The Skyline College Financial Aid Department is proud to welcome Madison Steele as the new Program Services Coordinator.

In this position, she will help promote Financial Aid and Scholarships through in reach and outreach efforts, work one-on-one with high need students and collaborate with additional campus programs, learning communities and services.

Steele is a first generation college graduate and third generation Mexican American.  She was born in Los Angeles, grew up in Antioch.  She earned her A.A. in Psychology from Diablo Valley College and B.S in Business Psychology from Palo Alto University.

Steele started working in Financial Aid as a Federal Work Study student back in 2013, and later worked as a Financial Aid Counselor for at Menlo College and Palo Alto University.

Steele has extensive knowledge of Federal and State Financial Aid regulations. She is skilled in helping students navigate through the application process, hosted consumer workshops for the public and students as well as liaise between institution and various scholarship foundations and associations.

Please come by the Financial Aid Department to help us welcome Madison to the Skyline College family.

Article by Regina Morrison

 

We are excited to announce that the NOVA Job Center will be launching services on Monday, November 6, 2017 at the SparkPoint and Career Services Center (building 1, floor 2). This new program will be offered as a part of SparkPoint and Career Services, complementing our current service offering by providing additional one-on-one career counseling, workshops, resume assistance, interview preparation, job search support, and other resources for individuals seeking employment. NOVA will be fully integrated into the SparkPoint program, thus all services are available at no cost and open to both students and community members.

You can sign up for the registration session right now on Monday, November 6 from 2-4pm at the Career Services Center. There are three ways to sign up: · Email us at skylinenova@smccd.edu

• Call us at (650) 738-7904
• Drop by the NOVA offices at room 1-221A and let us know that you want to sign up for registration!

Can’t make Monday? We will have registration every Tuesday after that at 1:30-3:30pm. If you are interested in enrolling and have scheduling conflicts with registration times, let us know and we will be able to accommodate you.

If you have any questions with regards to the NOVA Job Center, please contact the NOVA Program Services Coordinator, Kathleen Velasquez, at velasquezk@smccd.edu. For more information on the NOVA Job Center program in general, check out our website at https://www.novaworks.org/.

We hope to see you here and help you land your dream job!

Article by Kathleen Velasquez

 

 

SparkPoint and Career Services at Skyline College would like to extend an official campus-wide introduction to a new member of the team, Richard Saroyan. He is excited to join the SparkPoint team and looks forward to making a difference in the lives of those in our community.

Saroyan returns to campus after last attending Skyline College as an undergraduate. Prior to working as a career counselor, Saroyan earned an M.A. in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco and started his career in marketing at 2K Sports.

He then changed careers and earned his M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University. Over the past 6 years he has worked passionately as a career counselor at San Jose State University including managing the WorkAbility IV program that provided clients with disabilities empathic and comprehensive career services. Most recently Richard built meaningful relationships with multiple on-campus centers and counseled SJSU students from diverse backgrounds.

As a Career Counselor at the new Skyline College NOVA Job Center, Richard hopes to use his expertise and passion to provide support and resources to students and community members who are seeking immediate employment. He knows that a part-time job or a career path with better pay can increase student success and overall economic security, which can lead to lifelong wellness.

If you are interested in referring any job seeking students or community members to Richard, please email Skylinenova@smccd.edu or call 650-738-7904.

Article by Chad Thompson

The Center for International Trade Development at Skyline College has two really good programs to offer in January that will open up a pathway to new and exciting careers in the growing industry of Global Trade and Logistics.

Our two courses are:

1. Global Trade and Logistics I; and
2. Customs Brokerage and Procedures I.

Businesses have told us that there are good jobs out there. The challenge they have is finding entry level people with the basic knowledge – which is what these courses offer!

We are looking to fill these courses as they offer a stepping stone for people who are open to a new career direction and have no experience in the industry, or are in the industry already, but would like a credential to move up the career ladder.  They will find that businesses are more likely to be receptive after taking our course(s) because it shows they have taken the initiative to gain the knowledge about the industry.

Please direct anyone who is interested to:

1. Visit our website http://www.skylinecollege.edu/citd/for more information.
2. Call us on (650)738 7115.  We will be happy to help answer any questions and help them to register.
3. Email: bayareacitd@smccd.edu
4. To register: We will be holding Student Welcome Days on Saturday, November 18, Saturday, December 2 or Saturday December 9 from 10 am to 4 pm.  Register at skycounseling@smccd.edu.

Article by Lorna Jones

 

 

On Monday, Oct. 30 the Early Childhood Education program had their first “Careers with Children” Job Fair in building 6. There were over 15 employers from a variety of agencies including Head Start, Bright Horizons, YMCA of Stonestown, South San Francisco Recreation Center, and more looking to hire students interested in working with children.

Students that are not quite ready to start their careers with children were able to find out about necessary qualifications and wages. This allowed students to think and plan the next steps in their coursework.

SFSU also sent representatives from their PATH program to inform students about a Bachelors Program in Child Development for working adults. 4Cs were also present and gave information about running a business and doing information and referral.

Overall the event was a success with over 70 students attending. We plan on continuing and expanding these efforts in 2018.

Article by Kristina Brower

Skyline College is fortunate to have the diverse expertise and talents of staff, faculty, and administrators, who have shared their knowledge and time by leading a variety of professional development workshops and activities over the years. As we turn the corner past the half-way point of the fall 2017 semester, the CTTL looks forward to your participation as both facilitators and attendees of our events, and we encourage you to find new ways to get involved in the shared ways of professional learning that occur on our campus.

