Spring/Summer 2012 SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE MAGAZINE Congratulations to the Class of 2012 Southwest Student Selected to Visit NASA Memphis Mayor Delivers State-of-the-City Address at Southwest SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE MAGAZINE SPRING/SUMMER 2012 VOL. 5 NO. 2 Southwest Now Magazine In2 thisThe President’s issue... Message Institutional Advancement Division College News Karen F. Nippert, Vice President Publisher and Editor Communications and Marketing Department Southwest’s Class of 2012 is Encouraged Robert G. Miller, Executive Director 4 to be a Part of the Solution Production Thomas Mitchell The 2012 AAfPE Southeast Regional Design 6 Conference Takes Place Erin Roberts Cover Photography 7 Music and Theatre Students Tour London Robert Jackson Contributing Writers 2011 Memphis Grizzlies/Southwest President Nathan L. Essex, Keith Gentry, 7 Poetry Slam First Place Winner Robert Jackson, Lisa Jones, Rose Landey, Justin McGregor, and Dr. Joan McGrory 8 Southwest Student Selected to Visit NASA Southwest Tennessee Community College Senior Administration 9 The Carter Godwin Woodson Award of Merit Ceremony Nathan L. Essex, President Joanne Bassett, Provost and Executive Vice President 10 SMARTS Convenes 2012 Spring Orientation Meeting Ron Parr, Vice President for Financial and Administrative Services 11 TN Achieves Program Kicks Off at Southwest Carol Tosh, Vice President for Student Services and Enrollment Management Memphis Mayor’s 2012 State of the Karen F. Nippert, Vice President for 12 City Address Delivered at Southwest Institutional Advancement Paul Thomas, Executive Director of Phi Theta Kappa Launches the Pledge to Human Resources and Affirmative Action 13 Completion Signing Campaign Sherman Greer, Executive Assistant to the President for Government Relations Southwest Tops the College Division 2011 We welcome your comments and/or suggestions for 14 Race for the Cure® Fundraising Teams future articles. Please forward inquiries to Robert G. Miller, 15 Our College Hosts the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows publisher and editor, via e-mail to: [email protected] call him in Southwest’s Communications and Marketing 16 Engineering Technologies Department Visits Jabil Department at (901) 333-4368. Southwest Now Magazine is published Outnumbered Male Project Attracts Local semi-annually in the fall/winter 17 Minority Male High School Students and spring/summer. 18 Students Place in the Fall 2011 Engineering Poster Contest In this issue...Southwest Serves as the Primary Post-Secondary Institution for the New Latino Student 19 Success Initiative of Tennessee SBA Administrator Tours the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Southwest’s 20 Small Green Manufacturing Client, Evaporcool 7 U.S. Customs and Border Protection 21 Officers Present Career Information Features 22 The Jewel Named the Maxine A. Smith Center 24 Small Business is Big Business at Southwest Development and Alumni News 2012 Alumni of the Year and 2011 Chancellor’s 26 Award for Excellence in Philanthropy Kudos 27 The 2012 Faculty and Staff Awards Reception 12 28 Southwest Student Reaps Reward from Phi Theta Kappa’s Promotion of the Take the Pledge Campaign 28 Two Southwest Students Named to the Phi Theta Kappa All-Tennessee Academic Team 28 Southwest Earns a National Top Ten Categorical Ranking 29 Southwest’s Academic Support Center Earns High Praise During Recertification 29 A Faculty Member Tapped as a Featured Author Sports Back Cover 30 Saluqis Athletics Moving in the Right Direction 32 Memphis’ James Justice Wins Slam Dunk Competition The President’s Message Southwest dramatically changed its focus based on personnel reductions, increased accountability for results and continuous efforts to enhance improved retention and graduation rates. An evolving culture is emerging that strongly emphasizes transformational leadership, student success, improved customer service, greater efficiency and effectiveness regarding institutional processes. College transformation requires effective leadership at all levels since leadership drives performance and fosters accountability. On March 30, 2012, Southwest unveiled a leadership development program in which all employees in leadership positions participated. The program is designed to enhance skills for diversity, collaboration, change, and customer care. It provides hands on instruction regarding becoming an effective leader, managing teams, and improving organizational performance. The program, initially offered to Deans, Executive Directors, Department Heads and Directors, will be expanded to include leaders below the Director level within the coming weeks. This leadership program consists of 14 modules covering topics ranging from understanding how emotions affect performance to building a customer oriented culture. The program, built on the Six Second emotional intelligence model is utilized by various organizations known for developing leaders including FedEx, Microsoft, IBM, and numerous colleges and universities around the globe. With respect to student retention, the College has developed an institutional plan designed to improve retention and graduation. Faculty, staff and administrative representatives are involved in implementing, monitoring and evaluating student outcomes based on our plan. In an effort to enhance efficiency and effectiveness regarding College processes, two major developments have occurred—a significant reduction in processing financial aid applications and the installation of a state-of-the-art telephone system. In addition to Southwest’s increasing enrollment, the number of students receiving Federal funds has increased by 71 percent over the last six years. Based on an influx of students and a decrease in staff, the College endeavored to streamline many of its processes by requesting that students assist us by submitting required financial aid documents early. Southwest has pledged that prospective students who submit their FAFSA and required Southwest documents by June 1 will have their financial aid processed and completed by July 30. Additionally, Southwest has created a “dashboard” which combines registration and financial aid information in one location for our students’ convenience. The tremendous volume of students receiving financial aid and contacting us via telephone led Southwest to examine admissions and financial aid processes and provide upgraded and improved service to our increasing population. An antiquated phone system has been replaced with innovative technology which allows call back capability to students and dramatically reduces wait time. Southwest purchased a new cutting edge phone system solution that provides callers with more options when contacting our institution. With the new system, callers are informed of their position in the queue and the wait time before an agent is available. If callers choose, they may leave their phone number, and the system will contact them when an agent is available thereby securing their position in the queue. In our Call Center, agents are now able to communicate with each other and provide timely information quickly to serve our students. With respect to our switchboard operators, the system provides versatility to the Call Center and key personnel at the College. The new system provides switchboard operators accurate information regarding the availability of call center agents and college personnel that students are attempting to contact. A component of the new phone system features Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) which offers students 24/7 self-service access via the phone. Students will be able to access their admissions status as well their account balance. This new system will provide a more customer friendly experience for our students as well as employees who utilize the system. Documents, which had previously required in-person submission, are immediately processed electronically into our student information system. Lastly, staff has been involved in process and service-oriented training to better assist students with the enrollment process. 2 Spring/Summer 2012 In addition to our focus on internal processes, Southwest continues to experience success in meeting the workforce needs of our employers. The College has embarked on a signature program. Industrial Readiness Training, designed for individuals at all levels of preparedness, is especially effective for those who are underemployed and unemployed. Additionally, unemployed personnel recently discharged from the military will benefit from this program. Individuals are tested using the WorkKeys pretest, which measures reading, mathematics, and locating information. Using this pre-test, individuals are scored into three categories: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Unfortunately, many of our community’s residents rank in the Bronze category, which creates ineligibility for most industrial jobs. All participants are required to take a mechanical test to assess their manufacturing aptitude. One of the key concepts in this program requires instructors to begin with soft skills and progress to hard skills training. Thus, this program prepares participants for manufacturing readiness while ensuring that they understand and can apply the soft skills necessary for acquiring and retaining employment. In response to a request by a local employer and our city and county mayors, Southwest designed a program that targeted WorkKeys Bronze Level applicants (the lowest certification qualifying an applicant for the lowest number and quality jobs).