2014-2015 EXTENDED LEARNING SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
From the Desk of Ron Kluck
Extended Learning Services (ELS) selected “ELS – We Get Results!” as the theme of our
2014-2015 annual report. I’ve been privileged to work at Central Community College
for over 33 years now, and the one constant throughout my tenure has been that the
most challenging part of working in ELS is taking the wide variety of individual
educational needs requested by our stakeholders and creating learning opportunities
that will meet their needs while also fitting consistently within the College’s policies
and procedures. Fortunately, that’s what ELS does best. We have enough flexibility
and are able to tap into the skills of other talented CCC personnel to bring about
positive results for our stakeholders. When everything falls into place, we get results
and contribute to CCC’s mission statement: Central Community College maximizes
student and community success!
ELS: We Get Results...
and here are a few of them.
Degree in Sight
Newly licensed health professionals:
— 45 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)
— 17 Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs)
— 583 Nursing Assistants
— 266 Medication Aides
New GED graduates: 19
Barbara Reineke is an exceptionally hard
working and dedicated full-time student
studying at the CCC Ord Learning Center.
In addition to pursuing her second
college degree, Barbara is a mother of
two and works on their family ranch
operation, raising commercial angus
cattle.
Barbara will be awarded a Bookkeeping
Certificate this semester and is on track
to graduate with her Associate of Applied
Science degree in Business Administration in the Fall of 2016.
Barbara plans to pursue a career in
business management. In her spare time,
Barbara enjoys baking artisan bread,
working cattle and being a mom.
2014-2015 EXTENDED LEARNING SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
ELS Gets Results:
Program Highlights from 2014-2015
Career Goal Achieved
Workers Keep Learning to Keep Earning
— In conjunction with the Nebraska Propane Gas Association, the Hastings
ELS office offered workplace education to 195 students. Classes
included: Basic Principles & Practices, Bobtail Delivery and Transport
Delivery Driver.
— Last year, 3,655 people participated in AHA CPR training across the CCC
service area. These CPR students include healthcare workers,
business/industry and other employees, school teachers and students,
and other members of the general public interested in learning these
lifesaving skills. ELS instructors also train CCC employees involved in
campus building safety, athletics and other duties.
— Hastings Adult Education began a series of Obtain and Retain
Employment classes for ABE/GED/ESL students to help them prepare for
employment and meet the new Adult Education requirement in the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
— The Columbus ELS office held its first off-campus Medication Aide class
at the Ord Learning Center. Though small in number, the five students
were happy to get their training locally and went on to become certified
Medication Aides, working in the Ord area.
— Vicki Pribil (Cargill in Schuyler), Karla Salazar de Burks
(Schuyler/Columbus), Beth Wolfe (Columbus) and Kim Kelley (Grand
Island) attended a series of two-day workshops sponsored by the
Nebraska Department of Education. These classes are focused on
helping develop teachers to become mentors/leaders and to improve
skill development and instruction. The four will now train Adult
Education instructors throughout CCC’s 25 counties on best practices in
the classroom.
— Nursing continuing education training continues to be popular. The
Kearney ELS office hosted more than 150 school nurses at the 31st
annual School Health Conference held June 8 and 9. Each ELS office was
also involved in coordinating CE training for LPN-C’s and Supervising
RN’s by hosting LPN-C update sessions in six communities. These
sessions served 211 nurses seeking to renew their licensure. Several
smaller nursing CE workshops were also held throughout the year.
“Everyone said I was crazy,” recalls CCC
health student Susie Carney (pictured on
the right) when she announced she was
leaving her 11-year job at a local
manufacturing plant in order to pursue a
brand new career in healthcare.
Driven by the desire to find a career in
which she could help people, Susie took
CCC’s Nurse Aide training and
immediately landed a job at a long-term
care facility. She loved working with the
residents and nurses. A year later, she
took another step forward and enrolled
in CCC’s Medication Aide course. She
then found a new position where she
could utilize her Nurse Aide and Med
Aide skills and earn a higher wage.
