BUDGET
UPDATE
|
Although we
were expecting news of a state budget resolution by today, as of the writing of
this issue, there is no news from Sacramento. We hope to have word within
the next week so stay tuned. For now, given no meaningful news, we
continue to look for ways to serve the increased enrollment demands with less
funds than we had last year. Though we are only two weeks into the spring
semester, our estimates are that Grossmont College will be running roughly
150-160 less sections this year than we did last year. Our department
chairs and deans have worked closely with faculty to minimize the negative
impacts of this but our students faced less options and less variety than last
year. As a district, we have frozen non-essential purchases and
expenditures in order to prepare for reductions in this year as well as for the
next couple of years. The state has delayed our January and February
apportionment until at least July 2009. As we receive more news, we will
pass it along to you.
PARKING
UPDATE
|
We have
made it through two difficult weeks of “start of the semester parking”.
As you will see from our enrollment umbers, below, we are dealing with record
enrollment this semester. As I asked of you last week, please make every
effort to park at Gillespie Field, especially during these first difficult
weeks of the semester. We are serving about 1,400 more students than last fall,
and that translates to about 350 or more parking spaces needed at a time when
we are already severely challenged with parking. So, please, please do your
part to park at Gillespie or use alternative transportation to help us during
this time.
For
department managers who have student workers, please ask if they would be
interested in parking at our Gillespie Field parking location. We
can provide them with Gillespie Field parking passes and still be in compliance
with our “staff only” contractual obligations with the airport and shuttle
service provider.
If you have
been given a special permit to park on campus this spring due to the
requirements of your job, or due to the nature of your job, please park in
those areas designated and reserved for you. We ask that you not take a student
parking space.
Your
continued support is much appreciated!
ACCREDITATION
UPDATE
|
The
Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), Western
Association of Schools of Colleges, has issued its action letter based upon our
October 2008 follow up report and the November site visit. There is great
news and there is great news! The first bit of great news is that the
Commission accepted our report and will await our October 2009 follow up
report. You may be asking – why is this great news?! In this climate
of increased accountability, the odds of the commission taking negative action
was not in our favor. That is, many colleges receive actions of warning
or probation taken against them during a follow up process.
The other
great news is that the visiting team noted tremendous progress in SLOs and
integration of planning which were reported in the October 2008 visit. I
would like to thank all of you for your work in those critical areas! We
will need to continue to make steady progress in those two areas through our
mid-term report due October 2010.
For the
immediate term, teams are busily working on those recommendations that must be
resolved by October 2009 in four specific areas:
Ø Diversity in hiring and human resource planning.
Ø Delegation of responsibility and authority to the
president of the college, including clearly defined policies and procedures for
the selection and evaluation of the president.
Ø Regular and systematic review of functions and goals,
including: (a) Goal Setting and self-evaluation by the Board of Trustees; (b)
Evaluation of the District’s services to the college and its effectiveness as a
liaison between the College and Board of Trustees.
Ø Effective working relationships across the entire
college community (college, district, board of trustees) The entire College
community must work together for the good of the institution.
A draft
report on these four areas will be shared with our college’s governance groups
for input and will be available on the college accreditation website by
April 2009.
SMOKE-FREE,
TOBACCO-FREE CAMPUS
|
Just a
reminder that, by policy of the Governing Board, Grossmont College is a
smoke-free, tobacco-free campus. GCCCD is the first multi-college
district in the state to prohibit lighting up anywhere on its campuses or other
district property, according to surveys by the American Lung Association and
the California Youth Advocacy Network. Of the 110 community colleges in the
state, GCCCD is among eight campuses that are 100 percent tobacco-free. A
smoking cessation program is available at Student Health Services.
ENROLLMENT
|
Registration
is continuing at a record pace for the Spring 2009 Semester. Census Day is Feb.
9. Enrollment is expected to be at the highest in our 48-year history! The
enrollment numbers as of Friday, February 6 show an increase of about 7.9
percent in headcount (about 19,471 students) and a similar increase in units
over spring 2008.
NEW
CHANCELLOR
|
Dr. Cindy Miles, president of the Hialeah campus of Miami Dade
College in Florida, will begin as the next GCCCD chancellor on March 1.
Miles was chief
operating officer from 1999 to 2001 of the League for Innovation in the Community College, a consortium
of leading community colleges in the U.S. and Canada. She was V.P. for learning and academic affairs at the Community College
of Denver from 2002 to 2005. She began her higher education career in 1989,
teaching developmental mathematics at Paris Junior College in Texas, and spent
more than a decade as a medical technologist. Miles holds a Ph.D. in
educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin. She received
her master’s degree in secondary and higher education from Texas A&M
University, and her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas
in Austin.
DR.
