President's Newsburst - October 2012

PRESIDENT’S NEWSBURST

OCTOBER 2012

President's Message

Election season is most definitely upon us!  Soon, many citizens will be voting via a mail-in ballot and Tuesday November 6, 2012 will be the big day.  In more ways than one, the fate of our Nation, our College and our District will be determined by this election.  We are fortunate to live in a democratic society where we have the privilege and responsibility to participate in this process as voters.  Our responsibility includes being informed on the issues, weighing pros/cons, and impacts of our vote.

The most often heard excuse for not voting in an election is "my vote won't really make a difference." Yet history is full of examples about the power of the single vote. So, on election day, every vote matters and your vote will help decide the future. 

If you are not already registered to vote, the exciting news is that Californians can now register to vote online. Now, any U.S. citizens and California resident with a driver's license and social security number can securely register to vote online at the California Secretary of State's website, www.RegisterToVote.Ca.Gov. Also, please encourage everyone in your family to get out and vote and help determine the future in our country. You can even help register a friend, family member, neighbor or colleague who is not registered to vote by e-mailing them a voter registration form by visiting www.VoteTheChange.com.

Get Informed about Proposition V

Prop. V is a $398 million bond measure appearing on the November 6 ballot. The GCCCD Board of Trustees recognized the need for long-range planning to ensure that Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges have adequate, up-to-date learning environments and technology infrastructure so that we can continue to provide relevant education and training to prepare students for university transfer and the 21st century workforce.  Prop. V would provide funding for facilities to meet the projected educational needs of our community, improve job training and veterans services for East County, and expand, update and replace our aging classrooms, infrastructure and technology systems. General information about Prop. V is available on our district website www.gcccd.edu/advancement-communications/proposition-v/default.html.

Get Informed about Proposition 30

Prop 30, known as the Schools and Safety Protection Act, is a tax measure sponsored by Gov. Jerry Brown to help balance the California budget. Money from the measure would avert $5 billion in midyear cuts to K-12 schools and $1 billion in cuts to higher education. The measure would temporarily raise the state sales tax by a quarter-cent for four years (2013-2016), and increase taxes on a sliding scale for those making more than $250,000 a year for seven years (tax years 2012-2018) to help close California's budget deficit.

If Prop. 30 fails, California's community colleges would lose $338 million in funding, which would result in cutting enrollment by 85,000 full-time equivalent students. Our District would be cut by $5.6 million, losing funding for the equivalent of 1,227 full-time students. In preparing for this worse-case scenario, the District has already cut 310 class sections, on top of the 1,600 class sections that have been eliminated over the past four years.

If Prop 30 is approved, funds from an education protection account established with these Prop 30 temporary taxes would be apportioned with 89% to K-12, and 11% to higher education. Community colleges would get $209 million in 2012-2013 and more than $3 billion over the next seven years. For GCCCD, this would prevent the $5.6 million cut and give us an increase this year estimated at $705,000. Thus, the District would be able to restore the 310 class sections we cut in the event of Prop 30 failing, plus we would be able to add another 40 classes. 

A competing tax measure, Prop 38, provides revenue for K-12 and early childhood education, but none for community colleges or universities. If both measures pass with more than 50% of the vote, the measure with the highest number of votes will be enacted.

Three informational forums have been scheduled to provide an opportunity to answer your questions about the upcoming crucial election so that you can make informed decisions and share with others about the impact of the November election on the college district. The dates for the forums include:

·         Tuesday, Oct. 16, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Grossmont College, Health & Sciences Building, 34-170

·         Wednesday, Oct. 17, 12:30-1:30 p.m., District Services South Annex Conference Room

·         Thursday, Oct. 18, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Cuyamaca College Student Center, I-208, Meeting Room 2.

Around The Campus

·         Welcome to Dr. Howard Irvin as our new Interim Dean of Counseling and Enrollment Services. Dr. Irvin has an extensive background serving in the California Community College System with over seven years of experience as an administrator. During this interim period, while the College continues with its nationwide search for a permanent Dean of Counseling, the following programs will be reporting to Dr. Irvin: Admissions and Records, EOPS/CARE, DSPS (Assistive Technology Center), Career Services (Career Center, Student Employment, Adult Re-entry), and CalWORKs.