While she loves her current job in David
City, she’s still not content. “You should
never stop learning,” says Susie. Her next
goal is CCC’s LPN program.
While Susie is motivated by the idea of
helping others, she is also thankful for
the care and support she has received
from many CCC employees along the
way, including CoLynn Paprocki with
Project HELP and Jeanne Micek, her
Medication Aide instructor (pictured on
the left).
2014-2015 EXTENDED LEARNING SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
Finishing On Top
Silvester Juanes has an incredible
story. His parents were migrant workers
and had only a second grade education.
He experienced sexual and physical abuse
by his neighbors and also from gang
members at school. He joined a gang and
began to drink and fight daily. He didn’t
care about school and dropped out in his
freshman year.
When his uncle sent him to Nebraska to
live with his cousin, Silvester ended up in
jail in Ogallala. While there, he was
fortunate to meet a counselor who
eventually got him into a Grand Island
halfway house for alcoholics and drug
addicts. Then, Silvester started attending
GED® classes at Central Community
College and he passed the GED® tests in
December 2005.
High School Students
Get a Jump Start on College and Careers
— The Early College program continues to be a primary focus for all ELS
offices. Last year, the program served hundreds of students from 94
different Nebraska high schools (75 in the College’s service area). A
total of 4,071 registrations (including 26 from home-schooled students)
were generated in the Early College program, resulting in 408.11 fulltime equivalent students. Many lecture courses are offered to
students during the school day, taught by a high school adjunct or
using the upgraded telecommunications system to send the lecture
from another site. High school students also frequently enroll in web
and packet courses, or if nearby, they can come to campus during the
day to take classes.
— CCC and Lexington Public Schools teamed up to offer a new
Transportation Technology Program for Lexington High School
students. Instructor Shane Schmidt was hired to implement the new
curriculum. The program, modeled after similar offerings in Hastings,
Kearney and Grand Island, gives students an opportunity to learn the
basic skills needed to enter the transportation industry. Program
start-up required extensive remodeling of the former Nebraska Armory
facility in Lexington and the acquisition of new equipment.
— Career Discovery Day was held at the Ord Learning Center, and over 90
high school students participated, coming from Arcadia, Burwell and
Ord. The students learned about career opportunities from local
community and business mentors, as well as CCC faculty and staff.
— The Holdrege Center partnered with ESU 11 to host a Digital Citizenship
workshop. Led by staff from the Nebraska Attorney General’s office,
the workshop was attended by approximately 300 middle and high
school students and their teachers, representing five local schools.
Silvester now attends the University of
Nebraska in Omaha and will complete the
— Hard Hats and Heels was a STEM-based summer camp designed to help
Neuroscience program in December 2015.
students explore careers in transportation. The project was funded by
Of his experiences, Silvester says “The best
a National Transportation Summer Institute grant through the Federal
advice that I can give anyone is to simply
Highway Commission and the Nebraska Department of Roads. Each
look at my journey. It doesn’t matter what
you have been through or what others
day, the 15 students worked on math and science concepts and went
have inflicted on you. You can overcome
on several site visits to transportation companies in the area.
all of that and be successful in life.
— Of the more than 4,000 Early College registrations last year, nearly half
However, in order to do that you have to
are for these CCC courses: English Comp (723 students); Public
find a starting point and your GED is, in my
opinion, one of the most important
Speaking (476 students); Writing & Research (292 students); College
starting points on a journey of success.”
Algebra (221 students); and Introduction to Psychology (183 students).
2014-2015 EXTENDED LEARNING SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
People Get Engaged and Communities Get Stronger
— Hastings ELS community education classes focusing on sustainability
have included Found Object Art and T-shirt Quilting. Each of these
classes promotes sustainability in our community by teaching practices
that improve the environment.
