WELCOME TO FRONTLINE FOCUS!

Welcome to Frontline Focus where the goal of this blog is to help you create a waiting room environment where students can feel successful in their efforts to meet with a counselor.  As a student employee, you are a valuable resource for visitors to this department.  In addition to knowing about the courses and programs at MC, you also know how to navigate the various online MyMC tools, such as Starfish, that students must use throughout their academic careers at MC…

To support your efforts to provide the most current information to students, and to keep you informed about departmental matters, this blog will be updated at least weekly.  Please feel comfortable providing your comments as we grow together using this online tool of communication.

Thank you!

SPRING 2016 NOTES

DATES OF NOTE:

Open periods to submit a graduation application:

                Fall:             June 2-October 1

                Spring:       October 2-February 15

                Summer:    February 16-June 1

Academic Calendar

Important Student Dates and Deadlines

FINANCIAL AID TERMINATION:  SAPs

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Appealing to receive aid for:	Meet with a Counselor by:	Appeal due to Financial Aid:
Summer 2016 Semester	March 1-March 31	April 4, 2016
Fall 2016 Semester	June 1- July 8	July 15, 2016
Spring 2017 Semester	October 3-October 31	November 7, 2016

STSU CLASS APPOINTMENTS:

We found a solution to the issue of scheduling in slots designated for STSU class appointments!   Here are the steps to take to limit the schedule view to counseling/advising appointments only.

1.  Click on Appointments
2. Click on the Schedule tab
3.  From the drop-down menu under Appointment Types - select (L6) Counseling/Advising – T
4.  Check Available Only to see open appointment slots.

IT'S TIME FOR “ASK ME” TRAINING

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference” – Winston Churchill

In a June entry in the blog, you learned how your attitude at the front desk makes a big difference to visitors to the Counseling & Advising department.  However, at the time of this entry, I was unable to direct you to training that would demonstrate the standard of customer service that is expected of all Montgomery College employees because the online course was available only to faculty, staff, and administrators  had access to the Level 1 training for employees at Montgomery College.   Now, thanks to Stacey Gustavson, Enrollment and Student Access Manager, this training is now available to you. 

The training is called ASK ME! Level 1, this video demonstrates the proactive approach to responding to visitor inquiries.

To access this video, go to

http://www2.montgomerycollege.edu/departments/cpodtraining/AskMe/story.html.

Upon completion of this training, you will join the MC community of employees who know how to proactively respond to student inquiries.

NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT CHECKLIST

The Enrollment Services group, under the direction of the Collegewide Registrar, Ernest Cartledge, has a prepared an enrollment checklist for new students.  This document is not yet available online. However, hard copies are available for review and use at the front desk.

Please take a few minutes to look over the list and familiarize yourself with all of the tasks and sequence of activities that new students are expected to follow.  

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." - Winston Churchill

You are an important member of the Counseling & Advising department, and how you do your job matters.  Montgomery College depends on you to proactively prepare students for the services they seek in the Counseling & Advising department.  Counselors depend on you to create an environment that is welcoming and supportive of the diverse needs of our community.  As the first point of contact to this department, visitors depend on you to be collegial while they navigate our processes and the various online portals, such as Starfish and MyMC.   So, whether you are greeting someone, helping someone make a Starfish appointment, or receiving a telephone call, your interaction with our community makes a difference.

Share your thoughts in the comments area below this post.

FERPA

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? 

David, A first-year student at MC, has scheduled an appointment in Starfish to meet with his counselor today at noon.   As David approaches the Student Services entrance, he remembers that he left his AP scores in his car.  So he asks his father, who has accompanied him to MC, to go ahead of him to the Counseling department and sign-in for him.  However, the father asks for your help when he realizes that he has needs David’s MC ID# to sign-in.  "What should you do?" 

Please share your comments.

KSAs

After sharing your comments, read about FERPA, the law that should guide your all of your actions pertaining to student records.   This MC online training is followed by a quiz, which you should take and mail the certificate to me @donna.wilson@montgomerycollege.edu.