Tuesday, July 23, The Daily News Clippings

Transcripción

1 Miami Dade College Tuesday, July 23, 2013 The Daily News Clippings Miami Dade College Office of Media Relations 300 N.E. Second Ave., Suite 1350 Miami, Fl Tel Fax Get the latest MDe news on la..ij and

2 7/23/13 Academic Workplace The Chronicle of Higher Education THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Academic Workplace 2013 GREAT COLLEGES IITO WORK Slxn A~ HJAl su~ Great Colleges to Work For 2013 Full List Honor Roll (h ~ategory News Features H ere are 97 Great Colleges to Work For in 2013, as rated by their faculty and staff. In our sixth annual survey, nearly 45,000 employees evaluated their colleges in 12 categories, such as job satisfaction, teaching environment, and career development. You can read the complete list of colleges, see exceptional performers on the HOllor Roll, search particular categories, compare institutions, and learn about our methodology. The survey shows, among many things, how important respect and work-life balance are to employees. And a series of news features focuses on how colleges use strong [CIlUre policies, transparent leadership, and flexible work schedules to improve their work environments. Evaluating Success on the Job How do academics measure job satisfaction? For many faculty members, there's more to success than the typical markers of promotions, tenure, raises, and publications. They want to know [hat they're making a difference. That's also true for administrators. While they must often meet numerical goals for fund raising and enrollment counts, many administrators tell us they find satisfaction working behind the scenes, helping others achieve lheirgoals. Academic Workplace Grea t Colleges Methodology 1 Participate in the 2014 Su rvey I Buy Detailed Repor ts chronicle.conysectioniacademic-workplace /1

3 -, GREAT COLLEGES TO WORK FOR. SIXTH ANNUA L SURVEY Great Colleges to Work For 2013 Miami Dade College 2-year I Miami, Fla. 159,570 students (Large) I HONOR ROLL Recognized in these Great Colleges categories Collaborative Governance Compensation and Benefits Confidence in Senior Leadership Diversity Facilities, Workspace & Security Job Satisfaction Professional/Career Development Programs Respect and Appreciation Supervisor or Department Chair Relationship Teaching Environment" Tenure Clarity and Process' Work/Life Balance Miami Dade College 2-Year Colleges are not evaluated in the Tenure Clarity and Process category. Faculty Only Outstanding features Miami Dade promotes a culture of wellness among employees by offering fitness and health programs, including flu shots, programs for smoking cessation and stress management, and access to campus wellness centers.

4 0,2011,2012, Staff size 880 course turnover rates

5 THE CHRONICLE OFHIGH,EREDUCATIO,N July 23, 2013 Academic Workplace ,GREAT COLLEGES TO WORK FOR. SIXTH ANNUAL SU RVEY Great Colleges to Work For 2013 Meet 2013's Outstanding Colleges Name Abilene Christian U. Angelo State U. Austin Peay State U. Baylor U. Belhaven U. Biola U. Blue Ridge Community College (Va.) California Institute of Technology California State University-Channel Islands College of Saint Rose Davenport U. Delaware County Community College Doane College Duke U. Eastern Connecticut State U. Eastern Michigan U. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical U. at Daytona Beach Emporia State U. Endicott College Francis Marion U. Frank Phillips College Frontier Nursing U. Furman U. George Mason U. Gettysburg College State Texas Texas Tennessee Texas Mississippi California Virginia California California New York Michigan Pennsylvania Nebraska North Carolina Connecticut Michigan Florida Kansas Massachusetts South Carolina Texas Kentucky South Carolina Virginia Pennsylvania

6 Gettysburg ia Rapids Community rinnell Iowa Hardin-S U. line Commun Hofstra mty Col nson l,;ounty Community College Kennesaw U. Kent U. Lake nicallnstitute U. Lincoln ristian U. I Lindenwood U. Lord rfax unity lege Virgl Lubbock Christian U. ison Area hn Manchester U. McKendree U. Health Miami College nity Col (Conn.) igan lege Mississippi State U. Mississippi U. Women nlcal I Dakota College Ne Methodist Chiropractic Community Nyack College Panola College U. Iowa York Salado College Rollins College Saint Leo U. Lou of Pharmacy Sam State U.

