CAMPUS NEWS
Presidential Search Moves to Next Phase
Application deadline is April 3
The application deadline for the position of president closes Wednesday, April 4, at which time the Presidential Search Committee will move into its next phase.
The committee will complete preliminary candidate screening the week of April 27 and interviews will be held the week of May 7.
Finalists identified by the committee will participate in open forums at the college May 15-17 with faculty, staff, and students. They will then participate in interviews with the Chancellor and Board of Trustees. The Chancellor will make a final recommendation to the Board of Trustees and a contract offer is expected by the week of June 4.
Guiding the committee is a set of desirable attributes identified by the Cañada College community during a meeting with the Chancellor held in August, 2005, prior to the last presidential search.
The 13-member search committee includes Patty Dilko, Academic Senate President, and Marilyn McBride, Vice President of Instruction, who are co-chairing the committee. Other members include Martin Partlan, Faculty in the Science & Technology Division; Dick Claire, Faculty in the Business & Workforce Development Division; Monica Malamud, Faculty in the Humanities Division; Katie Townsend-Merino, Dean of Humanities; Kevin Chappell, ASCC Student Body President; Gail Whitaker, Community Representative from San Francisco State University; Gloria Darafshi, a Faculty Member representing Student Services; Margie Carrington, Director of Financial Aid; Maria Lara, Admissions & Records Assistant; Maggie Souza, Administrative Assistant, President's Office; and Robert Hood, Director of Marketing.
The committee's work is being supported by Harry Joel, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Employee Relations, and Debbie Carrington, the district's Human Resources Manager.
Updates on the committee's work are available at http://www.canadacollege.edu/inside/search/.
Strategic Planning Document Heads to College Council
Mission , goals and strategies have been developed for college
A mission, goals and strategies have been developed for the college and they are now headed to the Planning and Budget Committee and College Council for approval. The Planning and Budget Committee is expected to finalize the document on April 18 and send it to College Council for its April 19 meeting.
“I have to commend the Strategic Planning Committee on their excellent work,” said Interim President Tom Mohr. “This was not easy. The college is a very complex institution and crafting a document that will guide it for the next five to seven years is not easy.”
When the final document is approved, Mohr said administrators will review the strategies and put together an action plan to help the college meet its goals. More information is available at http://canadacollege.net/news/stories/strategic-planning.html.
KinderCaminata Returns Friday, April 27
KinderCaminata returns for a sixth year and volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs. Approximately 1,500 kindergarten students along with 300 teachers and parents will come to campus to learn about the importance of education for a variety of professions.
Interim President Tom Mohr said it's important to have faculty and staff participation for one of the college's largest outreach events. “Having faculty explain what it takes to be a scientist, artist, teacher, athletic coach, librarian or designer is very important,” he said. ““Ideally, many of the professionals represented at KinderCaminata would be our faculty.”
In addition, Mohr said staff and student volunteers are needed to organize the event. “It's a massive undertaking,” he said. “Moving that many kindergarten students through campus is not a simple task.”
Faculty that would like to set up a table to explain their professions should contact Maggie Souza at Ext. 3238. Students and staff that want to volunteer their time should contact Aja Butler at Ext. 3373.
NSF Funding to Help Recruit Women Into Video Game Field
Cañada's 3D Animation and Video Game Art program is one of four tech programs statewide selected by the National Institute of Women in Trades, Technology & Science to receive free, intensive training and assistance on recruiting and retaining women.
Designing video games is a male-dominated industry, which is why the popular Cañada College 3D Animation and Video Game Art program has been chosen as one of four tech programs statewide to participate in the CalWomenTech Project.
All four programs will receive intensive training and assistance on recruiting and retaining women for their programs over the next four years. This includes a two-day WomenTech training where participating schools will develop individualized recruitment and retention plans. They'll also receive customized recruitment materials, including flyers, posters and a WomenTech section for each college's website, as well as on-site training and consulting. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Because game development is a male-dominated field, most video games do not appeal to females. Recruiting and retaining women in game development provides the opportunity to both increase the number of women in the field and the number of games developed that appeal to female interests.
