Here's a video montage of the annual chili cook-off at Grossmont College. The three-peat winner was Ken Emmons, who also won for best vegetarian chili. Michael Perez and Ernie Ewin tied for best meat chili. And the best spicy chili came from Grossmont College president Sunny Cooke!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Chili cook-off at Grossmont College
Here's a video montage of the annual chili cook-off at Grossmont College. The three-peat winner was Ken Emmons, who also won for best vegetarian chili. Michael Perez and Ernie Ewin tied for best meat chili. And the best spicy chili came from Grossmont College president Sunny Cooke!
College district offers lighting systems training program
With help from San Diego Gas and Electric, the
Continuing Education and Workforce Training program based at Cuyamaca
College is offering free training for installing and maintaining
energy-efficient lighting systems.
The
California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program, a 50-hour training
program for state-certified general electricians, is scheduled for 5-9 p.m.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Jan. 15-Feb. 20, 2014, at SDG&E’s Energy
Innovation Center at 4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in San Diego.
The
training program is a statewide initiative aimed at increasing the use of
energy-saving advanced lighting controls in commercial buildings and industrial
facilities. Building and facility owners whose electricians and contractors
complete the training are eligible for utility rebates and other
incentives. The program represents a broad partnership between utility
companies, manufacturers, electricians, contractors and select community
colleges.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Grossmont College nursing students pinned amid drive for 4-year degrees
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Esther Sanchez speaks at the Grossmont College nursing pinning ceremony held at Cuyamaca College |
Thirty Grossmont College nursing students were welcomed into
the profession in a traditional pinning ceremony on December 11, as efforts are
underway in California to allow community colleges to grant four-year degrees
in high-demand workforce fields such as nursing.
Associated degree nurses are registered nurses qualified to work in hospitals. Once the associate degree graduates have passed their national licensure examination they will become registered nurses, and are qualified to work at hospitals. However, not all positions will be open to them unless they go onto four-year colleges to obtain a bachelor of science-nursing degree. Many hospitals in metropolitan San Diego are magnet hospitals, which seeks to hire a certain percentage of their nursing staff with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“The community college movement toward technical baccalaureates is a practical cost-effective answer to critical workforce needs. We are eager to answer that call,” said Cindy L. Miles, chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District.
Associated degree nurses are registered nurses qualified to work in hospitals. Once the associate degree graduates have passed their national licensure examination they will become registered nurses, and are qualified to work at hospitals. However, not all positions will be open to them unless they go onto four-year colleges to obtain a bachelor of science-nursing degree. Many hospitals in metropolitan San Diego are magnet hospitals, which seeks to hire a certain percentage of their nursing staff with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“The community college movement toward technical baccalaureates is a practical cost-effective answer to critical workforce needs. We are eager to answer that call,” said Cindy L. Miles, chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Chris Hill named as a senior dean at Grossmont College
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Chris Hill |
Chris Hill, a faculty member at
Grossmont College for 11 years, has been named senior dean of college planning
and institutional effectiveness.
In her new position, Hill will help
to devise strategies to enable the college to meet goals such as increasing its
outreach to underserved communities; assuring that students have the necessary
support to complete their studies; and developing grant applications and budget
analyses to support these efforts.
Hill has worn many hats since she
began working as a geology instructor at Grossmont College in 2002. In 2007,
she was elected as president of the college’s Academic Senate. Hill began a
second two-year Academic Senate term in 2009, but before it was completed, she
was tapped by the college to serve for a semester as its interim dean of Math,
Natural Science, Exercise and Wellness.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Governing Board officers elected for 2014
The
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board has unanimously
selected Bill Garrett to serve a seventh straight year as president,
while Edwin Hiel and Debbie Justeson were re-elected to serve their second
terms as fellow board officers for 2014.
Garrett
has served since 2008 as board president for the East County district. Fellow
board members also elected Hiel as vice president and Justeson as board clerk,
posts they had held this year. The district serves about 30,000 students at
Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, in addition to the district’s Continuing
Education and Workforce Training program.
Garrett
praised the Governing Board for its cohesiveness and its excellent service to
constituents. He added that much has been accomplished by the district under
the leadership of Chancellor Cindy L. Miles. A revamp of the district’s
public safety program, the re-staffing of key positions, and an extensive
effort to bring back classes and students lost during the state budget crisis
are just a few of the challenges undertaken during the course of the
year.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Cuyamaca College holds bone marrow drive for automotive instructor
It was his conquest over
cancer the first time around and a changed perspective that led longtime
mechanic Jake Konen to a new career teaching at Cuyamaca College.
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From left, Jake Konen's son Josh; daughter-in-law Veronica Gehrich; Be the Match representative Janet Higgens and Cuyamaca College President Mark Zacovic |
Four
years after he beat non-Hodgkins lymphoma, cancer has returned to wage another
war, this time in the form of acute leukemia. And Konen is determined to once
again prevail.
On
Thursday, while he was at the hospital with Tina, his wife of 22 years, his
sons and other family members were at Cuyamaca, taking part in a donor registry
drive the college sponsored on his behalf. The six-hour event netted 34 people
who swabbed their cheeks for cell samples and signed up for a national registry
-- a commitment until age 61 to donate stem cells or bone marrow to any
patient with whom they’re found to be a match.
