Skyline College students enrolled in the Hospitality and Tourism Management program along with students considering joining this program have the amazing opportunity to participate in a paid internship with one of the most innovative corporate food service companies in the state of California.

Andrea Vizenor, the Bay Region: Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Deputy Sector Navigator has worked closely with industry leaders at Bon Appetit @ Google to design a variety of paid internship opportunities and partnerships that provide valuable experiences for students and faculty.

Bon Appétit is the food management company responsible for creating and serving all the amazing cuisine at Google. They have a large number of accounts they serve throughout the Peninsula.

This partnership provides an exciting PAID internship opportunity for Skyline College students that will begin in late January.  Students who are selected will participate in an Internship Boot Camp that prepares students with necessary soft skills training, technical skills training needed to earn valuable industry recognized certifications and tools that will prepare them to successfully complete the internship experience.

This 8-week PAID internship program is an innovative and rewarding experience for students interested in Hospitality and Food Service careers. In this partnership, Bon Appétit provides students the opportunity to experience many of the diverse careers available within corporate food service by providing relevant hands-on workplace learning in an active Café, focusing on restaurant operations/management, culinary operations or in a business environment. It is a great way to build your resume while pursuing your educational goals!

While participating in the internship, students are able to use the Google Shuttle bus to get to their assignment at the Google campus for $1.50 each way.  Students also participate in weekly training workshops taught by management at Bon Appetit and receive thoughtful evaluations each week evaluating their performance.

This internship opportunity compliments the new courses being offered as part of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at Skyline College and shows the commitment the program has to connecting students to valuable industry training and networks that will ultimately lead to employment!

Spaces are filling up fast! For more information and an application, please contact Andrea Vizenor at vizenora@smccd.edu, or stop by our office in Building 1, Room 1311.

Article written by Nicole Ruggier

The Bay Region Hospitality SUCCESS three-day professional development forum for faculty and high school teachers was held on October 9 in Concord.  This event was hosted by the Bay Region Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Deputy Sector Navigator Andrea Vizenor in partnership with the California Department of Education; Andrea brought together leaders in industry to train faculty and teachers on the latest innovations and skills essential for the Hospitality, Culinary and Tourism Industry. This event was filled with innovative and engaging training sessions that truly kept attendees wanting more!

With nearly 60 participants attending there was a variety of teachers and faculty from throughout the state, which included, local culinary teachers from Jefferson High School, Sequoia High School, Peninsula High School, and Mountain View High School. It was a wonderful opportunity to build even greater connections with our newly developed Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Skyline College.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn and identify the latest trends and online marketing strategies of fine-dining restaurants from Stephen Satterfield, a writer, sommelier, and media and hospitality specialist who currently works with NOPA Restaurant in San Francisco, along with Exceptional Guest Service training delivered by Emily Ellis, a hospitality professional with a wide array of experience who currently works as a Disney Institute trainer and consultant for the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

The line-up also included: an urban farm and teaching garden tour, hands-on culinary techniques training by 3 guest chefs from Bon Appetit at Google and a tour of the Hilton Concord with a behind the scenes look at the wonderful strategies in sustainability they have adopted in their social responsibility efforts.

The Bay Region Retail, Hospitality and Tourism “Learn and Earn” grant housed at Skyline College, has provided a platform to build the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program with extensive industry involvement, incredible student value, and the latest competencies and skills which are integrated into the program’s curriculum.

To learn more about this event please contact: Andrea Vizenor, Bay Region: Deputy Sector Navigator of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism at vizenora@smccd.edu

Article and photo by Elizabeth Tablan

Skyline College’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, in partnership with the Bay Region Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Initiative “Learn & Earn” Grant, is excited to announce the first annual Bay Region Hospitality Summit held at San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront in Burlingame, California. Join us on December 5, 2014 from 9:00 a.m – 2:30 p.m for an exciting opportunity to learn innovative trends, skills, and service strategies from some of the industry’s finest.

