Groundbreaking Celebration for Buildings 10N and 5N
On March 5, the college held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the construction of Buildings 10N and 5N. more>>

Building 5N Reaches Construction Milestone
On February 6, the college held a "topping out" ceremony to celebrate the completion of a major milestone in the construction of Building 5N.  more>>

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

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

Nursing Program Receives Grant from Health Care District
CSM's nursing program was one of nine San Mateo County groups to receive grant funding from the Peninsula Health Care District. more>>

CSM & US Census Bureau Join Forces
As the U.S. Census Bureau prepares for the 2010 census, CSM will serve as the primary venue in San Mateo for the information and testing sessions that the bureau will hold over the next several months.  more>>

Alumni Stars: Claire Mack, Bill Ring more>>

In Memoriam: CSM Alum Earned Medal of Honor: James E. Swett more>>

News from Student Services
Project EAGLE, Counseling Services more>>

Japanese Educators Visit CSM
The college recently played host to a group of faculty and staff representing a consortium of 50 universities in the Kyoto, Japan area.  more>>

Accomplishments & Accolades
KCSM's Spotlight!, Student Essay Contest Winners, Integrative Learning Faculty, Classified Staff, Lady Bulldog Basketball Team, Erin Scholnick and her students and Kate Motoyama  more>>

A Message from PR & Marketing more>>

Mark Your Calendars!
Upcoming Events more>>

 

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Building 5N Reaches Construction Milestone
On February 6, the college held a "topping out" ceremony to celebrate the completion of a major milestone in the construction of Building 5N. Despite the rain, many members of the college community were on hand to sign the last beam to be placed on the structure. Following the signing, a crane lifted the beam to the top of the structure where it was secured in place. Topping out is one of the oldest traditions in the construction industry, and, for Building 5N, it signifies that 30 percent of the construction work has been accomplished. McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., the design--build contractor for the project, generously hosted a lunch for the attendees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic Senate News
By Diana Bennett, Academic Senate president

President's Task Force on B15/17/10N Space Allocation
Bob Hasson is your primary faculty representative for this task force.
If you have suggestions, comments, concerns please contact Bob at hasson@smccd.edu.

Flex Day Activities
Wednesday, March 11, 2009



Introduction to WebAccess: Setting Up and Posting Handouts Online
Registration is required at CTL website: http://ctlonline.net
See below for more details.
Time: 9 am - 11 am
Location: BLDG 27-100
Contact: Peter Bruni, bruni@smccd.edu

Developing a SLO Assessment Plan
Develop a meaningful, manageable, and sustainable assessment plan
Time: 8 am - 2 pm
Location: SOTL Center
Contact: Jeremy Ball, CSM SLO Coordinator, ballj@smccd.edu

Program Review Assistance
Program Review Comprehensive and Annual Updates are due March 25th.
Office of Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE)
is available to assist with translating data for your Program Review.

Please call the PRIE office to make an appointment at x 6198
Time: Open House - Appointment preferred
Location: Building 1,  Room 121
Contact: X 6198
Milla McConnell-Tuite, mcconnell@smccd.edu
John Sewart, sewart@smccd.edu

Academic Senate Governing Council
• Meets the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month, Building 18, Room 206, 2:15 pm - 4 pm
All faculty are always welcome to attend and participate.
collegeofsanmateo.edu/academicsenate/mission.asp

Coastside Currents
By Martha Tilmann, dean of Coastside and special projects
I am delighted to report that Coastside classes during the spring semester are full. We have 628 students with an average class size of 30. Current course offerings include: biology, Pilates, Italian, Spanish, accounting, guitar, Dreamweaver, and many others. Social dance which meets on Friday nights, has 49 swinging partners of all ages. The District's Community Education program recently offered the class, "What were you born to do?" There were more than 20 attendees who enjoyed their break at the local Riace's Italian Deli where students get a 10 percent discount.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nursing Program Receives Grant from Health Care District
CSM's Nursing Program was one of nine San Mateo County groups to receive grant funding from the Peninsula Health Care District. During the health care district's 2009 awards ceremony, it was announced that the nursing program would be receiving $370,273 for 2009-2011.  This latest grant brings the health care district's total investment in the program to more than $2 million over a 10-year period. Jane McAteer, CSM's director of nursing, and the nursing faculty staff were recognized for their efforts in producing competent care givers to address the health needs of the community. The awards ceremony was attended by U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, State Assemblyman Jerry Hill and County Supervisor Carole Groom, who were also recognized for their ongoing support of community health.

 

CSM & US Census Bureau Join Forces
As the U.S. Census Bureau prepares for the 2010 census, CSM will serve as the primary venue in San Mateo for the information and testing sessions that the bureau will hold over the next several months. This team effort will provide many part-time job opportunities for CSM students to work as census takers, leaders, leader assistants and field operations supervisors. CSM's Career Services is assisting to coordinate the college's participation.

