PRESIDENT’S NEWSBURST

MAY 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

This is the busiest and most joyful time of the academic year!  We have a number of events highlighting our student’s talents and accomplishments.  We feature exhibits, performances, guest lecturers and much more.  There are a number of student celebrations that highlight academic excellence, achievement, and perseverance.  We also recognize and celebrate the exceptional work and accomplishment of our employees.  I call it the “march to commencement” and others say the “season of sheet cakes and smiles.”  Whatever you call it, I hope you will make some time to participate and enjoy it!

The culminating event is on Thursday, May 31. We especially need our faculty members to participate in the recessional “Line of Honor.” That’s where our graduates walk past a line of faculty who have contributed to their educational experiences with us. The pathway will take our graduates, along with faculty, family and friends, to the Health and Sciences Complex grassy area for photo opportunities and additional refreshments. If you want to volunteer, please contact Agustin Albarran at ext. 7601. Our volunteers will make a difference in helping us provide a fun, safe and meaningful celebration! Our keynote speaker will be Diana Pico, a GC nursing graduate. Diana is married to Anthony Pico, the elected chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians. Our student speaker will be Danny McKay, who is graduating with honors and with an Associate Degree in Math and Science and a Certificate of Achievement in University Studies. For more information, visit the commencement website, www.grossmont.edu/commencement/.

Other graduation ceremonies include:

·         Police Academy Graduation, Friday, May 11, 6 p.m., Main Quad.

·         Corrections Academy Graduation, Friday, May 18, 6 p.m., Main Quad.

·         Nursing Pinning Ceremony, Tuesday, May 29, 5:30 p.m., Main Quad.

·         Office Professional Training Graduation, Friday, June 1, 6:30 p.m., Main Quad.

·         Middle College High School Graduation, Monday, June 11, 5:30 p.m., Main Quad.

COLLEGE RECOGNITION AWARDS

Please don't miss the opportunity to give your colleagues some well-deserved recognition at the College Recognition Awards ceremony at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 10 in Griffin Gate.  This is one of the important ways that our college applauds and celebrates the good work of our peers. Recognition will include Academic Rank, Faculty Tenure, New Degree Recipients and Recent Publications and Exhibits, as well as Teaching Excellence Awards. Staff awards will include Vice Presidents’ Support Staff Recognition and Chancellor/Classified Senate Award recipients. We also recognize Faculty and Staff Retirees and Club Advisors. The Foundation for Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges will recognize Faculty/Staff Giving donors and present a “Commitment to Service” award. Also, we will honor Janice Johnson, Articulation Officer/Counselor, as our 2011-2012 Distinguished Faculty Award Honoree, and announce recipients of the President’s Leadership Award and Innovator of the Year Award.  Come slightly early to enjoy the refreshments, fellowship and great seating.

INSTITUTIONAL SURVEY

The Institutional Excellence Council recently deployed a survey asking for your feedback. These survey questions will provide important information on the college’s programs, services, processes, and opportunities.  Your honest feedback will help us to identify what is working well and where we might want to make adjustments. The college plans to administer an institutional survey each year as part of our continuous improvement cycle of PIE (planning, implementation, and evaluation), and we hope that you will continue to provide us your feedback each cycle. The survey will be available until May 25th. Please check your email for the log-in information.

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

Ø  At the recent College Planning Forum, the word “local” was added to the college’s Mission Statement, which now reads: Grossmont College is committed to providing an exceptional learning environment that enables diverse individuals to pursue their hopes, dreams, and full potential and to developing enlightened leaders and thoughtful citizens for the local and global community.”   

Ø  As part of our 50^th anniversary celebration, adjunct History instructors Kristin Hargrove and Ann Marie Bryan have been videotaping faculty and staff who have been answering the question: “What’s great about being a part of Grossmont College?” Watch the YouTube video: http://youtu.be/yDl5_svxUXc. 

Ø  This summer will mark the third year of Grossmont College’s participation in the Life Science Summer Institute in collaboration with the Southern California Biotechnology Center, San Diego Workforce Partnership, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology (LJIAI), and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. High school juniors and seniors will be at Grossmont from Monday, June 18 to Thursday, June 21, for a grant-funded Biotechnology Skills "Bootcamp" to be taught by Grossmont Biology faculty in preparation for 7-week internships at Scripps, Salk or LJIAI. The success of this program at Grossmont has led to statewide and national interest in further expansion. 

