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 ongoing faculty interviews.
• Hosted Executive President’s Cabinet meeting.
• Attended the Budget Committee meeting where we discussed what metrics we are planning to use to have common definitions when evaluating our District’s fiscal health.
• Visited Counselor Brittany Wong’s Counseling 110 classroom where I had the opportunity to speak with her students about educational pathways and careers.
• Attended the Special Governing Board Meeting where the Trustees learned more about our institution’s demographics, and we reviewed several institutional effectiveness metrics.
• Attended the Coffee with a Cop event at the TLC.
• Attended a meeting with the Professional Development team to conduct a follow-up and planning meeting for plenary.
• Met with our Black/African American Community Advisory Council.
• Attended the North County Choral Festival at the Howard Brubeck Theatre. Choirs from around North County performed. Dr. John Russell (Palomar College Director of Choral and Vocal Studies) was joined by Dr. Christopher Gravis who presented clinics for each performing ensemble in this first annual event.
• Attended the VET NET Ally Training. This training is designed to introduce participants to military/vet culture in order to learn how to be a vet student ally. Thank you, Jessica Horn for bringing this important programming to our campus employees.
• Met with College Council.
• Attended a performance at Dizzy’s featuring two of our talented faculty musicians, Heather Barclay, and Dr. Steven Gray as they performed with 8 plus 88. They also performed this week during our Palomar Concert Hour event.

Community Engagement

• Attended several webinars to support Black Student Success Week sponsored by the State Chancellor’s Office. The webinars discussed immediate opportunities to support Black/African American student success. I appreciated that the student voice was at the center of all the workshops, and I appreciated the “best practices” shared about how to close the racial equity gap. If you missed the 2023 Black Student Success Week webinars, you can find the recordings here.
• Attended A Step Beyond’s College and Career meeting to see how to best support students from the program who will be attending Palomar in the fall.
• Attended the COLEGAS webinar titled, “DSPS through a Racialized Lens: Clearing El Camino for Students with Disabilities.” This webinar discussed and debunked what disability is and stressed the importance of accessibility whether one identifies as having a disability or not.

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

• The second annual Queer Pride event at Palomar College will take place next month on May 10^th from 11:00a.m.-2:00p.m. This event is an important opportunity for faculty, staff, and administrators to demonstrate their support for our LGBTQ+ students and employees here on campus. 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.
• The Pride Center is holding a Queer Prom this year on May 10^th from 4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. in the SU building. There will be a prize for best dressed! Find more information within the event flyer here.
• May is Military Appreciation Month, to all that have served or are serving our country, we want to say, thank you for your service and sacrifice.
• May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Jewish American Heritage Month is a celebration of the contributions and experiences of Jewish Americans and highlights how America’s Jewish communities have shaped and been shaped by the cultural, social, and economic fabric of the United States. A toolkit for ideas to support and engage can be found through this link.
• May is also Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The Asian Pacific Alliance in Higher Education (APAHE) at Palomar College is preparing a series of events in the upcoming weeks to celebrate. For details of all events please visit the APAHE website.

Campus Events and News

• Administrative Professional Day occurred on Wednesday, April 26^th. I would like to thank all our Administrative Professionals here at Palomar College for making our lives better on a daily basis. Our District could not function without you!
• This past week was also National Library Week. Libraries are essential to everyone’s education, and they deserve to be recognized and promoted. I am very proud of Palomar’s libraries and our fantastic-dedicated librarians.
• The Associated Student Government (ASG) will be hosting a Student Focused Q&A Session with Congressman Scott Peters on May 2^nd from 11:00a.m.-12:00p.m. Here is the event flyer for more information.
• The Health Services Showcase will take place on May 2^nd from 1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. Please stop by the department on the San Marcos campus to tour the refreshed spaces and meet the team. In addition to a tour, they will have music, and an ice cream truck. The Student Health Center area, the Behavioral Health Counseling Services area, and the Health Promotion area will be featured. All are invited.
• Our first enrollment Spring Music Festival will take place on May 4^th from 1:00p.m.-6:00p.m. under the clock tower. There is a great line-up of bands who will be performing, and resource tents will be there to provide information on all the outstanding programs Palomar has to offer. Our goal is to hold new types of events to attract potential students. Check out the event flyer here.
• The Annual Employee Recognition Extravaganza is coming up on May 12^th from 1:30p.m.-4:00p.m. I am looking forward to celebrating all our outstanding employees! Here is the event flyer for more details.
• Access the Early Childhood Education Lab School (ECELS) spring newsletter here. I always love reading it, so I wanted to share widely!
• Congratulations to the Media Studies Department on their successful Media Day events this past week!
• Congratulations to our Palomar Speech and Debate Team on their semi-annual Evening of Forensics Speech Showcase this past week! I am already looking forward to the next one.

Educational and Facilities Vision Plan Update

The Educational and Facilities Plan Task Force met on April 20^th. During the meeting, the Task Force discussed linkages between the educational vision plan’s goals and objectives and college facilities. The task force agreed to keep working during the summer to ensure we complete our Vision Plan in the fall. A big thank you to the task force members for all their work and their commitment to completing this plan.

Comets of the Week

The Comets of the Week are the Emergency Medical Education (EME) students and faculty members Sarah DeSimone, Michael Finton, and Skip Clark. This week the Palomar College Foundation hosted a naming event celebration at the Escondido Education Center. Donors, consisting of 30 members of the Assistance League of Inland North County, came to visit so we could thank them for providing scholarships to our students and to showcase their naming plaque in the EME classroom. Faculty members Sarah DeSimone, Michael Finton, and Skip Clark went above and beyond by not just bringing a couple of students, as requested, for the donors to meet, but instead the entire class came to extend their appreciation! The students in paramedic uniforms mingled with our donors and thanked them for supporting their educational journey. Additionally, Sarah and Michael’s meaningful words to the group spoke volumes. This organic, humble, personal touch meant the world to our donors and was simply priceless.

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

For pictures of the various events, follow:
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