The Bay Region Hospitality Summit has an exciting program scheduled led by industry leaders who will share their wisdom and provide participants with critical information and skills essential in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Lynn Carpenter, Vice President of Marketing of Visit California, will give a keynote presentation on the latest trends, international tourism and exciting opportunities in this sector. Next up, Clif Clark General Manager for Marriott hotels will also speak on the latest strategies and innovations the company has embraced to remain a leader in lodging. Also integrated in the Hospitality Summit will be a workshop on “Memorable Customer Service” led by Alexandra Valentin, CHT, Corporate Director and Culture Transformation from The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Series.

We welcome students, faculty and staff of Skyline College to participate in this exciting event at no cost. This is a fabulous opportunity for community college students to learn valuable skills that will assist them in their pursuit of an amazing career in the hospitality industry.

Dr. Regina Stanback-Stroud will be present to a deliver a warm welcome to participants. The event invitation is also extended to Bay Region community college and CSU students interested or currently pursuing a degree in hospitality and tourism. This is an event not to be missed!

For more information and to register for 2014 Bay Region Hospitality Summit, please contact Andrea Vizenor at vizenora@smccd.edu.

Article by Elizabeth Tablan

The Accreditation Oversight Committee (AOC) met on Monday morning, November 17, 2014 to continue the work that never stops: ensuring the ongoing accreditation of Skyline College. Far from being a once-every-six-year event, the AOC maintains focus on accreditation issues in between the intense cycles of the self-evaluation process. As such, the AOC discussed two important substantive change proposals that will be submitted to the Commission: the first addressing the ongoing growth of Distance Education offerings that are resulting in more degrees and certificates available more than 50% online (a threshold that activates the substantive change process), and the second involving the expected development of a Baccalaureate degree at Skyline College. Both submissions are scheduled to be submitted by March 5, 2015.

The AOC also established three Work Teams that will be helping to develop infrastructure to provide greater support for the College with regards to accreditation. The Accreditation Evidence Team will be working to identify systems for use in tracking and storing the volumes of evidence that are used in the writing of the self-evaluation study. The Professional Development Team has been tasked with identifying individuals willing to support the writing of the next self-evaluation study, a process slated to begin in 2017-18, and helping those individuals and the campus engage in professional development opportunities to be well prepared for that process.

Finally, the Accreditation Standards Review Team was formed in order to review and address the newly revised Standards released in July of 2014. These standards contain new requirements from the Department of Education, addressing topics such as Distance Education and Institutional-Set Standards for Student Success and Achievement. It will be the role of the work team, and the AOC as a whole, to ensure that Skyline continues to meet all the standards of accreditation as they evolve.

The next meeting of the AOC will be held Monday, February 9, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Article by Aaron McVean

Please join the GLPS Division on Monday, Nov 24 from 1pm-4pm in Building 6 Room 6202 as the Bécalos students celebrate Thanksgiving!  The students will be sharing their thoughts on the American holiday and their experiences so far at Skyline College.

A special “Thank you” to the Classified Senate and the MCPR department for their kind donations and support in making this event happen.

For more information about the Bécalos Program, please contact Pcyeta Stroud at stroudp@smccd.edu.

Image created by GLPS Intern, Melida Sandoval

The 2015-2016 Skyline College Scholarship Application is now open and will be due on February 12, 2015 by 11:59 p.m.  New, continuing and transfer students are eligible to submit an application.  For more information and a link to the online application, please visit:  www.skylinecollege.edu/financialaid/scholarships.php.  If students need help, they can attend a Financial Aid Application Lab held:

• Every Tuesday from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in Room 2117-B
• Every Wednesday from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in Room 2117-B

Financial Aid Staff and Ambassadors will be there to assist students with their scholarship application.  Also, if you would like the Scholarship Coordinator, Jenny Yang to present to one of your classes regarding scholarship opportunities, please contact Jenny at yangj@smccd.edu. Thank you for encouraging your students to pursue scholarship opportunities.

Article by Jocelyn Vila

Last Saturday, the Center for Innovative Practices through Hip Hop Education and Research (CIPHER) hosted an evening with Ensemble Mik Nawooj (EMN), a Hip Hop Orchestra led by the direction of composer Joowan Kim.  Over 225 people attended the event and were graced with an amazing performance by EMN that blended Western European Classical compositional techniques with the lyrical realism and grittiness of Hip Hop.  They performed classic Hip Hop songs from the Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg as well as their original tracks from their album.