·         The deadline to apply for Fall 2012 graduation is Oct.12. Please encourage all your students nearing graduation to take this important step!  Students should be directed to contact Admissions & Records to apply for graduation. 

·         Employee Wellness:  The GC Wellness Initiative and Professional Development Committee are committed to helping you improve your health and wellness by providing employee fitness classes at no cost. Zumba will be held from 5:30 to 6: 30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays in 42-101. Yoga will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in 42-101, and from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Fridays in the Health & Science Complex Lower Lobby. Recreation swimming is available from 4 to 4:50 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and from 11 to 11:50 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Vilarino. 

Volunteer-Led Activity Groups with your colleagues and co-workers offers fun, "good-for-the-soul" exercise. Join Linda Daley for walking at 9 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Laura Murphey at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Join Agustin Albarran for cycling at noon on Wednesdays.  Beginning jogging is available at 5:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays with Denise Schulmeyer. For hiking, contact Will Pines (North County), Bernadette Black (Cowles Mountain) and Anita Martinez (Mission Trails). Read more about the wellness activities at http://www.grossmont.edu/wellness/.

Take the opportunity to eat healthy, support locally grown produce and support a local school! Pershing Middle School on Navajo Road offers a Farmer's Market on Thursday afternoons from 4-7pm on the school's athletic field.  Stop by to stock up on healthy foods for you healthy lifestyle.

·         Planning is underway by the Faculty Professional Development Committee for Spring 2013 Flex Week. The theme for Spring 2013 Flex Week is "Faculty Success." The deadline for the call for workshops for Flex Week is Oct. 17. The form is available via a link on the Professional Development website, www.grossmont.edu/staffdevelop. If you have any questions, please contact the committee chairs, Mark Goodman, Mark.Goodman@gcccd.edu, ext.7886, or Cindi Harris, Cindi.Harris@gcccd.edu, ext. 7502.

·         Approximately 17 members of Grossmont College will tour the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena on Friday, October 26. The tour is expected to include a multimedia presentation on JPL entitled "Journey to the Planets and Beyond," which provides an overview of the Laboratory's activities and accomplishments. Guests may also visit the Von Karman Visitor Center, the Space Flight Operations Facility, and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility. This will be an all-day event, leaving the Grossmont College area around 8:30 a.m., and returning in the evening.

Dreamkeepers!

This year the Dreamkeepers window was only open for one week before all emergency grant funds were expended.  Thank you to all those that referred our students in need to the fund designed to help students stay in college.  The Grossmont College Financial Aid Office allocated Dreamkeeper Grant funds 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.  

 All faculty, staff and administrators are invited to become a free e-mail subscriber to The Summit, the Grossmont College student newspaper. Evan Wirig, Media Communications, is encouraging you to activate your subscription by visiting www.gcsummit.com and type your e-mail address at the top left box. Whenever news breaks, you will receive an e-mail headline alert.

In The Community

·         Grossmont and Cuyamaca student leaders came together in a Day of Service on Friday, Oct. 5 at Noah Homes as they assisted in planting their winter garden. Noah Homes provides residential homes and services for adults with developmental disabilities.

·         Our nursing students will be visible in the community on Saturday, Oct. 13 with an exhibit booth at the El Cajon Safety & Career Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fire Station 6, 100 East Lexington Ave. The free family fun will include a Home Depot Kids Workshop, child I.D., Heartland Fire Safety Trailer and senior resource. For more information, visit www.HeartlandFire.org.

·         Several community groups have scheduled informational meetings about Proposition V, the GCCCD facilities bond measure appearing on the Nov. 6 ballot. The groups include: Lemon Grove Rotary on Monday, Oct. 8; Alpine-Mountain Empire Chamber on Tuesday, Oct. 9; Kiwanis Club of Alpine on Saturday, Oct. 13; and Santee Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Oct. 16.

·         The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with GCCCD, will offer a series of "How-To" workshops designed to assist small business owners in East County. The workshops are free of charge and each workshop will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Chamber's Community Room, 201 S. Magnolia Ave. in El Cajon. The first workshop, "Generational Diversity in the Workplace," will be presented on Tuesday, Oct. 30, by Victoria Hankins, professional development instructor with the San Diego and Imperial County Workplace Learning Resource Center (WpLRC). This workshop will offer tips on how managers and staff can foster good working relationships between generations, including understanding sources of generational conflict and how to minimize it, how to identify each generation's value system, what motivates each generation, how each generation defines success and appreciating and gaining respect for what is important to each generation. For more information about the series, contact the San Diego East County Chamber at (619) 440-6161, or visit www.eastcountychamber.org.