“It
was a great drive – it only takes one match to potentially save a life,” said
Janet Higgens, community outreach specialist with Be the Match, the largest
registry of potential marrow donors in the world.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Community college leaders endorse proposal for 4-year degrees
A proposal that would enable
community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in selected majors with high
workforce demands has been endorsed by the leaders of the nine community
colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties.
On December 2, the chief executive
officers of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Community Colleges Association
(SDICCCA) voted unanimously to endorse the concept. SDICCCA members include all of the region’s
community colleges and community college districts.
“Our local community colleges excel
at preparing students to enter the workforce in career technical fields such as
nursing and allied health,” said Dr. Melinda Nish, president of the San
Diego and Imperial Counties Community Colleges Association and
superintendent/president of Southwestern College. “This proposal would enable
community colleges to grant four-year degrees in similar fields. It’s time for California to join this
national movement and address our local workforce and student needs.”
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Winter Wonder Jam music fest at Cuyamaca College
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Lyrical Groove |
If home-grown
music is your thing, then the place to be this Friday night is the Cuyamaca
College Performing Arts Theater, the venue for the always eclectic and
entertaining Winter Wonder Jam, produced by students in the college’s Music
Industry program.
Set for 7-10 p.m.
Dec. 6, concert-goers will be treated to music ranging from rock, pop, jazz,
acoustic and hip- hop.
Headlining this
year’s show is the genre-defying group, Lyrical Groove, a 2013 San Diego Music
Award winner for best hip-hop artists. Sharing the Cuyamaca stage will be the
heavy metal sounds of It All Starts Here; the electronica band, D.L.O.D.
(Digital Lizards of Doom) and rock/jazz instrumentalist Jay Williams.
Admission to the
annual event is three cans of food to be donated to the San Diego Food Bank or
$5.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Comet ISON, Thanksgiving and Chanukah -- all in one day
As if Thanksgiving and the first day of Chanukah falling on
the same day were not coincidence enough, the comet ISON will be at its closest
point to the sun—about 750,000 miles away-- on that day, Thursday, Nov. 28th.
Grossmont College Astronomy Prof. Ross Cohen says for people who don’t have the proper equipment for comet watching, at the time of its closest approach to the sun, it is safest to turn to the Internet or to television to view images from satellites that will be tracking the comet from various vantage points in space.
At its closest point to the sun, called the perihelion, Comet ISON skims past the sun– as viewed from Earth. But various satellites have other vantage points and might even see it cross in front of the sun.
Grossmont College Astronomy Prof. Ross Cohen says for people who don’t have the proper equipment for comet watching, at the time of its closest approach to the sun, it is safest to turn to the Internet or to television to view images from satellites that will be tracking the comet from various vantage points in space.
At its closest point to the sun, called the perihelion, Comet ISON skims past the sun– as viewed from Earth. But various satellites have other vantage points and might even see it cross in front of the sun.
If Comet ISON survives the transit, it is expected to
display a bright trail of rock, ice and other space materials gathered from its
origin in the mammoth Oort Cloud, a vast expanse of comets surrounding our
solar system. Cohen suggests that
pre-dawn in the first several days of December may be the safest time to see
the comet because viewers won’t have to contend with the sun’s glare.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Registration open for winter, spring classes
Registration is now
open for the first winter session – or intersession -- classes at Grossmont and
Cuyamaca colleges since 2009.
Registration is also
now open for spring 2014 classes, which start Jan 27.
Thanks to last year’s
passage of Proposition 30, the tax plan that fortified education after four
devastating years of state budget cuts, the colleges are offering more than 50
intersession classes between Jan. 3-24. Before the passage of Prop. 30,
debilitating funding losses totaling $16 million to Grossmont-Cuyamaca forced
the district to slash 1,600 classes and to turn thousands of students away at a
time of record demand.
“After years of
having to turn away students because fewer classes were available, we’re happy
to offer more options for students to reach their educational goals,”
Chancellor Cindy L. Miles said.
Friday, November 22, 2013
District joins county's Live Well San Diego network
The
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board voted this week
to join San Diego County’s “Live Well San Diego” campaign, part of the
district’s commitment to supporting the health and wellness of the campus
communities at the two East County colleges.

The
Governing Board passed a resolution Tuesday ratifying the district’s
partnership with the county, becoming among the first higher-education
institutions to join the Live Well San Diego network.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
More than 240 high school students attend Day of Dance at Grossmont College
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High school students dancing at Grossmont College |
With California’s
cash-starved K-12 public schools often
feeling forced to deemphasize the arts in order to provide education in
traditional academic subjects, East County high schools in cooperation with
Grossmont College have an encouraging message for students with aspirations
toward careers in the performing and visual arts. There’s light --and movement--at the end of
the tunnel!
More than 260 students from eight East County high schools recently attended technique classes and performances put on by Grossmont College’s Dance Department to familiarize themselves with the wide range of opportunities for aspiring dancers.
More than 260 students from eight East County high schools recently attended technique classes and performances put on by Grossmont College’s Dance Department to familiarize themselves with the wide range of opportunities for aspiring dancers.
