Following a similar trend last fall, the Transfer Center saw a huge increase in requests for application support to UC and CSU, and an increase in the number of UC Transfer Admissions Guarantee (TAG) applicants. Overall there were 18% more UC applicants in the Fall 2016 application cycle compared to one year prior. Previous years have shown small gains, but this has been the most significant jump in recent years. This year, the UC reported 223 applicants compared to 190 last year. This year, the most popular campus remained UC Davis with 178 applicants, followed by 149 UC Berkeley applicants and 107 UC Santa Cruz applicants. CSU Data will not be available for quite some time, but strong gains are also expected.

Many thanks to the Counseling Division and the faculty and staff who volunteered to help students through the application process last Fall. Also, many thanks to all the faculty and staff who have worked to promote transfer on Campus and work to get more students through and out during this phase of the process. The College’s strong Transfer Initiative and Transfer Culture are clearly seeing results.

Article by Suzanne Poma

On Thursday, February 18, 30 guests attended the Career Advancement Academy’s (CAA) second ever Allied Health Panel.  The event, held in Skyline College’s multicultural center, featured several former Career Advancement Academy students along with other students from across the San Mateo County Community College District’s Health Programs. The panel included student representatives from Respiratory Care, Emergency Medical Technology, Nursing, Dental Assisting, and Radiologic Technology as well as program directors from Surgical Careers, Emergency Medical Technology, and Dental Assisting.

Alfredo Raxon and Alyssa Waters, former Skyline College Career Advancement Academy Allied Health students, are currently working in their respective Allied Health fields and pursuing additional education. Alfredo is a licensed practicing EMT completing his prerequisites for transfer at Skyline College and Alyssa is currently in the Respiratory Care program at Skyline College. Our other exceptional panelists included: Jessica Nastor, Respiratory Care, Ashley King, Radiologic Technology, Diana Correa, Dental Assisting, and Matthew Hodges, a former Skyline College student who is currently enrolled in the College of San Mateo’s Nursing Program. The guest panelists offered practical advice and key insights on program preparation and expectation, working in the health field, and balancing life and family as a full-time allied health student in a rigorous program. As a result, current CAA Allied Health students will gain a deeper understanding of their next level allied health program and their pathway into an allied health career.

This event was made possible by Skyline College’s support for innovative events and programming and by the hard work and dedication of the CAA team including: Jeremy Evangelista, Monique Hernandez, Troy Barros, Paul Rueckhaus, Courtney Mogg, Alina Varona, Alice Erskine, Judith Crawford, Ray Hernandez, Beth LaRochelle, Rafael Rivera, and the many others who helped plan, organize, and support the event.

The event received generous support from The Center for Workforce Development’s Career Advancement Academy. To learn more about careers in Allied Health and the Allied Health Career Advancement Academy please visit: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/caa/legalcareers.php  or email skycaa@smccd.edu

Article by Alina Varona | Photos by Jeremy Evangelista

Skyline College Library would like to again encourage faculty to please consider using alternatives to costly print textbooks. An article just published February 25 in The Chronicle of Higher Education, emphasized that: “The real issue of textbook costs is one of inequality of access, especially for first-year, first-generation students. What’s at stake is student success — retention and how long students take to graduate… Textbook costs cause students to occasionally or frequently take fewer courses (35 percent of students), to drop or withdraw from courses (24 percent), and to earn either poor or failing grades (26 percent).

There are more and more free online textbooks being offered through open educational resource initiatives listed on our Library’s “Textbook Databases” menu and librarians may be able to add specific e-books to our library database system to provide free access to students.  Additionally, the library can provide direct links to any ebook or article currently in our databases so that faculty can use these resources as free texts or readings. If you have any questions about textbook alternatives, please contact Eric Brenner, Skyline College librarian, at brenner@smccd.edu or x4177.

For faculty who still use print textbooks, please request a library desk copy or “exam copy” from the publisher and provide it to the Library so that students can have the option of accessing a reserve copy of the textbook in the Library.

Great News!: The Library recently received $10,000 from Associated Students to buy a limited number of textbooks that will be part of a new ASSC Library Textbook Collection. We have and will be prioritizing funds based on (1) high cost textbooks, (2) high usage textbooks, and (3) high number of course sections.

The library has a form you can use to put materials on reserve. If you have any questions about placing materials on reserve, about requesting free books from publishers, or about the new ASSC Library Textbook Collection, please contact the library at x4311.