·         Grossmont and Cuyamaca students are planning to participate at the Mother Goose Parade in El Cajon on Sunday, Nov. 18th. All those interested in participating are encouraged to attend the parade and cheer for the students and college mascots as they pass by riding on an antique fire truck. The parade is the largest parade in San Diego County and the largest west of the Mississippi. The parade will begin at Magnolia and Main Street in El Cajon, head along Main Street to North Second Street, turns north and then end at Madison Avenue. For more parade information, visit www.mothergooseparade.org http://www.mothergooseparade.org/. For information about GC students in the parade, contact Peg Marcus, president, ASGC.

Honors

·         GC History instructors Carlos Contreras and Oscar Canedo have been selected by the American Historical Association (AHA) for its "Bridging Cultures at Community Colleges" project. Contreras and Canedo are among 24 faculty members from 12 community colleges in the U.S. that will work over the next three years on a project called "American History, Atlantic and Pacific." As part of the project, community college faculty members will reframe the origins of the United States within a broad geographical and chronological context, including recommending revisions to U.S. History courses such as the U.S. History Survey, often considered as a general education course. The National Endowment for the Humanities is supporting this project through cooperative agreement with the AHA.

·         Retired psychology faculty member Teresa Jacob has been recognized by Stanford University for exceptional teaching. She was selected for the honor by Stanford freshmen and GC graduate Daniel McKay. Incoming Stanford freshmen were invited to acknowledge a former teacher or mentor who played a significant role in their intellectual, academic, social and personal development, and McKay selected Dr. Jacob. McKay was the student speaker at the 2012 Commencement ceremony.

Upcoming campus events

·         More than 50 artwork pieces created by 30 different Art Department faculty members are on display through Oct. 25 at the Hyde Art Gallery, located in Building #25. The mixed-media exhibition represents the various disciplines that exist within the Grossmont College Art Department, including photography, jewelry, painting and drawing and ceramics and sculpture.

·         This is the second year of our campuswide "one-book, one-campus" project. Students in classrooms across the campus will be discussing "Silent Spring," the book credited with helping to launch the environmental movement of the 1960s. Related activities will include student art work, student debates, film showings, biology posters and essay contests. The "Silent Spring" film screening will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Griffin Gate.  For the latest schedule, visit www.grossmont.edu/english/SilentSpring.

·         The Grossmont College Theater Arts program will present "Mauritius" at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 12, 13 and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 13 at the Stagehouse Theater in Building #21. General admission is $15 per person. Tickets are available at the door and online at the Theatre Arts Department website, www.grossmont.edu/theatrebrochure. The play features adult language and may not be suitable for young children. For more information, phone ext. 7234.

·         College Transfer Day is Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Main Quad. The Transfer Center is anticipating representatives from six UC's, nine CSU's, more than one dozen out-of-state schools and two dozen or so independent or private schools. There are three things you can do to help students consider their transfer options: (1) Encourage students to attend the College Transfer Fair; (2) Add your name to the list of faculty, administrators and staff who are willing to share information about their alma mater(s) with students. (3). Wear the t-shirt of your alma mater on Wednesday, October 10th.

·         GC Women's Tennis Coach Megan Haber is inviting everyone to step back in time with the fourth annual "Whites and Woods Doubles Tournament," a round-robin doubles tournament and fundraiser benefiting the Grossmont College men's and women's tennis teams and the West Hills High School tennis teams, starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct.13, at the GC tennis courts on campus. Players are encouraged to wear all white and use wooden rackets (wooden rackets will be available for rent for $5). Cost to play is $40 per team. For more information, contact Nathan Welden at (619) 920-9052, or visit www.FletcherHillsTennis.com, click "Tournaments."

