President's eNews

January, 2009

President’s Message

Mike Claire

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the spring 2009 semester! Last fall I outlined my priorities for the current academic year
see the August issue of President's eNews). more>>

Academic Senate News
By Diana Bennett, Academic Senate president
As you return to campus, we would like to inform you of the following Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Discipline Work Group (DWG) committee and BSI Workshop Coordinator opportunities. more>>

Coastside Currents
By Martha Tilmann, dean of Coastside and special projects more>>

President's Lecture Series Announces Spring Speakers
In Spring 2009, the President's Lecture Series: Diverse Voices in Writing will welcome three notable authors to campus: Andrew Lam, February 19; Harriet Chessman, March 25; and Paul Ehrlich, April 22. more>>

CSM Rolls Out Operation Welcome Mat
Operation Welcome Mat (OWM) has once again been deployed to assist students in navigating the campus during the first week of classes. more>>

Octogenarian Student Publishes Life Story
Eighty-one year old Marion Mostny, a student in Professor Roberta Reynolds' English class, recently published Conversations with My Children: A Journey Through Three Continents, a book of her immigration experience which began with her escape from Nazi Germany. more>>

Student Profile: Tiffany Chan more>>

CSM is Site of Multi-Agency Emergency Exercise
In mid-January, the college collaborated with the Search and Rescue Task Force for the Larger Bay Area and the San Mateo Police and Fire Departments in a 2-day FEMA response mock search and rescue operation held at CSM. more>>

Accomplishments and Accolades, Henry Villareal, J. Craig Venter, Bill Wagner, Julian Edelman, Ryan Boschetti, CSM's Holiday Reception and Scholarship Auction more>>

A Message from PR & Marketing more>>

English and Design Instructors Collaborate to Explore the Workings of the Media
Contributed by Joyce Heyman,CSM Instructor of English
English instructor Joyce Heyman posed the question to her Introduction to Composition and Reading class: "How do advertisers use their knowledge of human motivation and emotions to create messages that help to sell their products?" more>>

Events
Cash for College Workshops, CSM's Tax Preparation Program more>>

President’s Message

By Mike Claire

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the spring 2009 semester! Last fall I outlined my priorities for the current academic year (see the August issue of President's eNews). In my August eNews letter to the college, I used my bike ride up Mt. Hamilton as a metaphor for the long climb that we have ahead. I reminded us to all take it a "mile marker at a time." Thanks to all of you, we have passed many "mile markers" in the last few months.

I would like to provide a mid-year update with respect to our progress on the priorities. While I could list many more details, I have limited my update to our top accomplishments in each category.

Accreditation

My responsibility as president is to ensure that CSM responds fully to all recommendations by prescribed deadlines, and that we have the capacity and the resources to meet accreditation standards now and in the future.

What we have accomplished since August 2008:

We submitted our October 2008 follow-up report to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and were visited by ACCJC representatives on November 3.
We provided supplemental information to the ACCJC in December to help further the college towards removal of the Warning sanction. This information was accepted by ACCJC staff and was forwarded to Commission members for consideration at their January 2009 meeting. While removal of the Warning is not at all assured this January, we have accelerated our response to the ACCJC by providing this additional information.
The office of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE) is now fully established and PRIE staff share a common office suite in BLDG 1.

On the horizon:

The college has another set of recommendations that must be met by October 2009. Work has already commenced on those recommendations.
As part of its planning efforts the college must establish "measurable time-bound objectives" and demonstrate the use of those objectives by October 2009. President's Cabinet has developed a draft of these strategic objectives and will share the draft document with all constituencies in the coming weeks. Ultimately, College Council will make a recommendation concerning these strategic objectives.
The College must continue to make progress on SLOs in order to meet ACCJC requirements.

I expect to hear from ACCJC regarding our accreditation status by early February and I will be sure to notify the campus of the action taken by ACCJC. Additional information about our accreditation efforts can be found at collegeofsanmateo.edu/accredinfo.

Educational Master Plan

The Educational Master Plan (EMP) is a critical document that will help to guide the institution for the next several years. The strategic objectives that I referenced above are derived in part, from the EMP.

