The Bécalos Program Closing Reception and Ceremony took place on Tuesday, December 16.  Each Bécalos student was individually recognized for their efforts this semester and the event featured an address by Skyline College President, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, and a heartfelt thank you from Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Sarah Perkins.  The event also featured student musical performances, a video of memorable events and student addresses. Several students were personally recognized for their endeavors in business as well as other notable achievements, including perfect attendance. The event was a success, and we are proud to have shared the gathering with many key members of our Skyline College community.

As the Bécalos Program came to a close, our visiting students from Mexico also had the exciting privilege to take part in guided tours of the Google campus in Mountain View on Monday, December 8 and Monday, December 15, 2014.  The students personally witnessed typical working days at the dynamic campus.  They had the opportunity to view and interact with Google technology and ask questions regarding Google employment, benefits, and the history of the world-renowned company.

The Global Learning Programs and Services Division would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all members of the Skyline College community who assisted in any and all capacities with the Bécalos Program.  For the past five months, members of our college and the surrounding community have worked tirelessly and diligently to ensure the program’s success during its inaugural year.  As the program has come to a close, we are indebted to Skyline College President, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Sarah Perkins and Vice President of Administrative Services, Eloisa Briones, for their unwavering support. We would also like to thank the Classified Senate, Auxiliary Services, faculty and staff members who hosted and assisted with the student job shadow program, and all faculty, staff, and student volunteers who have so eagerly given their time and expertise to assist both the GLPS Division and our Bécalos students. We believe this has been a tremendous opportunity for the GLPS Division and the College.  Felicidades a todos!

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

Article by Alessandra Zanassi | Photos by Salvador Martinez and Pcyeta Stroud

As the year ends, I’d like to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year. I am so very grateful for the hard work and dedication of this Skyline College family and for your constant commitment to the students we serve.

Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud

As we enter into the year 2015, some are under the impression that we exist within a “post-race” society. The 10^th annual Umoja Conference, Umoja X, which took place between Thursday, November 20 through Saturday, November 22, served as a momentous force for somber reflections on the past, ethnic celebration, and progressive thought. The Umoja Conference reminded us that race and race matters are especially relevant now, more than ever before. Taking place in San Diego, California, the San Diego Community College District hosted this special event, but noteworthy colleges like San Diego Mesa College and universities such as the University of California, Davis and San Diego State University also sponsored the event. In addition, several Historical Black Colleges and Universities came to support Umoja X, even extending the opportunity for on-site admittance to qualifying students.

A central highlight of this conference was the opening lecture led by the keynote speaker, highly revered and world-renowned educator, Dr. Joy DeGruy, author of Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, who spoke on how fear created by ignorance can be the catalyst for so much destruction. Dr. Degruy’s presentation exposed evidence of racism and racial injustices being hidden in plain sight, even down to our present day, and though this evidence was startling, DeGruy emphasized the urgency of exposing the pain in order to truly begin the healing process in our society. She also encouraged elders in the community to make sure that the youth, especially young African American males who are an endangered demographic in America, know how much they are loved and that they are a source of pride. It is vital that they receive these acknowledgments, so that they can feel empowered to progress academically, ultimately ensuring their holistic success and healing.

The remainder of the conference included various workshops led by educators and students that addressed different layers of De Gruy’s presentation. It was encouraged that participants reflect on the ways they use words and social media to make meaning, whether that meaning is a source of damage to those in the African American community, or a source of liberation to the community.  All present were reinvigorated to apply the topics and mindsets discussed as they returned to their perspective colleges and universities; we were motivated to pass on the knowledge and love received in all aspects of our lives, not just academically. Thanks to the self-less efforts of retiring Vice Chancellor for Student Services and Special Programs in the California Community College system, Linda Michalowski, and those who have worked closely with her to support this conference for the last 10 years, the Umoja legacy will have the financial support needed to continue this unique and essential work for years to come.

Article by Chanel Daniels

On Wednesday, December 10, 2014, the Outreach Department hosted the first annual Skyline College Program Fair at Jefferson High School in Daly City. Sparkpoint, Financial Aid, Automotive, Massage Therapy, and ASTEP were just some of the programs from Skyline College that attended.

