When the University Center opened in 2001 there were some who questioned if a successful pipeline could be built to funnel Cañada's students into university-level programs. Anybody who reads this month's story on Eva Perez will see that not only can that pipeline be built but that it can help students go from learning English to earning a bachelor's degree without ever leaving campus. It's truly an inspiring story. In other news, a 13-member Presidential Search Committee has been named and started work on identifying candidates to become the next college president. We'll keep you updated in the Olive Press and on Inside Cañada. One last reminder, don't forget to attend the Cañada College Theater Arts Department's hilarious one-act comedies. They'll be held Nov. 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Flex Theater. Enjoy!
CAMPUS NEWS
Presidential Selection Committee Begins Work
A 13-member Presidential Selection Committee has been named and started work to identify finalists for the job of Cañada College president.
The committee includes Martin Partlan, Faculty in the Science Division; Paul Roscelli, Faculty in the Business & Workforce Division; Lezlee Ware, Faculty in the Humanities Division; Karen Olesen, Counselor; Patty Dilko, Academic Senate President; Gail Whitaker, Community Representative from San Francisco State University; Veronica Espinoza, ASCC Student Body President; Maggie Souza, Administrative Assistant, President's Office; Margie Carrington, Director of Financial Aid; Maria Lara, Admissions & Records Assistant; Robert Hood, Director of Communications; Marilyn McBride, Vice President of Instruction; and Jeanne Gross, Interim Dean of the University Center and Learning Center.
The committee's work is being supported by Harry Joel, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources; Cody Pelletier, the district's Employment Manager; and Del Anderson, a higher education hiring consultant who helped in the recent search for a new president at Skyline College and previously served as a vice president at Skyline and president at San Francisco City College.
The committee is expected to work for the next few months to identify finalists that will meet with the campus community in open forums and with the San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees. The Chancellor and Board of Trustees will make the final decision on the new president.
Updates on the committee's work will be available at http://www.canadacollege.edu/inside/.
Title V Events Set for November
Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the original Little Rock Nine students, will highlight a slate of Title V events designed to offer faculty and staff professional development opportunities. There are five workshops and a lecture scheduled in November. They include:
Dr Laura Rendón - Rendón (pictured left) will be the featured speaker at a faculty development workshop titled "Realizing Inclusive and Engaging Classroom Environments." The workshop will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4 in Building 3, Room 142. All district faculty are invited.
Jennifer Bullock - Bullock works with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and will present a workshop titled "Facilitating Group Dynamics." The workshop will be held from 1 to 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10 in Building 22, Room 114. All Cañada faculty and classified staff are invited.
Dr. Terrence Roberts - Roberts (pictured left) will present a lecture titled "Lessons from Little Rock" from 11:10 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 in the Main Theater. The lecture is open to the public. Following the lecture Roberts will host a workshop titled "Learning to Communicate with Skill and Ability." It will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in Building 2, Room 210. All Cañada classified staff are invited.
Gail Sadalla - Sadalla works with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and will present a workshop titled "Conflict Resolution Skills." The workshop will be held from 1 to 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 21 in Building 22, Room 114. All Cañada faculty and classified staff are invited.
Marcos Cicerone - Cicerone is the director of staff and organizational development at De Anza College. He will host a workshop titled "Learning Communities: Enhancing Student Success." The workshop will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in Building 3, Room 142. All Cañada faculty are invited.
Two Prominent AIDS Researchers to Speak at Cañada College
Dr. Kimberly Page-Shafer, assistant professor of medicine at the Center for Aids Prevention Studies at University of California, San Francisco and Dr. Vivian Levy, a postdoctoral fellow with the San Mateo Medical Center's AIDS program, will be the guest speakers at "Global AIDS: An Epidemic That Won't Go Away".
The lecture will be held from 11:10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in the Main Theater. The event is free and open to the public.