What we have accomplished since August 2008:

The Educational Master Plan is complete and College Council has approved the plan. You can find the EMP at collegeofsanmateo.edu/csminternal/docs/EMP_21Revised.pdf . Hard copies of the plan are also available in each Division Office. Copies of the EMP will be available for check out from the Library soon.

On the horizon:

As I mentioned on Opening Day, the time has come for the college to have a serious dialog on our educational direction. The EMP provides the framework for such a conversation. We will start the discussion on our immediate and long term educational priorities in the spring 2009 semester.

Institutional Planning and Research

Improving institutional planning and linking planning to research was a key recommendation from 2007 visiting team. While have made very good progress with our institutional planning efforts, in the words of the visiting accreditation team chair: "we must now take institutional planning to the next level".

What we have accomplished since August 2008:

Our entire planning system has been redesigned (see EMP for details).
A new program review process has been approved by the Academic Senate. The new process will be implemented in the spring 2009 semester.
The college budget is now fully integrated with college planning processes.

On the horizon:

Institutional planning committees for Enrollment Management, Personnel, and Technology will be established and operational by spring 2009. The Budget Planning Committee is already operational.
The college must establish a series of measurable objectives and demonstrate the use of those objectives by October 2009 (see accreditation above).
The college will assess the effectiveness of the new planning system at the end of this academic year and will make modifications to the planning system as needed.

Fiscal Stewardship

Our practice of deficit spending cannot continue. Unfortunately, the state budget crisis has only made our local problem worse.

What we have accomplished since August 2008:

The Budget Planning Committee has made a significant change in its operating procedures. Most notably, a chair has been elected and the committee is now responsible for developing budget forecasts and for making recommendations to College Council. In short, we have taken a proactive rather than reactive approach to solving our budget problem.
Using our new Budget model and process, the Budget Planning Committee developed a contingency plan to respond to the anticipated mid-year budget cut. The plan was approved by College Council and has been implemented.
Our College Load, which is a critical indicator of financial solvency, has increased significantly for the spring 2009 semester.

On the Horizon

The Budget Planning Committee will complete its forecast for the 2009/10 academic year and will make recommendations to College Council.
The college will implement the managed hiring process that was approved by the Board of Trustees last December.

The Enrollment Management Cycle

The enrollment management cycle is a continuous process that encompasses course scheduling, marketing, recruiting and outreach, intake, managing semester start, persistence, and retention. Over the years we have created stand alone systems and processes that fail to take into account that students experience the college as one contiguous whole.

What we have accomplished since August 2008:

We have created an integrated marketing, outreach, and recruiting calendar for the academic year.
We have made numerous visits to local high schools and other venues thus far. Steve Morehouse and Alex Guiriba are out in the field every day recruiting students.
The new college web site has launched. Preliminary web site statistics demonstrate a notable increase in visitors and visitor "clickthroughs" after the launch of the new site.
The college has started a student ambassador program.

On the Horizon:

The college will create a comprehensive strategic marketing plan that is based upon the EMP. A "one size fits all" approach to marketing does not work.
High School graduates are still an area of focus. The college must take advantage of our current economic climate and attract a higher proportion of recent high school graduates. To that end, we will develop and execute a detailed marketing plan to high school students and their parents starting spring 2009.
The new learning center is a major component of the new Campus Center building and is an important factor in improving retention and persistence. The Campus Center will open by fall 2011. Using the EMP, the college must begin to develop a model for the Learning Center now.

Capital Improvement

Our work in this arena is critically important because we are building new facilities for our current, as well as future students and colleagues.

What we have accomplished since August 2008:

Detailed planning for BLDG 5N is complete and the building is under construction. Detailed planning for BLDG 10N is substantially complete and demo work has started on the old science complex.
The renovation of buildings 2,4,14, and 16 is substantially complete and the buildings have reopened.
The detailed landscape design for the college up to Building 36 and the north gateway is substantially complete.

