December 2007 - San Diego Community College District

San Diego Community College District
City College
Mesa College
Miramar College
with excellence
December 2007
Continuing
Education
Good for the Environment
Wildfires 2007
The San Diego Community
College District extends
heartfelt thanks to the
firefighters and other public
safety personnel for their
hard work and dedication
during the fire emergency. We also would like to
thank our colleagues and
friends in California and the
nation for their expressions
of support and concern.
See page 9
Making
History
ECC Skills Center
Groundbreaking Ceremony
See page 3
Next time you toss an empty
water bottle or used paper in
that blue plastic container
under your desk, think
about how this simple act
helps take recycling to the
next level throughout the
San Diego Community
College District.
With the Board of
Trustees’ September
approval of the District’s
single-stream recycling plan,
faculty, staff, administrators
and students are gearing up to
intensify recycling efforts.
(Single-stream recycling permits a variety
of recyclables to be placed together in those
blue containers and later separated by a private
vendor under contract.)
Students and faculty can be credited with
sparking the districtwide recycling effort. As
early as 2005, students established recycling
initiatives.
About 18 months
ago, the governance
organizations within
the District developed
resolutions designed to
heighten awareness of the
need for an organized,
districtwide recycling
effort.
Since that time,
all college academic and
classified senates, as well as
the Continuing Education
senates and the United
Student Council, have
participated in the
effort to ramp up
recycling.
The physical
evidence – small
and large – has been
cropping up in recent
months across the District.
For example, there are
more outdoor recycling bins;
a pallet recycling firm has been retained; the
City College Academic Senate has provided
members with ceramic cups to discourage use of
Styrofoam; and printer cartridge recycling has
been centralized.
During the week of November 26, City
College held an environmental awareness
week. Last spring during Earth Day, the Mesa
College student environmental club staffed
informational tables highlighting recycling and
environmental awareness.
At the start of the fall semester, Mesa
Professors Erin Rempala and Anar Brahmbhatt
conducted a FLEX activity for fellow faculty on
recycling and sustainability efforts. The same
professional development class is expected to be
offered in the spring.
Meanwhile, Miramar College has also
stepped up its information campaign. Members
continued on page 4
We—With Excellence | DECember 2007 Chancellor’s
Message
Breaking Ground & Breaking Barriers to
Opportunity: The New ECC Skills Center
Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D.
Chancellor,
San Diego Community
College District
“The results of
our efforts will not
only be a handsome
new facility, but a
center that will be
another avenue for
the development of
human potential.”
With the passage of the San Diego
SDCCD’s top priorities. In our planning we
Community College District’s two bond
have relied upon the collective vision of many,
measures, Propositions S and N, came the
including our own faculty and staff, community
unparalleled opportunity to take bold steps in
organizations like the Southeastern Economic
creating buildings and centers that promote
Development Corporation, the Coalition of
student learning and vocational training.
Neighborhood Councils, the Urban League of
Instead of taking small, incremental steps,
San Diego County and other organizations. We
the SDCCD, its colleges, and its continuing
are grateful to the San Diego voters who made
education campuses have embarked upon
this facility possible, and we are grateful to all
large-scale planning with results that will
who provided input in its development.
provide lasting value for our students and our
The results of our efforts will not only be a
community.
handsome new facility, but a center that will be
another avenue for the development of human
On October 10, we celebrated the start
of construction for a new and extremely
potential, a facility that more than anything
important facility that will double the size
else will help break the barriers that separate
of one of the District’s premier Continuing
the emerging communities of southeast San
Education campuses, the Educational Cultural
Diego from the tremendous opportunities that
Complex (ECC) in southeast San Diego. In
await them through leading-edge education and
adding the new “Skills Center” facility to the
vocational training.
ECC campus, we will be adding over 52,000
square feet of classrooms,
learning labs and specialized
vocational areas that will
provide workforce training
in a range of high-demand
occupations, among them:
Automotive Technology,
Commercial Printing &
Graphics, and Construction
Technology. The facility
will also provide training
in the metal trades to serve
the needs of the General
Dynamics National Steel
and Shipbuilding Company
and other industries.
