GET SEMESTER READY – September NEWS!
For back issues of the news, go to http://www.mtc.edu/semesters/news
Calendar Committee (Jim Lavery, Chair)
Jim has been working on the 2011-2012 Academic Calendar so we can all see how the calendars look in semesters. The calendar is in the approval process and will be available to view soon. The committee has also been experimenting with the 2012 – 2013 calendar which will be our first full year as a semester institution!
Advising & Transfer (Mike Stuckey, Chair)
This committee did a letter campaign to students with certain criteria (number of credit hours and specific GPA) who have stopped out of classes. The letter was intended to encourage these students to return to the classroom and finish their degree before MTC converts to semesters. The campaign appeared to be successful and was a great way to get those students who have stopped taking classes to come back to us to finish their goals. This committee has also been working on the MAPS (My advising plan for semesters) and we will learn more about their work in the Information Technology Committee Report.
Communication Committee (Nikki Workman, Chair)
The communications committee has been trying to get the word out to students that the conversion will not cost them more time or money in our promotion of the “switch”. If you get questions that you can’t answer, take down the students name and number and have them contact me and I’ll find the answer for them. They can also email me or go to our website’s FAQ’s to see if the answer is there. They can also submit their question online which is a great way to use the site. As we get questions and find the answers, we will add them to this section of the site to strengthen our pool of information! Faculty are certainly able to submit their questions to us as well through here! There is a link on the homepage of the web site for the general public to view. The Marion Star has run an article about the conversion and we continue to post information on our Social Networking sites too as a reminder that this is happening.
Information Technology (IT) Committee (Bob Haas, Joy Moore, Co-Chairs)
This committee has been working closely with a 3rd party to provide a friendly interface for students to map out their future coursework at MTC. The program is called My Academic Plan for Semesters (MAPS) and it has been designed to live long after the conversion. It is a web-based interface that can be accessed with any internet connection.
Curriculum Committee (Jay McCreary, Chair)
This committee has developed a searchable database that will be used with the IT Committee’s MAPS program so students can see which classes will convert to what in semesters, when the classes are offered and the number of hours they are equivalent to in semesters. The database is being finalized and will be available by December.
Critical Processes (Alita Phillips & Joel Liles, Co-Chairs)
This committee wants to emphasize something that will be extremely helpful as we move forward is the accurate entry of data into the system. Please be extremely careful and concise when entering student data into the system. When you get an opportunity to correct something, please be sure to correct it. Being detail oriented now will save some time and headaches down the road. There is also an Ad Hoc committee that has been formed to help ensure quality student data in the system.
Policies & Procedures (Teresa Parker)
Twelve revised policies that referenced the conversion went to the board on Tuesday night for approval and many departments are reviewing policies with the semester transition in mind. Please continue to fine tune policies as you see fit.
Budget & Financials (Doug Boyer)
The critical processes committee wants to remind everyone to continue reviewing processes and also as you see costs that may be endured through the transition, let Dennis know about them so we can evaluate the need and cost and plan accordingly.
