The 15th Annual Skyline College President’s Breakfast, now open for registration, will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2015 from 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. at the South San Francisco Conference Center located at 255 South Airport Boulevard in South San Francisco. The breakfast is hosted by Skyline College President Regina Stanback Stroud, Ed.D. and the Skyline College President’s Council.

This free event brings the community together for networking, a delicious breakfast, and presentations showcasing the innovative projects supported by the President’s Innovation Fund (PIF) and the students they benefit. Attendees will be given the opportunity to donate to the President’s Innovation Fund to support current and future projects benefiting students.

Since its inception in 2001, the President’s Breakfast has made possible more than $308,000 in grants from the President’s Innovation Fund. To date, 133 programs have been supported by the PIF. Donations to the fund have enabled Skyline College faculty and staff to develop many of the dynamic programs and services that continue to benefit students and our community today.

The President’s Breakfast program will feature students and alumni sharing their personal stories of transformation through their involvement in some of the many programs which were originally funded by the President’s Innovation Fund and are now integral to Skyline College student experience including CIPER, Kababayan, YEP, ASTEP, Honors Transfer Program and Hermanos y Hermanas.

The featured speaker will be Damien Guzman, an alumnus of Skyline College’s Honors Transfer Program, who subsequently transferred to and graduated from Cornell University and now serves as a President’s Council member. The program also includes a live performance by Skyline College students performing excerpts from the musical “Grease.”

Thanks to the support of the community, the San Mateo County Community College District recently passed a $388 million capital outlay bond that Chancellor Galatolo says ”…will allow us to complete the work that we began almost ten years ago updating and renovating our aging facilities to serve the needs of students for generations to come.”

A campus wide forum on February 27 will provide up-to-date information on the progress and status of the Capital projects supported by this bond.  Jose Nunez, Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning, Maintenance and Operations will provide an overview.  Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide input/feedback on the information presented.

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, Feb. 27, 2015
• Time: 1:00-2:00 pm
• Location: Building 6, room 6-202.

We are embarking on a number of activities that will culminate in beautiful additions to the campus facilities including:

• 2011 Facility Master Plan revision
• Design Standards  update
• Project budgeting and scheduling
• Project delivery method and design team selection

Much more is happening now and we welcome your engagement.  Please bring your questions, suggestions, and ideas.

Questions? Please contact: Eloisa Briones,  briones@smccd.edu

Article by Eloisa Briones

Attend a free Chamber Music Concert on Thursday in the Skyline College Theater featuring music by Loeillet, Beethoven, Fauré, Ravel, de Falla, Villa-Lobos, and Stern.

Event Details:

• Thursday, February 26, 2015
• 9:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
• Skyline College Theater
• Free Admission

About the Musicians

Rebecca Rust, Friedrich Edelmann, and Chris Salocks have concertized around the world, performing and teaching in Europe, Russia, China, North Africa, Israel, the United States and South America.  While on tour in Japan, they played a number of benefit concerts for the victims of the 2011 Great Sendai Earthquake.  Ms. Rust and Mr. Edelmann were honored to perform at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for a private musical evening with the Emperor and Empress of Japan.  In 2014 they toured Italy in a production of Duck, Death and Tulip by the German children’s author, Wolf Erlbruch.  The piece featured two dancers and music written for cello & bassoon, and the production won First Prize for Best Performance at the 2014 Italian-French Festival Terre Comuni – Terres Communes in Torino, Italy.

Student participation certificates will be available

Article by Barbara Daley

On Wednesday, February 11, approximately 30 students from the TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) program were invited to tour the campus of Electronic Arts (EA). EA is a highly prolific and global digital media company that has been popularized by generations of video games, including the Madden NFL Football franchise.

TRiO’s visit featured several exclusive highlights, including:

• Life-sized models of forthcoming video games;
• A brief synopsis of the marketing process, development stages, and research components involved in video game production;
• A historical tribute to the evolution of computer graphics over the past two decades;
• Question-and-answer session between students and our EA liaison who fielded a broad swath of topics from academic/career requirements to becoming a video designer to intellectual property laws.

Upcoming trips include Discover UC Davis in partnership with the Skyline College Transfer Center and the Stanford University Tour/Admission Presentation/Student Panel in partnership with the Honors Transfer Program. Both events are slated for next Friday, February 27. TRiO Students may register with the TRiO office in the Learning Center in Building 5.

**NOTE: TRiO is still accepting applications for the 2014-2015 academic year. Spaces are limited, so qualified first-generation, four-year degree bound students are encouraged to apply by visiting the TRiO-SSS office in the Learning Center in Building 5, or online on our website www.skylinecollege.edu/trio.

Article by Arash Daneshzadeh

The Bay Area Center for International Trade Development (CITD) has recently entered into a partnership with the South African Consulate in Los Angeles to jointly host a Trade and Investment Conference in San Francisco.

Scheduled to take place in September of 2015, the conference is expected to expand trade and investment relations between the African continent and the West Coast, particularly, California. The conference will include several of the African Economic/Investment Blocs, Ministers of Trade and Investment, Multiplier Organizations, US Government Agencies, as well as corporate leaders from both the U.S. and Africa.

For more information, contact Richard Soyombo, Executive Director of the CITD at (650) 738-7098 or at soyombo@smccd.edu.

Article by Richard Soyombo

TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) would like to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of its students. This month, we celebrate the efforts of Eddiezon Santiago.

“Eddie” is a proud scholar with an infectious smile, and has been a member of the TRIO program for multiple terms. His indelible curiosity is undergirded by an insatiable thirst for knowledge. As a lifelong learner whose fluid ability to wear multiple cloaks as a humanist and burgeoning STEM student with a 3.70 GPA garnering him Skyline College Honors, Eddie has thrived in Skyline College’s holistic and intersectional approach to education. He is majoring in Kinesiology, but is also interested in Psychology and someday serving as a physical therapist or counselor for underserved communities.  Eddie’s passion for “repaying his community” has manifested in other ways—as he is oft the first to volunteer for community-building opportunities.