Page-Shafer is recognized internationally for her work on HIV and hepatitis C infections. She was the lead author on a study published in the American Journal of Public Health examining the high rates of hepatitis C rates in poor, young women in the Bay Area and the possible link to herpes and cocaine use. She has been a leader in the development and implementation of projects evaluating the safety and efficacy of new preventitive therapy in high risk groups in Cambodia, Thailand and Peru. She has collaborated on projects in Brazil and is the faculty director for Latin American projects for the International Scholars Training Program at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies.
Dr Page-Shafer is the principal investigator for the Cambodian HIV Prevention Study, "Kdey Sonkum Roboh Satrei" - Hope of Women, sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Family Health International, with collaborators in Cambodia, University of New South Wales and at UCSF.
Dr. Vivian Levy is a postdoctoral fellow with the San Mateo Medical Center's AIDS program. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV in California's immigrant populations. She also participates in HIV prevention studies and the training of Peruvian physicians in HIV medicine in her native country of Peru.
"This lecture will help our students become aware of the international and local circumstances of the AIDS epidemic," said Lesli Sachs, college nurse and director of the Cañada College Health Center. "They will learn about the latest advancements in the fight against AIDS from two prominent medical researchers."
New Baseball, Soccer Fields Complete
The new FieldTurf has been installed on the soccer and baseball fields, giving the college state-of-the-art athletic fields. The outdoor athletic facilities at the college have not had significant renovations since the opening of the campus in the 1960's. As a result, the playing surfaces are worn, affecting playability, increasing maintenance effort and limiting instructional and community use.
The project included upgrading the turf for both the soccer and baseball fields; building new restrooms, storage and batting cages; renovating bleachers; and providing disabled access and parking to the fields.
Tom Mohr Honored at San Mateo High School Grand Opening
Interim President Tom Mohr was honored at the grand opening celebration for the new San Mateo High School. The event was held Saturday, Oct. 15 at the high school. The Thomas C. Mohr Clock Tower was dedicated to Mohr from the parents, teachers, and students of the school district.
Alicia Aguirre Honored by Chamber of Commerce
Alicia Aguirre, ESL professor, was honored by the Redwood City San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Oct. 27. Aguirre and Gino Gasparini were honored as part of the Leadership Alumni Reception and Hall of Fame Induction Benefiting Leadership Scholarships.
FACES OF CAÑADA
Nicaraguan Immigrant, Single Mother of Two, to Receive $25,000 Minerva Scholarship to Study Nursing
Redwood City's Eva Perez learned English, earned an associate's degree and will now study nursing through San Francisco State at the Cañada College University Center
It hasn't been easy for Redwood City's Eva Perez. The 36-year-old single mother of two boys has worked long hours at a local Target department store to put herself through school but now all of that hard work is going to pay off.
Perez is one of four California college students to receive a $25,000 Minerva Scholarship to cover her educational expenses. She'll receive $12,500 per year over the next two years. The scholarship will be awarded at The Governor and First Lady's Conference on Women and Families to be held in Long Beach on Oct. 27.
The Governor and First Lady's Conference on Women and Families established the Minerva Scholars Program to assist women of California who plan to continue their education in select college programs including nursing, teaching, science and math. Scholarships are offered for full-time study at an accredited four-year institution in California . Perez is studying nursing through San Francisco State University at the Cañada College University Center .
"The scholarship helps me cut back on the number of hours I'll have to work and allows me to focus on my education and my two boys," Perez said. "It's truly a blessing."
Those who know Perez say the scholarship is actually the culmination of years of hard work by a woman determined to make a better life for herself and her children.
"Eva is a great person who has a very strong commitment to achieving her academic goals," said Jenny Castello, assistant professor of English as a Second Language (ESL) at Cañada College and one of Eva's former teachers. "She truly deserves this recognition and financial help."
Perez, who was born in Nicaragua and moved to Mexico with her family when she was 10-years-old, immigrated to California in 1994 with her former husband and oldest son. In 1997, she studied English at an adult school in Mountain View before she quit to have her second son. In 2001, she re-entered school, studying Engish as a Second Language at the English Institute at Cañada College's Menlo Park facility in order to improve her job prospects.
"My professors at Cañada kept encouraging me to pursue my education so I went on to earn an associate's degree in Liberal Arts in 2003," Perez said.
