Lone Star College-North Harris e-Voice

Lone Star College-North Harris Dean for College Connections, Vicki Stanfield, Ed. D., recently announced Bill Garcia as the new Director of Adult Education at LSC-Greenspoint Center. Garcia’s experience spans over 20 years as an instructional leader, adjunct math faculty, manager, and administrator in secondary and higher education as well as in industry.

“Most recently, Garcia served as the Director of Adult Education at College of the Mainland and brings a wealth of knowledge about issues in Adult Education and he has already written an EL Civics grant in his first week on the job at LSC-North Harris,” says Stanfield.  “His collaborative leadership style and friendly demeanor will surely benefit Lone Star College-North Harris and our Adult Education program.”

Garcia’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University, a Master of Education degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston Central. He is also an active member in the Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education (TALAE).

Bill lives in Houston with wife and four daughters.

Beginning fall 2008, the Aldine-Greenspoint YMCA will be partnering with Lone Star College-North Harris to provide on-campus child care services. The Aldine-Greenspoint YMCA is part of the YMCA of the Greater Houston Area, which has a 100-year history of helping build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue our mission of community outreach through this partnership with Lone Star College-North Harris,” says Ralph Wheeler, Aldine-Greenspoint YMCA executive director. “The philosophy of our early child care program is simple. We view youth as assets to our community. All young people, regardless of ethnicity, gender, economic, geographic or religious background, face choices that can positively or negatively influence their futures. Under the guidance of caring adults, children can learn fair play and positive communication-all skills that are needed to succeed.”

The new YMCA at Lone Star College-North Harris child care program will offer accessible, affordable and high-quality child care serving the college’s students, employees and the community. For the past eight years, LSC-North Harris has been the home of a Child Development Lab School (CDLS), which featured outstanding Montessori programs, but child care needs have changed significantly over the past few years and the CDLS is simply not an affordable alternative for most students and employees.

“After careful study and reviewing this situation for almost a year, it was determined that we needed to restructure this important resource. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of our students face the challenge of balancing work, college and young children on a very limited budget,” says Dr. Steve Head, LSC-North Harris president. “Providing these students with easy access to high-quality, reasonably-priced child care removes a major barrier for them as they try to complete their educational goals.”

The YMCA at Lone Star College-North Harris will offer three child care options, including pre-school care for children ages 3 to 4 years, after-school care for elementary-age children, and a special drop-in care program called “Child Watch,” for children 18 months through 5 years of age. Child Watch is reserved for current and future enrolled LSC-North Harris students and offered in four-hour blocks of care. It is specifically designed for those students who may need child care during the times they attend classes or when a student’s regular day care falls through.

“The facilities are outstanding,” says Dr. Head. “The building and grounds were specifically designed as a state-of-the-art child care center and learning lab with observation hallways, age-appropriate activity rooms, and outside play areas.

YMCA at Lone Star College-North Harris will open Monday, Aug. 25. Operational hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Costs for the all-day pre-school (ages three and four) program is $110 per week, after-school care (ages 5 to 12) is $50 per week. For more information about enrolling your child call 281.765.7730.

Lone Star College-North Harris is once again producing a full-scale summer musical to be showcased for two weekends in July. This season’s offering is “Jekyll & Hyde” a pure pulse-pounding theatre, with that same macabre combination of fun and fright that fuels such classics as “Sweeney Todd” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” and a lush, romantic pop score that includes the hit songs “This Is The Moment” and “Someone Like You.”

The show features a trio of star-making roles in Dr. Jekyll (Thomas White), his sympathetic fiancée Emma (Pamela M. Moore) and Lucy (Jamie Mills), the woman he rescues from a life of sin who later succumbs to the uncontrolled passions of Mr. Hyde. The three featured performers, who have extensive backgrounds in community and professional theatre productions, are sure to bring audiences to the edge of their seats.

