Insider May 19, 2008 draft 5.p65

TheINSIDER
The Newsletter for Faculty and Staff at College of the Desert • Volume 19 Number 8 • May 19, 2008
2008-09 A
cademic YYear
ear Comes tto
o an End
Academic
End: Long shadows converge on the Fountain of Knowledge whose
spray is backlit by the afternoon sun, signifying the end of another year of learning at COD.
Swing, Batter! ... Page 8
Student Scientists ... Page 4
Hall of Fame ... Page 3
CAMPUS NEWS
SSAR Welcomes Faculty
Dean James Berg has announced that four new full-time
faculty will join the Social Sciences and Arts division for the
academic year 2008-09. “Two of
the new hires will be replacements for the recent retirements
and resignations of Michele
Gaines in Theater and Steven
Schmidt in Music,” he said. “The
other two are new positions created for next fall.” The new
faculty are listed on the SSAR
division page on the web.
Campus Invited to
Construction Update
The next Facilities Master
Planning Committee Meeting is
Tuesday, May 20 in the North
Annex, Room 1 at 1 p.m.
This is an open meeting featuring an update on the latest
construction activities and
projects currently underway.
Sub Search is History
Professor’s Paper Topic
Doug Kroll, Assistant Professor, History, presented a paper
entitled “Searching for Submarines with Sailing Craft: The
Story of the Greenport, NY ‘Canvas Hangers’” at the annual
conference of the North American Society for Oceanic History.
He traveled on May 16 to
Pensacola, FL for the event.
Steel Beam Signing
Now that the Public Safety
Academy construction is under
way, the COD Foundation will
host another in a series of steel
beam signing events on May 29
at 10 a.m. at the construction
2–COD Insider, May 19, 2008
Sabbatical R
epor
t: Kurt Leuschner, Associate Professor, Conservation and
Repor
eport:
Natural Resources (above, standing), shares his sabbatical report with the
Board of Trustees. He and Ruth Nolan, Associate Professor of English,
coauthored Palms to Pines Birding and Nature Trail, now available free at
various locations in and around the Coachella Valley including the Gift Shop
at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor
Center run by Friends of the Desert Mountains. The valuable resource is
funded by a grant from Southern California Edison. Resident and visiting
birders and nature enthusiasts will want to visit all 10 stops on the trail.
site. Brief remarks will be delivered by President Jerry Patton
and others, including Foundation Board President Ward
Fredericks and PSA Director
Clayton Mayes. Guests and VIPs
will sign their names on a steel
beam, whose location will be
marked by a plaque on an interior wall of the building,
expected to open in Fall of 2009.
Bookstore Buys Back
Books, Gives Away Food
It’s “buy-back week” at the
COD Bookstore and to celebrate
they are giving away snow cones
every day this week from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Bookstore Manager
Dean Goetz invites all to come
by for some free refreshment.
In addition to snow cones, each
day at the same time (until supplies run out) they will have:
Tuesday, pie samples from
Baker’s Square; Wednesday,
bread sticks from Pat ‘N Oscars;
Thursday, sandwich samples
from Port of Subs; and Friday,
pizza samples from Papa Dan’s.
Calendar of Events
Ma
8-2
4 Classified School EmployMayy 118-2
8-24
ees Week, surprise presentation of
Best & Brightest Awards
Ma
Mayy 22 Public Safety Academy
Ceremony, 6 pm, Wright Gym, marking
passage of students through higher
levels of training
Ma
Mayy 22 Nursing Pinning Ceremony, 2
pm, McCallum, honoring students who
complete Vocational Nursing Training
Ma
Mayy 23 Nursing Pinning Ceremony, 2
pm, McCallum, honoring students who
earn Associate Degree, Nursing (RN)
Ma
Mayy 23 Commencement, 7:30 pm,
Boone Field, Special 50th Anniversary
Graduation Ceremonies
Ma
Mayy 26 Campus closed for Memorial
Day Holiday; offices reopen Tuesday,
May 27
Ma
Mayy 29 Steel beam signing event, 10
am, at construction site of Public
Safety Academy facility
On the Cover
Photos on the cover Smaller photos,
left to right: Kim Dozier at the plate;
Silverio Alvarez in COD Chemistry Lab;
Allison Jones at the microphone.
