Recognition and Awareness
Monday, October 18 is the start of Undocumented Student Week of Action. The “Change in Action” theme is meant to empower all of us to work for necessary changes throughout the year. The theme encourages us to engage in state, federal, and local action to support undocumented students in their goal of earning a college education. There are several events scheduled for you to join. A special note of gratitude to our colleagues here at Palomar, and throughout the region, who have thoughtfully designed these informative events.
The at-a-glance schedule is as follows:
- Monday, October 18, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.- 20 year anniversary AB 540 virtual conference Register Here.
- Monday, October 18, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.- “Building Bridges: Systemic Solutions to Support Undocumented Students” panel discussion Register Here.
- Monday, October 18, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.- Immigration Legal Services Register Here.
- Tuesday, October 19, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.- Community Panel Discussion ZOOM MEETING ID: 954 3454 2316
- Tuesday, October 19, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.- Jewish Family Services: A partner in serving our undocumented student population Register Here.
- Tuesday, October 19, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.- Financial Aid Workshop ZOOM MEETING ID: 976 5624 1738, Password: 928909
- Friday, October 22, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.- Healing Circle Register Here.
In commemorating Filipino American History Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, and Undocumented Student Week of Action, please join the events featuring Pulitzer Prize Winning journalist and acclaimed filmmaker, Jose Antonio Vargas:
- Wednesday, October 20, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.- “Documented: A film by an Undocumented American” Register Here.
- Thursday, October 21, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.- “Defining American” an event sponsored by the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council Register Here.
Please take note, a special Palomar “Welcome” video for our undocumented students will also be featured on the Palomar.edu homepage over the next week.
The Week in Review
This week the campus launched the brand new Cleared4 health screening and COVID-19 testing appointment platform. A tremendous amount of time and dedicated work went into platform design and integration. Overall, the platform performed well, despite some early glitches that were addressed and re-tooled for a better user experience. The Cleared4 platform is proving to be convenient, and the onsite COVID-19 testing is a great benefit for our students and employees. I visited the BioCept team (those conducting the testing) on Monday at the newly converted space on the San Marcos campus, and I was impressed by the operations.
We have made great progress in a short time. I am proud of our commitment in continuing to keep our campus and education centers as safe as possible. The student services team (and colleagues from other divisions) did a phenomenal job setting up student services tents, helping students process their proof of vaccination, and resolving any concerns. While we still have work to do, we dramatically increased the response rate of students adhering to our vaccination policy. With Spring 2022 registration just around the corner, we will continue our proactive efforts to reach out to our students.
I also had the pleasure of being interviewed this past week regarding the passage of Assembly Bill 927, and the opportunity it affords community colleges in California to confer baccalaureate degrees. In the coming days, the article will appear in Inside Higher Ed, and I will be sure to share it once it is published.
Campus Engagement
It is always wonderful to connect with colleagues and to get a chance to see the great work that is being done in service of our students. I held several one-on-one meetings with faculty to discuss issues that came about as a result of past listening sessions. I also attended the Student Success, Equity and Counseling Department Division meeting, and joined several campus colleagues who met with members of the Marine Corps to discuss expanding our Military Leadership Program. The Military Leadership Program is off to an incredible start, and our efforts to expand the program are looking promising. A special thank you to Professor Candace Rose, Associate Dean Nichol Roe, and Supervisor Tory Haynes for hosting this meeting with top-ranking military personnel.
The Palomar Association of Latinos and Allies for Student Success (ALASS), CCE, and PFF sponsored a special event in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. They served tamales to the campus community at the Student Union Quad on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a creative way to celebrate the Latino heritage of our students and colleagues.
On Thursday, we had great attendance at the “Weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus and COVID-19 Update” I always appreciate the candid questions and ensuing discussion because I think it is important that we continue to address the concerns and to resolve them as quickly as possible. Here is the link in case you missed the meeting.
Community Engagement
The Association for Community College Trustees (ACCT) held the annual Leadership Congress in downtown San Diego this past week. I was thankful to be able to join the conference along with Trustee Mark Evilsizer, Trustee Roberto Rodriguez, and Public Information Officer Julie Lanthier Bandy. The sessions, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities with colleagues from all over the nation was time well spent. As part of this event, Trustee Evilsizer and myself also represented Palomar College at the special Board of Directors Dinner at San Diego City College on Tuesday evening.
On Friday, I attended the Salute to Hispanic Heritage event in Escondido. County Supervisor Jim Desmond, along with other elected officials, honored Latino community organizers and business leaders who have positively contributed to the region. It was a great opportunity for Palomar College to be highlighted as an institution that values, and invests, in the surrounding Latino community.
On Saturday night, I was invited as a guest to represent Palomar College at the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council Dinner. It was great to see so many colleagues throughout the region support this worthy event, including several members of our Palomar Comet family!
This week, along with our Palomar Foundation Executive Director- Stacy Rungaitis, I continued to meet with potential donors. I am always excited to share with others the great work we are doing at Palomar College, and I hope to report some good news regarding our fundraising efforts in the near future. Also, please remember our Annual President’s Invitational Golf Classic, hosted by the Palomar College Foundation, is taking place on October 25, 2021. For more information, please contact Stacy.
Accreditation
At the very start of the week, our Governing Board received a copy of the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER). We will conduct a board workshop on Tuesday, October 19, to begin reviewing the ISER with our trustees. The ISER is quite an undertaking and is a significant document in the accreditation process. I would like to recognize the enormous effort put forth by our writing teams. The writing of this comprehensive document started nearly two years ago, and as you well know, a lot has changed in that span of time. As such, the writing teams have had to engage in significant edits.
A highlight of these efforts includes a new institutional Vision, Mission, and Values Statement which is central to our work and plans. Our new statement rightfully addresses our diverse student body and the values we live by as we do our work. You can find the new Vision, Mission, and Values statement HERE
This past week we also sent out a “Save the Date” email for our first “Accreditation All Campus Forum” on November 3, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. Please join us as we discuss details for our upcoming accreditation site visit.
Comets of the Week!
This week, I would like to thank those who dedicated their time and talent to research, prepare, design, trouble-shoot, and launch the Cleared4 platform. The platform is a critical component of mitigating and managing the impact of COVID-19 at our campus and education centers. Please join me in celebrating these colleagues: Christine Winterle, Mike Day, Tracie Sayre, Pajseu Lochungvu, Mike Marsh, John Lewis, Bethany Contreras, George Frederick, Patrick Savaiano, Steven Salter, Dan Lynds and Julie Lanthier Bandy. Without this dedicated group, it would have been impossible to have launched!
Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!
For pictures of the various events, follow:
Twitter: @palomardrstar
Instagram: @palomardrstar
