The Alumni Magazine of JCCC
Reconnect Spring 2011
Career Development Center
Contents
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Students make the Career Development Center one of their first stops to self-evaluate, explore majors and discover career options.
Cover Renee Arnett directs the Career Development Center on the second floor of the Student Center.
Career Development Center transforms an iceberg into a tornado
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JCCC is a leader in HITECH training
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Passing it on
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College grads come to JCCC to continue their education
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act mandates that every U.S. citizen have an electronic health record by 2014. JCCC is poised to do its part by training the next generation of health care and IT professionals.
Alum Nick Gentry wants to teach what he learned at JCCC.
Having a bachelor’s degree doesn’t mean you can’t come to JCCC for continuing education training and certificates.
Reconnect
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Space to connect New student spaces open at JCCC, encouraging interaction and learner engagement.
The Alumni Magazine of JCCC Reconnect is published two times a year by Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS 66210-1299 913-469-8500 fax 913-469-2559 www.jccc.edu
Reconnect is produced by the JCCC Foundation, College Information and Publications, and the Office of Document Services. Editor: Christy McWard Reporters: Peggy Graham, Diane Carroll Photographer: Bret Gustafson Designer: Randy Breeden
For more information about JCCC Alumni, call the Foundation office at 913-469-3835. 2
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JCCC offers services to veterans
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ECAV Radio has a new general manager
The college puts into place a network to assist veterans.
Want to know what’s happening on campus? Check out JCCC’s Internet radio station, ECAV.
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Sustainability reaches a watershed moment JCCC completes its $700,000 green stormwater treatment project on the southeast corner of campus, paid for in part by stimulus money from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
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Meet Kate Allen Katherine Allen heads the JCCC Foundation as the executive director of institutional advancement.
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New association helps JCCC employees and retirees stay connected
March 5 Hot Tuna Blues – Big Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane), blues icon Charlie Musselwhite and two-time Grammy-winner Jim Lauderdale have been carrying on an affair with rock and the blues for almost 40 years.
Foundation Awards JCCC Foundation honors three for outstanding work on behalf of the college.
March 12 Janis Ian – Unwind and relax with folk icon Janis Ian and enjoy an intimate concert in Polsky Theatre.
Small businesses start up with help from JCCC The Kansas Small Business Development Center at JCCC increases economic prosperity in Kansas by helping entrepreneurs and small business owners start and grow their businesses through professional consulting, training and resources.
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Save the Date
March 4 Opole, Philharmonic of Poland – Under the direction of Maestro Boguslaw Dawidow, the orchestra will undertake its first transcontinental tour of the U.S.
Anyone who has retired from Johnson County Community College or is a college employee over the age of 55 is invited to join a new group to stay in touch and explore new opportunities.
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Calendar
March 24 An Evening with Vince Gill – Country music superstar Vince Gill will perform hits from his 30-year career backed by a live band.
The Johnson County Community College Foundation celebrated its 24th annual Some Enchanted Evening gala and named its Johnson Countian of the Year.
April 2 The Joffrey Ballet – Come see why The Joffrey Ballet is one of the most revered and recognizable arts organizations in America and one of the top ballet companies in the world.
Connect with JCCC alumni on Facebook – www.facebook.com/jccc.alumni
April 4 Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer – Three masterful genre-benders and the leading virtuosos on their respective instruments join forces for a night of magical music.
Some Enchanted Evening
April 15 Dollars for Scholars – Hosted by JCCC friends, alumni, faculty, staff and students at JCCC, the auction includes hundreds of items, ranging from vacation getaways to sports memorabilia. May 1 Spamalot – This Tony Award Winner for Best Musical in 2005, lovingly ripped off from Monty Python archives, assures a Spamtastic time!
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Career Development Center transforms an iceberg into a tornado Renee Arnett directs the Career Development Center on the second floor of the Student Center.
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he Career Development Center was formerly the last place a student stopped when leaving JCCC – a place to look for a job, write a résumé and practice an interview. Now, the Center is one of the first places a college student needs to visit – a place to do selfevaluation, explore majors and explore careers.
