Holiday Greetings

Germanna Germanna Nursing students begin clinicals at the Spotsyvania Regional Medical Center

Monday April 4 2011 was the first clinical day for nursing students at the HCA Spotsyvania Regional Medical Center. Thank you SRMC for a wonderful partnership.

Holiday Message - December 2010

Perhaps you know and have read the O Henry story, “The Gift of the Magi,” a tale with the author’s customary ironic twist. Two young people, married, poor, both sell their most precious possessions to afford a gift for the other.

She cuts her long hair to give him a chain for his pocket watch.


He sells his pocket watch to buy her a set of combs for her hair.


They should both be disappointed that the gifts that cost so dearly are now useless. But they are not. And O Henry concludes:


“The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.”


Their wisdom is in sacrificing something that matters to give to others.


Those of you who work for Germanna Community College give of your time, your caring, and much of your lives to serve our students and communities. You give the precious gift of believing in some who do not believe in themselves, expecting much from those who expect little, giving your time and most of all your keen attention.


Each of you comes with different beliefs and customs. All of you could choose to work at many other places, perhaps for higher wages. But all of you choose to serve at Germanna, and I am deeply grateful for that gift.


Thank you---and may each of you enjoy a holiday with family and friends, and enjoy a peaceful, joyous New Year.


Find the complete story here:


http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html

Save the Date: Groundbreaking for the New Science, Engineering & Library Building on the Fredericksburg Area Campus of Germanna Community College

** Save the Date **

Groundbreaking for the new Science, Engineering & Library Building 

on the Fredericksburg Area Campus of

Germanna Community College

Friday, February 11, 2011 (afternoon)

Please save the date for the groundbreaking ceremony for our new Science and Engineering Building at the Fredericksburg Area Campus. This 50,000 sq. ft. facility will support the educational and workforce needs of our region.

As a leader in the community, your participation in this event is extremely important to us. Details will follow and a personal invitation will be sent closer to the event.

Sincerely,

David A. Sam, President
Germanna Community College

Remember Forever

On this Veterans' Day, we should pause to remember the sacrifice our men and women have made and continue to make to defend their country, to go where we ask them, and to do what we ask of them. We should thank any veteran we meet. Unless we have been there ourselves, we can only imagine what they have faced so that we at home do not have to.

In tribute and with humility, I offer the following impression:

      Marine

He has every warrior’s eyes,
slits in sooty face,
unfocused pupils that
gaze for long distances.

He has blood and smoke
for the warrior’s paint
battled in streaks across
his ancient face.

In a year, when he is home,
Kentucky backfires will
send him into action again,
ready to combat shadows,

stirring dreams etched in
engrams, permanent
patterns of flash and sound,
death and dirt, pain

and that giddy elation
of dealing in mortality.
He felt pain. He dealt pain.
In Fallujah he fought until

it fell in smoking ruin.
He knew the way the roadside
erupted in fire and cloud
like Yahweh’s smoking pillar

but without its message.
He is ancient. He is eighteen.
He is a lit cigarette dangling
smoke from a hundred

burning rubble piles
into a dreadful blue
Iraqi heaven.
He has every warrior’s

dream---to be as
dead as necessary for
one more day closer to
what once was home.

Germanna Student Leaders Attend 2010 VCCS Student Leadership Conference in Richmond

Germanna Community College again sent a team to this year's VCCS Student Leadership Conference:

• Brittany Curtis, S.G.A. President, is a Science major.
• Kim Harding, S.G.A. Vice-President, is a Liberal arts Major.
• Loren Catlett,Treasurer of S.G.A., is majoring in General Studies.
• Carla Craft, S.G.A. Secretary, is a Liberal Arts major.
• Amanda Dodson, S.G.A. Senator, is a General Studies major.
• Mark Mattozzi, S.G.A. Senator, is also V.P. of the College Republicans and a Science major.
• Morgen Jones, S.G.A. Senator, is a Science major.
• Eric Tate serves as a Work-Study student assisting in the Student Activities office and is a General Studies Major.
• Paige Riley is this year’s Commonwealth Legacy Scholar and a General Studies major. 