·         East County native, writer and artist Mindy Solis, former Grossmont College Creative Writing student, will present a reading dedicated to the stories and poems of the people of San Diego's East County at Grossmont College at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17 in Griffin Gate. The public is invited to attend this free event, which is part of Grossmont College's Creative Writing Program's Fall Reading Series and the Lester Bangs Memorial Reading, named after the deceased rock `n' roll critic and former Grossmont College student. Solis is the editor of "The Far East: Everything Just As It Is," an anthology of writings that combines non-fiction and poetry to create a portrait of life in East San Diego County.

·         The Afro-Cuban Ensemble will perform with the Grossmont College Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18 at Cuyamaca College Performing Arts Theatre. Also, the Grossmont Concert Band will perform its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22. Admission for both concerts is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military and $5 for students.

·         The Career Center will host "Career Week" from Oct. 15 to 18. All workshops and activities will be held in the Career Center, Building #60, Room #140. Free reviews of resumes will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15. On Tuesday, Oct. 16, two workshops will be held: "The Perfect Match," a workshop about researching your employer, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and "The Interview" on interviewing tips from 1 to 2:30 p.m. On Thursday, Oct. 18, a workshop called "Successful Employment After Your '40s, '50s and '60s" will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The 34th annual Career Expo with approximately 50 exhibitors will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17 in the Main Quad. A fashion show also will be held from 11 a.m. to noon during Career Expo. Students are encouraged to come prepared with their resume and proper interview attire. For a complete list of Career Week workshops and clinics, including the time and location, visit www.grossmont.edu/careercenter, click "News & Events" and "Workshops," or please call the Career Center at ext. 7614.

·         Grossmont College will be the site of the Grossmont Union High School District's ninth annual "Got Plans?," a free career and career fair for high school students and parents, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20. The public is invited to attend. More than 6,000 students are expected to attend and take advantage of free information about educational and career options after high school. Admissions representatives from over 90 public and private universities, community colleges, vocational schools, and the military are expected to attend. Free workshops will review options at four-year universities, two-year colleges, financial aid and career opportunities, as well as SAT/ACT tests. Some sessions will be offered in Spanish and Arabic. The event is a partnership between the high school district and the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District.  It will be the first time "Got Plans?" has been held at Grossmont College. For more information, visit www.ghusd.net.

·         The Inter-Club Council will host an all-campus yard sale from 7 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Parking Lot #7. Only registered student organizations will be allowed to sell, but the entire campus and members of the public are invited to donate items and, of course, stop by and shop!

·         The Grossmont College Dance Department will present "Breaking Boundaries," a student- choreographed dance concert, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 1 to 3, at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre. 6611 University Ave., San Diego. The concert, showcasing a variety of dance genres, including modern dance, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop, will be choreographed and performed by dance students. Admission tickets at the door are $13 per person (cash only). For more information, visit www.grossmont.edu/dance, or call the Dance Department at 644-7766.

Recent campus events

·         Among the books discussed at the recent A Celebration of Banned Books: "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carlson, "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg, "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac and "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. It was part of our campus' participation in the American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week.

·         Grossmont graduate and Army Reserves veteran Justin Dile spoke at a recent press conference about the impact of budget cuts on veterans. Click here for a link http://www.gcccd.edu/news/2012/10/10032012veterans-news-conference.html  to a story about the press conference.

·         The Office Professional Training program recently held a fundraiser at Mountain Mike's pizza restaurant. OPT students also sold pizza in the Main Quad. More than $400 was raised from the pizza sale, donations and an opportunity drawing held at the restaurant.

President's News Burst September 2012

PRESIDENT’S NEWS BURST

SEPTEMBER 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Welcome to a new semester. I’m eternally grateful to all of you for ensuring that our semester got off to a very smooth start!  Our district collegially determined modifications to the enrollment priorities for students starting this fall and those changes were in line with the statewide enrollment priorities that were just passed by the Board of Governors in its San Diego meeting this week.  Additionally, our district implemented automated enforcement of course pre-requisites this fall.  I am proud of the many people who helped move these efforts along without a negative impact to enrollment.  Our focus was to make the most of each limited seat in every course we offer, enhance student progression through degree and certificate programs, and maximize student success.  There are many individuals and departments to thank for all of this but special thanks to our Instructional and Student Services Departments, Information Systems, the Enrollment and Student Success Taskforce and many, many others.  

