LFCC Connections

June 2008Volume 4, Issue 2:n LFCC News Notes: Updates on Teaching

and Learning, Student Success and more!

n Administrator Profile: John J. “Ski” Sygielski

An official publication of Lord Fairfax Community CollegeMiddletown, Fauquier and Luray, Virginiahttp://www.lfcc.edu

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June 2008

LFCCConnections

Energetic, charismatic, enthu-siastic, caring, hard working, dedicated, personable, comedic

— all of these words, and so many more, describe John J. “Ski” Sygielski. His vision moved Lord Fairfax Com-munity College (LFCC) forward in its mission of educating area residents and preparing them for further educa-tion or the workforce. LFCC was fortunate to have Sygielski serve as its president for almost five years.

Sygielski began his tenure at LFCC in August 2003. Under his leadership,

and with the assistance of dedicated and high-performance employees and board members, LFCC established a third location; increased community partnerships in support of economic, social and cultural activities; and enhanced the institutional image and public awareness of the College. Sygielski and his team also increased outreach to local high schools, result-ing in a 25-percent increase in the number of dual-enrolled students; hosted an on-campus governor’s school; and hired career coaches at high schools.

In addition, under his leadership, the College instituted new academic programs and increased enrollment; constructed capital projects totaling more than $22 million; and reorga-nized the College’s Foundation and raised approximately $3.5 million to benefit students and employees. Furthermore, the president and his team served a greater percentage of businesses in the College’s service region than comparable workforce development programs at Virginia’s other community colleges and hosted numerous productive forums to ad-dress the changing demographics of the College’s service region.

All of these accomplishments were made possible because of Sygielski’s leadership, careful planning and successful interaction with students,

employees, donors, alumni, economic development professionals, business leaders, elected officials and public school superintendents.

Sygielski’s impact on LFCC will be felt for years to come. As LFCC moves forward, its employees and College and Foundation Board mem-bers will continue to build on the foundation of quality instruction and commitment to excellent service that Sygielski valued.

Q: What is one of your favorite memories from your time at LFCC?

A: My bike ride last summer. I was really able to see our service region from a new perspective and learned, firsthand, about the real value of our College and how it has inspired and transformed lives and communities.

Q: What are the most impor-tant characteristics of an effective leader?

A: Among many characteristics, I think it is important to ensure the right attitude, encourage the dreams of others, listen with your heart, add value to people’s efforts, celebrate the accomplishments of others, make timely decisions and execute those decisions.

Q: As you look to the future, what matters most to you?

A: Regardless of ethnic, socioeconom-ic, cultural or academic background, EVERYONE should have access to higher education. As a first-generation college student, I know firsthand how teaching and learning can transform a life. It is community colleges, with their core mission of providing affordable, high-quality, accessible educational programs and services, that are in the vanguard of transform-ing lives through learning. There is no better higher educational enterprise to be associated with than community colleges — they create a magic that forever changes communities and people’s lives.

Q: Who has influenced you most in your career, and what have they taught you?

A: I have been fortunate to be sur-rounded and supported by many people throughout my life. However, I am influenced every day by at least one person who reminds me what is REALLY important in this life — helping individuals to think criti-cally and respond accordingly, thus enhancing their lives and those they influence.

Dr. Ski Employee Profile

Sygielski knows how to work hard and have fun!

Without a doubt, Dr. Ski’s leader-ship at LFCC has been instrumental in moving the College forward in its service to the community. Annually, thousands of individuals benefit from LFCC’s presence in the community, whether they are students taking classes to transfer to a four-year institution or enter the workforce, or employers hiring LFCC graduates or taking advantage of the College’s professional development and train-ing programs.

Thanks to Dr. Ski’s involvement in the community, as well as the involvement of College employees, board members and other volunteers,

more and more residents are aware of LFCC and are making the College their first choice for their educational needs. LFCC looks forward to build-ing upon the foundation that Dr. Ski created — a foundation of quality education, open dialogue, exceptional service and commitment to meeting community needs.

As we look to the future, the Col-lege Board is excited about working with an interim president and a new president to move LFCC to the next level, including educating more area residents. Another exciting milestone in LFCC’s future is the opening of the Science and Health Professions

Building. The facility’s extensive laboratory space will provide op-portunities for hands-on learning, including patient simulators for the Emergency Medical Technology and Nursing Programs. In addition, LFCC is excited about the con-struction of the Corron Commu-nity Development Center, which is scheduled to begin within the next six months. This important facility will enable LFCC to better meet the professional development needs of the community.

