Current
Events
Cover: Deb Knudtson, Christy McWard, Jeff Hoyer and Dr. Sally Winship oversee scheduling for the Regnier Center and Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
- Events
Fill Spaces
A reception in the Atrium preceded the Nerman Museum’s 2008 Charlotte Street Foundation Fellows exhibition opening.
CCC’s Regnier Center and Nerman Museum of Contemporary
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Art opened in fall 2007 with formal dedications, public receptions,
The Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan Meeting secured the Capitol Federal Conference Center for its conference.
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a festive gala and press coverage touting both not include students in academic classrooms,
buildings’ outstanding architecture and individual visitors to the Nerman Museum or
intended use – one for art, one for business and individual diners in Café Tempo.
technology. A year later, media attention and
“We provide a resource for the community to public attendance remain high. facilitate learning and a versatile environment The Nerman continues to generate articles in where people are very well cared for,” said Architectural Record, Architecture Week, Christy McWard, director, Marketing and World Architecture News and Art in America. Event Management, JCCC’s Workforce, Com In July 2008, Kyu Sung Woo, Nerman Museum munity and Economic Development branch. architect, received the Ho-Am Prize in the “We have excellent audiovisual services with a Arts, an award that recognizes ethnic Koreans dedicated media services staff, catering, house who have made noteworthy contributions to keeping and event management staff.” arts and culture. Last fall, Gould Evans Rental space in the two buildings has averaged Associates with David Reid as principal about 40 events a month January through architect for the Regnier Center won an October 2008. In the Regnier Center, event award for “outstanding design” in the Ameri spaces are the Capitol Federal Conference can School & University’s “2008 Educational Center, a 5,000-square-foot room that can be Interiors Showcase” competition. divided into quadrants; meeting rooms and While the primary mission of the Nerman classrooms that can be rented individually or as Museum and Regnier Center adheres to breakout rooms from the conference center; the JCCC’s motto, “Learning comes first,” mean Harvey S. and Beverly R. Bodker Executive ing first priority to students, the spaces have Classroom; the Atrium, the two-story glass also enjoyed unequivocal community use. atrium that separates the Regnier Center and Between Oct. 20, 2007, and Nov. 30, 2008, the the Nerman Museum; and the “Cube,” a twoNerman Museum logged 80,625 visitors. The story space with floor-to-ceiling windows on Nerman Museum and Regnier Center have two sides. An on-site kitchen offers food for had a combined total of 41,052 people using coffee breaks, sit-down dinners or informal rental spaces for meetings and events from buffets, and the Shull Foyer serves as a meet January to December 2008. This figure does and-greet lobby. In the Nerman Museum, event
spaces are the M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Auditorium, a 190-seat auditorium with highperformance projection and acoustics; the Tearney Education Center; and Café Tempo, with 55 seats in the Nerman Museum and 55 seats in the Atrium. Because of the two buildings’ proximity and shared Atrium and Café, events easily flow between sites. In October 2007, the buildings hosted 12 events; in October 2008, that number increased to 63 events. Demand for rental spaces began before the buildings’ openings, necessitating guidelines for use of the facilities. Outside rentals must support learning, community development initiatives and JCCC’s reputation. Activities cannot conflict with college policy nor engage in purely political activities. Five members of the rental review committee scheduling office meet twice a week to assess incoming requests. They are McWard, Jeff Hoyer, director of operations, WCED; Deb Knudtson, manager, conference services; Paula English, facilities scheduling coordinator; and Darsey Davidson, administrative assistant, WCED. There is also a weekly meeting with the above plus Cherie Jenkins, supervisor, catering; Gary Cook, manager, housekeeping and custo dial services; David Rhoades, multimedia and events services specialist; Pat Casey, manager, media services; Adrienne Wilson, administra tive assistant, Nerman Museum; and Bob Greenwood, police officer, Jerry Naas, sergeant, and Margaret Baskett, communications dispatch supervisor, JCCC police department. “We are extremely pleased with the number, size and diversity of activities held at the Regnier
Center and Nerman Museum,” McWard said. “We have received glowing reviews from customers.” The administrative staff, scheduling staff and catering staff were very attentive,” said Sky Westerlund, executive director of the Kansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, an organization that used the Hudson Auditorium and the Atrium for its annual meeting. “The location is beautiful, the best we’ve ever had. The AV presentations went flawlessly, and the AV staff checked on us constantly. The food served at breaks was a nice selection and nicely presented.”