They’re In the
Hall of Fame
Nine friends of College of the Desert
(top photo) were inducted into the
COD Alumni Association’s Hall of
Fame in a recent ceremony. The
annual event recognizes faculty,
staff, donors and civic leaders for
contributions both to COD and the
communities it serves. Richard
Delano, Dean Dowty and Diana
Robles were chosen for the Alumni
Award. Lisa Wilander is the Faculty
Award winner. Bill Grotenrath is the
recipient of the Outstanding Adjunct
Faculty Award. Janet Assof won for
Classified Staff, and Community
Leader Awards will go to Donna Jean
Darby and Ken and Sally Simonds.
Entertainment was by singer Allison
Jones. Emcee was COD Journalism
Adjunct Instructor Laurilie Jackson.
Middle pho
phottos
os, left to right: Colleen
McBride with Donna Jean Darby;
Dean Dowty with Gene Marchu;
singer Allison Jones, herself a
former COD student.
Abo
bovve: Alumni Board Members
include Executive Director Gene
Marchu, Barbara Creson, COD
President Jerry Patton, Linda
Valkenburg, Terry Green, Rosemary
Ortega, Jim Doyle and Dean Pam
LiCalsi.
COD Insider, May 19, 2008–3
Don’t Know Much About a Science Book?
Abo
bovve: On the last day of Professor Joana Ciurash’s Organic Chemistry class,
students were joined by Professor Chris Totten and some of her biology
students, to pose in front of the Periodic Table of the Elements in the Science
Building. From left, front row: Marcella Covarrubias, Vanessa Cicchini, Professor
Totten, Xiaoli Lynn Yang, Priscilla Munoz, Cristina Echeverria, Jayrom Acorda.
back row: Rohan Singh, Garret Moser, Jose Reynoso, Gustav Brosjo, Silverio
Alvarez, Professor Ciurash, Erick Aitchison, Jonki Jay Chung, Linda Tran, Israel
Algazi and Addison Tringale.
D
on’t know much, as the
song says, about a science
book? Well, these COD students
know a lot.
Wrapping up a semester of
Organic Chemistry are a talented class of budding scientists,
who are just some of the many
examples of local students taking advantage of smaller class
sizes and personal attention to
build a foundation for successful futures in math and science.
Professors Joana Ciurash and
Chris Totten took their chemistry students on a field trip
recently to the Getty Museum.
Not to view the works of art, but
to take a special back-of-thehouse tour of the lab where such
works are repaired and restored
through processes that owe
much to modern science.
4–COD Insider, May 19, 2008
The old conventional wisdom?
“Girls” can’t do math. The new
conventional wisdom is very different. That myth has been put
to rest.
Exhibit A would be Xiaoli
Yang, known to her classmates
as Lynn. Ms. Yang came to the
United States two and a half
years ago to live with her father,
a chef in Palm Springs. She deSee Page 5
Right, ttop
op tto
o bo
tt
om: Xiaoli “Lynn” Yang
bott
ttom:
is going to UC Berkeley or Mt. Holyoke
College as a pre-med student; Marcella
Covarrubius is microbiology major
bound for UCLA or UC Santa Cruz;
Vanessa Cicchini, who just graduated
from PDHS in ‘07, is majoring in biology
and will transfer to UCLA or UCSD.
They’re all A students, as are several of
their classmates, who were happy to
share their COD learning experiences.
...Students
Thrive In
the Sciences
From Page 4
scribes her English language
skills at the time as not so good,
so she enrolled in an ESL class
at College of the Desert. “I didn’t
know how to go about getting a
higher education in America,”
she said, “but at COD, they
taught me that. I would say my
experience at COD has been
more than good, it’s been transforming, a turning point for me.”