Formerly called Career Services, the Career Development Center, located in SC 252, opened under its new name in fall 2010 with an official open house the week of Nov. 15, National Career Development Week. Changes to the Center were implemented as the result of a career services’ summit involving 20 members from across campus in fall 2009. Renee Arnett, director/career counselor of the Career Development Center, uses meteorological metaphors to summarize the Center’s shift in focus. 4
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“Before the Center was an iceberg with only the jobs’ portion visible above the water, and underneath was the career development piece,” Arnett said. “Now I see the Center as a tornado where the open end of the funnel cloud is where the career planning process begins. As an individual goes through the process of learning more about themselves, looking at college majors and educational programs and participating in volunteer work and clubs, the process starts to funnel down into a decision about a job.” Arnett says the Center was formerly “enabling” students instead of teaching them skills to navigate a lifelong career planning process. “Statistics indicate that during a lifetime, an individual will have two to three careers, five to seven career transitions and 10 to 12 jobs. You can’t make a decision and be set for life. The process is ongoing,” Arnett said.
So the summit set the goal of teaching skills to decide on a college major, research and select a career, and learn how to find a job. The top priorities in 2010-2011 are reaching undecided students, developing relationships with liberal arts faculty and initiating outreach across campus. The Center serves students, alumni, prospective students, faculty and staff. In spring 2009, 12 of the center’s staff went through 13 weeks of intensive career development facilitator training taught by the University of WisconsinMadison to become eligible as credentialed career development facilitators. The transformed center is turning its website into a virtual front door where students can be guided through the career decision-making process. The Center offers fee-based formal assessments (like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Profile) and many free
Last fall, Ron Frigault, counselor, taught a Career and Life Planning class in the Career Development Center, where students could learn about its many resources. informal assessments. Since January 2009, the Center has tripled the number of offerings of its no-cost Choices Workshop to college or high school second-semester juniors or seniors between ages 17 to 35 as a starting point for decisions about college majors and careers. “Sometimes students come in and say, ‘I want to take that test that tells me what I should do, what I should be.’ There is no such test,” Arnett said. “These tests give basic information about interests, personality, values, skills and strengths.” JCCC data has shown that as many as 66.6 percent of students are in some phase of “deciding about a college major or career goal” and could benefit from career development intervention. A sense of direction about majors and careers increases students’ retention and achievement, according to Arnett. The website also directs students to 20
CareerSpot’s videos, five-minute videos that give tips on topics from interview mistakes to the perils of social networking. For the last three years, the former Academics Major Fair, showcasing college majors and transfer schools, has been part of the fall Campus Kickoff in order to integrate the entire college experience. “Our career counselors are not going to wait in their offices for students,” Arnett said. “We are going to make intentional connections through Campus Center workshops and collaboration with our peers across campus.” At the end of the funnel cloud is the job decision. Students can visit the Career Development Center to learn job-search skills, explore job listings, meet with oncampus recruiters, research internships, receive a résumé critique and schedule a mock interview.
The Career Development Center is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. MondayWednesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday on the second floor of the Student Center. Contact the Center at www.jccc.edu/career-development or 913-469-3870. crease in unemployment are much more aware of how important it is to succeed with their career goals,” Arnett said. “We’re seeing more students who are determined to go to school and find a career that has longevity and one that satisfies their interests, values and supports the use of their natural talents.”
“Students who are witnessing the inSpring 2011
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CareerConnection
JCCC is a leader in HITECH training JCCC offers HITECH training for health information technology Deb Elder (front, far left) leads the team that developed JCCC’s HITECH program within a larger Midwest consortium of community colleges. community colleges are expected to train 10,500 students each year for the next five years to meet requirements by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which mandates that every U.S. citizen have an electronic health record by 2014. JCCC is poised to do its part.
U.S.
JCCC received $292,247 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka stimulus act) to be used to implement two components of the health information technology workforce training that will be needed in physicians’ offices and medical centers to meet the 2014 deadline. In September 2010, JCCC began offering six-month training for two career roles: 1. technical/software support staff, and 2. practice workflow and information management redesign specialists. JCCC is one of 17 community colleges in the Midwest consortium, headed by 6
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Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, responsible for delivering HIT training. Each consortium across the United States will be required to deliver training in six career roles that will serve to implement and support electronic health records. In addition to the two roles listed above, designated career roles are clinical/practitioner consultants, implementation support specialists, implementation managers and trainers. Eventually coursework in all six career roles will be available to community college students nationwide through the regional consortiums – either online or in the classroom. As the only Kansas community college to be part of the Midwest consortium, JCCC is partnering with Hutchinson Community College and also with Metropolitan Community College on the Missouri side to deliver training.
