July 7, 2003
CCCSAT and Educational Television Receives National Hometown Video Award

The California Community Colleges Satellite Network (CCCSAT) and Palomar College's Educational Television will be recognized by the Alliance for Community Media with the 2003 Hometown Video Award for "Overall Excellence in Educational Access."

The award will be presented during the Alliance's annual conference July 9-12, 2003. The theme of the conference, "Connecting Media, Cultures and Communities" reflects the new phase of the CCCSAT Network grant housed at Palomar College's Educational Television (ETV) facility.

"We are building on the history of service and access the 108 California Community College's provide to their students and local communities," said Lisa Faas CCCSAT's Digital Satellite Network Manager. "CCCSAT's programming focuses on key content areas like health, diversity, arts, news, academic resources and technology."

The achievement of the Overall Excellence award by CCCSAT/Palomar College recognizes the collaborative works of both CCCSAT and ETV to produce and distribute a variety of distance-learning, cultural and community interest programming. Course programs include Photoshop, Refrigeration Heating and Air-Conditioning, Child Development, American Sign Language and more. The Overall Excellence category required entrants to describe the services and programming provided and how the programs created address community needs and concerns.

CCCSAT is a satellite delivery system that links all 108 California Community College campuses. Additional CCCSAT affiliates include a number of Native American Indian reservations, as well as numerous healthcare facilities. CCCSAT focuses on collaboration with the colleges to provide relevant television programs and instructional resources to students, faculty and staff and to the communities the colleges serve. Recent program launches include the Native American Educational Network that developed from a grass roots committee through Palomar College's American Indian Studies program.

Founded in 1976, The Alliance for Community Media represents over 1,000 public, educational and governmental (PEG) access organizations and community media centers throughout the country. Awards are presented to creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement and move viewers to experience television in a different way.

Palomar College's Educational Television department has been in existence for more than 25 years and provides distance education programming to thousands of students in the north San Diego community.

CCCSAT is a statewide initiative established and funded by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office to advance distance education and support the workforce improvement mission of the CCC system. CCCSAT is based at Palomar College in San Marcos, California, and provides state-of-the-art digital-direct broadcasting infrastructures to connect all 108 California community colleges.

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