For some time, your College Emergency Operations Center Work Group has been planning campus practices for real emergencies that can occur at any moment. Last fall, a brush fire on the north side of campus gave us an opportunity to test our College employee response acumen and the function of our Emergency Operations Center. As a result of that experience, we conducted a test of the Emergency Enunciator System, on Wednesday of the spring break, through announcements over speakers in our office and classroom telephones. As the next step in the development of our emergency preparedness, we are conducting another test of our Emergency Enunciator System and a classroom/office evacuation drill on Friday, May 12 at 9:10 a.m. Every employee’s mailbox should have received a flyer about this drill, and all should be prepared to follow instructions broadcast through the Emergency Enunciator System on that morning. This exercise is designed to further prepare for a full-scale emergency drill we plan to hold during the upcoming fall semester. Thanks to all, in advance, for your assistance and cooperation.

Our “Season of Celebration” is upon us. We began with the 44th Annual ASGC Academic and Service Awards ceremony, on Wednesday evening, April 26, and have many other opportunities in the coming weeks to congratulate our students and to note their achievements. Please do plan to attend these upcoming events to recognize not only students’ successes, but also our collective efforts in facilitating them.

• AOJ Police Academy Graduation,
  Friday, May 5 p.m. Student Center

• Transfer Achievement Celebration,
  Friday, May 12, 5:30 p.m., Student Center

• Students of Note, Saturday,
  May 13, 2:00 pm, Student Center

• AOJ Graduation Ceremony Tuesday,
  May 23, 4:30 p.m., Student Center

• EOPS “Aloha” Graduation , Friday,
  May 26, 2 p.m., Student Center

• Nursing Pinning Ceremony, Wednesday,
  May 31, 5 p.m. Main Quad

• 44th Commencement, Thursday,
  June 1, 5:30 pm, Main Quad

• OPT Graduation, Friday,
  June 2, 6:30 p.m., Main Quad

• Middle College High School Graduation, Wednesday, June 7, 4:30 p.m., Main Quad

This is also the season to celebrate the accomplishments and career transitions of our College’s outstanding employees. Two events I would invite the entire Grossmont family to give high priority in their calendars are:

• 7th Annual College Recognition Ceremony, Thursday, May 18, 2 p.m. Student Center

• Retiree Recognition Dinner, Friday, May 26, 6:30 p.m., Marina Village

This issue of Campus Scene showcases a cross section of campus events, programs, and honors. As such, it reminds me how engaged we all are in providing students important access to higher education and the many strategies we have at our disposal to create a true learning environment. Thank you for your continuing passion for all the work we do to make that happen!

 
Dean C. Colli, Ed.D
Interim President