7 North Siena Slippery Rock U. Community Southern New Hampshire U. Virgin nity College Southwestern Assemblies U. Stanford U. Texas Texas Lutheran U. U. Ala. U. at Buffalo U. of Central Oklahoma U. Houston main campus Texas nd-baltimore nty n at Ann Arbor ia Ala. na at Aiken U. of Southern California U. Incarnate Word Ish U. U. ia School of Osteopathic Health Western n U. U. Westminster College California

8 I PR A CT ICE Student..AIfairs and Faculty ]oin tta,ds to Support Student Achievement at Miami Dade College ~ Malou C. Harrison, dean of students, Miami Dade College Isabel Rodriguez-Dehmer, senior faculty, developmental education, Miami Dade College t takes a village" is an overused truism at times, but we find value in using it to describe how our Roadmap to Completion pilot initiative sought to engage the community of Student and Academic Affairs at Miami Dade College (MDC) to support student success. Research has revealed that college students who successfully complete SO percent or more of the courses required for their program of study within one year are more than twice as likely to earn their degree. It is on this foundation that MDC is building its Student Achievement Initiatives. And it certainly has taken a community of colleagues from all of the college's internal constituencies to come together for the common purpose ofdeveloping academic and student support strategies that substantially increase student completion rates while maintaining access and quality. Our Roadmap to Completion pilot initiative, part of AAC&U's Developing a Community College Roadmap project, began two years ago with a look at the college's inventory of student success practices and interventions, and it sought to identify opportunities where strategic enhancements could possibly lead to greater student achievement. The Roadmap team offaculty and administrators acknowledged the college's comprehensive intervention efforts in supporting students who were not meeting the institution's Standards ofacademic Progress, since students who are not making satisfactory academic progress are unable to progress in their coursework toward learning and credential completion. As such, the Roadmap pilot team saw an opportunity to complement existing intervention efforts with some additional intrusive steps. MDC's Roadmap to Completion model strategically connected faculty, students, and student affairs by utilizing the existing academic progress alert system and intrusive advising to address issues that cause barriers to student progress. We defined barriers as both cognitive and noncognitive factors that have the potential to create a delay in the momentum of student progress, thus contributing to the risk of inhibiting credential completion (ACT 2010). PRE-PILOT STATE MDC faculty use a well-established electronic academic progress alert system as a proactive means of keeping students informed of their progress at key points during the term. Faculty have the opportunity to systematically identify the students in each of their courses who are not making satisfactory progress, and these students automatically receive a notification to that effect. The desired outcome is for students to then exercise initiative and avail themselves of one or more ofmdc's supports-such as faculty office hours, peer-led or online tutoring in the student success center, advising, mentoring, or our Single Stop services which address non-academic life issues such as access to food or medical cash assistance, childcare subsidies, free legal and financial counseling, free tax preparation, and other services. However, the reality with our students proved to be that they did not readily access such services on their own; when not attending classes, they face pressing obligations of work and family to which they must answer. 12 AAC&U I PEER REVIEW ISPRI NG 2013

