Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Reynolds Great Expectations student releases book

JSRCC Great Expectations student Davon Mitchell recently released his first book through Kingdom Publishing. Transcending Through the Mind…Expressing Through the Soul is a thought-provoking book written to educate, inspire and motivate readers to consider a new perspective on life. It offers life-changing hope and healing, viewed through various lenses.

Mitchell was a student in the Great Expectations program at Reynolds. Great Expectations is a program that helps young adults – those who are or were recently affiliated with the Virginia Foster Care System – transition to college. More than 500 children in the Virginia foster care system age out each year. Without social or family support, foster care children experience significant challenges living on their own. However, with access to education, foster care youth can find satisfying, well-paying jobs.

Reynolds faculty receive Chancellor’s Innovation Funds Award

JSRCC’s Quality Enhancement Team (QEP) leaders Ghazala Hashmi, Meg Foster and CJ Bracken received a Chancellor’s Innovation Funds Award, a Virginia Community College System grant program that provides Virginia community colleges with funding for projects aligned with the VCCS strategic plan “Achieve 2015.” In particular, the grant supports access goals and student success goals.

This award will fund the development of ENROLL 2.0 – Engagement for Online Learning with Web 2.0 Applications, a collaboratively created and taught program for certifying faculty to teach online. It will be used in conjunction with existing online instruction courses and training and will focus on increasing student engagement using Web 2.0 applications. The award will also support Peer Academic Leaders (PALs): Increasing Student Retention, Success, and Support through Peer Leadership, which seeks to build upon the existing student leaders program at Reynolds that annually trains a cohort of four students to assist Student Affairs advisers. These student leaders respond to various student inquiries about issues such as registration and scheduling, access to college technologies, and the identification of appropriate resources. Through PALs, JSRCC will now expand the current program into online and after-hours services, and thereby increase access and flexibility to more students.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Reduce your stress before you test

The JSRCC Office of Student Life is offering free, 10-minute massages to students, faculty and staff from noon to 2 p.m. on December 7 in Georgiadis Hall, room 206 (Parham Road Campus) and on December 8 in room 162 on the Downtown Campus. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

End of semester Testing Center hours

The Testing Centers at the Parham Road and Downtown campuses will be open the last two Saturdays of the semester, December 11 and 18. COMPASS (placement), ASSET, ATB (Ability to Benefit), KAPLAN nursing entrance and exit exams, Respiratory MOCK exam, ITE 115, CSC 155 and ServSafe exams will be given at 9 a.m. only. Make-up and distance learning exams will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.