College Governance Council – May 24, 2017

The College Governance Council held its last meeting for the academic year on May 24, 2017 chaired by Eloisa Briones, VP Administrative Services.

Constituency Reports

Academic Senate

Kate Williams-Browne reported that the senate has been focusing on the college redesign, major sequencing, guided pathways, equity and diversity, professional development, climate action, CCCSE, election results and summer institutes. A task group reviewed and approved revised bylaws and articles and are developing a process for communication and implementation.

Classified Senate:

Michelle Haggar reported that the End of Year Celebration was a success, raising $1,147.50 for the Skyline College Academic and Classified Senate Student Scholarship Award.  Scholarships will be distributed in 2018. The district classified staff professional development retreat is scheduled for Friday, June 2. Skyline College will hold a classified staff professional development retreat on Thursday, July 20.

Update on Ad Astra Implementation:

Dean Will Minnich updated the council on the implementation of Ad Astra, the new room scheduling software for classroom and event scheduling.  The software will help manage room reservations as buildings and rooms go offline with the new construction.  The software will also obtain data and information that will be analyzed and moved into an algorithm that will help provide students with a good class schedule so they will have what they need to get their degrees and get in/get out on time. The targeted date to go live with the initial room scheduling piece is December 1.

New Business:

Climate Action Plan

Dainen Bocsary, Sustainability Coordinator and fellow from Climate Corps Bay Area, presented the  Skyline College Climate Action Plan, with Professors Carina Anttila-Suarez and Carla Grandy.  The Sustainability Network assisted with the development of the plan.  The Climate Action Plan takes a greenhouse gas inventory and looks at different emission sources on campus.  The plan makes suggestions on policies and actions that Skyline College can take to become climate neutral by 2050.  It focuses on curriculum development, integrating sustainability into curriculum, community outreach, professional development, and learning opportunities for students.  A first draft of the Climate Action Plan is currently posted on the Skyline College Sustainability website.  Feedback is requested on design elements and curriculum suggestions.  A final draft will be ready by June 30.  The SEEED Committee will review the final draft in the fall and presented again to the CGC.  The SMCCCD Sustainability Committee will present the 3 college plans to the Board of Trustees in the Fall.

Institutional Effectiveness Goals

Karen Wong presented an overview of the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI), which is now in its third year, to provide the context for the Framework of Indicators agenda item. The College must adopt the framework in order to receive SSSP funding.

Of the eight optional metrics proposed by the CCCCO, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee deliberated on the two that most aligned with the College’s priorities: “transfer-level completion in Math and Science” and the “median time to degree.” However the committee opted not to adopt these metrics because the data they yield is problematic. Further research into potential metrics that can be used in their stead will take place.  As for the required metrics from the first two years, , the long term goals for “overall course success rate” and “the percentage of degree/ certificate and/or transfer seeking students, whose lowest course attempted in Math and/or English level was remedial, starting first time in 2008- 2009 tracked for six years through 2013- 2014” will be updated. We will align with what the state is doing and raise our long term goal one percentage point to 71% and 44% respectively.  CGC unanimously approved the adoption of the IEPI recommendation from the Institutional Effectiveness Committee to choose none of the optional indicators and to revise the old long-term goals by one percentage point higher.

2017-2018 Tentative Budget Recommendation

Eloisa Briones, VP Administrative Services presented the 2017-2018 Tentative Budget recommended by the Strategic Planning & Allocation of Resources Committee (SPARC). Executive VC Kathy Blackwood provided the District Committee on Budget and Finance budget simulations for 2017-2018 with varying assumptions for property tax, compensation, inflation and innovation funds, accompanied by site allocations for Best Case, Middle Case & Worst Case.  SPARC recommended a Tentative Budget for 2017-2018 using the Middle Case scenario based on a college goal of 7,242 FTES and load of 525.  This scenario reflects a balanced budget of expenditures to resource allocation with a slight surplus of $10,460. In the Fall SPARC will review the Final Adopted Budget for 2017-2018 which will show the actual site allocation and budgeted expenditures.  The Council unanimously accepted SPARC’s recommendation of a balanced Tentative Budget for 2017-2018.  This will be presented to the President for final review and approval.