9 " The Roadmap pilot endeavored to optimize the benefit to students provided by the academic alert system by convening the joint efforts of student affairs (advising) and academic affairs (faculty). The Roadmap team convened focus groups (students, faculty, and advisors) to understand whether what had been discovered was correct and to hear from college constituents on how best to move forward with a "proactive" and "intrusive" approach. The idea was to create a more robust and intrusive intervention that not only utilized the academic progress alert system, but was also complementary in inviting student affairs "to the table" to provide intake and advising to students identified as not progressing in a given course. The Roadmap pilot garnered the participation offaculty who made their entries in the academic progress alert system at the institution's designated time in the term, which subsequently generated reports that were received by our advisement and career services department for each student who was not making satisfactory progress. The department then used a combination of technology and in person communications, coupled with advisement and direct referral strategies, to appropriately identify and address the academic deficiencies and life issues experienced by students. The Roadmap pilot was able to address academic and life issues, and also to reinforce the college's student learning outcomes, by helping students develop an Individualized Education Planj receive referral for tutoringj engage in service learning, internships, and student organizationsj and access a plethora of high-impact support services. This collaborative referral process shows how far academic institutions have come to create purposeful ways and means to dismantle student affairs and academic affairs silos while promoting a culture focused on the mutual mission ofstudent learning and success. Post facto, it was also a meaningful exercise when the Roadmap team sought to glean the perspectives of academic affairs, student affairs, and students about the efficacy of integrating efforts in delivering particular interventions. One social work major indicated, "In regards to advisors and faculty working together, when my professors give me a progress report, my advisor sits with me to discuss it. This helped me by getting me the tutoring I needed." Professor Sarah Garman, senior faculty in developmental education, commented, "It can 'take a Village' to help a student, and these alerts allow everyone to communicate easily and effectively." Lourdes Delgado, director of advisement and career services added, "These relationships between faculty and advisors allow for a more seamless and meaningful advising experience for our students, which. subsequently contributes to greater academic achievement." REINFORCEMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES In the coming years, the Roadmap project at MDC will continue to focus on intrusive advising and early interventions, with special attention paid to the integration ofstudent learning outcomes (SLOs). Building on a college-wide mandate to refine and assess learning, each student services area has selected two of the general education SLOs on which to focus with intentional learning activities. The effects of this work will be measured with a pre- and post-assessment that gauges the competency of each student in these specific SLOs. Students will complete the assessment prior to their required individualized education planning session that takes place by the fourth week of the term. The two SLOs offocus for MDC's advisement and career services department are "Solve problems using critical and creative thinking and scientific reasoning" and "Formulate strategies to locate, evaluate and apply information." Future plans also include the development of a reflective writing exercise to engage students in thinking about their purpose for attending college and what they plan to accomplish. During advising sessions, adviso rs would then refer to the piece and its alignment with a student's accomplishments at various points during that student's tenure at the college. LESSONS LEARNED The lessons learned from the first three years of the Roadmap pilot initiative are meaningful in understanding the power of "the village" that makes student success possible. Confirmed very clearly is that both faculty and students see great value in the integration of their respective expertise in support of students. Students feel validated when there is an intrusive effort on the part of faculty and student services, collectively and in partnership, to address student achievement. Faculty are adamant about the merits of an alert system, and given that they are the primary users of such a system, they have valid recommendations to be considered. The Roadmap team acknowledges that for initiatives to flourish at any institution, there must be "buy-in" from all constituent groups, at all levels. In that particular regard, the support and cooperation the team received at Miami Dade College was most welcome. All roads lead to the continuation of a robust Roadmap initiative, so stay tuned for fu ture updates. REFERENCES ACT Inc Th e Condition of College & Career Readiness. low. City: ACT Inc. V.nd.l, B Getting Past Go: Rebuilding the Remedial Education Bridge to College Success. Denver: Education Commission of the St.tes. SPRING PEER REVIEW IAAC&U 13

10 7/23113 Print - Education 1111'\ ( : :;'II')"~ 101 you r II(: f:=l)flli 'lqp,!:"tll l,rflf"'dji U!...ot" un l >'. Report: Florida colleges among most affordable in nation Copyright A ll rights res erv ed. Restricted use only. By News Bulletill contributor Published: Monday. Ju ly 22, 2013 a l 17:29 PA'I. T ALLAHASSEE- Despite rising tuition costs across the country, 19 Florida College System institutions nearly top the list of public four-year colleges with the lowest tuition rates. The U.S. Department of Education's College Affordability and Transparency Center released lists identifying college costs. Among public, four-year institutions, the center identified 19 Florida colleges for the bottom 10 percent for tuition and fees. The FCS's average for tuition and fees in public, four-year institutions is $2,792 - well below the mid-point of the $7,135 national average. The FCS's average for tuition and fees for public, two-year institutions is $2,727 - below the national average of $2,905. The U.S. Department of Education opened the center in 2011 to help track 4,000 institutions' costs and provide data to help students discern higher education options. Public, four-year colleges with lowest tuition Palm Beach State College: $2,324 College of Central Florida: $2,365 Broward College: $2,446 Santa Fe College: $2,457 Pensacola State College: $2,540 Saint Johns River State College: $2,556 I ndian River State College: $2,634 Florida State College at Jacksonv ille : $2,708 Edison State College: $2,728 Gulf Coast State College: $2,765 Northwest Florida State College: $2,851 Valencia College: $2,972 St Petersburg College: $2,988 State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota: $3,074 Chipola College: $3,100 Polk State College: $3,114 Seminole State College of Florida: $3,131 Daytona State College - $3,134 Miami Dade College - $3,164 lnmv.crest\1 ev.bulleti n.com'educati onireport-fl or i da- coil eg es-among-most- affordabl e-i n-nation ?ot= hrng. Pr i ntpag elayout.ot&pri nt= nophoto 1/2

