Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Volunteering to help Germanna with its post-earthquake transition: Please attend training session and free lunch at noon Friday, Sept. 2

Thank you for volunteering to assist us with the post-earthquake transition!



Many of you offered to help with moving furniture/equipment from FAC1 to FAC2. For security reasons, only items that were essential to the day-to-day operations have been removed from the building; therefore, the majority of items will remain in FAC1 until security gives us the all clear. This could be weeks, possibly months from now.



In the meantime, classes are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 6. Classes that were scheduled for FAC1 have been relocated, transitioned to hybrid offerings (a mixture of face-to-face and online), or converted to online courses. We have communicated the schedule change with students; however, we anticipate that there will still be some confusion. We are looking for volunteers to help direct students to the appropriate classes during the first week of school. Volunteers will be needed as follows:

■Tuesday, September 6 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
■Wednesday, September 7 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
■Thursday, September 8 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
■Friday, September 9 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
■Saturday, September 10 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
You do not have to volunteer all day. Any time that you can give us (i.e. 2 hours on Tuesday morning, 3 hours on Thursday afternoon, 1 hour on Saturday, etc.) will be GREATLY appreciated.



It is extremely important that we provide you with the information that you will need to assist our students during the first week. We will be conducting Volunteer Training from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 2 in FAC2, Room 105. Lunch will be provided. During this training session you will receive information from Student Services, Instructional Services, Security and Academic Support. Please let me know, either by email or by phone, by noon on Thursday, September 1 whether or not you plan to attend the training. Thank you!



Pamela Duff Shifflett

Executive Assistant to the President

Germanna Community College

pshifflett@germanna.edu

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Monday, August 29, 2011

Latest Germanna Post Quake Schedule Update: GCC Nursing, Dental Hygiene classes resume Tuesday, all other classes Sept. 6

Students who are active in the following Nursing and Dental Care Program courses including Nurse Aide, Practical Nursing, Surgical Scrub, and Dental Hygiene need to report to school Tues. Aug 30th as scheduled. The prefixes for these classes are the following: DNH, PNE, HLT,NUR.
All other students report on Sept. 6th.
We realize the notes in the new online schedule are not up-to-date in all cases. They will be corrected tomorrow!
Here is how to read the schedule at www.germanna.edu/class_schedules/
Follow the class listing, not the note or lack thereof!
Examples:
a) If the class listing has a room and a full class time, then the class is traditional face-to-face. IE. ENG 111-F01 MW 9:00 – 10:15.
b) If the class listing has a room and a partial class time, then the class is a hybrid. I.E. ENG 111-F01 M 9:00 – 10:15 or MW 9:00 – 9:50. The time is not the full amount required and the difference is hybrid. Most of them are 50% online and 50% face-to-face although some are 2/3 in one direction or the other.
c) If the class listing has no room and no time listed, it is fully online.

Student Services will be open Wednesday, Aug. 31 and Thursday, Sept. 1 from 8:30 am – 7:00 pm and Friday from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm for students to meet with an advisor to discuss their individual schedules. Please come into the Fredericksburg, or Locust Grove Campus, if you have questions about your courses and need to meet with someone.

The bookstore will be open Wednesday, Aug 31 at 12 Noon at the Locust Grove Campus only.

For more information, go to www.germanna.edu.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

New Germanna Community College class schedules online; 'Quake Break 2011' about to end


Students,

Thank you for your understanding as we prepare to re-open the College.

You may now view your schedule at www.germanna.edu/class_schedules/, but you cannot make changes at this time. You should view your schedule in SIS and online so that you can see the notes that describe the changes made to your schedule.

Due to the earthquake on Tuesday, we have had to move classes out of FAC I. We had to change a lot of classes so students could take classes on the Fredericksburg Campus. Some classes that were completely face to face are now hybrid—a combination of face-to-face classroom instruction and online instruction. A few of those classes have gone totally online. We have made some time changes but have tried to keep those changes minimal.

