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Volume IV, Issue 1 October 2007 |
Quinsigamond
Community College |
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Staff Development Links
Staff
Development
Erica Merrill
Staff Development
Room
114 Ahlfors Hall
October's Events
Perkins
Classroom Supplies Funding Application and Proposal Workshop
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club
In accordance with the college's strategic initiative to optimize the use of technology for improved and cost-effective communication, this newsletter is being distributed via email as the best means for information-sharing with faculty and staff. |
Editor: Erica Merrill "Essentials of Purchasing: Are the 'On Sale' Items You Buy Really Cheaper?" by Shanna Erickson "Smooth Sailing: The Transition from New Graduate to Practicing Nurse" by Linda McInerny
"The Future is the Past is the Future" On a whim last Saturday night, I watched my Mom’s old VHS copy of The Time Machine, a movie from 1960 that was (loosely) based on H.G. Wells’ 1895 novel of the same name. Although I am not much of a fan of “old” movies, I guess I was curious to find out why my Mom always loved this movie – besides the obvious fact that it starred young and handsome Rod Taylor in the role of George, a.k.a. “The Time Traveller”, and the ever-lovable Alan “Wilbur from Mister Ed” Young as his best friend and confidante, David Filby. After willfully suspending my beliefs with regards to Young’s “Scrooge McDuck” Scottish accent, the outdated (though impressive for their time) special effects and production design, and the slightly forced acting, I found the movie enjoyable, somewhat uplifting, slightly heartwarming, and surely full of as much social commentary as Wells’ novel. At the end of the movie (Obvious Movie Spoiler Warning!), I found it interesting that George, despite the dangers and hardships he just narrowly escaped from, apparently decides to return to the year 802,701 A.D., most likely intending to help the Eloi (future humans) rebuild their society and revolutionize their passive, colorless, child-like existence, now that they no longer have to fear (or depend upon) the Morlocks, the cannibalistic, pack-mule race which also evolved from humans. Meanwhile, Filby, who is once again left behind in the present-day, notices that his friend didn’t leave empty-handed this time; he took three books with him, and Filby wonders which three books from his personal library did George take. Indeed, “Which three books would you have taken?” Filby asks. As the movie finished and the credits rolled, I asked myself that same question. Here was a future society that had lost all semblance of independent thought, all sense of self-worth, hard work, and historical value and preservation – I was most shocked when the Eloi just let ancient books rot and crumble to dust. Indeed, if I were planning to help rebuild this society, which three books would I have taken with me? I’ve decided that my personal choices would be my New Catholic Picture Bible (children’s version), Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, and A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking. True, these are three selections that probably couldn’t be more contradictory (or more banned, for that matter), but from an historical standpoint, I think they are books the future could learn from; “you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been”. Think beyond the here and now. Question everything. Never accept the status-quo. Once you give in, once you stop thinking, feeling, questioning, and wondering – then what? “Which three books would you have taken?” Think about it. That’s all I’m asking: think! In fact, I’d love to hear your suggestions and selections.
Essentials of Purchasing: Are the 'On Sale' Items You
Buy Really Cheaper? Last March, I attended one day of the two-day seminar “Essentials of Purchasing” at Babson College Center for Executive Education in Wellesley, MA. This seminar was presented by the National Association of Educational Procurement – New England Region (NAEP-NE), a non-profit professional purchasing association serving colleges, universities, hospitals and secondary schools in all six New England states since 1920. This seminar was filled with back-to-back informational segments addressing RFP’s, Purchasing and the Law, Consortiums, Value of Purchasing, Ethics, Becoming CPM Certified, E-Commerce, and Adding Value and Procurement Cards 101. Discussion facilitators were Purchasing Directors from colleges and universities across New England. There was so much great information that came out of this seminar, but I am choosing to focus on one main topic which I found to be very interesting and quite true: “Financial Aspects of Procurement”. Financial Aspects of Procurement What are the cost considerations you have to think about when buying something? Most people just look at the sale price of an item instead of looking at the overall cost of the item. There are many different factors to think about when deciding which product to go with regarding price. Some considerations include:
There are also many indirect costs that customers do not necessarily think of when purchasing a product. Some considerations for indirect costs include:
The following is an example of how, at first glance, a lower price may be deceiving. You are going to purchase a dorm chair. One chair costs $400.00 from a name brand company (A) that the college has used numerous times in the past and has a specific feature where you can replace the cover on the chair cushion and reverse the cushion for $50.00 instead of having to replace the whole chair for $400.00. The other chair costs $200.00 from a company (B) that is having a sale on a similar chair to company A except you can not replace or reverse the cushion cover. Normally, the customer will just look at the bottom line dollar amount and choose the chair for $200.00 thinking they saved $200.00 on that purchase when in reality, over a 12-year period, you will have spent $800.00 on new chairs as opposed to only $550.00 on new, reversible cushions. Because the cushions on the chair from company A are reversible, you only spend $50.00 per replacement as opposed to $200.00 each time. In summary, when you go to purchase an item, please consider cradle to grave procurement. You should remember that disposal costs are real and you should also consider lease versus buying options. Always remember to see past the “sale” prices and pay attention to real costs. Try to understand and quantify direct and indirect costs and always research everything. I know this may sound like a difficult thing to do with everyone’s time constraints – but think of the rewards of how far you can stretch your limited budgets!
Smooth
Sailing: The Transition from New Graduate to Practicing Nurse This May 2007 Nurse Educators conference was an excellent symposium that provided useful information which I will incorporate into my teaching throughout the Nursing year. The keynote speaker, Linda Caputi from the College of Dupage, is a very well recognized public speaker and an educator herself in the nursing division at the college. I attended several of her sessions and will utilize many of her recommendations. |