Skyline Shines Award

A confidential vote was made by CGC members only for the Skyline Shines Award recipient to be announced during Opening Day in the Fall.

Article by Eloisa Briones

Skyline College Dancers thrilled their audiences with this season’s dances, with elegant Tangos, thrilling kick lines from our Competitive Dance Teams, fierce, flexing Hip Hop numbers, graceful Contemporary Modern dances from both student choreographers and faculty members, guest works from CSM and by Caroline Liviakis Dance Company, and riotous representation from the cast of In the Heights, Skyline College’s 2017 Spring Musical.

Article by Amber Steele

 

Congratulations to Jesse Raskin & Jessica Hurless on winning the 2017 Meyer Excellence in Teaching Award!

From numerous nominations, the Academic Senate chose these two nominations because of their outstanding commitment to their students’ success.  Both professors invest their time and attention beyond classroom hours, supporting their students in extra curricular activities, engaging their students with innovative teaching techniques, and supporting their colleagues with their extensive work on numerous committees and work groups. We were honored to celebrate these two faculty members at the End of Year Celebration.

Skyline Academic Senate accepts nominations for an award to be given at the end of the academic year to a colleague who has been a full-time Skyline faculty member for no more than five academic years. This monetary award was established by SMT faculty member, Professor Phil Meyer, to celebrate excellence in the classroom—the primary criterion for this award. Other criteria include departmental participation, student activities beyond the classroom, and overall collegiality.  Nominations may be made by any administrator, faculty, or staff member of the Skyline community, in March.

Article by Amber Steele | Photo by William Nacouzi

On May 17, 2017 the Center for Career and Workforce Programs at Skyline College brought together various high schools to take part in the 2017 Bay Region Hospitality Summit held at the San Mateo Marriott San Francisco Airport hotel in San Mateo, CA. This event is designed for high school students currently studying hospitality in high school to gain valuable insight and expand their ideas of the many careers that exist within the Hospitality and Tourism Industry. Over 150 students were invited from various Bay Region high schools which include Sequoia, Menlo-Atherton, Redwood, Capuchino, Mills, and Peninsula.

Director for Career and Workforce Programs, Andrea Vizenor, emceed the event. Vizenor opened the event by sharing Skyline College Promise Scholarship details, career education pathway opportunities, support services and the innovative ways Skyline College breaks down barriers commonly faced by students entering post-secondary education. She also shared her hospitality background to show the students the various career pathway options that can take place from an entry-level position to high management roles within a hotel business.

Claudia Sandoval, Season 6 Winner of the Fox Network’s Primetime Hit Series MasterChef, was invited to be the keynote speaker at the event. Chef Claudia is the author of her self-titled cookbook: “Claudia’s Cocina – A taste of Mexico”.  She spoke to the students about how she overcame difficulties in her life along with her education and training background in culinary. The takeaway message that Chef Claudia wanted to share with students is that they can achieve what they want in their personal and professional life and that “dreams do come true” by taking risks and pushing yourself into the unknown. Chef Claudia has since started her own culinary events business also called Claudia’s Cocina and has worked as a spokesperson for brands like Coca-Cola, T-Mobile, Kellogg’s, Target, Cover, and Tajin.

Participants also took part in The Ritz Carlton Leadership Center’s “Memorable Customer Service” training experience.  Where they learned cutting edge strategies to deliver high levels of quality service in the hospitality industry. Through this relevant training experience students were introduced to the skills needed for authentic guest engagement, the importance of personalized experiences that make a powerful impact in the overall hospitality business and in other industries.  As a result students were able build their skill set in high power soft skills and add value to their resume.

