Greetings, Colleagues:  

I’m humbled and thrilled to be writing to you as the 2018-2019 Chair of Colleague2Colleague. 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our fellow Leadership Team members: David Swisher (Indiana Wesleyan University) is our vice-chair; Dawn Fry (freelance instructional designer) is our secretary; and Anna Catterson (Emporia State University) is our treasurer. Our team of four, along with our C2C Steering Committee, have been working diligently to make Colleague2Colleague’s 2018-2019 year both memorable and meaningful.  

I first became acquainted with C2C at the 2013 Summer Institute for Distance Learning and Instructional Technology (SIDLIT), when my then-supervisor (Dennis King) described attendance at SIDLIT as an obvious and vital piece of my annual conference participation. He said, “It’s pretty important to attend a regional conference.”

 

Dennis had it right, and I have returned to SIDLIT again each year, despite the time-crunch of driving four hours across the state and spending a couple of nights in Overland Park, in the busyness of early August. The evenings generally find me tucked away in my hotel room with a Revocup latte and a charging laptop, finalizing plans for FHSU’s annual Fall Professional Development Day. Yet, I have never regretted the trip east. While I have enjoyed top-notch sessions at national conferences facilitated by the Online Learning Consortium, Magna, Quality Matters, and other organizations; SIDLIT alone has offered me both readily-applicable sessions and the opportunity to network with colleagues who understand the culture- both the limitations and the possibilities- of distance education and instructional technology in our bi-state region. 

A couple of years ago at SIDLIT, I ran into Kris Ball of KCKCC, whom I had worked with closely at Dodge City Community College; we exchanged a quick hug and discovered our shared regard for FHSU’s new AVP for institutional effectiveness, whom Kris had worked with at KCKCC. At last year’s SIDLIT, Ed Lovitt of JCCC gave me honest feedback on various LMSes and offered to participate in a video meeting with our director, to describe his experiences at JCCC, having been through the same situation more than once himself. Every year, the conference is like this, with organic networking and camaraderie, generosity of feedback, and collegial friendship. In short, SIDLIT is home.  

This year, our C2C Steering Committee has selected Celebrating Our Past + Embracing Our Future as the theme for our 20th annual SIDLIT. I feel confident that this is a fitting and worthy theme both for this momentous conference, and for our organization as a whole, this year. 

In the name of celebrating our past and embracing our future, then, we look toward our mission and realign ourselves to the ideals set forth by our founding members. How can we continuously improve our collaboration and exchange of expertise and information? How can we continuously grow and improve our collegial relationships? How can we better communicate both our rich history, and current initiatives? Our subcommittees have been addressing these challenges in exciting ways. 

Our C2C Digital Magazine subcommittee conducted a needs assessment survey, soliciting feedback from members about their preferences for various pieces within the magazine, how members interact with different articles, and the ideal direction for the magazine in the future. Our new ad hoc website subcommittee is organizing a re-haul of the Colleague2Colleague site, using the same WordPress blog platform for seamlessness, but adding a history of our organization, helpful tools, and a fresh, professional look. Our communications subcommittee is designing templates and incorporating MailChimp for email messages, providing greater consistency and an elevated aesthetic. These and many other developments promise to make this year one of thoughtful and measured advancement, with collegiality, professionalism, and alignment to mission as our guide.  

As we move through the year, I will be sharing stories of our long-term members, historical moments, and growth that have brought us to C2C today. I look forward to this year with you, and I thank you for the honor of serving in this position. Most of all, I ask you to join me, throughout the year and at our 20th annual SIDLIT, to enjoy all that participation in Colleague2Colleague can offer!

Warm regards,

Nicole M. Frank 

 

Nicole M. Frank has worked in education since 1997, as a high school English teacher, college composition instructor, and community college and university administrator. As the faculty development coordinator at Fort Hays State University, she is the lead on faculty development activities for approximately 700 faculty. Her work includes facilitating large annual professional development events, teaching workshops, writing website and social media content, and collaborating with other units across campus. Prior to her work at FHSU, Nicole was the Guided Studies coordinator at Dodge City Community College. Nicole holds a B.A. in English education from FHSU, and an M.Ed. in adult education and training from Colorado State University. She is also a doctoral student at Baker University, pursuing an Ed.D. in higher education leadership. 

Please feel free to contact Nicole anytime, with your ideas and feedback for Colleague2Colleague. You can reach her at nmfrank@fhsu.edu.