Jan. 31, 2017
Good afternoon, CF Team,
Can you believe it is almost February. 2017 is going to be a banner year and we started out strong as the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership helped the college welcome donors, legislators and the community to a ribbon cutting for the new Health Sciences Simulation Center Jan 19. Visitors toured the state-of-the-art education center and viewed the nine patient simulators, which were made possible through $425,000 in private donations. Also at the ribbon cutting, Dr. Stephanie Cortes, dean of Health Sciences, announced plans for a fast-track Associate Degree in Nursing program that will cut time-to-degree completion from 24 months to 17 months. The first fast-track cohort will begin in Spring 2018. Special thanks to the Health Sciences team for going the extra mile to showcase our students and quality of our program!
I am also pleased to share that a generous donor has given a 103-acre hobby farm to the CF Foundation and college. Vintage Farm is located at 4020 S.E. Third Ave., just a few miles from the Ocala Campus. The property has three buildings and will be used to expand our Agribusiness and Equine Studies programs. You can get a peek at the farm, which was included in our Career Explorer video project. We just received the property and are working out the operational details. It is not open for faculty and staff to tour at this time; however, we will have an open house soon for all faculty and staff.
As we kicked off our 60th anniversary year, Mayor Kent Guinn and the Ocala City Council presented a proclamation to CF and declared Jan. 16-20 as College of Central Florida Week. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to the communities we serve. Community may not be part of our name, but it will always be part of our mission.
The CF Foundation Family Campaign is off to a strong start. At the end of last week, there were 12 departments at 100 percent participation. Overall, we are at 50 percent employee participation. It makes a huge difference with our external donors when we can say that a large number of our own employees give to the fund. While we support many community causes, this fundraising campaign most directly benefits our students. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Make a donation at the link above or contact Diana Ryon, ext. 1726, for a contribution form. Thank you for your consideration.
A new and improved employee satisfaction survey process that will better serve our needs as an institution will be unveiled soon. The Institutional Effectiveness team is working to finalize new surveys in collaboration with departments across the college. In addition to a collegewide climate survey, the process will include the opportunity to provide feedback to any department you have worked with during the year. The survey results will give teams feedback to guide meaningful, continuous improvement at all levels.
This year will also bring a revised employee performance appraisal process. During 2016, a group of employees from across the college worked with a consultant to revise the entire process. Supervisors have received training and will begin using new tools as they conduct employee performance reviews this Spring. The Career and Professional Employees Council recommended a change to help simplify and streamline the process for employees.
It has been said that the only thing constant is change. Let’s embrace all the positive changes being made as we launch into 2017.
Thanks for all that you do for our students and the college.
Jim