On the horizon:

We are entering a peak construction period and we will host up to 250 construction workers at one time.
Additional decisions will need to be made about furniture and fixtures for the two new buildings.
A committee of CSM representatives including faculty, students, staff, and administration has recommended a design build team for the renovation of buildings 15,17, 34, and the lower floor of building 12. This design-build project will commence later this spring. A final decision has not yet been made regarding the order of the faculty office moves to swing space (BLDG 15 vs. BLDG 17).

Campus Communications

Effective communication in an organization this large and with so many varied interests is complex. Technology has not made campus communication any easier.

What we have accomplished since August 2008:

I regret to say that I have made very little progress on this priority. However, a task force comprised of faculty, staff, and administrators has formed and will meet during the spring semester to develop recommendations.

I wish you all a very successful and fulfilling spring 2009 semester. As a reminder, my open office hours are Mondays and Thursdays from 12:00-1:00 in front of Drip Coffee.

Academic Senate News Diana Bennett
By Diana Bennett, Academic Senate president

As you return to campus, we would like to inform you of the following Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Discipline Work Group (DWG) committee and BSI Workshop Coordinator opportunities.

Discipline Work Group (DWG)
The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is in the process of appointing Discipline Work Group (DWG) members for Statewide Career Pathways: Creating School to College Articulation* Phase VIII and would like to enlist your assistance of community college, teaching faculty to serve on these committees.

These are the disciplines we are recruiting teaching faculty for at this time:

Electronics Technology
Forestry
Printing Arts
Sports Therapy
Stagecraft Technology
Surveying

We ask that you send via email to katey@asccc.org your name, discipline, phone number and email address and copy myself bennettd@smccd.edu so we aware you are interested in serving.

BSI Workshop Coordinator
The Academic Senate is actively seeking a BSI Workshop Coordinator to organize the next phase of BSI workshops. The development of these workshops will build on the successful activities of BSI Phase III, and the workshops will focus on culturally responsive instruction and student support services.

The deadline for submitting resumes is January 30, 2009 and can be sent via email to Julie Adams, Executive Director ASCCC julie@asccc.org. and copy myself bennettd@smccd.edu so we aware you are interested in serving.

Governing Council
Governing Council meetings held the 2^nd & 4^th Tuesday of the month.
Bldg. 18, Room 206, Faculty Center
Meetings of Governing Council are open to all members of the campus community.

Wishing you all a wonderful spring semester.

Martha Tilmann

Coastside Currents

By Martha Tilmann, dean of Coastside and special projects

Coastside Hosts Open House
Although CSM Coastside has been operational for some time, the center hosted an official Open House on January 15. The event was held in conjunction with the Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau January Mixer.

Open House

It included tours (led by CSM faculty and staff) of the new facility; refreshments provided by the local café. and a raffle. Following the festivities, the SMCCCD Board of Trustees held its regularly scheduled study session in the Coastside conference room. Approximately 85 people attended the event.

Elected Officials Visit Political Science Classes
At t close of the fall semester, newly elected State Assemblyman Jerry Hill and Congresswoman Jackie Speier paid visits to Frank Damon's National State and Local Government class. During Hill's visit, students posed a number of questions on a variety of timely topics, including the budget stalemate, the November election, the selection process for his replacement on the Board of Supervisors, his priorities as a state assemblyman and how he can protect education funding. While Speier was on campus, she fielded questions from students on topics including federal tax cuts over the past eight years, pork barrel legislation, defense spending, her appointment to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the new administration..

Hill and Damon Speier

Andrew Lam is a syndicated writer and an editor with the Pacific News Service, a short story writer and commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." He is co-founder of New America Media, an association of over 2000 ethnic media in the U.S. His book, Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora, recently won the Pen American Beyond the Margins Award and short listed for the Asian American Literature Award. He was featured in the PBS documentary, "My Journey Home," where a film crew followed him back to his native Vietnam.