I’ve noticed a lot of instructors and students who are enthusiastic about the start of a new academic year, and our outstanding staff appears to already be in their mid-year groove. Let me express my appreciation for your support and commitment to use resources as effectively as possible. Thank you for all your efforts in providing an environment conducive to learning and ensuring the highest quality education for our students, and for your commitment to our college and our vision to change lives through education.

In addition, I would like to say how impressed I was with the results from the recent Institutional Survey conducted by our Institutional Excellence Council. The survey provided important information on the college’s programs, services, processes and opportunities. Among the results:

·         Over 86 percent of full-time employees and 83 percent of part-time faculty are aware of the GC mission, vision and values;

·         Over 71 percent of employees understand the college’s goals and the extent to which they are achieved;

·         Over 80 percent of faculty and students agreed that the college is committed to excellence in teaching and learning;

·         Over 80 percent of the faculty and administrators, and 61 percent of the staff indicated that they had the opportunity to participate in dialogue with colleagues about how to improve student learning and institutional processes.

These numbers are excellent, but we can always do better. 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.

NEW DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND COORDINATORS

There are several new Department chairs and coordinators for the Fall 2012 semester. They include: Administration of Justice, Tina Young; Anesthesia Technology and Respiratory Therapy, Peggy Wells; Cardiovascular Technology,  Liz Barrow;  Nursing, Lisa Maloy; Orthopedic Technology, Tom Byrne and Chris Rice; Telemetry/EKG; Byron Marshall; American Sign Language, Jamie Gould;  Visual Arts/Humanities, Paul Turounet; Media Communications, Evan Wirig; Project Success, Joan Ahrens; Biological Sciences, Craig Milgrim and Shina Alagia, co-chairs; Earth Sciences, Judd Curran; EOPS/CARE & CalWORKs, Michael Perez.

AROUND THE CAMPUS

      If you want your photo to be seen on the Grossmont Staff Directory, and if your photograph has not yet been taken, please contact our college photographer Stephen Harvey (ext. 7377) for an individual appointment. In addition, photos can be scheduled so that entire departments can be photographed all at the same sitting. The Grossmont Staff Directory features photographs, titles and employment dates of faculty, staff and administrators. The Directory can be accessed by visiting www.grossmont.edu/intranet/staffdir.

      Season flu shots are available to all students, faculty and staff at Student Health Services located in Griffin Center, Room 130. Flu shot hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. Cost is $15 for students and $20 for faculty and staff. With questions, call ext. 7192.

      The Print Shop is now offering walk-in copy service or 24-hour turn-around services through Sept. 17. Holly Phan, Printing Services Supervisor says if you use the online job submission system, please bring your original copy when you pick up your job in case the file was not received. The Print shop hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m., and Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

HONORS

·         Photography instructor Paul Turounet has been profiled for his work along the U.S.-Mexico border recording the experiences of undocumented immigrants. Here is a link to the article that appeared on the website of the Burbank, Calif.-based public television station KCET:  http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/san-diego/under-the-green-moon-with-paul-turounet.html.

·         Joan Ahrens, English, has been certified as a “Developmental Education Specialist” through the Kellogg Institute for the Training and Certification of Developmental Educators, Appalachian State University.

• At a recent culinary competition hosted by the San Diego Chefs Association and American Culinary Federation of Chefs, Joe Orate, our Culinary Arts coordinator received a gold medal and perfect score for his hot foods tapas display. Kris Saradpon, one of our Culinary Arts adjunct instructors, also earned a certificate. David Litke, a Culinary Arts student, also received a silver medal in fruit and vegetable carving. Grossmont student Jessica Church also assisted at this competition, which was held at the Art Institute of California – San Diego.  The event was called a “Culinary Salon” (salon is a European expression for competition). The competition was a prelude to our college’s participation in the Internationale Kochkunst Austellung (IKA), also known as the “Culinary Olympics,” to be held in Erfurt, Germany, Oct. 5–10.

• James Foran, Culinary Arts, and about a dozen of our Culinary Arts students will prepare desserts and assist other top local chefs at the 10th annual “Celebrate the Craft,” a food and wine event, on Sept. 30 at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla. This event will feature the finest food artisans preparing dishes using local ingredients. “Celebrate the Craft” is known as one of Southern California’s premier showcases for regionally grown ingredients and innovative cooking and winemaking. It will be a terrific opportunity for our students to experience the tradition of craft and culinary innovation.