The future is bright for LFCC as it moves forward and continues to serve the community!

A Message from LFCC Board Chair Glenn Burdick

June 2008 LFCC News Notes

Teaching and Learning

n During the spring 2008 semester, LFCC dental hygiene students and faculty participated in two com-munity events. The first event was the Children’s Dental Health Fair at Thomas Harrison Middle School in Harrisonburg, Va. At the event, approximately 200 children received dental goodies, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss, and instruction about oral hygiene from LFCC’s den-tal hygiene students. The second event took place in Winchester at the Apple Blossom Mall. Under the supervision of Dr. Willard Lutz, LFCC’s dental hygiene students performed 78 oral cancer screenings at the 14th annual Community Wellness Festival. In ad-dition to handing out dental goodies, LFCC students dressed up as a tooth and dental floss to meet and greet children at the event.

n LFCC faculty member Dr. Brent L. Kendrick (pictured on cover) was named as a recipient of the state’s 2008 Outstanding Faculty Award. Kendrick was one of 12 faculty members selected from public and private colleges and universities throughout Virginia for their excellence in teaching, research, knowledge integration and public service. The Outstanding Faculty Award program is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and is funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion, one of

the nation’s largest producers of energy. To learn more about Kendrick and his accomplishments, visit http://www.lfcc.edu/News/Releases/list_view.asp and read the Feb. 18 news release.

n Do you have a passion for your field of expertise? Do you desire to share your knowledge and skills with others? LFCC is currently hiring part-time instructors for the fall 2008 semester. The College offers flexible teaching schedules, and individuals with full-time day jobs are welcome to teach at LFCC during the evenings. To learn more about these positions and to apply, visit the LFCC Web site at http://www.lfcc.edu/employment/index.html.

For information about the Office of Learning, please contact Margaret Bartow at mbartow@lfcc.edu or 540-869-0742.

Student Success

n LFCC hosted the Save a Life Tour in March for high school- and college-age individuals. The Save a Life Tour, which seeks to create greater awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, was free and open to the public. The event featured shocking statistics, presentations, images and simulations to drive home the lesson that driving under the influence is no accident — it is a choice. The Save a Life Tour was made possible thanks to financial support from B.J. Sager Inc. and TV3 Winchester.

n This spring, LFCC hosted job fairs at all three of its locations — the Fau-quier and Middletown Campuses and the Luray-Page County Center. Sixty-three organizations participated in the job fairs, which attracted more than 425 LFCC students and community residents in search of employment.

n LFCC’s chapters of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges, recently received multiple awards at the 29th annual convention of PTK’s Virginia Region. In total, the Alpha Beta Omega Chapter from the Middletown Campus and the Alpha Psi Iota Chapter from the Fauquier Campus received 11 chapter awards

and six individual awards. Among the highest honors received, the Alpha Beta Omega Chapter was named a Distinguished Chapter and a Five Star Chapter, and the Alpha Psi Iota Chap-ter was named the Most Outstanding Chapter and a Five Star Chapter. The Alpha Psi Iota Chapter also received first place for its College Project, which centered on the four corner-stones of Phi Theta Kappa’s Interna-tional Service Program: education and awareness, recycling, beautification and clean communities.

For information about the Office of Student Success, please contact Cynthia Bambara at cbambara@lfcc.edu or 540-351-1516.

Partnerships and Outreach

n LFCC’s Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education provided the headline presenters at the first collaborative chapter meeting of the Martinsburg and Winchester chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management on June 4. Approximately 200 human resource professionals from the Winchester and Martinsburg areas attended the conference, which took place at the Winchester Medical Center Campus. During the conference, Workforce Solutions staff presented a seminar on the Family Medical Leave Act.

n LFCC will have some young faces on its two campuses this summer! LFCC’s Office of Workforce Solu-tions and Continuing Education is coordinating the College 4 Kids summer program for children in grades two through five, June 23-27, on the Middletown Campus, and July

On May 9 and 10, LFCC awarded degrees and certificates to more than 720 graduates at the College’s Commencement ceremonies.

In March, LFCC employees, students and donors attended the College’s Appreciation Dinner — “Celebrating the Heroes of Philanthropy.” The event recognized LFCC’s donors and the impact they make on the College and its students. The dinner was sponsored, in part, by Valley Health.

June 2008 LFCC News Notes21-25, on the Fauquier Campus. After the week-long program, students will walk away with new hobbies, possible career choices, new friends and a new sense of pride! For more information, interested individuals may visit http://www.lfccworkforce.com/.

