Message From Summer Simpson, FIW Student Representative of the Advisory Board Committee
tho...@gmail.com
This is an update from the student representative of the FIW Advisory Committee.
First, welcome back after summer vacation! I'm excited to start classes again, and hope you all are as well! I don't have too much information to report, as the August meeting of the FIW Advisory Committee was canceled due to scheduling conflicts. However, there are a few pieces of news I would like to share.
Rick Reeves is our new Interim Administrative Chair for the Fine Woodworking Program. Rick retired from RRCC after 25 years and is limited to two days a week because of PERA rules. After January 1st, he will be here more often. He is normally here on Tuesdays and Thursdays but this will vary some so don’t hesitate to make an appointment to talk. His office is in the shop at the back of the Lutherie Room, formerly the computer lab. His contact information is rick....@rrcc.edu. You can also call him at 303-914-6205. Welcome Rick! We are very pleased to have you on board.
Do you need help with advising? We now have a dedicated academic advisor for FIW students. Her name is TuongVi Nguyen, and her office is in the Academic Advising department; room 1306. Her contact information is 303-914-6359, tuonvi...@rrcc.edu.
On the subject of advising, RRCC is rolling out a new program called Guided Pathways. This online platform will help teachers campus-wide to assist students in their advising needs. More information will be available on that program in the near future.
If you were on campus this past summer, you might have noticed that wooden watercraft had taken over the shop space. Well, those canoes, kayaks and SUPs are now water-ready, and the FIW program is celebrating with PADDLE DAY on Saturday, September 23rd, starting at 10 am at Evergreen Lake. Come check out these gorgeous floating works and join us for games and a barbecue/potluck.
In other department news, the RRCC and FIW administrators are continuing to work to redevelop the FIW program to better serve its students. The most pressing order of business is to create an effective Spring schedule. Certificate programs and course sequencing are also under review. If you have concerns about your chosen certificate program, please contact Rick Reeves. We will share more information about the redevelopment as it becomes available.
Over the summer semester a questionnaire was distributed to students to collect data on which courses we are interested in taking in the future. This questionnaire will be distributed again in the Fall semester for students who have not yet filled one out. The information collected in the surveys will help the administration to make informed decisions about what courses to offer in the future. And in general, in the past few months many people have offered help and valuable suggestions about the FIW program, how it is operated, and how it could be made more successful. As the program undergoes redevelopment, administrators are taking that input into consideration and it is much appreciated.
Enrollment numbers for Fall classes are healthy, and all the FIW classes listed on the Schedule of Classes will be running if enrollment numbers stay consistent. No class cancellations are currently planned due to low enrollment.
The Administration is working to develop better methods of communicating official information to students, faculty and staff. This includes creating an FIW news bulletin that will be distributed regularly. We appreciate the role that the Google group has filled as a communications device, but a more official delivery system is needed. The Google group will continue to exist as a bulletin board for unofficial information, such as tool sales.
Thanks for reading, feel free to drop me a note with questions or concerns. I hope to see you all in the shop this fall!
~Summer Simpson