Prof. Kathy Meyer said that
the high school students were treated on Friday, Nov. 15, to an abbreviated
performance of “Breaking Boundaries,” the dance concert that Grossmont College
presented in three performances last week at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre in San
Diego.
In addition, high school students from Valhalla, Grossmont, Monte Vista, San Pasqual, Ramona, El Capitan, Helix Charter, and San Diego SCPA got to try their feet in a variety of dances demonstrated by Grossmont faculty.
David Mullen instructed the Jazz, Partnering, and Contact Improvisation classes, Kathy Meyer taught the Pilates mat classes, Melissa Adao instructed the Hip Hop classes as well as a Horton style Modern Dance class, Debi Toth-Ward instructed a Modern Dance class in the Taylor technique, Nancy Boskin-Mullen taught sections of both Salsa and Swing dance, and Colleen Shipkowski instructed the Ballet classes.
Meyer said over the years the day of dance has
proven popular with serious young dancers.
“We often hear from students that their visit to Grossmont College for
the High School Dance Day was the deciding factor in attending Grossmont
College after their high school graduation,” she said. In addition, high school students from Valhalla, Grossmont, Monte Vista, San Pasqual, Ramona, El Capitan, Helix Charter, and San Diego SCPA got to try their feet in a variety of dances demonstrated by Grossmont faculty.
David Mullen instructed the Jazz, Partnering, and Contact Improvisation classes, Kathy Meyer taught the Pilates mat classes, Melissa Adao instructed the Hip Hop classes as well as a Horton style Modern Dance class, Debi Toth-Ward instructed a Modern Dance class in the Taylor technique, Nancy Boskin-Mullen taught sections of both Salsa and Swing dance, and Colleen Shipkowski instructed the Ballet classes.
“It is an exciting event for the high school students, the Grossmont College dance instructors, and the high school dance educators and allows for a dialog that would not be possible without the one-on-one connection created during this annual event.”
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Cuyamaca College wins green leadership award
Cuyamaca
College has been honored with a statewide award for its long-term commitment to
keeping students at the forefront of the green movement.
The Rancho
San Diego college was one of five community colleges across the state to
receive a leadership award this month at a conference in Pasadena that brought
together green-industry leaders and educators to focus on ways that two-year
colleges have embraced the sustainability revolution.
The award
to Cuyamaca College in the category of student engagement at the sixth annual
Green California Community Colleges Summit and Exposition Nov. 6 was a
testament to Cuyamaca’s history of engaging students and the community in its
many conservation initiatives. The college has widely embraced green initiatives,
ranging from cutting-edge training programs to regional conferences that bring
industry and students together to address green workforce needs.
“Cuyamaca College continues to
lead the way in preparing future workers in the emerging green industry,” Cuyamaca College President Mark
J. Zacovic said. “We
are honored and delighted to receive this recognition. Cuyamaca has been
focused on resource conservation long before going green became the popular
thing to do.”
Monday, November 18, 2013
Cuyamaca College to enforce restrictions on use of nature preserve
Cuyamaca College
has begun to enforce restrictions on use of a nature preserve at the Rancho San
Diego campus that has been a popular – but illegal – spot for young bike
riders.
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A young biker flies over the dirt mounds at the nature preserve. The mounds will be removed soon. |
The area off Fury
Road has long been used by bikers who created dirt mounds that enabled them to
perform their daredevil tricks. The college is closing the area, part of a
sensitive wildlife habitat, while it removes the bumps and replants vegetation
to restore the area to its natural state.
College President
Mark J. Zacovic and other college leaders met with about 50 bikers Saturday
afternoon to explain why they could no longer ride their bikes there.
“We need to be
responsible and follow the rules of state agencies to keep this as a habitat,”
Zacovic told the group.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber speaks on diversity at Grossmont College
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Shirley Weber |
Assemblymember Weber, whose Nov. 7 appearance was sponsored by the College’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, was a featured speaker during its Political Economy Week which included 30 lectures delivered by faculty and visitors on a broad array of political and economic topics.
Being African-American, female, and from an economically disadvantaged family, the Assemblymember said that she has been able to bring a different perspective to decision making by elected officials. Assemblymember Weber is a former board member of the San Diego Unified School District and currently serves as a member of the California State Assembly representing District 79.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Stoney's Kids donates $10,000 to Grossmont-Cuyamaca foundation to support foster youth
With its motto, “It’s
all about the kids,” the nonprofit charitable organization Stoney’s Kids
donated $10,000 Wednesday to benefit former foster youth now attending Grossmont
and Cuyamaca colleges.
“Stoney has been
trying for the past 20 years to find some way to help foster kids and thanks to
the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges, he is finally able to
live out his dream,” said Odie Goward, joined by fellow Stoney’s Kids board
member Teresa Johnson and Bonnie Stone, daughter of the charitable group’s
founder B.W. “Stoney” Stone, at a check presentation at Cuyamaca College during
the foundation’s monthly board meeting.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Grossmont College water polo coach seeks team championship
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Coach Brian Harvey and the water polo team |
On Friday, Nov. 8, Grossmont will draw either Southwestern College or Miramar College as an opponent, and should the powerhouse Grossmont team win, as expected, it will play in the championship game on Saturday. Harvey predicts his team’s opponent for that contest will be San Diego Mesa College, which last Wednesday fell 12-8 to the Griffins and gave Harvey his 600th career win. Since then his team won four more games during a tournament held at Saddleback College.
