President's Newsburst - April 2013

PRESIDENT’S NEWSBURST

APRIL 2013

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

During the past month, Grossmont faculty, staff and students have received several prestigious honors, both nationally and regionally and I’d like to highlight some of those here.

Geology instructor Gary Jacobson and health science lab technician Pat Murray received the John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award. The inaugural award is from the League for Innovation in the Community College, an international consortium of more than 800 community colleges. Pat received her award at the League conference in Dallas, Texas, and Gary, who could not attend, was honored in a ceremony at the GCCCD board meeting in March.

Grossmont won first place for a National Paragon award in the Radio Advertisement/PSA category that was presented at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations conference in Chicago. The honor is for our successful radio campaign for the Guinness World Record for the most signatures on a birthday card (1,871) at our 50^th anniversary open house celebration last April. We received a plaque and an engraved obelisk.

ASGC vice president Esau Cortez was named the 2013 Young Luminary in the second annual Latino Champions Awards, sponsored by U-T San Diego. History professor Carlos Contreras was one of four finalists for the 2013 Teacher of the Year award. Esau was lauded for his achievements in student government and for his community volunteer efforts. Carlos was honored for teaching excellence, student mentoring and contributions to diversity and equity.

Our college’s integrated planning process will be one of three colleges across the nation featured in a spotlight session at the National Conference of the American Association of Community Colleges.  Our college demonstrated best practices in our comprehensive efforts that link mission, vision and values with planning and resource allocation.  Congratulations to all those who helped our college develop this system – Chris Hill, Shirley Pereira, Tim Flood and our entire Planning and Resources Council.

I am also happy to report that Give the Dream fundraising events at both Grossmont and Cuyamaca and in the community garnered $80,000 for the Dreamkeeper program. The program allows students to apply for grants of up to $500 for unforeseen expenses that might make the difference between staying in college and dropping out.

Again, kudos to all the administrators, deans, faculty and staff who helped make our eight-week classes a reality. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL

The 17^th annual Literary Arts Festival will be held on the Grossmont campus April 29 through May 2. The Creative Writing Program sponsors the festival, which will feature award-winning authors and showcase talent from the campus and community. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

Highlights of this year's festival include an engagement with internationally renowned author Tobias Wolff, one of the most important American short story writers of our time. His most widely recognized works are his frequently anthologized story “Bullet To The Brain,” and his memoir about an abusive stepfather, “This Boy's Life.” Wolff will read and sign books on at 7 p.m. on May 1 in Griffin Gate. Award-winning Chaldean American poet Dunya Mikhail will read from her highly acclaimed collection of poems, “The War Works Hard,” named by the New York Public Library as one of the 25 books to remember. Mikhail will read and sign books on from 2 to 3:15 p.m. April 29 in Griffin Gate. The complete festival schedule can be found here.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

·         Annie Zuckerman will offer Computer Whiz-Outlook Part 2 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 5 in 70-134. If you have more Outlook questions, or were unable to attend the last workshop, here’s another opportunity to learn more about it. Fill out the questionnaire when you register to determine the content of this workshop. To register, click here. ·         Learn ways to create and anchor student learning in two Curriculum Mini Series workshops from 1 to 3 p.m. April 5 and 12 in 31-376. Contact Tate.Hurvitz@gcccd.edu A WAY WITH WORDS KPBS’ word master Martha Barnette of “A Way With Words” will speak on campus from 2 to 3:15 p.m. April 18 in 26-220, in a program sponsored by the Philosophy and Religious Studies departments.  Master of words and essential terminology on the part of students is critical in many courses, and how to get students engaged with terminology is often a great challenge for instructors.  Barnette’s approach to the complexity of language use includes humor and elements of the unexpected.  This guest lecture will be particularly useful for instructors who are looking for new ways to delivery theories and terminology in ways in that will be accessible to students and ways that are innovative in scope.

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

·         The Hyde Gallery’s current ceramics exhibition, “Works by Berning, Burkett and Wilson,” runs through April 11. It features work by Trent Berning, Richard Burkett and Lana Wilson. The gallery, located in Building 25 across from Café 200, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Admission is free.

·         The Office Professional Training will hold a Walk-a-Thon fundraiser on campus on April 13. Participants will run or walk a 5K, with refreshment stations along the way. The Walk-A-Thon will begin at 9 a.m. in parking lot 7, where there will also be a craft sale. All proceeds benefit the OPT program. Entry fees are $20 for adults and $3 for children. Registration ends April 11. OPT also is accepting donations of all sizes of men’s and women’s clothing that would be suitable to wear at an interview. The clothing will be distributed to OPT students on April 27. Contact Mary Leslie, ext. 7533, 54-512B, or Mary.Leslie@gcccd.edu

MUSIC DEPARTMENT SPRING SCHEDULE

• Gaiana Mndoian, cello, and Robert Wetzel, classical guitar, will perform “Cello and Guitar Masterpieces” from 8 p.m. April 5 in 26-221. Robert Wetzel also will offer two solo performances, “Four Centuries of Guitar Masterpieces, Volume I” at 8 p.m. April 9 and “Four Centuries of Guitar Masterpieces, Volume II” at 8 p.m. April 16 at Cuyamaca College Performing Arts Theater, B-117. Wetzel also will perform at 8 p.m. April 19 in 26-221.

• Grossmont Jazz Ensemble, directed by Manny Cepeda-Rivera, will play at 7 p.m. April 11 in 26-221.

·         The Grossmont Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale will perform “Paradise Lost” at 8 p.m. April 12 at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, 7710 El Cajon Blvd. in La Mesa, and again at 8 p.m. April 13 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 625 Pennsylvania Ave. in downtown San Diego. Donations are requested.