RECENT HONORS

Ø  One of Grossmont College’s finest, Pat Murray, Health Science Lab Technician, has been awarded with a 2012 Community College Classified Employee of the Year award. Pat recently received her award this week at a Board of Governors meeting in Sacramento. The statewide award honors community college classified employees who demonstrate the highest level of commitment to professionalism and community colleges. Pat was one of five classified employees to receive this year’s award among some 100 nominations. There are 24,000 classified employees in the California community college system. Pat was nominated by her colleagues and endorsed by the GCCCD Governing Board. Congratulations, Pat!

Ø  ASGC held its 50th annual Academic/Service Awards on April 25 in Griffin Gate. Outstanding student leaders were recognized for their academic, service, and student life achievements during the 2011-2012 academic year. Among the Division Honor Awards winners: Katherine Rainey, Arts, Languages and Communication; Bobby Morris, Career Technical Education/Workforce Development; Daniel McKay, English & Social/Behavioral Sciences; Carlos Paz, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Exercise Science/Wellness. In addition, Guadalupe Sandoval-Garcia and Tyler Ormsby were named Athletes of the Year, Akashi Panchal was named International Student of the Year, and Carlos Paz and Arianna Nevins were named Woman and Man of Distinction, respectively. The Action Club was honored as Most Outstanding Club of the Year, and Jim Tolbert, Action Club advisor, was named Club Advisor of the Year. Irene Bauza was honored for the Most Significant Contribution to Student Government.

Ø  Adjunct instructor of English, Joseph LePetri has been chosen as one of three San Diego Unified School District 2012 Teachers of the Year. Here is a link to a newspaper article: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/04/sd-unifieds-teachers-of-the-year/

Ø  Ron Adams, General Maintenance Worker, reports that his son, a former Grossmont student, is now playing with David Cook’s band and is opening for Jon Bon Jovi. Ron’s son recently played in Las Vegas.

Ø  Isaac Arguelles, one of our own GCCCD interpreters, was recently honored by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama who presented Isaac with the khatag, a traditional Tibetan ceremonial scarf. Isaac was one of the ASL interpreters for the Dalai Lama’s speech at Viejas Arena on SDSU’s campus. The Dalai Lama talked on the topic of upholding universal ethics and compassion in challenging times.

Ø  The Office Professional Training (OPT) program was recently mentioned in the Women Give San Diego blog, http://womengivesd.blogspot.com. Women Give San Diego has granted $15,500 the past two years in support of the OPT program, specifically to underwrite the salary of the program’s counselor, Laurel Klotz, a licensed marriage and family counselor who has served as  OPT program counselor for more than 12 years.

Ø  William Sneed, Media Communications, has been invited and accepted into the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) a professional organization of video engineers. William also belongs to the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) the Southwest Chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) the National Association of Broadcasters/ Broadcast Educators Association (NAB/BEA) and the BiNational Communications Organization (BINACOM).

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

Ø  The Theatre Arts Department will continue this week its performances of “Lost in Yonkers,” a play by Neil Simon and directed by Jeannette Thomas. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on May 9, 10, 11 and 12, and at 2 p.m. on May 12. When brothers Artie and Jay are sent to live with their Grandmother, they find out that their father’s family puts the “fun” in dysfunctional. Set in 1942, Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play is a heart-warming, honest and funny look at how we define “family.”

Ø  The Career Center’s Adult Reentry Program will host “Now That You’ve Been Laid Off,” a free seminar featuring tips on getting hired again, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, in Griffin Center, Building #60, Room #140. Admission is free. The speaker will be Tony Desylvester, a management trainer.

