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Welcome to GFC's new CEO/Dean
Dr. Susan Wolff
Dr. Susan J. Wolff, the sixth CEO, of Great Falls College MSU has been on board for a month this week. Prior to coming to Great Falls, she was the chief academic officer at Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles, Oregon for eight years. CGCC has 5,900 students (1282 FTE) and serves a seven county, bi-state region of over 10,000 square miles. She has also held leadership positions at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon; Clark College in Vancouver, Washington; and Oregon State University and operated her own small business for a number of years. She earned her doctorate and masters degrees from Oregon State University and her bachelors degree from Montana State University.
Susan is a native Montanan having grown up on a cattle ranch in Hall, Montana (between Drummond and Philipsburg in the Flint Creek Valley or 50 miles east of Missoula). Her paternal great grandfather homesteaded the ranch in 1876. On the other side of her father's family, her paternal great grandmother was one of the first school teachers in the State of Montana. Her maternal grandfather was one of the original co-owners of the Miles City Saddlery.
According to Wolff, "Education, both formally and informally, is crucial to community, economic, and workforce development. As two-year college leaders, we have the wonderful opportunity to be entrepreneurial, proactive, and responsive to those we serve. It is a great honor to return to Montana, be working for my first alma mater, and be leading this excellent two-year college."
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Nineteen employees who have joined us over the past year were welcomed by CEO/Dean Susan Wolff to New Employee Orientation. From L to R are: Dr. Wolff, Wayne Breau, Cody Strunk, Dennis Devine, Stewart Horn, Nancy Tracer (front), Lori Ann Heinen, (center), Elfie Neber (back), Dan Casmier, Kristi Baldwin (front), Christiana Rennie Varner (center), Erica Rominger (back), Emily Peterson (front), Vanja Velickovska (center), Nicole Zimmerman (back), Kayce Waite, Clairice Flood, Pam Skogen, Lindsey Jones, Ali Winberry
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Great Falls College MSU
Your college, formerly known as MSU - Great Falls College of Technology, MSU - Great Falls or simply 'The COT' has a new name.
We are Great Falls College Montana State University. In short:
Great Falls College MSU
Great Falls College
GFCMSU, or simply . . .
GFC
On June 28, the Montana Board of Regents voted to change our college's name from MSU - Great Falls College of Technology to Great Falls College MSU. We are well on our way to making this change with our accrediting bodies, licenses, and other affiliates. A Rebranding Taskforce has been established and is providing guidance to the college in getting the word outto our community and stakeholders. A new logo will be vetted by students, faculty/staff, and community members in early September.
GFC staff: If you haven't already, please change your telephone greetings and email signatures to reflect our name change. Contact Pam Parsons for instructions.
Fall Fiesta
New students will be oriented at Fall Fiesta on August 24 from 9 to 11 am. Following network, email and D2L presentation, the students will do Student Services Success training and conclude with financial literacy. Tours of campus will be offered. All new students are encouraged to attend.
Snacks and drinks are available for Division meetings with new students. Divisions will have nearly two hours with the students to talk about how programs and initiate vital connections between faculty members and students.
Establishing relationships with faculty at events like Fall Fiesta helps students feel more connected to the campus as a whole and strongly influences their success in college. See Bridgette Pence or Erica Rominger for further details. During the first part of the session CEO/Dean Wolff and Assistant dean for Student Services, Judy Hay, will be traveling around to the rooms to welcome students to campus.
Director of Admissions, Dana Freshly, was instrumental in setting up this new format for new student orientation. She has left GFC for employment as a counselor for the Great Falls Public Schools. We wish her the best!
GFC Child Development Center
Look south of the college to see the college's Child Development Center under construction. Children's Choice Learning Centers has been selected as the operator of the Center. A December completion date is anticipated with the goal of opening the Center in time for spring semester classes.
Judy Hay, Assistant Dean for Student Services, has been the leader in this effort to make high-quality, affordable child care available to GFC students. Judy will be leaving to take the position of Vice President of Student Services on at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Americorps Vista Announcements
Want to make a difference on campus and in our community? Volunteer
today! Join the new Great Falls College VISTA, Liz Higgins, by volunteering with the food pantry and upcoming campus greenhouse and garden.
EAT-in Food Pantry Hours for Fall 2012: M, W, F from 3-5 pm
or by appointment. Must provide current class schedule.
The Veteran's Hospitality Room will be open for students during fall semester.
Contact Liz at 406-771-4324 or vista@msugf.edu for more information
Don't forget to Like Great Falls College MSU AmeriCorps on Facebook!
In the news...
The GFC Dental Hygiene Class of 2013 was featured on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) home page in July.
Accreditation of the Surgical Technology program was affirmed on August 7. Congratulations to Program Director, Sandra Allen, and the Health Sciences Division.
The Medical Assistant program has met the standards and guidelines for initial accreditation by the Medical Assisting Education Review Board. Program Director, Pam Christianson, has done a wonderful job bringing this program along.
In June a call for graphic designers to assist with the Great Falls Growth Policy Update was issued to the public. Ali Winberry, webmaster/graphic designer at Great Falls College and local freelance photographer, designed the logo for the Growth Policy Update and is playing a vital role in the Update process. Ali is assisting with the creation of educational materials, maps, display boards and will have a hand in the lay-out and design of the final Growth Policy document.
Ruth Knudson, Adjunct Instructor in GFC Native American Studies and a scholar on early Plains Indian Culture, spoke at the Pictograph Cave State Park in July. She discussed what is known of early Native Americans from archaeology sites around Montana.
Writing Our Way writing group
The local Great Falls Writing Our Way (WOW) creative writing group will begin meeting on the GFCMSU campus starting September 11, 2012. Their meetings will be held the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month from 6 - 9 pm in the Weaver Library room A124. This group previously met at the Great Falls Public Library. They approached us with the idea of holding their meetings on campus to encourage student involvement.
The group's mission statement is identified as:
"W.O.W. is a collaboration of writers whose purpose is to empower each other with open ears and without personal judgment. Open to all ages, ambitions, backgrounds and abilities, we offer a safe platform upon which our imaginations may travel, and our inspirations shared. We celebrate each other writing our own way."
This is not a college or student government affiliated group. Meetings are open to the public and folks can just stop by to listen or to read their own works. Please contact the organizer, Lisa Hardiman, at 455-6412 for further information.
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