The students also took part in a “Lunch and Learn” Session where the San Mateo Marriott General Manager, Ed Gunderson, and the San Mateo Burlingame Waterfront Human Resources Director, Lisa Krone, along with the Banquet Director, Ali Lahip, took time to speak about current job opportunities and the skills and traits that seek when building their teams.

This event is made possible through the Deputy Sector Navigator: Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Grant Initiative awarded to Skyline College. The Center for Career and Workforce Program would like to thank the San Mateo Marriott San Francisco Airport for their participation in this event along with partnership high school teachers and CTE leadership for their commitment to bring students to participate and for  the continued high school collaborations moving forward.

For more information for please contact Andrea Vizenor at vizenora@smccd.edu.

Article by Elizabeth Tablan | Photos by Claudia Paz

Skyline College financial aid director Regina Morrison has been selected as the winner of the President’s Excellence in Leadership Award.

Through her leadership, advocacy and support Regina has been empowering and transforming the lives of students, faculty, staff and community partners of Skyline College for the past 20 years. Regina exemplifies what it means to be a great educator, an aspiring leader and a noble mentor. As the director of the financial aid office, Regina aims to educate all students about the ever-changing landscape of financial aid – no easy task. She is always thinking of ways to implement policy changes as seamlessly as possible to prevent disruption of services to the students and she continues to seek out services to best support student success.  She is continuously seen collaborating with various entities on campus, working towards the greater good of the college community.

Regina’s staff are always prepared when it comes to implementing new programs or a new collaboration project. She leads by example and inspires focus and forward thinking that puts the students first. Leaders like Regina inspire us to think of new ways to promote open access to higher education and attainment of student success.

In this inaugural year of the Excellence in Leadership Award, other nominees were David Reed, manager of the Learning Center, and Mary Gutierrez, dean of Language Arts/Learning Resources. Congratulations to David and Mary, and well done Regina Morrison!

About The President’s Excellence in Leadership Award

The President’s Excellence in Leadership Award was designed to specifically recognize members of the Skyline College administration who embody the standards of excellence that guide the mission of this college. The award mirrors awards already given to both faculty and classified staff, and underscores the importance of recognizing exceptional work and dedication at every level of our campus community.

This year, and in the years that follow, the award will aim to remind the campus community of what  the administration is committed to do in order to serve students, faculty, staff and the community. In addition to being a source of pride and acknowledgement of above-and-beyond work, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud hopes this award will situate people to strive for even higher recognition.

Asked about the award, Dr. Stanback Stroud said, “It is my hope to leave a legacy that results in the honor and respect of the administration, faculty, staff and the community we serve that goes far beyond whoever happens to be in this office.”

The PACE (Proficiency in American Culture and English) Learning Community held its first year-end celebratory event on Thursday, May 11^th, 2017 in the Multicultural Center.  Three cohorts of PACE students and faculty as well as their families gathered to celebrate their accomplishments and commemorate the people who have supported them in their educational journeys.

The hit of the evening was the potluck of foods from around the world, featuring dishes such as Uyghur lamb pilaf, Iraqi kibbeh, Burmese tea leaf salad, and Chinese dumplings.  The MC for the evening, PACE student Sofia Acuña, began the evening with a warm welcome.  Faculty and students then gave speeches about their experiences learning and being part of the PACE Community.  Khaoula Aissaoui, from Algeria, spoke about joining her father in America and her gratitude to her classmates.  Frank Yao, an international student from the Ivory Coast, shared a deeply personal and inspiring story about his educational obstacles and how he has worked to overcome them.  PACE alumni Seng Aung Bu, from Myanmar, and Roxana Canjura, from El Salvador, gave words of advice to the current PACE students.  The evening concluded with an impressive slideshow to music curated by PACE student Jaz Naomi Lucas.

This event was a celebration of the diversity that makes our learning community and campus special. The co-coordinators of PACE, Erinn Struss and Serena Chu-Mraz, would like to thank all those who have supported PACE and have made this event possible.

