The 2016-2017 President’s Innovation Fund Applications are available.

The applications are due to Theresa Tentes in the President’s Office this Monday, May 2, 2016 by 4:00 p.m.

Don’t miss this opportunity to realize your vision for these special programs, services and events! The application is now available for download.

You are cordially invited to Changing the Face of Entrepreneurship, the launch of the new Entrepreneurship skills and Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Certificate programs on Thursday, May 5, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Main Quad.

On May 5th, the Skyline College Business Department and Bay Area Entrepreneur Center (BAEC) are holding a special event to launch the new and improved Entrepreneurship Certificate Programs coming fall 2016. The event will highlight the benefits of these certificates and the opportunities at the BAEC.

Join us to learn more about the Business Department and the Skyline College commitment to entrepreneurship education. Students from different majors might find these certificate programs of value. All are welcome. Refreshments provided.

For more information, please contact Pcyeta Stroud at stroudp@smccd.edu or Soledad McCarthy at mccarthys@smccd.edu.

Article by Pcyeta Stroud and Soledad McCarthy

The Juried Student Art Exhibition on view at the Art Gallery had a fantastic and very well attended opening reception last week. Visitors had a blast drawing on the chalkboard wall and viewing artworks by our talented Students. Be sure to come check us out!

The exhibition will be on view in the Gallery from through May13, 2016. The gallery is open on Mondays through Thursdays, and is located on the ground floor of Building 1. For more information, including hours, visit our Art Gallery website or Facebook page. #‎skylinecollegeartgallery‬

The 17th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition features Sculpture, Paintings, Drawings, Photography, Ceramics, Mixed Media and Digital Media Artworks by Skyline College Students.

Article by Paul Bridenbaugh

May 3rd is Silicon Valley Gives Day, an annual event celebrating and encouraging the philanthropic spirit of Silicon Valley. Fittingly, the event is online, allowing residents of Silicon Valley to easily browse and support a smorgasbord of great causes — and this year San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation is on the menu!

Mark your calendars to visit our page on May 3rd and elevate an ordinary Tuesday into a day that you change the lives of students at Cañada College, Skyline College, and College of San Mateo!
Double Your Money, Double Your Impact!

Even better, donations made this year through our SV Gives page will double in value thanks to a generous matching challenge from Cypress Lawn. That means your $20 becomes $40, and your $50 becomes $100 — all in support of our students!

Make your donation online on May 3rd by visiting https://svgives.razoo.com/us/story/SMCCCF.

Article by K. Prusela Phillips

The Skyline College Learning Center (TLC) Peer Math Tutor Akayi Thein has been awarded a scholarship to participate in the International Scholar Laureate Program (ISLP) in the category of medicine and science. This summer, Akayi will travel to China where she will visit hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, and X’ian where she will study medical systems and medical education trends in China.

This program will provide Akayi the opportunity to further explore her interest in Chinese traditional medicine, and she will visit several sites in China that are rich in artistic and cultural treasures. Akayi is able to fund her ten-day trip solely with scholarships, which include support from Phi Theta Kappa (Honor Society), TRiO, and the Skyline College Science/Math/Technology Division. She hopes this experience will serve as a building block that allows her to pursue her career goal of becoming a public health coordinator in her native country of Myanmar. In addition to being a Peer Math Tutor at The Learning Center, Akayi is an active member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the TRiO Student Success Program.

Twenty sixteen has been a big year for TLC student employees; Alina Rai and Wai Hnin Oo are both TLC tutors who were recently selected for the Base 11 Summer Fellowships, which will provide opportunities for exploring research at top-tier research institutions such as Caltech and UC Irvine.

For more information about Skyline College Learning Center programs and services, please refer to The Learning Center website.

Article by David Reed

The 2015 Skyline Shines Award Nominations are now open! The purpose of the awards is to recognize individuals or groups who help Skyline College to shine in terms of its quality of programs and services and its reputation for quality. Two awards will be made annually, one to a member or group of Skyline College employees and one to a member or group from the community. Please submit your nomination(s) by Friday, May 15, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. to the President’s Office. Download the application on the Skyline Shines Award Website.

On April 22, 2016, the Regina Stanback Stroud Diversity Award was given to Jennifer Dorian of Fresno City College by the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges. This award seeks to honor the cadre of committed faculty who consistently rise to meet the multiple challenges students face. Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, President of Skyline College was present in Sacramento to honor Jennifer Dorian, the recipient of the diversity award. She offered the audience of Senate Presidents and representatives from across the state of California words of wisdom to continue to fight to improve and increase diversity in our colleges at all levels.