Over his 25 years as a water polo coach for Grossmont College, Harvey has compiled a record of 604 wins and 226 losses for a .727 winning percentage. His team won its first conference championship in 1990 against Orange Coast College in a 12-0 season, and then dominated the Orange Coast Conference through 1998 and the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference thereafter.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Native American actor urges retention of traditions
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Saginaw Grant |
Grant, who had served in the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict, said even after separating from the military service, veterans should continue to honor the proud military traditions that have been passed down for generations. Likewise, Grant, who appeared in the 2013 movie The Lone Ranger as the Comanche Chief Big Bear, said that his Indian people should carefully listen and then honor the lessons that have been transmitted for eons in their oral traditions.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Three new appointees to bond oversight committee
Two volunteers with previous citizens’ bond oversight committee experience
and a longtime electrical contractor are the newest members of the
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District CBOC.
Gwen Miller, an administrative assistant for an electrical contractor; Edward Oremen, an architect; and George Bonner, an electrical contractor, were appointed by the Governing Board at its Oct. 15 meeting.
The 11-member committee is charged with ensuring that revenues from construction bond measures Propositions R and V are spent on campus construction as promised to voters. The committee’s role is to review and report on district spending of taxpayers’ money for construction and to provide a public accounting of the district’s compliance with legal requirements.
Proposition R, a $207 million bond measure, was approved by the East County electorate in 2001 as the most realistic remedy to overcrowded campuses and widespread repair needs at a time of decreasing state support. Voters passed the $398 million bond measure Proposition V last November to continue the work started by Prop. R to address longstanding facility, infrastructure and technology needs.
Gwen Miller, an administrative assistant for an electrical contractor; Edward Oremen, an architect; and George Bonner, an electrical contractor, were appointed by the Governing Board at its Oct. 15 meeting.
The 11-member committee is charged with ensuring that revenues from construction bond measures Propositions R and V are spent on campus construction as promised to voters. The committee’s role is to review and report on district spending of taxpayers’ money for construction and to provide a public accounting of the district’s compliance with legal requirements.
Proposition R, a $207 million bond measure, was approved by the East County electorate in 2001 as the most realistic remedy to overcrowded campuses and widespread repair needs at a time of decreasing state support. Voters passed the $398 million bond measure Proposition V last November to continue the work started by Prop. R to address longstanding facility, infrastructure and technology needs.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Political economy week at Grossmont College
"Political Economy Week" sponsored by Grossmont College's Political Economy
Department, is intended to "facilitate a close examination of the political and
economic issues impacting our local, national and international communities,"
according to Todd Myers, the department chairman.
"The faculty of the department share their own political opinions and involvement with the students, while also presenting speakers representing diverse viewpoints."
"The faculty of the department share their own political opinions and involvement with the students, while also presenting speakers representing diverse viewpoints."
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wheelchair basketball at Cuyamaca College Oct. 30
Eye-opening as it is exciting, the 16th annual Cuyamaca College
Wheelchair Basketball Game is set for noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, at
the Cuyamaca College gym as part of the college’s annual commemoration of
National Disability Awareness Month.
The public is invited to watch and even join in the free game at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in Rancho San Diego.
An event where members of the college’s men’s basketball team quickly learn they are at a disadvantage playing against some of the most seasoned wheelchair competitors in the county, the game provides a new awareness to students and others of what dedicated athletes with disabilities can accomplish. And then, there’s the sheer fun of the game, where the sound of squeaking rubber isn’t from the soles of Air Jordans, but from low-to-the-ground, custom-built wheelchairs pivoting and spinning across the gym floor.
The five-on-five games feature a mix of Cuyamaca’s shooters playing alongside athletes who compete on local teams in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Several of the wheelchair athletes – most of whom have suffered spinal cord injuries – have returned year after year to play in the popular Cuyamaca event.
The public is invited to watch and even join in the free game at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in Rancho San Diego.
An event where members of the college’s men’s basketball team quickly learn they are at a disadvantage playing against some of the most seasoned wheelchair competitors in the county, the game provides a new awareness to students and others of what dedicated athletes with disabilities can accomplish. And then, there’s the sheer fun of the game, where the sound of squeaking rubber isn’t from the soles of Air Jordans, but from low-to-the-ground, custom-built wheelchairs pivoting and spinning across the gym floor.
The five-on-five games feature a mix of Cuyamaca’s shooters playing alongside athletes who compete on local teams in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Several of the wheelchair athletes – most of whom have suffered spinal cord injuries – have returned year after year to play in the popular Cuyamaca event.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Two Grossmont College artists featured in new Central Library's inaugural exhibit
Ceramicist Jeff Irwin and photographer Suda House, both members of the Grossmont
College faculty, are among eight San Diego County artists whose works are now
on display through March 29 in the Ninth Floor Gallery of the new Central
Library in downtown San Diego.