This summer’s production is directed by John Cash Carpenter, LSC-North Harris drama professor with musical direction by Dr. Dave Faber, LSC-North Harris professor of music. Choreography and costume design is by Stephen Blaschke, LSC-North Harris adjunct drama professor.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. on July 3 through 5, and July 9 through 12 with 2 p.m. matinees on July 6 and 13 in the LSC-North Harris Performing Arts Theatre. The college is located at 2700 W.W. Thorne Blvd., one-half mile south of FM 1960 E, between Aldine-Westfield and Hardy Roads. All tickets are $15. This performance not recommended for small children. For information and reservations, call 281.765.7963.

Janet Goins always comes in with a “big smile” greeting everyone. She is always willing to help in any way necessary and is available on the spot. She is also very knowledgeable in her job.

Sherry Bienek
PBX Operator

Kudos to the Financial Aid Department for the great job they did on the Aldine Scholarship Foundation Awards Ceremony.  They are a team of ladies who really care about our students. A special kudos to Thelma Martinez for not only helping put together the ceremony but doing a wonderful job as the key note speaker.

Cathy Nistetter

By Pradeep Lele

They are ubiquitous. In pockets, on waists belts, in purses, or around necks… look and you will see one being reached for. In trains, planes, automobiles, classrooms, theaters, stadiums, at concerts, and not to forget homes, these smartphones are just a skin layer short of being implanted in your wrist.

Let me put my money where my mouth is. Being a librarian, I always have to back up my statements with research so…

“Worldwide smart phone sales to date totaled 32.2 million units, a 29.3 percent increase from the first quarter of 2007, according to Gartner, Inc.”

What is more, in our fair continent, some more “gasping” figures:

“In North America, Smartphone sales totaled 7.3 million units in the first quarter of 2008, a 106.2 percent increase from the same period last year.”

Chew on that tidbit for a second - 106 % growth in sales!  And you might ask “Who are the top sellers?”

• Nokia: during the last quarter, Nokia commanded more than 45 percent of the global Smartphone market, with sales up 25 percent year over year.
• Research in Motion (RIM): in 1st quarter of 2008, RIM held onto second place in the global vendor rankings and improved its share to 13.4 percent.  RIM’s sales volume has been driven by sales of its prosumer/consumer-focused devices, the BlackBerry Curve and Pearl.  In the U.S. market, RIM maintained its No. 1 ranking with its share totaling 42 percent.
• Apple moved into the third spot in the global Smartphone market with 5.3 percent share. It sold 1.72 million units in the quarter. In the U.S., Apple became the No. 2 vendor in Smartphone sales with its market share reaching with 20 percent.

So what is the big deal with these smartphones?  What makes them so smart?  To put it simply, convenience.  And, they have a keyboard. You can maintain an address book, an appointment book, a phone book - oops - a PIM - a personal information manager…, make phone calls (duh, it’s a smart phone)  send SMS messages (SMS=Short Message Service),  MMS messages (Multimedia messages), listen to music, watch videos, take pictures, get driving directions (non-gender related),  chat, surf the internet, set an alarm,  ohhh and I almost forgot – read or send email in bed at 2:00 a.m. (though some relationship experts strongly advise leaving the Smartphone out of the bedroom).  These days you can even have your boarding pass on one I hear.

“Sociologist Phyllis Moen at the University of Minnesota is also wary about bringing wireless technology into the bedroom. In her research on the changing nature of careers and the experiences of dual-earner couples, Moen, co-author of The Career Mystique: Cracks in the American Dream and editor of It’s About Time: Couples and Careers, interviewed one individual who likened his working on his laptop in bed at night to “having a third person in the bedroom.” Today, if you bring a BlackBerry to bed you might as well be sleeping with your entire address book (and a few random spammers).”

Danielson, Diane K.  Is Your BlackBerry Ruining Your Sex Life?  Forbes.com

To me one of the biggest advantages of using a Smartphone is the ability to access the Internet and e-mail anywhere.  And the added advantage of not having to carry more than one device.  Like I did recently when we sliced a watermelon to find it white! I had never seen white fleshed watermelon before and had to check if it was the real McCoy. To our relief it was; as evidenced by a quick search using the Blackberry.

But then there are the die-hards who need back ups! On a recent flight I had one of those jet set executives in the seat next to me. Of course as soon as she was seated – she clipped her blackberry to the seat pocket in front of her, then proceeded to pull out her pink Motorola razor and checked for missed calls maybe. Then to add icing to the cake or salt to the chip she got her iPod out and spent the rest of the flight working on some excel spread sheets on her laptop! Talk about overkill.