Workers Trained
— Nearly 40 community members attended a Community Builders
program coordinated through the Ord Learning Center. The
Community Builders program encourages entrepreneurship, vision
building and networking in rural communities. The Ord group toured
businesses in nearby communities and listened to a presentation on
mentoring and community leadership.
— Agribusiness instructor Brad Lang has been cultivating a beehive for ELS
for over a year. In 2014, ELS purchased a “nucleus” which contains a
queen bee and about 10,000 bees. Since then, Lang estimates that the
hive has increased to 20,000-25,000 bees. The CCC hive produced
nearly 100 pounds of honey last winter and the hope is that the raw
honey produced can be used in the CCC Culinary Arts program.
— The Columbus Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program saw a spike
in course enrollment this past year with classes held in Lindsay and
Bellwood each enrolling more than 20 students. Off-campus EMS
courses generally average 10-14 students so the larger numbers were
an indicator of strong community support for the local EMS service.
— The Lexington Community Education program has been fortunate to
partner with Amy Seiler, Community Forestry Specialist, to offer classes
in Sustainable Landscape Design. During one class, students went on a
walking tour in a sustainable landscape and watched live
demonstrations of proper tree planting and pruning.
— In May, the CCC Board of Governors met at the Ord Learning Center
and heard from local students and community members.
Nebraskans Get World Experience
— Grand Island Adult Education created a Facebook page that has been
visited by people speaking 7 different languages, located in 45 cities
and 11 different countries.
— Columbus and Hastings ELS partnered with program faculty to provide
“Cultural/Language Basics for Health Careers” courses for the South
Korean Ulsan College student visitors. Five Ulsan students participated
with the Columbus nursing program and four students in the Hastings
Dental Hygiene program.
Dave Anderson (pictured on right), of
Technical Training Services, is the
propane industry instructor for the
Nebraska Propane Gas Association and
the Nebraska Propane Education &
Research Council.
Dave, who lives in Minnesota, started
training propane industry employees in
the year 2000 and has been with the
Nebraska propane organization for 15
years. Dave is known nationwide and has
trained over 10,000 employees in 10
different states.
Classes held at the Hastings Campus are
part of the Certified Employee Training
Program which is both terminology
based training and task based training.
The certification training includes
classroom presentation, a certification
exam and a skills assessment.
Documentation is provided by the
National Propane Gas Association, and
training curriculum is provided by the
Propane Education & Research Council
and Technical Training Services.
2014-2015 EXTENDED LEARNING SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
New Interest Found
— In preparation for their study abroad experience to Greece, 20
Spectrum music students completed an ELS sponsored Humanities
workshop. The “Pre-Departure Essentials” workshop covered
important tips such as: how to contact the American Embassy;
international currency; travel and safety in a foreign country; cultural
sensitivities; and what to anticipate when returning to the U.S.,
including reverse culture shock.
Services and Internal Processes Improved
— To remain compliant with changes in labor laws, hundreds of
Community Education “contractors” needed to transition to part-time
employee status. Many staff from ELS, HR and Payroll were involved in
this large undertaking over the last year.
— Grand Island ELS, Academic Education, and Skilled and Technical
Sciences co-hosted an Adjunct Instructor Workshop for new and
current CCC Adjunct Instructors.
Brent Adrian, Speech/English Instructor
at Central Community College, became
an ELS student in the fall of 2014 when
he took the first Beginning Beekeeping
class offered by Grand Island ELS.
Brent’s willingness to fully participate in
the new beekeeping venture was evident
when he joined ELS in advocating for a
change to Grand Island city code, moving
the honey bee out of the vermin
category. With the change in city code,
Central Community College was then
allowed to keep hives on campus.
Brent has used his personal experience
with the CCC hives to integrate
sustainability practices in his classes and
he continues to participate in the care of
the College’s hives.
— To improve efficiency, the Columbus Nursing Assistant program began
using a biometric time clock to keep track of students’ hours spent in
the classroom/lab. By using an automated system rather than a
handwritten one, we reduced record keeping errors and eliminated a
time-consuming, non-value added task from our instructors’
responsibilities.
