I hope you enjoyed a restful and enjoyable season of
Thanksgiving. As the semester culminates and the usual academic tensions
rise for us all and our students, please make the time to take good care of
yourself. During this busy time, it’s all too easy to set aside our
normal exercise, eating and sleeping patterns. Please keep in mind that
maintaining balance is key to managing stress and our long term health.
Take the time to enjoy the company of peers and friends during the many events
on campus! Exchange cookies, cook or taste chili, or attend a music, athletic
or other performance.
THANK YOU for all that you do for our college and our
students! May the upcoming holiday season bring peace, joy and good
health.
PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP AWARD
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I am pleased to announce our "call for
nominations" for the President’s Leadership award. Nominations are due to
the President’s Office by Friday, Dec. 10. This award will be presented during
the Spring 2011 Flex Week and at a special recognition
ceremony in May 2011. Let me encourage each of you to consider nominating
an outstanding member of our college community for this award. The President’s
Leadership Award was established to recognize leadership in service to
students, faculty and staff, and to encourage continuation of that excellence.
Nominations of full-time administrative staff and other individuals in
leadership positions at Grossmont College may be submitted by any member of the
college community who has personal and direct knowledge of the nominee’s work,
and who can comment on the unique and outstanding characteristics in support of
the nominee’s excellent service to students, faculty and staff.
YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND “INNOVATIONS 2011”
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GCCCD has the distinct honor of co-hosting the League for
Innovation in the Community College’s “Innovations 2011 Conference,” to be held
Feb. 27 to March 2, 2011, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. The San Diego
Community College District will also serve as an official host. Innovations
2011 is the premier event for professionals dedicated to improving
organizational teaching and learning, and discovering new approaches for
enhancing the community college experience. The conference provides a
tremendous forum for collaboration among academic experts and leading community
college professionals, while granting participants exclusive access to the most
inventive and thought-provoking programs from around the world. More than 2,000
community college faculty, professional staff and administrators are expected
to attend. Confirmed keynote speakers include Allan Golston of the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, Sarita Brown of Excelencia in Education, Paul Lanning
of the Foundation for California Community Colleges and Janet Zadina of Tulane
University School of Medicine. As a host district, we will play a critical role
in supporting the conference through a volunteer corp. GC employees who
volunteer a minimum of four hours can receive a free registration to attend the
conference, contingent upon supervisory approval. There will be a variety of
volunteer assignments available. We need a total of 78 volunteers. If you would
like to be part of this exciting conference and take advantage of the free
conference registration and the professional development opportunity it provides,
all GC staff should contact Bernadette Black in the President’s Office. Please
correspond with Bernadette to take advantage of this fabulous opportunity.
DREAMKEEPERS GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE
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Grossmont College has been selected by Scholarship America
as a “Dreamkeepers Grant” school. Dreamkeepers grants are available to students
who are enrolled in at least six units with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
and can demonstrate an “emergency” need. These grants are for unanticipated
emergency costs and not for costs associated with a lack of preparation or
anticipation associated with the costs of a college education. Some examples of
such emergencies include child care, rent, gas money, and utilities. Expenses
not considered emergencies, and will not be covered, include tuition and fees,
books and supplies and normal academic related expenses. Approved awards will
be made within two business days from the point of application. Checks in
the amount of the approved award will be co-payable to the student and the
vender seeking payment (i.e. utility company, child care provider, landlord,
etc) and collected by the student receiving the grant at the College Cashier
window. Faculty or staff aware of students experiencing a one-time emergency or
a financial related crisis can refer students to Selam Gebrekristos in
Financial Aid for more information. Scholarship America awarded Grossmont
College $40,000 for students in financial crisis over the course of the
academic year. The average Dreamkeepers’ grant ranges from $300 to
$500.
