Welcome back, and I hope everyone enjoyed their spring break. Over the break, César Chávez Day was observed on March 31^st. This holiday celebrates the birth and legacy of the civil rights labor movement activist whose lifetime commitment to empowering silenced voices continues to inspire us today. To learn more about the holiday, and to read the 2022 White House César Chávez Day Proclamation, click here.

National Deaf History Month
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has declared mid-March through mid-April as National Deaf History Month. The intent of this designation is to spread awareness about American deaf history and to highlight the experiences of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. We have a great upcoming opportunity to learn more by attending our Palomar Equity Speakers Series event featuring Catarina Rivera who will be speaking about her personal journey with disability, being hard of hearing, ableism and its societal presence, her perspective on intersectionality as a disabled Latina, and her work as an entrepreneur and content creator. The event will be held virtually, Thursday, April 14^th from 4:00pm-5:15pm. More information is available here and the zoom link can be found here.

Community Engagement
This week I met with CSUSM College President, Dr. Ellen Neufeldt and MiraCosta College President, Dr. Sunny Cooke. We discussed, and planned, how to strengthen the relationship between our three institutions with a specific focus on what we want to accomplish through our North County Higher Education Alliance (NCHEA). Our NCHEA partnership has been extremely successful in supporting and improving the educational opportunities for North County citizens for many years. NCHEA promotes working relationships and active communication among faculty, staff, and students at our three institutions by focusing on student learning and the seamless transfer of students from lower to upper division programs. A special thanks to Luis Guerro, Matt Grills, and Marti Snyder who have been working closely with me in order to assure the continued success of this critical alliance.

Campus Engagement
During the Governing Board meeting this week, the Board passed a resolution officially proclaiming support of faculty, staff, and administrators who are working toward achieving our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals and objectives. This resolution, along with our Title IX policies and procedures, substantiates the District’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of our employees.

At the same meeting, President of the Palomar College Faculty Senate, Rocco Versaci, included in his report a statement in support of creating a safe and supportive environment for all employees who are involved with our District’s DEI efforts. The statement, supported by the Faculty Senate and its subcommittee, Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Cultural Consciousness, called for college leadership to implement policies and procedures that address threats against faculty with a sense of urgency. The following seven items were specifically called out:

• Acknowledgement and transparency of threats to Palomar employees  
• Swift and public condemnation of threatening and hateful attacks  
• Response with urgency to support employees  
• Immediately draft a plan to respond to these threats, which will then be brought to all constituent groups for feedback and input   
• Proactive and intentional actions to provide protection and safety by creating and implementing practices to cultivate a physically and psychologically safe environment, rather than a reactive approach that places burden on targeted employees  
• Develop a safe reporting mechanism in collaboration with EEDCCC and HR to keep a record, provide support, and accountability  
• Align intention with action for social justice, DEI, and antiracism work and Palomar employees who conduct/embody these efforts for the Palomar College community  

I would like to take this time to underscore that I, and the Governing Board, are prepared to address these concerns immediately. Initial conversations already took place this past week at our All-District Leadership meeting and College Council meeting. I have also already scheduled, for our next Governing Board meeting, a presentation that summarizes and discusses the District’s current protections in place to ensure a safe working and learning environment for students and employees.

Please note, any student or employee who feels unsafe for any reason, is strongly encouraged to immediately contact our Title IX officer, Shawn Cohen (scohen@palomar.edu) at 760-744-1150 ext. 2608 or may choose to utilize the Unlawful Discrimination Complaint Form to file a discrimination or Title IX/sexual misconduct concern associated with any student or employee. In addition, the Student Incident Report is available to report any alleged student code of conduct violation or student concern that requires basic needs resources. For more information on resources and support, please visit the following webpage. Also please note, our Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Human Resources, David Montoya (dmontoya@palomar.edu) is prepared to make himself readily available for any concerns or questions. These efforts remain a top priority for the District, and I will keep you updated on forthcoming discussions and associated results. Hate is not a Palomar College value and district leadership is prepared to protect the rights and safety of our community members.

Also, in the spirit of keeping our campus community safe, a very big thank you to Heather Schmidt with CCC Tech Connect who created a micro-training video on how to deter unwanted behavior during zoom meetings. The video has been closed-captioned for accessibility. Here is the link to the very useful video.

COVID-19
This week we held our COVID-19 Update meeting. We will be hosting a vaccination clinic on April 14^th from 10:00am–2:00p.m. in the Student Union Quad (note: GradFest will also be held on this day). COVID monitors, in addition to serving San Marcos and Fallbrook, are now set up at the Escondido Library. As of now, no major changes to our current COVID-19 procedures are scheduled for the rest of the semester. The recording of the meeting can be found here. As a reminder, if you are not feeling well, please refrain from coming to campus, and fill out this form so we are able to support you.

Comets of the Week
Congratulations to our Media Studies and Digital Broadcast Arts colleagues! The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) has announced its first annual rankings of schools based on the creative achievement of their students. Palomar made the list, coming in at #91, in the company of some other great media programs around the country. You can read the full announcement from BEA here. Congrats and job well done!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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

Spring Break officially begins tomorrow Monday, March 28 and we will resume normal operations on April 4. I hope everyone has a well-earned relaxing and safe spring break!

Cabinetry and Furniture Technology Program Spotlight
Palomar’s Cabinetry and Furniture Technology (CFT) program was featured in, The Furniture Society’s newsletter (found here). The Furniture Society is the premier non-profit organization representing, promoting, and connecting furniture makers, designers, collectors, curators, educators, and manufacturers from around the world. Our CFT program prepares students to open their own woodworking business or become employed by a high-end woodworking related business. The program is 60 years old and features world-class facilities, phenomenal instructors, and a dedicated and talented student body. Palomar is very proud of this program and it’s great to see its excellence being recognized.

The Week in Review
Campus Engagement
This week, I was able to present at two Women’s History Month events. The first event was Rescatando Suenos/Rescuing Dreams de Latinas. I had the privilege of co-presenting with Dr. Sabrina Menchaca. The topic of the workshop was about accepting self-identity through an interactive process and building resilience by reconnecting with our dreams. We discussed self-care and facilitating personal and professional growth. The second event was Continuing Education Tips for Education Professionals. At this workshop, panel members shared ideas and best practices for working professionals who have decided to continue their education. We examined and discussed the competing priorities working professionals face. This presentation was organized and hosted by Cheryl Kearse. Thank you to both of these powerful women for providing the space for these important and timely discussions.

I also met with members of the Asian Pacific Alliance in Higher Education (APAHE) this week. I appreciate Angela Kong, Gary Sosa, Joseph Limer, and Monica Diego Schmidt for the gift of their time and insightful perspective. During our meeting we discussed institutional priorities that would support APAHE’s mission. APAHE is a collective group of students, employees, and community members dedicated to creating safe and courageous spaces to learn, network, present research, and provide supportive resources for teaching and learning. They are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and are passionate about sharing cultural identities and advocating for social justice education. If you are interested in learning more about the group, you can find their webpage here.