Nonetheless, most people who use them like them. So who uses what on our campus?

Dr. Head uses a Blackberry
Andre Perez uses a Blackberry
Bennie Lambert has an iPhone
Gary Clark is happy with his iPhone
Butch Juelg is another iPhone camper
Lane Johnson is trying to decide between a Blackberry Curve, the Palm Centro, or the Samsung Blackjack
I use a Blackberry

Whether you use one or not, the next time you see someone pull one out, you may well wonder – reading e-mail? surfing the internet?, watching a video clip?, reading a text message? , or taking a picture? … smart phone user or a smart, phone user?

The Professional and Support Staff Association (PSSA) will hold a general forum on Thursday, July 17 at 2:00 p.m. in ACAD 126. All professional and support staff are invited to participate.

Official business includes adoption of by-laws changes and an update on activity reports and future activities. PSSA will also celebrate summer birthday for the months of May, June, July, and August.

For more information on PSSA please visit: northharris.lonestar.edu/pssa.

Fireworks and celebrations go together, especially during the holiday season. But fireworks can be dangerous when used improperly, causing serious burn and eye injuries. That’s why the Harris County Fire Marshal strongly recommends that you: LEAVE FIREWORKS TO THE PROFESSIONALS!

If celebrating with fireworks is legal in your area, and you decide to use them, follow these safety tips:

Before you using fireworks:

1. DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN BUY FIREWORKS WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION
2. Only buy from reliable fireworks sellers
3. Never experiment or attempt to make your own fireworks
4. Store fireworks in a cool, dry place
5. Find a smooth, flat surface — away from the house and other buildings, or dry leaves and grass
6. Be sure to have water handy in case of a malfunction or fire
7. ALWAYS HAVE ADULT SUPERVISION!

When you’re ready:

1. NEVER ALLOW CHILDREN TO PLAY WITH OR IGNITE FIREWORKS
2. Always read and follow label directions, warnings, and instructions
3. Be considerate of your neighbors
4. Only ignite fireworks outdoors, and away from houses and other buildings
5. Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks
6. Light only one firework at a time
7. Never try to re-light fireworks that have not fully functioned
8. Never give fireworks to small children, even sparklers can cause serious burns
9. Never throw fireworks at another person, vehicle, or animal
10. Never carry fireworks in your pocket
11. Never shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers
12. Dispose of spent fireworks properly

Also, for the remainder of the summer there will be some hazards in and around the Student Center due to the construction work taking place in the cafeteria. If you are walking near the area please be cautious.

By Juan Primo, Faculty Staff Center

Hanil 5′3″ baby grand and bench. Ebony finish. Lid damage. $2,500.
Kingwood - for pick up only

Woman’s Free Spirit 26″ 10-speed touring bike. $15.00

Also, take a walk on the wild side with zebra-striped book shelves. $10 ea.

Contact Sandy Deabler, x5528

Sandy.Deabler@lonestar.edu

Well-used upright piano needs a home. This piano can rock and roll or lullaby!  Well, I’m told a cracked sound board is a challenge, and it needs tuning, but claim it and move it!

Dorothy Reade
Ext. 5539

House for rent, Kingwood, Kings Manor, 3/2/2, wood, tile, carpet, new paint, large deck, fenced yard, community pool, $1,250 mo., $1,000 dep., 281.923.3255.

Judy Taylor
281.618.5685
Judy.Taylor@lonestar.edu

My son has outgrown the bunk beds in his room. They are very nice with a desk on one end and chest of drawers on the other that supports the upper bunk. The lower bed sits at a 90 degree angle to the upper bunk. There is also a separate console that goes with them. Made of natural pine wood …not metal. I can provide photos to interested parties. Will accept best reasonable offer from good home or will trade for queen size furniture.

Kelly Weller
Ext. 7917

By Karen Parker, Acquisitions Reference Librarian

Who is Norma Drepaul?

Norma Drepaul is our newest librarian at Lone Star College-North Harris. In addition to reference and instruction duties, she will oversee the library’s technology.