From left: Continuing Education (CE) Classified Senate President José
Hueso, CE Academic Senate President Esther Matthew, Southeastern
Benefiting the
Economic Development Corp. President/Prop. S/N Citizens’ Oversight
growing community and
neighborhoods of southeast Committee member Carolyn Y. Smith, Chancellor Carroll, SDCCD Board
President Marty Block, CE President Anthony Beebe and SDCCD Vice
San Diego is one of the
Chancellor of Facilities Dave Umstot.
san diego community college district
Front
SPOTLIGHT
&
Center
ECC Skills Center Groundbreaking Draws 300
Below left (from left):
Southeastern Economic
Development Corp.
President/COC member
Carolyn Y. Smith,
former SDCCD Trustee
Sonja Reed, Bishop
McKinney, COC member
Evonne Schulze and former
Continuing Education
President Robert Matthews.
Middle photo: Virginia Eves
and H. J. Green.
Below right: Multicultural
Contractors Group President
Rickey Laster (center)
and Black Contractors
Association President Abder
Rahim-Hammeed.
An estimated 200 San Diego
Community College District and City
Schools educators and civic leaders were
joined by 100 students at the October
10 groundbreaking ceremony for the
Educational Cultural Complex (ECC)
Skills Center.
Construction of the Skills Center
is underway and expected to open in
late 2008. It will replace the current
Skills Center, located at Continuing
Education’s Centre City Campus near
From left: Prop. S/N Citizens’ Oversight Committee (COC)
City College. The new center will
member Bobby Glaser, SDCCD Trustees Rich Grosch
and Peter Zschiesche, COC member Evonne Schulze,
consist of three buildings to house such
Chancellor Carroll, SDCCD Board President Marty Block
programs as the automotive, appliance
and Continuing Education President Anthony Beebe.
repair, business information technology
and CISCO, as well as graphics and
all,” while SDCCD Board President Marty
electronics assembly classes. To make room for
Block noted the concrete nature of dreams
the new Skills Center, land was acquired along
taking shape, even as the sound of concrete
the east end of the ECC campus.
being poured served as backdrop to the
At the ceremonies, Continuing Education
groundbreaking.
President Anthony Beebe stated, “Ultimately,
Carolyn Y. Smith, president of the
this new building will stand in everlasting
Southeastern Economic Development
testimony to the vision of the San Diego
Corporation and a member of the SDCCD
Community College District Board, Chancellor
Citizens’ Oversight Committee for Propositions
Carroll and the voters of San Diego for
S and N, cited the economic benefit to the
passing Propositions S and N. The economic
community of this new vocational training
opportunity for growth and prosperity for the
center.
people of this community is priceless.”
Continuing Education Academic Senate
Chancellor Carroll reflected on the massive
President Esther Matthew and Classified Senate
undertaking as a piece of sculpture “by all for
President José Hueso also delivered remarks.
We—With Excellence | DECember 2007 Front
SPOTLIGHT
&
Center
continued from page 1
Good for the Environment
“I salute the faculty
and staff who
have led this effort
and encourage us
all to become good
stewards of our
earth on and off
our campuses.”
- Trustee Peter Zschiesche
of the college’s safety committee will continue
to make brief recycling presentations in classes
across the curriculum. And the recycling FLEX
activity has become a mandatory workshop for
all contract and adjunct faculty. Miramar Student Trustee Brittany Forester
said, “Our students continue to encourage
efforts through the campus safety
committee and of course, by filling up
all those recycling bins!”
At Continuing Education
campuses, the new policy has created
a greater interest in environmental
concerns among faculty and staff,
according to Academic Senate
President Esther Matthew
and Classified
Senate
President
José Hueso.
“It will be a
priority for staff, faculty,
students and administrators to be
involved in this plan,” Matthew added.
Shared governance committees at all colleges
and the District Office have been established to
educate faculty, staff, and students on recycling,
conservation, and hazardous waste disposal.