Advisors  who accompanied the team include Jimmy Cassesse, Student Activities Assistant and Tami Goodstein, Student Activities Coordinator along with Dean of Student Services, Pam Frederick.

 

The students report that a major highlight of the conference was a presentation from Wes Moore. Moore is a Rhodes Scholar and combat veteran of Afghanistan who worked as a special assistant to Condoleezza Rice. Our students received copies of his book, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. The students found his comments inspirational. They had the opportunity to have him sign his book after the session.

 

On Saturday, I enjoyed presenting a session entitled "It's NOT All About Me: Servant leadership in a Time of Uncertainty" for about 60 of the 450 attendees.

My congratulations to the team who represented Germanna and their colleague students very well.

Germanna Wins Marketing & Communications Awards

At this year's VCCA Excellence in Communications Awards judged by Virginia Commonwealth University's Creative Services Department, Germanna's Marketing & Publications won the following awards:

• First Place - 3D Objects (40th Anniversary Pin)

• Second Place - Signage & Displays

• Second Place - Catalogs & Schedules

• Second Place - 3D Objects

• Third Place - Annual Reports & Viewbooks

Congratulations to Barbara Marinaro and Barbara Taylor.

Germanna's Fall 2010 Green Jobs Conference Scheduled for Oct 25 at the Culpeper Daniel Technology Center

Monday, October 25, 2010

A one-day conference on opportunities for

green living & working

Germanna Community College Daniel Technology Center, Culpeper, Virginia

Green Communities

Green Jobs

WORKSHOP SERIES:

9:40-10:40 – repeated 10:50-12:00

Green Building Professional Development

• The Changing Building Code:

Jeb Paarfus, Culpeper County Green Building Resource Center

• Marketing High-Performance Homes:

Amber Stewart, ICF International

• Green Building Training & Certification Options:

Sustainability Works

Andrew Grigsby, Principal, Commonwealth

Efficiency and Green Living for Consumers

• Top Ten Home Energy Upgrades:

Adam Letcher, Owner, Building Performance Retrofitters

• LEAP, Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, and HomeStar: Understanding the New Programs

for Home Energy Improvements:

Cynthia Adams, Director, Local Energy Alliance Program of

Charlottesville/Albemarle County

• The Local/Organic Food Business Opportunity:

Environmental Council with panelists

Don Lock, Conservation Officer, Piedmont

Green Business

• Smart Grid, Smart Buildings, Pace Financing, Renewable Energy:

Rappahannock Electric Co-op

• Cloud Computing:

Terremark

• LEED Buildings:

Turner Construction

• Green Roofs:

Oscar Warmerdam, Owner, Sempergreen

Welcome:

8:15 - 8:45am

Dr. Sam, President, Germanna Community College

• Frank Bossio, Administrator, Culpeper County

Kickoff Plenary:

8:45 - 9:30 am

The Green Technology Transformation: Virginia’s Business Opportunity: Dr. Carole Inge, CEO, The National

Institute for the Commercialization of Clean Energy

Luncheon/Keynotes:

12:00 – 1:30pm

Virginia’s energy future:

Stephen Walz, Director, Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy

Energy Independence: Federal Efforts:

Senator Mark Warner’s office

Call 540-937-2900 and register now: Only $20 which includes lunch.