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: LIFE COACHING
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Life Coaching Program (LCP) for new and continuing at-risk
students: The LCP proposes serving 200 students per year, meeting weekly with a
trained life coach on campus. With Basic Skills Funding, currently 19 life
coaches have been recruited, screened, hired, oriented and trained in life
coaching methods. Life coach professional development is on-going. These life
changing coaches provide mentoring, support and direction for students who are
in lower level English, Math and ESL classes, and/or on academic probation,
and/or belong to a demographic group with a history of poor academic
performance, such as foster youth, students with learning disabilities or
economically disadvantaged. Students learn how to plan, manage and execute life
skills such as developing and using weekly schedule and daily planner, eating
nutritional balanced meals, exercising regularly, taking medication, creating
and adhering to a budget, using campus and community resources, applying
strategies to improve sleep and limiting distracting or negative behaviors and
navigating through the educational maze and overcoming obstacles.
CSU SAN MARCOS SPRING 2011 ENROLLMENT
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The University Transfer Center reports that CSU San Marcos
has re-opened for spring 2011. This is an exceptional opportunity to
transfer to a small, local public university that was virtually closed to our
students for fall 2010. Please help let your students know spring 2011
applicants have a good chance of being admitted to CSU San
Marcos. Students are eligible to apply if they fulfill either of the
following admission criteria: 60+ transferable units, including
completion of the “Golden Four” requirements (oral communication, written
communication, critical thinking and mathematics); Overall GPA of 2.0; Less
than 60 transferable units and CSU eligible from high school. Students must
apply online at www.csumentor.edu
The campus remains open until further notice, but students are recommended to
apply as soon as possible.
ASGC/CARE HOLIDAY PARTY NEEDS GIFT CARDS FOR STUDENT
PARENTS
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The annual ASGC/CARE Holiday Party will be held on Friday,
Dec. 10 in Griffin Gate. The annual holiday party is for CARE, EOPS and
CalWORKs students. Gerardette Nutt, ext. 7785, and Kitty Walden at ext. 7733,
are soliciting gift cards for teenage children of student parents. Please
bring your donation to the EOPS/CARE/CalWorks office, Room 58-J, by 5 p.m. on
Wednesday, Dec. 8. Last year’s holiday party was attended by about 100 children
and their parents. Each year, the CARE Program receives toys from the Marine
Corps Toys-for-Tots Program, but this program provides toys for the children
only ages 0 to 10 and many CARE families include tweens and teens. So, we are
asking for gift cards, certificates and/or merchandise, possible gift baskets
for the teens and the student/parents. The Cooperative Agencies Resources for
Education (CARE) program serves several hundred GC students who are single
parents receiving public assistance, and are CalWORKs recipients. These
students are low-income student/parents who are single head of household or
CalWORKs recipients who attend full-time, with a goal to build better lives for
themselves and their children, becoming self-sufficient. GC’s CalWORKs
program provides instruction, counseling and support services, including job
search employment preparation for students currently receiving Public Assistance
benefits. EOPS (Extended Opportunities Programs and Services) is a state-funded
program established to recruit, enroll and retain students who are identified
as economically and educationally disadvantaged.
THE 5 SKILLS OF NON-DEFENSIVE COMMUNICATION
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GCCCD Public Safety is inviting all staff, faculty,
supervisors and managers to a workshop titled “The 5 Skills of Non Defensive
Communication.” The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday,
Dec. 3 and Friday, Dec. 10, at Grossmont College, Room 41-117. The five skills
of non-defensive communication provide us with specific tools that help us
reduce the risk of creating a defensive reaction in others. These tools are:
Disengage, Empathize, Inquire, Disclose, and Depersonalize. Refreshments
will be provided. Registration is not required. If you have any
questions, please call Continuing Education at 619-660-4350.
“TIME FLIES AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS”
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The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present
“Time Flies and Other Short Plays,” a series of
witty and wildly original one-act plays, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, 3, 4,
8, 9, 10 and 11, and 2 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 11, at the Stagehouse Theatre. The
performances feature hilarious characters pondering life’s metaphysical
questions, including two Babylonian blue-collar workers building the Tower of
Babel, three chimps locked in a room and recreating “Hamlet,” and two women who
fashion a funeral breakfast out of thin air. “Time Flies,” written by David
Ives, is directed by Grossmont College Theatre Arts instructor Beth Duggan.
Admission is $12 per person, $11 for active military and seniors and $10 for
students.