 

The students of Jefferson High School showed a vast amount of interest in the various programs that Skyline College had to offer. Over 200 students attended the event, which led to over 1,000 impressions made by the various Skyline College programs in attendance . The Outreach department also held a free drawing for the students that attended. The prizes included Skyline College sweaters, t-shirts and the grand prize was a tablet donated by the Skyline College Bookstore. The event was an overall success that benefitted the students and staff of Jefferson High School.

Article and photos by Florentino Ubungen

BuddyUp is a social media startup with the goal of connecting students within specific courses to facilitate peer-to-peer learning. Brian Forrester was inspired to found this company based on the difficulty he experienced as a college student trying to find study partners for a difficult math course.

The launch of this program is a collaboration between the SMCCD Foundation office, Skyline College, CSM, and Caňada College Learning Centers, and the CARE Foundation. The CARE Foundation has awarded subsidies to community colleges that serve a high population of first-generation students. With the goal of helping these students in mind, all three colleges will identify challenging courses to target for this program beginning in spring 2015.

The BuddyUp program is just one of several new or redesigned support programs at Skyline College that utilize best practices in higher education to improve academic success for incoming students, many of whom are starting below college level in one or more subjects. The Supplemental Instruction program, Supplemental Learning Assistance program, and a new pilot program designed by the College Success Initiative are related efforts that will provide more direct support to students inside and outside of the classroom.

More information about BuddyUp can be found at their website. Stay tuned for more college-specific information as the program is introduced throughout the SMCCD this spring.

To get more information about TLC programs and services, please visit us in Building 5, or visit us on the web at www.skylinecollege.edu/learningcenter

Article submitted by David Reed

On Saturday, December 13, 2014, Arash Daneshzadeh, Interim Director of Skyline College’s TRiO SS Program, was keynote speaker at a conference on Race, Gender and Equity at the Claremont Colleges. This two-day program was hosted by Pitzer College. Over 175 students participated in Arash’s workshop on community cultural wealth, presentation on hip hop and critical pedagogy and brown bag seminars highlighting his career investment with historically marginalized communities of color, particularly in the wake of public scrutiny over police brutality.

Arash’s keynote presentation was conceptually grounded in his doctoral research on issues germane to the school-to-prison pandemic—such as restorative justice, black male identity theory, cultural mistrust, and zero tolerance policies. This event was sponsored by the governance bodies representing the Associated Students and Black Student Union of the Five Claremont College Consortium. Student leadership at both Pitzer College and Pomona College will continue to utilize Arash’s seminal work on integrating cultural wealth and restorative justice into the judiciary practices on their own campuses.

Article by Arash Daneshzadeh

“Hello, my name is Cynthia Fregoso and I am a TRiO student.  For the past 3 years TRiO has helped me accomplish my dreams to pursue my educational goal to transfer to San Francisco State University to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.  The TRiO staff and fellow members welcomed me and treated me as a member of the TRiO family and provided me with the support I needed to become a successful college student.

“Through my time with TRiO, I gained a positive outlook on what I could accomplish in life.  More importantly, as a full time student, a mother of two children and a full time employee, I was given the emotional and academic support by TRiO that made me believe in my strengths. Now that my time at Skyline College is coming to an end, I hope that one day I can contribute to our communities and impact people’s lives just like TRiO has done for me.”

As part of the TRiO family, Cynthia has been fundamental in establishing strong relationships with fellow participants in the program. She actively contributes to the outreach component of the program through referring potential TRiO participants.

Article by Guillermo Villanueva

Skyline Women’s Basketball Beats Porterville to Open FCC Tournament

Skyline College improved their record to 6-0 with an opening round win over Porterville College in the Fresno City College Tournament.  Skyline fell behind early and battled their way back to a 35-27 halftime lead with the help of a 24-6 run to end the half.  Porterville chipped away at Skyline’s lead throughout the entire second half before finally regaining the lead at 62-61 with just one minute left.  Trailing by one, Skyline came up with a big defensive stop allowing Stephanie Allen to score the winning basket with 20 seconds left in the game for a 63-62 win.  Stephanie Allen led all scorers with 23 points, while Alyssa Dela Cruz added 13 points and Jazel Talauta chipped in 12.