Joseph R. Daniel Technology Center

18121 Technology Drive, Culpeper, VA 22701

540-937-2900 • www.germanna.edu/workforce

Germanna Marketing Department Wins Thoth Certificate of Excellence

Congratulations to Germanna's  Marketing Department  for winning the Thoth Award Certificate of Excellence in written communications for last year's Annual Report. This award is given by the DC chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Student Government Elections Underway

Germanna students:

Elections are currently underway for Student Government President, Vice President and 8 senator positions. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard.
To vote:

Sign into Blackboard

1. Click on “GCC Student Activities” in the “My Organizations” box
2. Click on the blue “Voting/Surveys” button on the far left at the top of the page
3. Click on the SGA Office elections survey to vote for President and Vice President – you can vote for one candidate for President and one for Vice President
4. Click on the Senator Elections survey to vote for Senators – you can vote for up to 8 individuals

 Voting closes at 5 pm on Wednesday, September 22, 2010.

Germanna Community College's Center for Workforce and Community Education awarded $16,500 Institute of Excellence Grant

Germanna Community College's Center for Workforce and Community Education has been awarded a $16,500 Institute of Excellence grant for the development and implementation of a Medical Office Assistant program. With the region's growing population base, two new hospitals, and the expansion of regional clinics, Germanna is committed to working with the college's medical partners to support local health care community needs. In addition to being identified locally as a important career, it has been identified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as an occupation "growing faster than average."


The local health care community will identify curriculum needs and local one-stops will help identify potential program participants. The new program will incorporate field trips, job shadowing, and possible internship/externship opportunities, to enhance learning and foster employment success.

My thanks to Dean Martha O'Keefe for her leadership and work and to all of those who assisted her.

Germanna Leaders Named to 2011 Class of Leadership Fredericksburg

My congratulations to the members of the 2011 Class of Leadership Fredericksburg and to Germanna's own, Russell James and Win Stevens.

This announcement acknowledges that all of you are already leaders and that you are recognized by your colleagues and the Chamber as people well worth investing in.

From the annoucement:
The Leadership Advisory Board is pleased to announce the Leadership Fredericksburg 2011 Class Fellows:

Rob Adams – Stafford County Public Schools
Brandon Bailey – Union First Market Bank
Mike Bielinski – M & T Bank
Sara Branner – Spotsylvania County Public Schools
Michael Colangelo – Johnson Realty Advisors, Inc.
Terry Cunningham – Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center
Eric Fletcher – Mary Washington Healthcare
Jennifer Hawkins – Stevenson Ridge
Russell James – Germanna Community College
Tony Kala – Courtyard by Marriott
Ellen Killough – Fredericksburg Area Museum & Cultural Center
Amy Lamb – Mary Washington Healthcare
Dermaine Lewis – Wachovia Bank
Matt Mitchell – Virginia Commerce Bank
Allyson Moerman – University of Mary Washington
Mary Parnell – Rappahannock Region Small Business Development Center
Krystal Sams – PBGH, LLP
Mike Smith – Stafford County Government
Terria Spencer – Union First Market Bank
Win Stevens – Germanna Community College
Eric Stohr – BCI, Inc.
Amy Thamvanthongkham – SunTrust Bank
Leigh Anne Van Doren – Fredericksburg Parent Magazine
Sarah Walsh _ Rappahannock United Way
Kara Ward – Vanderpool, Frostick, & Nishanian
Beth Williams – Hilldrup Moving & Storage
Whit Yelverton – Mary Washington Healthcare

Germanna hosts high tech nursing conference

GCC in the news:

Daniel Center is site of state gathering focusing on use of human simulators.

My Welcome and Comments at Today's Nursing Pinning Ceremony

Good afternoon. On behalf of the Local College Board, Administration, Faculty and Staff of Germanna Community College, welcome to the 2010 Nursing Pinning Ceremony.

In honor and recognition of these newest nurses and of nurses everywhere, please let me begin by reading a poem:

Ode to a Nurse

She is a symbol in her immaculate white,
Softly treading through the stillness of the night,
Quick to cope with a sudden emergency,
She is that wonderful nurse who is on duty;
Day in and day out the constant rounds she will make
Weary, tired, the patient, she does not forsake,
Gently caressing the crying, frightened child,
Tenderly caring for the bedridden senile;
She is the nurse, the beautiful Angel in white.
She is like a star, shinning ever so bright,
Many tears, and smiles along the way she has seen,
But she will stand up, ‘ever like a great Queen.