Cañada's program was developed in early 2006 and was the first of its kind among Bay Area community colleges. It helps students gain entry into the region's growing video game industry or provides them the skills to transfer to four-year institutions for additional training.
PASS Program Aims at Recruiting Graduating Seniors
Cañada College will host the Priority Admission for Senior Students (PASS) Graduating from High School from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. The program is designed to make it easier for local high school students to enroll at the college. High school students will have the opportunity for priority admission and access to early registration. Information on financial aid, placement testing, orientation, and admissions will be available.
Cañada College and San Francisco Giants Renew Partnership
Cañada College will again be the educational sponsor for the San Francisco Giants' Spanish-language radio broadcasts. The college will receive 30-second ads on each of the 93 KLOK-AM radio broadcasts. The ads are produced and voiced by Giants' play-by-play announcer Erwin Higueros. They will promote the ESL programs at Cañada College. In addition, the college receives pre-game name recognition on the scoreboard for every home game and will be part of Fiesta Gigante, the largest Hispanic outreach event hosted by the Giants. Higueros, color commentator Tito Fuentes and Giants' mascot Lou Seal will also participate in a “live event” on campus during the first week of Fall Semester.
Cañada's Wireless Use in Classroom Honored by HP
Representatives from Hewlett Packard honored Amelito Enriquez, engineering and mathematics professor, at the February SMCCCD Board of Trustees meeting for his work using wireless technology to monitor student work in real-time.
Students in select math, engineering, and science courses at Cañada College are receiving state-of-the-art instruction thanks to a grant from Hewlett Packard. The college is one of only 31 colleges and universities nationally to receive the grant. The program has been so successful at Cañada that a team of instructors was invited to make a presentation at the 2006 Hewlett Packard Higher Education Technology for Teaching Conference. Only six schools worldwide were asked to present. Enriquez said the technology allows for the creation of Interactive Learning Networks in the classroom. As students work through complex problems on notebook computers, instructors are able to monitor their progress in real-time and offer assistance.
FACES OF CAÑADA
Mike Garcia Named NACDA West Region AD of the Year
Cañada College has found success on the athletic fields this year and now Athletic Director Mike Garcia has been named the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Western Regional Community College Athletic Director of the Year. He'll be honored at the association's annual conference in June. Garcia has worked at the college for the past 23 years. He began as the head baseball coach and was hired as the athletic director in 1993. He expanded the four-team program to seven teams and has overseen a program that has the second best graduation rate in the state.
Interior Design Students Honored at Regional Competition
It's become an annual tradition - students in the Cañada College Interior Design Program winning honors at the prestigious San Francisco Interior Design Student Career Forum. This year it was students Shari Steele and Denny Holland that took home honors. Steele finished third in the residential lighting design competition while Holland finished second in the area rug competition. The event is attended by up to 500 interior design students from colleges, art and technical schools, and universities from Northern and Central California and Nevada . There were 30 students from Cañada in attendance at this year's event. “This is one of the largest interior design career events of its kind in the country,” said Nancy Wolford, professor of interior design. “We are very proud of these two students as it is very difficult to place in these competitions.” Cañada students have placed in the regional competition for the past seven years.
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.
SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENTS
Editor's note: Two DSPS students spent Fall Semester studying at the University of London as part of a Study Abroad program. They were the first DSPS students from Cañada College to study abroad. These two stories relate their experience.
Studying Abroad: Learning That Lasts A Lifetime
Amy Gercon's trip to London is a once-in-a-lifetime experience
Amy Gercon listened to her dad speak fondly of studying abroad as a college student so when a representative from the College of San Mateo spoke in her English class about the opportunity to study in London for a semester Amy jumped at the opportunity.
“I traveled to London with my family before I decided to go,” she said. “It's such a big city. It's really amazing how big the city is and how much there is to do. I enjoyed the London Eye and going to the theater. I also liked the fact that you could take the Tube everywhere.”
Amy was a little concerned about studying overseas because she doesn't read quickly. She is enrolled in Disabled Student Program and Services (DSPS) and is one of two students from that program to study in London. They were the first two DSPS students to study overseas. The traveled to London last September and stayed through December.