We will be offering training in online learning next Wednesday and Thursday at the Fredericksburg Campus in the Workforce & Technology Building (FAC 2). We strongly encourage all students who are new to online learning to attend one of these sessions. Sessions for online training will be Wednesday, August 31, and Thursday, Sept. 1 beginning at 9:00 AM and running every hour, on the hour, with the last session of the day beginning at 8:00 PM and ending at 9:00 PM. We’ll have signs posted on the campus to direct you to the session locations.

Student Services will be available at all college locations on August 31 and September 1 from 8:30 AM until 7PM. Student Services will be available on Friday, September 2 from 8:30AM to 5:00PM. Financial Aid, Counseling Services, the Tuition Office, and Admissions & Records will be available to assist you as Germanna reopens. At the Fredericksburg Campus location, please be advised that services will be available at the Workforce & Technology Building (FAC 2).

We are developing a new academic calendar. We have revised the dates you can drop a course and get a refund as well as the time you can withdraw from a course without academic penalty. You will be able to see the revised calendar online by noon on Monday. It will also be available at the counseling sessions.

We will communicate further on Monday about the specifics of your individual schedule changes.


Germanna Community College

Thursday, August 25, 2011

FAQ on Germanna Community College earthquake status

Has Germanna closed for the semester?

No. On Aug. 30, Germanna Community College nursing and dental hygiene students will restart classes. All other students will resume classes on Sept. 6. Details will be available via email and on the Germanna Web site within 24 hours.(CLARIFICATION: Only nursing classes start on Aug. 30. Other classes being taken by nursing students start on Sept. 6.)
Check Blackboard, Germanna email and germanna.edu for the class schedule with new room assignments.

Is the Sept. 6 restart date (for non-nursing students) effective for online classes as well?


Yes.


Has the Fredericksburg Campus closed?

No. One building, FAC I, also known as the Dickinson Building, suffered structural damage that has put it out of commission for the semester. FAC II, the Workforce Building, was not damaged. Officials are working to move classes into FAC II. All classes will resume. Some students may have to go to classroom/online hybrid classes or to online classes to avoid moving to a classroom in another location. College officials are also considering space near the Fredericksburg Campus for classrooms.

Will the semester be extended? Will the final exams schedule change?

No and no.

Were other Germanna locations damaged in the quake?

The Locust Grove Campus and the Stafford Center are in good shape. The Daniel Center in Culpeper sustained minor damage to tiles in the auditorium ceiling and to an overhead projector. But classrooms at the Daniel Center were not affected. There was some damage to the George Washington Carver Center in Culpeper, where automotive program classes are to be held in the Fall. Culpeper County is determining how serious the damage is.

Will I be able to buy my text books before classes resume?

Yes. The book store will be operating out of the Locust Grove Campus and all of the text books are also available for order online. Those who had books waiting for pickup at the FAC I store will now have to drive to LGC to get them.
UPDATE: If you ordered books and have received an email advising you that your order is ready for pick up, you may pick up your order at the Locust Grove Campus bookstore beginning Wednesday, August 31st. We'll continue to post updates as we receive them.


What will the Fredericksburg Campus be like this semester?

FAC II will be cramped. There will be no room for lounging or studying, no food service and no cafeteria. Students will need to find other places to hang out, study and eat.



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Germanna partnering with FRED bus service

Germanna Community College has announced a partnership with FREDericksburg Regional Transit. FRED is a department of the City of Fredericksburg and provides scheduled bus service in the City and counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline and King George.

Germanna’s contribution of $25,000 annually to FRED qualifies it as a Major Partner and member of FRED’s Public Transit Advisory Board (PTAB). As a Major Partner, GCC employees and students will be able to ride all regular FRED services free upon showing a valid ID.
“We are delighted to have Germanna Community College as a major FRED partner," said Kathleen Beck, Director of Public Transit for the City of Fredericksburg.

“Germanna Community College is equally pleased to become a FRED partner. With a growing student population and expanding facilities and staff, we see this opportunity to partner with FRED as a significant benefit for the GCC community, while supporting public transit in the region,” said Dr. Ann Woolford, GCC Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services.

GCC President David A. Sam said the partnership with FRED provides a greener way to get to the college and that “it can provide access for those who might not have a car.”