This poem was written by a nurse, my mother, Ann J. Sam.

Her story is her own, but not very different from those of many of you who are graduating this year. She was one of 11 children who survived to adulthood in a family of Polish immigrants. She grew up in poverty, moving from house to house as her father worked the jobs he could find in Western Pennsylvania.

Of those eleven, all but one dropped out of school to help earn money for the family. The one who graduated from high school was my mother.

She dreamed of being a nurse, but her mother laughed and said, “We’re too poor. Just work any job you can until you find a husband.” And so she cleaned houses for several years and did some part-time bookkeeping.

WWII gave her an opportunity that otherwise may never have come: The Nurse Cadet Program. She had her education paid for by the government in return for a commitment to serve as a military nurse if needed. The war ended before she graduated in 1946 and so she did not serve in the Army.

But her life was one of service, especially through her career as a nurse. She was old school. She always wore her whites and her cap and her pin.

Last March, when she died at 91 years of age, she was still a licensed nurse.

I learned a lot from my mother, including what it meant to be a nurse. In the last part of her career, she worked as night nurse supervisor at a nursing home.

In her last few weeks of life, she struggled with pain, with fear, with confusion. It was hard for all of us in the family to watch.

But time after time in the hospital or the rehabilitation center, one nurse after another came to her side, ministered to the body and the machines, but also to her mind and spirit, held her hand, calmed her down, prayed with her, helped her to deal with her fears. Those nurses also cared for us, the family, listening to our concerns, helping us to deal with our fears and our mourning as mom slid away.

One day, one of the last days that I saw her alive, I was in the hospital room as a different nurse entered, checked the monitors, changed a drip, then talked quietly to mom. That nurse held mom’s hand, helped her to quiet her fears as mom knew her time was coming.

She spoke briefly to me and began to leave the room. It was then that I noticed that her name tag said “Ann, RN.”

I said, “Ann, you are an RN?”

She said, “Yes.”

And I said, “Ann who is an RN meet Ann who is an RN,” and I pointed to my mother. “You have just done for her what she did for countless people in her career. She worked at a nursing home. She held the hands of so many who were dying. She would be honored and proud to know you because you carry on in the great tradition of what it means to be a nurse. Thank you.”

And Ann the RN went back to Ann the RN and spoke quietly to her again about being a nurse. Then she finished, leaving the room.

So to you who are in the audience and are nurses, and to you who are about to become nurses, on behalf of families everywhere, on behalf of patients everywhere, thank you for ministering to our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Thank you for making our pain a little less, our fears a little less, our hope a little more, our health a little better, and our final passing a little easier. You may not know how much of a difference you make, or you may not be thanked enough even if you do.

My mother is a tough act to follow. But, graduates, I know all of you will do her and nurses everywhere proud. Congratulations.

Thank you all for answering the great calling of nursing.

A time to give thanks

The great German mystic and philosopher, Meister Eckhart, once wrote that “if the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

We have so much that preoccupies us today that it is easy to take for granted those simple joys that are everyday gifts. I hope never to be so ungracious that I fail to express my thanks to:

- all of the students who trust us with their education
- all of the family members and communities that trust us with their students
-all of the faculty and staff who work tirelessly every day for the success of our students and our college
-all of our government officials, private sector partners, and colleagues around the state who help us to do our good work
-all of our donors and investors who help give us the resources we need
-all of the public safety officers, security personnel, and service men and women who help make us safe enough to do our work
I do appreciate the mission that Germanna Community College serves, but I appreciate even more those who make that mission real through their work every day of every year.

Thank you.

David

Congratulations to Connie Kincheloe

Congratulations to Connie Kincheloe, member of our Germanna Educational Foundation Board since 1993, for receiving the Excellence in Governance Award by the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. She was recognized for her work on the Board of the Culpeper Regional Hospital in part because of her work fostering collaboration between CRH and Germanna.

