President's Newsburst - December 2012

PRESIDENT’S NEWSBURST

DECEMBER 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

As the fall semester comes to a close, I wanted to pause and reflect on a few major accomplishments and milestones.  We continue to work tirelessly and collaboratively to achieve several meaningful things.  First and foremost, the state and local voters demonstrated their continued support for community colleges.  Through Prop 30, California voters stopped the drastic annual budget cuts to the California community college system.  Locally in East County, our supportive voters passed the GCCCD $498M facilities bond (Prop V).  Of course, through all of this, our collective work across the college to improve student success is making a difference.  The number of students succeeding, persisting and completing degrees and certificates is rising http://intranet.gcccd.edu/student-success-initiative/documents/student-success-files/GCCCD2011-12ProgressReport_Final111312.pdf.  Our work on accreditation has resulted in a self-evaluation report currently out for college-wide review (www.grossmont.edu/intranet/selfEvalReport13/default.htm).  Our wellness efforts are making a difference for employees.  I invite you to take a look at a few of our accomplishments from last year that support our strategic planning goals.

In closing, thank you for all you do to help our college and students accomplish great things even through these turbulent times.  Please accept my heart felt gratitude for all that you do each day to support our students, your colleagues and me.  Your words of support and encouragement have sustained me throughout the year.

May peace, joy, health and the love of friends and family encompass you during the holiday season.

ASGC/CARE HOLIDAY PARTY

The annual ASGC/CARE holiday party for EOPS, CARE and CalWORKs students will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7 in Griffin Gate. The CARE program student/parents are low-income, single head of household, CalWORKs recipients, who attend full-time, with a goal to build better lives for themselves and their children, becoming self-sufficient. We are looking forward to your continued generous support this year. Each year, the CARE Program receives toys from the Marine Corps Toys-for-Tots Program. This program provides toys for the children under 1 year to age 14. The CARE families include tweens and teens. This holiday party is a meaningful way in which our college helps these families celebrate this special season. 

AROUND THE CAMPUS

      We recently held an "Accreditation Self-Study Read-In". Our campus community spent time reviewing the latest draft of the college's accreditation self-study in preparation for next year's site visit by representatives of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). Accreditation by this agency certifies that Grossmont College has met the standards of quality for public funding.  In preparation for the ACCJC visit, we have written a Self-Evaluation Report. The report is based on historical and contemporary information about the operations of Grossmont College. Please continue to review the draft Self-Evaluation Report and provide input online at www.grossmont.edu/intranet/selfEvalReport13/default.htm.

      All faculty and staff are invited to attend the fourth annual CHILI COOK-OFF, a highly competitive event, from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13, at Griffin Gate. Enjoy extraordinary spicy and tasty chili, including vegetarian chili, from talented cooks at Grossmont College. Beverages will be provided. Prizes will be awarded to the top two chili’s from the following categories: Spiciest/Hottest; Vegetarian; Meat.  If you plan to enter the competitive cook-off or plan on bringing a dessert, chili fixings or cornbread to share, please contact Bernadette Black at ext. 7100.

      The DISTRICT HOLIDAY LUNCHEON will begin at high noon on Friday, Dec. 14 in the District Warehouse. Please join us to celebrate the holidays with your District colleagues. Please confirm your attendance so that we know how many to plan for. Bring your best side dish and be ready for some holiday fun. RSVP to Janet.Zullo@gcccd.edu, or at ext. #7701.

      The annual staff COOKIE EXCHANGE and contest for favorite cookie will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18 in the Mail Center/BCS Lobby. Bring four dozen of your favorite homemade cookies or desert or a copy of your favorite recipe. Also bring a container to store your goodies. RSVP to ext. 7621 prior to Dec. 14.

RECENT CAMPUS EVENTS

      Office Professional Training (OPT) Program wishes to express appreciation for the campus support of its recent craft fair on November 15^th. Shoppers got a head start on holiday shopping on items from such brands as Scentsy Candles, Cookie Lee Jewelry and Tupperware.

      The Creative Writing Program reports that its recent “WRITE-A-THON” was a tremendous success. On Saturday, Nov. 17, 80 participants enjoyed writing in four genres, including fiction, poetry, drama and creative non-fiction. Sydney Brown said they especially enjoyed receiving a limited edition Lester Bangs T-shirt designed by Karl Sherlock, Grossmont College English Dept. faculty member. More than $6,500 was raised for the Creative Writing Program’s fall and spring literary events, including the 2013 Literary Arts Festival's guest author Tobias Wolff.

      Eighteen colleges and universities competed at the recent 20th annual Griffin Invitational Speech/Debate tournament, held Nov. 9-11. Among the Grossmont students who earned awards: Cameron Martin, Mayte Gutierrez, Ali Majed Aldhalimi and Erik Diaz. Other students who competed included Darron DeVillez, Donnell Narducci, Gregory Banach, Jeffrey Adams, John Price, Matthew Pecci, Samuel Thomas and Yael Moyal.  More than 150 Communication students assisted with the tournament. Faculty members who served as judges at the tournament included: Michael Elizondo, Charmin Lindholm, Denise Schulmeyer Jade Solan and Alisha Solan.

      The English Department’s Creative Writing Program concluded its fall 2012 Reading Series with “New Voices,” a student reading of poetry, fiction, non-fiction and drama, on Monday, Dec. 3. Artful, evocative and entertaining – the writers of the Fall 2012 New Voices Reading inspired all.   

