Vol. 10, Issue No. 6
April 13, 2022
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From the Hawk's Nest, New River CTC's employee newsletter, is distributed twice a month, and we need your input! Have story ideas or photos for From the Hawk's Nest? Send them to the Office of Communications for the next edition.
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Welcome to New River CTC! |
The New River CTC Hawk helped welcome Liberty High School students to the Raleigh County Campus and Erma Byrd Center on March 30. |
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Practical Nursing application deadline extended |
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Naloxone training continues |
New River CTC recovery support specialist Melinda Price continues to train faculty, staff, students, and community members on the administration of Naloxone. Price has trained over 100 people on the opioid reversal medication.
The Naloxone training is a one-time Zoom meeting and open to the public. Those interested should contact Melinda Price directly at 304-929-6703 or mprice@newriver.edu.
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College mission, vision, and value statements under review |
The College Planning Committee is planning a review of the current Mission, Vision, and Value statements. To gather feedback from all constituents, the Committee has planned a week’s worth of open forums to give faculty and staff. A separate series will also be open to students and later, external community members.
The faculty and staff forums are scheduled as follows:
Monday, April 18: 9:00 – 10:00 and again at 6:00 – 7:00
Tuesday, April 19: 11:00 – 12:00 and again at 4:00 – 5:00
Wednesday, April 20: 9:00 – 10:00 and again at 6:00 – 7:00
Thursday, April 21: 11:00 – 12:00 and again at 4:00 – 5:00
Friday, April 22: 9:00 – 10:00 and again at 6:00 – 7:00
Student forums are scheduled as follows:
Monday, April 18: 11:00 -12:00 and again at 4:00-5:00
Tuesday, April 19: 9:00 – 10:00 and again at 6:00-7:00
Wednesday, April 20: 11:00 – 12:00 and again at 4:00 – 5:00
Thursday, April 21: 9:00 – 10:00 and again at 6:00-7:00
Friday, April 22: 11:00 – 12:00 and again at 4:00 – 5:00
Be on the lookout for an email that will provide the Zoom meeting links to join for each.
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Updates from the IT department |
Online Appointment Scheduling
When the pandemic began in 2020, we needed an online appointment scheduling solution to assist students needing remote support from faculty advisors and student support services. We implemented AppointmentPlus and it worked, but users reported that the awkward integration with Microsoft Outlook calendars was an obstacle. It required a plugin to be installed and the process was so difficult that it never did quite work as we’d hoped. We’re allowing this license to run out in April 2022 and have already replaced it with Microsoft Bookings. This product is included with our licensing for Microsoft Office 365, so there is no cost for us. This should save about $7,300 annually. Integration with Outlook calendars is seamless and easy. A link to Bookings is available in the portal for students to schedule appointments with faculty advisors and support staff. All full-time faculty should already be sharing their office hour schedules with Tamara Rahal. She plans to use that information to create customized schedules for each Advisor to only show your office hours as your available times. Students would then only be able to request appointments for times you are available. If Tamara hasn’t yet received your schedule, each faculty member will appear to be available during all New River business hours (M-F, 8am to 5pm).
More information about Bookings at New River is available here:
Online Ticketing
Our license for the Zendesk ticketing and online chat tool will expire on April 30, 2022, and we’ve been unable to renew it—the vendor won’t sign our WV-96. So, we’ve been scrambling to identify options for a new ticketing system, used primarily by our Help Desk but also with some other areas like Financial Aid. We’ve participated in a demonstration of the ticketing system used by WVNET named OZ. We’ve scheduled a demonstration with ConnectWise and will choose our new platform by mid-April. Regardless of which platform we choose, the cost of Zendesk had increased so much that we’re certain to save at least $10,000 a year with a new ticketing system. While this unexpected transition will impact our Help Desk primarily, other users should only experience a new interface once the transition is complete at the end of this month. Gary Davis and his team are working hard to ensure we don’t lose any open tickets, closed tickets, or our knowledgebase.
Phone System
We’re planning now for a new phone system that will replace all our handsets (we have more than 220) and the infrastructure used to manage them. Phone numbers won’t change, and online faxing will be included with this project that we plan to complete this summer. Once available, we’ll be able to discontinue our use of XMedius for online faxing, which has been sharing fax numbers with small groups to keep the costs down. The new system will support individual fax number assignments as well as shared.
