Skyline College President Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud welcomed faculty and staff back to a new semester at a brief welcome ceremony on Wednesday, January 21. Faculty and staff gathered together for coffee and pastries before settling down in the theater to listen to remarks by Dr. Stroud.

Giving an address on the state of the college, Dr. Stroud highlighted her goals for the college in the coming months along with some major recent milestones.

Touching on changes to campus facilities, Dr. Stroud noted that seven computer labs were upgraded over the winter holiday which translates to access to more efficient and effective technologies for our students. Additionally, thanks to the passage of a recent bond measure, Building One, including the theater, will be completely rebuilt creating a more open and inviting entrance to the campus. And a new sustainability building will be added at the overlook where Pacific Heights currently stands. These are hard-won improvements that will help bolster Skyline College’s offerings for all its students.

Dr. Stroud also noted a few things she’d like to concentrate on in the new semester. The current placement test system suffers from self-imposed rules that often prevent students from retaking tests. This can mean students get locked into a course track that they might have been able to test out of had they been allowed to retake a placement test after completing the first course on their track – this can add semesters to a student’s educational track.

Education plans are another top priority. The plans, currently in development, are intended as helpful roadmaps for students who have an educational goal in mind, like earning an Associate Degree in Mathematics, but might need some help planning the steps they need to take to get there. By mapping out which classes students should take, during which semesters, education plans can create a framework from which a student can develop their own unique pathway to graduation.

Additionally, Dr. Stroud stressed the need to award degrees automatically to students who have completed the requisite coursework. Instead of requiring students to “opt-in” to a degree once they’ve completed their courses, students will automatically get awarded a degree once they complete the requisites unless they actively “opt-out” for other reasons. This will help prevent students from missing out on degrees they’ve earned through their own hard work.

Finally, Dr. Stroud congratulated the Skyline College family on its landmark preliminary approval for the development of a Bachelor’s Degree in Respiratory Therapy. As one of just 15 programs selected across the State, this is a huge achievement that will allow Skyline College to help fill a serious workforce gap in California.

Dr. Stroud concluded by echoing President Obama’s State of the Union address from the night before, stating “The state of the College is strong!”­

Article by Connor Fitzpatrick

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors gave initial approval to 15 colleges, including Skyline College, to develop bachelor’s degree programs in fields such as respiratory therapy, dental hygiene, automotive technology and aerospace manufacturing technology as part of a pilot program approved by the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown.

Skyline College received initial approval to develop a Bachelors of Applied Science Degree in Respiratory Therapy. The program will undergo additional review by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office as well as further consultation with the California State University and University of California before final approval is considered by the Board of Governors at its March meeting.

“These colleges are embarking on a new mission for the California Community Colleges that will expand opportunities in public higher education,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris. “Students will have a range of programs from which to choose to earn high quality, affordable and in-demand degrees. California employers win too, as they will have improved access to highly qualified candidates in these fields.”

In its current form, Skyline College’s Respiratory Therapy program is an advanced practice two-year program that prepares students to administer respiratory care and life support to patients with breathing disorder and cardiopulmonary abnormalities through classroom instruction and clinical practice.

Why it is important for Skyline College to offer this new program:

• Demand for respiratory therapists is significant and growing. Increasingly, respiratory therapists are taking on tasks formerly conducted by physicians, requiring a greater level of critical thinking and analytical skill and expertise than ever before
• The American Association for Respiratory Care and CA Society for Respiratory Care have recommended the baccalaureate degree as the minimum standard for licensing in CA, to meet evolving health care demands
• There is only one other accredited Baccalaureate-degree granting programs in Respiratory Care in California, at a private college in Southern California (vs. 53 accredited programs on the East Coast and Midwest)
•  The 4-year program offers a greater ability for students to advance to management/ leadership roles within the profession, advanced care-giving roles, and higher education

Program Timeline

Pending final approval of the Respiratory Therapy Bachelor’s Degree program, Skyline College will spend the remainder of this year, and early 2016 collaborating with other pilot groups to develop coursework at the state level. The first new classes would begin in Fall 2016, with the first graduates matriculating in Spring 2018.

Article by Connor Fitzpatrick

This spring, Skyline College is even more diverse! The International Student Program (ISP) welcomed 44 new international students from 17 countries for the Spring 2015 semester. This allows us to add some new names to our list of countries, including Ukraine, Egypt and Jordan. A large portion of the new students come from Asia and the rest from countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

The New International Student Orientation was held January 13-15, and included a variety of activities and guidance from various offices and volunteers. During the three day orientation, new students had an opportunity to get to know each other through ice breaking activities and meals. Three Skyline College students, Brittney Sneed, Mark Devon Gustave and Yidi Feng, took a leading role in these activities, sharing their own personal experience and knowledge of student life at Skyline College with the new students. They also demonstrated the WebSmart system and answered general questions about the campus. Representatives from the Counseling Office and Assessment Center were there as well, taking the extra time and care to ensure these new students a smooth transition into their academic lives at Skyline College with placement tests and class registration.

ISP will continue to provide services and programs for international students as well as for the entire Skyline College community. If you are interested in learning more about future ISP programs and events, contact ISP Manager, Wissem Bennani at bennaniw@smccd.edu.

Article by Chikako Walker | Photo by Michelle Fowler

The South San Francisco Unified School District School Board voted unanimously at its last meeting to establish a middle college program on the Skyline College campus. This partnership is in keeping with the Skyline College 2012-2017 Strategic Plan to strengthen community connections.

