ACCD Holiday E-Card Contest

Alamo Community Colleges
Animated Holiday E-Card Contest

The Chancellor’s Office is inviting current students of the Alamo Community Colleges to submit entries for an original, animated holiday card to be sent electronically to hundreds of individuals as the official ACCD card. A check for $500 from the ACCD Foundation will be awarded to the winning entry at the December monthly Board meeting on Tuesday, December 11, 2007.
GUIDELINES
* The theme for the card is the holiday season
* Use of local images related to San Antonio and/or ACCD is recommended
* Somewhere in the card, all 5 colleges should be listed (Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, St. Philip’s College , and San Antonio College)
* Recommend use of references to students, teaching and learning

* All current ACCD students are eligible; student teams are also encouraged to enter (one $500 check goes to the winning entry!)
* Only original work, please!
* Deadline for submissions is midnight, December 3, 2007
* Winner will be contacted on December 6, 2007

SPECIFICATIONS
· Size: 640 X 480 pixels
· Swf file format
· Finished movie file size no more than 560 kilobytes
· Length: maximum of 45 seconds
· Software: Flash

HOW TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY
Email the finished file to Mike Irizarry at mirizarry@mail.accd.edu
The body of the email should include the student’s name, college, major, telephone number, and best means for getting in contact.

QUESTIONS?
For technical questions, call Mike Irizarry at 208-8008, for all other questions email Adriana Contreras at acontreras81@mail.accd.edu or call 208-8020.
Good Luck!

PAC Dance Group Performance

News Release from Jump-Start Performance Co.:

Boo! It's all ( dance) tricks and treats for the October W-I-P, San Antonio's longest-running series for previewing original dance and performance work. Costumes optional!

W-I-P will be on Wednesday, October 31st at 7p.m. at Jump-Start Theater in the Blue Star Arts Complex, corner of S. Alamo & Probandt. Call 227-5867 for directions. Admission is $5 regular and $3 for students and senior citizens. The program runs about an hour and a half. No reservations are necessary.

W-I-P (Works-In-Progress/Wednesdays-In-Performance) is a collaboration between Jump-Start Performance Co. and San Antonio Dance Umbrella. It is a monthly lab space for new, in-progress dance and other movement-based performance works accompanied by a facilitated post-performance discussion. W-I-P is known for its eclecticism: modern dancers, belly dancers and performance artists have performed in the same evening and been inspired by each other, as well as expanding the audience's perception of performance.

The line-up will feature Afrocentric funk choreography by Erica Wilson for Palo Alto College, a sultry social dance duet by Alyssa Wander and Christopher Jaramillo, and modern dance created by Paula Cruz.

Jump-Start Performance Co. is funded in part by grants from The Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs, City of San Antonio, The Texas Commission on the Arts, and The National Endowment of the Arts.

For more information, please call 227-JUMP.

Mental Health Screening

Mental Health Screening

Depression

Bipolar Disorder

Anxiety

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Screenings available to students, faculty and staff of Palo Alto College

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

9:00AM – 5:00PM

Screening Location:
Counseling Support Services Center (CSSC)

Sponsored by:

Counseling Dept.
PASSkey Program
Disability Support Services

Lab-Volt Systems Announce PAC Scholarship

Daniel Rodriguez, Senior Vice-President, North American Sales and Marketing for Lab-Volt Systems, announced a $1,500 scholarship for a PAC student enrolled in the Electro-Mechanical Technology Program. Frank Quijano, Chair of the Industrial Automation & Engineering Department will develop qualifications and selection criteria for the scholarship.

PACDAY at South Park Mall

Preparations are underway for “PACDAY at South Park Mall,” scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 20 different PAC departments and organizations will man tables at the Mall to distribute information on programs and activities available at the College. Recruiters, counselors, admissions and financial aid representatives will also be available to address issues related to higher education.

REFC Enrollment Dates for Spring Semester

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS SENT ON BEHALF OF THE RAY ELLISON FAMILY CENTER:

Registration for Spring Enrollment at the Ray Ellison Family Center will soon be underway!

Spring Registration for children currently enrolled at the REFC begins Nov. 5 and ends Nov. 9.

Spring Registration for “new” children of PAC students begins Nov. 12 and ends Nov. 16.

Spring Registration for “new” children of PAC staff, faculty, TAMUK and the community begins Nov. 19.

We have limited openings in all the classrooms for the spring, so if you are interested in enrolling your child(ren), please stop by the center and complete a Spring Registration Form. We accept children from 21-months to 5-years-old on a part time (MWF or TTH full day) or full time (MTWTHF full day) basis. There is $30 non-refundable registration fee and all enrollment packets must be fully completed and submitted by November 30, 2007 to guarantee your child’s spot. The center will open for children on Monday, January 14, 2008. If you have any further questions, please call us at 921-5490.