11 7123/13 Prinl- Education SOUJ'ce: U.S, Center, and 'T',,~,,~_~ For more information about the Florida System, visit WAIW,crestviev.bull eli n,comleducati onjreporl-fi orida- coil eg es- amcng -mcst-affor dable-i n-nation-1, ?ot=hmg PrintPag elayout.ot&pri nt= nophoto 212

12 7/23/13 Offer Students a Non-Cogniti\ Learning Assessment for Media Rich Courses During Online Student Orientation PRWeb Online V!sibility from Vocus United States Lo~in Gil Offer Students a Non-Cognitive Learning Assessment for Media Rich Courses During Online Student Orientation Announced Today - Together, Comevo and SmarterServices offer customers a vehicle to maximize student success and retention by measuring learner readiness and non-cognitive skills through an intuitive orientation. San Luis Obispo (PRWEB) July 23, 2013 ComellO llc provides school online orientation ~ Tweet ~LI~.".., ia Sharc.:... software service to higher education institutions " Survey results tell us that assuring students a positive first year experience. online orientation is the best SmarterServices, provides SmarterMeasure which is practice channel for our l!1e nation's leading non-cognitive online learner readiness assessment tool. Smarter Measure assessment " Traditionally higher education, in-person orientation programs welcome students, explain campus policy and academic information necessary for a smooth transition. Online student orientation programs offer the same information through a broader communication channel interactively engaging students. The partnership is a timely marriage in the higher education climate of improved student retention and extended student services. Sm artermeasure Learning Readiness Indicator measures Life Factors, Learning Sty1es, Individual Attributes like motivation and procrastination, Technical Competency, Typing Speed & Accuracy. and On-Screen Reading Rate & Recall. Students are directly linked to remedial resources after the assessment. It helps focus the student for greater academic success leading to greater student retention. Contact Julie Owen SmarterServices, LLC Doug Sawyer Comevo Follow us on: I! LJ Attachments SmarterSI"".CI'S SmarterServices - == EVO Comevo "We're excited about the partners hip wil!1 ComellO: says Dr. Mac Adkins, President of SmarterServices. "Survey results tell us that online orientation is the best practice channel for our assessment, presently 60% of our client institutions use the learning readiness assessment in their orientation process. Now when clients ask us who l!1eyshould use, we can refer them to Comevo knowing our cti ent will be well taken care of using the bestpracticed methods to deliver the assessment." Why Use SmarterMeasure With Online Orientation? Sm artermeasure is already employed in many academ ic institutions; most schools im plement it during l!1e orientation stage. It is a perfect assessment tool to integrate into online orientation. It allows students to gauge l!1eir success rate with rich technology by providing them an on-screen report that includes graphical and textuat feedback with suggestions for im provement. The tool also includes a complete administrative panel l!1at allows school officials to identify at-risk students and be proactive in helping them. "SmarterMeasure clients are challenged with how to get the assessment in front of distance learners. Intuitively, online student orientation is the perfect solution. We're happy to see that higher education administrators and assessment software providers see online orientation as an effective launch point," said Doug Sawyer, Comevo Business Director. Sawyer adds, "It solves the unique problem of targeting at-risk students early before they fall behind." Integrating the assessment with Comevo's convenient24n online orientation give students the abilityto identify their strengths and opportunities for im provement in the perfect setting. About SmarterServices SmarterServices, formally known as elearningtoolbox, was founded in 2002 with a mission to identify common problems in leading distance education programs and develop low-cost, yet, robust resources. Since then, four products have evolved, one of which is SmarterMeasure. a learning readiness indicator that quantifies a learner's level of readiness for learning in an online or technology-rich learning environment. It measures non-cognitive indicators of success related to individual attributes, life factors, and skill sets. It is the leading online learning read iness indicator in the higher education vertical. Over the past eleven years, more than 2.3 million students from over 500 colleges and universities, including clients such as the University of Phoenix, Miam i Dade College and Penn State University, have used it. About Comevo LLC ComellO offers service tools that streamline communication through mobile-friendly: engaging video. audio, PDF, web links, and textual content; section quizzes, final test and robust reporting; freedom to custom ize and edit content without needing IT; and upfront training and on-going support, and enhance relationships between organizations and their constituents. Comevo values collaboration, communication, and satisfied clientele. ~ Twoot,Q UI.., Sharc PDF 8 Pri nt sl<ills /studentorientationlprv.eb htm 1/2