— The Nursing Assistant Program moved into their new classroom and
training lab in the CIT building on the Grand Island Campus.
ELS Staff Experience New Opportunities
— Amy Hill was hired as the new Lexington Center Regional Director. Hill,
a long-time CCC employee, has served as an adjunct instructor and
part-time Learning Center Manager for 20 years. Hill is now responsible
for the daily oversight of the Lexington Center and related activities, as
well as the Lexington Early College program.
— In April, Jamey Peterson-Jones assumed the position of Early College
Director in Grand Island. Two primary areas of focus will be CCC Career
Pathways and High School Articulation.
— After 23 years with CCC, Michael Cox retired as the Regional
Coordinator for Extended Learning Services in Kearney. Mike began his
career with the College as a tutor, instructor, and 19 years ago was
named the Regional Coordinator. Before he left, Mike was recognized
with a Grand Island Campus Spirit Award.
2014-2015 EXTENDED LEARNING SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
ELS Gets Results: Goal Accomplishments from 2014-2015
Goal 1: Adult Education Coordinators will ensure all paid staff utilizes
AIMS (Adult Information Management System) to monitor student
progress to meet state-mandated performance standards.
Painting Perfection
ü Local Adult Education Coordinators and the Adult Education Director
met with and trained staff on how to access AIMS and how to use its
reports. These reports show students who are ready for a post-test
and the number of hours a student has attended class. This
streamlined the process to ensure that students are tested at the
appropriate time and meet performance measures.
Goal 2: Explore opportunities in collaborative arrangements, marketing
and classes related to sustainability.
ü ELS continued to provide onsite support at campuses and centers
during the Sustainability Leadership Presentation Series.
ü GI ELS provides a representative to sit on the Environmental
Sustainability Across the Curriculum committee, which helps
students earn badges after completing various course objectives
related to sustainability. In addition, GI ELS collaborated with the
Sustainability Office and local officials to affect changes in GI city
code to allow beekeeping within the city limits.
ü Community Education Coordinators have worked together to offer
classes via the upgraded telecommunications system to increase
enrollment, and, more importantly, reduce driving distances for
students. Numerous other ELS area-wide meetings were held via the
upgraded telecommunications system or WebEx software to reduce
the need for travel.
ü The Kearney Center added a Sustainability Intern. Additionally, the
Kearney Center has been utilizing the City of Kearney curb-side
pickup of recyclable materials with assistance of the facilities
department and contract cleaning provider.
ü ELS worked with the CCC Sustainability Coordinator to provide
training to Community Education and EMT Instructors on how to
incorporate sustainability in their classes. Also, joint ventures with
partnering businesses have been explored.
Karen Pochop, of North Platte, teaches
painting classes for ELS. Karen is a
certified Bob Ross and Dorothy Dent
painting instructor and has taught
classes at several Central Community
College sites, including Lexington,
Holdrege and Kearney.
To become certified in each these
painting styles, Karen has spent many
hours in training. The requirements to
teach each style are specific and over the
years, Karen has worked diligently to
perfect her skills.
ü Columbus and Hastings ELS partnered with program faculty to
provide “Cultural/Language Basics for Health Careers” courses for
the South Korean Ulsan College student visitors.
Her popularity with CCC community
education students is evidenced by the
number of repeat students who come
back each semester to take her
classes—some will take the same class
twice, painting the same picture two
weeks in a row.
ü Additional space was set aside in each campus/center’s Community
Education brochure to introduce community members to CCC’s new
International Studies program, as well as provide specific
information on the Spectrum musical performances offered in
advance of the group traveling to Greece.
Central Community College is fortunate
to have an instructor of this caliber who
is also willing to travel off-campus to
bring these classes to our students.
Goal 3: Implement processes to support international programming
opportunities.
ü An International Film Festival was coordinated by the Hastings staff.