Flu Shots Today!

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS SENT ON BEHALF OF DOLLY ROSAS, PAC NURSE:

REMINDER! Flu shots will be available to you at the Health Center, TODAY, October 22, 2007 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m.

Community First: The following insurances will offer the flu shot at no out of pocket cost:
Community First, Humana, Medicare Part B, Secure Horizons, and Evercare. Eligible insurance members need to provide their insurance ID card in order to receive the flu shot.

Health Select: Health Select insurers may receive the flu shot at the Health Center for $22.50 after filling out an HEB Rx Reward card. Only the subscriber information needs to be filled out along with a signature.

Palo Alto Students: Students may receive a flu shot at the Health Center for $22.50 after filling out an HEB Rx Reward card.

Method of Payment: Cash or check will be received as payment for the flu shot. Credit cards will not be accepted.

Consent Forms/Reward Card Forms: In order to save time, flu shot consent forms and the HEB Reward Card forms are available at the Health Center for you to complete. You may also download, print, and complete the forms by clicking on the following Health Center web site: http://www.accd.edu/pac/htm/Current/services/health_center/health_center.htm

Please remember to have your completed forms ready to turn in on October 22.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Health Center at: 921-5220.
Thank you,
Dahlia (Dolly) Rosas, RN, BSN, CLNC
Coordinator, College Health Center

PAC Establishes Riley Scholarship

PAC ESTABLISHES RILEY MEMORIAL ACCOUNTING SCHOLARSHIP

Palo Alto College has established the James B. Riley Memorial Accounting Scholarship for Palo Alto students in memory of one of its 12 founding faculty members, who died of cancer on Oct. 5.

Riley was the first Faculty Senate president at the college when it opened in 1985. He taught accounting and business administration courses and was still teaching at the time of his death. His wife, Carol, is the Ethics and Compliance Officer for the Alamo Community Colleges.

Those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation may make the check payable to The ACCD Foundation and write “Riley Memorial Scholarship” in the memo line. Checks can be sent to the ACCD Foundation, 201 W. Sheridan, San Antonio 78204 or delivered to Elsa Anaya, Business Dept. Chairperson, Applied Science Bldg. 122 or 120, or call her at (210) 921-5505.

Congratulations, Dr. Stacey Johnson!

Dr. Stacey Johnson, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, has been named one of “The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America” by the Institute for International Sport.

The list caps a three-year project by the Institute that originally reviewed 1,500 nominations. A selection committee composed of coaches, athletic administrators, journalists and academicians, and chaired by David Bloss, a former sports editor for the Providence Journal, reviewed the 200 finalists prior to making the final selection.

Joining Dr. Johnson are notable athletes such as Tiger Woods, Cal Ripken Jr., and Billie Jean King.

To view the news release and the complete list of "The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America," click HERE.

Fine Arts Exhibition: Oct. 18 4 p.m.

Please join us for the opening reception of the Palo Alto College Fine Arts Building and Faculty Exhibit in Gallery 100.

OPEN: Faculty Exhibition
October 18 - November 9, 2007

Cakky Brawley Alba De Leon Karen Hogensen Mark Hogensen
Diana Kersey Karen Mahaffy Michele Monseau Chris Sauter
Andy Villarreal Lloyd Walsh

Grand Opening
Fine Arts Building
Palo Alto College

Reception: October 18, 2007
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Fine Arts: Gallery 100

The exhibition is free and open to the public

Gallery Hours:
Monday- Friday 9am-5pm
phone: 210.921.5345

Capella University

Capella University currently has an alliance/articulation with the Alamo Community Colleges that gives faculty, staff and graduates a 10% tuition discount plus a waived application fee, along with special grants and scholarships.

There is a specifically customized landing page for ACCD on the Capella University website, which is located at: www.capella.edu/accd. You can also find it on the PAC website in the following two locations:

http://www.accd.edu/pac/htm/Community/community.htm

http://www.accd.edu/pac/htm/FacultyStaff/resources.htm

Half-Price Books

Teacher and Librarian Appreciation Weekend
Friday, Oct. 19 to Sunday, Oct. 21

EDUCATOR'S DISCOUNT CARD
As part of our commitment to literacy, Half Price Books supports educators, school teachers and librarians in the community. Shop HPB for a great selection of children's books and educational materials. And best of all, it fits your budget. While you're in the store, apply for your own Educator's Discount Card to save 10% all year round! It's simple to apply and easy to save. Our gift to you. And remember, your P.O. money goes twice as far at Half Price Books. The teacher/librarian discount is offered in stores to teachers or librarians who are able to present identification (a pay stub or ID card) that verifies their status as a public or private school teacher (including college/university teaching assistants) or a school or city librarian. Homeschoolers should provide verification from their state or local homeschooling organization where applicable. Day care providers and private specialty instructors do not qualify for the discount. Discount not valid during sales, with any other discount or coupon. Cannot be used to purchase gift cards.

