Skyline College began the Spring 2016 semester with a well-attended Flex Day on January 19, during which over 150 faculty, staff, and administrators engaged in a variety of activities throughout the day. The morning kicked off with the Skyline College Promise forum, which included speakers President Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Sarah Perkins, Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Angelica Garcia, and panel presenters from a number of programs and divisions.  Following the forum and campus lunch, a wide range of workshops offered faculty and staff opportunities for professional growth in academic and student services areas, as well as information regarding college and district-wide policies and procedures.

Workshop presenters and presentations included:

• Eugene Whitlock, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources—“Title IX Training”
• Ricardo Flores, Instructional Technologist—“A Taste of Canvas LMS”
• Melissa Matthews, DRC Coordinator/Counselor—“Autism 101”
• Joaquin Rivera, Chemistry Professor/AFT Chief Negoiator; Kate Williams Browne, ECE Professor/Skyline College Academic Senate President; Joe Morello, Dean of Athletics, Kinesiology, and Dance—“Faculty Evaluations Training”
• Soledad McCarthy, Guardian Scholars Program Coordinator—“Keeping Foster Youth in the Convesation”
• Jessica Hurless, Communications Professor; Nina Floro, Professional Development Coordinator/English Professor—“Ready, Set, Go: Practical Strategies for Engaging Students”
• Tom Maloney, Public Safety Consultant; Jim Vangele, Chief Public Safety Officer—“Classroom & Campus Crisis Training”

A review of Flex Day workshop evaluations indicated a large majority of participants reporting that they “plan to implement some ideas and/or strategies from the workshop[s] very soon.” As part of its commitment to the Skyline College Promise, the CTTL will continue offering workshops to support faculty and staff in their efforts to increase student persistence in the first semester and beyond. For more more information about CTTL workshops, visit skylinecttl.org/calendar or the CTTL office in Bldg. 1, Rm. 1311E.

Article by Nina L. Floro | Photo by William Nacouzi

The Middle College at Skyline College students spend the morning volunteering their time at the San Francisco and Marin Food Bank which provides nutritious, fresh food to 225,000 individual every year.  According to the food bank 1 in 4 residents in San Francisco and Marin are in need of food assistance.  Their volunteer efforts were centered on the repacking Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios that had been mislabeled by General Mills in Lodi, CA production facility as being “gluten free.”

In a single three-hour shift, students formed work teams that removed the sealed packages of breakfast cereals from boxes, relabeled and then repacked them to protect consumers with wheat allergies, celiac disease or gluten intolerance.  As they removed cereal, they collected the redeemable coupons with the goal of donating them to the elementary schools they attended in the South San Francisco Unified School District.  Their team efforts resulted in the repacking of 6,212 boxes or 4,312 pounds of cereal to be distributed to food pantries, children’s breakfast programs and soup kitchens throughout San Francisco and Marin counties.

Community-service learning experiences are an important component of the Middle College at Skyline College. Students are expected to participate in activities and services that emphasize leadership development, service learning, and cultural sensitivity through real-time learning experiences. Community service experiences such as volunteering in the food bank are intended to promote greater social inclusion, enhance student confidence, and develop both team-working and interpersonal skills.

Article by Raymond Jones | Photo by Marina Center

Skyline College’s CITD Program received some very good news in late 2015.  The State of California Centers for International Trade Development (CITD) was awarded nearly $750,000 of grant money from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the California State Trade and Export Promotion (CA STEP) program. When combined with CITD’s matching funds, this created a pool of over $1 million to help small businesses in California explore international markets.

The Bay Area CITD program, housed at Skyline College in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division, has been named a CA STEP partner to lead the trade mission to Hannover, Germany. Hannover Messe 2016 is the world’s largest Industrial Technology Trade Fair. This year’s trade fair is special because the United States is the first and only Official Partner Country with Germany. The key guest of honor at the trade will be President Barack Obama, who is undertaking this visit to “underscore the growing importance of the U.S.-German relationship” (USA Today, 12/30/15).

Yvonne Reid, CITD Director, Deputy Sector Navigator for Bay Area Global Trade and Logistics will lead a delegation of nine California-based companies to showcase their products and services at Hannover Messe 2016. The fair hosts over 220,000 industry representatives from over 70 countries.

To learn more about Bay Area CITD, please visit: http://www.bayareacitd.org

Article by Alina Din, CITD Program Services Coordinator

Dessaline Douglas is the DRC Student Ambassador. Born in San Francisco and raised in East Palo Alto, Dessaline was a student athlete at Missouri Western State College. However, he left school early to enter the work force. After some time away, he has returned to college with the goal of receiving a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice. Ultimately, he hopes to work with youth. Dessaline will be graduating from Skyline College this semester.

