CAMPUS NEWS

Celebration For Pamela Ward Smith Set For April 30

A memorial celebration will be held for Pamela Ward Smith, EOPS/CARE counselor on Wednesday, April 30 from 1 to 2 p.m. The campus memorial celebration will be held in the new amphitheater in front of Building 9 and will include tributes from students, staff and faculty. Smith passed away on Monday, Feb. 25 after a lengthy illness.

Smith came to Cañada in 1987 as EOPS Counselor/Instructor after eight years in the Student Personnel Service Office at Fresno City College. At Cañada, Smith started the CARE Program for single mothers. She was also a faculty advisor to the African-American Student Club and various Black History Month events on campus. She was a proud member of the FACCC and AFT 1493. She served as a campus representative for FACCC for several years and had lobbied in Sacramento for funding. A memorial service was held March 1 at the Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward.

Faculty Turn Out In Large Numbers To Support Student Learning Outcomes Summit

More than 100 full-time and adjunct faculty members joined staff at a special Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Summit held on March 28. The Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment initiative at Cañada College is led by the Academic Senate and the Senate's Curriculum Committee. Faculty use a team approach toward developing student learning outcomes and assessments for their courses and the programs at the college.

Along with the Curriculum Committee, the Student Learning Outcomes Coordinator led the effort to develop the institutional/degree level student learning outcomes. A record of student learning outcomes will be kept on the Student Learning Outcomes website, in a binder in the Office of Instruction, and in program review documentation. As faculty move through the Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Cycle, they will submit their updates to the Curriculum Committee and the Student Learning Outcomes Coordinator.

“It was an amazing effort,” said President Tom Mohr. “The faculty and staff are really engaged on this issue and the college is making incredible progress to satisfy the accreditation requirements.” On March 14, Student Services held a separate retreat to develop Student Learning Outcomes for the division. "The personnel in Student Services did a phenomenal job," Mohr said. A special faculty symposium titled, "ePortfolios for Assessment and Student Success,” was held April 15 to continue discussing SLOs and an SLO Regional Coordinators meeting was held April 11.

Cañada Honor Society Named One Of Nation’s Best

Beta Zeta Nu, Cañada's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, was recognized as one of the top honor society chapters in the nation at the group’s annual convention held earlier this month in Philadelphia. At the convention, Cañada's chapter was declared a Five Star Chapter for the tenth straight year. According to the organization’s website, “The term Five Star is interpreted as the peak of excellence when rating products and services such as restaurants, automobiles and hotels. The same holds true for chapters participating in Phi Theta Kappa's Five Star Program. Chapters will gain recognition for their success by meeting the higher standards of quality programming that the term Five Star symbolizes.”

The Cañada chapter also received Pinnacle Level for increased membership. The Pinnacle Award recognizes Phi Theta Kappa chapters and regions for successfully enhancing their recruitment and orientation strategies, as measured by the number of new members reported to Phi Theta Kappa headquarters in a given year. This year, the Cañada chapter worked with the campus chapters of MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) and EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services) to increase the number of minority and first-generation students in the honor society.

Cañada chapter member Maddie Parks was one of only 30 students nationally to be recognized as a Most Distinguished Member for her efforts in service and hallmark writing. Loretta Farris was recognized as one of only 30 Paragon Advisors. Finally, the chapter placed in the top 8 percent nationally for hallmark events and written documentation of these efforts. This year, the chapter helped rebuild homes in New Orleans, planted trees in Redwood City, and organized a successful lecture series on the Middle East. The Cañada chapter was ranked in the top 100 of more than 1,300 chapters nationwide.

Cañada College Blood Drive Set For April 29-30

Learn how archaeologists find sites and determine how past cultures lived.

Jessica Einhorn, assistant professor of Anthropology, will deliver a lecture "Archaeology: The Process" as part of the popular Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Lecture Series. The lecture will be held on Monday, April 28 from 2 to 3 p.m. in Building 3, Room 148.

Einhorn's lecture will focus on how archaeologists find sites and determine how past cultures lived. She will also discuss the importance of context.

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FACES OF CAÑADA

Unique Partnership Helps Sequoia High School Students Learn About Video Game Art And Prepares Them To Transfer To A University

Students completing the program can enter CSU’s with up to 31.5 college units.

A unique partnership between Cañada College and the Sequoia High School Electronic Arts Academy is preparing high school students for a career in video game art or multimedia while they earn college credits.

