Innovation Projects Honored at CSM
CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy, center, recognized Associate Professor Dr. Cicero Fain III, left, and Professor Michelle Simpson, right, from the college’s Communication, Arts and Humanities Division for their work on “The Integration of Charles County Schools, 1965-1968: An Oral History Project.” The project was noted as one of two monographs submitted for consideration this year that improves a process, increases efficiency or demonstrates creative thinking about the college’s mission.
The College of Southern Maryland believes in honoring innovative projects and ideas generated by its staff and faculty.
Each year, the College Innovation Team invites faculty and staff to submit monographs — detailed, written studies of a subject — that suggest ideas for or reports of innovations they have developed at CSM that improve a process, increase efficiency or demonstrate creative thinking about CSM’s mission.
Creators of two of these monographs were honored at CSM’s 2017 All-College Convocation at the La Plata Campus.
Professor Michelle Simpson and associate professor Dr. Cicero Fain III were honored for their project, “The Integration of Charles County Schools, 1965-1968: An Oral History Project.” In addition, Enrollment Management Team Associate Vice President Dr. Jessica Chambers and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Rob Farinelli were honored for their lean improvements in the scheduling process.
CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy, center, recognized Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Rob Farinelli, left, and Enrollment Management Team Associate Vice President Dr. Jessica Chambers, right, for their work on the Lean Scheduling Process. The project was noted as one of two monographs submitted for consideration this year that improves a process, increases efficiency or demonstrates creative thinking about the college’s mission.
Ms. Simpson’s and Mr. Fain’s oral history project involved multiple disciplines and was accomplished through a collaborative effort that included participation from the community, faculty and several CSM departments.
“The oral history project involved the collaboration of my COM 1250 Introduction to Interpersonal Communication course with Professor Cicero Fain’s HST1062 History of African Americans II, along with the help of students in Associate Professor Katherine Sifer’s ART 1525 Principles of Lighting class,” Ms. Simpson said. “Assisted by Trustee Dorothea Smith, who found interviewees, students in Dr. Fain’s and my class worked together to interview people who were students during the time of school desegregation in Charles County Public Schools. The interviews were recorded and will be archived with the help of Anna Kephart, coordinator of the Southern Maryland Studies Center. Students in ART 1525 took portraits of some of the interviewees and those will be archived as well.”
To view a slide show about the project and related photos, click here.
Ms. Chambers’ and Mr. Farinelli’s project looked at a different way of scheduling classes that resulted in more options for students.
“The Lean Scheduling Project involved all of the academic division chairs along with staff from the student and instructional support division,” Mr. Farinelli said. “Through this robust collaboration, decisions were made about opening sections of CSM’s most popular classes over the summer. The end result was having availability for students who registered late in the summer.”
CSM’s annual All-College Convocation serves as the official kickoff of CSM’s academic year. The convocation was designed to bring together faculty and staff to collaborate and consider how to better assist students working to complete their goals at the college.
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