friday takeout

July 26, 2019

CUPPA JOE | straight up news.

  • KWWL-TV highlights College's new Child Care Assistance program for students enrolled in Opportunity Dubuque Career Pathway Certificate programs ... broadcast


  • After decades of working in the culinary field, Dubuquer makes dramatic career shift, enrolls in Welding program and finds full-time position at Unison Solutions ... news


  • Dyersville Commercial newspaper's "Summertime science lessons" story highlights this year's Kids on Camps programming ... link


  • Construction begins at Calmar campus: New Large Animal Veterinary Technican x-ray lab addition, parking lot resurfacing and Iowa's Dairy Center entrance work are underway ... news


  • College hires new Cresco Center Director, Jessica Reis ... news

Note to Readers: The Friday Takeout has begun its every-other-week summer schedule. The next issue will be released on Aug. 9.

WEEKLY FEATURE | good to know.

Having Trouble Navigating Etrieve Central (eForms) on MyCampus? Check out these Videos!

The Helpdesk is fielding lots of questions about the Etrieve Center (eForms) service housed in MyCampus. Ray Kieffer, Network Coordinator - Enterprise Client Service, has created instructional videos to assist with navigating Etrieve. The videos are located here: My Drive > NICC Shared Files > Fin-Admin > CIS Documentation > Etrieve Central (eForms) Help > Etrieve Central (eForms) Help Videos. The videos include information on searching form activity-history, adding comments to forms, attachments, drafts, submittting and more. Employees may also access the videos at any time in Etrieve by clicking the link in the Need Help section.

Dr. Wee, Dr. Ken Reimer and Dave Farmer Participate in Decorah Parks and Recreation Fair Fun Run July 13

Dr. Wee, along with Board of Trustees President Dr. Ken Reimer and an Elkader friend, Dave Farmer, participated in the Decorah Parks and Recreation Fair Fun Run on July 13. The three-mile race is made possible with the support of the Winneshiek County Fair Board and these sponsors: Collins Aerospace, Deco Products Company, Gundersen Health System, Oneota Valley Family Eye Care, Stanley Engineered Fastening and The Family Table.

PIES and BARS | sweet data.

SENSE Survey Results Show Improvement in Student Support and Planning

Summer is a good time to look more deeply into data that was collected in the prior year(s) as we begin to prepare for a new group of students and to determine how best to meet their needs. In the interest of supporting this effort, a four-survey trend of responses to the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) has been created and posted to the Google Drive under Shared files > Institutional Effectiveness > Institutional Research. This history of individual question-level responses for the past four surveys, administered between fall 2012 - fall 2018, provides a wealth of information about the changing needs of our students and the impact of improvement initiatives implemented during these years. The table above, for example, shows improvement in both the ability of students to understand their academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as in the assistance provided by advisors for helping students set academic goals. The last page of the document shares results for a few key questions that demonstrate both improvement seen as well as opportunities for growth. If you have further questions, please contact Lor in Institutional Research, Calmar campus, ext. 203.

WELLNESS 360 | be well.

Wellness Spotlight: Sara Franzen, Development Officer

When Sara Franzen isn’t running, she serves as the Development Officer on the Calmar campus. Sara recently completed her fifth ultra marathon (see below for description). On July 6, she competed in the Afton Trail Run 50K, finishing with a time of 5:51:31 and placing 70th out of 247 runners overall and 12th out of 69 female runners! She was kind enough to share her reflections on long distance running.

What is an ultra? How did you get into running ultras?

An ultra is anything over the marathon distance (26.2 miles). The most popular ultra distance is a 50K which is about 31 miles, but many ultra runners do 50-mile, 100-mile, and even 200-plus-mile races!

I got into ultras when my sister asked me to do a half marathon with her last Spring. While training for that and my first marathon, I just fell in love with being alone for a few hours in nature each day. It's kind of pathetic, but I would literally get emotional at the end of some long runs because I didn't want them to be over! Most ultras take place on single track trails in the woods, so they involve mud, water crossings, animals and beautiful views; so pretty much the best place to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning!

Wowza, how do you train for something like that?

Training for ultras is such a personal preference, and it depends on your goal. For a 50K, you don't need to change much from marathon training except doing your long runs on trails if you plan to do a trail 50K, and maybe increasing your longest long run to a 25-28 miles during training. Many ultra runners’ goals are simply to finish. If this is the case, runners will focus on getting a lot of "time on their feet" during the week, running four mid-week runs that last one to two hours, and two long runs on back-to-back days on the weekends that typically last between three to six hours. If you are training for time, you will sprinkle in some speed work during the mid-week runs. For 50-mile races and longer, back-to-back long runs are key. These long runs allow you to figure out how your body reacts to being on your feet for hours, what issues arise (blisters, digestion issues, fueling strategies, muscle cramps, etc.), and will give you the chance to learn how to get up the next morning and run on legs that are tired and not fully recovered. It should mimic the second half of your long race.

When was your last race? What's your next one? Any other races on your bucket list?

