Grossmont College Outreach and DA's office pair to provide Information and Community Resource Night

Like the coronavirus, crime is ever-present, and the county’s top prosecutor wants to alert the public about new risks arising in the era of COVID-19.

Grossmont College’s Outreach Office is partnering with the District Attorney’s office for a free virtual Information and Community Resource Night 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, accessible via Zoom videoconferencing.  

According to the District Attorney’s office, reports of internet crime against juveniles, such as the sharing of illicit photos of minors, have tripled since the pandemic started. The information night is an opportunity to get the latest on crime, as well as educational resources available at Grossmont College. The college’s outreach office will offer application assistance in English, Spanish, and Arabic during the event.

Grossmont College English language program for international students gains reaccreditation

Students in the ACE classroom

American Collegiate English (ACE), an intensive English language program for international students at Grossmont College, recently gained 10-year reaccreditation from the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA).

ACE is a not-for-credit program that serves international students on an F-1 visa and helps them develop their English ability enough to succeed in the credit program in English as a Second Language classes. Most go on to earn a degree or certificate from the college and transfer to a 4-year university.

Grossmont College CalWORKs student workers receive student leadership awards

Sudad Abdulrazak

Uhmbaya Laury

As student workers in Grossmont College’s CalWORKs department and as members of the CalWORKs Club, Sudad Abdulrazak and Uhmbaya Laury help some of the campus’ neediest students.

CalWORKs serves students who qualify for Temporary Aid for Needy Families, a federal assistance program, and often face challenges relating to life’s circumstances: poverty, refugee status, joblessness, domestic violence.

With challenges of their own, Abdulrazak and Laury have helped fellow students and made such an impact  that they received special recognition as recipients of the  President’s Student Leadership Award.

Marshall T. Fulbright III hired as Grossmont College vice president of academic affairs

                                                                                                   

Marshall T. Fulbright III

Grossmont College announced today that it will hire Marshall T. Fulbright III, Ed.D., as its new vice president of academic affairs. Fulbright will join the college on July 1. 

“Dr. Fulbright is known for being innovative, collaborative and collegial, and he actively engages with students and his colleagues to support initiatives that encourage students’ success. His commitment to education is not only demonstrated by his dedication to students, faculty and staff, but is also evinced in his ability and willingness to support all students on their academic journeys,” said Grossmont College President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh. “I am excited to have Dr. Fulbright join our team and I look forward to his contributions at Grossmont College.”

Fulbright comes to Grossmont College from Norco College, a Hispanic-Serving Institution in Riverside County, where he served as Dean of Instruction for the School of Arts & Humanities and the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences. During his  time there, Norco College participated in the pilot program of the California Guided Pathways Project and implemented guided pathways for its students.

College district wins statewide PR awards

The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District received two 2020 PRO Awards Wednesday from the Community College Public Relations Organization, a professional development organization that seeks to promote excellence in California's community college public relations and related professions.

Each year, CCPRO recognizes the marketing and communications efforts of the 115 California community colleges with the PRO awards. This year, more than 440 entries were submitted from across the state.

The awards announced during a virtual awards presentation were for:

• First place, Catalog, Division B for the Grossmont College Catalog 2019-2020. The catalog category is among the most competitive, typically drawing scores of entries.

• First place, news release for “The Slants musician and Grossmont alum returning to campus,” which promoted former Grossmont College student Simon Tam’s visit to give a reading of his memoir, “Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court.” The presentation was part of the English Department’s Fall Reading Series. The award marked the fifth time in six years that the college district won first place for news releases.

Applicants sought to fill vacancies on college district's citizens' bond oversight committee

Grossmont College's PVAC 

Two East County residents -- a representative of a senior citizen group and an individual with expertise in finance or accounting -- are needed to fill a pair of vacancies on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s citizens’ bond oversight committee.

The CBOC is tasked with assuring accountability for funds connected to Proposition V, a $398
million construction bond measure approved by East County voters in 2012.

A total of four seats will be vacated with appointees completing their terms, but two are for a student representative and a member of a college advisory committee and will be filled internally.
An application form is posted online at www.propsrv.gcccd.edu and must be emailed by July 6 to Stephen.johnson@gafcon.com.

Grossmont College OPT program recruiting for fall semester

The Office Professional Training program at Grossmont College is recruiting students for a free one-semester program that can lead to a rewarding career as an office professional.

Applicants must be California residents and desire to be placed in a job. The program offers specializations for working in Accounting, Insurance, Office/Administrative Support and at a Medical Office.

          Students who complete the program will earn 12 to 20 community college credit units that can be applied toward a degree or certificate. Student support services include counseling, job placement assistance and internship opportunities for graduates.

       The 17-week program begins August 17 with an assessment and a one-week pretraining module. All students take the following courses:  keyboarding, office procedures, job search, Business English/Communications, Microsoft Word and Excel.  Successful completers will be eligible to earn the B.O.T. Certificates of Proficiency:  Office Professional, Account Clerk, and Office Software Specialist-Level I.

    Interested students should contact Candy McLaughlin at candy.mclaughlin@gcccd.edu or by calling (619) 644-7548. Information is also available on the Office Professional Training page on the Grossmont College website.

Grossmont College graduate Shannon Master: On the right path

Shannon Master 

By all appearances, Shannon Master had all the ingredients for a successful life. She had an established career as a writer and producer for countless television shows, a happy marriage, and a thriving young daughter.

However, she didn’t have a college degree, leading Master to return to Grossmont College two years ago after a 25-year career. On June 4, Master, 46, was one of 1,957 graduates who received their Grossmont College diploma in a virtual commencement ceremony.

“We may be the collective class of 2020 graduating without the hugs and handshakes from our friends and professors,” Master said in the draft of a speech she wrote for commencement. “But we have proven to ourselves that we had the tenacity to finish what we started against all odds, in no small part thanks to our resilient teachers who have worked tirelessly during this crisis.”

Grossmont, Cuyamaca colleges assisting students affected by coronavirus pandemic

More than 4,200 Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students who face financial challenges as the result of the coronavirus pandemic have been approved for emergency grants from the colleges to help them continue their education.

The grants come from the $5 million the colleges collectively received from federal funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, along with grants from the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges, and other program and college funding.

As of mid-May, more than 2,500 students at Grossmont College and over 1,700 students at Cuyamaca have been approved for emergency grant funding, which is being disbursed in phases as quickly as staff can process the applications. The students are receiving either a $500 grant or a $250 grant if they previously received $250 through the district’s Grossmont-Cuyamaca College Promise program for first-time students. The grants can be used for food, housing, course material, technology, childcare and healthcare.

Key person behind Grossmont College's online conversion wins special award

Richard Heuft/photographer

Grossmont College faced a daunting challenge when the campus was abruptly closed March 19 in response to the coronavirus pandemic: train scores of instructors on how to make a speedy conversion to online teaching.

Instructional design technology specialist Dawn Heuft rose to the challenge, working with colleagues to lead dozens of boot camp sessions with instructors over a two-week period. Her efforts earned her plaudits as the first recipient of the college’s aptly named Grace Under Pressure Award.

At Grossmont College’s 21st Annual Recognition Awards ceremony – held virtually for the first time – the instructional design technology specialist was described by President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh as “the one individual who we as a campus have perhaps leaned on the most.”