Last fall, JCCC offered its two training programs through the Workforce, Community and Economic Development branch, with credit classes available in spring 2011, according to Dr. Bill Osborn, associate vice president, Instruction. Right now, there are no prerequisites, although HIT is expected to attract people who have either an IT or health care background. The greatest need for HIT workers will be with office-based physicians and rural medical centers. JCCC students who complete either of the two six-month programs will receive a certificate of completion. In the meantime, Northern Virginia Community College has been awarded a grant to develop a competency examination. Deb Elder is JCCC’s HITECH grant program director. For more information, contact Elder at 913-469-8500, ext. 4270, or e-mail delder6@jccc.edu.
AlumniConnection
Nick Gentry: Passing it on JCCC alum wants to teach what he learned at JCCC
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hat Nick Gentry experienced from JCCC’s faculty members years ago is what he hopes to bring to a high school classroom when he lands his first teaching job. “I would not be where I’m at today – with a master’s degree in education and prepared to teach high school business – if not for JCCC,” Gentry said. “I never found a JCCC instructor I couldn’t get along with. They all seemed to care, and that is what I’m determined to bring into my teaching style – a true sense of caring.” Gentry got a late start with his college education. After managing a Sears store for many years, Gentry wanted to do something different – something that would touch people’s lives. So, at age 42, he enrolled at JCCC. “I needed a small, intimate setting to get started and to build my confidence,” he pointed out.
One of Gentry’s first JCCC classes was Introduction to Writing. “My instructor taught me how to write … really write,” he recalled. “She taught me how to write a sentence that made sense. She gave me the confidence and the praise I needed to continue and the desire to increase my knowledge.” Gentry said math classes at JCCC got him interested in the business world. “Math is one of those things where rules never change, but I had to learn the rules again because I hadn’t played the game in such a long time,” he said. “Before attending JCCC, the last time I had a
Alumnus Nick Gentry says he wouldn’t be where he is today without JCCC. math class was in 1968. I found that if you don’t use it, you lose it.” Looking back, Gentry credits Nancy Carpenter for the confidence to get an associate’s degree from JCCC, go on to get a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and ultimately receive a master’s degree in education last May from Rockhurst University. “Nancy instilled in me a love for math,” he pointed out. “She inspired me and kept telling me I needed to be a teacher.” Carpenter’s enthusiasm was what Gentry benefited from the most. “Nancy had a very high enthusiasm level,” he said. “She was able to talk to me and make sense. I realized she knew a lot more than me, but she talked in a language that I understood.” Gentry said that at a very early age his father and even his school principal told him that he wasn’t very smart.
wanted to do,” Gentry said. “That was the old form of teaching, and I ended up just out of high school with very little confidence. I didn’t think I was going to amount to anything. But through marriage and opportunity, I was able to prove that wrong.” Now with a master’s degree and ready to teach high school, Gentry wants to repay what he learned at JCCC by encouraging students to never give up. “You always learn something new every day,” he said when asked what advice he would give high school students. “Knowledge changes your whole viewpoint on life.” Gentry said he is definitely not going to follow in his father’s and principal’s footsteps by discouraging students. “Times have changed,” he said. “Teaching styles have changed. There are now different ways of learning for all types of learners.”
“My principal tried to get me into auto mechanics classes, and that’s not what I Spring 2011
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CareerConnection
College grads come to JCCC to continue their education
Brett Hettrick sharpens his professional skills at JCCC.
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ou may think that after receiving a bachelor’s degree, one doesn’t have a need for a community college. But according to Brett Hettrick, that’s not true. Hettrick received his BA in business administration from UMKC, but comes to Johnson County Community College for continuing education training and certificates. Hettrick works at PageOne as a director of consulting. His résumé is impressive, with extensive experience in human resources, sales and business development. He has years of experience in his field and affiliations with wellknown organizations such as the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), Association of Career Professionals International (ACPI), American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), and many more.
