friday takeout

After a juried selection process, the Council on Accreditation for Two Year Colleges (CATYC) selected Doug Binsfeld, associate vice president of learning and student success, to present at its September 2019 conference. Doug’s presentation was titled, “Building a Quality Comprehensive Assessment Program in ‘Fast Forward’ Mode." In addition to presenting at the conference, he was also elected to serve on the Executive Council of CATYC, a 19-state organization with more than 350 institutional members. CATYC is one of the largest organizations of two-year colleges in the United States, second only to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). One of its major purposes is to work with The Higher Learning Commission in the promotion of standards, practices and policies for two-year colleges.

Also in September, Doug was elected chair of the newly-formed Iowa Assessment and Accreditation group to promote communication among the 15 Iowa community colleges in regard to assessment and accreditation, learn about best practices across the state, and to share strategies in meeting state and federal accreditation expectations.

Thank you, Doug, for your leadership efforts and for delivering your presentation on quality comprehensive assessment at the national conference!

Name: Flannery Cerbin-Bohach

Position title: Wellness and Life Stage Program Manager, Calmar

Whose job and why?

“I would like to be Tamara Canoy for a day, lead teacher of the 2's Room at the NICC Child Development Center. One sentence of explanation: My son is in Tammy's room and it would be fun to hang with him for the day; although not sure I could handle a room full of two-year-old sass for more than a day :)”

Name: Robin Hinders

Position title: Communications instructor, Calmar

Whose job and why?

“I would like to try Flannery Cerbin-Bohach's job as Wellness and Life Stage Program Manager because it would be such a positive experience to help everyone at the College to have a lifestyle that is more enriched and healthy, both physically and emotionally.”

Name: Darci Werner

Position title: Finance Coordinator, Peosta

Whose job and why?

“I have never worked in food service, but do love to cook. I would not have any clue what to do in regards to preparing food for a crowd. I have worked a few food stands, but nothing larger than that and mostly just taking money. I think it would be fun to tag along with the Cougar Cafe ladies (no particular one, all are Awesome!) and see how it's done, do some cooking and learn.”

Kara Guyer

Instructional Designer, Online & Blended Learning (OBL) | Calmar Campus

What gets you excited about the mission of Northeast Iowa Community College? / Where do you find the greatest alignment between the College's Vision/Values and your own personal values and priorities?

While preparing to interview at the College just shy of two years ago, I looked at Dr. Wee's welcome message on the website, as well as the College's mission and vision. It was very clear that Dr. Wee and the College appeared to be passionate about one thing above anything else – people. My personal values are centered on loving God and loving others, so I am so grateful to work for a College that not only says they value people, but they live it out and act on it. While I align with all of the College's Values in some way, and I am particularly passionate about service and respect, resiliency connects deeply. My journey to today hasn't been an easy one, but I've learned a lot from my experiences and how to refocus and seize opportunities to improve and persist.

What is something you do in your workday that supports the College vision?

Everything I do in my workday is centered on how our team can help the members of the NICC community succeed in relation to educational experiences. As one of the instructional designers in OBL, the main role I have is to support and collaborate with instructors to create quality learning experiences that cultivate learner success. Some of my favorite feedback from learners over this past year was a direct result of our team's collaboration with instructors to cultivate community in online courserooms, and give learners opportunities to increase soft skills they could use outside of the courseroom. Many learners said that despite being in an online learning environment, they still felt they were a part of a community, and they finished these courses with increased soft skills. That's what drives me every day; knowing that despite having a more behind the scenes role with learners, I can still help make a difference in their lives and support the College's vision.

Have you ever had a moment where you thought, "Well, this is going to shape who I am!"; or "This is sure going to be a character builder!" Please share.

Over the last 11 years I have been on six missions trips – two to Kosovo, four to Mexico City –and one student service trip to Costa Rica. Every one of those trips has been a unique character builder in a different way (I have a lot of stories I can share!). I have learned new languages (please don't test my Albanian yet), navigated and learned about different cultures, worked on diverse teams with diverse perspectives and been challenged physically, emotionally and spiritually. All of those moments helped me grow exponentially in areas I needed to be (and still need to be) challenged in: humility, patience, discipline, perseverance and putting my complete trust in and reliance on God. While international missions trips have been important in my life, I also consider missions as my daily life, which continues to build character as well. Some days it builds more character than others :)

What food will you absolutely not, under any circumstances, eat?

Ham balls! I've eaten a lot of things over the years and on international travels that I struggled to appreciate, such as lutefisk, cow brain, pig fat, pumpkin soup (not as lovely as it sounds - it's no pumpkin latte!), but I would eat all of those again over ham balls! Ironically, the first meal I was served at my mother-in-law's home was ham balls; and, of course, I ate them with love. After my husband, to my horror, outed my dislike for them, she has been gracious enough to spare me since.

What kind of songs get wedged in your head, like an "ear worm?"

“Baby Shark,” “Wheels on the Bus,” “Hot Cross Buns.” Basically anything our 2-1/2 year old daughter listens to right now. Although the joy in hearing her sing them makes it worth the “ear worm.”