PRESIDENT’S
NEWSBURST
JULY
2013
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
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From
2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16, and Thursday, July 18, law enforcement
officers en masse will be on the Grossmont campus to simulate several emergency
scenarios that will involve the firing of blanks from their weapons, running,
shouting and other disruptions. Drills will be conducted throughout the
day practicing what sheriff’s deputies and other nearby law enforcement
agencies would do if there were a hostage situation on campus, and if there
were someone on campus shooting a weapon. While such scenarios are, of course,
horrific to contemplate, we have seen all too often how school grounds –
whether K-12 or colleges– are not immune to gun violence. Drilling for an
emergency that we all hope will never happen at Grossmont College will enable law
enforcement to better respond to such an event if it should ever
occur. In preparation for these two days of practice, Parking
Structure 5, the two surface lots on either side of the structure, as well as
portions of the 500 buildings and part of the back of Griffin Center will all
be blocked off. Classes and other business that normally occur in these
areas will be moved to other parts of the campus during the drills. These
measures are intended to minimize operational disruption 
of the drill or college functions. Students,
staff and faculty will receive emails and text messages and notices will be
posted on campus and our website in advance of the law enforcement so that
everyone will be informed and no one will panic. Remember this will
be a drill and only a drill.
From unhappy, but very necessary news, let me turn to happy and intellectually stimulating news. There is growing excitement on campus about the forthcoming “One Campus, One Book” program that will feature many departments studying Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer throughout the next academic year. English Prof. Tate Hurvitz once again is coordinating Grossmont College’s interdisciplinary participation in this project, which also involves such local four-year institutions as UCSD, SDSU, Cal State San Marcos, USD and Point Loma Nazarene College. Among activities planned so far are a faculty art show Sept.30-Oct.24 planned by Suda House, which will depict experiences with and perspectives on cancer. Proceeds from the sale of exhibited art will go to cancer research. Roxanne Tuscany is weighing the possibility of having Grossmont College’s debate team take cancer on as a subject. Nutritionist Christine Zoumas, who takes a special interest in cancer-fighting nutrition, will help us understand why some foods are helpful and others harmful. And, Donald Harrison, interim director of college and community relations is collaborating with KNSD/Channel 7 in the planning of a “Jeopardy” style game show, in which teams from the different colleges and universities would compete at Grossmont to answer faculty-submitted questions based on The Emperor of All Maladies. Derek Cannon has accepted a challenge to develop jazz variations on the popular “Jeopardy” theme song. William Snead is inviting film students to form a working group to make a documentary about the many aspects of Grossmont’s participation. This is just the beginning of collaborative projects; we are hoping other departments also will become involved. When various projects examine an important subject such as cancer from various perspectives, it creates a wonderful synergy on campus that underscores the excitement of learning!
Finally, I’m happy to report that the Summer Wellness
Program is drawing active participation from administrators, faculty and
staff. Participants are learning through a biometrics examination about
their body weight and mass; in nutrition class about healthy eating, and in
exercise classes the joys of yoga, lap swimming, and zumba. Organizer Sharon
Vilarino says there will be a “scavenger hunt” later in the summer which
will be a “fun, easy way to encourage healthy eating, more physical activity
and time to de-stress.”
of the drill or college functions. Students,
staff and faculty will receive emails and text messages and notices will be
posted on campus and our website in advance of the law enforcement so that
everyone will be informed and no one will panic. Remember this will
be a drill and only a drill. From unhappy, but very necessary news, let me turn to happy and intellectually stimulating news. There is growing excitement on campus about the forthcoming “One Campus, One Book” program that will feature many departments studying Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer throughout the next academic year. English Prof. Tate Hurvitz once again is coordinating Grossmont College’s interdisciplinary participation in this project, which also involves such local four-year institutions as UCSD, SDSU, Cal State San Marcos, USD and Point Loma Nazarene College. Among activities planned so far are a faculty art show Sept.30-Oct.24 planned by Suda House, which will depict experiences with and perspectives on cancer. Proceeds from the sale of exhibited art will go to cancer research. Roxanne Tuscany is weighing the possibility of having Grossmont College’s debate team take cancer on as a subject. Nutritionist Christine Zoumas, who takes a special interest in cancer-fighting nutrition, will help us understand why some foods are helpful and others harmful. And, Donald Harrison, interim director of college and community relations is collaborating with KNSD/Channel 7 in the planning of a “Jeopardy” style game show, in which teams from the different colleges and universities would compete at Grossmont to answer faculty-submitted questions based on The Emperor of All Maladies. Derek Cannon has accepted a challenge to develop jazz variations on the popular “Jeopardy” theme song. William Snead is inviting film students to form a working group to make a documentary about the many aspects of Grossmont’s participation. This is just the beginning of collaborative projects; we are hoping other departments also will become involved. When various projects examine an important subject such as cancer from various perspectives, it creates a wonderful synergy on campus that underscores the excitement of learning!