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So what can this guy achieve from attending a community college? Hettrick sums it up saying, “The reputation of the continuing education branch, the college in general, including the instructors, in the community is outstanding, so being able to reference training received from the college has always been beneficial.” The workforce and economic development branch’s project management certificate is what Hettrick is currently seeking. “The instructors in the program are excellent, as is the content and the materials provided. I have already used information I have learned in the program to perform better on existing contracts for my business,” he said. The project management certificate is not the first continuing education program Hettrick has attended through
JCCC. He has also taken effective project scheduling and control and project risk management classes. “The information I learned I was able to apply (to my business) and saved myself multiple hours of time based on what I learned,” he said. Hettrick offers advice for other JCCC students, “Talk with and get to know the instructor(s) and your classmates. They are both a great pool of knowledge to access and to network with. The instructors and classmates both have real world experiences that can be extremely beneficial.” JCCC’s continuing education courses offer a myriad of training focuses. To see what JCCC can do for you, check out our website at http://jccc.edu/CE to view class schedules and learn more about our training and certificate programs.
CampusConnection
Space to connect New student spaces open at JCCC
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tudents at commuter campuses like JCCC often head for the parking lot when their classes are over. That changed last fall, as new spaces encourage students to linger on campus, meeting and interacting with each other and with faculty and staff. Construction on the new spaces was completed just as classes began for the fall 2010 semester. For the first time, JCCC students have a dedicated place of their own to just hang out. The third floor of the Commons houses the Center for Student Involvement, home base for student clubs and organizations at JCCC. In this spacious room, each group can take care of business at a desk with a computer, storage and access to office supplies. There’s a conference room that student groups can schedule for meetings, and even a meditation room available for students of any faith to pause for quiet contemplation. Next door, the Campus Center provides spaces for small groups to meet or study. Student groups can hold meetings there as well, and study groups can get together to review their lessons. That will also be the place where the college can offer orientations or workshops of interest to students, or faculty can offer supplemental instruction to help
students in their classes. Individual students can plug in their laptop and study alone if that suits them best. And when they’re done with studying, students can head to the nearby Student Lounge to play ping-pong or foosball; they can also play games or watch programs on one of three 52-inch TV screens. The spaces will be staffed by nine new student engagement ambassadors.
these interviews can be used online. And words no longer mean print on paper – the reporters’ work will appear in the online version of the paper.” As students get to know one another, the new Commons’ spaces will become the liveliest place to be on campus.
“It’s an opportunity for students to have a place to gather,” said Pam Vassar, assistant dean, learner engagement. “Students need to connect with other students in order to connect with the institution. We know such connections lead to success.” One floor below these new rooms is remodeled space for student media. Gone is the collection of battered desks once used by the staff of the Campus Ledger, the college’s student newspaper. In their place are sleek counters and computer monitors. ECAV, the college’s Web-based student radio station, also has offices and rooms where DJs can play music and reporters can broadcast interviews. “For media students, this is an opportunity to work in a consolidated convergent environment,” Vassar said. “Sound no longer means just radio – Spring 2011
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StudentConnection
JCCC offers services to veterans JCCC has in place a network to assist veterans Kena Zumalt (right) is JCCC’s Veterans Administration adviser.
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CCC has in place a network to assist veterans, starting with the Veterans Services office, staffed by Kena Zumalt, Veterans Administration adviser. Zumalt serves as JCCC’s point of contact for veterans (which includes all active, reserve and retired military as well as dependents). JCCC was named to the 2010 and 2011 list, Military Friendly Schools, by GI Jobs, a magazine for military transition. The list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to serve America’s veterans.
of colleges and universities accredited for service members and their adult dependent family members. The college is committed to evaluating and awarding academic credit for military training and experience, transfering coursework from other institutions and awarding credit for nationally recognized testing programs. Keeping abreast of new initiatives and benefits is sometimes complicated for service members as they make the transition from active to veteran status. JCCC is serving as a pilot for a new search engine, VetLink, which will allow veterans to enter their era of service and ZIP code in order to obtain a list of services in their area – including education.
As the VA certifying official, Zumalt’s primary responsibility is to administer the enrollment certificate process of veterans to the Veterans Administation. Almost all JCCC programs are approved for GI Bill certification, including some certificate programs in continuing education.
“This is an exciting time to be serving veterans because there is so much we can do to assist this group of Americans,” Zumalt said.
