Interim VP of Administration Named

As we begin the process of conducting a search for our new vice president of administration, I felt it important to name an interim to keep many of the college's important initiatives on a steady course - particularly with regard to our new demand-based scheduling and budgeting process. We are fortunate to have Pat Sendelbach, professor and department chair for accounting, agree to serve in this interim capacity. Pat, a certified public accountant, has been teaching for more than 26 years, 20 of those with Lone Star College, and the last six as a full-time faculty member. Not only has she taken on leadership opportunities for LSC-Montgomery, she also has forged partnerships with a variety of external organizations, including the Montgomery County Tax Assessors office. Pat was a recipient of the Faculty Excellence award in 2011-12. 

In addition to her work in education, she has held various positions in the field of accounting. She began her career in auditing with Price Waterhouse and continued working in this field as an internal auditor with Pfizer. Pat also gained experience in the area of corporate accounting as a staff accountant at Hoechst-Celanese.

Originally from New Jersey, she received her bachelor's degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University. After relocating to Texas, she earned an MBA with a specialization in accounting from Sam Houston State University. She is an active member of the American Women's Society of CPAs and currently serves as the chair of the organization's scholarship committee. Pat is also a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs, Houston Chapter. She serves on the Board of Directors of Bridgewood Farms, a center for teens and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical handicaps. Pat is married with two children and currently resides in The Woodlands.

Her experience as a faculty member, combined with her administrative and non-academic business background, make her an ideal fit for this interim opportunity. I expect her to serve through the spring 2014 semester as we conduct our search for a permanent vice president of administration.

Avoid the Stampede

Like clockwork, each November and April the campus pulls together for our early registration push. Avoid the Stampede has become a welcome tradition in Maverick Country, and the results are always impressive. Mike Devoley, professor of psychology, leads a large group of faculty, staff and administrators who make sure our students are aware of (and take advantage of) early registration. 

Events were held last Monday and Tuesday at LSC-Conroe Center, followed by last Wednesday and Thursday at LSC-Montgomery. More than 5,100 students have already registered for 814,400 contact hours for Spring 2014. And registration only began on Monday! This represents a significant increase over the same time period as last year. 

This year, a concerted effort was made to encourage our students to register online and bring a printout of their schedule to the Stampede events. Congratulations to everyone involved with this important part of our college's enrollment management strategy.

Veterans Day

Earlier this month, LSC-Montgomery held two events to commemorate and honor our veterans who have served our country. A kick-off event was held in the Commons on Tuesday, Nov. 12, with free food and several speakers, including Dr. Craig Livingston, a veteran of the U.S. Army; Chavon Salter, a student veteran; Terrance Hudson, a student with the Student Veterans Association; and Valerie Shepherd, student support specialist and veterans advisor. 

The following day, Dr. David Gottlieb, a community and business leader from The Woodlands (and a U.S. Coast Guard veteran) spoke on how the power of one can make a world of difference. I am very proud of the hard work our staff and faculty do to make our campus veteran-friendly, and I am equally proud of the leadership opportunities that our student veterans seek-both here on our campus and throughout the rest of their careers.

Safety Walk

Each semester, our Student Government Association 

sponsors a campus safety walk, held in the evening, to 

look for opportunities to make 

our campus as safe as can be. More than a dozen students 

broke into groups and walked the campus with college administrators, facilities personnel, and police officers, taking notes and submitting a final report to my administrative team. We take their findings seriously, and we make every effort to address those things that need to be fixed or improved.

Emergency Preparedness 

In October, I charged an Emergency Preparedness Taskforce to meet and discuss the college's emergency planning efforts and to provide me with a list of recommendations to be considered for the upcoming year. The group has met four times, developing and administering an emergency awareness survey (more than 200 responses to date!), and examining our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The task force is also examining the appropriate role for our existing Health & Safety Committee. 

In early December, my administrative team will review the task force's recommendations. By early January, we will communicate the overall plan to the campus community, and we'll work throughout the spring to implement and address the recommendations and findings of the committee. Stay tuned for updates soon!

Next Generation 

Leadership Program 

Applications for the Next Generation Leadership Program (NGLP) have been reviewed, and I feel we have an excellent first cohort. As a reminder, one of the goals that emerged from both our 2009 and 2011 visioning sessions was the need to groom our own employees for positions of leadership when they become available. While several systemwide efforts serve that purpose, including the successful Academy, I've been working with Mike Devoley, professor of psychology and soon-to-be Academy graduate, to create a more local initiative. Thus, the NGLP was developed. 