NEW VOICES STUDENT READING
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The Creative Writing Program will present the New Voices
Student Reading starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, in Room 220. Outstanding
students of the Grossmont College Creative Writing Program’s Fall 2010 semester
will stand and deliver original works of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
and drama. This is always an unforgettable evening.
FUN-RAISER AT SOUPLANTATION
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Grossmont College Athletics will host a “fun-raiser” at
Souplantation, 9158 Fletcher Parkway, in La Mesa on December 7th. From 5
to 8 p.m., Souplantation will donate 20 percent of sales generated to Grossmont
College Athletics. Purchase a meal and a beverage and have a healthy dinner out
with the Griffins, and support our program at the same time.
CHILI COOK-OFF
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The 3rd annual Chili Cook-Off holiday event will be held
from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in the Distance Education Room.
All faculty and staff are invited to this highly competitive event featuring extraordinary
spicy and tasty chili from talented cooks at GC. Vegetarian chili also will be
available. Beverages will be provided. Prizes will be awarded to the top chili
entries from the following categories: Spiciest/Hottest, Vegetarian and Meat.
In addition, there will be one Grand Prize winner. If you plan to enter the
competitive chili cook-off or plan on bringing a dessert, chili fixings or
cornbread to share, please contact Bernadette Black at ext. 7100.
COOKIE EXCHANGE
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The annual Cookie Exchange will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on
Friday, Dec. 10, the Business Communications/Mail Center, Bldg.
58C, located in the Modular Village. You are invited to bring four dozen of
your favorite homemade holiday cookies, along with a copy of your recipe (if
you would like to share it). Please RSVP by Thursday, Dec. 9 to Lani Dennis at
ext. 7134.
GROSSMONT COLLEGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND MASTER CHORALE
AND SAN DIEGO BALLET PRESENTS THE NUTCRACKER
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The Grossmont Symphony Orchestra and Grossmont Master
Chorale, in partnership with the San Diego Ballet, will present two
special performances of “The Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, and
2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, at the Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University
Ave., San Diego. This magical holiday favorite will feature 100 costumed
dancers, reveling in Tchaikovsky’s beloved score on an enchanting journey
through a landscape of Yuletide dreams, including swirling snowflakes, leaping
Cossacks and sugar plum treats. The production is directed and choreographed by
Robin Sheretz-Morgan and Javier Velasco. The director of the Grossmont Symphony
Orchestra and Grossmont Master Chorale is Dr. Randall Tweed. Premium seating
tickets are priced at $55 per person. General seating tickets are priced at $45
for adults, $25 for students ($2 off for seniors and active military). Tickets
can be purchased online at www.grossmontsymphony.org,
or by phone the event box office at (619) 239-8836.
MORE MUSIC DEPARTMENT EVENTS
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The Grossmont Guitar Guild will host a
concert fundraiser with guest artist Robert Wetzel, classical guitarist, starting
at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3, in Room 34-206 upstairs in the new Health and
Science Complex. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for students
The Music Department will present “Jazz Night,”
an evening of Grossmont College students performing a recital of various styles
of jazz music, starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, in Room 220. Also
performing that evening will be the Cannon/Kenyatta Project, featuring Music
Dept. co-chair Derek Cannon and Kamau Kenyatta. Admission is $8 for adults and
$5 for students, seniors and children.
The Guitar ensemble will perform at 2:30
p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in Room 221. Admission is free.
The Grossmont Concert Band will perform
its winter concert with the Cuyamaca College Band, starting at 7:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, Dec. 8, at the Cuyamaca College Performing Arts Theatre. Admission
is $8 for adults and $5 for students, seniors and children. The Concert Band
features many different kinds of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments.
The Concert Band is under the direction of Russell Sperling.
The Grossmont Jazz Ensemble has scheduled
a performance starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9 at the Cuyamaca College
Fine Arts Theatre. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students.
The Grossmont Jazz Ensemble will perform
at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16, at the Horton Plaza retail center, 324 Horton
Plaza, in Downtown San Diego. Admission is free.
SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM
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Members of the Grossmont/Cuyamaca Speech and Debate Team
were very successful at the 2010 Griffin Invitational Speech/Debate Tournament,
held Nov. 20-21. We hosted 23 colleges from both two and 4 year colleges.