JCCC is a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, a consortium
The newest education benefit is the post9/11 GI Bill, effective Aug. 1, 2009, and
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designed for service members and veterans who have qualifying active duty service since Sept. 11, 2001. Billed “as the most comprehensive education benefit package since the original GI Bill of 1944,” the post-9/11 GI Bill can pay the cost of tuition and fees, not to exceed the most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition at a public institution, monthly housing allowance and a book stipend of up to $1,000 a year. Zumalt says veterans have to decide which benefits are most advantageous to use first if they have eligibility for more than one. It may be they want to save the post-9/11 GI Bill benefit to further their education at a more expensive institution. Zumalt can assist with that decision as well with a new tool on the Veterans Administration website, “Which Benefit Is Best for Me?” “I admire our military students. They deserve excellence in return for their service to our country,” Zumalt said.
StudentConnection
ECAV Radio has a new general manager Marvita Oliver wants you to check out JCCC’s Internet radio station, ECAV Station manager Marvita Oliver positions ECAV radio as an information source for students.
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ant to know what’s happening on campus? Marvita Oliver suggests that you check out JCCC’s Internet radio station, ECAV. Oliver is the 2010-2011 station manager.
Oliver came to JCCC in summer 2009. She had thought first about attending an online school. Her son was applying to JCCC though, and so she decided to apply as well. Her first summer class, Acting I, led to two more courses in the fall and then to four courses in spring 2010, including journalism classes funded by a Rose Family Scholarship for journalism students. She worked for the Campus Ledger, the student newspaper, in the fall and spring. “I kept seeing the radio staff between shows in the Ledger office and became interested in what they were doing on the air,” Oliver said. Though not known as much of a talker, Oliver finally got up the nerve and joined ECAV, the college’s Internet radio station, in the spring. “It was a chance to do something different, and it became a lot of fun.”
This year, Oliver will be in charge of the radio station. “I want ECAV to get out there and be known on campus,” Oliver said. “We want people to look to ECAV for information and find it as an online resource that answers students’ needs for music, news, sports, school events and interesting programs.” During ECAV’s second year, Oliver plans to add to the fun by improving the station’s visibility with students and the community, both on campus and outside the college, as well as establishing a regular programming schedule. Programs will include such topics as health, inspiration, politics, sports, pop and local music and comedy. She encourages students who are interested in joining ECAV’s diverse and dynamic programming staff as DJs, reporters or marketing representatives to apply for jobs online or to volunteer. “If students have ideas for shows, they should feel free to pitch them with me, and if you’re committed to showing up, ECAV radio will help make it happen,” Oliver said.
Internet radio wasn’t part of Oliver’s résumé in the past. She graduated from Shawnee Mission South High School and went to Tougaloo College in Mississippi, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics. After earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Howard University, she went to work in telecommunications. She traveled to Ghana to do ministry work and later did some consulting. After living in Ghana for 12 years, she returned to the United States in 2009 and wanted to update her skills. “I want to learn more about the media business and technology,” she said. “Things change so fast in media as a whole. JCCC offers great opportunities for students to stay competitive with the changes in the media business and its technology. JCCC also provides opportunities to meet key players in the Kansas City market and to have handson journalism experience.”
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SustainableConnection
Sustainability reaches a watershed moment Installation of drainage from the “Clock East” parking lot began in March 2010.
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CCC completed its $700,000 green stormwater treatment project on the southeast corner of campus in August 2010, paid for by stimulus money from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and a 20 percent match by the college, including funds from a student green fee.