I also had the awesome opportunity to meet with the ESL Department. I met virtually with the larger group, and then I toured the department in person. I am absolutely amazed by the incredible work that happens in ESL. Thank you for the invite to learn more about the department, and a special thank you to Tracy Fung for coordinating the visit. I also met with the Pride Center this week, and we discussed upcoming events they are currently planning (including the Progressive Pride Flag unveiling). Great job Abbie Cory and Dylan Davison. I always enjoy meeting with student leaders, and this week I met with Student Trustee Rachel Alazar to discuss specific student concerns and to generate ideas to address them. Also, Faculty hiring continues, and I am excited about what these new hires will bring to Palomar College.

On Saturday, I had the incredible privilege of attending Mr. John Diaz’s Memorial. Mr. Diaz retired from Palomar in 2015, after serving as an Instructional Computer Lab Technician for 16 years. He was a highly decorated 26-year Veteran. His recognitions included the awarding of a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, and Silver Star. Palomar employees Jessica Horn, Robert Sedillo and I had the privilege of presenting the re-issuance of his Silver Star to the family at the service.

Community Engagement
This week, I attended the California Community College League of California’s CEO Webinar. The League provided an update on the state budget and the association’s efforts to advocate for districts in this critical budget year. I also met with three different outside organizations who are interested in partnering with Palomar, and I will have share more once the relationships become more finalized.

COVID-19
On Thursday, we held our Weekly COVID-19 Update Meeting to answer questions and provide updates. Please note, after spring break these meetings will be held on a bi-weekly schedule. The meetings will be held on the 1^st and 3^rd Thursday of every month. In case you missed the meeting, you can find the recording here.

The District is recommending COVID-19 testing for all employees, and students, who are traveling outside of California and the United States during spring break. During spring break the COVID-19 testing site at the main campus will only be open on Tuesday, March 29 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. All other testing sites will be closed during the spring break. Appointments are required and can be made through the Cleared4 platform. Our onsite testing schedule will resume normal operating hours on Monday, April 4. The testing schedule is noted here. Also, the San Diego County Department of Public Health Services continues to offer free COVID-19 testing. For your convenience, the County’s testing schedule can be found here.

Comet of the Week
Our Comet of the Week is Jason Bennett, our new COVID Administrator, who has done a great job onboarding our new campus COVID Monitors. These monitors have been helping students around the campus with COVID-clearance issues and answering questions. Thank you for all your hard work in this area Jason!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

For pictures of the various events, follow:

Twitter: @palomardrstar
Instagram: @palomardrstar

This week began with Pi Day. Pi Day (March 14) celebrates the mathematical constant Pi, which is an irrational, transcendent, and never-ending ratio that helps describe circles of all sizes. Here is to hoping you got a slice of pie this week in honor of the day. Speaking of math and science, I have some great news for Palomar. The National Science Foundation has awarded Palomar a special grant. This grant forms a partnership between Southwestern College and Palomar College to provide online drone operation classes to the Pacific Island States (American Samoa Community College, College of Marshall Islands, College of Micronesia, Northern Marianas College, and Palau Community College) as well as to local high school students. Palomar’s main role in the grant is to run summer drone camps (virtual or in-person) for high school students in the local region as well as students in the Pacific Islands. This is an exciting project that will diversify the composition of the drone workforce, as well as ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion in our drone program. Thank you to Dr. Wing Cheung, and Richard Loucks for securing this wonderful opportunity.

Campus Engagement Highlights
On Monday, we had a very special event on campus: Disability & Innovation: A Conversation with Haben Girma. It was an honor to host Haben on our campus, she is both an inspiring speaker and advocate. Haben spoke about the importance of investing in accessibility and inclusivity for disabled people, and how to break down access barriers in education. I learned a lot about how we can make our community more inclusive. I am excited to put the principles she shared with us into action and to consider accessibility in our decision-making. A special thank you to our colleagues in the Disability Resource Center at Palomar and the Student Accessibility Services team at MiraCosta College. I love that a collaboration between our two institutions is what made this event a reality.

On Tuesday, the Governing Board held a special meeting. Our colleagues did an excellent job presenting to the Board. Dean Justin Smiley presented on our Arts, Media and Business Administration Division, Shawna Cohen presented on our district’s compliance officer training, and Adrianne Lee and Jessica Horn prepared an informative presentation on our Veteran’s Resource Center. At this meeting, Tricia Frady was also nominated as Palomar’s Classified Employee of the Year! Tricia is a Business Systems Analyst, and she has done exceptional work in making our websites and online processes simpler and more accessible to students. She has been a part of our team for over twenty years, and we appreciate her dedication, exceptional hard work, and support for the entire institution.

On Wednesday, I met with Director Sherry Titus and the Student Life and Leadership team to plan for our 2022 Commencement Ceremony which we are planning to have in person this year.

On Friday, we had an internal strategies meeting to discuss how to improve enrollment at our Education Centers. Thank you, Dr. Jack Kahn, Tom Medel, Ryan Williams, and Julie Lanthier Bandy for an extremely productive meeting. I am also happy to report that we made significant strides with electronic signage at our Escondido campus over the past few weeks.

This week I also engaged in several hiring interviews. The amount of work that goes into organizing and coordinating all these meetings is extraordinary. I want to take a moment to recognize our dedicated HR recruiting staff. Thank you, Supervisor Monique Dumbrique, Stephanie Ybarra, Celina de la Torre, and Patricia Bravo, for your exceptional work in this area.

I also had the good fortune of meeting with professor Tanessa Sanchez at a local event this week. We had the opportunity to discuss HyFlex teaching at Palomar. HyFlex is a teaching modality that makes class meetings and materials available both online and in-person, allowing the student to choose their preference. Erin Hiro, Barbara Hammons, Molly Faulkner, and Tanessa Sanchez are Palomar’s pioneers of the HyFlex teaching modality. They have successfully implemented, created training, and coached other faculty in this approach that meets the accessibility and equity needs for all students. I love learning about these types of amazing, forward-thinking approaches we are engaging in as an institution.

Speaking of amazing, the Little Shop of Horrors performance was outstanding! This is one of my favorite musicals and seeing it performed so well by our Palomar Performing Arts department was a moment of true Palomar pride. The in-person event was sold out, but there was also a zoom viewing option. I cannot say enough about this incredible event. A special note of appreciation to Director- Kathy Brombacher, Music Director- Ellen Weller, and Co-Director & Choreographer- Valerie Clark.

Community Engagement Highlights
On Tuesday, I attended a webinar hosted by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). The meeting was about the changes in distance education regulations. They discussed ideas on how to address the new distance education regulations including concrete steps to communicate these changes and how to integrate them into policies and professional development.