Yang improved her English
skills dramatically, and in the
process found out she was good
–very good – at math and science. Good enough to post a 4.0
GPA for the last two years. Good
enough to get accepted at two
highly rated universities: UC
Berkeley and Mt. Holyoke in
Massachusetts. She hasn’t decided yet which one to attend,
but she intends to make up her
mind soon.
Marcella Covarrubias is a marine biology major who’s been
accepted to the University of
Alaska, but she’s not going; instead, she has applied to UCLA
and UC Santa Cruz. What impressed her about the Getty lab
tour was “that they don’t alter
the art in any way, they simply
preserve it with great care.”
Vanessa Cicchi is in her first
year at COD, having graduated
from PDHS in ‘07. She’s a biology major with one year to go
before she transfers to UCSD or
UCLA to study nuclear medicine
or chemistry.
So, does the new conventional
wisdom suggest “boys” can’t do
math and science now? Oh, no.
Just ask Garrett Moser, a
In Appreciation: Students signed and illustrated a lab coat for Professor
Ciurash, which she intends to wear proudly. Small class sizes and personal
attention are hallmarks of a COD education, which is why so many students
start here and finish their baccalaureate degrees at a university. From left:
Addison Tringale, Vanessa Cicchini, Professor Ciurash, Xiaoli Lynn Yang, Israel
Algazi, and Jayrom Acorda.
bioengineering major who plans
to transfer to UCR. He wants a
career developing medical technology. Or ask Eric Aitchison, a
biochemistry major. He is moving this summer to Santa
Monica College before going on
to UCLA.
Two other students in the class
share a unique story. Both
Tobias Brosjo and Rohan Singh
are way ahead of the other students, at least in the sense that
they have bachelor’s degrees already.
Brosjo, from Sweden, got his
degree in visual communications
but wants to go to dental school.
He’s taking refresher courses in
science prior to taking his dental school exam. His three
semesters at COD have been a
positive experience. The teachers are so good,” he said.
Singh, who has a bachelor’s in
biology, plans to take both the
DAT and the MCAT en route to
becoming either a dentist or a
doctor. “I’m here preparing for
that,” he said, which is why he
took the organic chem class. “It’s
been a very good experience for
me. A lot of my classes at Wayne
State (his alma mater) had 300
students.”
Professor Ciurash has a special bond with her students. On
the last day of the semester, they
conducted a final experiment:
They made ice cream.
“I think they really appreciate
being here and that is very rewarding for me, that’s why I am
a professor. I love to teach, because I like to help them and
share my knowledge with them.”
Professor Totten, who teaches
biology and has some of the same
students in her class, said, “We
get a lot of students for whom
COD is their first choice. We offer more personal contact.”
COD Insider, May 19, 2008–5
Employers Honored for Work
Experience Program Participation
One of the highlights of the 0708 academic year for Michelle
Richards was the awarding of
the COD Work Experience
Employer(s) of the Year Award.
The inaugural recipients of the
award, destined to be an annual
event, attended a brief ceremony
on campus. KMIR TV6 and
Desert Radio Group were selected.
“These employers offer internships for COD students each
semester,” said Richards, COD’s
Work Experience Coordinator.
“They provide an invaluable opportunity for students to link
their academics with the real
world of work, get experience in
their field before they graduate,
build their resume, and experiment with career options. Both
organizations have provided
amazing learning and supervisory environments for student
interns.”
The Work Based Learning Advisory Committee and the Work
Experience staff unanimously
choose the two organizations
based on the feedback received
from student interns.