New River Wireless
A second summer project for our IT department is to replace our entire wireless infrastructure, which includes more than 50 wireless access points throughout all our campuses and locations. This effort should not be disruptive to users and will introduce Wi-Fi 6 with WPA3 security for those devices that support it. Other advantages include faster wireless speeds, more devices able to connect to each access point, and increased security for devices that support Wi-Fi 6.
Personnel Changes
On April 15, 2022, we bid a sad farewell to Dara S. Fann who has been with New River since July 2010. During her time with us, Dara was instrumental in supporting our use of Ellucian Banner as well as many other tasks, projects, and initiatives. We wish her great success and will always consider her part of our New River family. Jason Garris will serve as Interim Database Administrator Senior, and we are working now to hire a junior programmer to assist Jason.
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Tom Cochran honored at the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner |
Tom Cochran, manager of the Raleigh County Memorial Airport, was honored as the 32nd recipient of the Community Leadership Award at the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner. Tom Cochran, a 1958 Shady Spring High School graduate, has a 24-year career with the Raleigh County Memorial Airport where he promotes the airport as a self-sustaining entity of economic development that supports commerce in Southern West Virginia. Tom has served on New River CTC's Board of Directors since 2020.
Since 1991, the Community Leadership Award has been given annually to the business leader or organization that has positively impacted the community through lifetime excellence in business leadership and community service.
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Ronceverte River Festival pageant awards scholarship |
Congratulations to Willow Long, who was crowned Ronceverte River Festival Queen on April 9 and received a $500 scholarship to attend New River CTC for 2022-2023. Ms. Long is a student at Woodrow Wilson High School. Lisa Carter, Ronceverte River Festival Pageant Director and Assistant Professor of Cosmetology, awarded the scholarship on behalf of New River CTC Foundation. |
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The Oak Ridge Boys to play at the Chuck Mathena Center |
The Oak Ridge Boys high-energy stage show remains the heart and soul of what they do best. This night will feature classic Gospel, Country, and Patriotic music.
The Oak Ridge Boys have one of the most distinctive and recognizable sounds in the music industry. Their string of hits includes the pop chart-topper Elvira, as well as Bobbie Sue, Dream On, Thank God For Kids, American Made, I Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes, Fancy Free, Y'All Come Back Saloon and many others. They've scored 12 gold, three platinum, and one double platinum album, plus one double platinum single, and had more than a dozen national Number One singles and over 30 Top Ten hits.
The four-part harmonies and upbeat songs of the Oak Ridge Boys have garnered a host of industry and fan accolades including Grammy, Dove, ACM, and CMA awards. In 2008 they were awarded the coveted Academy of Country Music Pioneer Award. October 25, 2015, The Oak Ridge Boys were honored with induction into the esteemed and elite Country Music Hall of Fame.
Every time they step before an audience, the Oaks bring three decades of charted singles, and 50 years of tradition, to bear on a stage show widely acknowledged as among the most exciting anywhere. They have one of the most distinctive and recognizable sounds in the music industry.
"I feel like I can do what I do on stage just as good now as I could 20 years ago," says Bonsall." I plan to be rockin' my tail off out there as long as I'm healthy. The people who come out, who bring their families to see us, deserve everything I've got."
Bass singer Richard Sterban comments, "I think our stage show is one of the reasons for our continuity. We're still having fun doing this. We love what we do. Getting on stage and bringing our music to people is still what we live for."
Tickets go on sale Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 10:00am.
What: The Oak Ridge Boys
When: August 7, 2022 @ 4:00pm
Where: Chuck Mathena Center, 2 Stafford Commons, Princeton, WV 24740
Tickets: $63, $53, $43 – priced by seating
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APRIL 22
Phi Theta Kappa Inductions
6:30 p.m., RCC
APRIL 30
Volleyball 4 Autism
Memorial Baptist Church
1405 S. Kanawha St., Beckley
MAY 6
Last Day of Spring Classes
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MAY 12
Cosmetology Programs Pinning Ceremony
MAY 13
RN Pinning Ceremony
MAY 14
Commencement
WEEKLY
Peer Recovery Support Meeting
Naloxone Training
Wednesdays at 3 p.m., Zoom Meeting
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New River CTC does not discriminate in its educational programs or in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, veteran or military status, disability, or genetic information or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal or state laws. The following office has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the College’s non-discrimination policies relating to disabilities, sex, Title IX or other forms of discrimination: Peter Hoeman, Dean of Student Affairs and Title IX Coordinator, 304-929-5027, phoeman@newriver.edu, 280 University Drive, Beaver, WV 25801. Additional information can be found on the College’s website at www.newriver.edu/nondiscrimination.
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