Colleges join for Undocumented Student Action Week

Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges are joining in a host of activities Oct. 19-23 as part of a campaign by community colleges across California to advocate and provide resources for the undocumented student population.

California’s community colleges are holding numerous virtual activities in a commemoration led by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the Community College League of California, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, Immigrants Rising, California Student Aid Commission, the California Undocumented Higher Education Coalition, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

Grossmont College Named No. 55 Nationwide for Associate Degrees Awarded to Hispanics

 Grossmont College was named No. 55 in the country for the number of associate degrees awarded to Hispanic, or Latinx, students during the 2018 – 2019 academic year by Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine. The college was also recognized as No. 65 in the country for Latinx student enrollment during the same period. The announcement came as part of Hispanic Outlook’s annual special issue announcing its Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics.

“As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Grossmont College is proud to have high Latinx student enrollment, but it’s more gratifying to see an even higher ranking for a mark of student success – obtaining their associate’s degrees,” said Grossmont College President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, Ed.D. “This is also a particularly meaningful ranking as it comes at the end of our college’s sixth annual Latinx Heritage Month celebration.”

Cuyamaca College offers a busy month of virtual cultural and equity-related events

Cuyamaca College’s Culture and Community Circle workshops covering an array of equity and cultural issues continue in October, commemorating Disabilities Awareness Month, Filipino Heritage Month and Latinx Heritage Month.

 

Sponsored by the college’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Success and Equity; Student Affairs; and Associated Student Government, the free Zoom presentations are open to the public.

They include:

Munching goats give fire prevention effort some teeth at Cuyamaca College

 Cuyamaca College’s newest kids are on a mission.

College turns to goats to clear dry brush.

A herd of 275 baby and adult goats are grazing on 50 acres of dry brush on the outskirts of the pastoral campus for the next six to eight weeks to mitigate a fire risk.

Oblivious to TV cameras and a pair of drones hovering overhead, the four-legged masticators -- docile and tolerant of curious humans with their cellphone cameras – were officially introduced to the public Thursday.

“Using goats will mitigate environmental impact and ensure responsible use of public funds,” President Julianna Barnes said at the media day function, where she introduced the “Goat Guy,” Johnny Gonzales, herd manager with Environmental Land Management.

Taxpayers group gives district a high grade for Proposition V transparency

Grossmont's PVAC

The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District has received the highest grade granted to school and college districts by the San Diego County Taxpayers Education Foundation in its 2020 school bond transparency report.

The watchdog agency graded 25 school and college districts with school construction bond programs for their transparency in providing information to the public, including posting of meeting agendas and minutes, project descriptions, progress updates, and annual reports by citizens’ bond oversight committees. In all, 17 districts received an A-, the top grade issued by the taxpayer group, which noted scores were slightly lower this year, a trend it attributed to the distraction of the coronavirus pandemic and a shifting of priorities.

Grossmont College President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh announces retirement

 

Dr. Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh

Grossmont College President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, who since 2015 has led the academic and physical transformation of the El Cajon community college, announced his retirement today.

“I am leaving my post after 31 years of service in the California Community Colleges to spend more quality time with my wife,” Abu-Ghazaleh said in an announcement to campus. “As we have spent more time together working from home in the past six months, we have revisited forgotten plans. Long before I left the classroom in 1999 to become an administrator, we envisioned living simply and retiring early to travel and pursue a more active lifestyle.”

Thanks to his long-standing commitment to equity for students, Abu-Ghazaleh leaves the college much changed from his start there five-and-a-half years ago. During his time as president, Grossmont College has been recognized twice as eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges, that placed it among the top 150, or top 15 percent, of community colleges nationwide. 

Spring 2021 classes at Grossmont, Cuyamaca colleges to remain mostly online

With the coronavirus still dominating as a public health crisis, all but a very few classes at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges will continue to be taught online or remotely through spring 2021.

Lynn Neault, chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, cited health experts’ concerns about a potential spike in COVID-19 as the flu season approaches. As with the current fall semester, intersession and spring 2021 classes will include a limited number of on-campus classes that are difficult to deliver remotely, particularly career education and laboratory classes.  

The colleges are currently deciding which additional spring 2021 classes need to be taught in person but can also meet safety protocols, such as physical distancing and regular sanitizing. The district is also looking into providing limited student support services on the campuses if public health conditions permit, Neault said.