PAC Happenings

Get ready for ACCD College Connections at PAC!
PAC students visit the Nation's Capitol!


--PAC took the first step in preparing for the ACCD College Connections program with the Harlandale and Edgewood Independent School Districts. The College Connections program has been adopted from Austin Community College model. The program works with students in preparing them for college and works toward a 100 percent participation rate. Services provided by the ACCD team include orientation, admissions, testing and advising.

--Veronica Rosas-Tatum, Instructor of Business and Management, chaperoned eight SGA students to the American Student Government Association’s national conference held in Washington, D.C. She directed students in choosing workshops, and coordinated visits to national attractions such as the Holocaust Museum, Lincoln Monument, Jefferson Monument and the Smithsonian Museum. One of the trip’s highlights was meeting on the steps of the Capitol with Congressman Ciro Rodriguez and a tour of the Capitol conducted by a student intern from UTSA who is spending the semester in DC. This was SGA’s first attendance at this type of conference and the information, networking and insights gained were incredible.

Meet Congressman Rodriguez

Meet Congressman Ciro Rodriguez!
Palo Alto College
Student Center Annex
Thursday, Oct. 11
11:30 a.m.
Congressman Rodriguez wants to hear students’ views on College Affordability

PAC Happenings

Congratulations to Dr. Jacobs and former PAC student David Morales for representing Palo Alto College in their most recent endeavors!

--Dr. Mary-Ellen Jacobs, Associate Professor of English, participated in the Cross-Cultural Forum for Professional Development sponsored by the Women's Global Connection, held at the University of the Incarnate Word, Sept. 29. Dr. Jacobs discussed her experiences of facilitating a workshop on interactive teaching strategies for secondary school educators in Bukoba, Tanzania, this summer.

--Bruce Burger, Landscape and Turfgrass Management Advisory Committee member and Superintendent of the Quarry Golf Course, and David Morales, a recent PAC Turfgrass and Golf Course Management graduate student, appeared on the cover of September’s Golf Course Management Magazine.

Annual Fall Transfer/College Fair

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

9 a.m. to Noon

PAC Student Center Annex

VISITING INSTITUTIONS:

OUT OF STATE

University of Alabama

University of Northern Iowa

FROM TEXAS
●Texas A&M Corpus Christi
●Our Lady of the Lake University
●UTSA
●St. Mary’s University
●University of the Incarnate Word
●Texas State University San Marcos
●Texas A&M System Center San Antonio
●Sul Ross University/Rio Grande Campus
●University of Texas Health Science Center @ San Antonio Health and School of Nursing
●Wayland Baptist University
●Air Force Reserves
●Texas A&M Kingsville
●Texas Lutheran University
●International University of Nursing
●University of Houston
●Hardin-Simmons University
●The ART Institutes
●Baylor University
●Angelo State University
●Texas A&M Commerce
●Stephen F. Austin State University
●Concordia University
●DeVry University
●Baptist Health Professions Schools
●Sam Houston State University

PLUS MORE…

This may be the ONLY time, during this academic year, that some of these institutions will be on our
Palo Alto College campus


Thank you for your support Charley Garcia, Team Leader
PAC Career and Transfer Services/Phone: 921-5276/Email: chgarcia@accd.edu

ACCD Development Day

Faculty and Staff members will be at an Employee Development Day Seminar in the AT&T Center today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be no day classes today. Evening classes will begin at 5 p.m.

Bereavement Notice

Jim Riley, one of the founding faculty members of Palo Alto College who has taught Business and Accounting courses since 1985, passed away this morning at M.D. Anderson Hospital from cancer.

His family was with him in Houston.

His wife is Carol Riley, the ACCD Ethics and Compliance Officer. Please be in prayer for the family, for his students, and for Jim's colleagues who worked closely with him for many years. We will notify you of services when they are announced.

Veterinary Building Update

PAC’S VETERINARY TECHNOLOGY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
ON PACE FOR JANUARY OPENING

SAN ANTONIO—A 15,188 square foot Veterinary Technology Building with a scheduled completion date of January 2008 is one of several new construction and renovation projects currently underway at Palo Alto College (PAC) as a result of the 2005 Bexar County bond election that approved $450 million for the physical expansion of the Alamo Community Colleges.