Finally, I’m happy to report that the Summer Wellness
Program is drawing active participation from administrators, faculty and
staff. Participants are learning through a biometrics examination about
their body weight and mass; in nutrition class about healthy eating, and in
exercise classes the joys of yoga, lap swimming, and zumba. Organizer Sharon
Vilarino says there will be a “scavenger hunt” later in the summer which
will be a “fun, easy way to encourage healthy eating, more physical activity
and time to de-stress.”|
FACULTY AND STAFF
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Ann Durham has been
selected by the state chancellor’s office to serve as a deputy sector navigator
to coordinate the educational offerings on nine community college campuses in
San Diego and Imperial Counties with needs of the health care industry.
Brice W. Harris, California Community Colleges Chancellor along with district and college faculty and staff, toured our Health Science Complex June 19 before announcing a new tool to help students to decide on their careers: Salary Surfer, a chart examining before-and-after salaries of students who enroll in the great variety of associate degree and certificate programs offered at the 112 college campuses. Here is the website: http://salarysurfer.cccco.edu/SalarySurfer.aspx Allied Health and Nursing Dean Debbie Yaddow and Liz Barrow, cardiovascular technology instructor, and their students participated in the tour.
Avelina Mitchell, an assistant cashier at Cuyamaca College, has been selected president of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s Classified Senate. At each campus, a slate of officers has been elected to serve with her. At Grossmont College, they are vice president, Linda Daley; member at large, Tom Fox; and senators Mary Eden, Patty Sparks, Sharon Farley and Cindy Hall.
Brice W. Harris, California Community Colleges Chancellor along with district and college faculty and staff, toured our Health Science Complex June 19 before announcing a new tool to help students to decide on their careers: Salary Surfer, a chart examining before-and-after salaries of students who enroll in the great variety of associate degree and certificate programs offered at the 112 college campuses. Here is the website: http://salarysurfer.cccco.edu/SalarySurfer.aspx Allied Health and Nursing Dean Debbie Yaddow and Liz Barrow, cardiovascular technology instructor, and their students participated in the tour.
Avelina Mitchell, an assistant cashier at Cuyamaca College, has been selected president of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s Classified Senate. At each campus, a slate of officers has been elected to serve with her. At Grossmont College, they are vice president, Linda Daley; member at large, Tom Fox; and senators Mary Eden, Patty Sparks, Sharon Farley and Cindy Hall.
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GREETINGS AND
FAREWELLS
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Sara Ferguson has joined us as a full-time ESL instructor. Sara has a TESOL certificate from UCSD and a master's in applied linguistics from SDSU. She has taught ESL for over 15 years at various colleges, including part-time at Grossmont. As the daughter of an anthropologist who lived on the island of Mauritius, Sara is aware of and empathizes with the struggle and difficulties that students have navigating a new culture with limited knowledge of the language.
Kerry Kilber Rebman, Dean of Learning and Technology Resources, is moving to Cuyamaca College July 29th to oversee the various learning support services. Kerry has gained a breadth of experience at Grossmont College by managing the library, instructional technology, tutoring, distance education, professional development and creative services. We thank her for her three years of service to Grossmont College and wish her well on this next endeavor.
Biology Instructor Gail Lillis and English Ass’t Prof. Linda Mitchell have retired from Grossmont College, and our best wishes follow them wherever they may go.
Cathy Miller has been appointed as a full-time English instructor. Cathy received her B. A. in English at UC Santa Barbara and her M. A. in English-Comparative Literature at SDSU. She has taught the full range of composition courses, from developmental/basic skills through advanced composition, and she moves with ease and fluency between levels, always being completely student-centered in her approaches and assignments. Cathy was a Project Success adjunct for us from 2007-2009 and then gained a wealth of experience when she and her family moved to Michigan. She taught both at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, and Washtenaw Community College, also serving as Writing Program Director at the University of Michigan.
Katrina VanderWoude, our new Vice President for Academic Affairs, will be starting her new post on Monday, August 5th, after driving cross country with daughter Elyse and dog Lazlo from Michigan, where she had served as vice provost of Rochester College. I hope you will all join me in giving her a big Grossmont College welcome.