Their works were selected by Kathryn Kanjo, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, for the exhibit which opened September 30, the same day the new Central Library at 330 Park Boulevard was opened to the public. Kanjo reviewed works from 125 exhibitions that had been displayed at the Central Library’s previous site since 1997.
“It’s quite an honor for Grossmont College that our faculty members comprise fully one-fourth of the exhibitors selected for this inaugural event at the Central Library,” said Steve Baker, Dean of Arts, Languages and Communication. “Suda and Jeff not only are widely admired artists but also are highly rated faculty members, who have inspired legions of students.”
House utilized the technique known in French as trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) to create an image on cloth of other fabrics. She said that when she was in New York City on sabbatical leave, she went to various museums and galleries for research, “and we were coming back to the hotel and there were these three large dumpsters with sheets and towels and blankets just draping over them in the late afternoon light. I photographed them, and printed them on poly-silk, which is coated with ink jet receptors, and so it looks like fabric.”
House titled her eight-photograph combination “Sanctuary,” explaining that people of her grandmother’s age would sometimes use such expressions as “I can’t handle it anymore; I am going to my bed.” In the 19th century, House added, “they ‘swooned,’ or they ‘succumbed to the vapors’” and so beds were construed as places of sanctuary from the troubles of the world. “I saw this fabric that way,” she said.
Their works were selected by Kathryn Kanjo, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, for the exhibit which opened September 30, the same day the new Central Library at 330 Park Boulevard was opened to the public. Kanjo reviewed works from 125 exhibitions that had been displayed at the Central Library’s previous site since 1997.
“It’s quite an honor for Grossmont College that our faculty members comprise fully one-fourth of the exhibitors selected for this inaugural event at the Central Library,” said Steve Baker, Dean of Arts, Languages and Communication. “Suda and Jeff not only are widely admired artists but also are highly rated faculty members, who have inspired legions of students.”
House utilized the technique known in French as trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) to create an image on cloth of other fabrics. She said that when she was in New York City on sabbatical leave, she went to various museums and galleries for research, “and we were coming back to the hotel and there were these three large dumpsters with sheets and towels and blankets just draping over them in the late afternoon light. I photographed them, and printed them on poly-silk, which is coated with ink jet receptors, and so it looks like fabric.”
House titled her eight-photograph combination “Sanctuary,” explaining that people of her grandmother’s age would sometimes use such expressions as “I can’t handle it anymore; I am going to my bed.” In the 19th century, House added, “they ‘swooned,’ or they ‘succumbed to the vapors’” and so beds were construed as places of sanctuary from the troubles of the world. “I saw this fabric that way,” she said.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Grossmont College's new student trustee
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Zack Gianino |
Zack
Gianino, who was installed Tuesday evening, Oct. 15, as a student trustee on
the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board, describes
himself as a man who is “strongly against apathy.”“I do as much as I can to combat it,” said Gianino, who also serves as vice president of the Associated Students of Grossmont College.
It was not always so. He said that he was an indifferent student at West Hills High School in Santee. However, in the summer before he began attending Grossmont College in Fall 2011, Gianino purchased an iPad, and started “researching politics, what it is, what types of governments there are.” His research led him additionally to inquire into why people behave the way they do, what kind of variables may influence their behavior, and how different religions differ.
High school friends, who preferred to talk about upcoming concerts and gossip about celebrities, soon tired of his probing questions, Gianino said. No matter, he was on an intellectual self-improvement mission.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Public invited to join Cuyamaca College in earth-friendly events
For the Saturday gardener or
community volunteer, Cuyamaca College is hosting a pair of events that will
score you some points with Mother Nature and answer the call of community
service.
Local members of the California
Conservation Corps are linking with Cuyamaca College for the Corps’ annual
Volunteer Day event, Saturday, Oct. 19, and are inviting the general public to
join in from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. to work on the campus’ new Intergenerational Garden
in Rancho San Diego. Two weekends later, from 9 a.m.-noon Nov. 2, the
public is invited to join the college’s Ornamental Horticulture Alumni Network
at Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy for a morning of planting native plants
along the San Diego River Park trail.
Friday, October 4, 2013
New vice president of student services at Cuyamaca College
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Scott Thayer |
And that’s saying a lot.
A three-sport letterman in high school in Minneapolis, Minn., Thayer was also a standout athlete at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn., where he was a regional MVP baseball player and football competitor. A baseball scholarship paid his way through Rollins College, a private school in Winter Park, Fla., where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Thayer grew up dreaming of a career in the NFL, but his mother’s wisdom prevailed and his boyhood dreams were supplanted by a more practical ambition. With a mother who always told him he would be a great school counselor, an uncle who was a longtime counselor at Los Angeles City College, and a brother working as a high school teacher, a career in education was the logical progression.
“Education has always been a focal point for my family,” said Thayer, who earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California. He earned his master’s in counseling and guidance from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. “I always tell people I began my college career at 4 years old. That was when my mother returned to school to complete her bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota. She would take me and my brother to class with her. I remember how supportive her instructors were.”
