Casper College values the contributions of the entire college community.

The Center for Excellence was created to coordinate teaching and learning opportunities for the purpose of nurturing personal, professional and academic growth for all. To that end, the Center for Excellence Advisory Board created the following mission statement:

"The mission of the Center for Excellence is to cultivate a campus climate that recognizes, values, and promotes excellence in lifelong learning."

	Meet the Center for Excellence Advisory Board:
	Joanna Anderson	(VP, Student Services)	(Administration)	(Weblink)
	Melissa Connely	(School of Science)	(Administration)	(Weblink)
	Todd Cotton	(Web & New Media Coordinator & Adjunct Faculty)	(Administration)	(Weblink)
	Thom DeVoogd	(School of Fine Arts & Humanities)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Kelsey Deus	(School of Science)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Libby Harlin	(Library)	(Staff)	(Weblink)
	Heather Huber	(School of Health Science)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Judith Kirk	(Human Resources)	(Administration)	(Weblink)
	Mary Kubichek	(School of Social and Behavioral Sciences)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	David Lundahl	(School of Health Science)	(Adjunct Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Laurie Lye	(Academic Affairs)	(Staff)	(Weblink)
	Bill Mixer	(School of Business & Industry)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Dave Mondle	(Physical Plant)	(Staff)	(Weblink)
	Jerry Nelson	(School of Science)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Mike Olson	(School of Fine Arts & Humanities)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	David Siemens	(Educational Resources)	(Administration)	(Weblink)
	Ebba Stedillie	(School of Social and Behavioral Sciences)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Kathleen Thatcher	(Director of Assessment)	(Administration)	(Weblink)
	Dana Van Burgh	(School of Science)	(Adjunct Faculty)	(Weblink)
	Holly Wendt	(School of Fine Arts & Humanities)	(Faculty)	(Weblink)

The Center for Excellence is a member of the following organizations:

• The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education
• The North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development

Center for Excellence Meeting Minutes

• January 18, 2008
• February 22, 2008
• March 28, 2008
• May 2, 2008
• November 6, 2008
• December 4, 2008
• February 19, 2009
• October 2, 2009
• November 20, 2009
• March 26, 2010
• November 18, 2010
• March 31, 2011

Reports:

• Report on Activities 2007 - 2008
• Report on Activities 2008 - 2009
• Report on Activities 2009 - 2010
• Report on Activities 2010-2011

Activities Survey Results (compiled by Kathleen Thatcher):

• August - December 2009 Results
• January - June 2010 Results
• July-December 2010
• January - June 2011 Results

In the fall of 2010, the Center for Excellence along with the Casper College Western History Center and the Tate Geological Museum recognized that there were multiple efforts to collect Oral Histories on campus. It became clear that a coordinated effort involving these areas was necessary. Members representing these areas of campus met to hammer out an agreement and formed one single entity which was named the "Casper College Oral History Cooperative". Below is the action plan along with important links to documents being utilized.

Casper College Oral History Cooperative

We propose the establishment of a cooperative oral history project to provide consistency and cohesiveness to independent efforts presently being made by four areas of campus:

• The Casper College Western History Center
• The Center for Excellence at Casper College
• The faculty and students involved in oral history projects
• The Tate Geological Museum at Casper College

Further, we wish to foster a relationship with WyoHistory.org, a permanent and searchable encyclopedia of Wyoming history, which will enable us to share these histories widely.  To that end, we propose the following mission statement:

"The mission of the Casper College Oral History Cooperative is to collect oral histories relative to Casper College and the community of Casper, preserve them and provide equal access to them for all interested persons."

Identifiable goals which are noted to be relevant to this project are:

• Establishing high quality standards for collecting these histories;
• Utilizing, maintaining and improving college facilities and the equipment needed for this on-going project;
• Publicizing the existence of this cooperative project and these histories;
• Providing equal opportunities for access to all.

Plan of action:

• Identify partners;
• Seek approval and support of project by the Administration of Casper College along with IRB approval;
• Draft a minimum standardization for questions (more detailed questions will differ for each agency);
• Create release forms for use of these oral histories;
• Establish equipment needs;
• Write and submit an innovation grant to purchase equipment;
• Establish timeline for project implementation;
• Identify  and select interviewers and interviewees (This may need to be based on age and health factors);
• Provide training workshops for interviewers;
• Coordinate efforts among all stakeholders;
• Establish outlets for these Oral Histories (at Casper College: Western History Center, Center for Excellence, Tate Geological Museum and additionally at WyoHistory.org). 

7/7/2011 Program Update: The CC Oral History Cooperative received an innovation grant and purchased the necessary equipment and IRB approval was given.  A workshop on how to conduct Oral histories was given by Teri Hedgpeth, Western History Archivist and the project, which is on-going, has begun.

Please see: Casper College Western History Center ~ Casper, Wyoming for more details.