Though born in Texas, Norma’s parents took her and her sister to Puerto Rico to live when Norma was 2 years old. She spent the next 9 years there, learned Spanish as her first language, and continues to speak it fluently. Upon her return to Texas, she was enrolled as an ESL student in middle school. This experience has given Norma great empathy for our college ESOL students. During high school, Norma did not even consider librarianship as a profession. Unsure of her career path, she attended community college first to be a paralegal, then a pharmacy tech, then an accountant. After an introductory English 1301 library session, she began spending considerable time in the library. When a student mistook her for an employee and asked for help finding a book, she was hooked. She decided she wanted to give that same assistance to students as a profession.

Norma met her husband when she was a librarian in the public library and he was on the IT staff. They now own seven acres of land where they live with four dogs, a barn cat, and some ducks. They also board horses. Norma enjoys outdoor activities like bike riding, jogging, and motorcycle riding. She helps her husband fix fences and dig ditches around their property. She would “1000 times rather be on the tractor than in the kitchen”. Camping is also an activity they enjoy together, and they try to spend a week each summer at Garner State Park where they can hike and swim.

The Drepauls own Tomball Auto and Computer where they repair – you guessed it – cars and computers. Norma does the bookkeeping for their business as well as being the mechanic’s assistant when needed.

Stop by the third floor of the library to welcome Norma. I guarantee meeting her will brighten your day.

Lone Star College Launches New Aviation Management Program Beginning Fall 2008

HOUSTON — Following two and one-half years of collaborative planning with the aviation industry, Lone Star College-North Harris is ready to launch its aviation management program, beginning in late August. Registration is currently underway.

The associate of applied science (AAS) degree will give graduates the skills they need for entry-level management jobs within the aviation industry, including the municipal and private airports, and commercial and private airlines. Starting salaries range from $35,000 - $65,000, depending on the hiring entity and years of experience.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is the sixth busiest airport in the world, and LSC-North Harris is located on its doorstep, which makes the program “a natural marriage between industry’s need for a qualified workforce and the college’s mission to provide education and training for local residents,” said Gary Clark, dean of business, social and behavioral sciences. The program will provide a needed applicant pool for the Houston Airport System, the nation’s fourth largest, which includes IAH, home to 17 passenger airlines and 13 all-cargo airlines; Hobby, a major regional center for corporate and private aviation and five passenger airlines; and Ellington, a joint use civil/military airport.

But that’s not all. “We conducted an environmental scan and determined that aviation management is a professional career with a multitude of opportunities, both here and throughout the country,” said Clark.

For example, the majority of the FFA’s air traffic controllers are non-degreed, and most are approaching the mandatory retirement age of 57. Many are not ready to retire from work, so they need to find other work.

“These individuals want and need to pursue an education related to their career interests, “ said Dr. Rami Shafiee, program manager. “Aviation management is a perfect match.”

In fact, Dr. Shafiee said he has already identified the first student in the program. He is an air traffic controller who was trained in the Air Force. He enrolled this semester to get ahead of the crowd and is taking his basics before enrolling in the first two aviation management courses that will begin in August—one on Monday evenings and the other on Wednesday evening. Clark pointed out that the college worked with an advisory board comprised of commercial and private pilots within the industry and city aviation managers at all levels in order to make the curriculum relevant.

Three factors led to the college developing this program.

Clark ticks them off his fingertips. “Size… IAH complex alone has 30,000 employees and is expected to double in size in the next decade. Need… the city needs to recruit younger people to replace retirees, and other airports and corporate and commercial airlines are in similar situations. And proximity… there is no other AAS degree in aviation management in the Gulf Coast region.”

In addition, the college has entered an articulation agreement with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the country’s premier university in aeronautics.

Dr. Shafiee explained the significance of the agreement by saying, “Our graduates with their degrees in aviation management will be able to go to work, and if they work for the Houston Airport System, the city will pay for any additional job-related education.” (Other municipality airports and commercial airlines have similar employee educational benefits.)