I ran the Afton 50K over the 4th of July weekend as a training race for the Stewart Tunnel 50 mile race in early August. I would love to run a 100-mile race to attempt the unique challenges of running through the dark without falling asleep, but we will see how I feel after August. :)

How do you stay fueled and hydrated for such a long distance? People joke that ultras are basically glorified eating contests, and they kind of are! Your body needs food to be able to have the energy to go that distance. It is recommended that you eat 200-250 calories per hour of running during ultra races. So for a 50K, that is more than 1,200 calories! That is a lot of calories to cover with energy gels or drinks like Gatorade, so it is best to carry and eat real food. I typically eat a combination of Cliff bars, sweet

potatoes with salt, cranberries, PB&Js, bacon, beef jerky, nuts and berries, and any other high-calorie food that I can squish into my hydration pack, which also holds about a liter of water. You have to practice eating and running, because your body digests food differently while you are running than it would if you were sitting down and eating a meal; so different things work for different people!

How many pairs of running shoes do you go through in a year?

Five so far this year!

What do you think about when you train and compete?

I think about how lucky I am to have the ability to run as much as I do. I am lucky to have my health and amazing support from my friends and family. I also use my really long runs as a chance to tackle any big problems or frustrations that I need to think through but have been avoiding. After five hours alone in the woods, you can figure anything out. ;)

Any advice or words of encouragement for the general college community about how to start running or training for a race?

I used to hate running. During middle school track, I ran an 800 meters and passed out with 100 meters to go. I swore I would never run anything over a lap on the track again. I truly believe that anyone can be a runner, but you have to decide why you want to do it. To me it is not the physical benefits of running that get me out every day; it’s the fact that I am taking time to do something that is completely for myself where I disconnect from the rest of the world and just enjoy my time. If I did it to "lose weight" or "be healthy," I would have quit a long time ago! The second it becomes something you HAVE to do, you probably won't look forward to it anymore. It should be something that you GET to do, and look forward to doing for yourself.

Also, the first 10-15 minutes always suck. Still, I feel like I am gasping for air during the first 10 minutes of my runs. Let yourself get in a rhythm before you decide that you hate it. Also, most people who start running run way too fast. Run slower than you want to, and you will notice that you can run a lot further if that is your goal!

Know someone who inspires other to be well? Submit a Wellness Spotlight Nomination today!

APPETIZER | a little something for your appetite.

Wendy Mihm-Herold Goes "Over the Edge" for a Great Cause!

Wendy Mihm-Herold, Vice President of Business and Community Solutions, bravely represented the College by rappelling down the Hotel Julien on June 28 in exchange for donations to the United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States! Wendy raised $1,350!

“I was very humbled to be a part of this campaign because of all the great business partners and colleagues who donated money to United Way for me to rappel down the Dubuque Hotel Julien building. I did this to support an organization that donates to many great non-profits we partner with at Northeast Iowa Community College – through our Adult Literacy, Career Pathway Certificate and credit programs every day.”

Wendy Mihm-Herold

JUST DESSERTS | let's celebrate

Congratulations and Welcome to Northeast Iowa Community College!

Jason Benn is a new employee in the Maintenance department at Peosta.

Katrina Nicholls is now Bookkeeper/Student Accounts at Calmar.

Shauna Peterson is a new Student Services Administrative Assistant at Peosta.

Rita Reilly is a new Child Development Lead Teacher at Calmar.

Jessica Reis is the new Cresco Center Director.

Cameron Vinsand is the new Assistant Director of Student Life at Calmar.

BIG FISH | be amazed.

Mark Bandy

Veterans Consultant


Which of the six College values do you most identify with and why?

I would have to say Resiliency. I spent 21 years on active duty in the Marine Corps and Army, where failure was never an option. It was vitally important to adapt, to overcome and to prevail.

What experience most prepared you for your current role at the College?

For most of my adult life, I have been in either the military or in higher education. I enlisted into the military directly out of high school, where I served as a military policeman, criminal investigator and recruiter. I spent the last eight years in the military recruiting for the Army, and running a recruiting company in Sioux City for the past three years. After my military career, I served 11 years in higher education as the director of admissions or regional director of student management with Purdue University Global (formerly Kaplan University). While at Purdue University Global, I/we grew the military census at the largest campus within the state of Iowa (Des Moines campus) to where it comprised 25 percent of the entire student population. I understand the military lifestyle, the importance of education and can relate to our military-affiliated student population.

What do you most want to accomplish at Northeast Iowa Community College?

My overall objective at Northeast Iowa Community College is to help us provide a better service to our military-affiliated students and to help grow our military census. My goal is to overwhelmingly dominate the military market in our geographical area and to make NICC the service member’s, veteran’s or family member’s first choice for achieving their educational and career goals.

What is a guilty pleasure song that you listen to but don't openly admit (until now)?

I love the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. I listen to exclusively country or classic rock, but this song always puts me in a great mood and a smile on my face.

If you had to choose one thing you were most passionate about, what would it be and why?

“Taking care of soldiers and their dependents,” because that is what I’ve been doing most of my adult life. Service members and their families sacrifice so much for us; therefore, I want to make sure they always feel appreciated and well taken care of. NICC is a military-friendly school, and it’s my personal goal to elevate our status to where we our recognized as the most military-friendly community college in the state of Iowa and to where other community colleges desire to emulate us.

If you have input on a upcoming feature, Big Fish, something to celebrate or a suggestion, email us at news@nicc.edu!