A Week of Awareness and Support
In recognition of the 5th Annual Undocumented Student Action Week, Palomar College colleagues and many others throughout the state, generated outstanding content through the various workshops and seminars that I attended this past week. I also enjoyed the opportunity to commemorate Filipino American History and LGBTQ+ History months by watching the film Documented, by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and acclaimed filmmaker, Jose Antonio Vargas. A special note of interest was his excellent second event, Defining American. These opportunities re-affirmed the need for all of us to work together to support all students in their goal of earning a college education.
The Week in Review
Campus Engagement
We started the week with reviewing the accreditation Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) at a special workshop with our Governing Board. During the workshop, our trustees provided our ISER writing team with essential feedback. The document is scheduled for delivery to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) in December. Also, in support of accreditation, I attended the “Demystifying Accreditation” workshop sponsored by ACCJC. Our March accreditation visit will be a pinnacle event for the college in 2022. Please have November 3, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., on your calendar for our first, All-Campus Accreditation Forum. We will be discussing details to prepare us for the upcoming site visit. Here is the Zoom link.
Other highlights this past week included visiting the Math and STEM Center, and the STAR Tutoring Center to become familiar with all the good work they do to support student success. I also continue to engage in meaningful conversations with our academic deans and faculty. These meetings are important as we make strides in improving our learning and working environments. Attending Club Rush, a 2-day event hosted by our Associated Student Government (ASG), was also a great experience. Thank you to the ASG for continuing to engage our students in meaningful ways. My week included attending the Disability Resource Center (DRC) sponsored event, Silent Child, and (along with Trustee Raju) the DRC Faculty Hour “Voices and Experiences” student panel presentation. The students shared their experiences at Palomar College, and their voices were powerful! I also increased my knowledge of “Queer History” by attending the Queer Café 2021 session sponsored by the Pride Center. I also attended the DEI Action Team meeting, and I joined a Special Convening to discuss issues our Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native American students and faculty members are facing. The week also afforded me the opportunity to see a very talented musician, Danny Green, during the performing arts concert hour. And finally, I ended my week by being interviewed by one of our talented Telescope reporters, Emmanuel Barrera. You will be able to see what we talked about in the upcoming edition of The Telescope.
Community Engagement
The Fallbrook Education Center Community Advisory Council met this past week. We discussed planned improvements for the Fallbrook Education Center and the needs of the community. Our goal is for it to continue to grow and become an even a greater asset to the Northern part of our District.
Tomorrow (Monday, October 25) the largest Foundation fundraiser, the President’s Invitational Golf Classic, will take place. It is not too late to participate in the online auction which closes at 5:30 p.m. Here is the link if you are interested. Through the dedicated work of our Foundation team, a grant is underwriting all associated costs of the tournament. As a result, all funds raised from this event will go directly to the mission of the Foundation – to remove financial barriers and provide essential educational resources to our students. Early projections indicate that the Foundation will secure over $160,000 through this event. Thank you to our Foundation Team – Stacy Rungaitis, Lynda Moynan, Kim Hartwell, Chris McIntyre, and Kayla Kelsey.
COVID-19
Thank you to all who have submitted proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a request for exemption. We have reached an employee compliance rate of nearly 90%. To increase compliance rates with our students who are taking face-to-face courses, we are continuing to actively reach out, answer questions and help them submit the necessary documentation. Please help us engage students on the importance of providing their proof of vaccination, or request for an exemption. Students who have not complied will be unable to register for face-to-face courses in Spring 2022. Priority registration begins on November 15, 2021.
As noted in our weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus and COVID-19 Update, we are addressing the glitches of the Cleared4 platform and resolving issues quickly. We appreciate all the feedback as we continue to customize the platform. You can view the recording of the October 21 meeting here.
Accreditation
Our accreditation standards require that we continuously develop, review, and evaluate our programs and services. One of the ways we do this is through our Program Review and Planning (PRP) process. Every discipline, program, or administrative unit at the College participates in this process. To complete our PRPs, we describe what we do and how it aligns to our mission. We evaluate our work, develop program plans, and request resources to support these plans. A few of the items funded through this process last year included upgrades to our drone technology program, microscopes for biology, and a direct-to-garment printer for instructional use. We also prioritized facilities requests such as improvements to the Disability Resource Center. We also identified and funded institutional needs such as help-desk technology. While we funded many requests, the real value of program review is in strengthening our programs and services. Thank you for all the work you do to complete the PRPs.
Comets of the Week
I cannot say enough about the amazing Accreditation Writing Team who led the effort to draft the nearly 300 page ISER. Thank you to our Accreditation Liaison Office – Sr. Director Michelle Barton, Faculty Tri-Chair Adam Meehan, CCE Classified Tri-Chair Jeannette Garceau, AA Tri-Chair Justin Smiley, Accreditation Coordinator Marti Snyder, and Research Analyst Rachel Miller.
Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!
For pictures of the various events, follow:
Twitter: @palomardrstar
Instagram: @palomardrstar