Dessaline has a learning disability that has impacted his ability to succeed academically in the past. After enrolling at Skyline College, he began to utilize the services available at the DRC. He received an assessment for a learning disability by Carol Newkirk, DRC’s LD Specialist. Using his accommodations and the resources available at the college, Dessaline has seen academic success at Skyline.

Dessaline is currently serving as DRC’s Student Ambassador. He will be holding a weekly student group for DRC students to help them share tips for success and advocacy. Dessaline is available to make a short 3-5 minute presentation about DRC services in your classes. He’s also available for longer presentations sharing his experiences as a student with a learning disability.

If you would like to set up a classroom presentation, please email Melissa Matthews, DRC Coordinator/Counselor at matthewsm@smccd.edu.

If you would like to hear more about Dessaline’s experiences, he will be presenting “DRC 15/15: Learning Disabilities, A Student’s Perspective” at the CTTL on Tuesday, Feburary 9 from 1:00-1:30pm.

Article by Melissa Matthews

On January 21, 2016, Skyline College’s International Student Program hosted a Chinese delegation of approximately 39 students, 2 parents and 3 teachers from the Beijing Limai High School. The group was welcomed by the Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Sarah Perkins, who spoke about the various business and engineering courses currently offered at Skyline College as well as the partnership with Base 11, an innovative company focused on creating future leaders in Science Technology Engineering and Math. Wissem Bennani, Manager, College International Student Program, explained the international student admission process to the students and the school representatives.

The mission of this group’s visit is to understand the international admission requirements to Skyline College and the transfer process to top universities. Suzanne Poma described the transfer process from Skyline College to the UC and CSU school system including the preparation, admission requirements and deadlines for transferring. In addition, she explained the role of the transfer center and the support services offered to international students. Ms. Poma also spoke about the visits from various university representatives to the Skyline College campus as well as the honors transfer program.

The transfer information session was followed by a discussion panel led by current international students from China, as well as two alumni who shared their experiences at Skyline College. The visit was concluded with a tour of the campus and an introduction to the various support services that our International Student Program participants can access at Skyline College.

The International Student Program would like to thank Derrick Banks, Dr. Sarah Perkins, Diane Arguijo, Suzanne Poma, Andrew Dai, Hellen Zhang and all of the participants who contributed to make this a successful event. If you have any questions about this visit please contact the International Student Program at (650) 738 7021.

Article by Chandran Sujaya| Photo by ISP Staff

On Dec 18, 2015, Yvonne Reid, CITD Director and Deputy Sector Navigator for Global Trade and Logistics visited Sony Studios in Culver City, California to build upon regional collaborations to develop curriculum and internships for college students. The participants included faculty, other DSNs for other CTE sectors of K-14 Pathways Technical Assistance Providers (TSAs) and small business employers.

Sony Pictures Producers, Keith Vidger and Jaclynne Gentry, welcomed California Community Colleges, K-14 educators, and state-wide CITD Directors to Studio 7 to share the latest digital technology in the Digital Motion Picture Center. This was part of a long-term commitment Sony has made to strengthen ties between the film and the K-14 education community.

Sony guests toured television sets and operated industrial cameras used to film major motion pictures, TV shows, and industry artists. Sony shared how they reinvest money from the industry and give back to the people who support them. In addition, they offer free classes to the learning community, faculty, and students through downloadable curriculum from their website.

The Center for International Trade Development (CITD) is hosted at Skyline College and it is part of the Global Learning Programs and Services Division. To learn more about Bay Area CITD, upcoming events, and its activities please visit the CITD website.

Article by Alina Din

The Skyline College Learning Commons was remodeled over Winter Break to improve physical spaces for students and staff. The Learning Commons merges the functions of the Library and the Learning Center into a technology enriched, collaborative academic support resource for student success. The main updates included:

 Learning Center

• All student, tutor, and staff chairs were replaced
• A conference room (5-115) was converted into two rooms for Supplemental Instruction (SI)
• The Honors Transfer Program was relocated into the Learning Center area

Library

• New, ergonomic workspaces created in library circulation and administration area
• Textbook reserve collection was relocated closer to check out desk

Please come and visit our new spaces and let us know what you think.

