For those who signed up for the blood work through WellCheck, you will not need to set up a new account.  You can use the same username and password that you created previously. 
 
The deadline to submit credits is April 30, 2010. Checks will be mailed to participants from FlexConnect in May.
 
If you need a WellAwards book to review your credit information, Human Resources has a few left.  If you have questions or concerns, please contact me.