FLEX Days Highlighted by Keynote Speech on “Immunity to Change,” College Updates, and Timely Workshops, Jan. 19-20

The dedication and hard work of the Professional Development Committee  culminated in two days of meaningful speeches, meetings, and workshops on Jan. 18 and 19 that offered opportunities that  “enable us to serve our students even more effectively,” said PDC chair Jason Holloway. A couple of changes this year in the usual schedule include Division meetings being held on Wed., Jan 18 at Laney from 3:15-4;30 p.m. and an experimental electronic registration system.

This semester’s Spring FLEX Days, with the theme, “The Merritt Campaign: Communication, Collaboration, Collegiality,” will kicked off with updates by Merritt’s leaders, followed by keynote speaker Tony Brown, a Merritt alumnus and long-time college administrator, who will  spoke on “Immunity to Change.” Following lunch, Communication faculty member Dr. Mary Denise Jackson spoke on “The A.C.E.  Campaign: Improving from the Inside Out,” and Parliamentarian Lorenzo Cuesta  offered, “The Majority Rules, But Why Let  Them?”  The day will end with a faculty orientation by Dr. Mario Rivas.

On Friday, Dr. Marie-Elaine Burns gave her President’s Address, followed Dr. Arnulfo Cedillo’s talk on “Title IX: An Institutional Imperative.” Topics for afternoon workshops included Self-Care  by Dr. Hilary Altman, Work-Based Learning by Dr. Roberta Kunkel and Maria Spencer, Canvas/Moodle Training by Alexis Alexander, District IT Help Desk Support by Alex Hernandez, Classroom Scheduling Project by Chioma Ndubuisi, Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO) by Laura Forlin and Heather Casale, Effective Communication by Doris Hankins, Dual Enrollment/Hybrid Courses by Jayi Thompson, Smart Classroom Training by Jason Holloway Veterans on Campus by Stefani de Vito, and Institutional Research 101 by Samantha Kessler.