To help coordinate the districtwide effort,
Vice Chancellor of Facilities Dave Umstot
continues to hold monthly Environmental
Sustainability Committee meetings with
leadership from throughout the District.
san diego community college district
Trustee Peter Zschiesche stated,
“Environmental stewardship is required
of all of us in order to sustain the
natural world we live in. The fact that
this stewardship is being organized
throughout our community college
district is a great step forward. I salute
the faculty and staff who have led
this effort and encourage us all to
become good stewards of our earth
on and off our campuses.” Single-stream recycling is
paying off, according to reports
from the campuses and Charlie
Williams, interim coordinator
of the District’s recycling
program. Records
show that waste
stream has been
significantly
reduced, he
reported.
Trustee Rich Grosch said he is
“excited to see all facets of the District
coming together to provide solutions
that influence District policy in a
positive manner. Through the reasoned
and thoughtful process of shared
governance, everyone’s ideas and
views were fully explored. This effort
is another example of how SDCCD
is striving to be a national leader in
environmental policy while maintaining
economic and budget viability.”
News
from
City
College
Profs Marry Three
Courses for a
Dose of Reality
Terrence J. Burgess
President
San Diego City College
San Diego Community
College District
3375 Camino del Rio South
San Diego, CA 92108-3883
619-388-6500
www.sdccd.edu
Published by the San Diego
Community College District,
Office of Public Information
& Government Relations.
Board of Trustees:
Marty Block, J.D.
Rich Grosch
Bill Schwandt
Maria Nieto Senour, Ph.D.
Peter Zschiesche
Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D.,
Chancellor
Executive Editor: Richard Dittbenner
Editor: John Nunes
Publication Coordinator: Mary Lee
Contributors: Carol Beilstein,
Heidi Bunkowske, Lina Heil,
Holly Leahy, Lynne Mayfield,
Sandi Trevisan
Graphic Design: Anne Wolf
The San Diego Community College District
is governed by its Board of Trustees. No
oral or written representation is binding on
the San Diego Community College District
without the express written approval of
the Board of Trustees.
Singer’s City College design course, Studio
Practices, gave students an opportunity to go
beyond the typical classroom simulation, where
students produce “paper projects” as an end in
themselves. The objective of this course was to
engage students in the complete art-making
Art Professor Andrea Singer and Philosophy
process, from start to finish.
Professor William Stewart put theory
The projects seek to build partnerships with
into practice by inviting students to make
other academic institutions and community
connections between their coursework and real
organizations to create a more diverse learning
life, namely reaching out to people with whom
environment. For the New Path project, a goal
they would not typically have contact.
was to bring the stories of its graduates to a
Focused on creative social action, the
broader audience and help reduce the stigma of
City College husband and wife team’s
substance abuse and addiction.
interdisciplinary, crossEach student
institutional project
was paired with a
brought together
New Path graduate
art and philosophy
to interview them
students from City
about their life
and UC San Diego,
and experiences,
as well as recovering
from addiction to
substance abusers that
recovery. Students
have graduated from
then represented
New Path, a nonthese stories
profit focusing on
through poetry and
treatment rather than
artworks. Students
incarceration for nonwere required to
violent drug offenders.
create a handmade
Singer, who also
book, a multimedia
Professors Andrea Singer and William Stewart
teaches at UCSD,
presentation,
with
touring
art
exhibit
used
in
their
course
instructed his UC
performance art or
taught to UCSD and City students.
students to focus on
an installation. The
the interplay of culture, art, and technology
poetry and artwork were part of a touring
by asking students to engage in a communityexhibit entitled We Pass Each Other on the Street,
based project, develop collaborative skills,
which has been shown at several locales over
adopt an interdisciplinary approach and use
the past year. Excerpts from students’ poetry
creative work as a basis for inquiry.
and interviews were also compiled into a single
The completed projects were designed
artist’s book created by local graphic designer
to have a lasting effect on the community.
and alumna of City College’s graphic design
Stewart’s City College philosophy course,
program, Lisa Starace.
Perspectives on Human Nature and Society,
“Each year,” Singer said, “we partner with
took students on an introspective journey by
different community organizations to offer
looking at how different cultures view the idea
students alternative ways of thinking, behaving
of the individual and his/her role in society.
and moving through the world.”