SUAREZ’S RETIREMENT RECEPTION
|
The
Governing Board is cordially inviting staff to attend a retirement reception
for Chancellor Omero Suarez in celebration of his
service and accomplishments. The reception will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
on Tuesday March 3, at the Sycuan Resort, Garden Room, 3007 Dehesa Road, El
Cajon. Please RSVP to Jennifer Danks at ext. 7570, or e-mail: jennifer.danks@gcccd.edu.
WEB
STAFF DIRECTORY
|
More than
600 of you already had your photograph taken for the Web Staff Directory. The
Directory is expected to go live by the end of the semester.
The faculty and staff directory will include a link to the page where a staff
person’s photo appears. If your photograph has not yet been taken, please
contact our college photographer, Stephen Harvey (ext. 7377) for an individual
appointment. In addition, shooting can be scheduled so that entire departments
can be shot all at the same sitting. Access to the Web Staff Directory will be
available only over the Intranet.
HIGH
SCHOOL OUTREACH
|
GC’s
High School Outreach program is continuing to serve the East County region’s 12
feeder schools that are part of the Grossmont Union High School District. In
addition, the program reaches out to selected “out-of-service” high schools,
including Patrick Henry HS, San Diego City HS, Poway HS, Lincoln HS, Morse HS
and some schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista,
Bonita, National City, San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.
This month,
you will begin to see some regular visitors to our campus from Helix High
School. Approximately 180 10th graders will be divided into four
groups and will be on campus for tours and meetings from noon to 3 p.m. on
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 18, 25 and March 4.
FINANCIAL
AID FAFSA WORKSHOPS
|
GC’s
Financial Aid Office is offering free workshops to help students complete their online Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Workshops are held in the Tech Center,
Room 70-103. Dates are Feb. 9,11,17,20,23,25,27 and March 2. Times vary.
Presentations are made in English, Spanish and Arabic. To schedule an
appointment, call 7129.
SPEECH
AND DEBATE TEAM
|
Two members
of the Speech and Debate Team participated in the Southern California Urban
Debate League Swing tournament held at CSU Fullerton on Jan. 24-25. Colton
Salaz of Grossmont took 2nd place in Open Communication Analysis, 2nd and 3rd
place in the Open Extemporaneous category, and 4th place in Open Poetry.
FEBRUARY
IS HEART HEALTH MONTH
|
Student
Health Services is noting Heart Health Month in February with several
activities:
ü National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 6.
ü A Blood Drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
Tuesday, Feb. 17, and Wednesday, Feb. 18 in the Main Quad.
ü “Walk the Walk, Talk the Walk,” consisting of a
30-minute walk and talk with a nurse from Health Services will start at 12:15
p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
|
The Theatre
Arts Department will present “Inside the Actor’s Process -- Comedy”
in the Stagehouse Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, and at 2 p.m. and
7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7. Come and explore the intriguing world of the
actor. This year’s theme of comedy demonstrates the physical tools of acting
and character development. Admission is $5 per person.
The Spring Scholarship
Awards Breakfast will be held this Saturday, Feb. 7, starting at 9:30 a.m.
in the Student Center. The event is hosted by the Grossmont College Foundation
and the Scholarship Department.
To mark the first
anniversary of the opening of our new state-of-the-art sculpture facility, the Hyde
Art Gallery will host “Forms in Metal,” a group exhibit of
contemporary metalwork through Feb. 26. An opening reception will be held on
Feb. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. The exhibit features the work of 17 artists engaged in
the production of metal objects of utility, ceremony and ornament. “Forms in
Metal” explores the means by which each artist manipulates metal and makes use
of it as a vehicle to convey a wide range of personal experiences, concerns,
interests and ideas.
Black History
Month will be celebrated with a
performance of the Afro-Cuban Ensemble, Hip-Hop Dancers and the GC Student
Gospel Choir on Feb. 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Main Quad. Also
scheduled is the Black History Month Gospel Festival on Friday, Feb. 27, from
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 220.
Culinary Arts
Dinners are starting soon!
Dinners will be held every Thursdays @ 5:30 p.m., starting February 26th
– May 14th. Cost is $15 per person. Please contact
Michele Martens @ x7549 to make your reservation!
RECENT
HONORS AND RECOGNITION
|
Dr. Sunny Cooke
was recently quoted on MSNBC’s website about the crisis currently facing
California’s community colleges over budgeting and enrollment. View a short segment of the story at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28940772/.
The Office
Professional Training (OPT) program recently held a graduation ceremony for
its class of Fall 2008, which consisted of 29 students. At the event, attendees
heard inspiring success stories of major life changes that have occurred as a
result of this intense, challenging program that is offered through the
Business Office Technology Department. The OPT program transforms lives by
providing educational training and support services that empowers unemployed
students to compete in a high technology environment. 