·         Grossmont College was the only local community college selected as the Best College or University by the readers of the U-T San Diego in the 16th annual San Diego’s Best Readers’ Poll. The top five vote-getters (in order of finish) were: SDSU, Grossmont College, UC San Diego, University of San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University.

RECENT CAMPUS EVENTS

      Grossmont College Theatre Arts Guild hosted a successful fundraiser this past Friday and Saturday evening. “An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein” featured performances by Grossmont College faculty actors, including Sue Gonda, Stephanie Mood and Victoria and Judd Curran, along with Glenn Kaufhold. Performers from the Theatre Arts Department faculty included Jerry Hager, Jeannette Thomas, Brian Rickel, Susan DeLeon, Steve Schmidt and special guest Aaron Duggan. The event was a fundraiser for the Theatre Arts Department equipment fund and student scholarship program.

      The Fall 2012 Scholarship Awards Breakfast was held on Sept. 8, in the Student Center. Thirty-two students received $19,600 in scholarships for the fall 2012 semester. In addition, 44 students each received a $500 Osher scholarship for the fall 2012 semester. A grand total of $41,600 in scholarships was awarded. The event was presented by the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges and Grossmont College Scholarship Department.

      Nearly 3,000 students were served at our “Week of Welcome!,” known by the acronym “WoW!” Our Student Activities Office organized this event, which coincided with the first week of instruction and featured an Activity Fair in the Main Quad. The mission of WoW! was to provide a unified campus-wide welcome to new students and welcome back to returning students via information and programming. More than 80 members of our campus community came together to make Grossmont’s WOW! a success.

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

      The Grossmont College Friends of Music will present two performances of “An Evening of Chamber Music” starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, on campus in Room #220, and at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14 at All Saints Episcopal Church in San Diego. Performers will be the Grossmont College Symphony String Quartet.

      The Culinary Arts dinners begin Thursday, Sept. 13. The Fine Dining class will prepare and serve meals starting at 5:30 p.m. on the following Thursday evenings: Sept. 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, 15 and 29. Cost is $20 per person. Reservations can be made with Alexis Popko, extension #7267.

      The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will host its annual "Tech Fest," a community outreach event featuring performances, tours and workshops for high school drama students, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15. High school students will learn professional practices in the areas of set construction, lighting and sound, costume construction, stage management, and theatre publicity.

      Constitution Week will be held on campus from Sept. 17 to 20. Activities will include an appearance by the Sons of the American Revolution and a “Constitution Wall” where students can use their freedom of speech to write and post notes about what the Constitution means to them, as well as distribution of pocket U.S. Constitutions and patriotic music from Griffin Radio in the Main Quad. Joe Braunwarth, Political Science, will have an instructional classroom component.

      The English Department’s Creative Writing Program will begin its Fall 2012 Reading Series at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at Griffin Gate with an appearance by novelist and memoirist Anthony Swofford who will read from his new memoir, Hotels, Hospitals and Jails, described by the New York Times Book Review as a “tale of post-traumatic success disorder.” The Fall Reading Series will continue on Thursday, Sept. 27 in Room #220 with an appearance by writer and poet Amy Gerstler. Information is available at www.grossmont.edu/english/creativewriting.

      The Career Center will host a Student Employment workshop from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at the Career Center, Griffin Center, Building 60, Room #140. Pamela Benge will discuss “Doing What Matters to Find a Job.”

      The Jazz Ensemble will perform at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20 on campus in Room #220. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military and $5 for students.

      The Grossmont College Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale will present, “The Planets, a multi-media production,” with special guest Philip Blanco, Astronomy, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, 8086 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Admission is free but a free-will offering will be taken.

      The Grossmont Guitar Guild will present Music Dept. Co-Chair and guitar instructor Fred Benedetti in a solo performance of “Bach to Beatles” at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, in Room #221. The concert is open to the public. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and faculty and $5 for students.

      Fall sports programs include Football, Men’s Water Polo, Women’s Water Polo, Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Soccer and Women’s Cross Country.  For team schedules, please see link:  http://www.grossmont.edu/athletics/