13 7/23/13 N orth Miami seeks police, firefighter charter high school - 07/22/20131 MiamiHerald.com lliatlli!ieralb Posted on Mon, Jul. 22, 2013 North Miami seeks police, firefighter charter high school By Nadege Green ngreen@miamiherald.com The Miami Herald North Miami city leaders are exploring the possibility of opening a charter school. The proposed high school would serve as a public-safety academy that offers classes in criminal justice and police and firefighter training on the western portion of Claude Pepper Park, 1355 NW 135thSt. "We envision partnering with Miami Dade College so that upon graduating, the students will have 30 or 40 credit hours toward those particular programs," City Manager Stephen Johnson said. For now, it's still a dream. North Miami first needs to get approval from the Miami-Dade County School Board. So far, the city has spent $20,000 in its quest for a charter school- $15,000 for a feasibility study and a $5,000 application fee. But the city may face at least one complication. In 2006, North Miami signed an interlocal agreement with the school board when Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High and David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center were built on city land east of Biscayne Boulevard. In the agreement, there is a provision that says North Miami cannot seek or approve any charter school within the city's limits that competes with the two schools as long as the lease with the school board is active. Johnson said he does not feel the city would be in violation of the interlocal agreement because the charter school the city wants to build would not compete with the two schools. 'This is an academy that is geared toward a magnet program. The curriculum is very specific. It will be a public-safety academy, sort of like the one in the city of Miami that is for police," Johnson said, referring to Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial High School. John Schuster, a spokesman for the school district, would not say whether the city was in violation of the interlocal agreement. "If an application for a charter school is received, the interlocal agreement will be considered in evaluating the application," Schuster wrote in an . If the school board approves the charter school application, Johnson said the academy would 'NWN.miamiherald. com'2013/07 /22/v- pri nu /north-mi ami-seeks- pol i ce-fi ref! g hler.hlml 1/2

14 North Miami seeks police, firelighter charter high school 07/ MiamiHerald,com students wno live on si city s see a on west city. where school built, my mary concern d in their own " attend high 13 Mi AIiRi rved.. com VIMW,miamiherald,com' v-pri ntl inorth-miami-seeks- pol ice-fir eng hler,htmi 212