That means, students can earn a two-year degree with LSC-North Harris and then get a four-year degree from Embry-Riddle, but they will earn the bachelor’s degree in two years instead of four because Embry-Riddle will accept the two years of education from LSC-North Harris. Simply put, students get two degrees in four years (2+2) and they are qualified for entry-level managerial posts more quickly than the traditional baccalaureate route. Clark adds that there is a lot of job stability with the Houston Aviation System. “If you stay, you’ll move up.”

Dr. Shafiee explained that the college expected the first group of students to go through the program will be employees who want to get the credentials they need to move into management and people in related jobs who are looking for options—such as meteorologists, facilities technicians, realtors, aircraft pilots and such.

Clark agreed. “This is a professional management degree that is ideal for people who are working at the airport and want to move up and for people who want to make a career change.” Faculty will be drawn from the professionals already working in aviation management. Through these instructors, students will plug into an international professional network within the aviation industry. Other networking opportunities will include internships and externships within the industry.

The curriculum will focus on the knowledge and skills needed for running a successful airport, including budget planning, facilities and employee management, security, customer relations, meteorology, FFA rules, to name a few. More information is available by calling 281.618.5717 or e-mailing Gary.W.Clark@LoneStar.edu.

On Friday, May 30, the Professional and Support Staff Association celebrated a day of museum visits and cultural exploration in Houston’s museum district.

Starting at the Houston Buffalo Soldiers Museum, 41 full-time and part-time staffers were treated to history and memorabilia related to the Buffalo Soldiers.

According to the Houston Buffalo Soldier Museum’s Web site “African Americans have served proudly in every great American war. In 1866, through an act of Congress, legislation was adopted to create six all African American Army units. The units were identified as the 9th and 10th cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st infantry regiments. The four infantry regiments were later reorganized to form the 24th and 25th infantry regiments.”

The group enjoyed a lunch of authentic Jewish-American fare at Katz Deli. Event organizers Bruce O’Neal, Lisa Phillips, Patrick Daniels, Malinda Yanock, and Linda Genco even served as waiters at the deli. “As it happens, the food was brought out all at once, we had 41 hungry people who had forgotten what they had ordered when they RSVP’d for the event, and the waiters were just overwhelmed. We just jumped in and did what was needed to get our group fed and on to our next destination on-time,” said O’Neal, PSSA training and activities coordinator. He added, “It was rough going there for a minute, but I think we made lemonade out of lemons.”

The group then traveled to the Houston Holocaust Museum where they were immersed in the historical facts surrounding the Jewish Holocaust that occured in Europe between 1933 and the end of World War II in 1945. During that time it is estimated between 6 million Jews (and other persons deemed undesirable by the Nazi’s) were systematically exterminated and/or enslaved. Additionally, the group learned about modern day holocausts that have occured or are currently underway in various parts of the world including Rwanda, Bosnia, and the Sudan.

The LSC-Professional and Support Staff Association (PSSA) is open to all full-time and part-time professional staff. When you receive notices of events, professional development activities, and meetings, you are invited to attend. Please let your supervisor know that you would like to attend so that arrangements can be made in your absence. An on-campus professional development activities is held in the fall and one off-campus event is held in the spring. In addition, the association holds general forums twice a year and other events at Greenspoint Center and Carver Center.

For more information, please visit: NorthHarris.LoneStar.edu/PSSA

Kudos to Bruce O’Neal!

I approached Bruce with a project I needed help with this afternoon and he was amazing to work with! He has a broad knowledge base, is incredibly professional, possesses a clear and concise communication style, and has a genuinely helpful nature. In about 40 minutes we knocked out the project at hand as well as problem solved ways of making PODcasts here at LSC-North Harris more accessible. It was refreshing to work with someone of Bruce’s caliber.

-Amy Hall, Interpreter/Transcription Services program coordinator

Kudos to Janice Freile-Hartgrove and the Earth Alliance on the Shopping Bag program!!!

If you have not heard you can get a FREE LSC-NH re-useable shopping bag for turning in 20 regular plastic bags. Many stores are selling re-useable bags but ours are the best quality and most attractive out there. They are a great advertisement for both our college and the need to reduce environmental waste. Thank you Janice!

Melanie Dozier, VAPA operations manager