We—With Excellence | DECember 2007 News
from
Mesa
College
Back to Basics
in a Big Way
Rita M. Cepeda, Ed.D.
President
San Diego Mesa College
“It’s a great
opportunity to expand
what we accomplished
with the Mesa College
math department
across the disciplines,
the District and the
state to ensure that all
students succeed.”
- Terrie Teegarden
Mesa College Academic
Senate President
Mesa College
began laying the
groundwork to
address basic skills
needs in math as early
as 2000, placing the college about four years
ahead of the California Community College
Basic Skills Initiative (BSI).
In its third year of state funding, BSI is
an effort to provide basic English and math
skills education to students under-prepared for
college-level work. The initiative was created
in response to a statewide Academic Senate
report which found that about 50 percent of
all California community college first-time
freshmen will drop out of college within
one year, and among these dropouts are a
substantial proportion of recent high school
graduates (42 percent). Lack of knowledge in
basic skills has been a major reason. Since 2000, Mesa Professor Terrie Teegarden
and her math department colleagues took
their own initiative. Under the auspices of the
Pathways Through Algebra Project, she pioneered
statewide efforts to improve basic skills in
math.
As a principal investigator and project
director, Professor Teegarden championed the
development of a math-specific study skills
course for Mesa that has since been replicated
Faculty and administrators from throughout the District attended the October
conference on the Basic Skills Initiative hosted by Mesa College.
san diego community college district
across the state.
With the
groundwork
begun by Mesa
math department
colleagues, faculty and administrators across
campus were able to swiftly respond to passage
of this year’s BSI. Indeed, the interest and
enthusiasm from faculty, administrators and
counselors led to an almost immediate plan
of action based on campus-wide dialogue and
formulated by a 32-member Basic Skills task
force with broad-based representation.
Three separate tutorial centers were moved
into one convenient location. A supervisory
position for the center was created and a fulltime writing center coordinator was hired.
“It made perfect sense,” says Vice President
of Instruction Elizabeth Armstrong of the
center expansion. “Tutoring centers lay the
groundwork for student success.”
Meanwhile, new collaborative approaches
between instructional and student services
began. In keeping with the college’s research
agenda, baseline assessment and tracking
methods were put into place. The college also
plans to pilot an online class on basic skills
tutoring.
Mesa has broadened the dialog districtwide
and beyond. In August, Mesa welcomed 130
community college representatives for a BSI
regional workshop. In October, Mesa invited
area high school teachers and counselors to
campus for further development. Also that
month, Mesa hosted a districtwide Basic
Skills summit, bringing together faculty and
administrators from instruction and student
services divisions and career technical education
from City, Mesa, Miramar and Continuing
Education.
Next year, high schools, SDSU and UCSD
will be further engaged in a series of discussions
on curriculum development and expectations
and competencies in K-14 education.
News
from
Miramar
College
High Schools, Auto Industry Links Fuel Success
Patricia Hsieh, Ed.D.
President
San Diego Miramar College
Above right:
San Diego High School student
Maydole Alvarez
Above:
Miramar graduates Noemi
Castro (Chrysler Automotive
Program) and Robert Smith, III
(Toyota Technical Educational
Network at Lexus of Kearny
Mesa).
Offering a clear path from high school to
community college to industry employment
in technical career programs, Miramar College
has created model partnerships with San Diego
Unified School District (SDUSD) and the
automotive industry.
For years Miramar has taught college-level
automotive courses at Mira-Mesa High School,
reviving an auto shop that had closed its doors
for lack of funding. This program, combined
with a growing interest in technical education,
and assisted by a $250,000 career technical
education grant, Miramar College now teaches
college-level programs at
Patrick Henry and Serra high
schools.
In September, Miramar
President Patricia Hsieh
joined state Superintendent of Schools Jack
O’Connell at an event to celebrate the college’s
newest partner – Crawford High School.