The Middle College is a bold, creative and innovative educational opportunity undergirded by a wide array of bundled support services ranging from intrusive coaching, tutoring, career exploration, specialized college success classes, along with community service experiences. The goal of the Middle College is to provide students with pathways to accelerate their academic success and career goals while contributing to their community and civil society.

Starting fall 2015, 50 students in the 11th grade will form the entering cohort.  The enrolled students will fit one of the following profiles:

• Highly motivated achievers
• Gifted but not thriving in high school learning environment
• Underachieving due to socioeconomic or other social factors that place them at risk of not graduating

The students will take a combination of core high school courses in English, United States history, government and economics, along with tuition-free college courses to earn their high school diploma plus, one or more of the following three options:  (1) career technical education certificate; (2) units toward an Associate degree; (3) transferable units to a four-year institution of higher education.

Article and Graphic by Raymond Jones

The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL) hosted a full-day Reading Apprenticeship training workshop on Tuesday, January 21, that was attended by nearly 40 Skyline College faculty, staff and guests. Cindy Hicks, a certified Reading Apprenticeship trainer with WestEd and an English faculty member at Chabot College, facilitated the workshop, which introduced faculty across disciplines to the benefits and practices of the Reading Apprenticeship approach.  Sarah Sullivan, a practioner of the Reading Apprenticeship approach, co-presented and assisted Cindy during the workshop. Faculty in areas such as history, earth science, art, math, physics, anthropology, English, biology, communication studies, and business attended the workshop and left enthusiastic about incorporating the strategies into their spring classes.

The Reading Apprenticeship Initiative at Skyline College is a collaboration between the CTTL and the College Success Initiatives (CSI) committee. It is partially funded through Basic Skills Initiative (BSI) funds.  Reading Apprenticeship helps transfer-level students make the deep disciplinary connections that lead to sustained academic learning. Developmental students are supported to integrate and accelerate their literacy and disciplinary learning. Additionally, career-technical students learn how to understand technical, job-related materials that contribute to workplace confidence and competence. More information on Reading Apprenticeship is available at http://readingapprenticeship.org/

To help sustain and support Reading Apprenticeship practices at Skyline College, The CTTL has planned additional Reading Apprenticeship workshop opportunities during the spring semester on March 10 and April 10. In addition, the college will be sending a team to the 3-day Cross-Discipline Faculty Seminar in Oakland from June 15-17, 2015. Faculty who would like additional information or who are interested in participating in this initiative should contact Nina L. Floro at floro@smccd.edu.

Article by Nina Floro and Jonathan Paver | Photos by Jonathan Paver

The Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL) organized a number of events to kick off the spring 2015 semester.  On January 20-21, over 150 faculty, staff, and managers participated in a variety of activities designed for professional enrichment and growth.

Among the activities was a full-day Reading Apprenticeship workshop that brought together nearly 40 faculty from across disciplines.  Reading Apprenticeship practices help faculty learn to contextualize instruction in their subject area in order to help students engage in meaningful discipline-specific reading and problem solving.  

Adding to the opening day buzz was Skyline College President, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, who in her “Spring 2015 Welcome & Opening Remarks,” highlighted several future projects and goals, as well as some recent Skyline College accomplishments, including the California Community College Board of Governors’ selection of Skyline College as one of 15 California Community Colleges initially approved to develop a baccalaureate degree program (respiratory therapy).  Following Dr. Stroud’s spring welcome, faculty and staff attended a variety of workshops and engaged in collegial discussion during the Spring Skyline College Employee Lunch.

Thanks to the following presenters for graciously sharing their time and expertise: Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, President, Skyline College (“Spring 2015 Welcome & Remarks”); Cynthia Hicks, Chabot College, and Sarah Sullivan, Mission College (“Introductory Reading Apprenticeship Workshop”);  Leign Anne Shaw, Garry Nicol, and Serena Chu-Mraz, ESOL Skyline College (“Strategies for Supporting Nonnative English Speakers in College Classes”); Judy Lariviere, DRC Skyline College (“Practical Uses of the SmartPen for You and Your Students”); Jane Smithson, JD,

County of San Mateo Human Services Agency (“Mandated Reporter Training”): Paul Anjeski, Claremont EAP (“Conflict Resolution in the Workplace” and “Managing Multiple Priorities”).  And, last but not least, thanks to the countless numbers of others who helped make our Flex/Professional Development Days a success: ASLT Division, Media Services, PacDining, Facilities, Skyline College Bookstore, President’s Office, VPI/VPSS Office, Skyline College Deans and managers, and everyone else who supported and/or participated in the events.

Article and Photos by Nina Floro

Friday, January 23, 2015

• 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Women’s  Basketball v. San Jose City College, Skyline College
• 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Men’s Basketball v. Foothill College, Skyline College

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

• 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Scholarship Writing Workshop presented by The Learning Center, Skyline College, Building 5, Room 5115

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

• 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Covered California Application Assistance, Skyline College, Building 1, Room 1214, 2^nd Floor

Thursday, January 29, 2015

• 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., Workshop on Introduction to Google Drive presented by The Learning Center, Skyline College, Building 5, Room 5115
• 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Baseball v. Laney College, Skyline College

Friday, January 30, 2015

• Sustainability Grant Proposal due today
• 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Women’s Basketball v. College of San Mateo, Skyline College
• 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Men’s Basketball v. Canada College, Skyline College

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.