I hope this update finds everyone in good spirits as we head into the new week. Below is a brief recap of my Campus and Community Engagement activities from the previous week.

Campus Engagement

• Participated in hiring interviews for both administrative and faculty positions.
• Attended the weekly Executive Special Projects meeting. This week’s meeting focused on our District’s grant process. A special thank you to Grants Manager, Pauline Moroz, who walked us through a series of already instituted improvements and reviewed proposed strategic changes.
• Attended the Educational and Facilities Vision Planning Task Force meeting. During the meeting, the Task Force focused on reviewing and discussing “external scan” data. The data reviewed included adult population estimates and projections, changing student demographics, enrollment flow, and labor market information. From this data, task force members identified salient points to consider as we craft our plan. Next month, the task force will engage in a review of the themes identified in the listening sessions as well as the results of our survey.  I am excited about the progress!

Community Engagement

• Attended the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors meeting.
• Attended the National Community College Hispanic Council’s Board of Directors meeting.
• Attended the Community College League of California’s (CCLC) 2022 Annual Convention. Every year this event brings together CEOs, trustees, administrators, and partners from across the state to share tools, models, and solutions to system issues. This year’s theme was “Our Time is Now.” I am grateful to have been joined by Trustee Mark Evilsizer, Trustee Christian Garcia, Trustee Roberto Rodriguez and Public Information Officer Julie Lanthier Bandy.
• Our very own Trustee Mark Evilsizer was recognized at the CCLC event by the California Association of Latino Community College Trustees and Administrators (CALCCTA) for his years of service to the statewide organization. Please note, a campus event will be held on Tuesday, December 6^th from 3:00 pm- 4:00 pm in  the LRC to formally thank Trustee Evilsizer for his 20 years of dedicated service on Palomar’s Governing Board. Immediately following the recognition will be his last Governing Board meeting.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Updates and News

• Palomar is leading Cal Coast Credit Union’s Pack the Pantry Campaign! We have donated the most out of all participating colleges. Go Comets! Here is a link to see our progress. For those unaware, local community colleges throughout San Diego County have partnered with Cal Coast Credit Union, the North County Food Bank, and the San Diego Food Bank for the fourth annual Pack the Pantry food drive. The drive, which runs through November, aims to raise funds to fill college pantries.
• On Wednesday, November 30^th, the Ethnic Studies Department, the Queer Students of Color Club, and the Puente Club are coming together to present a screening of the film Mosquita y Mari. Here is a link to the flyer with more information.
• The Palomar Boehm Art Gallery is hosting its annual Faculty Art and Photography Exhibition from November 17^th until December 7^th. The closing reception will take place on Wednesday, December 7^th from 1:00 pm-4:00 pm. Please support our faculty and pay a visit to the gallery!
• Tarde de Familia is coming up on Friday, December 2^nd. The event will be held from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm in the Student Union. Please mark your calendars and spread the word by sharing this flyer. For any questions or for more information on Tarde de Familia, please visit the Association of Latinos and Allies for Student Success (ALASS) website or contact alass@palomar.edu. Thank you for your ongoing support. We hope to see you there.

Educational and Facilities Vision Plan Update

This past week our Educational and Facilities planners were on campus wrapping up their listening/visioning sessions. In total they have completed 71 sessions. We have also closed the Vision Plan 2035 survey. Thank you to everyone who participated in a listening session and/or completed the survey.

Comet of the Week
The Comet of the Week is current Acting Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Diane Studinka. When I am out of town on District business she serves as the Acting Superintendent/President and does an exceptional job. Thank you Diane for always being willing to step in, for keeping me well informed, and for supporting the needs of the institution!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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