According to Robert Garza, coordinator of the Capital Improvement Program at PAC, the Veterinary Technology Building exemplifies what the college aspires to achieve by providing state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and instruction to meet the needs of the community, students and employers across the region. Completion of the building will allow PAC to bring its Veterinary Program to the college campus from its present location at Brooks City Base.

The $5.2 million facility will house an anatomy/physiology lab; a clinical/pathology lab; a parasitology lab; an equine lab; a surgery room; pharmacy; kennels; and classrooms. An animal pen will also be constructed adjacent to the building.

PAC received $55 million from the bond election that will increase the square footage of the campus from 385,404 to 498,993. A 46,243 square foot Convocation Building is currently under construction with a completion date of December 2008. A groundbreaking will be held for the construction of a 53,180 square foot Science and Workforce Center in February 2008, with a scheduled completion date of August 2009.

Veterinary Technology Building
Project Address: 1400 W. Villaret San Antonio, TX 78224
Construction start date: January 2007
Expected completion date: December 31, 2007
Square footage: 15,188
Special features: Surgical rooms, clinical pathology lab, parasitology lab, pharmacy, x-ray room, kennels and outside exercise area
Cost: $5.2 million
Architect: Rehler Vaughn & Koone, Inc.
Contractor: Spawglass

Photo by Mario Ramirez

UNI Recruitment Session

Palo Alto College’s Career and Transfer Services
Invites You To Attend:

The University of Northern Iowa’s Special Recruitment Session

DATE: Thursday, October 11, 2007

TIME: 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

LOCATION: PAC Student Center

(UNI reps will also be available 10/12/07 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in Career and Transfer Center/Room 116 of Palomino Ctr.)
The session will provide you with:

1) Admissions Requirements
2) Scholarship Information
3) Academic Programs at UNI
4) April 2008 Campus Visit
5) PAC/UNI Alumni Presentation

Come to the session and discover why nearly 180 Palo Alto College students over the past 8 years have decided to continue their education with the University of Northern Iowa, located in Cedar Falls, Iowa!

We look forward to your participation. If you have any questions contact Charley Garcia at 210-921-5276.

PAC President Speaks to Hechinger Fellows

Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzmán, Palo Alto College president, highlighted a nationwide panel of community college administrators that provided analysis and insight to members of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media’s Fellowship Program, in New York City Oct. 1.

Championing increased coverage of community colleges by media outlets throughout the country, Dr. Guzmán urged the six Hechinger Institute Fellows and nine associates to pursue stories and file reports on the critical role community colleges perform in providing access and opportunities to a wide range of students seeking to achieve their goals in higher education.

Joining Dr. Guzmán on the panel were Dr. Richard Carpenter, Chancellor of the North Harris Montgomery Community College District (Houston); Dr. William Law Jr., President of Tallahassee Community College (Fla.); and Dr. Regina S. Peruggi, President of Kingsborough Community College, a College of The City University of New York.

According to a Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media press release, the six Fellows and their projects are:

o Gloria Padilla, San Antonio Express-News: Minorities in Texas community colleges.
o Greg Bolt, (Eugene, Ore.) Register-Guard: Nursing, health and technical training at community colleges.
o Rita Giordano, Philadelphia Inquirer: Following students enrolled in the Gateway program at Community College of Philadelphia.
o Mary Beth Marklein, USA Today: National analysis of community colleges, with state-by-state comparisons.
o Nancy Rodriguez, (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal: Problems with transferring from community colleges to four-year college.
o Wick Sloane, Inside Higher Ed and “Here and Now," WBUR-FM in Boston: Community college funding issues.

The nine associate fellows are: Ana Alaya, (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger; Mark Harper, Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal; Diane Knich, (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier; Matthew Krupnick, Contra Costa (Calif.) Times; Chad Livengood, Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot; Matthew Miller, Lansing (Mich.) State Journal; Janet Okoben, Cleveland Plain Dealer; Marsha Sills, (Lafayette, La.) Daily Advertiser; and Susan Simpson, The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman.

The Fellowship is designed to give journalists the support and encouragement needed to report in-depth on issues related to community colleges. For the next four months the 15 journalists will meet with experts, discuss their projects with other journalists, conduct research and visit local colleges. In February 2008, the journalists will return to New York City to discuss their projects with each other and talk about what they have learned.

Chente Barrera to perfom at PAC

In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Palo Alto College and the Student Services Activity Fee Committee is sponsoring “Una Noche de Baile y Música” on the campus’ Central Courtyard, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m.

The public is invited to attend this free event.

Food and drink booths open at 5 p.m., followed by a performance by “Los Inocentes” at 6 p.m. Chente Barrera y Taconazo, 2007 Grammy Award winner for “Best Tejano Album” will perform from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. An area will be set aside for dancing.