15 7122) Ocean chef cooking up a new course - 07/11/20131 MiamiHerald.com Bial11i iirt(llb Posted on Thu, Jul. 11, Ocean chef cooking up a new course After 14 years overseeing the award-winning 3030 Ocean at Harbor Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, chef Dean James Max is moving on. "It was time for a change after all these years," says Max, who will leave the Fort Lauderdale restaurant in the middle of August. ''There's a lot of really creative stuff happening in Miami right now, which I'd love to make happen in Fort Lauderdale." Max says we should expect to see him open a larger restaurant with street presence instead of a resort location. He says it will be less expensive than 3030, but adhere to his longtime farm-to-table philosophy. Max and his partners are currently searching for a location. Max operates several restaurants, including the just-opened James Republic in San Diego, Latitude 41 in Columbus, Ohio, and the Brasserie in Grand Cayman. "It's not like I'm not busy," says Max, 46, who grew up in Stuart and lives in Boca Raton with wife Amy and their three children. "South Florida's my home. This is where I want to always keep my flagship restaurant." Patrick Manley, director of food and beverage at Harbor Beach Marriott, says 3030 Ocean will remain open following Max's departure. In the middle of next year, the restaurant will be renovated and rebranded. "We're basically looking for the next celebrity chef to fill that position," Manley says. "It will be difficult, because Dean is so we" respected. Dean's got a lot of other passions that he's pursuing right now. We want to support him in whatever it is he wants to pursue." John Tanasychuk SouthFlorida.com 'MMN. mi ami her al d.com'2013/07/11/v- pr i nv /3030-ocean-chef-cooki ng - up-a-new.html 1/2

16 Ocean chef cooking up a new course 07/11/20131 MiamiHerald,com A a Dora ami will be Chef dinner on S lor a s Armillary ni II a and a has gn rs, menu ons at 4318, S II once in rti, call 305! Kathy n. news rti.com tjv noon in next s column. 13 Miami

17 July 23, THEBLOG i eaturing fres2jjkes.and real-time analysis from_#9i;':w~e..:;g;.wl" '4.',4 J.J. Colagrande Professor at Miami Dade College; Author of 'Headz' and 'Deco' GET UPDATES FROM J.J. COLAGRANDE 37 After the Heat Challlpionship Posted: 07/22/ pm > Miam i Heat, Miami Culture, Miam i News, Miam i Sports, Dan Lebatard, Frenc h Montana,Miami Heat Cha mpionship, Miami News Mid-July, that awkward period of time between the end of the NBA and the start of football, a period once reserved for baseball -- but really? Even with the rise of Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, really? I usually enjoy summer horse racing, the ponies at Del Mar and Saratoga, but really? Really -- this year -- I can't get my mind off the Heat.

18 I attended 35 games this year, just buying tickets like a fan, and felt really connected to the season -- found inspiration in the acquisition of Ray Allen and Chris An tlerson; the teamchemistry in the Harlem Shake video; the 27-game winning streak (really sabotaged in Chicago), the play of D-Wade midseason, LeBron all season, Rio and Miller in the Playoffs; Game 6 of the Finals and then LeBron and Battier in Game 7. It was a heck of a journey to the Larry O'Brien trophy but we endured. However, once we earned our second consecutive championship, the after effects -- to me -- earn mixed reviews. Understand the following comes from a place of sincere interest fo r Miami -- for our wonderful city to continue to evolve into a world-class destination, a place of culture and intelligence, worthy of comparison to cities like Chicago, New York, D.C., who look at us like we're an un-evolved, fun-in-the-sun, party destination. I understand the point of view that we shouldn't care what others think, but I disagree -- we should work extra hard to evolve from a stale reputation, left over from the '80S, of Miami Vice, Scarface, of look at how weird we are. We should work extra hard to evolve Florida's reputation. We did do some things right. The parade was awesome. Four-hundred thousand on a Monday afternoon, downtown, extra special when we won last year; awesome -- even more so when the Baltimore Ravens tried us and it blew up in their faces. The parade was a total win for Miami. Also, right after we won, we tossed the Spurs deference; you could tell the brass upstairs (Arison, Riley) made sure the boys behaved and gave the Spurs respect. But, things slowly went downhill. It's tempting to criticize LeBron's initial reaction after winning when he yelled to the world "I ain't worried about nothing. " -- a reference to the French Montana song: "Ain't Worried About Nothin." The moment was a little hood -- cocky -- but it was authentic, and LeBron earned it with a Game 7 box score: 37 Pts, 12 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl. That song was played all over Miami for like a week. It's actually a pretty good song. It's also tempting to criticize the after-party at Story, only because it completely feeds the narrative I'm trying to evolve us out of, that Miami is only a fun-in-the-sun party destination without intelligent culture, but, events like those, which might not be as humble as Shane Battier's tradition of eating at Denny's, are indeed tradition (they partied at Liv last year) and they show team camaraderie (Pat Riley's 68-year-old butt was at the party). So, allowing LeBron a pass on the Montana remark, and the team a pass on the party -- a few things still occurred in the aftermath that made us look bad to the rest of the country. LeBron's Stankface The day after the victory LeBron made a 14-second video, basically telling all his haters what he thought. "Man, I don't know what to say. I'm the champion, two times, two rings -- that shit stink -- don't it -- eewwww." On one hand, it was proud, funny, and entertaining; but on