The award attempts to address the numerous issues that our students face as Dr. Stanback Stroud writes in her piece, “When Colleges Get It Right, Students Succeed,” “…it is not simple work to reconceptualize traditional student services, redefine the mission, and change the culture of an institution. It means disrupting the status quo. It simultaneously takes courage and humility. College leaders are in positions of influence and consequence” (227-232). It was clear in her emotional acceptance speech that Jennifer Dorian met the criteria of the award and continues to fight for students.

Jennifer Dorian is the coordinator of the college’s Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS). PASS is designed to help student success and retention through supplemental instruction practices in English, EMLS, linguistics and literature. She has worked tirelessly to increase student success. Dorian received a $5,000 cash prize. Her first response was that she would use the money to help students at her institution.

According to the Academic Senate, the Stanback Stroud Diversity Award acknowledges that California is serving the most diverse student population of any higher education system in the country and the California Community College System is largely comprised of demographic groups that have traditionally faced barriers to education and are often under-prepared when they reach the classroom. It is the challenge and responsibility of California community college faculty to demonstrate the sustained attention and support necessary to fully engage and excite these students. We say thank you to Jennifer Dorian for her hard work.

The Fresno City College student editor, Cresencio Rodriguez writes, “This is truly a win for Fresno City College and particularly the PASS team,” Dorian said. “They helped my vision come to fruition.”

Article and photo by Dr. Tammy Robinson
ISLO: citizenship
Cites: http://www.therampageonline.com/news/2016/04/08/fresno-city-college-coordinator-named-winner-of-statewide-award/#sthash.wHDOEtuQ.dpufhttp://www.asccc.org/awards

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) was selected to participate in a study by Georgia Tech’s Center for Accessible Materials Innovation (CAMI). The 3 year study, funded by the Department of Education’s First in The World grant program, will investigate the academic experience of students with print-related disabilities and specifically students who are enrolled in Minority Student Institutions, such as Skyline College.

Students with disabilities represent about 11 percent of all undergraduate students. About 31 percent of college students with disabilities are likely to drop out; those that continue often take longer to graduate than students without disabilities. CAMI’s research will explore why these students may be under-utilizing their accessible materials accommodations and they will develop innovative solutions.

The DRC is excited to contribute to research and innovation that will support our students’ efforts to “Get in. Get through. Get out…on time!”

Article by Melissa N. Matthews

SparkPoint at Skyline College and the Business Division, in partnership with United Way of the Bay Area’s Earn it! Keep it! Save it!, concluded this year’s free income tax preparation assistance for students, faculty, staff and community members (households that earned less than $54,000 in 2015). This year, over 235 returns were processed, resulting in over $250,000 returned to the participants.

A special thanks and appreciation to the Business Education & Professional Programs Division VITA Instructor and Quality Reviewer, John Miller; VITA Site Coordinator and Accounting Lab Instructional Aid, David Hall; VITA Quality Reviewer, Pam Lim; VITA Greeter and Instructional Aid, Mayra Espinosa; the 20 new and continuing students in the Volunteer Income Tax Preparation class, and the Volunteer Preparers.  Because of their work, over 235 households received free tax preparation assistance, received over $75,000 in Earned Income Tax Credits in refunds, and saved portions of their refunds.

Taxes were prepared every Saturday, February 6 to Saturday, April 9, 2016 (except February 13, March 12, and April 2), from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Building 8, Room 8209.

For more information about VITA, please visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.

For more information on SparkPoint at Skyline College, please visit the SparkPoint website or call (650) 738-7035.

Article by Julie Lamson

Skyline College Biology students Gabriela Childree and Kristin Guess made a splash at this year’s Earth Day EcoFest, sponsored by the Pacifica Beach Coalition (PBC). Each year, the PBC organizes the largest volunteer community event of San Mateo county for Earth Day, followed by a festival (EcoFest) near Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica. This year, PBC chose to honor the sea otter, a small, endangered marine mammal. Gabriela and Kristin completed their Honors Biology class project by creating Sea Otter Alley, a multi-poster display teaching EcoFest visitors all about sea otters. After viewing the posters, guests got to test their knowledge by answering a question and winning a button!

Article and photo by Shari Bookstaff