Monday, February 24, 2020
Grossmont College's Dia de Familia promoting careers in public service
Crime lab demonstrations, free food, folklorico dancers, a VIP panel, a drone giveaway and more are on tap for Grossmont College’s Dia de Familia, a free community event promoting careers and programs tied to public service and non-profits.
The 4-8 p.m., March 5 event sponsored by the college’s s Via Rapida FYE program will be at the Main Quad, targeting the Latinx and East County communities. More than 200 attendees are expected, organizers say.
“This is one of our major events of the year focusing on high school students, adult re-entry students, current Grossmont College students and their families, but anyone interested in a public service career is certainly welcome,” said Gabriela Soto, an outreach specialist for Via Rapida FYE and chief organizer of Dia de Familia.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Top faculty lauded at Grossmont, Cuyamaca colleges
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Daniela Sow |
Grossmont College English Instructor Daniela Sow received the President’s Leadership Award, one of the highest honors recognizing distinguished service to the college. At Cuyamaca College, Steve Weinert, a psychology instructor who founded a fledgling research lab at the Rancho San Diego campus, received the 2020 Award for Teaching Excellence. Rachel Farris, whose students speak fondly of her nurturing approach to teaching accounting, was the part-time faculty recipient of the same award.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Citizens' bond oversight committee issues annual report
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A rendering of the Grossmont College Visual and Performing Arts Center |
The bond-funded construction projects that are transforming the Grossmont and Cuyamaca College campuses are highlighted in a citizens’ oversight committee annual report released this week.
The 2019 Annual Report by the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee reviews progress in the past year on the construction work that was funded by Prop. V, the $398 million bond measure approved by East County voters in 2012.
The major projects underway include:
- A new Visual and Performing Arts Center at Grossmont College, which includes a 390-seat theater with a professional performance stage, orchestra pit and balcony for student performances that will be open to the community. Construction is set to be completed in spring 2020.
- A renovated Student Center at Cuyamaca College, including an expanded veterans’ resource center and improved facilities for the career center, bookstore, and convenience store.
- A renovated Science, Math, and Career Technology Complex at Grossmont College, which will house the Administration of Justice and Earth Science programs, a fingerprinting lab for the Forensic Technology program, computer labs and classrooms. The first phase of the project was completed in January 2020.
- A renovated Ornamental Horticulture facility at Cuyamaca College, which will provide classrooms, new greenhouses, a retail area and outdoor instructional spaces. The work is expected to be completed in fall 2020.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Grossmont College Ranks Among Top 100 Nationally for Associate Degrees Awarded to Minorities

“This recognition shows that our collective energies toward high,
rising and equitable success among all groups, which was recently commended by
our accrediting agency, are working for our students,” said Grossmont College President
Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, Ed.D. “Our classified professionals, faculty and
administrators have come together to change the way we work inside and outside
of the classroom so that all students have the opportunity for success – and
our students are rising to the occasion by earning their associate degrees and certificates.”
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Cuyamaca College President Julianna Barnes selected for Aspen Institute fellowship
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Cuyamaca College President Julianna Barnes |
Cuyamaca
College President Julianna Barnes has been selected by the Aspen Institute to
join the 2020-21 inaugural class of the Aspen New Presidents Fellowship
program.
The new initiative is designed to support community college presidents in the
early years of their tenure to accelerate transformational change on behalf of
students. Barnes is one of 25 college leaders selected from more than 100
applicants for the Aspen Fellowship, which is funded by JPMorgan Chase &
Co. and run by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.
The leaders, all of whom are in
their first five years at their post, begin their seven-month fellowship in
June. Their institutions span 15 states and vary widely, from a rural college
with fewer than 2,000 students to a statewide system that educates more than
150,000.
“I
am truly honored to be selected for this prestigious program that will benefit
our students and, in turn, our community,” Barnes said. “The Aspen Presidential
Fellowship’s focus on student success and equity resonates with the mission and
vision of Cuyamaca College which is a higher education leader. I cannot wait to
learn all I can to make certain the college remains on the cutting edge in
meeting student needs.”
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Lorenzo Vilches: Cuyamaca College student's drive leads to accolades
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Lorenzo Vilches |
How highly does Lorenzo Vilches regard Cuyamaca College? Enough to
endure an 80-mile commute taking more than two hours daily from his home in Borrego
Springs to the Rancho San Diego campus.
“You do what you have to do,” said Vilches, 23, who is building an
educational pathway leading toward a career in the design, development and
manufacture of race cars. “I’ve been lucky enough to meet with and learn from
some very good professors. The ability that students have here to approach the
faculty, get to know them and learn from them is invaluable.”
Vilches earned an associate degree in June 2019 in automotive
technology and is now tackling a second degree in engineering. He’s already
taking the automotive technology skills he’s learned at Cuyamaca College with
him to his job at a repair shop, where he is helping with everything from
changing tires to replacing transmissions. But he isn’t done yet; Vilches is
planning to transfer to a four-year college or university after securing his
second associate degree.
A first-generation college student with a 3.7 GPA, Vilches was one
of 500 Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students who received a scholarship from
the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges this academic year.
“Lorenzo is the
kind of student that makes me love teaching,” said physics instructor Miriam
Simpson. “What makes Lorenzo stand out is his ability to know his own
abilities and limits and make realistic decisions about how to succeed.”
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