On Thursday, I had the privilege of providing the keynote address at the EOPS Student Leadership Conference. The theme this year was, “We are EOPS Strong: Rising Through Adversity!” I spoke about my passion and commitment to making higher education more accessible and inclusive. If you’re unfamiliar with EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services), it is a state-funded program designed to provide counseling, retention, and support services to increase college enrollment for those individuals who have previously not considered college as an option. Our own Palomar EOPS strives to alleviate the educational barriers that preclude many students from college attendance. Then on Friday, I spoke at the EOPS Employee Spring Retreat. I shared my thoughts on adjusting to a new “normal” after COVID and how to engage in self-care as we support our students through these changing times. Thank you, Steven Salter, for the generous invitation to speak and the amazing work you and the EOPS team do to support our Palomar EOPS students.

COVID-19
We hosted our Weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus and Update meeting on Thursday to provide updates and news regarding COVID. To recap, on Wednesday our COVID monitor team held an antigen test distribution event and delivered antigen tests to the sites that requested them. We are currently having vaccine events on campus. Here is a link to our campus’ testing schedule. You can also order free antigen tests from the federal government here. Communications regarding the importance of testing before and after leaving the state/country will be sent out soon. We encourage you to test prior to returning to campus. If you missed the meeting, please watch the recording here. Please note, after Spring Break, the meetings will move from taking place weekly to every other week.

Comet of the Week
The Comet of the Week is Child Development Professor Jenny Fererro. Jenny has been awarded the 2022 Woman of the Year at Palomar College by the Empowered Women’s Alliance. Jenny has contributed outstanding leadership in the college’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Antiracism efforts, and with the Women Empowerment efforts for the region. She is an active member and serves as part of the leadership of the Empowered Women’s Alliance and serves as a regional representative for Palomar College for the San Diego Chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges. Her participation in the pronoun project, campus book clubs, lactation pods, women’s history month celebrations, food drives, pride month, academic senate involvement, and regional and statewide involvement with regards to DEI, Antiracism makes this choice obvious. Congratulations Jenny!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

For pictures of the various events, follow:

Twitter: @palomardrstar

Instagram: @palomardrstar

Tuesday, March 8th was International Women’s Day! This global celebration highlights the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. This year’s campaign theme is #BreakTheBias. Its purpose is to inspire people to act against bias and discrimination towards women, and forge equality and inclusivity.

Campus Engagement
To celebrate International Women’s Day, as well as Women’s History Month, a wide range of online events are taking place. You can view the calendar of events here. This week I was able to attend two of the events. The first was focused on Title IX: Rights, Resources, and Responding to Sexual Misconduct. The presentation provided participants with extensive information about how Palomar College responds to sexual misconduct incidents and the gender nondiscrimination rights and resources that Title IX affords. Great job Shawna Cohen for presenting this topic in a sensitive and informative manner. The second event I attended was the Women in the Labor Movement presentation. This talk explored the crucial role of women in the labor movement in the past and present. I learned more about how women’s efforts in the labor movement brought about increased rights, pay, safety, and solidarity. Thank you, Barbara Baer and Teresa Laughlin, for an excellent and informative presentation.

To prepare for Haben Girma’s visit to our campus tomorrow, I attended the Disability Resource Center’s (DRC) screening of a recorded interview with Haben on Tuesday. If you are unaware of Haben Girma, she is a celebrated author, human rights lawyer, and advocate for people with disabilities. She is also the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School. She will speak during a special event in Brubeck Theater on Monday, March 14, at 4:00 p.m. During the event, Haben will share how she became an advocate and what communities can do to become more inclusive. The event is being co-hosted by Palomar College and MiraCosta College. The address will also be streamed via Zoom.

On Thursday, I was able to stop by the Puente Club sponsored movie night. We watched A Better Life, a film that explores the Chicano/a experience in America. For those of you unfamiliar with Puente, it is a national award-winning program that helps students transfer to obtain 4-year degrees. Thank you, Lisette Ordorica Lasater, Sonia Gutierrez, and Cynthia Cordova for the invite and creating a space for our students to come together and spend time with each other on campus.

Also, a big thank you to Jenny Ferrero, Rocco Versaci, and David Montoya for meeting with me this week and making progress on the faculty hiring process.

Community Engagement
My goal when it comes to community engagement is for Palomar to gain recognition for our amazing accomplishments and student-centered approach. I aim to be Palomar College’s best ambassador in the community which leads to increased visibility and garners potential financial opportunities. This week I was able to do so on a local, statewide, and national level.

I was also happy to attend the Celebrating Women in Business event hosted by the North San Diego Business Chamber. Thank you to our Foundation Executive Director, Stacy Rungaitis, foundation staff, and other President’s Associates members who attended the event and helped promote Palomar College.

This week I attended the American Council on Education Conference 2022. It’s always an honor to represent Palomar College on a national stage. The panel I served on discussed community college leadership and revolved around inclusive practices, institutional policies, institutional innovations, employee retention, student degree attainment, and student completion. I was honored to present with Dr. Julianna Barnes (President, Cuyamaca College), Dr. Carlos Turner Cortez (Chancellor, San Diego Community College District), Dr. Mark Sanchez (Superintendent/President, Southwestern Community College), and Dr. Ted Martinez (Superintendent/President Emeritus, Rio Hondo College).

My week ended at the USC Latino Scholarship Gala. The gala recognized students who displayed exemplary academic achievement, leadership, and community service. I felt honored to sit at the same table as the California Community Colleges State Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley where we were able to discuss about Palomar and our recent positive accreditation report. Other attendees included Dr. Mike Munoz (Superintendent/President, Long Beach City College), Dr. Mark Sanchez (Superintendent/President, Southwestern College), Dr. Annebelle Nery (President Santa Ana College), Dr. Pamela Ralston (President, Santiago Canyon College), Dr. Alberto Roman (President, East Los Angeles College), and Dr. Marvin Martinez (Chancellor, Rancho Santiago Community College District). It was great to see so many community college leaders in attendance. Community colleges serve as a gateway to higher educational attainment, and proactively strengthening the academic pipelines from the community college to the 4-year is paramount.

COVID-19
Thursday, we held our Weekly COVID-19 Update Meeting. We are aware of the constant changes happening in terms of mandates and we are meeting daily to stay updated. Our goal is to create a sense of stability for our campus. Our COVID monitor team members have distributed and shipped out antigen test kits and started working at the LRC to assist students with Cleared4 passes. To ensure that Palomar can provide support and resources to faculty, staff, and students with potential or confirmed exposure to COVID-19, the College is requesting that individuals (or a designee) complete this questionnaire. Our COVID website is updated with current onsite testing hours are noted. If you missed the meeting, please review the recording here.

Comet of the Week
The Comet of the week is Head Athletic Trainer, Flecicia Heise. On Friday evening, Flecicia won the California Community College Athletic Trainers Association’s Athletic Trainer of the Year award! This award is a tremendous professional honor, and we are very proud of Flecicia and her accomplishment.

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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

We did it! This week our accreditation site visit was conducted, and the preliminary results look extremely promising! Our Accreditation Peer Review team’s verbal Exit Report indicated no recommendations for Palomar to meet accreditation standards, and only three recommendations for institutional effectiveness improvement. The visiting team commended the College on several items, with a formal commendation related to Professional Development. This is the most positive Exit Report ever received by Palomar. With this news, Palomar College is on track for reaffirmation of our accreditation status.

Our success is a result of your daily commitment to meet our accreditation standards and your preparedness for the visit. I thank everyone who participated and our dedicated colleagues who led us through the process. I want to express my sincere gratitude to our outstanding Accreditation Liaison Officer, Michelle Barton, and our amazing Accreditation Writing Leadership Team (AWLT): Adam Meehan, Jeannette Garceau, Justin Smiley, Marti Snyder, and Rachel Miller. They were instrumental in this positive outcome as they led the work to craft our ISER and to prepare us for the visit. Also, a special thank you to Matt Grills, our room monitors, and the Information Services and Academic Technology team. They ensured we experienced a seamless virtual visit.

The visiting team will now finalize their formal report and provide us with an opportunity to make any factual corrections. Upon completion of this step, the report will then be provided to ACCJC for acceptance and action at their June meeting. It is expected that we will receive a formal response from ACCJC in July. Once the process is officially completed, we will most definitely celebrate as a campus! On behalf of the Governing Board, and myself, thank you to everyone who helped make this accreditation visit an overwhelming success!

Congratulations Dr. Kahn
Congratulations are in order for Dr. Kahn! He has been unanimously appointed as the new President of Shoreline Community College (near Seattle, Washington). Albeit bittersweet for Palomar College, we could not be happier for this well-earned accomplishment. Since joining Palomar College in 2013, Dr. Kahn’s student-focused work has always been a model of professionalism and dedication. His positive impact will be felt for years to come. I am very appreciative of Dr. Kahn, his work, his sense of humor, and his dedication to Palomar College. Please join me in officially congratulating Jack!

Housing Planning Grant
This week, Palomar College was recommended by the California Department of Finance to be funded for the State of California Affordable Housing Planning Grant. The purpose of the $820,000 grant is to explore the possibility of providing affordable student housing on campus. It could potentially move us forward in terms of equity, access, and student success. Final approval of the funds will come from the legislature in June. Thank you, Vikash Lakhani, Ambur Borth, Leslie Salas, Michelle Barton, Dennis Astl, and Chris Miller for preparing and submitting the successful grant.

CEO Symposium
Once the accreditation visit was over, I spent the weekend attending the Community College League of California’s CEO Symposium in San Diego. I joined other community college chancellors, superintendent/presidents, and presidents from across the state to discuss current issues we face as a system. A specific focus was placed on system-wide enrollment decline, COVID-19 protocols, and new funding models.

Women’s History Month at Palomar College
March is Women’s History Month. This month we honor the contributions and achievements women have made over the course of history. In honor of Women’s History Month, the Palomar College Empowered Women Alliance and Palomar’s Gender and Women’s Studies Club have teamed up to bring us a line-up of great events. You can view the calendar here. Please consider supporting these events which will all be held via Zoom.

COVID-19
We held our weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus and Update meeting. We discussed details about returning to campus and addressed potential improvements. In addition to hosting an antigen test distribution event on Thursday, our new team of COVID monitors provided test kits to the Student Health Center for distribution. The Emergency Operations Center is collaborating with Palomar College Television (PCTV) to create a video demonstrating how our COVID monitoring stations will work. The video will be posted on our COVID website and our social media sites next week. We also discussed that planning for an onsite-traditional Commencement is underway. The Governing Board also ratified vaccine incentives and telecommuting stipends for short-term and student employees. If you missed the meeting, please watch the recording here. Please note, we are aware of the changing mask mandates and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Comet of the Week
The Comet of the Week is our Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO), Senior Director Michelle Barton! Michelle’s efforts were incredible! She was the driving force behind our institutional accreditation efforts. Throughout the visit this past week there were times where we were on the phone at 7:30 a.m. strategizing for the day, talking with each other throughout the day, and then talking on the phone debriefing and planning as late as 10:00 p.m. I am extremely grateful for her extraordinary effort in this role, and I am convinced that her exemplary work ethic made all the difference in this process!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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

Our main campus and Education Centers are once again open for onsite classes and services, and it is great to be back! This was made evident on Wednesday, February 23 when Student Life and Leadership, under the direction of Sherry Titus, hosted the successful Comet Together event. After being predominately online for the past two years, it was wonderful to see the different departments come together to welcome back our employees and students. Even in the rain, students were able to learn about the helpful services we provide to support their academic success. Also, a special thank you to Palomar TV for capturing some of the festivities. You can find the video they produced here. I am appreciative of all those who supported this event, including Trustee Kartik Raju and the entire Executive Team who were present for the event. I sincerely believe this marks the start of a great new chapter for Palomar.

Accreditation
Our accreditation site visit is here! The upcoming week will consist of several meetings where the visiting team will be looking for evidence of what we wrote on our Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER). Over the past month, the visiting team has reviewed our ISER and our supporting evidence. They will now have the opportunity to ask us questions about the information we submitted. Beginning Monday, and lasting through Thursday morning, the visiting team will virtually engage us through a series of interviews.

Open Forums: 

• Monday, February 28^th (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
• Tuesday, March 1^st (10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.)

Exit Report:

• Thursday, March 3^rd (11:00 a.m.)

You can sign up to attend these meetings on the Accreditation webpage. As a reminder, if you are in a meeting with the accreditation peer review team, please make sure your camera is on, and you show your Palomar spirit by using one of our 75^th Anniversary backgrounds. These backgrounds are loaded in your zoom background collection, or they can also be found here. The entire visit will be virtual, but we are convinced our Comet Pride will come through. This visit represents the culmination of all the work, effort, and dedication our colleagues put forth to prepare for this event that takes place every seven years. I am grateful to all who made this visit a success.

Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month begins this upcoming week on March 1^st. There are many exciting events planned, including workshops focused on topics such as Women and the Labor Movement, Live Poetry, Working Moms, Gender Non-Conformity, Imposter Syndrome, Chicana Art, and more. All events will be held online. You can find the schedule and links here. Also attached is a flyer for your convenience. In support of these events, many faculty are offering their classes extra credit for attendance. Please consider in what ways you can support these events.

The Week in Review
Campus Engagement

The Palomar Black Staff and Faculty Staff Association (PBFSA) continued to host events in honor of the Black History Month Workshop Series: Black History: Wellness of Spirit, Strength of Will. I was able to attend two events this week: the Meet Palomar College Black Counseling Faculty Discussion Panel and the Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Abuse and Impact on the Developing Brain and Black Families workshop. I left both workshops with excellent resources and invaluable information.

This week I attended three budget focused events: the Budget Committee, the State of the Budget meeting, and a Budget Review meeting (with Trustee Christian Garcia and Board President Norma Miyamoto). All three of these events are designed to keep Palomar’s fiscal health, and potential concerns, as a central priority. We also successfully submitted our February Fiscal Monitor Report. If you are interested in reviewing it, it can be found here.

This week also consisted of meeting with Palomar employees. I held my monthly President Office Hours, and I was pleasantly surprised by the many different individuals who made the effort to connect. Although these meetings are only 20 minutes in length, it really helps for me to get a good sense of what amazing activities are happening on campus. I also visited the Graphic Communications department thanks to the invitation from professor Wade Rollins. Please continue to invite me so I can learn more about your specific area/department.

Meeting with constituent leadership remains a priority, and this week I had the opportunity to meet with CCE, CAST, and AA to discuss topics such as hiring priorities, reorganization, and updating handbooks. I also continue to meet with PBFSA leadership to make sure that we as an institution continue to prioritize what is important to our Palomar Black faculty, staff, and students. The week ended with a College Council meeting where discussion took place regarding the importance of transitioning to gender-neutral language in our Board Policies and Administrative Procedures. A very big thank you to Professor Jenny Ferrero for all the work she has done in this area. We also continued our discussion regarding enrollment challenges, and professors Cynthia Cordova and Eduardo Aguilar presented on recommendations for becoming an authentic Hispanic Serving Institution.

I would like to formally thank Disability Resource Center Director, Shauna Moriarty, her staff, and faculty who hosted Trustee Kartik Raju for a tour. I also appreciate the efforts of Escondido Center Director, Tom Medel, who toured Trustee Christian Garcia and myself on Friday morning. Being able to see our services and facilities up close makes a significant difference when establishing district policy and operation plans.

Last Thursday, the Emergency Medical Education Paramedic Academy Graduation and Awards Ceremony took place. I was joined by Board President Norma Miyamoto, Trustee Mark Evilsizer, Vice President Jack Kahn, and Dean Susan Wyche. It is always a highlight to see our students achieve the milestone of graduation, and to know they will make significant contributions in our communities.

COVID-19
We held our weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus and COVID-19 Update meeting. We discussed current COVID infection rates in the region and specifics regarding our return to campus. The process of hiring a team of campus COVID-19 monitors and establishing monitoring stations remain a top priority. If you missed the meeting, here is the link to the recording.

Next Thursday, March 3^rd, the District will be distributing antigen test kits for employees at a distribution event to be announced. Forthcoming is communication regarding COVID-19 supplemental sick leave. Also, an updated set of Frequently Asked Questions was sent via email and posted on the COVID-19 webpage under the Employee Communications library section. A special thank you to Health Services for hosting our vaccination and immunization event this past Thursday. The COVID-19 Onsite Testing Schedule for February 22 – May 27 is now posted on the website.

Comets of the Week
Palomar’s very own Women’s Basketball Team are the 2021-2022 Pacific Coast Conference Champions! The Lady Comets finished the season with an overall 24-2 conference record. Congratulations to Head Coach, Leigh Marshall, and the entire team!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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

I hope everyone had a relaxing four-day weekend in honor of Presidents Day. As you all know, we return to campus on Tuesday, February 22. I am very excited to be back on campus and to welcome everyone back. I understand there may be some anxiety about returning to campus, and I want to reassure our staff, faculty, and students that we are taking every necessary precaution to keep everyone safe. Let’s all work together to create a welcoming positive environment for our long-awaited return. A big thank you to Student Life and Leadership who will be hosting Comet Together on Wednesday, February 23 (see attached).  The entire Executive Team will be present at this resource fair along with several departments. The event will take place from 10:00am to 1:00pm at the Student Union Quad

HWY 78 Math Fields Day
Palomar, MiraCosta, and CSUSM will be hosting the third annual HWY 78 Math Fields Day competition (see attached). The event will take place on Saturday, March 5^th, 2022, from 9 am-1 pm. Please promote this opportunity to our students. The competition is FREE for all students, and the registration link can be found here! Students taking algebra and above can participate.

• The first 100 early registrations get free T-shirts (shipped).
• There will be two tests, one solely on precalculus and below knowledge, and another solely on Calculus 1. Students can register to take both or just one of the tests. There will be Math talks for any students that choose not to take one of the tests.
• Every student participates as an individual
• Prizes will be awarded for the top places in each test
• This is a virtual event

The Week in Review
Campus Engagement
In honor of Black History Month, the Palomar Black Faculty and Staff Association (PBFSA) continued hosting the workshop series entitled Black History: Wellness of Spirit, Strength of Will. This week’s thought-provoking line-up included, “How to Improve your Diversity IQ” and “The Demise of the Black Language and Those Affected by It”. For a list of upcoming events please click here or view the calendar of events on our website.

I was invited to the Academic Senate meeting this past week where I heard concerns regarding the number of face-to-face classes tentatively scheduled for the fall semester. We also discussed marketing concerns and how to reduce enrollment barriers and increase enrollment incentives. Also, this week our Governing Board held a special meeting to conduct their mid-year review of goals and tasks.

Community Engagement
On Monday, I attended the monthly San Diego Imperial Counties Community College Association (SDICCCA) for the monthly gathering of CEOs, Public Information Officers and Trustees. We discussed the enrollment challenges the region is experiencing and indoor masking requirements. In attendance for the first hour were representatives from Pacific Coast Athletic Conference. We discussed Senate Bill 206 and the need to give community college student-athletes the same protections that 4-year degree-granting institutions provide to their student-athletes. We also talked about the return of spectators and the future of public sporting events for community colleges. I was then joined by Governing Board Vice President Roberto Rodriguez for the Board Alliance portion of the meeting.  He reported on Palomar district updates and joined the conversation regarding the role of the alliance.

This week I virtually attended the first Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Spring 2022 webinar titled Annual Reporting and Annual Fiscal Reporting. Each spring, ACCJC accredited institutions are required to submit both an Annual Report and Annual Fiscal Report to the Commission. ACCJC, as part of its role, monitors institutional performance. ACCJC staff provided an overview of the recently revised reports and made themselves available to answer questions.

I also attended a legislative briefing with a representative from Darrell Issa’s Office. Alongside the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Chancellor and other representatives, we had the opportunity to advocate for resources that support our colleges. Thank you to our students who spoke and for the support of Trustees Christian Garcia and Kartik Raju who were present to support.

During the California Community College’s 2022 Student Equity and Achievement Plan 2.0 meeting, I learned about the intent behind the redesigned upcoming Plan. Discussion regarding the new questions, disproportionate impact data, and best practices took place. As you may recall, the Plan is focused on boosting achievement as measured by specific “success indicators” (access; course completion; ESL and basic skills completion; degrees and certificates awarded; and transfer rates) and requires each college to develop detailed goals and measures to address identified disparities.

Trustee Mark Evilsizer and I virtually attended a special presentation hosted by CSUSM Professor Dr. Joely Proudfit. The event, Confronting Anti-Indigenous Racism and Colonialism in California provided historical context for the current state of education, and ongoing barriers to equal educational access Indigenous Peoples are still facing today. It was well attended and sponsored by the Alliance for Regional Solutions that includes members from over sixty North County nonprofit organizations, eight North County cities, and the county. These types of events are a great reminder of why we must continually invest in equitizing our educational institutions.

COVID-19
On Thursday, we held our COVID-19 Return to Campus Update meeting. The meeting was focused on our return to onsite work and learning on February 22, and Governor Newsom’s new SMARTER plan. SMARTER is an acronym for the plan’s seven areas of focus: shots, masks, awareness, readiness, testing, education, and Rx treatments. The SMARTER plan is designed to begin treating the COVID-19 crisis as an endemic rather than a pandemic. You can review Governor Newsom’s new plan here. Please also review VP Montoya’s February 17 email to all employees to read our health and safety precautions for our safe return to onsite work and learning. The correspondence has been added to the Employee Communications Library on the COVID-19 website. Facial coverings will continue to be required indoors despite vaccination status. Additionally, antigen test kits will be distributed to employees and students during the week of February 28. If you missed the meeting, please view the recording at this link.

Accreditation
Our site visit is one week away! The accreditation writing leadership team is working to gather additional evidence and schedule interviews as requested by our visiting team. For more information on the site visit, please visit the accreditation website here.

Two open forums are scheduled for students, faculty, staff, and administrators to share their perspectives with the team on our efforts to meet Accreditation Standards. Registration is required to attend. You can register on the accreditation webpage here or through the 3PD portal. Below are the dates and times of the forums:

• Tuesday, March 1 from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 2 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Since our visit is virtual, the Accreditation Steering Committee is requesting that everyone show their Palomar College spirit by using one of our new 75^th Anniversary backgrounds. These backgrounds have been loaded into your zoom background collection. You can also access them here.

Finally, ACCJC asks that participants engaging in the virtual site visit keep their cameras on and include their name in their profile, so the team can easily interact with each attendee. You can access more information on our virtual site visit and tips for engaging with the team here.

Accreditation is a continuous improvement process. The report developed by our visiting team will provide an authentic review of our Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) and document the outcomes of their visit. Once submitted, ACCJC will review the report of the visiting team and our ISER. We will receive both commendations and recommendations to address areas of improvement to either meet specific standards or strengthen institutional effectiveness. As part of this continuous improvement process, we will address our own self-improvement plans documented in our ISER and those identified by the ACCJC. Thank you to all who have participated in this process! We are looking forward to our visit, engaging with our peer review team, celebrating our successes, and continuing to improve to best meet the needs of our students.

Comets of the Week
Our Military Leadership (MIL) program continues to expand due to the dedication of Dr. Jack Kahn, Nichol Roe, Candace Rose, and Victoria Haynes. As of last week, the program expanded from the initial launch in Camp Pendleton and Twenty-Nine Palms to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The team enrolled new students and met with leaders who are extremely excited about our MIL program. We are projecting that this program will continue to grow rapidly. Thank you, Team!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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

In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly declared February 11th as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to achieve full and equal access to participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It is great to see how Palomar supports this effort on an ongoing basis. I was excited to find out that we have a Women in STEM Network where students can interact and meet with other women in the STEM field. It is excellent to see our campus efforts to provide full and equal access to the science field and to celebrate those who are leading action and innovation locally and around the world.  

Campus Creative Focus

Professor of Art and Ceramics, Sasha Koozel Reibstein has a new exhibition currently on display at the Quint Gallery in La Jolla titled “Are you Okay in the Dark?” This exhibition contains new astrologically inspired sculptures that explore the theme of intergenerational trauma. She was featured in the San Diego Union and the article shows some of the amazing sculptures. Please attend the exhibition and support the arts and our amazing faculty! 

Campus Engagement 
It was a busy week. Highlights include participating in a meeting to discuss temporary and permanent signage at our Education Centers and on the main campus. I am thrilled that we are finalizing short-term and long-term plans. Also, along the lines of planning for the future, we had a kick-off meeting with our district architects and master planning consultants to discuss the scope of work and establish a tentative timeline for developing our new Educational and Facilities Master Plan. This plan will delineate our long-range vision for serving current and future students. Created using a collaborative planning approach, this plan will identify the college’s programs and services and the facilities we need to support them. I am looking forward to this endeavor and to re-imagine our future. 

This week we held our third All Campus Accreditation Forum. We reviewed aspects of the virtual site visit and discussed tips and other helpful information to know for the visit. We also played Accreditation Jeopardy and it is rumored some folks walked away with ice cream! If you missed the fun informational session, here is the link to the recording. 

I held President’s Open Office Hours this week, and I always enjoy making personal connections and learning about the outstanding work in the different areas of our college. Thank you to all those who made the time to meet with me. Campus engagement this week also included meeting with CCE leadership, PFF leadership, and facilitating the first College Council meeting of 2022.

I briefly attended my first Empowered Women at Palomar meeting, and I was able to see first-hand all that goes into planning Women’s History events taking place during the entire month of March. I also was able to briefly stop by to my first White Ally Accomplice meeting, and privileged to join the DRC Access and Equity Hour to hear how we can proactively support struggling students.

I once again met with the Association of Latinos and Allies for Student Success (ALASS) to continue our dialogue regarding how to celebrate and promote student success. Their mission is to bring together faculty, staff, students, and administrators to raise awareness and advocate for the needs of our Latino student population is an admirable one.  

The Palomar Black Faculty and Staff Association’s (PBFSA) Black History Month workshop series continued this week. On Monday, February 7th PBFSA hosted a showing and panel discussion of the documentary film: Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities. The panel discussion included input from Historically Black College and University alumni. On Wednesday, in partnership with MiraCosta College, there was the Financial Empowerment Porch Talk Series: Dialogue on Strategies to Achieve Racial Wealth Equity. And on Friday, February 11^th the event Culinary Therapy: A Tribute to Leah Chase took place. Although I was unable to stay for the duration of all the events, I made a concerted effort to stop by and support these efforts.

On Saturday, I was able to join the Associated Student Government Leadership Retreat. It was outstanding! Hearing directly from students and exploring their ideas around how to improve enrollment was the highlight of my week. 

Community Engagement 

This past week, I attended the third meeting of San Marcos Unified School District’s Portrait of a Graduate. The meeting revolved around finalizing the list of competencies needed for student success. Portrait of a Graduate is an initiative that involves the Portrait Design Team, which consists of nearly 100 business & community leaders, local elected officials, parents, students, and alumni. The goal of this team is to discuss the relevant skills students need to secure their academic and career success. I look forward to sharing more as the project develops into an action plan. 

COVID-19 
On Thursday, we held our weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus Update meeting. We are still planning to return to onsite teaching and learning on February 22. Governor Newsom is scheduled to reclassify the pandemic as an endemic on Tuesday, February 15. This will inevitably initiate new guidance. The guidance is expected to be inclusive of a mask mandate for only those individuals who are not fully vaccinated. The County of San Diego Health Services department has indicated that they will enforce the California Department of Public Health guidance. We will update everyone once the guidance is published. Please review the recording of the meeting if you were unable to attend.  
 