Pierre DeGrange and Christy Edmonds set up the bar for a reception in the Atrium.
“The facilities have been amazing,” said Heather Gambrell, convention services manager, the Overland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau. “They are more than the city could have hoped for. I strongly recommend them to convention groups looking for a unique facility in which to hold meetings.”
Cherie Jenkins, supervisor, catering, readies for Darsey Davidson, administrative assistant, Paula the Faculty Association reception. English, facilities scheduling coordinator, and Deidre Davidson, administrative assistant, WCED, track schedules.
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Fishing for Answers
Faculty
r. Nancy Holcroft, associate professor of science, plays one
D
upmanship with the revered Dr. Seuss in her JCCC College
Scholars presentation, One Fish, Two Fish, As a basic scientist, Holcroft’s goal is to closely 17,500 Fish: Understanding the Diversity of Fishes, examine and compare the anatomy of marine at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the M.R. and fishes in order to promote understanding of evoEvelyn Hudson Auditorium, Nerman Museum lutionary relationships among different of Contemporary Art. As JCCC’s third College organisms. According to Holcroft, the bulk of Scholar for the 2008-2009 school year, Holcroft fish diversity, including many of the most eco will give two free presentations. Her second is nomically important species, is concentrated in Fear and Loathing of the Lab Coat and Nerd a group called Euteleostei. Understanding the Goggles: A Savage Journey Into the Heart of Fish relationships among the members of Euteleostei Evolution at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, in Craig provides information that’s important, not only Community Auditorium. to conservation of species within that group, but also to other fields such as medicine and agri “There are almost as many species of fishes as there culture. Holcroft’s evening presentation will are species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and give an overview of her NSF project, an expla mammals combined,” said Holcroft, an ichthyologist nation of the methods used to reconstruct the specializing in understanding the evolutionary evolutionary relationships among the euteleost patterns among spiny-ray-finned fishes. fishes and some preliminary findings. Holcroft earned her bachelor’s degree in biology The daytime presentation dispels myths that basic with a minor in mathematics from Iowa State scientists are sequestered in labs wearing white University and a doctorate in ecology and coats and safety goggles. Since marine fishes are evolutionary biology from the University of lacking in Kansas, Holcroft’s field research has Kansas. She is currently a co-principal investigator, entailed collecting specimens in Fiji in a wet suit along with one scientist from the Smithsonian and dive mask. She will introduce the audience Institution and one from KU, for a to euteleost fishes and talk about how marine five-year National Science Foundation grant, specimens are collected, as well as culture “Collaborative Research: Assembling the considerations and interactions that accompany Euteleost Tree of Life – Addressing the Major field work in a foreign country. She will also Unresolved Problem in Vertebrate Phylogeny.” explain how phylogeny (evolutionary history) is reconstructed. “This isn’t your mother’s scientific method,” Holcroft said. While reaching out to the lay audience, the ichthyologist will also address researchers and students interested in research. Holcroft has published eight peer-reviewed scholarly scientific papers on ichthyology and made 12 presentations on her research at scientific conferences, including international ichthyological conferences. She has also published systematic ichthyological work on the Tree of Life and Encyclopedia of Life (collaborative Web pages with input from biologists worldwide). She teaches biology and zoology classes at JCCC and is an adjunct research associate with the KU Biodiversity Research Center.
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Dr. Nancy Holcroft displays a wahoo
(Acanthocybium solandri), which was
donated by a sport fisherman to KU.
