September 19, 2008

As we’ve listened to the news around the state and nation this week, I can’t help but think how fortunate we are. As those crazy winds blew through on Sunday, I kept wondering if it was as bad as it was in Ohio hundreds of miles away from where Ike made landfall, what must it have been like in Texas?!? Really makes me feel for what those people went through (and are still going through). And as I hear many surrounding schools continuing to remain closed due to the power outage, I’m grateful we only had to miss one day. I suspect we’ll be glad we still have days left when January and February come along!

Speaking of Monday, that day was a perfect example of the teamwork our OHP staff shows when the going gets tough. I was on the phone most of the day (from a home with power, thankfully!) staying in touch with Robert Walker regarding conditions on campus and speculating when we might get power back. He and his crew kept a close eye on our electronic systems, powered several items down so that there wouldn’t be a damaging surge when the power came back on, and they got a head start on cleaning up the debris on our campus. John Case continued to check the status of our network and made a trip to campus late Monday afternoon after the power came on to assure that everything would be up and running for Tuesday morning. Don Jaunzemis monitored the status of our cooler and freezer to make sure the food was kept at safe temperatures, and he had even identified a location to move the food to preserve it should our power not have come back on by Tuesday. I so appreciate that our staff just sees what needs to be done in an emergency situation, steps up to do it, keeps everyone necessary informed, and gives me the information I need to make good decisions. Way to go team!

Even though our schedule interruptions (due to water and power outages) have been somewhat disruptive, I can at least say our students have been grateful! One young man shared with me in the cafeteria line that he really enjoyed Monday (even though his mom made him clean up the yard) and he appreciated that it came on a Monday so the weekend was longer. I told him I was glad we could oblige!

The week was unexpectedly shortened for us all and my week has consisted mostly of meetings and paperwork: but there have been some new developments. On Wednesday, we had two visitors from Bowling Green State University, as well as the Mayor of Bellefontaine, pay a visit to tour our campus and discuss possibilities for bringing bachelor’s degree programs to Logan County which would build on associate’s degrees that are earned through our community college partners. They were very familiar with our College Tech Prep programs and were impressed with the many articulation agreements we have in place. Local officials are very eager to bring new postsecondary partners to Logan County to improve the educational level of our workforce and to help retain our young talent. We discussed several areas of most need including healthcare degrees, teacher education programs (particularly in secondary math, science, and special education), and graduate-level coursework for educators needing to renew or upgrade licenses. While having no higher-education institution in Logan County has been a disadvantage, it has resulted in several schools seeking to provide services locally, which can only benefit our high-school students and adults. I expect to see new partners joining our campus soon!

A few of you asked for the answers to the questions posed in my blog in honor of Google’s 10th birthday, and here they are! The population of Uzbekistan is 27.8 million, the state bird of Maine is the blackcap chickadee, and Napoleon Bonaparte was 5 feet 7 inches tall. There you go—remember those tidbits—they may help you win “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” someday!

Fall officially starts Monday—it’s really here! And the Columbus Dispatch reports that today is “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” I’ll let you do with that what you will!

Have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful weather!