 

Alumni Stars
Claire Mack (photo), CSM alum and retiree and former San Mateo mayor and city council member, can now add author to her long list of accomplishments. Mack has recently published a novel, "Imitation of Life: The Next Millennium."  Her story is set in San Mateo, and, although it is a work of fiction, it is loosely based on a combination of her own life and the 1939 movie, "Imitation of Life." In an article in the Daily Journal on February 9, Mack says that she hopes her book will help people not only live better lives but realize what a great city San Mateo is. In 2005, she was selected as a recipient of the California Community College Distinguished Alumni Award. The article can be viewed online at www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=105357&eddate=02/09/2009.
Photo: Rolando Rubio III/Daily Journal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former NFL player Bill Ring (photo) was recently inducted into the California Community College Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Ring, played for CSM in 1975-76 before transferring to Brigham Young Univeristy. He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1981-86 and  has two Super Bowl rings and was given tbe team's top honor in 1983, the Len Eshmont Award.

 

 

 

 

 

In Memoriam: CSM Alum Earned Medal of Honor
On January 24, the Los Angeles times carried an article about CSM alum James E. Swett (photo) who passed away on January 18. Swett was a former Marine Corps pilot who was awarded the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart and the Air Medal for his military service during World War II. He enrolled at CSM in 1939, attending the college's Civilian Pilot Training Program and earning a private pilot's license. Swett enlisted with the U.S Naval Reserve in 1941 where he took flight training and finished in the top 10 percent of his class. He was given the option to choose between a commission in the Navy or Marine Corps and opted to become a Marine. As a 22-year old first lieutenant in 1943, Swett participated in his first combat mission, leading a division of F4F-4 Wildcats over Guadalcanal in the Pacific Theatre. Over the course of the war, Swett took part in more than 100 combat missions which included action at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. On several missions, his aircraft was shot down in the Pacific; in one incident, he spent four days in a rubber life raft, living on coconuts and chocolate bars before being rescued by natives of New Guinea. After being released from active duty following the end of the war, Swett joined the Marine Corps Reserves; in 1970 he retired as a colonel.
Photo from LA Times, 1/24/2009

News from Student Services
CSM's Health Center is sponsoring a new internship for students made available through a grant-funded opportunity called Project EAGLE. This is a peer education-based program designed to educateCSM's students, faculty and staff on prevention and reduction of alcohol, tobacco and drug use and supporting community resources. The project is currently seeking 10 Healthy Lifestyles Education interns and one program assistant who will implement and collect data for a student health needs survey which will analyze intervention programming on campus. The program is an excellent service learning experience, particularly for those in health and social services majors. It is coordinated by Jason Nery, health educator.

CSM's Office of Counseling Services recently announced that students can now schedule counseling appointments online using their WebSMART account. Students are now able to schedule half-hour appointments within a two week period and can also view or cancel appointments online.

Japanese Educators Visit CSM
The college recently hosted a group of faculty and staff representing a consortium of 50 universities in the Kyoto, Japan, area. The group, formally known as the Consortium of Universities in Kyoto, attended a conference at Stanford University to develop a program to support faculty development. The U.S.-Japan coordinator at Stanford, Yoko Kanamatsu is a CSM alum, and she wanted them to experience a community college. According to Martin Bednarek, international students counselor, they were interested in learning about how the community college system fits into the higher education system. The were also interested in CSM's faculty development program and our Center for Teaching and Learning, local consortiums and integrated learning programs.

Accomplishments & Accolades
KCSM-TV's original, locally-produced public television series, "Spotlight!," which debuted in October 2008, has been awarded the prestigious Telly Award.  The Telly honors the very best local, regional and cable television productions.  Judges are top production professionals and past Telly winners with an interest in upholding the historical standard of excellence that the Telly represents. According to a previous award winner, "Winning a Telly Award is a tremendous honor.  We like to call it the Oscar for our industry."

Each "Spotlight!" episode showcases the work of two aspiring high school movie-makers.  Also included is an interview with an adult mentor, a Bay Area film-making professional who provides insight and encourages students to continue their studies in college.  The students' movies are entries in CSM's Annual High School Film Festival, also called "Spotlight!." Festival winners are awarded prizes and scholarships to study at CSM  and their movies are broadcast on KCSM-TV as part of the television series.

 

The culmination of this year's Black History Month was the presentation of the student essay contest winners. At the "Karamu (Feast): Breaking Bread", the Diversity In Action Group and the Multicultural Center awarded the contest winners with certificates of appreciation and monetary prizes of $100, $50 and $25. The first place winner was Jamar Grundy for his poem, The Mountaintop," second place was awarded to Sonia Revello for her essay, "An American Chapter of Equality and Opportunities," and third place went to Diana Mandujano for a poem, "The Beginning of Life." Read Jamar's winning poem.
Photo: essay winning students with Danita Scott-Taylor and Henry Villareal

 

 

The fall 2008 issue of AACU's Peer Review Magazine includes an article by CSM Professors Jean Mach, Mike Burke and Jeremy Ball titled, "Integrative Learning: A Room with a View."  The article discusses the history of CSM's learning communities and integrative learning projects, assessment tools that were developed and what was learned along the way.  

