That’s me dressed as “Social Media Butterfly” … with “Captain Classified” … at a “Superheroes of Journalism” party years ago. Guess who suggested the party theme. Have you ever thought about what kind of superhero you would be? Like, if you assembled with the Avengers or Justice League or Guardians of the Galaxy, what would be your talent … your thing? I think about this a lot — and not because I’m a huge fan of spandex or superhero movies. It’s just a fun way to explain my philosophy of life and approach to being a parent … which means, I keep asking: What are your superpower(s), and how will you use them to help others? My mission as a parent is to raise an empowered, creative soul who can recognize her strengths while also seeing beyond herself and her own needs. To help her develop a careful balance of confidence and empathy so she can work effectively in a team (think “Avengers”) … ideally in a life of service. Now, how might my family — and countless hours of schooling — help my daughter do this? By nurturing a sense of agency and purpose, which author/filmmaker/entrepreneur Ted Dintersmith thinks… Continue Reading Calling all Virginia Western superheroesRead More
For the past few years, a creative team at VWCC has pulled together proposals for a competitive federal grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program encourages the blending of humanities with other disciplines at community colleges ( details here ). So far, we have been unsuccessful … but I thought I would share some “idea seeds” from other schools that might inspire some innovation right here at Virginia Western. Oakton Community College in Illinois was awarded one of these Humanities grants to develop an eight-week summer field study called “Plants, Society and Human Nature: Scientific and Ecocritical Perspectives.” The six-credit honors class combines biology with the humanities and is team taught by professors of biology and English. Also: The class featured a 17-day camping trip that included stops at Yellowstone and Badlands national parks. Read more about the class at the Community College Daily …. and Oakton’s interdisciplinary Environmental Studies concentration here. What interdisciplinary projects might enhance Virginia Western’s strengths? If we’re not doing it already, how might we take advantage of the abundant natural resources in our backyard — and integrate them into curriculum? Would we even need a grant to make that happen?Read More
What ideas are exciting you lately? Anything you want to learn? Anything our campus should be talking more about? Don’t hold back … your ideas could turn into reality. The VCCS offers two types of professional development grants for projects you would like to see happen in Spring 2019: The Paul Lee Professional Development Grant, which awards up to 8 credits of time and $5,000 in expenses. (Open to all full-time and adjunct faculty.) The Paul Lee Workshop Mini-Grant, with a maximum award of $1,500. (Open to all VCCS employees, including adjunct faculty and classified staff.) The deadline for applications is Saturday, Sept. 15. The VCCS suggests the following topics to get your ideas percolating: Initiatives to enhance student success Discipline-specific projects Information literacy Faculty learning communities Student learning communities Initiatives enhancing the use of technology in teaching and learning Best practices in global awareness Pedagogy Leadership development Developmental education Alternative evaluation systems To review the online application and learn more about these grants, go to https://opd.vccs.edu/awards/grants/ I have also blogged about one idea up for grabs … and the differences between the Paul Lee grants here. The grants office would be happy to talk through you ideas. Please note… Continue Reading Paul Lee professional development grants due Sept. 15Read More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
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