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Week of September 12, 2022 Update

Posted on by Star Rivera-Lacey

Campus Engagement

  • Hosted this week’s Executive Special Projects meeting where we were joined by Dr. Leslie Salas, Dean of Student Success, Equity and Counseling Services; Dr. Nancy Browne, Manager of Student Success & Engagement; Wendy Nelson, Communications Professor and Faculty Senate President; and Dr. Glyn Bongolan– Associate Professor/Counseling Chair who shared their work and ideas around the concept of Student Success Teams.
  • Virtually attended the Educational and Facilities Vision Planning Task Force Meeting where we discussed the long-term development plan for our educational and student support programs.

Community Engagement

  • Attended the San Diego & Imperial Counties Community Colleges Association’s (SDICCCA) Board Meeting. CEOs, Public Information Officers, and Board Members from all the San Diego/Imperial County Community Colleges discussed current issues the region is facing, gave updates on their respective colleges, and did collective planning for the 22-23 academic year.
  • Attended the Promise2Kids 2022 Dream on Fundraiser. Promises2Kids is an amazing organization that supports foster youth throughout the region. It was a wonderful opportunity for Palomar College, other community colleges in the region, and university educational partners to support their fundraising efforts. Community coming together to protect the educational dreams of foster youth was awesome!
  • Attended the National Community College Hispanic Council’s (NCCHC) Annual Leadership Symposium in Denver, Colorado. This was a three-day event where educational leaders from around the country gathered to discuss the social issues facing Hispanic Serving Institutions, and how we can remove structural barriers to make community colleges more accessible. At the event, I was also inducted onto NCCHC’s National Board of Directors to serve a 2-year term. I would like to thank Dr. Diane Studinka for taking on the role of Acting Superintendent/President while I was at the symposium.
  • Accepted the resignation of Dr. Vikash Lakhani, Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services, and Mr. David Montoya, Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Human Resource Services. Official Governing Board ratification of the resignation agreements is expected to take place Tuesday, September 20, 2022. I have met with the Executive Team, all direct reports, and key campus leaders to inform them of this change. My highest priority is to assure normal operations. To this end, Dr. Leslie Salas, Dean of Student Success, Equity, and Counseling Services, is the designated leader for the Student Services Division, and Christine Winterle, Director of Human Resources, will lead the Human Resource Services Division through Wednesday, October 5, 2022. It is expected that formal interim replacements will be named at the Tuesday, October 4 Board Meeting. Please rest assured that a longer-range plan will soon be shared with the campus community. We thank Dr. Lakhani and Mr. Montoya for their service and wish them the best in their future endeavors.


Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Updates and News
Latinx Heritage Month has started! Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated every year from September 15 to October 15. As part of Latinx Heritage Month, our Ethnic Studies Department will be hosting a variety of workshops and events. See the schedule here. A special thank you to Dr. Angélica Yañez– Associate Professor of Ethnic and Chicano Studies and Alexander Gomez– Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies.

Additionally, the campus community is invited to take part in our Latin America Flavors series enjoying tamales in the Student Union Quad on Tuesday, September 20 and Wednesday, September 21 at 11:30 a.m. Here is the schedule for the other events in the series. Please join us as we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with delicious regional food from Latin America! A special thank you to Carmelino Cruz– Acting Chief Diversity Officer for organizing this event.


Educational and Facilities Vision Plan 2035
The work on our Vision Plan 2035 continues. As I have reported in previous weeks, through this planning process we will consider our educational and student support programs and how they will evolve over time.

A critical aspect of this planning is hearing from you! What would an ideal college have to offer its students in 2035? What are your thoughts and ideas about your area and related programs?  How might they change over the next twelve years? What factors will impact them? And how will that affect your technology, staffing, and facilities needs? Over the next two months, we will continue to hold our listening sessions where we will ask you and your colleagues these questions.

Wondering how you can participate? Marti Snyder is coordinating the listening sessions and will be sending out communications and meeting invites. Bilingual Spanish speakers will be present for the Educational and Facilities Vision Plan listening sessions and sign language interpreters will be available at your request. You may also participate through a campus-wide survey which will be sent out at the end of September. To learn more please visit the Educational and Facilities Vision Plan 2035 webpage.

Comet of the Week
The Comet of the Week is Accreditation Coordinator, Marti Snyder, for her excellent work organizing all aspects of the Educational and Facilities Vision Plan meetings (approximately 60 meetings are scheduled). These meetings are critical for the success of this project and for the future of Palomar College.

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

For pictures of the various events, follow:
Twitter: @palomardrstar
Instagram: @palomardrstar