FRED has served the Fredericksburg Campus of GCC since December 1998. Recently, FRED restructured service in Spotsylvania County so that the campus now receives hourly service between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, with connections at Lee Hill Center to the rest of the FRED network.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

GERMANNA RECEIVES GRANT TO SUPPORT USING NEW GREEN ACADEMIC BUILDING AT FREDERICKSBURG CAMPUS AS A TEACHING TOOL FOR STUDENTS, AREA RESIDENTS

Germanna Community College has been recognized as a recipient of a $3,000 Greenforce Initiative Innovation Mini Grant. With support from this grant, GCC will design a program to train students to be guides for its new academic facility at its Fredericksburg Area Campus, which will be a green building, and provide an opportunity for engineering students to learn from the architects and builders as construction is in progress. The new Academic Services Building, slated for March 2012 completion, will incorporate reduced energy consumption concepts including a vegetated roof, passive solar heating, automatic shades, native plantings, water conservation, and superefficient heating and cooling. In total, four schools in Virginia and more than 15 nationally have been awarded a grant through the Greenforce Initiative.

The National Wildlife Federation and Jobs for the Future have joined forces on the Greenforce Initiative, a two-year project started in 2010, to spur innovation in the role of community colleges in the coming green-jobs revolution.


“We want to thank the Greenforce Initiative for helping us create an opportunity to increase the knowledge and awareness of green building and methods of reducing energy consumption,” said Dr. William Fiege, Germanna Dean of Professional and Technical Studies. “We are developing curricula and teaching modules for GCC’s engineering program that engage the mechanical systems and renewable energy features of the building. Here, the building itself is the laboratory, and students will get hands-on experience monitoring and calibrating a working green building.”

With support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and CS Mott Foundation, The Greenforce Initiative is strengthening green career pathways leading to postsecondary credentials and family sustaining careers; increasing access and success for lower-skilled adults; and using campus “greening” or sustainability efforts as “learning laboratories” for education and training. Building on the combined experience of NWF and JFF in environmental sustainability and workforce development, respectively, this commitment provides assistance to community colleges in six regions: Metro Chicago, Michigan, North Carolina, northern Virginia, Seattle, and South Texas. The Initiative has hosted eight summits in six locations, engaging hundreds of community college staff and faculty.

“We face a major challenge to retool and rebuild our workforce and meet the challenges of the coming clean energy economy," said Lisa Madry, Campus Field Director, National Wildlife Federation. "The Greenforce commitment will help accelerate America's ability to tackle the climate crisis while creating economic opportunities and pathways out of poverty."

Community colleges are increasingly called upon to both prepare graduates with the 21st century skills needed in a greener economy while also protecting community health and sustainability. "Post-secondary credentials are increasingly required for careers that pay family-sustaining wages," said Gloria Mwase, Program Director, Jobs for the Future. "While the labor demand in key "green" sectors offer job growth opportunities in many communities, it is critical that we ensure that under-prepared adults can access and succeed in these careers."

In Virginia, there are more than 336,000 jobs in a representative group of job areas that could see job growth or wage increases by putting global warming solutions to work, according to Huey Battle from the Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board. The Virginia Community College System is committed to supporting the growth of sustainability-skilled jobs in Virginia, “By 2015 the Virginia Community College System hopes to be working with approximately 12,000 Virginia companies and we are starting to see demand for green jobs in Virginia in the weatherization, HVAC, and wind industries” said VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois.

Since its formation in 1936, National Wildlife Federation has worked with affiliates across the country to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for future generations. NWF seeks to engage and educate its 4 million members, partners and supporters with a focus on restoring habitat, confronting global warming and connecting people with nature. To learn more about NWF’s environmental higher education programs, visit the Campus Ecology www.campusecology.org and Greenforce Initiative www.greenforceinitiative.org pages.

Jobs for the Future develops, implements, and promotes new education and workforce strategies that help communities, states, and the nation compete in a global economy. In more than 200 communities across 43 states, JFF improves the pathways leading from high school to college to family-sustaining careers.