With both Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges undergoing accreditation review – a process capped every six years with campus visits by an accreditation team of college administrators from across the state – Thayer’s arrival comes at a crucial time.
“Accreditation is the top priority as the site team will be on campus in mid-October,” Thayer said. “I am really excited to be here at Cuyamaca College.”
A three-sport letterman in high school in Minneapolis, Minn., Thayer was also a standout athlete at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn., where he was a regional MVP baseball player and football competitor. A baseball scholarship paid his way through Rollins College, a private school in Winter Park, Fla., where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Thayer grew up dreaming of a career in the NFL, but his mother’s wisdom prevailed and his boyhood dreams were supplanted by a more practical ambition. With a mother who always told him he would be a great school counselor, an uncle who was a longtime counselor at Los Angeles City College, and a brother working as a high school teacher, a career in education was the logical progression.
“Education has always been a focal point for my family,” said Thayer, who earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California. He earned his master’s in counseling and guidance from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. “I always tell people I began my college career at 4 years old. That was when my mother returned to school to complete her bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota. She would take me and my brother to class with her. I remember how supportive her instructors were.”
With both Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges undergoing accreditation review – a process capped every six years with campus visits by an accreditation team of college administrators from across the state – Thayer’s arrival comes at a crucial time.
“Accreditation is the top priority as the site team will be on campus in mid-October,” Thayer said. “I am really excited to be here at Cuyamaca College.”
Monday, September 30, 2013
District communications office wins regional marketing awards
The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
Advancement and Communications Office took home gold, silver and bronze
Medallion awards this past week from a national marketing organization for
two-year colleges.
At its District 6 conference in Tempe, Ariz. Sept. 26, the
National Council for Marketing and Public Relations lauded the district with:
·
A Gold Medallion of Excellence in the
Government/Community Relations Project category for its communications efforts
in the campaign for Proposition V, a $398 million construction bond measure
approved by East County voters in November 2012
·
A Silver Medallion of Achievement in the
Communication/Media Success Story category, an award the district shared with
the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, for a Grossmont College
news conference in June announcing the launching of a new online tool, Salary
Surfer.
·
A Bronze Medallion of Merit in the feature
writing category for “A Garden for the Ages at Cuyamaca College,” which
profiled the campus’ new intergenerational garden.
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NCMPR President Andrea Hanstein, Chancellor Cindy Miles, NCMPR Region 6 director Cheryl Broom |
Also honored in Tempe was Chancellor Cindy L. Miles, the
recipient of the 2013 NCMPR District 6 Pacesetter award for her leadership in
communications and advancement of the East County college district.
The Medallion competition represents the only regional contest
of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and PR
professionals at two-year colleges. The District 6 region covers California,
Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
Friday, September 27, 2013
New associate vice chancellor joins college district
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John Valencia |
He chuckles over his lengthy job title: associate vice chancellor of Advancement and Communications and CEO of the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges.
Quite a mouthful, he concedes, but bottom line, it’s all about aiding students acquire a college education – the brass ring of American success. As the district’s chief advancement officer, Valencia is charged with creating fundraising strategies for the foundation that was formed in 2011 as the philanthropic arm of the two colleges. He’s also responsible for overseeing the district’s Communications Office and the GCCCD auxiliary, which solicits and administers grants and contracts for the district.
“This district has needed this position for quite some time and John will be a key part of our efforts to seek philanthropic support to supplement a budget heavily reliant on state funding,” Chancellor Cindy L. Miles said. “John has an impressive fundraising record and has a lot of exciting ideas to inject vigor, excitement and even fun into our donor-solicitation efforts. I’m delighted to have him join the district’s leadership team.”
Thursday, September 26, 2013
District chancellor wins award from community college marketing association
Chancellor Cindy L. Miles |
Cindy L. Miles,
chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, has been
recognized by a national organization of community college marketing
professionals for her leadership in communications and advancement of the East
County college district.
Miles accepted the
Pacesetter award Sept. 26 from the National Council for Marketing & Public
Relations at its regional conference in Tempe, Ariz. As the award winner for
the region covering five western states and the Pacific islands, Miles will be
one of seven area winners eligible for the national Pacesetter award when the marketing
organization meets in March 2014.
The award is the
second honor this year for Miles, who has served as the district’s chancellor
for 4 ½ years. Last month, Miles was selected as the top chief executive
officer for two-year colleges in the nine-state Pacific region of the
Association of Community College Trustees, an organization representing more
than 1,200 community colleges nationwide. The national award recipient among
the five regional winners will be announced Oct. 4 at the ACCT Leadership
Congress in Seattle, Wash.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
New HR chief at college district
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Marsha Edwards |
Edwards, who was born in Oregon and spent much of her life there, said she was intrigued by the job posting for the top human resources job at the East County college district.
“When I looked into the position, it seemed like a good fit with my background and experience and would allow me the opportunity to work with two great colleges in a great climate – decision made!” she said.
Chancellor Cindy L. Miles said the district will benefit from Edwards’ experience and knowledge in labor law and personnel issues, as well as her skills in contract negotiations.
“We are very fortunate to have someone with Marsha’s talents and keen perceptions,” she said. “In these economically challenging times and with the tenuous budget picture, it is crucial to have someone with her adeptness and expertise in personnel management. I am delighted to have her aboard as a member of the district leadership.”