The PACE Learning Community brings together English language learners and dedicated faculty and staff in a four-semester series of linked classes starting with ESOL 840 and culminating in ENGL 110.

Article by Serena Chu-Mraz and Erinn Struss | Photo by Ben Hsieh

Remember that the entire commencement ceremony tonight will be livestreamed and captioned!

Watch it HERE! Graduation (and the livestream) begins at 5:00 p.m.

We wish all of our graduating students a heartfelt congratulations!

Skyline College will begin offering Apple’s newly announced app development curriculum as part of its computer science and technology pathways this fall. “App Development with Swift” is a series of curriculum modules and resources designed for students who want to pursue careers in the fast-growing app economy. Skyline College is one of six community colleges—and the only one in California—to offer the curriculum.

App Development with Swift is curriculum designed by Apple to teach students elements of app design using Swift, which is a popular programming language for building apps for Apple devices. Skyline College will begin integration of the curriculum into courses as part of its Computer Science pathway, which is a focused series of courses intended to prepare students for a career in computer programming. Students will learn to code and design fully functional apps, gaining critical job skills in software and app development, information technology and object-oriented program design.

“Swift is an important and timely addition to our computer science curriculum,” said Skyline College President Regina Stanback Stroud. “This gives Skyline College students the advantage of having the latest, most relevant training in a hot and growing job sector. And with our location in the Bay Area, this will be a great benefit to local tech employers.”

Skyline College is launching new technology career pathways in the high-demand fields of DevOps, UX design and mobile app development. These career pathways begin in fall 2017 as part of Skyline College’s Strong Workforce Initiative, which matches classroom curriculum and academic planning with the needs of employers in order to prepare highly trained and valuable workers in tech, healthcare and other fields.

The College will also explore ways to use the new Apple curriculum as part of dual enrollment partnerships and bridge programming that build stronger connections and transitions to Skyline College for high school and adult school students.

Skyline College has agreed to pilot the new curriculum and provide feedback to Apple. Only six community colleges in the United States will offer App Development with Swift this fall: the Alabama Community College System, Columbus State Community College, Harrisburg Area Community College, Houston Community College, Mesa Community College and Skyline College. The San Mateo Community College District plans to expand the partnership to other colleges in the district.

Skyline College faculty and career education leadership are optimistic the Apple curriculum will attract students who might not otherwise be drawn to computer science courses. The popularity and familiarity of Apple apps and their devices can help to address the reluctance students may feel when looking into careers in the high-power technology industry. One of Skyline College’s goals is to increase equity and diversity for students enrolled in these programs.

Apple’s curriculum includes a comprehensive student guide with playground exercises, mini projects and quizzes, as well as a teacher’s guide with grading rubrics, solutions code and Keynote presentations.

App Development with Swift is an extension of Apple’s existing K-12 Everyone Can Code curricula which offer everyone the power to learn, write and teach coding. Swift is Apple’s powerful and intuitive programming language that gives developers the freedom and capabilities they need to create the next generation of cutting-edge software. Popular apps including Airbnb, KAYAK, TripAdvisor, Venmo and Yelp are all created with Swift.

Article by Richard Rojo

On Thursday, May 18, the Academic Senate and Classified Senate worked closely together to host the annual End-of-Year Celebration. To welcome us into the summer the theme this year was Beachy Keen! Guests were greeted as they walked in with flip flops, beach balls, sun glasses and a generous donation of beautiful baskets! Our charismatic, talented and super cool Amber Steele, and the fun and enthusiastic Classified Senate President, Michele Haggar welcomed guests with a warm summer greeting. The event featured two amazing singers from Amber Steele’s courses.

In addition to the beautiful performance, the celebration featured a drawing for baskets donated by various divisions, programs, and departments on campus! The proceeds, totaling $1,147.50 dollars will be going the Academic and Classified Senate Student Scholarships for 2018 for Skyline College students. Well done team!