Through college support, the once-closed
auto shop was transformed into a state-ofthe-art facility within Crawford’s Invention
and Design Education Academy. Miramar’s
industry partners, Toyota, Nissan and Honda,
helped make the re-opening possible. Two
vehicles dedicated for student study came from
Miramar via its partnership with Nissan.
Greg Quirin, SDUSD program specialist,
said partnering with Miramar has enabled
area high schools to offer a higher level of
instruction. “Where auto shops were once
‘hobby shops,’ we’ve raised the bar and moved
from what was once viewed as a place to learn
to work on your own car toward career paths in
automotive technology … not just auto repair,
but research, aviation, diesel and motorcycle.”
Quirin added that two new state-of-the-art
automotive training facilities at Madison and
Morse high schools are planned.
Scripps Ranch High is unique in that its
automotive students are being bused to the
college to take automotive classes on campus.
Miramar Dean of Technical Careers
and Workforce Development Richard
Bettendorf said, “We’re currently talking with
Scripps Ranch High about developing multiple
career paths with an energy focus. The concept
is for Scripps to build an energy center that will
incorporate green building techniques including
photovoltaic, wind generation and natural
lighting. If funding is achieved, Miramar would
partner with Scripps in the development of
career paths that could include engineering,
construction, transportation and sustainable
energy.”
Along with New Leaf Biofuel, a local
company, Miramar has helped develop
San Diego High’s biodiesel project, where
students cook up batches of biodiesel. Every
week, students convert used cooking oil into
biofuel, which is then used to power four
demonstration vehicles and the auto shop’s
diesel generator. Compared to petroleum,
biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by
78 percent, according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
In December, these model college/high
school career technical partnerships and the
progressive training offered to high school
students in electric vehicles, biofuels, alternative
fuels and hybrid technology were scheduled to
be showcased at the “Green Schools Summit
Conference” in Pasadena.
We—With Excellence | DECember 2007 News
from
Continuing
Education
California Adventure for 55 and Older
Anthony E. Beebe, Ed.D.
President
San Diego Continuing Education
Burns Prine, a veteran
marathon runner.
One of the first
things fitness instructor
Mary Burns Prine
always reminds her
students is to “take a
deep breath.”
Continuing
Education Professor
Prine, who has been
teaching fitness to
the 55-and-older
crowd since 1987,
has established a new
course within the
Fitness instructor Mary Burns Prine conducts class.
Older Adult Program.
Called the “Older Adult
ball for core training and balance. If you have
Adventures in Exercise,” the program ran for
no experience with the equipment, consult
the first time this past summer. It will next be
with an exercise specialist for correct form and
offered in the spring.
suggested exercises. Also, always consult your
Burns created the class as part of
physician when starting a fitness program.
Continuing Education’s Curriculum
“After participating in a regular program for
Diversity project instituted by President
even a month, you will feel stronger. Things
Anthony Beebe and the Academic
will seem easier. You will have more energy
Senate. Held in the early evening, her
for shopping, cooking and cleaning. Plan
students met at various San Diego
to reward your efforts so you will want to
locations and worked on flexibility,
continue your lifestyle changes. Set your sights
endurance and discovering their
on a new article of clothing that you are almost
motivations for exercising.
able to wear. When you finally wear that
Whether it comes from gardening,
outfit with ease, the satisfaction you feel will
shopping or playing sports, Prine says,
reinforce your fitness efforts and make it easier
“Exercise increases circulation, improves
to continue.”
blood flow, increases oxygen to the
Burns is a veteran marathon runner, having
working muscles and the brain. At any
completed over 125 marathons since 1976.
age, when you are exercising, you sleep
She qualified for three Olympic marathon
better and have less stress.”
trials (1984, 1996 and 2000) and has won
She encourages her students to
marathons in a number of cities, including San
properly equip themselves for success.
Diego, Memphis, St. George and Des Moines.