Ø  The Grossmont College Hyde Art Gallery is proud to present “Grossmont College Art Student Exhibition 2012.” You are cordially invited to view this exhibition that opened on May 7 and will close on May 17. This 256-piece exhibition is a cross-section of art produced by art students resulting from their studies within the department. The student award presentation event honoring these emerging artists will be held on Tuesday, May 15th, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Ø  The Grossmont College Guitar Guild will present “Blurring the Edges,” a benefit concert for the Grossmont Guitar Guild Scholarship Fund featuring performance by Grossmont College guitar instructor Fred Benedetti and cousins Peter Sprague on guitar and Tripp Sprague on saxophone, at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 11, in Building #26, Room #220. The public is invited to attend. Cost to attend is $10 per person general admission. Tickets are available at the door.

Ø  The Grossmont College Dance Department will present its final Spring 2011 Master Dance Class on Friday, May 11 in the Dance Studio, 24-271. Guest instructor Michael Kielbasa will teach West Coast Swing from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Guest instructor Suanne Forbes-Vierling will teach African Dance from 12:45 to 2:15 p.m. Cost is $10 per class, or $18 for both classes.

Ø  The Grossmont College Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale will present two performances of “Resonantes Musica,” featuring the music of Morten Lauridsen, at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 11, at All Saints Episcopal Church, 625 Pennsylvania Ave., San Diego, and at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, 7710 El Cajon Blvd., La Mesa. Admission is free, however a freewill offering will be held.

Ø  The Communication Department will present members of the Intercollegiate Speech and Debate Team in a showcase of debaters and speakers starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, in Building #26, Room #220. Cost to attend is $8 per person for general admission and $5 per person for faculty and staff. The event is a fundraiser for team travel expenses. Adult language will be used. For more information, contact Roxanne Tuscany.

Ø  The Music Dept. will host a fundraiser for its Scholarship Fund starting at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 14, at Humphrey’s By the Bay on Shelter Island. Cost to attend is $18 general admission and $10 for students.

Ø  The Department of Philosophy and Religion, with support from the World Arts and Culture Committee, will host a free presentation by B. N. Shen, author of The Uncrushable Rose, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15 in Building #26, Room #220.  For more information, contact Zoe Close.

Ø  The Grossmont College Concert Band will perform its Spring Concert with the Madison High School Band at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, at Cuyamaca College Fine Arts Theatre. Cost to attend is $8 per person for adults and $5 per person for students, seniors and children.

Ø  As part of the Grossmont College Wellness Initiative, the Grossmont College Triathlon Club, along with TREK LA MESA superstore, will host “Bike to College Day” on Friday May 18. The Grossmont Pit Stop location will be in Parking Lot #1 from 6 to 9 a.m., and a “Bicycle Parade” is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon in the Main Quad. Prizes, refreshments and activities are planned. If you would like to sponsor a rider, please contact Agustin Albarran at ext. 7600 or Pat Murray at ext. 7316. For more event info, visit www.grossmont.edu/wellness. Also visit the website for the volunteer-led Activity Group calendar and Fitness Courses schedule for May, along with the GC Biggest Loser Blog.

Ø  The Grossmont Symphony Orchestra will present “Americana,” featuring flautist Suzanne Kennedy, for two performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18, at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, 8086 Broadway, Lemon Grove, and at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, at Paradise Valley Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2701 East 8th St., National City. Admission is free, however a freewill offering will be held.

Ø  The Music Dept. Jazz Studies Program will present “Jazz Night,” featuring Grossmont College jazz studies students under the direction of Derek Cannon, at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, in Building #26, Room #220. Cost to attend is $8 per person for adults and $5 per person for students, seniors and children.

Ø  The Theatre Arts Department will present its Spring 2012 Theatre Arts Showcase at 7 p.m. on May 23 and 24 at the Stagehouse Theatre, Building #21, Room #247. Theatre students will perform musical theatre on Wednesday, May 23, and mime on Thursday, May 24. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Admission is free, however freewill offerings will be accepted.

Ø  The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Program’s fourth annual Recruitment Fair will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, in the lobby of the Health Professional Building (Building 34). At the event, the OTA class of 2012 will be formally introduced to companies that have job openings for OTAs. The invitation list totals more than 60 companies.

Ø  For details on upcoming student club activities, visit www.grossmont.edu/student_activities/gc_clubs.asp.

Ø  For campus activities, events and performances, visit the Campus Events page on the college website, www.grossmont.edu/events/.

Ø  For recent print news clips collected by the Office of College & Community Relations, visit www.grossmont.edu/newsclips/.