The well-deserved winter break starts on Tuesday, December 21. Thank you all for your dedicated service to our students. With two weeks to rest and enjoy time at home with family and friends, I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones make the most of this time together. On behalf of the Governing Board and the Executive Cabinet, we wish you a very happy new year! Stay safe and stay well!
The Week in Review
Campus Engagement
The end of the semester marks the opportunity to recognize student achievement. This week I attended the virtual Palomar College Nursing Program Pinning Ceremony and the in-person Fire Academy Graduation. Imagine the feeling of accomplishment these students must have as they complete their programs during a pandemic in fields that enable them to immediately serve the health and safety needs of our region. I am extremely proud of these students and the dedicated nursing and fire academy faculty and staff for their continued dedication to training these future health and safety professionals. Congratulations to all!
This week, the Governing Board organizational meeting took place, and Trustee Norma Miyamoto was elected as the new Board President. Trustee Roberto Rodriguez was elected as the Board Vice President, and Trustee Kartik Raju was elected as the new Board Secretary. Congratulations to our new officers.
Another highlight of my week included the opportunity to visit the Cabinet and Furniture Technology program. Thank you Department Chair Jennifer Anderson and Instructional Support Specialist Georg Kast for the invitation. I also appreciate Dean Susan Wyche for joining me on the tour. Learning the details of the Furniture Design, Instrument Making, and Production Cabinetmaking courses was awe-inspiring. I have said many times, after visiting different Palomar programs, that I leave with an overwhelming sense of Palomar Pride!
I finished up the week by attending the Palomar Comet Concert Band performance. The talent of our students is just amazing. Thank you to faculty member, Heather Barclay, for the time and devotion she invests in training our students and in producing an exceptional performance. The next performance will take place in March, and you will not want to miss it!
Community Engagement
As for my community engagement efforts this week, I attended the quarterly gathering of the Palomar College President’s Associates. Thank you to Executive Director Stacy Rungaitis and the Foundation Team for hosting this wonderful event. A special note of appreciation to the 30+ attendees and to Palomar College Foundation Board Chair, Pete Rogers, who shared heartfelt words regarding the positive impact the President’s Associates has on our students and their success. The Foundation Board, along with our donors, are a perfect illustration of how community coming together helps us to better serve our students.
I also participated in the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges (CEOCCC) annual meeting on Tuesday. The gathering was comprised of statewide Chancellors, Presidents, and Superintendent/Presidents. The convening provided dedicated time for in-depth discussions around the complex issues impacting our institutions and the overall California Community College system.
Another productive meeting held this week involved several Fallbrook community leaders. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the Fallbrook 40 project. We were joined by Director of Facilities Chris Miller, Manager of Construction Dennis Astl, Center Director Ryan Williams, Public Information Officer Julie Lanthier Bandy, Executive Director Stacy Rungaitis, and several HMC Architects. We met in person at the Fallbrook Education Center to discuss the plans for future facilities that address the educational needs of the surrounding area.
The North County Economic Development Council held its annual awards ceremony to recognize innovation, business development initiatives, and organizations that are committed to serving the economic needs of the region. I was joined by Trustee Kartik Raju, Associate Dean Nichol Roe, Executive Director Stacy Rungaitis, Foundation Board Member Malena Bennett, Director Adrianne Lee, and Public Information Officer Julie Lanthier Bandy. The event was a great opportunity to connect with leaders throughout the county. Many of our elected representatives, and both long-time and new partners of Palomar College, including Tri-City Medical Center, Palomar Health, and Kaiser Permanente, were in attendance.
On Friday, we hosted the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC) meeting via Zoom. The ICOC is a group of committed community volunteers who are responsible to the taxpayers of our region to monitor the expenditures associated with Prop M. They were provided with a construction update on current projects, and Vice President Ambur Borth presented our Prop M financial summary.
COVID-19 Update
As we prepare for the return from the winter break, our primary focus continues to be the health and safety of our employees and students. Please consider the travel advisory issued by the California Department of Public Health. It recommends that all travelers arriving in California test for COVID-19 within three to five days after arrival, regardless of their vaccination status. Employees and students are able to test at one of the Palomar College testing sites. Please note the testing schedule during our Intersession is different than in Fall ’21. For your convenience, here is the intersession COVID-19 Testing Schedule. We ask that you continue to use the Cleared4 daily health questionnaire and if you are required to test for COVID-19 due to an exemption, please do so.
As with any transitional plan, there will be questions and concerns. We will use the time between January 3 – January 17 to assess, collaborate, and build on our plan to return to onsite work on January 18. Please have any pending questions regarding our return to onsite work answered by your supervisor or Vice President. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is working diligently to schedule vaccination events in January and early February. Once finalized, the schedule will be published. Of note for Spring ’22, is the hiring of COVID-19 monitors. By January 31, COVID-19 monitors will be stationed at each entrance to the main campus and education centers to check Cleared4 passes. They will also assist those who do not have a pass so that we can ensure that we are enforcing our safety protocols. If you missed the December 16 COVID -19 Return to Campus and COVID-19 Update meeting, here is a recording of the meeting.
Accreditation
With the Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) on its way to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), I would like to extend the Accreditation Writing Leadership Team’s (AWLT) heartfelt appreciation to everyone who participated in the development of the document. After the winter break, we will continue to prepare for our virtual accreditation visit. We have already met with our technology and logistics support team to start the process for the visit. We will share detailed information on how the visit will transpire through email updates and our All-Campus Forum on February 9.
Comets of the Week
This week’s Comet of the Week is Interim Dean Diane Studinka, who helped organize Administrative Association (AA) members to donate to the Palomar Faculty Federation (PFF) annual toy drive. Her intentional efforts resulted in collecting $1,000 that allowed for 111 toys to be purchased, and since PFF donated an additional $5.00 for each toy donated, AA member contributions increased the overall toy drive by an additional $555. Thank you for the efforts in supporting the children of our community during this holiday season.
Have a great winter break. Go Comets!
For pictures of the various events from this week, follow:
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