December 14, 2015

Dear NGS Faculty:

This is my favorite time of year when we can celebrate holidays with family, friends, and our communities. As a community of faculty, I hope you feel connected to us here at NGS and feel a part of our group of teachers and learners in our special place in higher education. It has been a pleasure getting to know you over the past months; I am eager to speak with each of you when you have a few minutes to call or email me. I enjoy hearing about what we do well and what we can do better to assist you with the most important job of teaching our students.
 
First, I would like to thank M.J. Vieweg, our past Administrative Assistant for the MS and BSc Programs, for her dedication and hard work with us here at NGS. This past Monday was her last day with us and I know many of our MS and BSc faculty have interacted with her to deal with faculty contracts, details about courses, and many other essential parts of the teaching process. M.J. was always there (virtually out there in N.C.) for us and dealt with faculty, students and staff in a kind and professional manner. We are sad to see her leave, but excited for her as she moves on to her next journey. Thank you for wishing her well as she will be missed.
 
Second, I am delighted to introduce Ms. Maura Burke, our new Administrative Assistant in Academic Affairs here on campus in Falmouth. She is responsible for all the administrative details for the BSc, MS, and certificate programs; this includes data tracking for faculty and students, scheduling, dealing with student issues, and working on special academic projects with us in Academic Affairs. Maura earned her B.A. from Stonehill College and her M.A. in Communication from Miami University. While at Miami University, she served as a Graduate Assistant, as well as an Instructor and Director of the Collaborative Learning Program. She has worked at numerous companies and brings an excitement to be in higher education. Please welcome Maura to our NGS community and reach out to her with your BSc and MS administrative questions. ( mburke@ngs.edu)
 
Third, a special thank you to Dr. Patricia Murrin, our NGS BSc Program Chair, who has taken the lead to work with me above and beyond the call of duty to initiate our new Faculty Training and Professional Development sessions. Professor Jack Kovalcik, Program Chair for our MS Program, and Dr. David Braga, Program Chair for our DBA Program, will also present some of the information that is important for faculty to know in all three programs. There are 21 modules for this first training and we will be recording two one-hour sessions for all faculty to watch and hear at their convenience. Then, in mid-January, we will send out dates by degree program for one-hour open sessions for faculty to attend a GoToMeeting (GTM) session with Program Chairs and me to answer any questions about the training. We are excited to roll out the start of these training sessions designed to assist you with administrative details, program updates, technology, and best practices. An outline for the first set of training modules is listed here:
 
 
First Session Modules (One hour)
   1.   NGS Background
   2.   Our NGS Students-Adult and 21st Century Learners
   3.   What's New at NGS
   4.   Curriculum Committee, 2015-2016
   5.   Curriculum Development Committee (CDC) Updates
   6.   Program Chair Updates
   7.   Orientation Course
   8.   Preparing for the First Class
   9.   The Business Project
   10.  Student and Faculty Resources
   11.  Classroom Structure/Layout
 
Second Session Modules (One hour)
   12.   Faculty Policies and Responsibilities
   13.   Go to Meeting (GTM) Basics
   14.   Project Tracker
   15.   Grading
   16.   Grading Rubrics
   17.   Incomplete Grades
   18.   End-of-Course Evaluation
   19.   Best Practices for Online Teaching
   20.   Netiquette
   21.   Next Steps and Where to Turn for Help

In early January, we will send the webinar link for you to view the training modules, as well as the dates for the open sessions by degree program. We are confident you will  find value in our new Training and Development modules. Please contact me if you have suggestions for the next series. We are starting to plan for sessions about teaching online and making your classroom come alive. In the future, we also hope to have Elaine Moore, our amazing IT Director, record some technology training webinars.
 
It should also be noted that Dr. David Braga has been conducting some faculty and student training sessions for faculty and our doctoral students. They are learning about the new DOC 902 course where our NGS DBA students will be housed with their Dissertation Chairs.
 
Fourth, my monthly

Did you know that...
  • Our President, Dr. Clint Miner, has sent out a call to action to obtain feedback from all voices about the College's Strategic Plan and vision for the future? NGS is revisiting the current strategic plan and has expanded the NGS2017 to NGS2019. Please reflect on the question-"What does NGS look like five years hence if it is the educational leader in the field of Quality Management?" Your input is greatly appreciated and I hope you can answer the very short survey so we hear from our faculty.
    You can access the survey here
    If you want to read Dr. Miners' letter with links to the NGS2017 strategic plan, you can do so here
  • Also, NGS is working on their 5-year review to submit for NEASC accreditation. Thanks to everyone who is assisting here and working with us to use this time as a reflective process to examine our work.
  • Allan Wilson, Director of Development/Institutional Advancement, has been working to promote our NGS Fund for Excellence. Donations will be directed to those areas that will impact the students immediately by supporting the areas of the greatest need throughout the college. Some of the areas include student scholarships, computer and backup system upgrade, Library service enhancement and alumni programs and services. Please contact Allan directly if you want to contribute. (awilson@ngs.edu)
  • Our NGS Alumni Association is working on many exciting initiatives, including a mentoring program, update to the website, a portal for alumni as a more effective means of outreach, and a platform to post publications of alumni.
  • Last week, Dr. Miner and I attended the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) 130th Annual Meeting and Conference, called Accreditation: Innovation and Accountability, and had many takeaways. Did you know about this book, Four Dimensional Education: The Competencies Learners Need to Succeed?  
    I heard one of the authors, Charles Fadel, speak and it was incredible to view the videos he posted about the future of education. You should put it on your "to read" book for next year. ( little pun there as next year is two weeks away).
Finally, I look forward to working with you, our talented and devoted faculty, in the
coming new year. Your commitment is evident each day when I receive calls and emails from you and our students about their exceptional learning experiences. Thank you for your excellent teaching; Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!

Sincerely,
 
 
Eileen C. Sullivan, Ed.D.
Interim Dean, Academic Affairs
The National Graduate School of Quality Management
186 Jones Road  |  Falmouth, MA 02540
800.838.2580 ext. 121

 
Follow me on Twitter  @esullivan_ngs 
 
Celebrating  20 YEARS of Quality Education

P.S. My winter picture to share:
Two of our fearless leaders