Harriet Chessman is the author of three acclaimed novels: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper, published in eight foreign countries and chosen as a #1 Booksense Pick in 2001; Someone Not Really Her Mother, a Good Morning America Read This! book club pick, translated into Japanese and Dutch, and voted one of the San Francisco Chronicle's Best Books of 2004; and Ohio Angels, called "a poetic and moving first novel," "a lyrical debut." Two of her children's stories have found publication in Ladybug and Spider. Before becoming a fiction writer, Harriet taught English and American literature at Yale University and published The Public Is Invited to Dance, an interpretation of Gertrude Stein's experimental writings.

Ehrlich Paul Ehrlich, president of the Center for Conservation Biology and Bing professor of population studies at Stanford University, will make a return visit to CSM on April 22. Dr. Ehrlich is the co-founder of the field of co evolution and he has pursued long-term studies of the structure, dynamics, and genetics of natural butterfly populations. He has also been a pioneer in alerting the public to the problems of overpopulation, and in raising issues of population, resources, and the environment as matters of public policy. Professor Ehrlich is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Operation Welcome Mat

CSM Rolls Out Operation Welcome Mat
Operation Welcome Mat (OWM) has once again been deployed to assist students in navigating the campus during the first week of classes. Since being launched in Fall 2006, OWM volunteers staffing strategically-placed information booths, have literally answered thousands of student questions. The effort is coordinated by the PR and Marketing Office.

Octogenarian Student Publishes Life Story
Eighty-one year old Marion Mostny, a student in Professor Roberta Reynolds' English Composition class, recently published Conversations with My Children: A Journey Through Three Continents, a book of her immigration experience which began with her escape from Nazi Germany. Mostny enrolled at CSM eight years ago to improve her English so that she could memorialize her life experiences for her family. It was Reynolds who suggested that Mostny put her stories in a book. Her book is in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The San Mateo County Times carried an article about Mostny and her book on December 26; it can be viewed at www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_11317428?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com.

Student Profile: Tiffany Chan Chan
By Christianne Marra, CSM President's Office
Tiffany Chan, a member of College of San Mateo's water polo and swimming teams, is taking aim to get accepted to her dream college: UC Berkeley. Chan was accepted to UC Santa Cruz after graduating from Mills High School, but CSM water polo and swim coach Randy Wright encouraged her to enroll at CSM instead. Tiffany said that Wright convinced her it would be beneficial to play water polo and swim for CSM to increase her experience and play time in these sports, and ultimately secure a spot at Berkeley.

Although it wasn't an easy decision, Chan found Coach Wright's encouragement to be very helpful and hasn't looked back since coming to CSM. Chan states, "My professors at CSM have been great. They have taken the time and the effort to help me learn and understand things, which I'm grateful for." Chan is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society at CSM.

One particular moment that stands out in Chan's memory is when CSM's water polo team beat Cabrillo College by one point in the conference finals during her freshman year. The victory was very meaningful because earlier in the season CSM lost to Cabrillo by one point. "At conference finals we were determined to beat Cabrillo and we did - ironically, by one point. It was one of the best moments in my life and I will never forget it, " said Chan, who served as team captain and was the leading scorer for two years as well as a two-time all-conference selection.

Chan's major is psychology and she hopes to pursue a career in child psychology. When Chan isn't busy studying for her classes, she can be found in the pool playing water polo or spending time with family and friends. "I love being in the water, playing water polo. It's my passion."

CSM is Site of Multi-Agency Emergency Exercise
In mid-January, the college collaborated with the Search and Rescue Task Force for the Larger Bay Area and the San Mateo Police and Fire Departments in a 2-day FEMA response mock search and rescue operation held at CSM. The drill simulated a structural collapse with trapped victims, resulting from an 8.2 earthquake. This training activity provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate the readiness of local regional and state/federal urban search and rescue task forces and its ability to mobilize personnel and equipment and respond to a complex rescue operation in actual college buildings. Holding scenario-type training is designed to improve the capability of our public safety agencies in responding to and saving lives and property should there be an actual emergency.