After discovering what exercises work best for
Her website, WomenRunners.com, is a collection
them, she suggests investing in proper shoes
of resources, pictures and articles. She has
and wearing clothing that is not constricting.
published a calendar for 2008 and is already at
“If you will use them, invest in a set of light
work gathering pictures for a 2009 issue.
weights for strength training, or a large stability
san diego community college district
kudos
Accomplishments
Two National Honors
for Chancellor
Chancellor Constance Carroll has
been honored by the nation’s community
college trustees who selected her to
receive the 2007 Marie Y. Martin Award
as the nation’s top community college
chief executive officer.
This was the second of two awards
presented to Chancellor Carroll by the
Association of Community College
Trustees at its annual congress, held
September in San Diego. Also, the 2,200 delegates to the
congress named Dr. Carroll the top
CEO for 2007 in the Pacific Region.
In her 30th year as a community
college CEO, these awards recognize
Dr. Carroll’s record of achievement in
providing leadership to the San Diego
Community College District, as well as
the local and professional communities
she serves.
IT Director Recognized
Nationally
SDCCD
Information
Technology
Director Kent
Keyser recently
received an
ImageSource
Customer Partner
Award, a national honor, at the annual
Nexus 2007 Enterprise Content
Management Solutions conference held
in Bellevue, Washington.
Keyser won in the Best Use of
Complementary Technologies category.
The organization recognized Keyser’s
use of “various technologies in innovative
ways to serve well-defined business
goals.”
&
Achievements
New Vice Chancellor
of Human Resources
Following a nationwide search, Dr.
Kim Myers was selected as the new San
Diego Community College District Vice
Chancellor of Human Resources.
Dr. Myers comes to the SDCCD from
the San Joaquin Delta Community College
District, where he was vice president of
human resources and employee relations.
Before assuming his position at Delta,
Dr. Myers was assistant vice president of human resources for EDFUND/CA
Student Aid Commission and director of human resources for Avalon Health Care/
Beverly Healthcare, and he also served as senior personnel management consultant
for the California State Personnel Board. A lifelong educator, Dr. Myers also has
periodically taught classes as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco
in management, leadership development, and other areas.
Chancellor Carroll stated “we are pleased to have someone of Kim Meyers’
background and outlook join our organization. He is well prepared to manage
our complex personnel systems and multiple collective bargaining agreements. I
am also most impressed by his optimism and enthusiasm, especially his respect for
community college education.”
Dr. Myers, who started November 19, holds an Ed.D. in organizational
leadership from the University of San Francisco, an M.S. in human resources from
Golden Gate University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UC Davis.
The recipient of this award “will
clearly describe a solution that brought
together multiple technologies resulting
in a well-rounded and tightly integrated
solution,” contest judges stated.
District Police
on the Fire Lines
SDCCD police officers were among
mutual aid volunteers on the East
County fire lines during the October
wildfires.
Officers who volunteered include
Chief Charlie Hogquist, Sgt. Lou Zizzo,
Matthew Torres, Cornelius Ashton, Jeff
Claiborne, Richard Ferrell, Jeff Rabine
and Lokeni Porter.
The officers helped with evacuations
and traffic control and checked for
looters for a two-day period (Monday,
October 22, and Tuesday, October 23).
Both squads were near the fire
lines for more than eight hours, Chief
Hogquist reported. At one point on
Tuesday, three SDCCD officers staffed
the lines for 12 hours. The fourth man
in the squad, Officer Ashton, was unable
to report for duty because he was being
evacuated from his home.
Meanwhile, Officer Torres and Chief
Hogquist reunited “Dixie,” a black
Labrador retriever, with his owners, “a
husband and wife we had checked on
earlier who had decided to stay instead
of evacuating,” the chief noted.
We—With Excellence | DECember 2007 kudos
Accomplishments
&
Achievements
Leave a Legacy Plaza Dedication Celebrates
Students and Donor Recognition
More than 150 guests celebrated
completion of the long-awaited Leave
a Legacy Plaza at Miramar College on
September 6. The two-acre plaza and
park-like gathering areas connect two
recently completed classroom buildings
and provide safe passage for college
students from an adjacent parking lot.
