Category Archives

I am so ready to return to campus and establish a new norm. I sometimes think I am so absorbed in in my own now, that I forget there are many essential workers who continued to work on site or hybrid during this pandemic time.  Not only are we learning new and innovative skills and new ways to complete our tasks, some are also involved in training for the next implementation of CTCLink.

So let me shout out to the following that I have personally worked with this summer.

COVID Volunteers:  The open house and ribbon cutting for the new Workforce Education building was postponed due to the 2020 pandemic. However students used the labs to finish their summer courses. Julia Gamboa has worked hard to rally volunteers who filled the schedule and helped screen anyone who entered designated buildings.

Maintenance and Operations: As other departments continue to work from remote locations, M&O are keeping the campus looking nice and safe every day. With limited interruption of any immediate emergencies, they can also work on other projects like inventory, building repairs and updates.

Big Bend Technology (BBT) & Library Team: Without all of your expertise we wouldn’t even be able to function. In the urgency of pandemic change, our campus was better prepared than others. Additional computers were ordered, your check-out system was in place, and all hands were on deck. Not to say there weren’t some glitches, but your teams were ready and willing to help expedite quickly.

Student Services: They are always front line personnel and continue to expedite calls and respond to live chat inquiries. They greet students on campus for placement testing, help them enrolled or register for classes and even schedule one-on-one sessions when there is a hiccup on their funding sources. As we prepare for an updated website, documents are reformatted, then reviewed and tested, with more updates as needed.

Business Office: They too are front-line personnel who have frequent interruptions while continuing to serve an important role. The main phone line is directed through their office and they are closing out fiscal year, setting up files for a new year and paying the bills to keep our campus running.

Personnel/Payroll: They work effortlessly to complete hiring processes for new employees as well as making sure we all keep record of professional development and training hours and pay the employees on time.

College Foundation/Alumni: Although their fundraising auction was postponed, they are preparing for an online auction in September as well as complete scholarship awards and distribution for students enrolling in the 2020-2021 academic year.

Others: To anyone that I missed, it wasn’t intentional. Everyone is working together and I am looking forward to when we can all be on campus and have a grand celebration!

Submitted by Barbara Collins
Region D Coordinator
Big Bend Community College