Happy birthday, Veteran's Day. Celebration of service, sacrifice and heroism is 90 years old today.

From Armistice Day in 1919 to Veterans Day today, Nov. 11 has been a day for honoring our military veterans ...

Today we express our gratitude to all U.S. military veterans and current members of our armed forces--those who are retired and remain with us, those who who have fought in the past, and as Gen. Douglas MacArthur famously said, "faded away," and those who protect us today at great personal sacrifice.
At the end of World War I, Woodrow Wilson proclaimed an Armistice Day for Nov. 11, 1919. Seven years later, Congress asked that the president issue another proclamation to observe Nov. 11 with appropriate ceremonies as "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.' "
Then it occurred to Al King, a Kansas shoe store owner and father of a World War II veteran, that Armistice Day should celebrate all veterans, not just World War I vets, and started a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day. The Emporia, Kan. Chamber of Commerce supported the idea and stores and some offices closed on Nov. 11, 1953, to honor veterans.
With the support of then-U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, an Emporia native, also helped push a bill making it a national holiday on and the bill was signed by into law by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954. Later that year, Congress formally changed "Armistice Day" to "Veterans Day."
Since 1978, a trend has developed which has seen fewer schools, businesses and offices close on Veterans Day.
Contact Joan Fischer at jfischer@germanna.edu about joining the GCC Veterans Club.
Germanna has seen a surge in veteran enrollment this year due to benefits extended by the new G.I. Bill. Please see post about that below and video post on homepage highlights at http://www.germanna.edu/.

Spotsylvania County BOS Supports Building III

Good News! Last night after my presentation and Q&A, the Spotsylvania BOS voted 7-0 asking County staff to prepare a plan with college personnel for committing to fund $1.2 million over several years for Building III at FAC. Final vote will be at the regular meeting on either October 13 or 27.

My thanks to all the Spotsylvania Board members, to chair Hap Connor and Vice Chair Gary Skinner, to Doug Barnes and Russell Seymour at the County Administration, and to college staff who helped me prepare my presentation.

Special thanks to Bruce Davis of both of our Boards for his help and to Bruce and Jane Wallace for their presence and support last night. Much thanks also to Rick Brehm for being at the meeting, helping answer questions, and his ongoing and superlative hard work.

See today’s FLS:

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/092009/09232009/495602

David

Lest We Forget

All of us lost something on September 11, 2001.

Some of us lost all.

Let us pause today to remember:
- those who died
- those who were hurt
- those who rushed in to help, some of whom never came out
- those who lost someone they loved
- those who have died fighting since then
- those who may be in combat at this moment, some so young they do not even clearly remember this day eight years ago

And let us affirm that the values our nation stands for at its best will be preserved not only in the actions of the heroes who battle fire and crime or who battle in war, but also those who are patriots in their quiet actions of each common day.

More Details on the Budget Cuts

We have received clarification on two items in the Governor's press release:

• Further savings are achieved through targeted strategies that will reduce general fund spending by an additional $446 million—including more than $104 million in reduced payments to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) for the final quarter of FY 2010. Contribution rates for the Commonwealth and its employees will be changed in July at the beginning of the next biennium to adequately fund the long-term needs of the retirement system.

We believe that employees will not see a difference in the current year but that as early as the last quarter of this fiscal year and most likely beginning in July employees will be asked to pay for a portion of our state retirement.

• A one-day furlough of all state employees on the Friday proceeding Memorial Day 2010. Agencies with critical or emergency personnel are instructed to accommodate staffing needs and make adjustments to the furlough date accordingly.

We now know that this does apply to us. I will decide how we will implement after further discussions with vice presidents and other administrators and let you know.

I regret the hardships these decisions will bring to all of you. Further clarification will be announced as soon as available.