November 1, 2013 | SharkAdmin NVC Employee Development Day on Oct. 30 took on a different twist this year. It combined air guitars, hula hoops and flying monkeys – literally! At the morning session NVC President Jackie Claunch talked about how NVC can meet its three strategic goals (Completion, Learning and Sustainability) by meeting two main objectives – making sure students in their first semester have a certificate or degree plan; and that employees will assess and improve their department outcomes. Jackie also talked about incorporating the Alamo Colleges new values into the NVC culture. Those values are: Students First, Respect for All, Data Informed, Community Engaged, Collaboration and Can-Do Spirit. She said NVC will keep its former values, now known as Touchstones, alive as a reminder how we can make a difference. The former values were etched on nine different large stones so that they can be placed in nine gardens throughout the campus. To learn more about it, click here. And that's when the air guitar came into play. Dressed up like rock stars, Jimmie Bruce, Lydia Beaver, Beverly Evans, Felix Salinas, Tim Molina and several other employees played air guitar on the Palmetto stage to the Rolling Stones' song “Start Me Up” as each brought out a Touchstone and danced on stage. After the entertainment was over, Jackie said employees can individually make a difference and help the college meet its objectives by updating their one goal in Sharepoint. Next came to the hula hoops. Employees gathered in the back of Palmetto and participated in a variety of activities that dealt with trust, leadership and teamwork. One activity consisted of working with your team to strategically place balls in a hula hoop while other teams are trying to take your balls out. The purpose of the game was to figure out with your team and others how to come up with the best scenario so that everyone can win. After lunch, employees participated in several sessions that included IT help, E-Team meetings and a 7 Habits Jeopardy Challenge. The flying monkeys were given out at the Crucial Conversations workshop with Jim Lievens that teaches skills for having an open dialogue around high-stakes or emotional topics. These were stuffed-animals that actually make noise and fly across the room (sling shot). This year's Employee Development Day was coordinated by Jim Lievens, Sabrina Carey, Ana Escamilla, Denise Tolan and Darryl Nettles. To see the Power Point from the morning session, go to the link:
