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.

As many of you know, on Monday, May 8^th, Palomar’s San Marcos campus was placed on lockdown at 8:11 p.m. due to information received from the Sheriff’s Department indicating shots were fired at a nearby sports complex. Campus police responded quickly to this information and a lockdown was issued out of an abundance of caution. Campus police remained in close communication throughout the lockdown with the Sheriff’s Department to protect the campus from an emerging threat. At 9:28 p.m. the lockdown was cleared. Campus police remained onsite to assist employees and students leaving campus. Your safety and well-being remain our top priority.  We are appreciative of our partnership with the Sheriff’s Department and our Campus Police. We remain committed to keeping our campus as safe as possible. Since the incident, we have debriefed, collected input from campus stakeholders, and are exploring ways to continue to improve our District’s response to such incidents.

We understand the lockdown may have been a triggering event for some, and we want to make sure you are aware of the resources available to you. Employees have access to our Employee Assistance Programs and students can contact our Behavioral Health Services team. Access to these resources is a phone call away. The information is provided below.

Employees
Anthem Employee Assistance Program, (800) 999-7222; AnthemEAP.com/sisc Company Code = sisc
VOYA Employee Assistance Program, (877) 533-2363; TDD: (800) 697-0353, guidanceresources.com, WebID = My5848i

Students
Behavioral Health Services (760) 891-7531

Campus Engagement

• Hosted Executive President’s Cabinet.
• Participated in ongoing faculty interviews.
• Attended the Budget Committee meeting.
• Attended our Regular Governing Board meeting.
• Attended the All Campus Forum for our Educational and Facilities Vision Plan.
• Attended the EOPS/SSS/Promise Graduation Celebration.
• Attended the “Current Waves” student composer concert.
• Attended the “Defying Gravity” play.
• Attended this week’s Access & Equity Hour with the DRC. Presenters were Candace Rose and Tina Barlolong who discussed the benefits of Credit for Prior Learning.
• Attended two campus events in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History Month. The first event was the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Young Professionals Panel. The second event was a discussion of the film Chinatown Rising.
• Attended the Transfer Recognition Ceremony.
• Attended the “Comets Launch into Registration” event.
• Attended the La Raza Graduation Ceremony for our Latinx students hosted by ALASS (Association of Latinos & Allies for Student Success).
• Attended the 1^st annual Pride Prom event.
• Spoke at the Pride Center’s “Pride 2023” event.
• Attended the Annual Employee Recognition Extravaganza. A special congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Several awards were given out, including: Administrative Association Employee of the Year- Adrianne Lee, CAST Employee of the Year- Timothy Cross, Classified Employee of the Year- Yvette Maynard, Distinguished Faculty full-time winner- Elizabeth (Betsy) Pain, and Distinguished Faculty part-time winner- Chase Way.

Community Engagement

• Attended the North County Higher Education Alliance (NCHEA) Board meeting. NCHEA is an amazing collaboration between California State University San Marcos, MiraCosta College, and Palomar College that helps to build strong alliances between our institutions that support our students and the North County community.
• Attended A Step Beyond’s Board meeting. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Upcoming Events

• The Asian Pacific Alliance in Higher Education (APAHE) will continue to host events this week in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. For a list of all upcoming events, head over to the APAHE website. Let us amplify the voices of our AANHPI community by learning and engaging together. Faculty, please consider offering extra credit for your students attending AANHPI Month events.

Educational and Facilities Vision Plan Update

On Thursday, we held an all-campus forum to discuss the role and focus of our Education Centers as we plan for our future. Close to 100 campus community members participated in the forum! During the forum, a brief overview of our progress on our Educational and Facilities Vision Plan was presented. Also, described were some of the program areas of focus we are considering for each Center based on the review of data and information provided in our listening sessions. Participants then moved into breakout sessions and provided their ideas and feedback. Task force members will collate the ideas collected, sorting them into themes so they can inform future plans for the Centers. Thank you to everyone who participated.

In Other Campus News

• KPBS did a video feature on Palomar’s partnership with the MAAC Project. The video at this link.
• Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. I would like to recognize all the great teachers here at Palomar that made this academic year awesome for our students.
• Last week was National Nurses Week. The theme for the 2023 Nurses Week was “Our Nurses. Our Future”. Thank you to all our current and future nurses for all you do to care and nurture us all.
• Congratulations to Head Coach Lacey Craft and Assistant Coaches Mark Eldridge, Allie Hughen, and Megan Wachholtz, for being named PCAC Softball Coaching Staff of the Year!

Comets of the Week

The Comets of the Week are Dr. Abbie Cory (Pride Center Co-Director and English Professor) and Dylan Davison (Pride Center Assistant) for the fantastic job planning and hosting this year’s Queer Pride and Prom! I had the pleasure of attending both events and they were flawlessly executed. Thank you both for helping make our LGBTQIA+ student population, and employees, feel welcomed and included.

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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