The evening opened with a magnificent set by Professor Kymberly Jackson and a crowd-pleasing and dynamic vocal percussion performance by U.S. Beatboxing Champion Frisco Beats.  The audience also was able to watch the promotional video for our upcoming event Rock The School Bells 8 that is scheduled for March 7, 2015.  One of the many highlights was a community welcome to all of our Bécalos Program students who were in attendance.  Also, in between each performance set, Professor Mustafa Popal and the Advanced Placement Crew kept the positive energy going as our CIPHER House DJ.  The evening was certainly filled with musical artistry and great energy.

In addition, many of Skyline College’s Bécalos students from Mexico were in attendance. Many of these students are talented musicians, dancers, artists, and singers and the opportunity to witness a unique blend of musical genres was a special experience for the visiting students.

Proceeds from this event will be used to provide educational scholarships through the Rock The School Bells Scholarship Fund intended for students pursuing majors such as art, music, graphic design, and film.

This event was funded in part by the President’s Innovation Fund and would not have been possible without the assistance of all of the learning communities and programs such as CIPHER, Kababayan, ASTEP, Puente, FYE, Honors Transfer, Career Advancement Academies, and Rock The School Bells.  A special thanks to the President’s Council; CIPHER and Rock The School Bells Advisory Board; Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations; Josh Harris and his Theater Staff; and Graphic Arts and Production for all of the preproduction support that they have provided to ensure a hugely successful event.

For more information about CIPHER, please contact Nate Nevado at nevadon@smccd.edu.

Article by Nate Nevado | Photos by Rocky Branch

The ASTEP Learning Community and the Skyline College BSU attended Western Region Counsel on Black American Affairs’ Career Institute on November 14 & 15 at El Camino College in Compton, CA. The students were joined by Dr. Regina Standback Stroud, Dr. John Mosby, and Professor Kwame Thomas. The conference focused on encouraging students and other faculty to pursue careers in higher education, especially in the community college setting. Students participated in the following workshops:

1. Strategies to Ensure Upward Mobility in Higher Education: Employability and Careers
2. What Hiring Managers Won’t Tell You and What You Need to Know
3. Review Rework and Revise: Resumes and Cover Letters
4. What Elements in YOU are Needed for Success and Why
5. Mock Interviews
6. Putting the Students’ Voice in Your Student Equity Plan

Overall the students had an amazing time. They felt the conference was empowering and inspirational. The workshops taught them how to be professional and the network opportunities were priceless.

“You are always interviewing”- Dr. Stroud.

Photo and article by Kwame Thomas

October 1 kicked off the CSU Application season and the first CSU Application drop-in assistance days. Skyline College students again proved themselves not to be procrastinators. The first drop-in day had students ready to start before the 9:00 a.m. start time.

Application season is now in full swing and the Transfer Center’s Drop-in Hours and workshops to assist students applying to CSUs continue to be extremely well attended. Over 100 students have received CSU application assistance either through the Transfer Center drop-in hours, or through a CSU workshop offered through the Transfer Center. Several counselors have helped out during these hours, as well as our SFSU superstar Representative Doris Fendt.

The last workshop this season was on Tuesday November 11^th, but students can come in to the Transfer Center during any of our scheduled hours to work on their application. The deadline for the CSU and UC is November 30^th. Please keep spreading the word to help us ensure every eligible student applies and has the greatest chance for success!

Article and photo by Michelle Hagar

Last month, Dr. Rod Daus-Magbual of the Kababayan Learning Community was sworn in as a Commissioner of the Daly City Library Board of Trustees.  Rod is one of our talented adjunct faculty member who has taught courses such as Sociology 142: Filipino Community Issues and History 235: Ethnic Groups in the United States.  As we celebrated Filipino-American History Month in October, we were honored by Rod’s achievements and accomplishments within the Filipino American community.

Rod is also the Director of Program Development of the Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP) in San Francisco, which is a service learning program that has created a partnership triangle between public schools, universities, and the community to develop a counter-pipeline that produces critical educators and curriculum at all levels of education and in the community.

The Kababayan Learning Community is proud to congratulate Rod in his most recent accomplishment as he serves in his role as a Commissioner of the Daly City Library Board of Trustees.  He is definitely another example of why Skyline College truly shines.

Article and photo by Nate Nevado