Article by Eric Brenner

On February 11, 2016, in Professor Jones’ ASTEP English 100 and 110 classes, Ricki Stevenson, founder, guide and CEO of Black Paris Tours, facilitated a wonderful presentation about her world famous Black Paris Tours. Ricki Stevenson is a former TV news anchor/reporter and talk show host, who holds a Master’s Degree in History with an emphasis on African and African American History from Stanford University.

Ricki Stevenson’s discussion focused on the vibrantly elaborate, global histories and experiences of men and women of African descent, who have made a significant impact on the lives of Americans and Parisians alike. Ms. Stevenson’s special guest, her daughter, Dede Stevenson-Bailey engaged the ASTEP students by speaking in both French and English, while enthralling them with amazing stories about the legacies of African Americans such as James Baldwin, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, Bessie Coleman, Ida B Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois and Josephine Baker, to name a few, who have either visited, performed, stayed for extended periods of time, and/or lived in Paris, France contributing to the social, political, artistic, and cultural development of the western world.

Ms. Stevenson’s presentation was deliberately designed to expose the ASTEP students to the importance of knowing and understanding their history, discussing the significance of education and traveling, while at the same time demonstrating how many of the historic individuals from her Black Paris Tours are reflected in Professor Jones’ English courses and the influence these African Americans currently have on society today. Ricki Stevenson is also a native of Oakland, California.

Article by Nathan Jones

The Financial Aid Office of Skyline College, College of San Mateo and Cañada College hosted its first annual district wide Cash for College event on Saturday, February 6, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Cañada College campus.

The financial aid application process is often an overwhelming experience for high school seniors and their parents. Comprehensive financial aid presentations and hands-on assistance in completing the 2016-2017 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act was provided. Approximately 100 people attended the event and workshops were conducted in both English and Spanish. A resource fair with representative from various departments such as, the Outreach Office, Counseling Division, EOPS and SparkPoint from all three colleges were available to answer questions about SMCCCD programs and services.  Thank you to the Financial Aid Offices and all of the departments who contributed to making this collaborative effort such a successful event.

In addition to the district wide event on February 6, 2016, Skyline College’s Financial Aid Office presented at the annual Cash for College events at ten local high schools in both San Mateo and San Francisco County.  Cash for College events are sponsored by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). The workshops are free and open to the public.  Over 550 students and parents at local high schools received assistance with completing the FAFSA or California Dream Act this semester.

Article by Jocelyn Vila | Photos by Regina Morrison and Jocelyn Vila

This past March 20, the Early Childhood Education/Education (ECE/EDU) department held its annual “Be a Teacher, Touch the Future” conference.  This year’s 86 participants received an opening keynote from Judith Munter Dean of Graduate College of Education at SFSU and a closing keynote from Associate Director of Parent’s Place Stephanie Agnew.  Participants also had the opportunity to choose workshops by transitional kindergarten teachers, special educators, early childhood mentor teachers, or workshops on teacher credentialing.

This conference is designed for students to Learn about teaching as a profession an hear stories about the personal, professional, and educational backgrounds necessary to work with children and to assist in understanding the requirements of working in various educational settings.

Article by Kristina Brower

Skyline College Career Services Center in partnership with the San Francisco Airport’s Office of Employment and Community Partnerships, EIC Department, hosted a special hiring event on February 24, 2016. The event provided a venue for students of the San Mateo Community College District and residents in surrounding communities to hear and receive information on available employment opportunities at the San Francisco Airport. The presenter, Jesse Bustos, EIC Workforce Development Specialist, provided an informational session on how to apply for available positions at the San Francisco airport, eligibility requirements, proper resume techniques, and gave job seekers a glimpse into the airports daily operations. Over forty individuals participated in this event and each received valuable information on SFO’s hiring process and available employment opportunities.

Current positions range from Administrative/Clerical, Customer Service, Mechanical, to Security Services. Additionally, the Employment and Community Partnerships EIC Center also offers a variety of paid Internship Programs for high school and college students in all majors. SFO College Internship Programs allow students to gain a variety of experiential opportunities in the field of Architecture, Computer Science/Information Services, Engineering, Planning and other employment fields.

San Francisco Airport’s Office of Employment and Community Partnerships, EIC Center will be hosting an internal Hiring Fair on Monday, March 7, 2016. Interested job seekers are asked to register at the following link to be considered as a possible applicant: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/hiringfair The EIC will also participate in the Skyline College Career Fair to be held at on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 from 10:00am to 2:00pm in Building 6. Please contact Career Services Center for more information about employment or internship opportunities at (650) 738-4337.