Approximately 100 students from Communication classes assisted in helping to
run the tournament. Among the top competitors: Asma Eweida, finalist in Open
Division Persuasive Speaking; Jonathan Parker, Bronze Award in Novice
Parliamentary Debate, Bronze Award in Novice Parliamentary Debate and 7th place
Speaker Award in Parli Debate; Asma Eweida, 9th place Speaker Award in
Parli Debate. Other competitors included Ali Aldhalimi, Jesse Gault,
Courtney Gerlach, Gabriela Johnson, Russ Lindquist, Victoria Olango,
Griselda Quintero, Morgan Rain, Alexandria Rivera, Maria Torres and Diana
Trinidad. Faculty judged or assisted at the tournament included Nancy
Jennings, Denise Schulmeyer, Jade Solan and Sheri Strothers. Assistants
included Dan Jones and Frank Lake. Students from Communication classes observed
the competition.
ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS
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Phi Theta Kappa Induction Ceremony, Sat.,
Dec. 4, 6 p.m., Room #220.
Nursing Pinning Ceremony, Wed., Dec. 15,
1 p.m., Cuyamaca College, Performing Arts Theater Communication Building.
Corrections Academy Graduation, Friday,
Dec. 17, 6 p.m., Cuyamaca College Theater, B-17.
RECENT EVENTS
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The Creative Writing Program recently
hosted a very successful “Rock the Page,” an all-day creative write-a-thon
fund-raiser, on Saturday, Nov. 13, on campus. The second “Rock the Page”
event featured 88 participants spending the day writing in four genres,
including fiction, poetry, drama and creative non-fiction. More than $8,332 was
raised to help with future Literary Arts Festival events and other Creative
Writing Program activities. Rosie D’Agostino, a GC student, won the raffle for
the MacBook. Sydney Brown, English, said grants were provided by the
Grossmont College Foundation, World Arts and Cultures Committee and American
Federation of Teachers.
The Art and Design Club, with funding
from the World Arts and Cultures Committee, hosted the “Fall Draw,” a
collaborative drawing festival, on Wednesday, Dec. 1 in the Main Quad.
Participants were able to collaborate, connect, interpret, observe, explore and
express their inner artist. It was an excellent time of examining gesture,
line, color, shape, culture and ideas through the process of drawing with
others.
Student Health Services participated in
National AIDS Awareness Week, Nov. 26 to Dec. 1 with an HIV and AIDS awareness
info booth on Dec. 1 in the Main Quad. It was World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.
Assisting Student Health Services was the Family Health Centers of San Diego
HIV Outreach and Program Services.
ATHLETICS
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Congratulations to the Women’s Water Polo and
Women’s Volleyball teams. Both were Pacific Coast Athletic Conference
champions. Also, the Men’s Water Polo team advanced to the second round of the
state playoffs.
The Grossmont College Football players,
coaches and athletic department staff would like to say “thank you” to the
College Administration, Faculty and Staff for your continued support. The 2010
ended with their second consecutive Beach Bowl game appearance. The game was
played on Nov. 20 in Santa Ana against East Conference runner-up Santa Ana
College. At 6-4, the Griffs posted a winning record despite playing in
what is arguably the toughest conference in the nation. The Griffins were
seeking their sixth straight bowl win, but lost 52-43.
The Grossmont College Men’s Basketball team
will host the 39th annual Grossmont College Tournament, Dec. 3-5. The Griffins
(0-4) will meet Cerritos in the opening round at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3.
Other teams in the three-day event are Cypress, Saddleback, College of the
Desert, Los Angeles Southwest, Cuesta and Southwestern.
OUR SYMPATHIES
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Our sincere sympathies are extended to the family of the
late Associate Professor Diane Mayne-Stafford, Computer Science Information
Systems. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at
the Palisades Presbyterian Church in Allied Gardens, 6301 Birchwood Street, SD
92120. The church’s website is www.palisadespres.com,
which includes directions to the church. If you would like to share some
thoughts about Diane at the service, please email Bob Stafford @ troutfly666@hotmail.com.
