October 1, 2015 | SharkAdmin [image 1]As an evidence-driven college, we take pride in learning from our data and continually improving in an effort to be a more effective college. One of the tools we use to help us assess our working environment is the Personal Assessment of the College Environment or PACE survey. While mid-semester is always a busy time for all employees, I hope you will just take 10 minutes out of your day to complete this survey. It closes Monday, Oct. 5. It is an anonymous survey which is submitted to an outside entity. The survey is an opportunity for you to voice your opinion and tell us what you like about the college environment and identify areas that need greater attention. Our faculty and staff have participated in completing the PACE survey for the last 10 years and past results have helped us improve communication throughout the college, and strive to be more collaborative in making decisions. For the college to continue to improve, your feedback is critical to our success. An email about the survey was sent to you this past week, and the link to take the survey is in that email. _____________________ Employee Giving Campaign Message Creating opportunities for success is the heart of Northwest Vista College’s mission statement. However we know that one of the prime ways we can help our students is through scholarships. The Employee Giving Campaign kicked off on Sept. 21, and we are hoping to surpass our employee participation rate of 38 percent last year. Please take the time to learn about the various types of NVC scholarships and other funds to contribute to in order to help our students and other causes. [image 2]Emiliano SaldanaNVC Psychology major “This scholarship will enable me to move forward towards what I plan to do with my psychology degree. Receiving this scholarship was an awesome experience for me since I have never won anything and have been constantly bombarded with negativity for the past 17 years.” At the age of 19, Emiliano was incarcerated for a charge of aggravated assault. Since his release, he has passionately pursued a personal goal of helping young people with a tendency towards criminal behavior. He says he has learned by observation that some people make bad choices in life. By looking through the lens of psychology, he says he sees that most of these people learn these choices through their life experiences and outside influences. “I think that a psychology degree will be an awesome tool to help some of these young misguided youths transform their lives and avoid the life I chose. With this scholarship, you have helped propel me forward in achieving this goal.” Emilio plans to obtain his associate’s degree at NVC, then transfer to the University of Texas at San Antonio to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology. “Thank you for giving me the positive psychological reinforcement needed to achieve what I am trying to do,” added Emiliano, who received the NVC Psychology Department Scholarship for the fall of 2014. If you would like to help students such as Emiliano, please consider a gift or pledge for NVC scholarships through this year’s NVC Cares. . . I Care Campaign. You may also support NVC programs, District-wide scholarships and programs, United Way agencies in our community and arts and cultural organizations through The ArtsFund. Here are instructions on how to give: Log on to: https://donor.united-e-way.org/ Campaign Code: Alamo Colleges User Name: Your employee email without “@alamo.edu)” Password: GIVEXXXX (last 4 digits of Banner ID – If Banner ID is (example: 900078681, Password: GIVE8681) Paper pledge forms are available in Manzanillo Hall, 104G.