For more information about the JCCC College Scholars program, contact Ruth Randall, dean, curriculum/academic quality, 913-469-2339. ,~
Jobs Wanted job loss is a major life crisis, affecting people financially,
“A
Community Career Services
emotionally and spiritually; it creates a loss of identity,”
said Laura Johannesmeyer, coordinator, Community Career Services, JCCC. In October 2001, Johannesmeyer conceived of the idea of a job club to provide people seeking jobs or career transitions with an environment of support and an opportunity for networking. In June 2008, 60 people crowded into the Community Career Resource Center, 229 Carlsen Center, for the 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday weekly job club meeting. That’s when Johannesmeyer initiated a second job club that meets from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. The groups meet 51 weeks out of the year. “A lot of people are unemployed, but there are also good jobs available,” Johannesmeyer said. “People in the clubs are finding jobs.” The job club is structured so people introduce themselves using a 30-second commercial saying who they are, what they are looking for and where they want to work. New participants get a packet with information on how to apply for unemployment benefits, check out eligibility for Workforce Investment Act funds ($3,000 is available for short-term training), maintain health insurance and check out employer’s out placement services.
A believer in planned happenstance, Johannesmeyer says people who carry printed business cards and know what jobs they want can take advantage of networking, which is much more effective than sitting in front of the computer all day. Approximately 25 to 30 participants attend each job club. While the participants tend to be Kansans, age 35 and older, white-collar, seasoned professionals with a bachelor’s degree or higher, anyone is welcome, regardless of residence or education. A former nurse, Johannesmeyer is an empathetic supporter. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in public administration with a focus in health services from UMKC and a master’s degree in counseling and psychology from the University of Kansas. She started working in Career Services part time in 1999, full time in 2006. She tries to keep clients upbeat, some who attend job club for weeks and months, and to not burn out herself. “I enjoy helping people bear their burdens and helping them move forward,” she said.
Job club is just one aspect of Community Career Services, which serves individuals and businesses with the following:
Community Career Services • Career planning workshops – Exploring a Mid-life Career Change, Career Transitions, Women in Career Transition and Careers After Retirement • Career assessments – individualized and online assessments • Career coaching – includes résumé development, cover letter development, job search campaign and mock interviewing • Career counseling • Career resources – job clubs and the Community Career Resource Center, which includes more than 650 career reference books, career software programs, access to business databases and other resources, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Corporate Career Services Career ReDirections: Outplacement Services offers companies that are downsizing assistance from professional career counselors for their exiting employees.
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Jennifer Copeland, JCCC administrative assistant, makes announcements at a job club as guest moderator Rich Gregory listens.
The job clubs and Community Career Resource Center are free. Other services have a fee and require enrollment. For more information, call 913-469-3839 or e-mail ljohanne@jccc.edu
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Bread Maker, Basket
Weaver Share Culture
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
n Apache bread maker and Comanche basket weaver presented
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their unique art forms as part of the Office of Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion’s observation of American Indian and Alaska Native Awareness Month in November 2008. Kathy Lupe Redbird, a White Mountain Apache, offered free samples to students, staff and faculty in the Commons Plaza as part of A Tasting of Apache Bread, Apache Tortillas and Other American Indian Foods. Loretta Bradford, Comanche, of Claremore, Okla., presented an Oklahoma Indian Basket Lecture and Basket Sale at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. Dr. Sean M. Daley, assistant professor, anthro pology, and associate director, American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance, said a sizable Native population remains in the region including 25,000 in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, 30,000 in Northeastern Kansas and about 47,000 in the state of Kansas.
Redbird’s meal. “I love the food,” she said. “Food is a good way to unite people.” Bradford, a retired dental therapist with Indian Health Service in Claremore, Okla., began bas ket weaving in 2003. She makes contemporary baskets with commercial reeds and then dyes them the red, yellow and blue of traditional Comanche colors or black, yellow and white in the Seminole tradition. Bradford believes her ability to create Native baskets is a gift from God and prays while she weaves. “I ask God that whoever receives the baskets will receive a healing or blessing,” she said. Bradford gives baskets to guests who visit her home, sells them commercially and has donated to nonprofit organizations.
