Three finalists chosen for Grossmont College presidency

Three educators with extensive experience working at community colleges have been chosen as finalists to be the next Grossmont College president.

Grossmont College in El Cajon, with more than 15,000 students, is known for its high transfer rates to four-year universities and renowned career education programs such as Nursing and Allied Health, Administration of Justice and Culinary Arts.

The position of Grossmont College president opened when Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, who led the college since 2015, announced his retirement last fall.  

Grossmont College Literary Arts Festival to celebrate 25th year

The Grossmont College Literary Arts Festival has special reasons to celebrate its April 26-29 run: its 25th anniversary and its return after a one-year COVID hiatus.

Although its comeback will be virtual in keeping with health protocols, the spirit and intent of the weeklong festival put on by the English Department’s Creative Writing program remain the same: to highlight poetry, memoirs, literature, and student writings, and to provide an opportunity to hear writers across the country talk about their inspirations and challenges filling blank pages.

The festival is free and open to the public. Writer bios, workshop descriptions and registration links are available at https://tinyurl.com/3akfaxnb 

Grossmont, Cuyamaca colleges celebrate a month of diversity

In keeping with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awareness Month at California Community Colleges, Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges are hosting a number of events highlighting the many forms of diversity at the East County campuses.

“Our district has had a longstanding commitment to recognizing the rich tapestry of its campus communities, but we are redoubling our efforts following the events of the last year,” said Chancellor Lynn Neault. “We are dedicated to promoting equity to help ensure all students have the opportunity to achieve their educational goals.”

Diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation are celebrated through numerous events held throughout the academic year, including Cuyamaca College’s Powwow and its Middle Eastern Heritage Month; Grossmont College’s Dia de Familia; LGBTQIA events hosted by both colleges’ sexual orientation/gender identity student organizations and both colleges’ Women’s History Month and Black History Month events. Both colleges also offer specialized programs designed to help students from underserved communities.

Tribe's support benefits Grossmont College students

Interim Grossmont College President Marsha 
Gable and Foundation CEO Sally Cox

        Grossmont College students who are awarded a scholarship from an East County tribe get much more than the $500 to help them pay for books and supplies. They also get a connection with the tribe’s casino that can help them land a job.

Since 2018, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation has provided annual scholarships for 12 Grossmont College students who are majoring in Culinary Arts, the Administration of Justice, or Hospitality and Tourism Management. Those fields directly tie into the kinds of jobs held at the Sycuan Casino, with more than 1,700 employees, including chefs, security guards, or hotel and casino managers.

Cole Atencio: Getting acting experience at Grossmont College

Cole Atencio

Cole Atencio said he’s known since he started high school that he wanted to be an actor. His experience at Grossmont College’s Theatre Arts department is giving him the on-stage experience to help him hone his skills.

Cole is one of four students who will be appearing in “The Mad Ones,” the latest production of the Theatre Arts department that will be streaming online April 8-17. The play is directed by Geno Carr, a renowned actor and director who is a faculty member at Grossmont College.

Cole, a 20-year-old La Mesa resident, said he was bit by the acting bug when he saw a play at Helix High School that was performed for new students and parents during a school fair as he was about to start ninth grade. He still remembers the play: “Zombie Prom.”

“Watching those people on the stage who were my age really got me interested in theater,” Cole said.

His parents had encouraged him to attend a university, but the death of his father at the start of his senior year of high school caused Cole to consider other options for his education.

“I started thinking, ‘What do I want to do?’ I still wanted to pursue an education, but I didn’t want to make the commitment to a four-year school,” he said.

College district's fiscal prudence rewarded

Grossmont College's new performing arts center

 The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board recently received good news reflecting the district’s wise handling of taxpayer dollars.

• The district received the best marks possible in audit reports for the 17th year in a row.
• A series of Proposition V bonds are being refinanced-for an expected $8 million in savings to taxpayers over the life of the bonds.
•  The district’s insurance company gave a rebate of almost $500,000 to the district, reflecting lower costs for worker’s compensation claims.

“We take our responsibility as stewards of public funds very seriously,” said Lynn Neault, district chancellor. “Our district is continuing to provide an excellent education to Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students while carefully managing our district’s finances.”

Community college leaders support vaccinations so campuses can reopen

 

The leaders of the 10 community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties issued a statement today urging their employees and students to get a vaccination protecting them against COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible.

The colleges, which serve more than 200,000 students in the two-county area, have been offering mostly online learning for the 2020-21 academic year because of the pandemic. Only a limited number of classes and labs that train essential workers have been offered at the college campuses.

“Widespread vaccinations will allow our colleges to start reopening our campuses this fall and to continue to offer the top-quality education that our students want and deserve,” says the statement, which was endorsed by leaders for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca, Imperial, MiraCosta, Palomar, San Diego and Southwestern college districts.