Permanent Dean for NaSH

I'm proud to announce that Mike Krall has been named permanent dean of the NaSH division. Mike has served as interim since June, and he has done an outstanding job in that capacity. Please congratulate Mike as he permanently joins the Maverick family. I'd also like to thank the committee for its diligent work, and the two interim co-deans - Kitty Gronlund and Renee Pruitt, both of whom served with great success for more than a year. Great work! As a reminder, here is Mike's bio:

From 2009-13, Mike Krall served as dean of math & natural sciences at Lone Star College-North Harris, leading 45 full-time faculty and staff in their efforts to educate over 8000 student enrollments per semester.  Among other accomplishments, the division was awarded a $4.3 million STEM grant from the Department of Education to inspire student success in math through the introduction of the Math Achievement Center and innovative instructional techniques.  Mike has introduced processes to improve operational efficiency and to increase evidence-based decision-making.
 
From 1999-2009, Mike was professor of engineering and physics and department chair of chemistry, physics, engineering, and geology at Lone Star College-Montgomery. In that role, Mike taught all levels of introductory college physics, and authored the lab manuals used in many of the courses. He also founded the engineering program at LSC-Montgomery, where he developed student skills in computer programming, AutoCAD, application of physics principles, and design. Mike has a passion for the teaching and learning process and has been recognized for his outstanding teaching at both the Lone Star College System and Georgia Tech. In 2007, Mike also served as the physics representative on the State of Texas team for curriculum alignment.

In addition to Mike's work in education, he also has a strong background in the engineering industry. He has worked as a microcontroller and digital signal processor applications engineer at Texas Instruments where he developed and taught microcontroller workshops, supported customers with all levels of embedded controllers, programmed flash memory interface software, and served as author and reviewer of TI technical documentation.   Mike also used these same skills as a consulting engineer supporting a Baker Hughes microcontroller application. 

Mike grew up in Spring, TX, and graduated from Spring High School in 1989.  He later received a bachelor of science in bioengineering from Texas A&M University and a master of science in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech.
 
Mike currently resides in The Woodlands with his wife and five children, whom he and his wife devote time to homeschooling.  In his spare time, Mike enjoys his family, traveling, a variety of sports, and photography.

BELS Dean Search

• Position posted: December 1, 2013
• Interviews: March/April 2014.
• Selection made: May/June 2014 (so that the new dean can start in fall 2014)

MaverickMobile Outreach

LSC-Montgomery has always been known for its tremendous outreach into the community. A new facet of that outreach is the addition of the MaverickMobile, combined with our recent sponsorship of Conroe ISD varsity stadiums (Moorhead in Conroe and Woodforest in Shenandoah). This sponsorship, which includes stadium and scoreboard signage, logo-branded video replays, and PA announcements, permits us to have a tailgating-style presence outside the stadium. Beginning this Friday night at Woodforest Stadium (The Woodlands H.S. vs. Conroe H.S., we will park the Maverick Mobile truck and trailer on the home and visitor sides, passing out free rally towels for each team. Additionally, we will provide literature about the college, answer questions and encourage prospective students to fill out an online admissions application. If you're interesting in working at these events, please contact DeAlva Engelhardt (273.7232 or DeAlva.L.Engelhardt@LoneStar.edu). All workers will receive a free dinner. The MaverickMobile tailgating schedule is as follows: 

UEP Retreat

This Friday, the college's administrative team will hold its annual fall retreat to "close the loop" on last year's unit effectiveness plans (UEPs) and highlight the 2013-14 goals and initiatives. We hold three retreats each year; the fall retreat closes out last year's cycle and profiles our new goals; in early 2014, we'll meet again to look at how we're doing with implementation of our new goals; finally, in late May or early June, we do an initial evaluation and assessment of those goals. Our annual cycle of effectiveness has become a tradition at LSC-Montgomery, and it provides a common framework to make our college a better place for our students, employees, and the community. It gives us a chance to celebrate our successes and assess where we can improve. Just as important, these retreats give us time to analyze our enrollment projections which, as you know, are tied to our annual budget cycle. Our enrollment and budgeting processes work hand-in-hand to make sure that we maximize our resources and meet student demand. 

Compensation Update 

I'd like to keep you updated on the status of the compensation review process. Dr. Jeff Ling with Evergreen Solutions will return to LSCS next Tuesday and Wednesday, October 1-2, to finalize compensation job placement scoring and training with the LSCS HR Compensation team members. Additionally, Dr. Ling will meet with the Systemwide compensation committee members to discuss final review form information and hear feedback on the summary draft findings for potential change recommendations. Finally, he will also meet with Dr. Carpenter and Rand Key to update them on the status.