“A lot of people don’t know they are here,” he said. “We have native students on campus.”
“It’s hands-on,” she said. “It’s something from the heart. It’s inspired.”
Redbird, project director of All Nations Breath of Life Smoking Cessa tion Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center, offered Indian fry bread and tacos during her demonstration. She said by preparing and teaching traditional food to her children and grandchildren she is keeping the Apache way alive.
Story by By Linda Friedel
“This is our way of sharing with other peo ple,” Redbird said. “This is an education for those around us.” Jessica Gray, Roeland Park, Kan., takes Cultural Anthropology with Daley. She sampled
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Kathy Lupe Redbird, a White Mountain Apache, demonstrates Indian fry bread during American Indian and Alaska Native Awareness Month.
Loretta Bradford, Comanche, shows off one of her baskets.
Rayl Named
New Trustee
Trustee
elody L. Rayl, Olathe, was appointed to fill the vacancy
M
on the JCCC board of trustees in November 2008. Rayl, an
attorney with Bryan Cave, LLP, and a former assistant professor in the administration of justice program at JCCC, will complete the term of Virginia Krebs, who resigned from the board in October. The term expires June 30, 2009. “While I could never hope to fill the shoes of the seat’s predecessor, longtime trustee Virginia Krebs, I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve JCCC in the important and rewarding role of trustee,” Rayl said.
“Melody Rayl is an excellent addition to the board,” said JCCC president Dr. Terry A. Calaway. “She is familiar with the community, having served as a law enforcement officer for nearly 20 years, and with the college, as a student and faculty member. As she moves into a trustee role, she brings fresh ideas and perspectives on strategic planning, academic excellence and quality improvement.”
Rayl graduated summa cum laude with a law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2007, and is a member of the Kansas and Missouri Bar Associations. At Bryan Cave, LLP, she focuses on commercial litigation for a large international law firm. Rayl also has an associate’s degree in administration of justice from JCCC, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Park University, and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Washburn University. Prior to becoming an attorney, Rayl was an assistant professor, administration of justice, JCCC, 2006-2008. Rayl served as a police officer for the Leawood and Overland Park police departments for nearly 20 years, during which time she was a full-time instructor for the Johnson County Regional Police Academy from 2001 to 2005 and served a year as a police trainer for the United Nations International Police Task Force, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Early in her career, Rayl spent six years in military intelligence in the U.S. Army. During her service in the military and police, she earned many professional awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, Kansas Silver Award for Police Service and Police Academy Distinguished Instructor Award. Rayl has offered her professional expertise through community involvement, providing pro bono legal representation and serving on the steering committee for Johnson Countians for Justice, as president of the Leawood Fraternal Order of Police, and as a volunteer advocate for the Riley County Crisis Center.
Melody L. Rayl is JCCC’s newest trustee.
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Inauguration Bound
As part of a seminar offered by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, 11 JCCC students were in
Washington, D.C., at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Students chosen to attend were Morgan Honnold, Kansas City, Mo., Calvin McConnell and Heather Odell, Lawrence; Jillian Paegelow, Louisburg; Molly Adams, Spring Hill; Ahmad Mustafa, Lee’s Summit; Trent Brining, Ben Herron, Elaheh Zare Mohazab and David Scott, Overland Park; and Amanda Hendrix, Prairie Village.
left to right, back row: Ahmad Mustafa, Jillian Paegelow, Calvin McConnell, Morgan Honnold, Trent Brining, Molly Adams, David Scott front row: Heather Odell, Ben Herron, Amanda Hendrix, Elaheh Zare Mohazab
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Students studied the issues of the next administration and the role the media plays in the political process with visits to embassies, executive branch offices, Congressional offices, media organizations, nonprofit organizations, think tanks and trade associations, such as Amnesty International, CNN and the U.S. Department of Education. Seminar speakers included Bob Schieffer, CBS News; Ted Koppel, National Public Radio; and Sam Donaldson, ABC News.
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