Because she was supporting two children and working, Perez, who is now separated from her husband, said continuing her education became more difficult. She wanted a bachelor's degree but she couldn't commute to San Francisco or San Jose. Professors at Cañada College encouraged her to apply to San Francisco State University's satellite program in nursing being taught at the Cañada College University Center. She was accepted into the program's second class that began studies this fall.
"There is no way I would have been able to continue my education if I had to commute," Perez said. "The nursing program at the University Center makes it possible for me to earn my bachelor's degree."
Cañada College Interim President Tom Mohr said the access to a higher degree offered by the University Center is transforming lives. The Cañada College University Center opened in 2001 and was the first of its kind in California. Students can earn bachelor's degrees in liberal studies, child and adolescent development, business administration, and nursing. The center also offers teaching credentials for elementary and secondary school teachers, an accelerated master's degree in business administration, and a certificate in teaching reading at the post-secondary level.
"The University Center is opening doors for people who might not have the opportunity to earn a higher degree because of life's circumstances," he said. "Access is the key. It's important to find unique ways to deliver education in today's busy world and certainly the University Center at Cañada College is one way to do that. Eva's story is great because this is a woman who learned English, earned an associate's degree and will now earn her bachelor's degree in nursing all at a community college."
With the scholarship in hand, Perez said she'll be able to focus more attention on her nursing studies.
"I am used to getting a four-point GPA," she said. "Because I've been working longer hours I haven't been able to study as much as I would like and I'm only getting a B average. I want to get that back up to an A average."
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
University Center to Host Majors Day
Silicon Valley Visionary Carl Guardino Will Talk to Students About Future Job Prospects
What type of jobs can today's students expect to find in the future marketplace? How will the economics of the Bay Area change employment opportunities over the next 10 years? Silicon Valley visionary Carl Guardino will speak to students about emerging careers at a special presentation hosted by the University Center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Guardino, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group, will be the guest speaker at "Majors Day" presented by the University Center. The event will be held in the Main Theater. It is free and open to all students.
Guardino has been called one of the five most powerful people in Silicon Valley by the San Jose Mercury News. The Silicon Valley Leadership Group is comprised of local business leaders that work actively with government to find solutions to issues like transportation, housing, permit streamlining, education, and the environment.
"It is an honor to have a leader like Carl Guardino talk to local students about the changing employment opportunities they'll face when they graduate from college," said Tom Mohr, interim president of Cañada College .
Guardino and Mohr will join faculty from San Francisco State University and Cañada College for a panel discussion and short question-and-answer session following Guardino's presentation. Students can also learn about earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Child and Adolescent Development, or Nursing through the college's University Center. In addition, information will be available about the Executive MBA program and teaching credential program offered by the University Center .
Cañada College was the first community college in California to establish a University Center . It opened its doors in 2001. It allows students to earn bachelor's and master's degrees as well as workplace certifications from Bay Area universities. All of the courses are taught on-site by university professors. There are more than 1,000 students currently enrolled in University Center programs.
"The University Center is a tremendous community resource," Mohr said. "It provides access to a higher degree for students who might not be able to drive to San Jose or San Francisco ."
For more information about the Majors Day program, contact Rita Gulli, University Center project director, at (650) 306-3141 or by e-mail at gullir@smccd.net.
Lecture to Focus on Color's Effects on Humans
Event is a fundraiser for Cañada College ASID student chapter
The Cañada College American Society of Interior Designers Student Chapter presents "Color Talks" a lecture by Kenneth Fehrman, a professor of interior design at San Francisco State University and Cañada College.
The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5 in Building 3, Room 148. It is a fundraiser designed to help finance educational student programs and to support community service projects. The cost is $20 for ASID members and $25 for non-members.
Fehrman will discuss color and it's physiological, psychological, and sociological effect on humans and how light affects color. These topics will be covered in a lively presentation/demonstration as they relate to interior environments.
To RSVP or for more information, go to www.canadastudent-asid.org or e-mail Grace Long at pob1486@yahoo.com.
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 insideCañada 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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