To view supportive materials you may click on the following links:

• Oral History Consent Form
• Oral History Collaborative Project Interview Template
• Oral History FAQs
• Oral History Resources

For further information on the Casper College Oral History Cooperative, contact Libby Harlin at 268-2367.

In December of 2008, the C for E Advisory Board voted to focus energies on adjunct faculty by enhancing communication with this group and reaching out to them with program offerings facilitated through the Center. Since then, sessions have been designed for adjunct faculty and teaching professionals which help fill voids in communication. These sessions were taught by Alison McNulty and Nita Romero and were well attended.

In the summer of 2009, adjuncts received a mailing at their homes which included a booklet entitled, “Teaching Strategies & Techniques for Adjunct Faculty” by David Greive. Also in that mailing was notification that e-mail user names and passwords had been assigned to all adjunct faculty who did not yet have a college e-mail account. The Center for Excellence strongly encouraged them to use those college e-mail accounts to help keep them in the loop on all CC activities. In addition, in that mailing was an invitation to attend the Info Fair held during return week in August. A survey showed that seven percent of the attendees at that event were adjuncts, compared with 30+ percent in the other categories: Full-time Faculty, Administrative, and Staff personnel. Survey results also showed 86% of attendees learned something about the campus they had not known before and that overall, 95% of attendees rated the Info Fair as “successful to highly successful”.

Current activity:

Membership in NCSPOD: The North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development

In the spring of 2010, the C for E at Casper College joined NCSPOD, (The North American Council of Staff, Professional and Organizational Development) to help us support programming for the C for E. Through NCSPOD, Casper College contracted with AdjunctSuccess.net to provide training and support designed with Adjunct Faculty’s unique needs in mind. This resource has been developed by nationally-recognized experts in this field, and provides up to  twenty of our adjunct faculty with a series of 15 Webinars in which they can participate either at group sessions scheduled in the C for E, or from their home or office. Webinar topics include:

• Teaching at Our College/University: Mission, Culture and Students
• The Adjunct Professor: Formulating a Strategy for Success
• Planning Your Teaching Strategically
• Today's College and University Students
• Teaching Online: The Basics
• Achieving Exemplary Student Retention
• Launching Your Course Effectively
• Managing Your Teaching Life Effectively
• Delivering Effective Teaching Presentations
• Implementing Active Learning Strategies in Your Teaching
• Infusing Technology into Your Teaching
• Managing Examinations Effectively
• Employing Authentic Assessment in Your Teaching
• Bringing Your Course to an Effective Conclusion
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Your Teaching
• Building Your Adjunct Teaching Career

(All Webinars are archived and may be viewed later by registered participants unable to attend live session, or who want to view it a second time).

In addition, this website also provides the participants access to a rich set of printable resources usable in their teaching, an eNewsletter with teaching tips aligned with the rhythm of the academic year, and access to over 100 Web sites focused on teaching and learning topics.

In the fall of 2010, adjunct faculty were mailed a letter inviting them to participate in this pilot project. Twelve adjuncts responded and were accepted into the program. David Lundahl, adjunct faculty with the School of Health Science, agreed to be the Program Coordinator for this pilot program with the support of Laurie Lye, Center for Excellence Specialist. Conversations with several of these adjuncts revealed that many had not taken the time to avail themselves of these resources and actions for a more guided process are being considered for the next fiscal year.

In the fall of 2008, the Center for Excellence kicked off a series called "G.I.F.T.S.,” a “Teaching Idea Exchange.” “G.I.F.T.S.” stands for: “Great Ideas For
Teaching Students” and is modeled after the very popular National Communication Association G.I.F.T.S. sessions. Presenters were current faculty from across campus who volunteered to present a great teaching idea. These sessions were open to all faculty, with new faculty members especially encouraged to attend. This activity can be described as a dynamic, round table, "timed" event, where participants spent a fixed period of time at each table, then moved to the next at the sound of a bell. The goal was to expose them to a number of new teaching tips based on the number of tables at the session. In addition, they networked, shared other related ideas, and had a lot of fun!

To further benefit CC faculty, the presenters of these sessions provided handouts to be mounted on the web for those who might not have been able to attend. Below are a sampling of those attachments:

• Jessica Hurless: | GIFTS Handout Template | I got what grade on my paper? | I got what grade on my speech? | I got what grade on my test? |
• Bob Mittan: | Designing Writing Prompts|
• Anne Rognstad: | Stuffing the Tins with Supporting Details |
• Ebba Stedillie: | Launching Effective Group Projects: The Group Resume Activity |
• Debra Swedberg: | The Rule of Four: A G.I.F.T. for a Math Class |
• Dana Van Burgh: | Hard Rock Candy Mountain |
• Grant Wilson (HMDV 1000): | Clue Game Piece | Brain-Dominance Questionnaire | Multiple Intelligences Survey | Learning Modality Checklist |