      The Adult Reentry Program hosted “Your Passport to the Future,” a free informational meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 4. The meeting was designed for adults returning to school after a length of time to complete a degree or certificate, or to upgrade their skills for a new job or career. Speakers included former students who successfully returned to the classroom, along with information on admission procedures, transfer programs and financial aid.   

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

      The college’s Ceramics Program will host a Holiday Ceramic Sale from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 4 and 5, on the Main Quad. Jeff Irwin, Art, is organizing the event.

      The Grossmont College Guitar Guild will present the Grossmont Guitar Ensemble performing at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5 in Room #221. Admission is free.

      The Grossmont College Concert Band will perform with the Cuyamaca College Concert Band for their annual winter concert at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at Cuyamaca College’s Performing Arts Theatre. General admission is $8 per person and $5 for students and seniors.

      The Music Department’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble and Grossmont College Jazz Band will perform together in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Grossmont College’s Recital Hall, Building 26, Room 220. General admission is $10 per person, $8 for seniors and $5 for students.

      The Gospel Choir will perform a holiday concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, at Trinity Baptist Church, 1150 Merritt Dr. in El Cajon. Admission is free.

      The Grossmont Guitar Guild will present “Blurring the Edges” a fundraising performance featuring Grossmont College guitar instructor Fred Benedetti and cousins Peter and Tripp Sprague, starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, at Grossmont College’s Recital Hall, Building 26, Room 220. General admission is $10 per person and $8 for seniors and students. This jazz concert will features original new music by the artists. 

      The final Dance Master Class of the semester will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8. Guest instructor Suzanne Forbes-Vierling will teach African dance from 1:45 to 3:15 p.m. in the main dance studio.

      This is the final week of performances of the Theater Arts Department’s “My Three Angels,” directed by Jerry Hager. Performances will be held Dec. 6, 7, 8 at 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. The setting is December 1910, French Guiana. Three convicts, including two murderers and a swindler on work release, ingratiate themselves in the home of the Ducotel Family. On their way from France is an evil-minded cousin planning to oust the father of the family from his business, and a cold-blooded nephew intent on jilting the father’s daughter for an heiress. The convicts’ warm hearts, criminal arts, and passionate belief in the principles of justice intertwine to set matters right and, in so doing, redeem themselves as real life angels. “My Three Angels,” by Sam and Bella Spewack, is based on La Cuisine Des Anges by Albert Husson.

      The Grossmont College Music Department will present “Jazz Night,” an evening of students from the Jazz Studies Program performing a variety of different styles of jazz, starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, in Room #220. General admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students.

      The Grossmont Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale will perform a “Baroque Christmas Concert” on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Church, 1627 Jamacha Way, El Cajon, and on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 625 Pennsylvania Ave., in San Diego’s Uptown District. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, however a free-willing offering will be held at both venues. 

      The Hyde Art Gallery’s annual photography exhibit will end on Dec. 13. The exhibit, titled “Create, Connect, Client,” features 66 images from 13 different commercial and artistic professional photographers, including four graduates of the Grossmont College photography program. In-kind contributions for the exhibit have been made by the San Diego chapters of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and Artistic Photographers of America (APA), as well as Chrome Digital Labs.

HONORS

      Jeff Irwin, Ceramics, is featured in the December 2012 issue of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine. In an article titled “The Ceramic Menagerie,” Irwin is profiled for his ceramic animal/tree hybrids that resemble wall-mounted hunting trophies, along with his work with tiles and plates that resemble sepia photographs or engravings. See more at www.sdhg.net.

      Two faculty members won seats at the recent election. George Gastil, History, was reelected to a second four-year term on the Lemon Grove City Council. Gregg Robinson, Sociology, was elected to the San Diego County Board of Education, District 1. Robinson unseated incumbent John Witt with 55 percent of the vote. The County Board of Education oversees all 42 school districts within San Diego County.

      Justin Hudnall, project director of “The Far East Project,” joined Eldonna Lay, historian, author, former educator and curator of the Knox House Museum in El Cajon, for a recent interview on KPBS-FM. “The Far East Project,” made possible by a grant through the San Diego Foundation, is an ongoing effort to create a people's history of San Diego's East County by collecting poems, personal narratives, photographs and performances about life east of the I-5. “The Far East Project” is supported by English instructor Sydney Brown, who serves as Project Mentor.  A recently published book, “The Far East: Everything Just As It Is,” features writings by over 40 contributors, and a majority of authors, over half, are affiliated with Grossmont College, either as students or faculty. Hudnall hopes that “The Far East Project” will not only change people's perspectives on East County, but also will help jump start its economy through arts and culture.

      Two of our recent 2012 Respiratory Therapy (RT) graduates are appearing on the November cover of AARC Times, a national magazine published by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), an Irving, Tex.-based professional association. Angela Rizzuto and Arun Routledge were featured for their participation in the DRIVE4COPD awareness campaign, a national public health campaign designed to screen millions of people who may be at risk for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). As many as 24 million Americans may have COPD but approximately half don't know it and remain undiagnosed.  With 37,000 members committed to providing exemplary respiratory care and improving lung health worldwide, AARC’s mission is to advance the science, technology, ethics, and art of respiratory care through research and education for its members and to teach the general public about pulmonary health and disease prevention.