Accreditation  
Our site visit is 15 days away! This week, I would like to focus on data. Our Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) is 300 pages and full of some incredible data. The volume of data is due to the ACCJC’s policies and standards requiring colleges to build programs around their mission statement, and to engage in self-reflective practices that ensure data is central to the discussions for improved practices.  

Student outcome data is one of the many types of metrics we use to guide our discussions and decisions.  Each year, we spend time with departments, committees, and councils reviewing data on things like course completion, certificates and degrees awards, and transfers.  

A clear example of how we use data to inform our work can be found in our Quality Focus Essay (QFE), which is included in our ISER. Informed by data, we have identified three projects for improving student success and outcomes. These three projects are: 

-Math/English First– Completion of Math and English in the First year 

-Focus on Completion 1– Removing Barriers to Degrees and 

-Focus on Completion 2– Program Pathways to Transfer and Beyond 

Regardless of the metric, data represents just a starting point for conversations on how we can best meet the needs of our students. It provides us with an avenue for reflection and dialogue and guides our decisions. I encourage you to think about changes made in your area in recent years, and how data was used to make those decisions. Our visiting team may ask:

-What data did you consider when you made the change? 

-How did data inform your discussions? or

-What actions were taken based on the data available?  

Comets of the Week

The dynamic duo Comets of the Week are Sherry Titus and Pippa Pierce. Only these 2 incredible comets can host a retreat for our student ASG leadership that makes reviewing the Brown Act and learning about Shared Governance entertaining and educational! Not only did I learn a great deal on my visit, but I had a fun time doing so. To see the leadership development they are cultivating within our students is phenomenal to witness, and the dedication they show by doing so on a Saturday to accommodate student schedules is awe inspiring. On behalf of our student leaders, thank you both!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets! 

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

Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the indispensable contributions Black Americans have made to our country. This month, I encourage everyone in our community to take part in celebrations and educational events associated with Black History Month. Our participation helps to enrich our collective understanding of the complex history of race and inequality in our country. Palomar is dedicated to supporting our African American/Black Community and furthering our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

The Palomar Black Faculty and Staff Association (PBFSA) is hosting many events for their 2^nd annual workshop series titled: Black History: Wellness of Spirit, Strength of Will. Attending these events is a great opportunity to learn and celebrate Black History as well as support our students, faculty, and staff. The PBFSA is asking for faculty to consider offering students extra credit for attending. For a list of all upcoming events, click here, or view the calendar of events on our website. All events will be hosted on this zoom link. Thank you for your thoughtful support.

Happy Lunar New Year 2022 Year of the Tiger!
February 1st marked the start of the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated around the world by approximately 2 billion people! The celebration lasts fifteen days, and 2022 is considered the year of the Tiger. Lunar New Year represents an opportunity for new beginnings, so I am looking forward to what the new year brings to Palomar. Happy new year to all who celebrate!

The Week in Review
Campus Engagement
On Tuesday evening, our governing board unanimously selected the new map for the Palomar Community College District. Here is a link to the new district map. I appreciate everyone who participated in our public hearings and community forums. Our top priority was making sure all voices were heard in this process so we could create the most representative District map. The selected map will be used for trustee area elections in November. More information is available in the article posted to the latest edition of Palomar News.

On February 4^th, I attended the PBFSA hosted Celebration of Black Poets: Past and Present event which celebrated the work of several prominent black poets, both past and present, and their contributions to literature, art, black representation, and the civil rights movement. I personally enjoyed learning about the first African American author of a published book of poetry, Phyllis Wheatley (1773). Thank you, English Professor Richard Carr Jr., for hosting this outstanding event.

I was also able to stop by the Disability Resource Center (DRC) sponsored Access and Equity Hour where the Anatomy of an Academic Accommodation Letter was discussed. I am always impressed with the level of care we take to provide training and resources for our campus community that supports student success. Thank you, Counselor Alyssa Vafaie, for an excellent training.

Community Engagement
On Monday, I joined Board President Norma Miyamoto, Board Vice President Roberto Rodriquez, Board Secretary Kartik Raju, Trustees Mark Evilsizer, Trustee Christian Garcia, and PIO Julie Lanthier Bandy and our colleagues from the San Diego Imperial Counties Community College Association (SDICCCA) for briefings with representatives of state legislators. The briefings are designed to update our state assembly members on the monumental impact of community colleges in the region, the state economy, and the workforce of the future. Collectively, SDICCCA colleges serve 238,000 students and contribute $8.1 billion annually to the California economy. Check out the wonderful student stories and images in the updated SDICCCA brochure.

On Wednesday, I was honored to participate as a panelist for the Chancellor’s Office Webinar: Transforming Institutional Culture through Effective Anti-Racist Practices. The experience also afforded me the opportunity to learn from other community college administrators on how they are placing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) at the heart of their work. Note the newest acronym DEIA – which references ACCESSIBILITY- reiterating the need for equitable access for all students.

PIO Julie Lanthier Bandy and I met with representatives of the Governor’s regional office on Wednesday. This office is relatively new, it serves San Diego, Orange, and Imperial counties. Our conversation centered on the need for increased per-student based funding, and the importance of continued funding for deferred maintenance and energy-efficient projects. We asked the representatives to share our appreciation for the Governor’s support of bill AB 927 last year, which makes the state’s Community College Baccalaureate program permanent, and enables the expansion of this successful program.

I had the opportunity on Friday to meet with Lisa Garza-Gonzalez, Superintendent of Fallbrook Union High School District. We discussed the needs of her students and how we as a college can impact their success, particularly with our classes at the Fallbrook Education Center. We are looking to future collaborations.

Friday ended with an introductory meeting with Haney Hong. While Mr. Hong is President and CEO of the San Diego Taxpayer’s Association, he also teaches at several 4-year colleges in the area. As a fellow educator, the conversation focused on how we best serve the educational needs of the region, and how to use the remaining Prop M bond funds in the best interest of our students and the voters within our district.

COVID-19 Update
Once again, over 100 people attended our weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus and COVID-19 Update. We discussed many topics, including the use of N95 masks and how employees will soon be able to request masks through a “Facilities Request” form. N95 masks are not required for in-person work, however, facial coverings are required when indoors on campus. We also discussed our pending return to onsite work effective February 22. All departments are expected to be open to provide services Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a virtual workday on Friday. Many departments will be operating with a staggered work schedule, due to health and safety measures. Please check with your supervisor to discuss your work schedule. If you missed the meeting, you can view the recording here.

Accreditation
Our site visit is 22 days away. We are continuing to prepare for our virtual peer review visit that starts on February 28. To get the latest information and your questions answered, please make sure to join us for our final All Campus Accreditation Forum on February 9 at 3:00 p.m. Here is the Zoom link.

This week our accreditation focus is on integrated planning. Integrated planning, evaluation, and resource allocation decisions are emphasized throughout our accreditation standards. As a college, we have implemented a mission-driven planning process that connects our planning priorities to our budget development and resource allocation decisions. You can access information on our Integrated Planning Model (IPM) and its supporting plans here. We are looking toward initiating our new Master Planning cycle this Spring. Our existing Master Plan has served us well, but it is time to recast this long-range vision and plan to address the future of our institution. This process will involve all of us, so look for future announcements.