·         Fred Benedetti directs the Grossmont Guitar Ensemble in a free performance at 2:30 p.m. April 17 in 26-221.

·         Russ Sperling directs College Band Night with the Grossmont and Cuyamaca concert bands, and San Diego State University and Pt. Loma Nazarene University bands at 7:30 p.m. April 18 at Cuyamaca Performing Arts Theatre, B-117.

·         The Grossmont Music Faculty in Concert will be held at 7 p.m. April 21 in 26-220. The concert will feature Ken Anderson, vocal and piano; Fred Benedetti, guitar; Doug Booth, guitar and bass; Melanie Grinnell, vocal and piano; and James Morton, drums; with special guest performer Jeff Pekarek, bass.

·         The Grossmont Guitar Guild presents “Blurring the Edges,” with Peter Sprague, Tripp Sprague and Fred Benedetti at 8 p.m. April 24 in the Cuyamaca Performing Arts Theatre, B-117. Odeum Guitar Duo, Benedetti and Robert Wetzel, will perform “Four Centuries of Two Guitars,” at 8 p.m. May 3 in 26-221.

·          The Grossmont Symphony String Quartet presents “An Evening of Chamber Music” at 7:30 p.m. May 2 in 26-220 and at 8 p.m. May 3 at All Saints Episcopal Church at Sixth and Pennsylvania avenues in Hillcrest.  Directed by Randall Tweed, the concert features Kay Van Tassell, flautist and Katherine Petrosyan, pianist. General admission is $10 and $5 for students for the May 2 concert. Donations are requested for the May 3 performance.

General admission for concerts is $10, $8 for faculty and seniors, and $5 for students unless otherwise noted.

HONORS

·         Gregg Robinson, sociology associate professor, published “The White Working-Class and the Foreclosure Crisis: Tracing the Roots of a Failed Movement in Southern California,”  a paper he wrote while on a recent sabbatical, in the March issue of “Sociological Perspectives,” the publication of the Pacific Sociological Society. The article investigates why no major social movement developed around the foreclosure crisis.

·         Six students from the Speech/Debate Team were selected to compete at the California Community College Forensics Association’s State Tournament in Woodland Hills on March 14 through 17. Jeffrey Adams, Ali Majed Aldhalimi, Darron DeVillez, Mayte Guiterrez, John Price and Samuel Thomas each competed in three different speaking events. Ali won a gold award in Program Oral Interpretation and a bronze in Impromptu Speaking. Mayte won a silver award in Program Oral Interpretation. Congratulations to the team!

• Congratulations to Allen Hazard, professor in Exercise Science and Health Education, who will be inducted into Southwestern College’s (Athletics) Hall of Fame for his feats in cross country and track as a college student there. He also competed in track as a student at San Diego State University.

• Chef Joe Orate and his culinary arts students were asked to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Irish Festival in downtown San Diego and Balboa Park on March 16. Chef Orate rode in a corvette in the parade and he and the students made and served Irish stew at the festival.

• Thirada Kingphuang, an international student studying forensic technology, received the $2,500 Rita Olson Legacy Scholarship awarded by the San Diego Police Foundation’s “Women in Blue” at the event on March 13. The scholarship is designed for women pursuing a career in law enforcement. Thirada also was the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) club president.

IN THE NEWS

·         Roxanne Tuscany, communications professor, and two members of the Speech and Debate team, Darron DeVillez and Ali Aldhalimi, were featured in a story in U-T San Diego about their upcoming trip to China to compete in an international parliamentary debate competition. To read the story, click here.

·         U-T San Diego featured ASGC vice president Esau Cortez in its special Latino Champions section March 30. Here is a link to the story and another here to photos of the event.

·         The La Mesa Courier ran a story on the two fundraising performances – Brian Rickel’s “Judevine: A Solo” and Jerry Hager’s “Stories That Come to Mime” – benefiting the Theatre Arts Department program. Click here for the story.

GET HEALTHY

The Grossmont College Wellness initiative offers Free Fitness Fridays. Click here to register, or check the wellness website for more information. All classes (except Stress Reduction which meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in 55-522) will meet 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. in 36-355.

·         April 5 – Office Fitness: Learn exercises you can do in your office or around campus to help you feel more energized, less stressed and more flexible. Office attire appropriate.

·         April 19 – Stress Reduction: Got Stress? Join us for this important and informative workshop on tool to reduce and manage stress in your life.

·         April 26 – Eating on the Go: Learn about healthy snacks, lunches and "eating on the go."

·         May 3 – Fitness for the First Timer:  Want to know how to make exercise more comfortable? Learn gentle exercises and how to modify tradition exercises.  This class is great for those that can’t perform standard exercises because of pain, lack of fitness or other physical challenges.  Come dressed to move.

·         May 10 – Ideas for equipping a home gym under $50: Learn a 10-minute strength routine using an inexpensive, flexible elastic band. Great for those wanting a routine they can do at home or while on vacation.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Would you be interested in speaking to a service group or be available for media interviews on topics in which you have expertise? The topics could be wide-ranging, from a history professor who’s extensively studied a certain country to a counselor who could talk about the challenges that veterans face when they return to school.

Service groups such as the Rotary, Kiwanis or Lions Club sometimes request speakers for their meetings, generally for a 15-20 minute talk at breakfast or lunch. Arrangements for a speaker are usually made several weeks in advance.

Media interviews generally involve a hot topic in the news or an ongoing issue. The interviews generally last just a few minutes, but reporters will want the interview on short notice so they can meet their deadline.  

If you would like to be included as one of our experts, send your name, department, area of expertise, cell and home phone number (kept confidential) to Anne Krueger in the District Advancement and Communications office.  She will contact you to determine your availability when a speaking engagement or media interview is requested.