Work Experience provides students with the opportunity to get
internships and earn college
credit for their job and/or internship. Students may earn any
where from 1 to 4 units per semester depending on their major
and hours of work. Each student
must complete at least 75 hours
of work for each unit. Additionally, each student is required to
work on three measurable learning objectives at their job site,
two counseling sessions, two job
6–COD Insider, May 19, 2008
The
y’re the Best! Two local employers, who provide opportunities for
They’re
students in cooperation with COD’s Work Experience Program, were
honored by the college. Representing KMIR-TV6 was General Manager
Dianne Downey. And from the Desert Radio Group, Executive Producer
(and morning host) Jace Edwards was on hand, along with one of his disc
jockeys, who goes by the name of Tank. From left: President Jerry Patton;
Dean John Jaramillo, Vice President of Instruction Dr. Gari Browning,
KMIR’s Downey, Work Experience Coordinator Michelle Richards, DRG’s
Edwards and Tank.
site visits, a personal development assignment, and write a
term paper. Approximately 300
COD students take advantage of
this opportunity per year.
“Students have been known to
get promotions and raises as a
side bonus,” Richards said. “Employers also receive wonderful
benefits. If the student is already
working when they join Work
Experience, they can set three
goals to improve at their job. If
the student comes as in intern
the employer has the opportunity to train future workers in
their industry. It’s a win-win
situation!”
‘Solstice’ Will Be Out Soon
Solstice, the COD student literary magazine, is at the printer’s
and will be available soon on the
web.
Hard copies may be available as
early as May 23, in time for commencement. A reception is
planned in Fall ‘08.
Contributors this year represent COD students, alumni,
faculty, staff, and administrators,
as well as area high school students from Palm Desert, La
Quinta, and Cathedral City.
Once available, books may be
picked up at the following locations:
Liberal Arts 2, COD Library,
Counseling Center and Admissions Office.
Hello and Good-Bye at Board Meeting
Transition: It was time to say so long to some familiar faces at the recent meeting of the DCCD Board of Trustees...
and welcome to one new one! Trustees honored departing Vice President of Instruction Dr. Gari Browning,
(above left, with President Patton), who is leaving to take the position of President-Superintendent at Ohlone
College in Fremont, CA. The board also recognized Sam Aguilar, Student Trustee, for his service. Aguilar introduced
another student who will serve in the ex-officio position next year: Lorraine Hernandez (above, right). Sam is
shown (top photo) with Board members, left to right: Trustees John Marman, Aquilar, Dr. Bud Miller, Becky
Broughton, President Jerry Patton, and Dr. Bonnie Stefan.
Board Approves 7 Faculty Hires
The Desert Community College District has approved seven
full time faculty appointments
for the coming year.
The action was taken at the
Board of Trustees meeting on
May 14. The newest College of
the Desert faculty members all
begin work Aug. 28 except as
noted. They are:
David Catanzarite, Assistant
Professor, Theatre Arts.
Dr. Anthony Fesmire, Associate Professor, Music.
Donna Greene, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood
Education.
Alejandro Jazan, Instructor,
Speech.
John Murray, Associate Professor, Heating, Ventilation and
Refrigeration.
Donald O’Loghlin, employment Specialist, DSPS, starts
July 1.
Vida Rossi Dean, Instructor,
Reading.
COD Insider, May 19, 2008–7
Team Building
The task of “building community” at COD, one of
President Jerry Patton’s goals for the year, led to
a suggestion from Trustee John Marman to hold
an employees softball tournament. After several
noontime games, the season came to an end
with a one-run championship game. At a
luncheon recently, some of the team members
accepted trophies (top left): Champions were the
Alumni, Coaches Football Players team
represented by Octavio Vazquez, Carlos Verazas,
Colleen Cunningham, Betsy Young, Marman and
David George. Second place (top
right), the Communication, IS, CTD
team, represented by (standing) Ethan
Camargo, Bobbie Larsen, Blanca
Montenegro, Tom Jones, Diana Ortiz
and Jack Lin; (kneeling) Michael
Harlow and David Schuetz. In third,
the Students/M&O team, represented
by Kris Rader, Job Gonzalez, Raul
Yepiz, and Habacuc Flores. On the
playing field: Kim Dozier at bat; Jon
Fernald on deck. And in the shade,
COD leaders took a break from a
Board meeting to cheer: (from left)
Trustee Marman, Dr. Edwin Deas, Dr.
