Second Life presentation offered Nov. 17Join the Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Department to find out how colleges are using the virtual world, Second Life, for a variety of online educational experiences. Find out what is Second Life all about, and how can you use it!

The seminar is offered on Tuesday, November 17 at 2 p.m. Click here to register.

	Theatre Columbus State readies fall productionColumbus State’s theater company will present “The Shape of Things” by Neil LaBute and directed by Frank Barnhart, November 18-21 in Nestor Hall Auditorium.  Admission is free.  The play will be performed each day at 8 p.m., with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Thursday, Nov. 19.   “The Shape of Things” is about Adam, a nerdy college student who visits a museum where he meets Evelyn, an art major, whom he falls for immediately.  Their relationship develops, and over time Evelyn starts changing Adam’s appearance and behavior.  But not all changes are for the best, and the unexpected ending will leave you to wonder about the nature of art and love. For more information about the play, call Nancy Kephart at ext. 2534 or email nkephart@cscc.edu. Recommended for mature audiences.

ESL program awarded $900,000 grantColumbus State’s “ESL Afterschool Communities” program, part of the Community Education and Workforce Development Division, has been awarded a three-year, $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. 

The Youth Empowerment Program funding opportunity seeks to address unhealthy behaviors in at-risk minority youth—providing opportunities to learn skills and gain experiences that contribute to more positive lifestyles and enhance their capacity to make healthier life choices.  The program is intended to test community-based involvement in reducing risky behaviors among minority youth.
 
Columbus State has partnered with Columbus Public Health and Community for New Direction to provide programming that address health and prevention issues.  It will also include collaborative efforts with COSI, Children’s Hunger Alliance and Eakin Elementary School.  The funding allows for the opening of a fourth site at Wedgewood Apartment Community providing services to the Somali Bantu community.  Additional information on this initiative can be found online here.

AQIP Communication Team reports resultsThe Columbus State AQIP Communication team recently reported an increase of more than 20% improvement in the recognition of continuous improvement tools compared to the initial survey conducted during last fall's In-Service Day.  The Team implemented a targeted communication approach to share specific process improvement tools through Update articles and presentations to various committees around the campus. The team, spearheaded by Marlon Dixon, and sponsored by Antoinette Perkins, presented their results to the AQIP Steering Committee in October. The report and the recommendations can be viewed on the AQIP website page Continuous Improvement Project Teams at http://www.cscc.edu/aqip/cti.htm.

Members of the AQIP Communication team are, from left: Marlon Dixon, Paul Rehg, Bryan Wils, Antoinette Perkins, Mary Galentine and Sunday Zidonis. Betty Richardson is not pictured.

Wellness Incentive set to start again for 2010 Columbus State will again partner with The Ohio State University Managed Health Care Systems, Inc., to offer a wellness incentive program to all full-time employees. In the program, all full-time employees who complete:

1. biometric screening,

2. personal health assessment and

3. one session of health coaching, are qualified to receive a $150 incentive from Columbus State in August 2010.

By taking part in various wellness activities offered throughout the year, employees can accumulate additional wellness points to earn up to an additional $150. These wellness activities might include attending Lunch and Learn workshops, getting a flu shot (shots given at the Fall In-Service will be counted toward the 2010 incentive program), participating in the Wellness Challenge, and many additional opportunities. However, items 1, 2 and 3 must be completed to receive any amount of money.

Through the Ohio State Managed Health Care Systems, Columbus State has a portal to WebMD, a medical and healthy living Web site that offers a wealth of information concerning your health. When you access the WebMD site, you will be prompted to register with a login and password. After registering on Columbus State’s WebMD site, you will be able to sign up for your Biometric Screening, Personal Health Assessment and Health Coaching sessions. After you register, your first step is to sign up for your biometric screening.

Biometric screening is a finger-prick blood test and other measurements which take about 20 minutes to complete and will be performed on campus. The first biometric screening is scheduled for Thursday, November 19.

You can get additional information about Columbus State’s Wellness Incentive Program by contacting Nichole Bowman-Glover, Wellness Coordinator at Columbus State, at (614) 287-3989.

	Fight holiday stress at Lunch and Learn workshop Attend a Wellness Initiative “Lunch and Learn” workshop on “Stress-Reducing Tips for the Holidays, Wednesday, Nov. 18 at noon in WD 302 and earn points toward your 2010 Wellness Incentive bonus. As the holidays approach, there are many things we are trying to juggle. These responsibilities can create a great deal of stress in our lives. Here is an opportunity for you to take some time out of your busy work day to come hear about some ways to deal with holiday stress. It is also an opportunity to earn points for the Wellness Challenge and Wellness Initiative programs. Please contact Nichole Bowman-Glover, Wellness coordinator, at ext. 3989 to register for this workshop.