MLK celebration
Central College is holding several events this week in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

• Wednesday, Tim Wise will speak about affirmative action in Graham at 6:30 p.m. Wise is director of the Association for White Anti-Racist Education (AWARE). His speech “Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White” examines the attack on affirmative action. Immediately following, InterVarsity is sponsoring a silent auction of artwork in Graham 1 with proceeds going towards a scholarship for incoming students of color at Central. NINE will follow the auction with a guest speaker and choir in Douwstra Auditorium at 9 p.m.
• Thursday, Wise will deliver his Martin Luther King Jr. speech “Reclaiming the Dream: Defending the Vision of Martin Luther King in an Age of Backlash” at a convocation in Douwstra at 11 a.m.

Welcome back study abroad students
There will be a welcome back reception for Central College students returning from the fall semester abroad in Graham 1 on Friday, Jan. 21, from 4-6 p.m.

American Sign Language classes
American Sign Language classes begin Monday, Jan. 24, 2005. Level I classes are at 5:30 p.m. Level II classes are at 7 p.m. Classes will be held at Peace Lutheran Church, 410 W. 5th St. Cost for the eight-week course is $45. Registration forms are available in the college relations lobby. For more information, call the Deaf Action Center at (515) 266-5105 or go to www.deafactioncenteriowa.org.

Alumni events
Traveling around the country? Check out upcoming alumni events in Cedar Grove, Wis., Jan. 23, and Mesa, Ariz., Jan. 25, at http://www.central.edu/alumni/events.html.

Seventy-one volunteers participated in Martin Luther King Jr. Day’s reading program in the Pella Community Elementaries and Pella Christian Elementary and Junior High Monday, Jan. 17. Volunteers read All the Colors of the Earth and taught a mini lesson about King and his work.

Breckenridge plays harpsichord at Salisbury House
Carol lei Breckenridge (music) played harpsichord in Handel’s “Apollo and Daphne” at the Salisbury House in Des Moines Jan. 7.

Howard on NACUFS management consulting team
Mark Howard (dining services) was chosen to be part of a two-person management consulting team by N.A.C.U.F.S. (National Association of College and University Food Services) to visit, evaluate and make recommendations for hiring a new dining services director at Wartburg College where their long-time director is retiring. 

Hibbard attends mathematics meetings
Al Hibbard (mathematics) attended the Joint Mathematics Meetings Jan. 4-8 in Atlanta, Ga. He attended a variety of sessions in addition to the meeting for section officers.

CASE VI conference
Dave Sutphen , Susan Canfield, Connie Marlow, Jim Danks, Michael Gens (advancement) and Cyndi Atkins (college relations) attended the annual Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) conference Jan. 9-11 in Kansas City. CASE region VI includes Div. I, II and III institutions from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado.

Central received three awards for publications at the conference. A gold award for excellence in graphic design was earned by Eric Bumgardner (college relations) and Paul Gates, a freelance photographer, for the cover design of summer 2004 Central Bulletin alumni magazine. Two silver awards were received: one for excellence in communications, periodicals again for the summer 2004 alumni magazine produced by Abby Gonzales, Patrick Roland, Connie Cross, Cyndi Atkins, Eric Bumgardner (college relations) and Sunny Eighmy (alumni relations) and another for excellence in communications, overall publications for the student recruitment series of Said in Red, a tabloid produced three times annually for recruitment (edited by Cyndi Atkins and designed by Eric Bumgardner). Samples of these publications may be viewed in the college relations office. There were more than 1,100 entries submitted by schools.

None reported.

Kathy Coomer has joined facilities management as a custodian.

Lisa Lee has joined facilities management as a custodian.

The Big Picture

The three current AQIP action projects are completing their third and final year. Important as these projects are, they are just one part of the larger system of continuous quality improvement and quality assurance that will be reviewed for institutional re-accreditation. Below is an explanation of the way these action projects fit into the larger schema of accreditation.

Three sets of AQIP-related activities run concurrently but on different time cycles:

• Action projects (three-year cycle)
• Appraisal of the systems portfolio (four-year cycle)
• Re-accreditation Review (seven-year cycle)

The current action projects international education, first-year experience and math/science education submit yearly progress updates. When the three-year cycle is completed, new projects are selected. The improvements that result from these projects are incorporated into the systems portfolio which provides a more comprehensive picture of the institution by documenting processes and performance results in nine key areas:

• helping students learn,
• other key institutional objectives,
• understanding stakeholders’ and others’ needs,
• valuing people,
• leading and communicating,
• supporting institutional operations,
• measuring effectiveness,
• planning continuous improvement,
• building collaborative relationships

Compiling the systems portfolio is a major undertaking, especially the first time through. Our thanks go to the enormous effort of the systems portfolio team of Vivian Rippentrop (academic affairs), Jann Freed (economics/accounting/management), Mike Lubberden (facilities management), Robin Martin (library), Pat Joachim-Kitzman (career center), Diane Van Wyngarten (academic affairs), Mick Angel (athletics) and Louise Esveld (student life) and to those across campus who are providing the team with essential information. Central will have a template to work from which will make the process much less time intensive the next time around. As the portfolio is updated, it will serve as an important reference and assessment tool for the institution. The systems portfolio will be submitted for an appraisal by early fall of 2005.

The third cycle in the system is the re-accreditation review. This process involves a review of evidence that the institution is compliant with the Higher Learning Commission’s accreditation criteria, and that it is poised to continue improving in measurable ways.

Lyn Isaacson
AQIP Coordinator

SAAC semi-formal dance
The Student Athletic Advisory Council is hosting the First Annual Student-Athlete Semi-Formal Dance at the Pella Opera House Saturday, Jan. 22, from 9-12 p.m. The SAAC semi-formal will include student-athletes, athletic trainers, cheerleaders and dance team members and their dates. SAAC officers are Nate Weir ’05, president; Katie Pederson ’06, vice president; Bryan George ’06, secretary; and Beth Cunningham ’05, special events coordinator.

The Ray wins awards
The Ray won seven awards in this year’s Iowa College Media Association (ICMA) competitions. This ICMA competition includes all of the Iowa college newspapers and Internet publications including Drake, ISU, etc. with no division levels. Individual awards will be announced at the awards ceremony Feb. 3.

Flex spending
The 2005 Marsh Tax Saver Flexible Spendingreimbursement form is available under “forms” on the Central College Web site. Please remember to submit all eligible flex spending expenses for 2004 to SISCO by Feb. 1, 2005, in order to meet the deadline of Feb. 28, 2005. If you need a SISCO reimbursement form, please call Kristen in HR at ext. 7681. Any expenses incurred on or after Jan. 1, 2005, should be submitted to Marsh.

New position
Central College invites applications for a visiting assistant professor of English for the 2004-2005 academic year. The position is full time. Qualifications include a Ph.D. or Ph.D. with M.F.A and demonstrated ability to teach effectively. Application deadline is March 1, 2005. For a full position description access our Web site at www.central.edu. AA/EOE

If interested in the above position, please send a completed employment application to: Human Resources, (located in the lower level of Central Hall, next to campus services) or by e-mail to employment@central.edu. If you have any questions, please call (641) 628-7681. For additional information on Central College or to print off an application, view our Web site www.central.edu/humanresources.