Jack Randall, Dr. David Bugay and
Trustee Dr. Bonnie Stefan.
8–COD Insider, May 19, 2008
Transfer
Transfer Recognition
Recognition Ceremony
Ceremony
One of Man
y: The Transfer Recognition
Many:
Ceremony held recently on campus is
one of a dozen smaller, more intimate
rites of passage leading up to the
official Commencement, set this year
for May 23. At left, Jose Simo, Dr.
Diane Ramirez and Dean Adrian
Gonzales smile as a photographer
snaps a shot with Silverio Alvarez—as
Margo Capuano looks on.
It’s Graduation Time Again at COD!
College of the Desert will hold
commencement exercises on Friday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m.
As many as 375 students have
signed up to participate, out of
nearly 600 eligible graduates.
Speakers include Jerry R. Patton,
COD President, and Dr. Fred
Jandt, Dean, CSUSBPD.
Student speakers are John
Dennem-Tigner and Cheri
Mattucci, both graduating with
Highest Honors. Michael O’Neill,
Special Education Professor and
Coordinator of Disabled Students
Programs and Services, was
named “Faculty of the Year” and
will also speak.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of College
of the Desert in 1958. The anniversary will be acknowledged by
introducing some of the oldest living graduates, representing their
classmates from the early 1960s.
COD opened its doors in 1962 and
started graduating students in
1963 (there were 3). In 1964, the
first full two-year graduating
class numbered 19.
President Patton will also
present a series of Presidential
Medallions, given annually to
major donors to the college. Dr.
Bud Miller, Chairman of COD’s
Board of Trustees, will present a
rare honorary degree to a local
civic leader, Robert Spiegel of the
Palm Desert City Council.
COD Insider, May 19, 2008–9
Monterey Entry
Will Be Closed
All Summer
The next phase of major construction on campus will include
the temporary closure of the entrance to (and exit from) the
campus on Monterey Avenue
from May 27 to approximately
Aug. 23.
“We will complete the current
roadwork on the north side of
Alumni Road in time for Commencement” said Steve Renew,
Director, M&O.
“Right after, we will begin construction in the Alumni Ring
Road section which crosses our
Monterey entrance. You may already have noticed the electronic
signs in the median at that location. That work will continue
from just after graduation until
mid August.”
In August until mid-October,
the work will shift to the southwest corner of the ring road,
Renew said.
Ruth Stark Fund Will
Sponsor COD Art Day
NSF Awards COD $584,000 for
Math, Science Scholarships
A significant grant from the
National Science foundation will
provide $3,000-$4,000 annual
scholarships to 30 COD students
each year for five years. The
grant, in the sum of $584,000,
will increase access to higher
education for STEM (science,
technology, engineering and
math) students at COD. It is
based on need and eligibility and
the first scholarships will be
10–COD Insider, May 19, 2008
awarded a year from now for the
2009-10 academic year.
Dr. Jim Parvizi, Dean, Math
& Science Division, said, “We’re
very excited. This will help students be more successful and
also attract new students.”
Professors Jim Matthews,
Doug MacIntire, Joana Ciurash,
Carl Farmer and Thang Le will
direct the grant.
More info: (760) 773-2573.
A $10,000 check is the down
payment on a pledge of $25,000
to support Art Articulation Day at
COD. Dean James Berg accepted
the gift from Ron and Marcia
Bercov in behalf of Ruth Stark’s
estate.
The annual spring program
brings high school students to the
campus for a hands-on tour. Ruth
was a retiree who took ceramics
at the college from Professor Ron
Evans. “They’d been talking to
Ron about donating some of
Ruth’s estate,” said Berg, Dean of
Social Sciences and Arts. “This
generous gift will help pay for Art
Day. We hope others will also contribute to the endowment fund.”