Four years after the project was
conceived, Miramar College Foundation
President Marty Hight announced,
“More than $42,000 has been raised or
pledged to support San Diego Miramar
College student scholarships through
130 sponsored engraved bricks, tree
markers, benches and flags.” Brief comments from Miramar
President Patricia Hsieh, Hight,
SDCCD Board President Marty Block,
Chancellor Constance Carroll, and
College representatives Sam Shooshtary
and Brittany Forester,
preceded an official ribbon
cutting, music by Otro
Mundo and refreshments.
Leave a Legacy Plaza
was designed by Wimmer,
Yamada and Caughey
(Jason Jones, lead
architect) and constructed
by RSM Contractors. The
$1.1 million plaza was
Ribbon-cutting participants were (from left) Miramar College
funded by SDCCD’s
Foundation Board Members Bob Dingeman and Marty Hight,
Proposition S facilities
former Miramar College President George Yee, current
College President Patricia Hsieh, SDCCD Board President
bond measure approved
Marty Block, Chancellor Constance Carroll, and Trustees
by voters in 2002, and
Rich Grosch, Maria Nieto Senour and Peter Zschiesche. funds raised through the
generosity of Miramar
include bricks for individuals and
College Foundation donors to the Leave
families, logo bricks; tree markers,
a Legacy commemorative campaign. concrete benches and industry flags.
The Plaza will be updated
For more information, click on
annually. Commemorative options
www.sdmiramar.edu/foundation.
Art Gallery Unveiled
After being closed for nearly ten
months, the newly remodeled and
expanded Mesa College art gallery was
unveiled in October. The 1,800 squarefoot gallery is more than double its
former size and features state-of-the-art
lighting, a museum look with exposed
ceilings, polished concrete floors and
surround-sound.
At a cost of $1.38 million and
funded through Proposition S, the
remodeled gallery offers much-needed
improvements to a venue which has been
exhibiting fine art since 1990. The gallery
showcases artworks by contemporary
artists and Mesa students and faculty.
The enlarged gallery has more wall
space, and the huge adjoining laboratory
for the museum studies class provides
expansive space for storage, set-up and
installation. There’s also room for largescale installations. For December, student
and faculty works are on exhibit.
One of the most notable features of
the gallery is the grand outdoor entry
that directs patrons from the heart of the
campus to the gallery, located just west
of the college’s learning resource center.
The modern canopy structure creates
a distinctive entrance, and its outdoor
courtyard includes seating and room for
events and receptions.
“I am so excited about bringing
this state-of-the-art facility for display
of art to our students and the greater
community,” said Fine Arts Professor
and Gallery Director Alessandra
Moctezuma.
The Mesa art gallery is open Tuesday-Friday, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. (Thursday until 8 p.m.)
and closed Mondays, weekends and holidays. For more information,
call (619) 388-2829 or go to www.sdmesa.edu/art-gallery.
10 san diego community college district
kudos
Accomplishments
City Awarded National
Science Foundation Grant
&
Achievements
New West City Campus Under Construction
internships in leading science and
engineering firms will provide students
with opportunities to increase their
knowledge, develop skills for academic
and workplace success, and ultimately
become part of the region’s economic
development.
“Working one-on-one with students to
prepare for advanced studies and jobreadiness, this grant will help the MESA
program produce more student success
stories,” Burgess said. “Without a doubt,
these funds have a guaranteed return on
Construction of the new West City
Campus in Point Loma is underway and
slated for occupancy in late 2008.
The 39,000 square-foot building will
replace the pre-World War II facility that
has served the Point Loma community as
an elementary school, a high school, and
for the past 30 years, a major campus of
San Diego Continuing Education, the
citywide SDCCD non-credit program
serving adult learners.
The $14 million facility will feature
a state-of-the-art culinary kitchen,
simulating a real-world working
environment where students will prepare
for employment in the hospitality
West City Campus Rendering
industry.
Classes in computer sciences and office skills, English as a Second Language, and
parenting will also be taught at the campus, as well as classes in the Older Adult
program, including fitness, nutrition and retirement living.
A long-anticipated feature of the facility will be an auditorium where the campus
intends to hold performances and host speakers of interest to the community.