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Grossmont College panel to discuss banned books
What impels some people to call for certain books
to be banned? What might the world have
missed if other people had listened to them?
In observance of National Banned Book Week, panelists will discuss these
topics at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, in Grossmont College’s Griffin Gate
meeting room.
The amazing thing about many of the people who want to ban a book is that they often haven’t actually read it, says English Prof. Joe Medina, who will moderate the panel discussion celebrating the constitutional guarantees of free speech and a free press.
In the area of fantasy, student James Strand will tell of the efforts to ban Superman after the Man of Steel made his first appearance in a comic book in 1938. English instructor Linda Mitchell will discuss the current resistance to vampire literature, which has become increasingly popular.
The amazing thing about many of the people who want to ban a book is that they often haven’t actually read it, says English Prof. Joe Medina, who will moderate the panel discussion celebrating the constitutional guarantees of free speech and a free press.
In the area of fantasy, student James Strand will tell of the efforts to ban Superman after the Man of Steel made his first appearance in a comic book in 1938. English instructor Linda Mitchell will discuss the current resistance to vampire literature, which has become increasingly popular.
Monday, September 23, 2013
GM training program back in gear at Cuyamaca College
Cuyamaca College
students with ambitions of well-paying jobs in the automotive service industry
have reason to celebrate.
Local General Motors
and ACDelco service centers are once again partnering with Cuyamaca College to
sponsor a highly-regarded training program that alternates classroom
instruction on automotive repair with on-the-job training. The GM Automotive
Service Education Program, or GM ASEP, had been offered at Cuyamaca for more
than two decades, but it was suspended in 2009 when the recession forced scores
of auto dealerships out of business. The economic uptick has allowed resumption
of the program -- the only one of its kind offered in San Diego County -- that
offers students two-year paid internships at service centers.
An orientation for students
accepted into the program is one of the mid-semester short-term classes
Cuyamaca College is offering starting Oct. 14. (See list, below for additional
classes.) Registration is now open for all eight-week classes offered at both
Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges. Students can sign up online using WebAdvisor
at https://wa.gcccd.edu
Monday, September 16, 2013
Colleges to celebrate Constitution Day
In
celebration of Constitution Week Sept. 17-23, both Grossmont and Cuyamaca
colleges have set up events to commemorate this cornerstone document that is
the foundation of America’s legal system.
All
events are free and open to the public.
Cuyamaca
College will celebrate Constitution Day Tuesday, Sept. 17, by welcoming federal
Judge Louise DeCarl Adler, a U.S. bankruptcy court judge for the Southern
District of California, from 11 a.m. to noon in Rooms 207-208 in the student
center . Judge Adler will provide insight into the Bill of Rights and its
effect on the public’s fundamental rights.
Judge
Adler, who has served on the bench since 1984, served as the first female
president of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges from 1994-1995.
Before being appointed to the bench, she was in private law practice in San
Diego for 12 years, specializing in debtor and trustee representation and
serving as a bankruptcy trustee for the Southern District from 1974-1979.
A
question and answer period will follow her presentation.
Constitution Day 2012 at Grossmont College |
At
Grossmont College, Wednesday, Sept. 18, has been set aside as Constitution Day
with a variety of activities planned:
·
A
Constitution wall in the patio of Griffin Center (Building 60) for
passersby to post thoughts, questions, artwork, and comments on what the
Constitution means to them
·
Screenings
of the film, “American Independence, 1776,” between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in Griffin
Center
·
Giveaways
while supplies last of a free pocket Constitution, courtesy of the Grossmont
College Financial Aid Office and the Associated Students of Grossmont College.
The giveaway is from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the ASGC, Inc. Office in Room 110 of
Griffin Center
·
The
San Diego chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will be represented in
period costumes from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Griffin Center patio, where a voter
registration drive and student government information booth will be set up.
·
Political
science professor Joseph Braunwarth will give a lecture, “Constitution Day on
the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington,” from 11 a.m.-12:15
p.m. in Room 577 of Building 51.
Cuyamaca
College is at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in the community of Rancho San
Diego. Grossmont College is at 8800 Grossmont College Drive in El Cajon.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
District's budget picture improves, but funding recovery still ongoing
The $126 million 2013-2014 general
budget approved Tuesday by the Governing Board of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca
Community College District represents a far rosier budget picture than a year
ago, but district officials are quick to point out that they are just beginning
to restore course offerings and student enrollment losses resulting from four
years of state funding cuts.
The passage last November of Proposition
30, the voter-approved tax plan that fortified education, allowed Grossmont and
Cuyamaca colleges to offer more class sections and increase student enrollment.
However, the tax measure is a temporary fix, with a sales tax hike set to end
in 2016 and an income tax on high earners scheduled to expire in 2018. With
state funding still reduced from pre-recession levels, district officials are
taking a cautious note with the improved budget.
“Prop.
30 was a tremendous relief, but the overriding message is that we are still
serving fewer students than at our peak in 2008-2009,” Chancellor Cindy L.