Skyline Women’s Basketball Downs Las Positas 

Skyline College defeated Las Positas College on Saturday night to advance to the championship of the Fresno City College Tournament.  Skyline College and Las Positas battled back and forth in the first half until Monique Garret hit a buzzer-beater to put the Trojans up four at halftime.  They continued to push the tempo on offense and were able to limit Las Positas’s three-point shooting with tight defense.  Skyline College eventually stretched the lead and won by a final of 73-56.  The College had 4 players in double figure scoring including Stephanie Allen, 17 points, Jazel Talauta, 12 points and 7 assists, Tianna Mitchell, 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Monique Garret, 11 points.  Skyline will play Reedley College in the tournament championship.

Skyline Women’s Basketball Wins Fresno City College Tournament

Skyline College battled back from being down 15 points at halftime to defeat Reedley College for the championship of the Fresno City College Tournament.  The Trojans’ slow start offensively, coupled with Reedley’s efficient scoring attack, led to the halftime deficit.  Skyline College never gave up though, and slowly chipped away at Reedley’s lead.  The Trojans finally took their first lead of the game with about three minutes left.  The final three minutes were back and forth with Skyline College finally sealing the game after back to back lay-ups by Sahara Clay and Jazel Talauta.  Skyline improved their record to 8-0 with the win.  Jazel Talauta was named to the All-Tournament Team and Stephanie Allen was named Tournament MVP.

 

 

The Transfer Initiative Advisory Committee continued to meet through this fall semester to focus on the campus-wide Transfer Initiative priorities set forth last year. The meetings focused on developing a strong foundation for a campus-wide evaluation of transfer.

During the 2013-2014 Academic Year the committee set priorities around increasing our campus-wide transfer culture through outreach, cross-division collaboration and other practices. Many of these ideas have been implemented and others will be implemented, if funded, in coming months and years.  Multiple collaborations have been happening – such as the campus-wide push to support our students to have their personal statements reviewed, cross-program and division promotion and implementation of transfer events and much more! The word is definitely out and student participation in transfer-related events, workshops and services is on the rise! Applications for UC Transfer Admissions Guarantees were up this year and we expect to see an overall increase in transfer numbers.

The missing link to our work is knowing, through research, where we are being effective and successful and what we can do to improve transfer as a campus.

In order to better understand and design programming and interventions based on student needs, the Advisory Committee has been working closely with the Office of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE) to design fundamental research questions that the PRIE office can use in its transfer research. Last spring, the committee met to evaluate what information, both quantitative and qualitative, we want to know about students who are in the completion/transfer stage of the completion by design process. This fall, we continued this work, looking at the connection and entry phases as well.  In addition to designing the research needed, we created a Transfer Student Exit survey implemented over last spring and fall which yielded positive results. Additionally, the Committee continues to focus on the original priority of how to increase our campus-wide transfer culture.

Article submitted by Suzanne Poma

Friday, December 19, 2014

• Day and Evening Classes End
• Scholarship Application 2015-2016 Available Now Through February 12, 2015, Skyline College, Building 2, Room 2234
• 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Women’s Basketball v. San Bernadino College at City College of San Francisco Tournament, City College of San Francisco
• 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Men’s Basketball at Hartnell College, Hartnell College

Saturday, December 20, 2014

• 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Women’s Basketball at City College of San Francisco Tournament, City College of San Francisco

Sunday, December 21, 2014

• 12:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Women’s Basketball at City College of San Francisco Tournament, City College of San Francisco

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

• Holiday Break/College Closed, December 24, 2014 – January 1, 2015

For the latest information on events and activities happening at Skyline College, please view our calendar.

If you would like to include your college event or activity on the calendar, please submit the event, date, time and location to Jennifer Owen-Blackmon via email at owenblackmonj@smccd.edu.