The CTTL is currently developing its workshop/activity calendar for the spring 2018 semester. At this time, we would like to invite staff, faculty, and administrators who are interested in facilitating spring workshops and activities to submit their CTTL Professional Development Workshop Proposal Forms via the CTTL website.

A variety of time configurations and workshop/activity formats, such as brown bag discussions, poster sessions, lectures, demonstrations, trainings, book groups, practice sessions are available. Workshop proposals are due by Friday, Nov. 10 for first consideration for the spring 2018 calendar. While the CTTL will do its best to honor your preferred workshop dates (including Flex Days), your preferred dates are not guaranteed; as such, please indicate several dates and times as options on your workshop proposals. Also, please note that Flex Day workshop programming is determined by the needs of the College, District, and other factors. Priority consideration is given to workshops/activities that support Skyline College Mission/Vision/Values, goals, and initiatives, and may include, but are not limited to, the following categories:

• Teaching & Learning
• Online Education
• Equity, Diversity, & Cultural Competency
• Academic & Student Support Services
• Institutional Processes & Procedures
• Institutional Research
• Technology, Software, & Applications
• Health, Wellness, & Safety
• Leadership Skills

If you have any questions, would like assistance with your workshop proposal, and/or would like some help developing your workshop/activity idea, feel free to contact Professional Development Coordinator, Nina L. Floro, at floro@smccd.edu or ext 4414.

Article by Nina Floro

It’s time to start thinking about Accreditation again!

Please find an updated timeline of the Accreditation Process on the Accreditation website. We will be providing updates throughout the year as the calendar becomes more robust and we engage the entire college campus in the process.

Standard Writing Teams:

We are currently recruiting candidates who are interested in being part of the writing teams for each standard and will be visiting division meetings during November. Please sign up to volunteer, or ask questions to Jacque Honda, Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) at hondaj@smccd.edu. Please take a look at the standards to figure out which standard you are knowledgeable about and where you can contribute.

Article by Jacqueline Honda Ed.D.

As part of the Comprehensive College Redesign, a group of faculty and staff are exploring ways to incorporate High Impact Practices (HIPs) into the curriculum on an institutional level.

The first task of the inquiry team is to create an inventory of what HIPs are currently most utilized on Skyline College Campus. Members of the team will be coming to division meetings in November to talk more about the work and we would greatly appreciate faculty and staff taking a few minutes to complete this survey.

What are HIPs? An exploration of pedagogy centered on equity and high impact teaching practices such as undergraduate research, service learning, e-portfolios, culminating projects, study abroad, internships, learning communities and more.

Our team is exploring HIPs identified by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). Additional information about the AAC&U identified HIPs can be found at https://www.aacu.org/leap/hips .

For more information on the HIPs Inquiry Team, please contact one of our co-leads: Jude Navari at navarij@smccd.edu or Zaid Ghori at ghoriz@smccd.edu.

Article by Janelle Barbier and Zaid Ghori

Skyline College’s annual Transfer Day was held on Thursday, Oct. 19.

The Transfer Center welcomed over 32 universities to our annual fall event. The representation of universities was excellent as many UC and CSU campuses, along with multiple private and out-of-state universities attended the event. Additionally, our Transfer Day also welcomed coordinators for California Community Colleges’ Transfer Guarantee to HBCUs.

The event was well-attended by our Skyline College community of students, faculty, and staff. While more than 250 students officially signed in for the event, it is estimated that more than 350 students attended. Many faculty stopped by in support of Alma Mater Day.

It was an incredible experience for students, as they met with university representatives, and gained insight into admission requirements and opportunities available. It was also exciting to see hundreds of students carry materials, brochures, and gift items provided by our university partners.

Through our evaluations the Transfer Center collected from students, it was apparent students enjoyed the event and gained an understanding of university and program options that are available for transfer. One student commented, “This is very awesome to have school representatives here.” Many other students expressed that they were able to learn more about the colleges and universities they are interested in transferring to and what majors they offer so that they can make well informed decisions when it comes time to submitting applications. The Transfer Center staff and volunteers that participated in this event also did an excellent job engaging students as they walked into building six, as a student shared, “I wasn’t going to attend, however, the staff made me feel comfortable to go check it out!”

Transfer Day would not have been a success without the support of university partners. Feedback from the event was positive as many of the representatives were impressed with student and faculty participation. One wrote, “I thoroughly enjoyed conversations with both staff and students.” University partners also shared that they were impressed by student’s level of understanding around transfer and about the transfer culture, a representatives wrote, “I’m very impressed with the student engagement.”

The Transfer Center is grateful to all the faculty that encouraged their students to attend this event, with many instructors bringing their students directly into building 6. We also appreciate the excellent participation in our Alma Mater Day by staff and faculty. We are thankful that our community continues to foster a transfer culture. We are also grateful to the learning communities, and student service departments that tabled for Transfer Day. Lastly, the Transfer Center is extremely grateful to all the fantastic individuals in our Facility Planning, Maintenance, and Operations Team, who helped organize and set up our Transfer Day.

With that said, we are now in the month of November, and we encourage all staff and faculty to constantly remind their students of the UC and CSU application deadline of Nov. 30. We also want all of our community to continue to recommend Transfer Center services to all of our students, as we get closer to the November 30th deadline!

Article by Ernesto Hernandez & Lucy Jovel