Miles said. “We need an economic recovery to pick up speed, or we may find
ourselves right back in crisis mode once the Prop. 30 benefits expire.”
Concerts to showcase three Grossmont College faculty members
Three members of the Grossmont College music faculty will
collaborate in a pair of concerts presented by the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra
and Master Chorale at 8 p.m., Saturday evening, Sept. 14, at Grossmont College
Recital Hall (Building 26, Room 220) and at 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 15, at All Saints Episcopal
Church of San Diego, at the corner of 6th and Pennsylvania Avenues.
The faculty members are violinist Alyze Dreiling, lyric coloratura
soprano Audra Nagby, and classical guitarist Robert Wetzel. They will perform a variety of selections
ranging from English lute songs to virtuoso works by Paganini to Spanish
canciones. Tickets for the Saturday
evening performance at Grossmont College are $10 general admission and $5
student admission. At All Saints
Episcopal Church on Sunday, a free will offering will be encouraged.
9-11 remembrances held at Grossmont, Cuyamaca colleges
With a vow to never forget the
sacrifices made and the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
Cuyamaca College on Wednesday held a ceremony and display of 2,977 small flags
on the campus’ Grand Lawn, each representing a victim of the fateful day when
two planes hit the Twin Towers in New York City, and when two other
commandeered planes crashed – one into the Pentagon and another into a field in
Shanksville, Pa.
Cuyamaca College's flag display |
On a postcard-perfect summer
morning with the San Miguel Fire Station’s massive 70-foot flag as a backdrop,
the campus community and the public gathered to commemorate an event that even
after a dozen years had spectators wiping away tears and speakers’ voices
choking with emotion.
A few miles away, a similar
ceremony took place at Grossmont College, where the morning began with the
recitation of victims’ names interspersed with moments of silence corresponding
with each horrifying incident that would forever leave an indelible mark on
that historic day.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
College district's annual report now available

Sunday, September 8, 2013
Grossmont College awards more than $45,000 in scholarships
The motto of Grossmont College, "changing lives through education," was dramatically illustrated Saturday, Sept. 7, at a Scholarship Award Breakfast at which more than $45,000 was distributed to 75 students in awards ranging from $150 to $2,000. Some students won multiple scholarships.
As smiling student after student walked to the front of the Griffin Gate meeting hall to accept an award, those in the audience who knew the hardships that some of them had endured could not help but feel a wave of gratitude. Now, in large measure because someone had believed in them, the recipients are on their way to successful lives.
Selam Gebrekristos, the Scholarship Officer at Grossmont College, is herself no stranger to adversity, having fled with her parents and siblings from their home in Eritrea to a refugee camp in the Sudan, where she lived for several years before coming to live in the United States. "I've complained about things in my life and they were nothing compared to some of the things that these students went through at very young ages," she said.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Staged readings of Edgar Allan Poe's works at Grossmont College
Hear a dramatic reading of Edgar Allan Poe's works by Grossmont College
president Sunny Cooke and Cuyamaca College President Mark Zacovic and other
college leaders. The pair of events will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6
and Saturday, Sept. 7 in Building 26, Room 220 at Grossmont College.
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students, with proceeds supporting the programs of Grossmont College's theatre arts department.
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students, with proceeds supporting the programs of Grossmont College's theatre arts department.
Other readers of Poe's classic works include Agustin
Albarran, Grossmont's dean of English and social/behaviorial sciences; Grossmont
College student Derek San Filippo; Grossmont alums Aaron Duggan and Adam Weiner;
Joel Castellaw, Grossmont communication professor; Jeanette Thomas, Grossmont
theatre instructor; Kurt Brauer, interim grounds and maintenance supervisor; and
Manny Lopez, Grossmont theatre design production technician.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Intergenerational garden dedicated at Cuyamaca College
Preschoolers present their artwork to Supervisor Dianne Jacob |
With the snip of the scissors, an
intergenerational garden at Cuyamaca College was officially dedicated Tuesday
with a “vine-cutting” ceremony led by county, college and college district
officials, who touted the site’s educational and health benefits to East
County.
Funded in part by a $25,000 grant
from the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, the garden is a 1/3-acre
plot between the Child Development Center and the Water
Conservation Garden that is well on its way to produce a bountiful crop of produce
at a site made possible by not only by the efforts of eight senior volunteers –
the “Gardening Grannies” -- but several community groups and vendors.
For the children, ages 2-5, the
intent of the garden is to teach good nutrition to a population accustomed to
diets heavy on processed foods. For the seniors, it’s a healthy outdoor
activity and an opportunity to connect with kids.
“What a wonderful concept – our older
generation working with and teaching the youngest generation who are here at
Cuyamaca College in our early-childhood program,” said Chancellor Cindy L.
Miles, who joined college President Mark J. Zacovic in holding the length of
vine cut by Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents East County. “Not only do
the generations interact, our youngest ones get to know about gardening and
teamwork and about healthy eating. With today’s problems of childhood obesity
and our kids not knowing where our foods come from – this is a very beautiful
opportunity to address these issues.”
Supervisor Dianne Jacob cuts the vine held by Chancellor Cindy Miles and Cuyamaca College president Mark Zacovic |
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