“The teachers were really good and I didn't have any problems,” she said. “They understood that I wasn't the fastest reader so they worked with me. It's such an honor to be one of the first DSPS students to study overseas.”
The Carlmont High School graduate and early childhood education major is now focused on her ultimate goal — to become a daycare or pre-school teacher. “I've been accepted to Bowling Green University in Ohio,” she said. ““It's one of the top three programs in the nation so I'm really excited. It's a beautiful campus and my family has friends in Ohio. Both of my parents are alumni.”
Studying In London Was Liberating For Business Major
Freedom to be in control and independent led to great experience
Jason Silva is still buzzing about his semester studying at the University of London. The 2003 graduate of Half Moon Bay High School and current business major at Cañada said the experience was so exhilarating it's difficult to put into words.
“The fact that I was in full control and independent and able to create my own itineraries was the most exciting part of the trip,” he said. Jason spent September through December in Europe and relates a story that helps sum up his experience. “I booked a trip to Dublin but missed the flight,” he said. “I was totally bummed but I started looking up at the video screen at different flights and thought ‘I can go anywhere I want.’ I went through the list of flights and eventually booked a flight to Dubai. The next thing I know I'm on a plane to Dubai. It was crazy.”
That freedom may come easy for some people but for Jason, who has trouble focusing, it was a challenge — a challenge he was happy to embrace. “The school offered to purchase my plane ticket and make all of my arrangements but I wanted to do that myself,” he said. “It's funny, but on that trip, I was probably as organized as I've ever been. I was figuring out exchange rates on the fly, booking flights, studying, I felt I was really living the life of a student.”
Jason is one of two students enrolled in Disabled Student Program and Services (DSPS) that made the overseas trip. It was the first time DSPS students from Cañada College studied overseas.
While studying in London , Jason traveled to Athens, Paris, the Azores, Scotland, Belgium, Liverpool, Dover and Dubai. “It was so easy to get to another country,” he said. “It was such a great experience.”
Back at Cañada, Jason is now focused on earning his associates degree in business and transferring to San Diego State University. “I want to earn my degree in business administration. San Diego State is my first choice but I'm also looking at San Francisco State University. It would be nice to leave the Bay Area to finish school.”
Kristy Yard Wins $1,000 Scholarship
The San Mateo County Legal Secretaries Association has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to student Kristy Yard of Redwood City. Yard is a student in the Cañada College paralegal classes.
According to the award letter the committee “found your achievements exemplary, and we are very happy to be able to support your pursuit of a career in the legal field.”
Yard will be introduced to the association's members at the annual Officer Installation Luncheon at Crystal Springs Golf Course on Saturday, April 14.
Career Fair Set for April 18
Cañada College Career Services is sponsoring the 2007 Cañada College Career Fair on Wednesday, April 18 from 9 a.m. to noon in the school cafeteria. Students will have the opportunity to talk with representatives from Bay Area businesses about full-time, part-time, and internship opportunities. For more information, contact Bob Haick at 650-306-3178 or e-mail haickr@smccd.edu.
Middle College High School to Host Information Nights
Middle College High School will hold information nights Thursday, April 26 and Tuesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Sequoia Union High School District Board Room, 480 James Ave. Redwood City. It will include an overview of the program, a chance to talk to current students, and provide parents and prospective students with an opportunity to ask questions.
Middle College High School is a collaboration between Cañada College and the Sequoia Union High School District. All courses are taught at Cañada College. Through this unique program, high school juniors and seniors have the opportunity to explore new challenges that they cannot attain in a traditional high school. Students complete the requirements for high school graduation while enrolled in college courses.
For more information, call 650-306-3128 or visit http://www.canadacollege.edu/middlecollege
Editor's Note: If you have an idea for a student feature, contact Robert Hood at ext. 3340.
CAMPUS CALENDAR
Please see the EVENTS CALENDAR on inside Cañada for the latest event listings.
Editor's Note: If you would like to submit an event to the Cañada Calendar of Events please contact Debbie Joy at ext. 3318, or use the link at the bottom of the Calendar.
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