Article by Eilene Williams and Darlin Frias

Middle College at Skyline College students presented a check for $580 to the Martin Elementary School at the February 11, 2016, South San Francisco Unified School District school board meeting.  The check represented 5,800 redeemable box top coupons they donated that are worth 10¢ each.  The school will submit the box tops to General Mills to earn the $580 in cash. The students clipped the coupons when repackaging mislabeled cereal boxes of Cheerios as a community service project at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.  The community service project is an authentic learning experience that lets the students realize that they can make a real-life difference in their community through meaningful and vital community service while gaining greater understanding issues of hunger and poverty.

Photo by Marina Center I Article by Raymond Jones

 

 

The Skyline College Facilities Planning and Operations Team is here to support the College community by delivering Facilities Excellence in support of student success.  Our mantra is:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Customer Service
• Professionalism

John Doctor, your campus Facilities Manager, is the maintenance and operations team leader, providing daily direction to the Maintenance and Operations crews.   John’s office is located in Building 21.  John is supported by an amazing team of custodians, groundskeepers and engineers.

Alexandra Degai is your Facilities Operations Technician (FOT) and many times your first point of contact with your facilities team.  Alexandra manages the work order system as well as basic programming and access to the many complex systems that manage life safety, access, heating, cooling, and lighting within our facilities.

Bryant Evans is your Supervisor of Custodial Services, leading the custodial crew.  With the support of Lead Custodian James Blanchard, Bryant oversees a crew of 16 custodians altogether, including 2 “day-porters” who insure restrooms are cleaned and stocked throughout the day, spills are promptly addressed and any other immediate needs are met.  The remaining 14 custodians work the swing shift, 4 pm – midnight.

Juan Lopez is your Chief Engineer, who with the support of Senior Engineer Bob Spacher leads a crew of 5 engineers who perform preventative and reactive maintenance and repair to the facilities and the infrastructure that supports them.

Bob Murphy is your Lead Groundskeeper, supporting your crew of 4 Groundskeepers, who maintain all exterior areas of the campus including landscaping, parking lots and roadways.

As you know with the generous support of the voters in approving Measure H last November, we are launching the third phase of our Capital Improvement Program (CIP3).    Our Director of Capital Projects, Chris Strugar-Fritsch joined the team In April of this year, serving as team leader for capital project planning and implementation.   Chris is responsible for the overall planning and implementation of CIP3 Districtwide, and you will see him in Building User Group meetings during the design phase, and delivering updates for the College and Board of Trustees.  Chris and his support team office is in Building 1 on the College of San Mateo Campus.   As during the first two phases of the CIP, Chris will be supported by Swinerton Management and Consulting for project and construction management services.

We also have two Project Managers employed directly by the District; Karen Pinkham and Johnnie Fudge.  Karen and Johnnie will manage smaller projects such as office reconfigurations, swing space planning and implementation, furniture, fixtures and equipment needs, and the like.

Vice-Chancellor of Facilities Planning, Maintenance and Operations and Public Safety Jose Nunez and Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Operations Karen Powell provide leadership and strategic support to both John Doctor and Chris Strugar-Fritsch and their teams.

Please feel free to reach out to your Facilities support team members.  We are here to help ensure the safety and comfort of faculty, staff, students and our community.

Article by Eloisa Briones

 

Skyline College Women’s Basketball finished the 2015-2016 regular season with an 88-72 victory over Las Positas College.  The Trojans were able to celebrate sophomore night with a big 32 point second quarter that saw Skyline’s lead grow to nearly 30 points at halftime.  Skyline and Las Positas traded baskets for most of the second half with the game never getting closer than 13 points.  All four sophomores scored: Stephanie Allen has 15 points, Jessica Pineda 11 points, Dana Michaels finished with 10 points, while Alyssa Dela Cruz chipped in with six.  Skyline finished the regular season with 17 wins and 11 losses and Coast Conference play with 7 wins and 5 losses.

Three Trojans Make All-Conference Team

Three Skyline College basketball players were named to the Coast Conference North All-Conference Team at Saturday’s conference meeting.  Sophomores Stephanie Allen and Dana Michaels were named First Team All-Conference, while sophomore Alyssa Dela Cruz was named Second Team All-Conference.  All three players were selected to play in the Sophomore Showcase on Friday, March 11.

Article by Christopher Watters