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November/December 2009

Academic Appointments & Reorganization

Dennis Morse has been appointed Dean of the Technical Careers Division. Denny served as Interim Dean of the Human, Health and Public Service (HHPS) Careers Division since July 2007. Prior to that, he served as Chair of the Public Service Careers Department. Denny's diverse leadership and academic experience, management ability, and proven record of success will lead to continued growth and development of our critical technical careers programs and the important community partnerships that underlie their success.

Margie Clark, Chair of the Nursing Careers Department, will serve as Interim Dean of the Human, Health and Public Service Careers Division. A search process for Dean of HHPS will begin soon. In the meantime, Margie will apply her considerable leadership skills and knowledge to this crucial division of the college. Nancy Hayward, who is currently the Director of Clinical Placement and Outreach in the Nursing Careers Department, will hold the position of Interim Chair of the department.

Roz A. Jaffer, Ph.D was named chair of the Business Department in the Business, Media, and Information Technologies Division effective December 14.  Dr. Jaffer comes to LCC from Davenport University in Lansing where she worked as Department Coordinator and Faculty for the last six years.  Prior to that time, she worked at Michigan State University in various positions including Human Resource and Budget Manager-Globally and Nationally and Human Resources/Hall Manager/Food Manager. Dr. Jaffer also has taught business, marketing, human resource, diversity, food production, management, leadership, general business and business research courses. She holds a Certified Professional Manager Certificate from the Certified Manager Institute, and has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business-The School of Hospitality Business, a Masters of Human Resources and Labor Relations-College of Social Science, and a Doctoral Degree in Higher Adult Life Long Education (HALE) from Michigan State University.

Eduardo (Ed) Suniga was named Chair of the MAIT Department in the Business, Media, and Information Technologies Division effective November 9. Ed joined LCC as an adjunct faculty in the Careers Division in 1996 teaching AutoCAD classes. A short time later, he began teaching CIT courses in the MAIT Department. In 2002 he joined the LCC STAR Institute where he taught CIT and GIS curricula to high school students. Also during this time he taught for the Extension and Community Education GATE and A+ programs, instructing gifted and talented students. In 2004, Ed joined the BMIT Division as an ELearning Facilitator where he was responsible for starting up two IT retention programs, and overseeing the peer-assisted study program, which was designed to improve student scores and student retention in difficult IT courses. In 2005, Ed was hired as the Certifications and Operations Manager in the Assessment Center, where he was responsible for college-wide certification testing, course and placement testing, and center operations.

On December 1 several structural and personnel changes went into effect in academic areas. The Math & Computer Science Department and the Mathematical Skills Department have merged into one Mathematics Department under the leadership of MCS Chair Kathy Burgis. Todd Troutman, the former Math Skills Chair, was recently named the new Director of Instruction in Liberal Studies.

The Public Service Careers Department will be dissolved with its programs transferred to other departments. The Center for Employment Services will be repositioned as a new college-wide Career and Employment Services Department and will now include career counseling, apprenticeships and internships in addition to the current functions of student employment and job placement. Additionally, planned layoffs of three trained and certified counselors have been rescinded and these professionals will assume new job assignments effective January 4.