19 the other, it felt unnecessary, egotistic, and rude -- like LeBron pooped on his haters, including the Spurs, classy in defeat, and then rubbed their faces in it. It was unnecessary. The LeBatard Rant I'm a fan of LeBatard; he's great for South Florida; a big dog who's hitting the trifecta: success in print, radio, and broadcast journalism. Even though Lebbitz is fundamentally just a sports nerd, he's also psychological, insightful and pleasantly awkward. His championship rant: just awkward and kind of douche. Granted, the rant was pure entertainment, funny, slightly ironic and self-deprecating. It was not meant to be taken seriously -- but, at the same time, it unnecessarily fed hungry haters, was disrespectful to a worthy opponent, it went on way too long and it made Miami look childish. It also paled in comparison to his other rants, like LeBron choosing Miami, or the Pacers. Pots and Pans Banging on pots and pans is a silly tradition. I understand where it comes from: it's connected to the percussion of Latin music and the Cuban and Dominican communities. The pots and pans came out for the Marlins and the Heat before and now it's like our thing, but it's dumb. Granted -- it's extremely hard to condemn any fan happy enough to peacefully take to the street to make noise in gleeful celebration, but, and.i wrote about this in the Nevvtimes, this tradition has been exploited and commodified by the local media and, really, how does it make us look to the rest of the country? At the end of the year, it was an amazing season -- the best in the Heat's history. And when I write these things, it's only because I want Miami to grow into the best city we can b

20 7/22113 Producer Joe Granda Honored :: EDGE San Francisco Hi /58 Lo Precip: 10% 7-Day Forecast» IChoose a city... ~ JSearch 0. Sign In I Register EDGE San Francisco ~~~~ Print This Page I Back to article Producer Joe Granda Honored HotSpots! Magazine Sunday Jul 21, 2013 Miami resident, Producer Joe Granda will be recognized for his many achievements during the Fashion + Music + Art Tropical Paradise Extravaganza on July 21 during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in a gala to benefit the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Florida State Senator Gwen Margolis will recognize Granda's work on behalf of the LGBT community. Born in Cuba, Granda came to Miami with his parents approximately 40 years ago. He started his career in show business at the tender age of 8 and through perseverance and hard work throughout the years continued to earn the respect of celebrities, music icons and just a bout anyone connected with the world of entertainment. His tireless work on behalf of the LGBT community is legendary. It includes an endless list of stars and countless productions: Albums, songs a nd events to br Ing awareness to the plight of this often neglected community. Granda studied business administration at Miami Dade College, later working for established clubs and organizing talent contests. He worked with the big record labels in the industry, such as Sony, BMG, Universal Music Latino, EMI-Televisa, WEA Latina, Estefan Enterprises and Univision Music. Among his memorable projects are the Hispanic LGBT Joe Gra nda presentations "Orgullo" (Pride); Hispanic panels and awards at the Winter Music Conference in Miami; National Gay Club Tours, including Latin Gay Pride presentations in Long Beach; San Francisco Pride, San Diego Pride; and LA Pride. Granda has produced some vitally important Latin music events for more than 12 years: "Viva La Musica" in SeaWorld, Orlando and Busch Gardens, Tampa. He is also CEO of Granda Entertainment, Angel Eyes Music Group, DigiPromo Distribution Network, and publisher of the magazine Latin Music Club Report and the music publishers Music Publishing (BMI), Eyes of an Angel Music (BMI) and Joey-Joe VMW.edg esanfranci sco.com'i ndex. php?ch= nig htl ife&sc= local_ e~nts&sc3= &i d= &pf= 1 1/2