Eddie will share his perspective as a first-generation, college-bound student at two different seminars during this Saturday’s (February 21) National TRIO Day Conference, at Cañada College and as a CSI Peer Mentor. Eddie yields respect from various social groups on campus and became a Supplemental Peer Instructor within the Learning Center last semester. He is sincerely grateful for the myriad of learning opportunities that Skyline College has afforded him, and credits TRIO for “being his academic family”. In particular, Eddie notes that the stigma of being a first-generation, low-income student, while at times onerous, has not stifled his commitment to education—“as the relationships, connections, and genuine care for students makes TRIO feel like home.”

Eddie hopes to further climb the academic ladder by transferring into a four-year institution, targeting either USC, San Jose State University, or San Francisco State University. TRiO salutes Eddie for his sterling journey and look forward to celebrating his many achievements in the future!

Article by Arash Daneshzadeh

The BAEC hosted its first free co-working day on Tuesday, February 17. Fifteen companies enjoyed the hospitality and working space and were treated to a short discussion with Intellectual Property attorney, Mark Koo.

Business counselors were also on hand to assist with all levels of entrepreneurial needs. A few of the visitors found they had professional skills needed by others which allowed them to forge new partnerships. Erica Pardo was the winner of the raffle for a free month of space. She has an idea that she says “will rock the world in legal assistance.”

Mark your calendar for the third Tuesday of the month for your next opportunity to spend the day at the BAEC. Even if you don’t have a business but want to speak with entrepreneurs and learn more, please join us!

Article by Catherine Fraser

TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) is thrilled to announce the hiring of its permanent Instructional Aide for English, Ms. Chanel Daniels.

Ms. Daniels brings an extensive educational and career portfolio to our program that will add rich texture to the academic access and equity upon which TRiO prides itself. Prior to her arrival at Skyline College, Ms. Daniels served as an English instructor for the EOP Program at San Francisco State University, where she also completed her Master’s degree in English Literature.

Most recently, Ms. Daniels served as faculty on our very own campus—as she assumed the role of Continuing Adjunct Professor teaching English during the fall term of 2014.

Buttressed by her love of learning, and fostering support for historically marginalized communities, Ms. Daniels, who was a first-generation college student herself, has been a phenomenal addition to the ethos of TRiO-Student Support Services. It is this fervent desire to engender a bridge “where learning is reciprocated, embraced as a tool for empowerment against injustice” that allows Ms. Daniels to earn the trust of so many of her beloved students. While her graduate education has provided Ms. Daniels with the theoretical background needed for college instruction and support, her cultural, linguistic, and salient background has allowed her to nurture spaces that propel what she prides as “the blossoming of others.”

In her spare time, Ms. Daniels relishes “the combination of cooking and absorbing literature like a sponge.” Her deep passion for leaving a positive watermark upon the lives of others will provide our TRiO students with another example of their own possibilities. Please join me in congratulating Chanel Daniels on her permanent appointment in the TRiO Department!

Article by Arash Daneshzadeh

For the past 3 years, Skyline College has offered the Transfer Articulation Bridge (TAB) program through San Francisco State University (SFSU). Through the program, Skyline College students are able to take the Introduction to SFSU course, offered through concurrent enrollment at SFSU. The class aims to support underrepresented and first generation college students by giving them access to the resources they need to successfully transfer to SFSU or any CSU or UC campus of their choice.

The class was originally designed and offered for decades to City College of San Francisco students – primarily to underrepresented and probation or dismissal students. This is the first time that Skyline College students make up half of the class, equaling the number of their CCSF peers. This is a testament to the great work of Professor Paul Mendez, in collaboration who has tirelessly attended events, offered orientations for interested students and attended several Counseling classrooms.  A South San Francisco resident himself, he never forgets to remind SFSU faculty, administrators and staff that Skyline College is a priority. He has inspired students for years and is always invited back wherever he presents.  Paul has been a true collaborator of the Transfer Center and advocate for Skyline College students.

Through the TAB Program, students are able to get SFSU student ID cards, access SFSU resources and library and attend class two days a week.  For students planning on transferring in the fall 2015, they get one-on-one financial aid counseling through the class to learn exactly how to fund their education after transfer – a huge benefit. As part of the class, Suzanne Poma from the Transfer Center presents three lectures specifically on transfer from Skyline College as well as information on eligibility requirements for an associate’s degree.

The Transfer Center is continuing to promote this program for the fall 2015 semester. If you are interested in learning more about it for your students or scheduling Paul to present in your classroom, please contact Michele Haggar at haggarm@smccd.edu.

Article by Suzanne Poma | Photo by Paul Mendez

As an institution of higher education, how can we maintain our relevancy to students and to the larger society in light of massive open online courses, readily accessible skill-based learning vehicles (such as Kahn Academy), and adaptive learning via data analytics?

How can we leverage a reconfigured general education program to reinforce our relevancy while fostering the development of the whole student, and maintaining our commitment to equity and inclusion?

GE Collective members Michael Cross, Jessica Hurless, Mustafa Popal, Paul Rueckhaus, Dennis Wolbers, and Karen Wong grappled with these questions with other participants at the “New Paradigms in General Education” conference last Thursday through Saturday. Inspired by the many programs and partnerships between community colleges and California State Universities, they hope to create and implement pilot projects that will reinforce the value of general education for Skyline College students. If you’d like to join their efforts, please contact Dennis Wolbers, and keep an eye out for professional development opportunities.

Article by Karen Wong