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STUDENT
SUCCESS STORIES
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Middle College High School Graduation -- On Monday, June 10, thirty-six
students in Grossmont’s Middle College High School graduated, and were they
ever impressive. They earned an aggregate of $287,000 in scholarships,
grants and work study awards, while compiling an average of 255 internship
hours over their course of study. The average GPA of the class was 3.75,
with three students including valedictorian Laila Syeda Hamzai earning
perfect 4.0’s. The average number of college credits earned by these
highly motivated students was a fraction shy of 30, with Sarah Lynee Gehman
earning 43. It’s just breathtaking how well these high school
students do both academically and in the work place.
San Diego County Fair Winners -- Four Grossmont College students who entered various competitions at the San Diego County Fair have won best-of-class and best-of-show awards. In addition, a number of Grossmont students won “first place” in individual categories within each class. The winners were Cody Johnson, a student in Toni Renier’s digital painting and illustration class, who won best of class and best of show for his digital drawing. Christopher Glenn, another of Toni’s students, who won best of class for his montage of faces and a boat. Marianne Blessing in Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler’s creative photography class won best of class and best of show for a studio and nature digital composite. In the short documentary category, L.J. Clark, a student in William Snead’s media communications class, won best of class for “Louis Rose: The Forgotten Father,” a short film about the life and legacy of one of San Diego’s pioneers. Other Grossmont College first-place winners from Toni’s classes included Carlos Garcia, Tommy Gomez, Kim Hyun Jung, Seth Rader, Allison Sedar, Taryn Seidel, Allora Shaw, Judy Tran and Naomi Woods.
San Diego County Fair Winners -- Four Grossmont College students who entered various competitions at the San Diego County Fair have won best-of-class and best-of-show awards. In addition, a number of Grossmont students won “first place” in individual categories within each class. The winners were Cody Johnson, a student in Toni Renier’s digital painting and illustration class, who won best of class and best of show for his digital drawing. Christopher Glenn, another of Toni’s students, who won best of class for his montage of faces and a boat. Marianne Blessing in Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler’s creative photography class won best of class and best of show for a studio and nature digital composite. In the short documentary category, L.J. Clark, a student in William Snead’s media communications class, won best of class for “Louis Rose: The Forgotten Father,” a short film about the life and legacy of one of San Diego’s pioneers. Other Grossmont College first-place winners from Toni’s classes included Carlos Garcia, Tommy Gomez, Kim Hyun Jung, Seth Rader, Allison Sedar, Taryn Seidel, Allora Shaw, Judy Tran and Naomi Woods.
Oceanside International Film Festival – Bring Me Home, a film about veterans by Grossmont students Robert Ramos, Christian Vega, Antonie Aaron and Nasser Gortani has been selected as an entry to be shown August 25th at the Oceanside International Film Festival. This was a project for William Snead’s class.
Scholarships -- David Morales-Boroff, one of Derek Cannon’s Afro-Cuban Ensemble students, has been awarded a full-tuition “President’s Scholarship” at Berklee College in Boston, where he will transfer in the fall.
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
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Classified Employees Convocation – The second convocation for Grossmont College’s classified employees will start with a breakfast at 7 a.m., Thursday, August 1. The program will begin at 8:00 a.m. in Griffin Gate and will continue through approximately 11 a.m. All staff are asked to report to that location no later than 8 a.m. as offices will not be open during staff convocation. The keynote speaker of the morning will be Mary Carouba, author of Women At Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion, who will relate some of the remarkable things that
women
did in the aftermath of the infamous terrorist attack on the World Trade Center
in Manhattan. Time has been allotted for Mary to sign books following her
talk. Raffle prizes will also be awarded.Week of Welcome –Sara Glasgow, interim associate dean of student affairs, who did such a wonderful job on coordinating Commencement activities, will be showing her organizing abilities again August 19-23 during the campus-wide Week of Welcome for new students. Three information booths will be located at strategic spots around the campus on Monday and Tuesday, August 19 and 20, and on Wednesday, August 21, numerous organizations will staff their specialized booths on the Main Quad from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you’d like a booth, please contact Sara.
Dvorak’s New World Symphony – Music Instructor Randall Tweed and Humanities Instructor Gareth Davies-Morris are collaborating on a synchronized concert and power point presentation which, as envisioned, will have the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra perform Dvorak’s New World Symphony against a backdrop of projected images featuring such American minority groups as AmerIndians, Chinese-Americans, and African-Americans. The performances are scheduled Thursday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church in Lemon Grove, and on Sunday, October 6, at 7 p.m. at Paradise Valley Seventh Day Adventist Church in National City.
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REST
IN PEACE
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With
sadness we learned about the death in a traffic accident of Grossmont College
student Harold Oliver Wise IV, who had been a promising theatre arts
major. In campus productions in the 2010-2011 season, the talented Wise
had appeared as Laerte in Hamlet and as Valere in The Miser. Our
prayers go out to his family.