And along with the wonderful drawings and baskets, this was a time for us to recognize, say thanks, and congratulate our Classified Staff Retirees Sandra Kirkpatrick, Devitt Hartney, We Hwa Fend (aka Teacher Vicky), and Marilyn Jean. They will all be sorely missed! To present the Special Recognitions Award, Michele introduced Vice President of Administrative Services, Eloisa Briones who presented the special recognition to Annie Trinh, Accounting Technician and Dean of SMT Ray Hernandez who presented the award to Nadia Tariq, Program Services Coordinator for Respiratory Care. These two Classified Staff members were awarded in recognition for their dedication and sincere efforts towards the work they do for their fellow colleagues and students.

At the event Kate Brown, Academic Senate President also took time to recognize and announce the retirements of Dennis Wolbers, Librarian and Curriculum Chairperson for 2016/2017 and Dean of Social Science and Creative Arts, Donna Bestock. Both of these individuals dedicated years of their lives to students and worked diligently and with heart to meet the needs of the faculty and staff around them. It was also announced that both Donna and Dennis would serve as this year’s Faculty Marshalls for the 2017 Commencement Ceremony. Kate also announced that Jesse Raskin and Jessica Hurless were this year’s winner of the Meyer Excellent in Teaching Award. This award recognizes the contributions of a faculty member in their first five years of hiring who demonstrate excellence in teaching, on/ off campus activities, and overall collegiality.

And last but certainly not least, our esteemed president, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud presented the President’s Excellence in Leadership Award to Regina Morrison, Director of Financial Aid in recognition for the significant impacts she has made at Skyline College. Through her outstanding dedication, leadership and mentorship, exceptional performance, ingenuity, and ability to build strong community relationships she has been able to contribute and connect with those she works with in a positive and meaningful way. She is an inspiring leader to those around her and her deliberate focus to maintain a “student first” approach in everything she does is done so with passion, purpose, and humility.

And with that, overall the event was well attended and a great success! The organizational team would like to thank the many hands that assisted in putting together this fun celebration. Thank you to EVERYONE that put efforts toward the donation baskets, to those who assisted in the selling of the drawing tickets, and to those that purchased them. This event would not have been as great as it was without everyone’s participation and support.  Thanks also goes to our Pacific Dining Services for arranging the catering for the event, to Annie Trinh and Linda Bertellotti for scheduling the rooms, and to facilities for room setup/ cleanup.

Have a great summer and see you all at the next End of Year Celebration in May 2018!

Article by Michele Haggar | Photos by William Nacouzi

This Spring 2017 semester has gotten several counselors off campus and into new offices – on our local high school campuses!

Through a collaboration with the Outreach Department and Counseling Division, students at five of our local feeder high school completed all of the steps of matriculation – application, orientation, assessment and counseling at their own high school campus.  These students received priority registration and a follow-up “How to Register” workshop led by our Campus Ambassadors.

Through campus-wide efforts to use multiple measures in placement, Counseling faculty were able to place the majority of students by using high school transcript information, external exam information or through guided self-placement measures.

The combination of campus-wide efforts to implement multiple measures and the ability to complete all the matriculation steps helped increase the number of students gain access to priority registration.  We were able to reach students that may not have been able to come to PEP because of work or may have otherwise waited to matriculate in August. By engaging students as early as February, they were able to get a clear roadmap of the next year of college.

We partnered with El Camino High School, South San Francisco High School, Oceana High School, Capuchino High School and Jefferson High School.

The overall number of students who participated was 216. Combined with PEP, Skyline College assisted 379 high school students in completing their steps to enrollment.  This is an increase of 118.75% from just hosting PEP alone. The goal of the program is to both start the college process with high school seniors earlier and reach out to students who may be at risk for not attending college at all.

A special thank you to the Counseling Faculty who assisted with the program, the student ambassadors and staff who managed the administrative components of the program, and the high school administrators and faculty who provided us the space and opportunity to support their students.

Article by Suzanne Poma and Lauren Ford | Photos by Suzanne Poma