The project allows water runoff from 502,500 square feet of impervious parking and driving surfaces to drain to a constructed wetland on the south side of the parking areas. Before entering the wetland, the stormwater runoff filters through a sequence of treatment systems, planted with native vegetation, designed to treat diverse pollutants – manufactured filtration tanks, bioswales, bioretention cells and a rain garden. “The process both filters the water from pollutants and slows the release of stormwater into the city’s stormwater system,” said Jay Antle, executive director, JCCC center for sustainability, who secured funds for the project. 12
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Previously unfiltered rainwater, containing vehicle oil and residue, would go into drains around the four parking lots, enter the city’s stormwater pipes and dump into Indian Creek. “This is one of the most ambitious green stormwater projects in the Kansas City metropolitan area,” Antle said. “Our engineers with Burns & McDonnell and lead designer Scott Bingham, landscape architect, Bowman Bowman Novick, are excited about making this a demonstration project for others in the area to look at and emulate.” The wetland, incorporating native plants to promote ecological activity and provide habitat for animals and beneficial microbes, will be used for student education and for the community as a recreational and learning environment. Students will test the quality of water as the water goes through the entire system, and an interpretive sign describing the system to the public is in the works. Two rows of
limestone seats are available as an outdoor classroom, and a pervious concrete walkway lines the wetland perimeter. The wetland is at the site of an old farm pond that was later converted to a detention basin. By expanding the basin’s footprint and adding gravel, topsoil and native plantings adaptable to such conditions, water is allowed to stand under a layer of gravel to avoid the problems of an exposed pool of water and to provide one last cleaning before the water leaves the campus and makes its way to Indian Creek. “The project is significant in the metropolitan area by the mere fact of the amount of surface area addressed and by the number of best management practices utilized at a location accessible to the public,” Bingham said. Agri Drain Corporation donated a series of wick drains, specifically designed so as not to plug with debris, as field-inlets
A sign identifies the project for the public.
Two rows of limestone seats create an outdoor classroom.
A dry spell leaves the wetland ready for rain.
Native grasses assist in stormwater filtration.
for water. Native and drought-tolerant plants were custom grown by KAT Nurseries, Olathe. Depending on funding availability, Antle says the college would like to pursue stormwater treatment projects at other sites.
For a complete list of JCCC’s Center for Sustainability initiatives to reduce JCCC’s carbon footprint, recycle, implement sustainability curriculum and meet the goals of the College and University President’s Climate Commitment, visit the Center for Sustainability’s website at www.jccc.edu/sustainability. Spring 2011
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StaffConnection
Meet Kate Allen JCCC announces new executive director of institutional advancement
Kate Allen leads institutional advancement at JCCC.
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atherine Allen, Overland Park, was named the executive director of institutional advancement at Johnson County Community College in September 2010.
Professional Studies, awarded more than $500,000 in teacher grants and expanded volunteer support and community awareness for the foundation.
At JCCC, she is responsible for alumni and community relations, grant writing, JCCC Foundation, and resource and funding development for scholarships, academic programs, capital projects, the Performing Arts Series at JCCC and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
Allen earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s of business administration degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where she played varsity women’s basketball during her undergraduate years, 199599. She received a juris doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law, earning a University of Kansas Law Scholarship, NCAA Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship and Big 12 Postgraduate Scholarship.
Allen comes to JCCC after serving as the executive director of the Blue Valley Educational Foundation for five years. During that time, she more than doubled the Blue Valley Educational Foundation endowment, developed successful new fundraising events, initiated a capital campaign to support the district’s innovative Center for Advanced 14
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She worked previously as the planned giving manager, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo., and the law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King.
Allen is a member of the Centurions Leadership Program, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, 20092011; chair, Philanthropy Midwest Conference, 2010; board of directors, Mid-America Planned Giving Council, 2006-present; and Nonprofit Connect, 2003-present. Allen replaces Joe Sopcich, who left the position to become JCCC’s executive vice president, finances and administrative services. “We are thrilled to have Kate Allen on our JCCC team,” Sopcich said. “She brings with her a terrific record of accomplishment as well as a strong commitment to student success. We’re very excited about the future of the JCCC Foundation.”
RetireeConnection
New association helps JCCC employees and retirees stay connected Retired JCCC employees Dick Scott, Dorothy Friedrich and Helen Burnstad maintain friendships and connections.
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nyone who has retired from Johnson County Community College or is a college employee over the age of 55 is invited to join a new group. The Johnson County Community College Retirees Association adopted a set of bylaws in September and established a board of directors. The association expects to be ready to begin accepting members and their dues early in 2011, President Carolyn Neptune said. Dues will be $12 a year; a lifetime membership will cost $100. The group was formed to help retirees maintain relationships with their former colleagues and stay in touch with what’s happening at the college, Neptune said. Any JCCC employee over the age of 55
also is welcome to join to learn about the retirement process. “People have talked about doing this for the last five years and a concerted effort got underway a year or two ago,” said Neptune, who retired in 2006 after more than 30 years as a math professor. With the college getting older – it opened in 1969 – and with more employees retiring with many years of service, more people seem interested in finding a way to stay connected to the college, she said. “It just seemed that the timing was right,” Neptune said. The association expects to provide educational programs and perhaps help members connect with volunteer opportunities at the college. Members will have a say in the group’s activities.