The 2009 Classified Staff Student Scholarship Bake Sale was a big success, raising $250. A very special thank you to Diane Martinez. Her baked goods were not only scrumptious but professionally gift-ready as well. Diane was voted the 2009 Top Baker of the Classified Staff Student Scholarship Bake Sale. She will be sent a decorative certificate recognizing her selection.  Another special thanks goes to the crew at KCSM who had a wonderful variety of not only baked goods, but fruit and pizza.

 

Four CSM women's basketball players have received Athletes of the Month - Honorable Mention Awards for January 2009 by the California Community College Athletic Association. The students honored were freshman forward Janisa Jones (Sacred Heart Preparatory High School) who averaged 10 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in January; Shakara Haynes, freshman forward (Woodside High School) who averaged 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds; Raphy Buenafe (Westmoor High School) who averaged 6.6 points and 3.3 assists per game; and Erica Hayes (Menlo-Atherton High School) who averaged 17.5 points per game with 24 and 21 rebounds against #1 ranked City College of San Francisco, Hayes is third in the conference in points scored. The Lady Bulldogs team of all-freshmen qualified for the State playoffs. According to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association officials, it was the first time an all-freshman team has made it to the State playoffs.
Photo credit: Sharee Robinson

 

Adjunct faculty member Erin Scholnick and her father, along with six CSM students and CSM President Mike Claire, volunteered on the Redwood City Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco project that will have its grand opening on May 5. The CSM contingent painted and built overhangs shelving and a fence over the course of eight hours. The project is a community of eight townhomes, all of which employ green building practices and integrate solar electric panels on the roofs to generate renewable electric energy. Upon completion of this development in 2009, Habitat Greater San Francisco will have built a total of 51 affordable ownership homes in Redwood City.

 

Professor of Speech Communication Kate Motoyama has been elected to serve as president of the San Mateo Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).

 

A Message from PR & Marketing
CSM will be at the San Mateo County Fair again this year on August 15,16, and 21-23.  What a great low or no-cost outreach opportunity this is to promote our many programs and services. It's a chance to inform the thousands of community members who attend this annual event that we are conveniently located in the city of San Mateo. Although our efforts can result in increased enrollment, they also continue to publicize or brand our good name. We are encouraging all to participate with creative booths, displays, performances, etc. We also need volunteers for the general marketing booth. Being at the fair is fun, too. Please contact Bev Madden at extension 6538 or maddenb@smccd.edu if you have questions or are interested in joining the CSM fair team.

We are pleased to report that the Summer Schedule of Classes has been published and major distribution to homes, libraries, community centers, and on campus has been completed. Also, the schedule is online in printable and interactive formats at collegeofsanmateo.edu/schedule. Check out the interactive format where you can turn pages online with your cursor and easily cruise through the schedule, clicking on live links along the way.

The Fall Schedule of Classes is in production and we should see it on campus in April.

Finally, we welcome five new student ambassadors to our vital outreach efforts. They are Yee-Na Li; Bryan Besnyi; Eric Thurston; Heliane Marlowe and Yiu Sun ("Sunny") Shek's. They, along with the other three ambassadors, are assigned to local high schools and support all high school and other outreach efforts.

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)

On Thursday, April 16, from 2-4 pm, CSM's music and art departments will host an open house to celebrate the newly renovated facilities in Buildings 2 and 4.  Festivities include live music in the courtyard, courtesy of the music department, and informal displays of student artwork. The combination of music and art promises to be a memorable event.  Refreshments will also be provided.

Mark Your Calendars!

• As part of CSM'sinstitutional planning process, the college is offering a series of Integrated Planning Workshops during the spring semester. The remaining workshops include:  Interpersonal Intercultural Communication facilitated by George Kramm and Yaping Li, professors of speech (3/9); Discussion  and Review of this Academic Year's Educational Master Plan, facilitated by Diana Bennett, professor of multimedia, and Jennifer Hughes, vice president of student services (4/13); and Assessment of CSM's Integrated Planning Process, facilitated by Diana Bennett and Jennifer Hughes (5/11). All workshops are from 2:15-4 pm and are held in 36-109; they are open to the college community.
• CSM's Disabled Students Programs & Services is hosting a Brown Bag Lunch Forum during the spring semester for members of the college community to learn about various topics related to disability, ask questions in an open and safe environment and work together to make CSM a more accessible place for students with disabilities. The February forum, "Beyond PTSD: Understanding and Coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, " was presented by Nancy Grover from the Veteran's Administration Palo Alto Health Care System.
• On March 13, CSM's music department will conduct a noontime concert in the Choral Room. The concert will feature a variety of music styles, including popular, jazz, classical, electronic and more.
• On March 14 and 15, Masterworks Chorale presents "Puttin on the Ritz, Classic Songs of Irving Berlin" at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos. Performances begin at 8pm on March 14 and 4 pm on March 15. Tickets are available from masterworks.org or (650) 574-6313.
• CSM's Transfer Services will sponsor Business Administration College Fair on March 25 from 11 am - 1 pm and 7:30 - 8:30 pm. Representatives from universities including UC Davis, Golden Gate University and San Francisco State will present information about various program options and majors.

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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.