Article by Pearl Ly

The San Bruno Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2016 Installation of Officers and State of the City Address luncheon on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at Skyline College. Over 90 community members attended the event in the Fireside Dining Room. Skyline College is proud to host the annual event as it has become a tradition. Twenty-six employees of Skyline College attended the event to support Pcyeta Stroud, who was installed as a San Bruno Chamber Board of Directors member representing Skyline College. We certainly demonstrated how committed our college is to being a partner of the City and the Chamber.

Attendees enjoyed a lunch buffet courtesy of Pacific Dinning and were welcomed by Jamie Monozon, CEO of the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce. Marty Medina, Vice Mayor of the City of San Bruno led the Pledge of Allegance and Pat Neilson, 2015 Chairman of the Board for the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce reviewed the myriad accomplishments the chamber realized in the last year. Some of the accomplishments mentioned include the most well attended and successful Taste of San Bruno event in the history of the chamber and a stellar Chamber of Commerce staff who support the agenda of the board members without fail.

The Mayor of San Bruno gave the State of the City Address, focusing on the plans for the funds available as a result of the PG&E pipeline explosion which promoted the establishment of the San Bruno Community Foundation and the exciting new development plans for the transit corridor on San Mateo Ave. He also announced that construction will begin shortly on a multi-story housing and retail building on the former site of the movie theater on San Mateo Ave.

A special presentation of proclamations to recognize the dedication and service on the board of Cherie Colin from Skyline College and Gwen Daly were presented by Marc Hershman from Senator Jerry Hill’s office, Ben Cohn from Assemblyman Kevin Mullin’s office and David Burruto from Supervisor Dave Pine’s office.

Mayor Jim Ruane conducted the installation ceremony of the new and returning San Bruno Chamber of Commerce Board Members including:

• Barbara Einsiedl, Gordon Associates
• Scott Hart, PG&E
• Josie McHale, Mac Cutting Boards
• Caitlin Niedermyer, YouTube
• Patrick Nielsen, Pat Nielsen Consulting
• Joey Oliva, Marshall Realty
• Robert Reichel, San Bruno Patch
• Dennis Sammut, Artichoke Joes
• Pcyeta Stroud, Skyline College
• Max Wain, Noori’s Restaurant
• Shannon Welch-Moore, Welch Family Partners

Skyline College looks forward to hosting this important community event for years to come.

Article by Cherie Colin

Speaking to a crowd of faculty and staff gathered in the Theater, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud opened the Spring 2016 semester with inspiring words and a challenge to the entire college.

Her remarks focused on the development of a “Skyline College Promise” – a unified, comprehensive plan that ensures the College takes concrete, measurable steps to meet its goals, while continuing to fulfill its obligation to each and every student. It is a promise for the future, and one that is shared between every member of the Skyline College community, but at its highest level, it is designed to ensure students “Get in. Get through. Get out…on time!”

This Promise – an ongoing project in development over the next year – will combine input from students, faculty and staff with data from across the community in order to expand and build out this commitment that will serve as a guiding principle for the College in the years to come.

A Skyline College Promise Forum followed Dr. Stroud’s remarks and focused on each of the three core principles of the Promise: Get In, Get Through and Get Out.

Several panels, comprised of College faculty and staff, spoke to the successes of the college in working towards these principles over the past year.

TRiO has spearheaded the creation of a Summer Scholars Program – a four-week transformational life and career planning course that incorporates Math and English workshops, built-in supplemental instruction, and a focus on how students can build their own future.

A college-wide movement, led particularly by the Math and English Departments have worked to revamp the Placement Test rules and requirements in order to ensure they aren’t unnecessarily hindering student progress and are accurately placing them in correct classes. In some cases, that meant developing alternative placement measures that bypassed placement tests.

The Counseling Department is working to help students choose a major and work out an effective Educational Plan within their first semester through their “Dare to Declare” campaign. And the development of pathway guides will help students navigate a clear path towards the most popular educational goals.

All of these initiatives, and many more, are moving the College towards fulfilling its Promise to its students. As we enter the new semester, all of us are challenged to think critically about how we, as faculty and staff, are called to do the same, every single day.

Article by Connor Fitzpatrick

Skyline College President, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud has authored an essay on education featured in a new book titled What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities and the Nation.

Her essay, titled When Colleges Get It Right, Students Succeed, is one of 30 essays authored by experts from across a broad range of fields. What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities and the Nation provides a 360-degree view of the financial problems and challenges millions of American households face, the enormous creativity and innovation already happening to increase financial well-being, and how we can implement proven and emerging solutions.

The book makes clear why every household’s financial health matters for the U.S. economy to thrive.

Read more about What It’s Worth at the What It’s Worth website.

Article by Connor Fitzpatrick