Governing Board Meeting Highlights
At the June 16, meeting, the Governing Board:
- Heard Trustees congratulate commencement organizers. Trustee Rick Alexander said he also attended Grossmont’s nursing pinning and Grossmont Middle College High School ceremonies.
- Approved a Districtwide Tentative Budget for 2009-2010.
- Heard Trustees express concern over the budget crisis. “We are determined to protect educational integrity,” said Trustee Mary Kay Rosinski. Chancellor Miles said, “We are facing an uncertain future.” Also expressing concern at the meeting were Jan Recktenwald of CSEA and Ezequiel Cardenas of UF.
- Recognized Dr. Mary Leslie, Business Office Technology Professor, as winner of the 2009 Workforce Development Professional of the Year. Mark Cafferty, president/CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, attended the meeting.
- Recognized Abbott Vascular for the company’s $30,000 gift to the Grossmont College CVT program. Mike Allen, Southern California Regional Manager with Abbott Vascular, attended the meeting.
- Sworn in Christopher Enders as Grossmont College Student Trustee.
Other Governing Board highlights will appear in the Courier which is distributed electronically from the District Office. Hard copies are available in the Mail Room.
Summer School Enrollment
We are on track for a 48-year, highest-ever enrollment for summer, breaking the previous record of 8,425 in 2002, as depicted in the table below.
Below are enrollment comparisons for Summer 2009 as compared to Summer 2008:
| Summer 2009 | Summer 2008 | Count Variance | %Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headcount | 9,067.0 | 7,596.0 | +1471.0 | +19.4% |
| Units | 38,487.0 | 30,894.0 | +7593.0 | +24.6% |
COMMENCEMENT 2009
At our 2009 Commencement, 1,103 students received associate degrees, and 346 students earned certificates of achievement. About 4,000 people attended the event. The keynote speaker was Dr. Dorothy Wiley, who earned her associate degree in nursing at Grossmont College in 1977, and today is an associate professor of primary care nursing at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Nursing. Another speaker was Edda Temoche-Weldele, 2008-2009 Distinguished Faculty Award Honoree.
The student speaker was Jose Molina Serrano, an accomplished guitarist and songwriter who has toured the world during the past four decades with several big-name Latin rock bands, including childhood friend Carlos Santana. But, Jose always wanted to attend college. “I had only made it as far as the ninth grade,” said Jose, a ninth grade dropout from Tijuana who moved to the United States at age 19. “I always felt denied and somewhat ashamed for not being able to complete my education, until today.” In 2003, he showed up on campus on a day when classes were not in session, and ran into faculty member Steve Baker, who provided registration information and encouragement. Last year, Jose’s CD was taken aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia and his song “Away From Home” was played to awaken the sleeping astronauts.
TOPMeet Christopher Enders
New Governing Board Student Trustee Christopher Enders from Grossmont College is a native of Long Beach, Calif., but grew up in Spring Valley since age 2. He attended Parkway Middle School and graduated from Mount Miguel High School (class of 2002). He earned an associate degree in 2007 from Grossmont College, and then returned to Grossmont in Fall 2007 to pursue a degree in political science. He also plans to earn a law degree in the future
TOPBasic Skills
The GC Student Success Committee which is implementing the college's basic skills plan held a week-long summer institute June 8-11. Sessions ran from 9:00 to 4:00 each day and covered topics such as
- How We Learn
- Integrative Assignments
- Writing Strategies for the Content Disciplines
- Reading Strategies for the Content Disciplines
- Working with ESL Students
- Diverse Learning Styles, and
- Academic Literacy
Approximately 60 faculty attended on their week off or during the "summer vacation" to gain better understanding of strengthening basic skills development across the college and to share best practices.
TOPLeadership East County
Grossmont hosted the Leadership East County’s “Future Vision Day” last Friday. This year’s Leadership East County group featured 22 students, one of the largest classes ever. It was their final class in the nine-month program that began last August. The agenda included a power-point presentation about the college. Organized by the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership East County is a program that informs its participants about the many facets of East County, including education, health, economy, public safety, government, as well as resources that are available in the East County. Over the past 15 years, this program has produced more than 300 graduates.
TOP2009-10 Theatre Arts Season
Our Theatre Arts Department has announced its 2009-2010 season. Our exciting season opens on Oct. 8 with “The Tempest,” Shakespeare’s magical and mystical tale of fantasy (Oct. 8-10, 14-17). Then, kids of all ages will enjoy the exaggerated world of melodrama with “Dirty Dan” (Oct. 23-24). Next, “The Dining Room” will be presented at the Lab Theatre (Nov. 11-12, 14, 18, 19, 20-21). “Inside the Actor’s Process” returns with “Improvisation” (Feb 5-6). “I Love You Because,” a modern-day musical love story set in New York City, will be performed (March 11-13, 17-20). We conclude our season with Arthur Miller’s classic “All My Sons” (May 6-8, 12-15).
TOPHyde Art Gallery Fall Exhibition
The Hyde Art Gallery’s first exhibition for the fall will be a display of paintings by Gillian Theobald from Seattle and Ollie Zinn from San Diego, Aug. 24 to Sept. 17. An evening reception will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
TOPHowie Hawver Fundraiser
Our Athletics Dept. reports that about 200 people participated at the “Le Tour de Grossmont College,” a fun walk/run fundraiser held June 7 for women’s soccer coach Howie Hawver. James Spillers, associate dean of athletics, said about $6,900 raised for medical expenses for Hawver, who is currently battling currently battling ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It was a cool and beautiful morning. Some of Howie’s supporters said it was the first time to be on our campus, and others had not been here in many years. Event participants traveled on a 2.2-mile route that followed the perimeter road, and some of them stopped on the road to take photographs of the mountains to the east. Hawver is the only head coach the Grossmont women’s program has ever had. In the past 14 seasons, his teams have made 12 state playoff appearances. Hawver also has coached at Patrick Henry High School and with the Crusaders Soccer Club. Additional donations to Hawver can be made payable to Grossmont College Foundation.
TOPPreseason Football Ranking
Although it may be a bit presumptuous for making community college football predictions in early June, Sporting News Magazine has rated Grossmont College as the No. 1 team in the nation in its preseason rankings. The Griffins, 5-5 last season, will play their 2009 season opener on Sept. 5 at San Diego Mesa College. Two former San Diego Chargers players have joined the coaching staff. Carlos Polk will coach the Griffins’ outside linebackers this season. Polk, who played with the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers team, was selected by the Chargers in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played seven seasons in San Diego before concluding his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 2008. Polk was named Special Teams Player of the Year in 2002, and was selected as the Most Inspirational Player in 2007. Another addition to the Griffins coaching staff is Lui Fuga, a 6-foot-1, 301-pound, four-year starter as a defensive tackle at Hawaii. Fuga, signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2007, will serve as Grossmont’s defense line coach. He could well still be playing with the Chargers had an injury not ended his career a year ago.
TOPUpcoming Events
- July 10-11, High School Football Passing Tournament, at Grossmont College. Games start at 9 a.m.
- July 13-August 6, Four-week Summer School session.
- July 13, Fall registration begins.
- Aug. 17, Parking Structure Grand Opening @ 7:30 a.m., Convocation @ 9 a.m. in Student Center
Dr. Sunita V. Cooke