Information about the association was presented during the college’s professional development week in January. Other association officers are Denny Kurogi, vice president; Dick Stine, recording secretary; Sally Gordon, communications secretary; and Ellen Mohr, treasurer. Members of the board of directors are Chuck Bishop, Helen Burnstad, Matt Campbell, Gene Haun, Pat Jonason, Dick Randolph and Pat Schroeder. Anyone who wants more information about the association may contact any officer or board member. Neptune can be reached at cneptune@jccc.edu or at 913-236-9033.
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tractor-trailer rig filled with staffers and presentation materials. “It scored a lot of points,” Sopcich recalled, but Polsky didn’t agree to contribute that day. Eventually, Polsky did donate $1 million to the capital campaign for the Regnier building, he said. During Sopcich’s tenure in institutional advancement, the endowment grew from $1 million to nearly $15 million and scholarship dollars distributed grew from $153,000 to more than $557,000.
Foundation Awards Joe Sopcich (left) received the JCCC Foundation’s Colleague Award. He is pictured with Bob Regnier, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Cohen, who won the Hugh Speer award, hosts, “It’s Our Community with Mary E. Davidson.” It airs weekly on JCCC Channel 17. She previously served as a regional representative for the U.S. Secretary of Education, a dean at Saint Mary College in Leavenworth and a vice chancellor at the University of Kansas Regents Center.
oe Sopcich once pulled into Hallbrook in a tractor-trailer rig to catch the attention of a potential donor in that upscale Johnson County neighborhood.
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trustee and recognizes a foundation director, college trustee, college employee or community leader who has had a profound impact on education.
Cohen said the award means a lot to her because she and Speer, who died in 1996, were friends. Cohen and Speer shared a birthday (Speer was 30 years older) and rode horses together.
Mary Davidson Cohen hosts a weekly television program at Johnson County Community College that features people from the college and the community.
And Bergman received the Open Petal Award, which recognizes a foundation director who has been open to new ideas, pursued greater visions and made a significant contribution in the area of fundraising. The award’s name refers to an open petal on the college’s sunflower logo, which serves as a reminder that the college leaders remain open to new ideas.
Speer served as a college trustee for 29 years and was a former dean of education at the University of MissouriKansas City. He testified against segregation in the landmark U.S. school desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education, and wrote a book about it entitled, The Trial of the Century.
And Brad Bergman persuades people to support the college financially by sharing his enthusiasm for all that the college offers. The Johnson County Community College Foundation honored the three in October 2010 for their work promoting the college. The foundation raises money to support the college and provide scholarships to its students. Sopcich received the Colleague Award, which recognizes a staff or faculty member who strives to improve the college’s programs and the lives of its students. He served as the college’s executive director of institutional advancement for 17 years, until Sept. 27, 2010, when he became the college’s executive vice president of finances and administrative services. Cohen received the Hugh Speer Award, which pays tribute to the former college 16
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Sopcich gained a reputation for promoting the college in entertaining ways while leading institutional advancement. At one foundation event, Sopcich recalled, he presented pictures of colleagues in interesting poses next to objects of art on campus. That got a laugh, Sopcich said, and helped highlight the art collection. At another event, at the college’s automotive technology building, he persuaded bank president Bob Regnier to swing from an engine pulley. Early in his tenure, Sopcich arranged to meet with Norman Polsky at Polsky’s home in Hallbrook in hopes of securing a donation to the college’s capital campaign. To get Polsky’s attention, Sopcich arrived in a
“I had great admiration for him,” Cohen said. Bergman, who won the Open Petal Award, joined the foundation’s board of directors in 2000. In 2009, he and his wife Libby served as co-chairs for Some Enchanted Evening, the foundation’s annual black tie fund-raising gala. Bergman said his children have attended the college and he sees his work with the foundation as a way to give back to the community. “I look at the awesome people who have won the Open Petal Award in the past and I want to hold up my end,” he said.
CareerConnection
KSBDC makes business beautiful Business owner Elizabeth Demas received steady support from the KSBDC when starting up her Avon retail store in Overland Park.