For information about the Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education, please contact Jeanian Clark at jclark@lfcc.edu or 540-868-7122.

Resource Development and Public Relations

n On April 27, 2008, LFCC foreign language instructor Beth Padden ran the 26.2-mile Madrid Marathon to raise money for book and travel schol-arships and instructional tools for students enrolled in Spanish classes at LFCC. Padden spent the spring 2008 semester in Spain completing course work for her doctorate in Span-ish. The LFCC Educational Founda-tion Inc. established the Mad Dash in

Madrid: Running Strong for LFCC Fund and sought contributions of at least $26.20 (a dollar for every mile of the marathon) toward the fund.

n The list of spring 2008 scholar-ship recipients is available on the LFCC Web site: http://www.lfcc.edu/Scholarships/scholarship_recipi-ents.htm. Because of the Foundation’s generous donors, LFCC is able to educate students who never saw college in their future. Because of our donors, the students’ futures are now bright!

n Did you know there are more than 25 ways you can support the College and make a difference in students’ lives and your community? A list of the College’s current funding needs is located on the Web site: http://www.lfcc.edu/Foundation/investment/in-dex.html. Contribution forms are also conveniently located on the Web site: http://www.lfcc.edu/Foundation/way-stogive/contributionforms.html. Please

consider supporting your community college. Thank you!

n Please help us make the next Women’s Luncheon (http://www.lfcc.edu/Foundation/events/wom-ensluncheon.html) and first Men’s Luncheon memorable for our invited guests by offering your suggestions on a keynote speaker. The purpose of the luncheons is to celebrate women and men and raise much-needed funds for the College. Please visit the Web site to cast your vote online: http://www.lfcc.edu/foundation/2008_luncheon_speakers/index.asp.

n You spoke, and we listened! Last year, we asked several of you to give us feedback on how to improve the Foundation Web site. We heard you loud and clear and revamped the Foundation Web site to reflect your feedback: http://www.lfcc.edu/foundation/. We hope you like it! Please share your thoughts with us: lcarter@lfcc.edu. Thank you!

n The College is enjoying a great deal of media coverage, which helps educate the community about the important initiatives occurring at your community college and all the ways the College is changing lives. To see a sampling of the coverage, please visit the LFCC Web site: http://www.lfcc.edu/News/inthenews/index.html.

For information about the LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. and Office of College Advancement, please contact Linnie Carter at lcarter@lfcc.edu or 540-868-4077.

Event Date Location

LFCC Thank-you bus tour July 31 Throughout LFCC’s service region

2008 Women’s Luncheon Sept. 16 To be announced

2008 Calendar Items

LEarn morE Learn more about

LFCC at http://www.lfcc.edu and the Foundation at http://www.lfcc.edu/

foundation/.

Lord Fairfax Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, political affiliation or disability in its programs or activities.

Lord Fairfax Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Lord Fairfax Community College.

The future of the LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. is brighter than ever, thanks to the leadership of Dr. Ski, the Office of College Advancement team and Foundation Board mem-bers. During the past five years, this dream team reorganized the College’s Foundation and raised ap-proximately $3.5 million to benefit students and employees. LFCC is very appreciative of Dr. Ski’s com-mitment to philanthropy, especially in light of the fact that state funds provided only 48 percent of the College’s budget in 2005-06 and only 50 percent in 2006-07. Private investments are essential to the future of the College and the community.

Because of our generous donors and the efforts of Dr. Ski, the Office of College Advancement team and Foundation Board members, last year, the Foundation received more than $1.2 million in contributions. These contributions were made possible by 439 generous donors, resulting in a 156-percent increase in giving compared to 2006. The Foundation is thrilled with last year’s fundrais-ing efforts and hopes to build upon the success of 2007 and raise even more in 2008. The Foundation looks forward to working with an interim president and a new president to con-tinue educating the community about the College’s financial needs and how contributing to the College is a sound investment.

Every contribution — no matter the size — makes a difference at the College. There is no greater invest-ment than in people, and LFCC exemplifies that. LFCC is a vital asset to our community and must receive our complete support in order to continue providing an excellent and accessible education.

As the Foundation Board moves forward with its work, we bid Dr. Ski a fond farewell and wish him success in his new position. The future holds many exciting possibilities for the Foundation, as it works with its many donors who choose to invest in the College, thus impacting the commu-nity and inspiring LFCC students. Thank you!

A Note from LFCC Educational Foundation Board Chair Charles Day

Revised May 5, 2008. 08-LFCC-080