SDCCD officials and representatives from the beach and bay communities
attended a November 14 ceremonial groundbreaking. Continuing Education
President Anthony Beebe, SDCCD Chancellor Constance Carroll, and Chuck
Pretto, president of the North Bay Business Association, spoke about the hopes and
dreams being realized for the District, Continuing Education and the community.
West City is designed by the RJC architectural firm and is being constructed by
Soltek Pacific. The new Point Loma campus is funded by Proposition S, approved
by the voters in 2002.
investment for our students, our college
and our community.”
City’s MESA program has helped more
than 150 students graduate and transfer
in science, math, and engineering fields
since its inception in 1999. Students
have gone on to complete undergraduate
degrees at UC and CSU schools and
other four-year institutions, from the
University of Maryland to the University
of Hawaii. An estimated 120 students are
enrolled in City’s MESA program each
semester. This number will increase by
10 percent a year through NSF support.
City College has been awarded a
five-year, $1.9 million National Science
Foundation (NSF) grant for its MESA
(math, engineering, science achievement)
program along with allied MESA
programs at San Diego State University
and Southwestern College.
This grant, one of only 22 awarded
in the nation, will allow the San Diego
MESA Alliance to build on best practices
to develop a diversely skilled workforce
for San Diego and the nation. Further,
the federal monies will enhance MESA’s
efforts to provide essential services that
help students excel academically, develop
leadership skills and gain exposure
to industry, City College President
Terry Burgess reported. For example,
We—With Excellence | DECember 2007 11
Alumni
CONNECTIONS
Updates
&
Achievements
Resources, Reputation, Recognition:
City College Builds
Wall of
Fame
1
Filmmaker and Alumnus
Cameron Crowe
2
3
4
5
6
Among the first
class of City College
graduates honored:
WOAY-West Virginia
morning anchor Nikki
8
9
7
Castle (#1); KUSI
reporter Charlotte Stark (#2); Dave Scott, KUSI weather anchor and City
adjunct (#3); KGTV morning anchor Lisa Lake (#4); KFMB photographer
Mike Beardon (#5); KNSD anchor/reporter Artie Ojeda (#6); Crystal Egger,
Fox Denver weather anchor (#7); KUSI weekend anchor Leonard Villareal
(#8); and CW5 anchor/reporter Perette Godwin (#9).
City alumni not pictured: KNSD weather anchor Whitney Southwick;
KUSI director Mike Kaye; KNSD editor Chris Acedo; KZSW-Temecula
anchor Jennifer Jensen; Chico ABC-TV reporter Shannon Handy; anchor
Alicia Coates, NBC-Yuma; and former KABC Los Angeles and KGTV anchor
Bree Walker. Also: Univision news anchor Marco Serrano and Trevor Ludlum, master
control; and TV writer/producer Gary David Goldberg, (created Spin City,
Family Ties, Brooklyn Bridge; wrote for The Bob Newhart Show, Lou Grant and
M*A*S*H).
They may not be your traditional
three R’s, but as pillars of City
College’s radio and television program
they have special meaning to Laura
Castaneda.
Castaneda, a former broadcast
professional who teaches in the
school’s radio and TV department,
is making sure the recognition factor
gets top billing.
To honor the department’s
distinguished alumni, she has
launched a Wall of Fame. Taking
shape in the C Building, which
houses the radio and TV studio, the
wall is a work in progress. Of its
initial honorees, some excel behind
the scenes, others are on-air fixtures,
and one -- Cameron Crowe -- is a
celebrated filmmaker. The Oscar
winner’s screenplays include Almost
Famous, Fast Times at Ridgemont High
and Jerry Maguire (also directed).
“There are a lot of powerful
media out there with connections to
City College, and the school should
take pride in the Wall of Fame,’”
Castaneda said. “My plan is to
coordinate a giant alumni reunion.”
Many alumni are products of
the college’s televised newscasts,
distinguishing City as “the only San
Diego college or university that does
a weekly student newscast airing
on television,” she noted, referring
to Newscene on cable Channel 16.
“We get a lot of students that earned
degrees from San Diego State and
UCSD but didn’t learn anything
hands-on until they came here.”