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

• Attended the Fallbrook Education Center’s Community Advisory Council meeting.
• Attended a pre-meeting for the 2023-2024 Emergency Preparedness Training Plan.
• Attended the Educational and Facilities Planning Task Force meeting. The meeting focused on the types of facilities we will need over the next 12 years.
• Attended the “Fresh” exhibition at the Boehm Gallery. Congratulations to all the talented artists for producing such a memorable exhibition.
• Attended the Art Department’s Open House. It was all very impressive, and I had the good fortune of experiencing a phenomenal demonstration by our foundry program.
• Attended the Early Childhood Education Lab School Open House-San Marcos. I always enjoy seeing the quality programming our baby comets experience!
• Attended the Tarde de Familia event at the student union. Thank you to all who organized, and participated, in this year’s spectacular community outreach event.
• Attended Latin Nights at the Howard Brubeck Theatre. Congratulations to all the students and faculty involved in producing another outstanding, entertaining, and memorable event.
• Attended this week’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Speaker Series event. This event featured two presentations by Paul Grossman (Retired Civil Rights Attorney) and Jamie Axelrod (Disability Resources Director at Northern Arizona University). The presenters reviewed the evolution of the Disability Rights Movement, taught us how to be a disability ally on campus, and clarified the rights and responsibilities under disability laws for professors. Thank you, Disability Resource Center, Human Resources, and Professional Development, for bringing these experts to our campus.
• Spoke at the annual Palomar College Retiree’s Association (PACRA) Luncheon. I always enjoy spending time with this fantastic group of retired employees who continue to support our institution in a variety of ways.
• Hosted Executive President’s Cabinet meeting.
• Hosted President’s Cabinet meeting.
• Hosted monthly Open Office Hours.
• Hosted a commencement review meeting.
• Hosted separate standing meetings with CCE, PFF, AA/CAST and Faculty Senate leadership.

Community Engagement

• Conducted an interview with NBC 7 San Diego reporter Dana Williams who will be featuring Palomar College in an upcoming story.
• Attended the Fallbrook Avocado Festival, where Palomar had a booth. The festival was attended by thousands of people, and I am very proud of all our outstanding employees who spent their Sunday outreaching in our community. The Palomar booth was extremely popular, and I cannot thank Ryan Williams and Yvette Maynard enough for their exceptional leadership in making this event a success!

Upcoming Events and Campus News

• Media Days returns this week beginning Monday, April 24^th. Please join us for one or more of the informative panels, workshops, or career and academic advising sessions occurring throughout the week. For details and the schedule of events, check out the event flyer.
• Palomar College and CSU San Marcos are partners in presenting the Education Without Borders Celebration event on Tuesday, May 2^nd. For details check out the event flyer.  If you have a question, please contact Dr. Leslie Salas at lsalas@palomar.edu.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Upcoming Events and News

• As we continue our focus on initiatives that address student success and completion, I invite you to join us April 24–April 28, 2023, from noon – 1:00 p.m. each day as we celebrate Black Student Success Week. This year’s theme is “Vision to Action: Building Systems and Structures for Black Student Success.” The webinars are designed for administrators, faculty, staff, and students and will feature insights and panel discussions on how to best support the success of Black students. After each webinar, we will be hosting “watch parties” and providing a light lunch in LRC-116 to view and discuss the webinar series developed by the State Chancellor’s Office to see how we can best use the information for our Palomar students. Registration is open at this event website. We will also host a variety of local Skillshops and workshops throughout the week. A complete schedule can be found on the Palomar College website. For a summary of details, see this event flyer.
• Monday, April 24^th is Genocide Remembrance Day. Palomar College will join other institutions in the opportunity to reflect on past and present genocides, including, but not limited to, the Holocaust, Holodomor, and the Genocides of the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Cambodian, Rwandan, and Indigenous communities. Throughout the remainder of the month, the library at our Rancho Bernardo Education Center is hosting virtual and in-library book displays titled “What Was Lost, What Was Saved”. The display is designed to increase our knowledge about the 6 million Jewish people and 11 million non-Jewish people who were targeted and murdered. In addition, we will learn about the triumphs of people who escaped, resisted, rescued, and will forever be reminders to the rest of us to never forget. For more information, please view the event flyer.
• The second annual Queer Pride event at Palomar College will take place next month on Wednesday, May 10^th. This event is an important opportunity for faculty, staff, and administrators to demonstrate their support for our LGBTQ+ students and employees here on campus. Queer Pride is especially important as we see the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments across the country. Come help us create a space to celebrate the progress we’ve made toward being an inclusive campus. For details, check out the event flyer. Volunteers are still needed to help out on the day of the event. Those interested in volunteering, or those who would like to have a booth, can sign up through this flyer.
• Great news! Palomar College has been selected as one of 20 California Community Colleges to receive the Native American Student Support and Success Program Grant (NASSSP). This grant will allow us to expand our services and support our Native American students on our campus and in our District.
• Palomar’s Cafeteria has been made more welcoming, accessible, and inclusive! A blind/low-vision student, brought to our attention that there was an access barrier in our cafeteria. After several meetings and discussions with Food Service Director-Nick Menotti, support from DRC’s Sarah Baker and Dan Dryden the following was accomplished: 1) QR codes to accessible menus to allow blind/low vision students to know what food is prepared/available. 2) Braille labels on the Fountain drink machine. 3) and the creation of Braille menus. The DRC would like to extend their appreciation to Nick for making these critical changes in a timely manner. Also, a huge note of gratitude to our wonderful DRC student for his courage and advocacy to make necessary changes to our campus experience to be more accessible, usable, and inclusive for our entire community.

Comets of the Week

The Comets of the Week are the Palomar winners of the San Diego Chapter, American Association for Women in Community Colleges (SDCAAWCC) 2023 Phenomenal Women of the Year Region X awards. The recipients are Student Woman of the Year-Breeana Stephens, Faculty Woman of the Year-Dr. Susan Miller, Classified Woman of the Year-Cheryl Kearse, and Administrator Woman of the Year-Teresa Laughlin. Congratulations to you all for this well-deserved recognition. Please mark your calendars and plan to join SDCAAWCC for their annual Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 5^th, from 11:00a.m.-2:00p.m. at the Educational Cultural Complex at the San Diego College of Continuing Education. Lunch will be provided. Register for the event by clicking on this event flyer.

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

For pictures of the various events, follow:
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