Villareal

Accomplishments and Accolades

Dean of Admissions Henry Villareal (right), as a board member of the National Council of Student Development (NCSD), is participating in a planning group to develop a " Welcoming Community Colleges Initiative" which focuses on helping community colleges become more aware and responsive to GLBT student issues and concerns. He attended a NCSD conference in New York in which his group conducted a presentation that focused on the purpose and goals of the initiative. They will also present a similar workshop at the American Association of Community Colleges convention in April, 2009.

Venter

Scientist and genome pioneer J. Craig Venter (left), who is also a CSM alum, was the subject of a December 1 article appearing in the San Diego Weekly Reader, titled " The Incredible Craig Venter." The lengthy article focuses on Venter's latest endeavor -- to build a permanent headquarters for his J. Craig Venter Institute as home base for the institute's controversial plan to create new life using artificial chromosomes. It describes Venter's early years growing up in Millbrae and serving as a medic in Vietnam, his return to the Peninsula to attend CSM for a year and a half, followed by transfer to the University of California at San Diego where he studied under renowned biochemist Nathan Kaplan. To read the entire article, go to http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2008/nov/25/cover.

CSM graduate Bill Wagner has been named production manager of the renowned Monterey Jazz Festival. Wagner, who earned his degree from CSM in electronics, has been involved in music performance since an early age, has studied several instruments and voice, and has experience in community theatre, lighting, sound staging and special effects. He has served as production manager for the Fox Theatre in Redwood City, Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga and Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys.

Edelman

Former CSM quarterback Julian Edelman (right) was named Mid American Conference (MAC) Player of the Week twice during the 2008 season. Edelman, now Kent State's senior quarterback, led his team to a 24-21 victory over the MAC East champion State University of New York at Buffalo. He posted his seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing game tallying 167 years on 19 carries against Buffalo. This is the fourth time Edelman received the MAC honor.

Former Bulldog Ryan Boschetti earned All American honors during his years as CSM's defensive tackle and led the college to a Coast Conference Championship in 2001. After signing with UCLA and starting for the Bruins, he signed a free agent with the Washington Redskins in 2004 where he spent four years as backup defensive lineman until last August when was cut from the team. Since that time, he moved back to his home in Redwood City, continued to work out and audition for several teams on the East Coast. Three months later, Boschetti received good news: the Redskins wanted to resign him.

CSM's Holiday Reception and Scholarship Auction was a great success. According to Jennifer Hughes, vice president of student services, proceeds from the live and silent auctions garnered $3,002 in student scholarships. This was the first time the holiday reception and scholarship auction were combined into one event and the hope is to continue the tradition. Last year, student services held the first scholarship auction which raised $2100. It was a festive and entertaining afternoon which included great food, compliments of Pacific Café, live music provided by CSM students, good cheer and a panoramic view of the Bay from our own Library.

A Message from PR & Marketing

Web Site
Public Relations & Marketing launched a new Career Programs web site on January 15 that features:

an A-Z search feature
links to 26 career program areas
lists of available jobs and salaries in the program areas
access to CSM program web sites
an electronic "contact us" form
a rotating slide show featuring alumni employed in fields they studied at CSM
pertinent student profiles

Located at collegeofsanmateo.edu/careers, CSM's site drew content from the district's Career Programs site at www.smccd.edu/careers and supplemented it with information on estimated time and cost to complete a program.

At the request of administration, we began work to enhance CSM's Career Programs site last year to improve communication of our offerings. The goal was to launch during the Spring 2009 registration period to address prospective students need for retraining and jobs during tough economic times. Elsewhere on CSM's web site, many student services sites have been renovated, using a distinct template, and we've begun working on the academic sites.

Schedule of Classes
CSM Ad Work has begun on the Summer 2009 Schedule of Classes. The community should expect to see the schedule in early to mid March in mailboxes, on campus, in libraries, recreation/community centers, BART stations, post offices, and certain business locations. The schedule will be online in pdf/print and interactive form in March also.

In addition, we've begun work on our Fall 2009 Schedule, which will include institutional ads. We are employing a new way of creating the ads. Our department will design subject area ads for the schedule, using a standard template, and then present them to Deans and specific content owners for review. (Please see photo at left for an example.) More information on how the process will flow is forthcoming to all stakeholders.

