October 31, 2011

Cougar in Costume!

Clawdette Cougar prepares to take the runway in her gypsy costume during “Halloweek” festivities last Thursday.  Students were treated to games, treats, scary movies and the costume fashion parade – all held indoors in the Nestor Hall lounges on a cold, rainy afternoon. The event was sponsored by Student Activities and Athletics.

November Health & Fitness News online now

In the Human Performance Center’s November newsletter, Health & Fitness News, you can read articles about making your favorite holiday recipes healthier, the Great American Smokeout, Fitness Facts and the Exercise of the Month—sit ups with an overhead raise!

Columbus State website and TV ads win gold – college wins six regional awards for marketing

At the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District 3 regional conference, held October 24- 26 in Detroit, Columbus State picked up six Medallion Awards, given annually for college marketing, advertising and communications. 

Accepting the college's Medallion Awards at the regional NCMPR conference in Detroit are, from left, Mark Van Horn, video coordinator; Suzanne May, communications coordinator; and David Wayne, media relations coordinator. 

Columbus State won Gold Awards for a 30-second television commercial called “Online Learning,” and the series of three 2011 TV commercials. The college’s redesigned website also won a Gold Award.  The high school student newsletter “UpNext” won a Silver Award in the category of printed newsletters.  And the brochure “Switch2Semesters” won a Bronze Award, as did the web video series “Real Community.”  NCMPR’s District 3 includes colleges in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Ontario. 

Three members of the Institutional Advancement Department also gave a presentation titled “Flash Video – Fast, Fun, Big” to the attendees of the conference.  Will Kopp, vice president, David Wayne, media relations coordinator, and Mark Van Horn, video coordinator, gave a tutorial in producing videos for the web that capture students’ attention in short, 90-second segments. 

Tracy Jones (left) and Tracy Lamar-Nickoli accept the Best of Business Award on behalf of Columbus State’s Center for Workforce Development.

Columbus State earns “Best Continuing Education”

Columbus State was awarded “Best Continuing Education Offering” in the latest issue of Columbus C.E.O. - Best of Business 2011. This designation, which was awarded to Columbus State for the third consecutive year, was determined by Columbus C.E.O readers who were asked to give their opinions in 70 business categories.

ESL afterschool wellness program to be featured in national video report

A new wellness initiative for children in the ESL Afterschool Communities program will be featured in an upcoming promotional video for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

English as a Second Language (ESL) Afterschool Communities is one of the grant-funded programs in the Transitional Workforce Department. The program has three grants and serves four communities of 2nd-8th graders based out of apartment community centers—with homework help, life skill development and field trip opportunities, including visits to Columbus State.  The total FY11 grant funding is $550,000.  The programs were an outgrowth of the Language Institute about eight years ago, according to Nancy Case, interim Dean of Community Education and Workforce Development (CEWD).

According to Case, one of the most recent grants was a federal Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) grant through Health & Human Services in which Columbus State is partnering with the Columbus Department of Public Health and Community for New Directions (a non-profit focused on drug prevention) to expand the ESL afterschool model to include the wellness component.  “In many ways, ESLAsC is a mini Peace Corps program right here in our back yard,” said Case.
 
So now the Columbus State Youth Empowerment Program has been chosen to be highlighted in the Office of Minority Health report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Marquette University will fly in a video production crew from an advertising firm to capture this compelling story of the program at Wedgewood Community Center in mid November. 

“This really exemplifies what it is ESLAsC does for Columbus State,” said Suzanne Schaefer, supervisor in the program. “We may not always have the data and numbers that correlate directly with dollars for Columbus State, but we are a positive education model that brings attention to the impact we have in these communities, and the relationships that are built each day in programming.”