After several months of undergoing repair, the college’s new planetarium reopened in time to welcome students attending the summer session. In July, the college resumed its popular stargazing/planetarium shows, which are free and open to the general public. Dean Charlene Frontiera reported that a crowd of 130 people attended this month’s event. Beginning in August, the San Mateo Astronomical Society will resume holding its monthly meetings in the facility. Finally, astronomy faculty are preparing for a full slate of star shows for elementary school students, teachers and parents held on Fridays throughout the academic year. Photo: Astronomy Professor Darryl Stanford conducting the Planetarium Show in July amid a full-house of stargazers. Inset: CSM’s Planetarium at dusk.

Over the past several months, the college has placed a renewed emphasis on marketing, outreach and recruiting,
three activities that play critical roles in enrollment management. Following is a summary of the college’s accomplishments and progress to date in those areas.

Strategic Marketing

• A strategic marketing plan based on a target marketing approach is being developed and will be integrated
  into the college’s strategic planning process.
• The first phase of “Students Speak” – a student focus group effort to better understand target market needs –
  has been completed.
• Marketing, outreach and recruiting activities have been restructured to improve coordination and cooperation among the various departments responsible for these activities.
• Marketing, recruiting and outreach is now a standing agenda item for Cabinet; the Academic Senate president and other key individuals participate in these sessions.
• An integrated marketing and recruiting calendar is being developed.

High School Relations

• A high school outreach summit was held in March and yielded over 100 suggestions, many of which have been implemented.
• College administrators have met with all principals in the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD). Additional meetings will continue in 2007-08.
• An outreach specialist has been hired to have a regular presence on high school campuses.

On the horizon: a CSM newsletter customized for each high school in the SMUHSD and the formation of a recruiting
team for each high school consisting of faculty, staff, administrators and student ambassadors.

	CSM’s booth at FESTA ITALIANA

Community Presence

• CSM participated in San Mateo’s FESTA ITALIANA.
• CSM had an exhibit at the San Mateo County Fair.
• Banners will be prominently displayed in the City of San Mateo during the month of August.
• More than 6,000 CSM postcards and promotional materials have been distributed to San Mateo businesses.
• CSM events are listed on the City of San Mateo’s events calendar.
• An aggressive press release campaign has been launched.

On the horizon: a speakers bureau program is planned for implementation in 2007-08.

Advertising

• Advertising on KCSM has been maximized.
• Staff are conducting a review of CSM’s traditional mass media advertising with a possible shift toward web advertising which includes Google search optimization techniques.
• Work is underway to develop a new look for CSM designed to strengthen its image as an institution with high academic standards.
• Work has begun on a complete redesign of the college web site and print materials.
• 15,000 emails about the fall 2007 semester were sent to former students
• An aggressive campaign has been launched to capture students who have applied but not yet registered for
  the fall 2007 semester.

On the horizon: a complete re-engineer of advertising and promotion efforts consistent with CSM’s strategic
marketing plan.

CSM Alumni Inducted Into Sports Hall of Fame

CSM alumni reaped honors as two former athletes and a former coach were inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame at its annual banquet on June 21.

Gloria Smith-Corey was a standout player at CSM in women’s basketball during the sport’s fledgling seasons. Playing point guard, she made all-conference both years she played at the college. Smith-Corey received one of the first female basketball scholarships to University of San Francisco where she played a major role in turning an unsuccessful team into a championship team. In all four years that she played collegiate basketball, her teams won championships and in 1979-80, she contributed to USF receiving a national ranking.

Cindy Galarza was a gifted basketball player at CSM earning most valuable player honors in the conference for two years. In her sophomore year, Galarza, a forward, lead the bulldogs to the Northern California championship with a season record of 32-1. She earned an athletic scholarship to San Jose State University where she became one of the university’s first great female basketball players and was named all-league in her senior season.

Both Smith-Corey and Galarza played under the tutelage of Coach Tom Martinez.

Steve Shafer was a football coach at CSM from 1966-74 and served as head coach during the 1972-74 seasons. In 1968, he and Head Coach Bill Dickey and Offensive Coach Ted Tollner gave new life to CSM’s football team with an aggressive countywide recruitment effort. Shafer went on to coach at San Diego State University for seven years. In 1982, he began his NFL career where he would coach the Rams, Buccaneers, Raiders, Ravens and Jaguars. Shafer was assistant head coach for the Superbowl-winning Ravens in 2001; it was his defense structure that played a pivotal role in the championship.

CSM Grad’s Success Story

New CSM graduate Hugo Mora (in photo at left) of South San Francisco was selected for the prestigious Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Award from UC Santa Cruz (UCSC). He is one of only 10 community college transfer students from the Bay Area to receive the award, which includes a $20,000 scholarship. The Pister award recognizes students who have demonstrated commitment to assisting and improving the lives of others, have overcome adverse socioeconomic circumstances and who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend UCSC.

Hugo overcame significant challenges during his youth, including frequent moves, family issues and associations with drug users. His troubles landed him in the County’s juvenile detention facility where, with the help of his probation officer, he became focused on making positive changes in his life that included community college education. Upon enrolling at CSM, he made new friends and found emotional and educational support from faculty and student services, especially EOPS. He credits CSM with helping him to focus on his goals. Hugo has been an active participant in a number of campus activities and organizations, including the Student Senate and Latinos Unidos. At UCSC, he will study psychology and philosophy; his long-term goal is to attend law school. Hugo’s success story was the subject of a human interest article which appeared in a recent issue of the San Mateo County Times.

College Introduces New Job-Training Program

This summer, the college launched its new Instrumentation/Calibration Technician Program (calibration lab in photo on right). This job-training
program will prepare students for jobs in a variety of fields and is a direct
link to solid employment in the biotechnology field. In addition to biotech, instrumentation/calibration technicians can find employment in more than
14 different industry clusters including aerospace, mining and metals,
petrochemical, public utilities, semiconductors and power generation. CSM’s program is funded by a two-year Economic & Workforce Development grant of $585,000 from the California Community Colleges State Chancellor's Office and has received in-kind support from the college district and industry
partners including Genentech, Bayer, Nektar, IPS and Cell Genesys.

New Research Brief Focuses on Writing