Publications
We are happy to report that our view brochure has been updated and should be on campus soon. We're also pleased to have rolled out three new brochures in 2008: nursing, dental assisting, and electronics instrumentation/calibration technology. All recognizable by a consistent look, color scheme, and layout, the new brochures can easily be identified when displayed with others as CSM publications. This is all part of an overall "branding" effort. Several postcards, postcards, and flyers were created to support promotional efforts of events, programs, and special offerings. Plus, we were able to update the bulldog and Coastside logos.

Outreach and Student Ambassador Program
We're seeking to hire Student Outreach Ambassadors. Ambassadors are CSM students who represent the college at local high schools, in the community, and on campus. They are a vital component of the college's outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts. Interested students should contact Alex Guiriba at 650.574.6646/guiribaj@smccd.edu or Bev Madden at 650.574.6538/maddenb@smccd.edu.
They can also visit our web site at collegeofsanmateo.edu/marketing/communityoutreach.asp.

Now that we've completed Operation Welcome Mat (thanks for everyone's participation), we will be off campus over the next month participating in a number of outreach events, including: Terra Nova High School Decision Day, Capuchino High School Career Day, and presentations at Oceana and other high schools. We will also take part in the YMCA's Youth Leadership Day on campus.

Events Calendar
We have a number of events taking place on campus this spring. Check them out at events calendar. If you would like an event on our calendar listing, please provide the following information by email (habeeb@smccd.edu), phone (extension 6442) or in person (Building 9, Room 161):

Name/title, date and times of the event
Location
The event's cost, if any, and intended audience (e.g., free and open to public)
Contact information (phone number, email address and/or Web site URL)
Additional information (please limit to 25 words)

English and Design Instructors Collaborate to
Explore the Workings of the Media
Contributed by Joyce Heyman,CSM Instructor of English
English instructor Joyce Heyman posed the question to her Introduction to Composition and Reading class: "How do advertisers use their knowledge of human motivation and emotions to create messages that help to sell their products?" She was interested in helping students to read advertisements critically for these messages and to communicate their findings to an audience. As well, she wanted her students to see themselves as writers who also must appeal to the emotions of their readers.

Graphics instructor Claudia Steenberg works with students in her Graphics - Theory and Application class to help them develop an ability to apply design tools to the interpretation and expression of meaning and content.

As Joyce watched her students struggle to make inferences about the tools that magazine advertisers use to create messages about their products, she recalled Claudia Steenberg's design students' presentations at the Spring '08 "Create, Celebrate!" event and contacted her in hopes of giving her students the chance to see the process at work. After meeting to discuss the junction at which the written and visual endeavors merge, the instructors arranged to have students come together during a design critique which focused on specific techniques used to communicate a particular message.

Designers' approaches and choices were discussed and then the English students wrote up their observations of how the critiques illuminated and exemplified the concepts they were discussing in class-mainly, how message-makers (in this case designers) carefully consider the effects their choices have on their audiences and make deliberate choices based on how they anticipate audiences will respond to certain stimuli.

Both Joyce and Claudia are interested in further exploring the ways that those who are on both the creating and the receiving end of messages can come together to actually see the interaction at work. They are also interested in continuing to help their students to see connections between the disciplines.

Events

CSM's Financial Aid Office is sponsoring two Cash for College Workshops at the San Mateo Main Public Library for high school seniors and college students on January 24 and 27. The workshops are designed to provide assistance in completing the FAFSA form and inform attendees about other sources of available funds to help pay for college. There is also an opportunity for one lucky participant to win a $1,000 scholarship.

CSM's Tax Preparation Program is sponsoring free income tax preparation service on Saturdays between February through April 4 (except for February 14). Tax returns are prepared by CSM students as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance(VITA) program. This service is available for individuals as well as married couples with incomes of $45,000 or less; it is open to students as well as members of the community. No appointments are necessary. Additional information is available at VITA@smccd.edu.

If you have comments or suggestions about articles and issues you would like to see in the President’s eNewsletter, send email to: prezenews@smccd.edu.