“We are taking the college courses to the high school campus,” said Multimedia Professor Dani Castillo. “The goal of the program is to prepare students to either enter the college’s video game art program or transfer to a four-year college.”

The program involves high school students taking 18 college units through concurrent enrollment. As sophomores, the students begin taking college courses at Sequoia High School. In their junior and senior years, students begin taking classes at the college. Students can earn both high school and college credits and students that complete the entire program will have earned 31.5 units of college credit, of which 19.5 count towards the completion of the college’s Video Game Art Certificate of Proficiency.

“I really enjoy taking the classes,” said Sequoia High School student Katherine Sarabia. “I took the digital imaging and history of animation classes because I was interested in a career in digital animation.”

Cañada is currently offering Digital Imaging I and Digital Audio at the high school. The college will eventually offer Storyboarding, Digital Painting, Portfolio and Project, Motion Graphics, Digital Photography, and Animation Critique.

“We’ve been working on this project for two years,” said Castillo. “It’s nice to see it coming to fruition and watching students move from the high school classes into college courses.”

Editor's Note: If you have ideas for the Faces of Cañada section of the online newsletter, please contact Robert Hood at ext. 3340 or by e-mail at hoodr@smccd.edu.

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SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENTS

Priority Enrollment Program A Success With Students and Parents

More than 140 high school seniors have registered with the Priority Enrollment Program and approximately 100 are expected to enroll in the college through the program. The first PEP workshop was held Saturday, April 19. The final workshop was held Wednesday, April 23.

Participation in the Cañada College Priority Enrollment Program guarantees graduating high school students priority admission for summer/fall classes in 2008; priority counseling services; and early access to classes.

"We were competing with prom night on Saturday but we still had a good turnout and we had great numbers on Wednesday," said organizer Soraya Sohrabi. "This is a popular program with high school seniors and their parents."

FAFSA Workshop To Be Held April 26

Many students incorrectly believe it is too late to apply for financial aid so the Financial Aid Office is sponsoring a special workshop to help them with their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The workshop will be held on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Learning Center. “Students and parents don’t realize that financial aid is available year-round,” said Margie Carrington, director of financial aid. “We’re offering free, hands-on assistance for filing the FAFSA.”

Spring Fling Brings Students Together For Food, Fun, and Music

The Associated Students of Cañada College will be hosting "Spring Fling '08," from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 29 on the Frisbee Lawn. Students can learn about clubs, how to get involved in student government, and enjoy free food, music, prizes and fun activities. This year, ASCC leaders are asking students to show their Colt spirit!

ASCC Elections Coming Soon!

Do you know students that would benefit from participating in student government? The Associated Students of Cañada College will soon hold elections and candidates are needed. For more information, go to the Student Life Office (Building 5, Room 211A) or contact Student Life at Ext. 3364.

MESA Organizes Science And Engineering Transfer Student Panels

MESA is organizing two different student panels to help science and engineering majors learn more about the transfer process. Students will get advice from MESA students about how to successfully choose a college, the application process and much more. The Science Panel will be held Tuesday, April 29 at 2:30 p.m. in the MESA Center (Building 9). The Engineering Panel will be held Tuesday, May 13 at 3:30 p.m. in the MESA Center. Free pizza will be available at both events.

"Quickies" A Comedic One-Act Festival

You'll laugh your mother's butt off!

The Cañada Players present a comedic one-act festival on Tuesday, April 29 and Thursday, May 1 in the Flex Theater. Both shows run from 12:30 to 2 p.m. All of these one-act performances are written and directed by Cañada students and they are free. Come support your fellow students and laugh your mother's butt off!

The Theater Arts students are coming off a wildly successful spring production of an original adaptation of "The Three Musketeers." The play was performed in front of sold-out audiences and received a glowing review in the Redwood City Daily News.

Make A Counseling Appointment - Win An iPod Shuffle!

Students can win an iPod from the Counseling Department for simply making a counseling appointment between now and April 28. The counseling table will be in the quad from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 28. The raffle will be held at 12:45 p.m. and students must be present to win.

Editor's Note: If you have an idea for a student feature, contact Robert Hood at ext. 3340.

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Please see the EVENTS CALENDAR for the latest event listings.

Editor's Note: If you would like to submit an event to the Cañada Calendar of Events please contact Robert Hood at hoodr@smccd.edu.