Governing Board Meeting Highlights

During the March 20th, Governing Board Meeting:
 

	Trustee Deanna Weeks noted a recent article featuring an entrepreneur who used her certificate in culinary arts from Grossmont College to establish a successful business.
	Academic Senate President Beth Smith reported that Senate members are working hard on accreditation, and asked the governing board to issue a statement of support that would appear in the board meeting minutes.
	In Staff Notes published in The Courier, Grossmont’s new Media Librarian Roxane BenVau was welcomed to the District.

The Courier was distributed electronically March 23, and contains additional Governing Board highlights.  Copies are available in the Campus Mail Room.

LA MESA SOROPTIMISTS HONOR CASTANOS,
GONDA AND WHITMIRE

Left to right, Dr. Sue Gonda, Dr. Janet Castanos, and Vicki Whitmire.

TEXTBOOK AUTHOR VISITS WITH STUDENTS
IN ENGLISH FUNDAMENTALS

Lee Brandon authors several English grammar books. English Instructor Cathy Harvey worked with him on developing online exercises for the most recent edition of Sentences, Paragraphs, and Beyond, and invited him to visit with the students in a class using his text.  He graciously agreed to do so and was on campus Wednesday, March 14.  The text is popular within English departments, and at least six English 98 instructors are using it this semester.

FERNAN BALSALUBRE PUTS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ON THE FORENSICS MAP

Congratulations to Grossmont College student Fernan Balsalubre on his success at the American Forensics Association’s California District Tournament.  Fernan single-handedly won enough Awards to earn third place in Community College Division Sweepstakes for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Team.  His success earns him the right to compete in Impromptu Speaking at the American Forensic Association’s National Individual Events Tournament next month, and as such, will be the first competitor ever to represent Grossmont-Cuyamaca at this prestigious tournament. It is notable that the AFA is made up primarily of teams for four-year colleges and universities.  Congratulations to Fernan and his coaches, Roxanne Tuscany, Nancy Jennings and Joel Castellaw.

19TH ANNUAL GROSSMONT COLLEGE POW WOW BENEFITS AMERICAN INDIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Thanks to Tom Gamboa and his colleagues for staging a beautiful Pow Wow, and for maintaining a productive income stream for our American Indian Scholarship Fund, which pays tuition for California residents to attend Grossmont College.  Tom has embarked on a recruitment effort within the Native Community in Southern California.

JAPANESE STUDENTS ENROLL FROM KANDA
INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Following 18 months of close collaboration, Grossmont College welcomes the first transfer students from Kanda Institute or Foreign Languages (KIFL) in Tokyo, Japan.   Monday, February 12, representatives, including KIFL College President Takeshi Hirose, spent the morning touring the campus and meeting with instructors, counselors and staff.  Articulation Officer Janice Johnson reports that they were most impressed with the campus and particularly with the newly opened Science Lab and Digital Arts/Sculpture buildings.  They noted that during visits to other colleges and universities, they had not witnessed the impressive student support offered in the Math Study and English Writing Centers.  KIFL anticipates that there may be an additional 30 or more Japanese students who will select Grossmont College for 2007-2008 enrollments due to this new articulation agreement and the favorable visit from KIFL executives.

COLLEGE WELCOMES TEACHERS-IN-TRAINING FROM MEXICO

Continuing a tradition established ten years ago, this spring we welcomed nine teachers-in-training from two colleges in the Estado de Mexico.  They are enrolled in four ESL classes for the second-eight-week term, and are peer-teaching in area middle schools on Fridays.  Thanks go to retired ESL instructor Virginia Berger for her coordination efforts and the support of Dr. John Colson and Arlene Stone from the Vice President, Student Services office.

SPRING ENROLLMENT GROWTH A PRODUCT OF MANY EFFORTS

We are taking a closer look at our spring enrollment, with special attention to the demographics of our nearly 5,000 new students, including some 411 concurrently enrolled high school students.  Thanks to Institutional Research, we have learned that there are increases in every category across the board – new, continuing and returning students. Overall, applications were up 11 percent over the same period last year.  How’d we do that?

First, we offered more sections of in-demand classes.  Including the additional science and fine arts classes we now have in our new facilities, we increased offerings by 70 sections. Our Community Relations staff launched a broad advertising campaign based on the “Someday” is Now theme, and coordinated eight weekends of community outreach at Parkway Plaza, assisted by outreach counselors and student ambassadors, along with our Cuyamaca colleagues.

You will be interested to learn more about the comprehensive outreach activities that are conducted by Financial Aid (23 events in January and February alone) and by our High School Outreach team, as well as the business education fairs throughout the County (approximately 50 each year) to which we are invited and send representatives.

Our latest efforts have been focused on Second Eight Week Classes, which began yesterday.  I hope you noticed the neon banners at the college entrances. Approximately 20 prospective students attended the Adult Reentry Workshop held March 7.

MEDIA PREFERENCES SURVEY REVEALED

Last fall, 1,900 Grossmont College students responded to an invitation to take part in an online Media Preferences Survey to help us learn more about their preferred communication modalities, and a bit of what they think about Grossmont College.

Dr. Pam Cox-Otto, CEO of Interact Communications, conducted three workshops to share the results: The Multi-Generational Classroom; The Multi-Generational College; and Marketing Programs to Multi-Generational Audiences.  I am happy to report that 95 percent of the students surveyed agreed with the statement. “Grossmont College is a premier community college.”

INVITATION TO THE DANCE A SPECTACULAR COLLABORATION

I hope you took in the spectacular performances provided during the recent Invitation to the Dance, a collaboration of the Grossmont College Music and Dance Departments in cooperation with Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater and the Friends of Music.  Featured with the Isaacs professional dance company were the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra, women of the Master Chorale, the Grossmont College Afro-Cuban Ensemble and Grossmont College dancers.  Every performer was on stage at the East County Performing Arts Center!

 

FOUR GROSSMONT SOCCER TEAM MEMBERS
EARN TRANSFER SCHOLARSHIPS

Athletic Director Jim Spillers reports that four Grossmont College women soccer players are receiving scholarships to four-year institutions.  Congratulations to Adriana Aguillion, who will be attending SDSU, and Brittany Neill who will go to Biola University. Lauren Lowrey and Eliana Parada are headed to Kansas Wesleyan and will play for Coach Mike Dibbini, who visited campus last Friday to participate in a celebration with our athletes, family and friends. 

OTHER MARCH EVENTS

·       Sunday, March 25: Second Annual Fine Arts Affaire, sponsored by the Grossmont College Foundation and the Arts Council of Grossmont College, Hyde Gallery and Building 200 Quad.

·       Sunday, March 25: Death and Transfiguration, The Grossmont
Symphony Orchestra, Master Chorale with the helix Charter High School Advanced Choir,  St. Paul’s Cathedral.

·        Thursday, March 29: College Leadership Retreat, Ronald Reagan
Community Center

 

PLEASE JOIN US

·       Tuesday, April 10: Works by Steve Garcia, Nate Betchart & Keith Schneider Exhibition Reception, 7 p.m. Hyde Art Gallery.