Our first cohort for 2014 includes:

Staff

• Jackie Cooper
• Katie Halbert
• Karen Jones
• Donna Smith Burns

Faculty

• Jared Cootz
• Brandy Harvey
• Juan LeBron
• Matthew Samford
• Heidi Smith
• Joe Trackey

• I will meet with Mike and Debbie Hernandez (PSSA president) to finalize the syllabus for the program. This will include suggested and selected readings and assessments that can be begun over the winter break.
• Suggested 'homework' assignments, such as initial definition of leadership; goals and aspirations for the program and beyond will also be considered.
• Participants will have several meetings as a class and will be invited to my upcoming UEP retreats.
• They will also be paired with either a mentor or placed in a job-shadowing program to learn from those in campus leadership positions.

Maverick Give-a-Can 

It's one thing to set a goal and reach it. It's quite another to crush the goal by DOUBLING it! That's what the Mavericks Give-a-Can project did, collecting 20,606 cans, well beyond the initial 10,000 cans, that have now been delivered to the Montgomery County Food Bank. Like Avoid the Stampede, Give-a-Can involved a broad, group effort. The project was led by psychology professor Karen Buckman and philosophy professor Tim Cowan, and many student organizations, classes, groups, and individuals contributed. 

Seeing that many cans assembled in the Commons was overwhelming. The best part is that these cans of food will provide much-needed nourishment for the hundreds of clients of the Montgomery County Food Bank during the upcoming holiday season. This project is a testimony to the power of our Maverick spirit, and the "can do" attitude (pun intended) of our faculty, staff and students.

MaverickMobile Outreach

Over the past month and a half, the new MaverickMobile (branded truck and trailer) have been making the rounds at a variety of community events. The MaverickMobile was a big hit during tailgating outreach events at four area high school football games--at Woodforest Stadium (twice) in Shenandoah,

Moorhead Stadium in Conroe, and Berton Yates Stadium in Willis. 

Student, faculty and staff volunteers passed out more than 10,000 rally towels in the colors of our primary feeder high schools with the message that "More Montgomery County high school graduates attend Lone Star College-Montgomery than other college or university." This was a great outreach event, getting our Maverick brand in the hands (and minds) of prospective students and their parents.

Holiday Luncheon

Please make sure to mark Friday, December 6, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., on your calendar, as we will celebrate together with a traditional holiday luncheon in the atrium of Building B. The annual event is a way to say "thank you" for all of your hard work, celebrate the season, and mark the culmination of a long semester. In addition to holiday music provided by some of our talented music students, all employees will receive a small gift as a token of the college's appreciation for your hard work. 

Please make every effort to attend.

Holiday Benefit Concert Benefitting Interfaith 

Although the Super Bowl is a couple months away, the LSC-Montgomery Super Bowl, featuring our award-winning music groups, will be held early next month. Indeed, our music groups are the equivalent of a university's football team. (And they get much more applause than our local NFL team has been getting!) 

The entire family is invited to our music department's annual Holiday Benefit Concert, on Thursday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m., in the Performing Arts Center (Building D). The concert features traditional carols, familiar tunes, and upbeat holiday favorites performed by the college's choirs, Symphonic Band, and Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Eiki Isomura, Kris Chapman, and Dr. Mark Marotto, all professors of music. 

Ticket proceeds and contributions will be donated to Interfaith of The Woodlands, a faith-based organization that brings people together to build a more loving and caring community through service. This is the eighth year that holiday concert proceeds have been donated to a local non-profit organization and the fifth year that LSC-Montgomery has partnered with Interfaith of The Woodlands. 

Interfaith of the Woodlands helps individuals in crisis through financial assistance for rent, mortgage, utilities, gasoline, prescription drug assistance, emergency shelter, food, family and individual counseling, job training, senior programs and child care. For more information about Interfaith of the Woodlands, visit www.woodlandsinterfaith.org.

Tickets for the holiday concert cost just $10 for general admission and $5 for LSC-Montgomery faculty, staff, and students. Additional donations will be accepted. To purchase tickets or to make a donation, contact Fong Chau, program coordinator for fine arts, at (936) 273-7021. Tickets can also be purchased at www.MyCommunityEvents.com.