2014-2015 EXTENDED LEARNING SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
Goal 4: Support Training & Development (T&D) programs.
ü Columbus ELS, the Ord Learning Center, and T&D offered an Apprenticeship Lunch and Learn session to encourage
Ord area business owners to address the skilled labor shortage in Valley County and the need for apprenticeship
programs in the area.
ü Hastings ELS hosted a lunch for business and industry managers within the four-county service area. Guest speakers
from the Nebraska Department of Labor and the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NE-MEP) spoke
about Worker Training Grants and opportunities available with NE-MEP. Approximately 30 businesses participated
and new grants have been awarded to participants.
ü ELS offices include Training & Development public offerings in Community Education brochures.
Goal 5: Work with CCC Human Resources, Payroll and IT to streamline processes involving Personnel Actions,
application for employment and employee timesheets.
ü Multiple meetings have been held with staff from ELS, HR and Payroll to discuss and improve employment
processes. Several action items have been implemented, streamlining paperwork, tracking and processing. Some of
the resulting action items included:
— Development of a timeline for collection of documents and coordination of schedules with new hires. Use of the new DATE
screen in Colleague to check an employee’s hire/termination status, reducing the amount of follow-up required with HR staff.
— Creation of “Agency Employee” status to streamline processes.
— Development of a one page employment application was to improve efficiencies.
ü Grand Island ELS held training/orientation meetings for Community Education instructors. Likewise, Columbus ELS
brought new EMT skills testers together for orientation and training. While together, staff had these new
employees complete their employment paperwork, which helped ensure all the forms were completed correctly.
Goal 6: Improve social media/e-marketing opportunities for ELS programs.
ü The Public Relations Office has been helpful in assisting ELS with this goal. They talked to ELS about Facebook and
other advertising tools. They also supported ELS programs through direct funding, creation of online registrations
for conferences, and the inclusion of Community Education classes on the general calendar located on the CCC
website. The Public Relations Office also created and implemented a multi-media advertising campaign to promote
the grant-funded “Hard Hats & Heels” event. This promotional campaign included coordinated advertising on radio,
Facebook, newspaper, news releases, and Twitter.
ü Hastings ELS has developed a social media marketing plan using Constant Contact, Twitter and Facebook. Other ELS
staff attended a social media marketing workshop.
ü Judy Weston and Lori Neid serve on an area-wide marketing committee led by the Director of Institutional
Advancement.
ü ELS is supporting Admissions’ initiative of having all new credit students create an account in Recruiter, which will
expand CCC’s e-marketing opportunities.
Goal 7: Develop a new report to better track data to improve our business processes and data-based decision making.
ü Resulting from LERN recommendations, ELS developed a template of information that would be collected for
reporting. While staff has been capturing the new data in Colleague, with the upgrade of the Windows/SQL system,
the new report is yet to be created but once ready, it will assist ELS staff with reporting and analyzing the data from
our ELS classes and programs.
ü ELS offices have been working to identify strong market segments and which marketing methods have been the
most effective in reaching these segments.
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity
Central Community College (CCC) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability, or other factors prohibited by law, in matters of
employment, admissions, financial aid, or other activities and opportunities as set forth in compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations.
Any person having inquiries concerning Central Community College compliance with Title II, Title IV, Title VI, Title IX, the Age Discrimination Act, and/or Section 504 should contact: Vice President of Human Resources 3134 W Highway 34,
PO Box 4903, Grand Island NE 68802-4903, 308-398-4222, cwaddle@cccneb.edu
Persons seeking further information concerning career and technical education offerings at Central Community College and any specific pre-requisite criteria for the various programs of study should contact: Public Relations Officer, 3134
W Highway 34, PO Box 4903, Grand Island NE 68802-4903, 308-398-4222, jstrayer@cccneb.edu . To obtain this information in a language other than English or in an alternative format email jstrayer@cccneb.edu or call 308-398-7355