From October 3-13, HR will hold one-on-one meetings with LSCS Executive Council members across the System.

Noted below is the ongoing follow-up plan with Evergreen and the current process and activities to be followed: 

• Approximately 440 Classification Review Request forms were read and reviewed, and verbal discussions and input provided by the committee (Tuesday, September 10) Jackie Cooper was appointed rep for LSC-M.      
• Copies of  the forms were made and express mailed to Dr. Ling with Evergreen for his team's review (Friday, September 13)      
• A telephone meeting was held for summary discussion, updates and planning with Evergreen/Dr. Ling, Rand Key, Ronda Rotelli and Lisa Cowart (Tuesday, September 17) 
• Ongoing teleconference meetings for review and analysis of recommendations scheduled weekly    
• To be scheduled:  Follow up information and  suggested changes with Executive Committee; Dr. Ling and Ronda Rotelli  presentation, no later than October 15, 2013    
• To be scheduled:  Campus employee information meetings regarding updates/changes and additional program information October 16 through October 30      
• Finalization of any changes to jobs on career bands and job titles, inputted into the system by October 30, 2013.

Additionally, the following are some future considerations to be included through the fall and into the spring time period: 

• Internal compensation compression analysis and discussion (committee/team member inclusion)   
• Finalization and on-line posting of job descriptions (by January 1, 2014)    
• Part time employee compensation study and strategies - inclusive of budgetary analysis    
• Pay for performance discussions/consideration/concepts, etc.    
• Additional EC-suggested ideas

P-16 Council

Over the past year, LSC-Montgomery has been working with our local school districts, businesses and non-profits to establish an ongoing P-16 Council. Collectively, our goal is to prepare more students - across their entire educational journey - for college and careers. We've gathered executive-level players, including superintendents and CEOs, who can help provide clearer paths from the earliest stages of education through to college completion and entrance into the workforce. Our P-16 Council meets quarterly, with the next meeting planned for the last week in October. Since our last meeting, new members have been added to give us a better representation of our local businesses and service providers. We look forward to their participation and input as we finalize our vision and mission statements. We also welcome Tristyn Davis as our new program manager of school partnerships and facilitator of the P-16 Council. Tristyn formerly served with the Adult Basic Education portion of the college's $1.5 million Developmental Education Demonstration Grant.

Maverick Fitness Challenge

After last year's successful kick-off of the Maverick Fitness Challenge (more than 60 employees participated), we will begin the second year with a slightly modified approach. Our Wellness Center staff have created a Bingo-like fitness card, complete with an array of health and fitness activities for all employees to consider. Any employee who completes 25 of the activities will be recognized at our end-of-the-year Heights of Excellence event. One of the optional activities is to participate in the President's Fitness Challenge, which includes timed exercise (running or walking), push-ups, sit-ups, and flexibility test. We will award a "Mr. and Ms. Fit Maverick" based on the top male and female score. The Maverick Fitness Challenge officially begins Tuesday, October 1, and runs through April 1, 2014.  More details can be found at

THE Initiatives

Classes scheduled in our innovative learning spaces, launched this fall as part of THE (Teaching Highlighting Engagement) Initiative, are in full swing. While each room (F102, F112, and SHSU 150) has its own purpose, the overall emphasis is on student collaboration.  Everything in these rooms-the set-up of the furniture; the large TV screens; the portable glass boards-work together to help students and faculty interact and grow in a nontraditional manner. You'll see students engaging in groups, using iPads to complete work, or even taking notes-on their desk. It took a lot of work to get to this point, so congratulations to the hardworking group of faculty and staff who have helped launch THE Initiative. We look forward to sharing our success in a big way!

If you haven't had a chance yet, I encourage you to drop by and observe any class meeting in these spaces. (In fact, F-102 has a dedicated space for visitors.)

Licensure Pass Rates

I'm always excited to share with the community how great our occupational programs are--especially those that require licensure upon completion of our program. These programs, including nursing, radiologic technology, fire science, EMT, and physical therapist assistant, do outstanding work to prepare our students for success beyond Maverick Country. Sometimes, numbers speak louder than words. So, in this case, I'll let our numbers do the talking:

A Job VERY WELL DONE!

Every so often, I'll receive a note from a student expressing gratitude for the work that a faculty or staff member has done. Earlier this week, I opened the following e-mail from one of our veteran students. His praise of Joseph Trackey, professor of biology, and Vicki Saunders, counselor, absolutely made my day. I'd like to personally congratulate Joseph and Vicki on a job VERY WELL DONE!