T
he Kansas Small Business Development Center at JCCC increases economic prosperity in Kansas by helping entrepreneurs and small business owners start and grow their businesses through professional consulting, training and resources. Elizabeth Demas is the owner of a topproducing Avon retail store located in Overland Park. The business survived a slow start in 2004, when she had to change locations after seven months. Now she gets calls from coast to coast about how to do it right. She agrees that luck and timing play a part in success, but she also knows that success is the result of “preparation meeting opportunity.”
Demas sold Avon products before she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. An information technology professional, she was laid off from Sprint during the recession of 2002-2003. An optimist by nature, she saw this as an opportunity. She took business workshops, researched some ideas, discarded some and acted upon others, and eventually opened an Avon training facility in Olathe. Business was weak, however, and she feared she may have misjudged both the opportunity and location. Demas knew she needed help; “I just didn’t know how anyone could help me,” she said. A turning point came when she
recalled information from a Dun & Bradstreet study that “90 percent of small business failures are due to the owner’s lack of skills and knowledge and that 90 percent of small businesses were still in business after five years when they sought help from an SBDC or other business expert.” She typed this word for word and keeps the quote on her cork board. Demas contacted JCCC’s Kansas Small Business Development Center to “see what, if anything, could be done to help me.” “Right away, the SBDC helped acquire a business loan and set me up with a retail merchandising consultant to help with my store layout,” Demas said. “Bob Kolich has been a steady support over the years. I know if I need anything, I can go to him and his department for help anytime.” Later the KSBDC helped her secure a second loan to expand merchandising capability, décor and layout. Revenues have grown 400 percent since Demas’ first year and continue to rise. She and her store participate in several charity events during the year including the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Safe Home and “Back in the Swing” breast cancer awareness. It’s no wonder Avon stores around the country seek her out. “Set your goals and develop your plan
to achieve them,” Demas said. “Then accept the fact that there’s nothing wrong with changing the plan as you go, as long as you keep the goal in mind.” If you’re already in business in Johnson, Miami and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas, you can schedule an appointment to take advantage of confidential and comprehensive business consulting at no charge. The KSBDC consultants are skilled small business professionals with expertise in many areas, including marketing and sales, accounting, financial analysis and cost control, human resources, time management, inventory control, business acquisition, and business liquidation or sale. If you’re thinking of starting your own business, pick up a packet of general business start-up information in the KSBDC office in Room 240 of the Regnier Center on the JCCC campus. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also take advantage of low-cost start-up workshops offered by the center and free counseling sessions with the small business consultants by appointment. For more information about JCCC’s Kansas Small Business Development Center or to make an appointment, e-mail ksbdc@jccc.edu or call 913-4693878. Spring 2011
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Some Enchanted Evening T
he Johnson County Community College Foundation held its 24th annual Some Enchanted Evening gala on Nov. 13, 2010, at the Overland Park Marriott Hotel.
David Wysong, Mission Hills, was honored as the Johnson Countian of the Year for 2010.
Past Johnson Countian of the Year Honorees: Front Row: Betty Keim, Floriene Lieberman, Shirley Rose, Peggy Dunn, David Wysong. Standing: Dick Shull, Barbara Shull, Terry Dunn, SuEllen Fried, Bob Regnier, Ben Craig, Mary Birch, Fred Logan, Dick Bond, George Lieberman, Dr. Charles Carlsen, Ed Eilert, Steve Rose
Honoree David Wysong, Kathy Wysong, Corey Paris, JCCC Student Senate president 18
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Dick Bond, Governor Mark Parkinson, Honoree David Wysong
Johnson Countian of the Year 2010, David Wysong
Carol and Fred Logan, Kathy and Honoree David Wysong
Jon Stewart, JCCC trustee, Christi Stewart, Marlene Calaway, Terry Calaway, JCCC president
Corey Paris, JCCC Student Senate president, Dick and Sue Bond
Kate Allen, executive director of the JCCC Foundation, Lesa and Cal Kleinmann, Some Enchanted Evening co-chairs Spring 2011
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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS 66210-1299
Johnson County Community College
www.jccc.edu/alumni
Photo by Jim McGuire
The fourth annual
presents
An Evening with
Vince Gill 8 p.m. | March 24, 2011 Yardley Hall Johnson County Community College Tickets $50-$100 Purchase tickets online at www.jccc.edu/cohenseries or by phone at 913-469-4445. All proceeds benefit JCCC scholarships and educational programs.