friday takeout

July 2, 2021

PRESIDENTIAL CORNER | quarterly updates.

Presidential Corner is a new quarterly feature that shares Dr. Wee's updates with the College community. The next installments will be published in the September and December issues of Friday Takeout.

Greetings colleagues,

Allow me to wish you a happy July 4th. It is a special day for me because I arrived in this country on Independence Day in 1983. To me, it represents people charting a new course together. My life has changed because of the people who supported and worked with me along my journey.

Given the challenging year we went through together, July 4th reminds me that we are still here together, and that is a reason to celebrate. We will continue to be vigilant so that we may work, live, learn, and play safely going forward.

In addition to our health and wellness, continued vigilance is required of us in regard to cybersecurity. Given the recent cyber threats in the local and national news, reinforcing our cyber security is even more critical. That's why I asked for your help in implementing the multi-factor authentication for our logging-in process. Together, we can enhance our cyber security defense. Let's embrace best practices and be vigilant in identifying and reporting potential threats to our CIS colleagues.

Thank you for your continued support of each other, our students, and NICC.

CUPPA JOE | straight up news.

  • Last month the Cresco Center hosted the Be Your Own Boss summer camp for kids in Howard County! The successful annual event encourages and nurtures the next generation of young entrepreneurs ... Cresco Times Plain Dealer coverage and highlights video



  • FACULTY AND STAFF: Stay up-to-date on the College's Strategic Plan and Tracking document in NICC Shared Files!

Note to our Colleagues: Do you need photos or videos for your College event? Remember to use this Project Request Form created by Marketing to make your request.

WEEKLY FEATURE | good to know.

What Else Happened in History on July 4?

We know that July 4 commemorates America’s independence in 1776. But what other historical events occurred on the same date?


1845 - American writer Henry David Thoreau began his two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond, near Concord, Mass.

1855 - The first edition of "Leaves of Grass," by Walt Whitman, was published in Brooklyn, New York.

1886 - The first rodeo in America was held at Prescott, Ariz.

1934 - Boxer Joe Louis won his first professional fight.

1934 - At Mount Rushmore, George Washington's face was dedicated.

1939 - Lou Gehrig retired from major league baseball.

1960 - The 50-star U.S. flag made its debut in Philadelphia, Penn.

1966 - U.S. President Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act, which went into effect the following year.

2004 - In New York, the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) was laid on the former World Trade Center site.

2009 - North Korea launched seven ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast that defied U.N. resolutions.

2009 - The Statue of Liberty's crown reopened to visitors. It had been closed to the public since 2001.


See a full listing of July 4 historical events courtesy of on-this-day.com!

GREEN CORNER

Kara and Nick, our Green Iowa AmeriCorps Sustainability Coordinators, will be bringing us regular facts and tips to green your life and make it more sustainable.

Summer is here and the desire to travel is overwhelming as we emerge from the strict COVID world. There are a few things you can do to ensure you travel eco-consciously. Most of us do not wash our sheets and towels or vacuum the floors in our home every day. So why do it when you travel? Leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door of your hotel so that the housekeeping staff won’t clean your room every day. This helps to save on cleaning supplies and the electricity used to vacuum and wash linens. Likewise, whenever you leave your hotel room, always turn off all the lights, heater or air conditioner, and TV. You can also close the curtains to keep the sun from heating up the room during the day.

Save Our Bees: There are plenty of environmental initiatives you can take up, but one of the most important is the need to save our bees. These little beasts are vital to pollinating the Earth’s vibrant ecosystem, but they have been dying out due to the use of pesticides. You can help matters by purchasing Organic Honey to support natural bee keeping practices, or donate to bee charities to help promote their well-being. (Alex Morris @ LifeHack)

BIG FISH | be amazed.

Dawn Sanderman

Associate Dean of Nursing | Calmar Campus


What is your favorite movie of all time? (in a particular genre, if it’s easier to answer. e.g., comedy, drama, horror, sci fi.)

My favorite movie of all time is the movie Overboard with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. I like how her true personality comes out once her environment is changed. They learn to love each other while being poor, raising four boys and working together on a future for themselves, but then find out that she actually has lots of money. But the best part of the movie is the very last line of the movie when he says "what else could I possibly give you that you don't already have" - and she says "a little girl.”

If you could start all over again, what would be your career choice?

If I could start all over again I would still be a nurse. I have a paper from when I was five that asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Even then I said I "wanted to be a nurse to help people and to put Band-Aids on them.” It would have been nice to do it differently though. I went very slow - first I spent four years in the Air Force, then received my associate’s degree for LPN in 1998, my associate’s degree for RN in 2004 and then my bachelor’s degree in 2012. Instead, I would have gone straight from one to the other and had my bachelor’s degree completed in 2004. The other option would have been to be an Air Force Nurse and I would have stayed in a lot longer.



Name one country or region in the world you have never visited that you someday want to visit, serve or spend a vacation?

One area I would like to visit is Australia. I love the different animals that are there and the people. The only reason I would just visit instead of move there is because of the huge spiders that are there. Spiders and I do not get along! Lol



Give your colleagues a suggestion: what are 1, 2, or 3 of your favorite smartphone apps?

My favorite apps are MyFitnessPal, where you can log your dietary intake; Fitbit, where you can log your daily steps/activity, weight and blood sugars; and MapMyFitness, where you can track your walks/runs. All three apps connect up and talk to each other and really help with my health and fitness goals. They are all free apps and very easy to use.



If you had one million dollars to build anything you wanted, what would you build and why?

I would build a home for needy children. I have taken in multiple children for various periods of time already in my life, but it is so hard to really do what I want without adequate resources and living space. I would also make sure that there was an area for children with medical needs. I would manage it myself and hire nannies to help, along with nurse friends for the children with medical issues.

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