The study was conducted by Emsi, an Idaho-based labor market analytics firm which produces similar reports for colleges and universities nationwide. Researchers analyzed data for fiscal year 2018-19 to determine the economic impact and the return on investment for dollars invested by students in their education, by alumni who remain in San Diego County, and the impact of the District’s operational spending.
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| Nedra Brown |
“Even if you do not know someone who has been affected, the
virus is real,” said Brown, Associate Dean of Athletics at Grossmont College.
“The symptoms are real. It’s not something I would want anyone to go through.”
Brown says she was careful. She has been working from home and
only had limited contacts except for trips to the grocery store. When she woke
up one morning in November with flu-like symptoms, she was relieved when they
went away after she took some pain medication.
About a week later, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Brown
was still feeling a little achy when she noticed she had lost her sense of
smell. Even a body spray and a strong household disinfectant had no scent for
her. Brown was tested for COVID-19 the next day, and learned she was positive.
“I just broke down. I cried and cried,” she said. “I just could not believe it. I felt sad and embarrassed and angry and scared.”
She immediately isolated herself from the others in her
household – her sister and her elderly mother, who is at-risk with cancer. None
of the people she had been in contact with tested positive for COVID-19, and
Brown still isn’t sure how she got the virus.
This year’s Top 100 list examined national data from the 2018 – 2019 academic year, the most recent year available. The rankings were assigned based on the number of minority students who received degrees. Grossmont College ranked:
• No. 69 for awarding degrees to students who identify as a minority (African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American or Pacific Islander)
• No. 70 for awarding degrees to Hispanics/Latinx students
• No. 58 for awarding degrees to Asian American students
• No. 32 for awarding degrees to students who identify as two or more races
Monroe, who founded Cuyamaca College’s highly regarded Ornamental Horticulture program and retired in 2012 as its chair after 32 years, was elected to the board in 2018. Board members also voted to have Linda Cartwright as vice president, and Debbie Justeson as clerk of the board.
Also at the virtually held Dec. 15 meeting, oaths of office were taken by newly elected trustee Julie Schorr and trustee Adams, re-elected to a second term in November.
Dates were also set for the 2021 board meetings which will be held electronically during the current COVID-related public health emergency. When public health conditions permit, meetings will resume in-person and alternate between Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges. The Governing Board regular meetings will be held at 4:15 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month on January-August 2021, and on the second Tuesday of the month from September-December.
The district’s two colleges, Grossmont College in El Cajon and Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego, together serve more than 26,000 students.
For information about the college district, go to www.gcccd.edu
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| Center of Water Studies Field Operations Skills Yard |
The partnership is designed to increase access to high-quality, affordable degree programs to train and educate the next generation professionals in this sector, as industry experts anticipate a shortage of up to 20,000 workers throughout California in the coming years.
Rosal now
serves double-duty as coordinator of Cuyamaca College’s Veterans Resource
Center and as coordinator of Cuyamaca Cares, which addresses basic needs of
students with a drive-thru food pantry, housing referrals, emergency assistance
funds and mental health resources.
At the Veterans Resource Center, Rosal’s primary role is
supporting the needs of veteran students and backstopping the work of Veteran
Student Specialist Allan Estrada. She coordinates the center’s pantry program,
which helps veterans and their families; manages book loans and vouchers; and
arranges for Troop Talks, a monthly presentation by a veteran-focused community
partner. Social media and the center’s promotion are also part of her
bailiwick.
Dogged determination is a quality that’s served her well as she juggles her roles as a student and mother of a 6- and 3-year-old with another on the way.