The significant plans in our IPM are:

• Master Plan 2022 (Consists of our Educational and Facilities Master Plans)
• Technology and Staffing Plans
• Strategic Plan 2022
• Equity Plan 2019-22
• Program Review and Planning (PRP) Unit Plans

Last year we began to utilize the PRP process to help connect resource allocation decisions to planning and assessment. Through this process, units throughout the College evaluate their programs and services, create program plans, and identify resource needs. With the understanding that we cannot fund all identified needs, we engage in a structured resource allocation prioritization process for technology, facilities, and equipment requests. Hiring requests for faculty and staff also come through the PRP process which has a prioritization component. As we move forward, we plan to connect staffing requests that come through our PRP to our overall assessment of needed and requested positions.

Comet of the Week
Congratulations to Comet of the week, Jessica Horn! I want to thank Jessica for going above and beyond to honor one of our beloved veteran employees who recently passed, John Diaz. Jessica worked hard on her time off to ensure John got the military honor and recognition he deserved. Jessica demonstrated what makes our community so great; our care and passion for one another. Thank you Jessica for making a positive difference.

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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

We are looking forward to an incredible Spring Semester which begins tomorrow! Most of our classes will remain virtual for the first three weeks of the semester, and we are scheduled to return to in-person learning February 22nd. I commend all those who have been tirelessly working to implement the adjustment. I am aware of the Herculean effort this represents, and I sincerely thank you all on behalf of our students. Students still seeking assistance are encouraged to contact our enrollment and counseling teams. The Student Success website has important contact information for all departments.

Campus Engagement
Congratulations and thank you to our Professional Development Coordinators, Luis Guerrero and Matt Grills, for an incredible job in designing, developing, and managing Spring Plenary. Spring Plenary had an incredible agenda packed with opportunities to learn from one another and build towards our institutional goals. Board President, Norma Miyamoto, set a positive tone for the day with her opening remarks. I thank the executive team, campus leadership, and all who participated in making plenary a huge success!

The Inaugural Social Justice Convening on Friday was also an incredible success. I appreciate the time and dedication of members of the Educators for Equity, Diversity and Cultural Consciousness Committee: Eduardo Aguilar, Dr. Hossna Sadat Ahadi, Dr. Alan Aquallo, Cynthia Cordova, Dr. Lisette Ordorica Lasater, Lawrence Lawson, Michael Mufson, Tina-Marie Parker, and Alyssa Vafaei. I was extremely impressed that the keynote speakers were our own Palomar students. They provided their perspective of the Palomar experience and made suggestions for improvement. I was humbled to experience the collective wisdom within our institution that was evidenced in the workshops I attended and the overall agenda. The work we are doing to realize our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) institutional initiative is praiseworthy. I am already looking forward to next year’s convening.

February is Black History Month which is dedicated to paying tribute to the triumphs, and honoring the struggles, of African Americans throughout our country’s history.  The Palomar Black Faculty and Staff Association (PBFSA) is proud to present the 2^nd Annual Black History Month workshop series. The educational, insightful, and uplifting workshops are open to students, faculty, staff, and the community. This year’s theme is Black History: Wellness of Spirit, Strength of Will. Please see the brochure which includes details about each workshop and flyers for our MiraCosta partnered events. Each of these workshops will be available in the PD portal soon. The PBFSA is asking for faculty to consider offering our students extra credit for attending.  Please feel free to share with community members as well.

At our State of the Budget meeting on Wednesday, we discussed the Governor’s new budget proposal and its potential impact on Palomar College. You can view the presentation here or view the recording to better understand the information we will consider when planning the FY2022-23 budget.

My meeting this week with the leadership of CAST and AA was productive. We discussed various issues, and we are proactively working together to best address them in a comprehensive manner. Thank you Jim Odom, Marti Snyder, Joe LeDesma, Jennifer Finn, Jessica Horn, Nellie Martinez, Dr. Nancy Browne, Ruth Barnaba, and Yasue O’Neill for your continued leadership.

Community Engagement
This past week I attended the second session of San Marcos Unified School District’s Portrait of a Graduate. This initiative involves the Portrait Design Team, which consists of nearly 100 business & community leaders, local elected officials, parents, students and alumni. The goal of this team is to discuss the relevant skills students need, and the aspirations our community has for our young people in the community. I look forward to sharing more as the project develops into an action plan.

I also joined Education Center Director, Ryan Williams, Construction & Facilities Planning Manager Dennis Astl, American Indian Studies Department Chair Patricia (Patti) Dixon, Vice President David Montoya, and HMC Architects at a meeting of the Luiseño Cultural Resources Advisory Group (LCRAG). One of its goals is to educate non-tribal people about Luiseño cultural heritage, values, and traditions. The goal of this meeting was to better understand the heritage of the land where the Fallbrook Education Center is located, and to incorporate aspects of the tribal nations into the design of the first permanent building at the center.

On Saturday, we hosted two virtual public forums on the newly proposed District maps. You may recall that the maps were presented at the Governing Board’s most recent special meeting. The open forums provided the opportunity for the voting public to give feedback on the maps.  Both our legal counsel and demographer were present to summarize the redistricting effort and answer questions. Forty-eight people attended the sessions which were recorded in order to provide our Governing Board with feedback. The Governing Board is scheduled to take action on the new District map February 1^st.

COVID-19
It remains our recommendation for all employees and students to test 3-5 days prior to returning to onsite working and learning.  Our testing schedule is designed with student and employee schedules in mind.  Appointments are required and can be done through your personal Cleared4 link.  The surveillance testing sites at the main campus and education centers in Escondido and Rancho Bernardo have proven beneficial to asymptomatic individuals who otherwise would not have known about their COVID-19 status. As a result of these actions, we have prevented the potential spread of COVID-19 within our institution. During our weekly COVID-19 Return to Campus and COVID-19 Update meeting, we discussed these testing services and many other questions and concerns regarding our return to onsite work.  If you missed the meeting, please review the recording here.

Accreditation
Thirty days until our Peer Review visit! Please continue to visit the accreditation webpage for information on the visit and future open forums that will be held February 28 – March 3. As we move closer to the visit, I will be highlighting the content included in our Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) in weekly updates.  In an earlier weekly update, I emphasized the importance of our mission in guiding the work we do. Last year, the College Council (formerly Strategic Planning Council) led an update of our Vision, Mission, and Values.

Our Vision statement expresses the transformation we hope to achieve in the lives of our students. Our Mission statement highlights our diverse student body and states that as a community college we prepare students to engage in our local and global communities. Our Values express the guiding principles that drive us in our work. Our five values address the following:

• Access
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Academic Excellence
• Student Focus
• Community

The new Mission statement is posted on our About Palomar website. The comprehensive Vision, Mission, and Values statement can be found on our Integrated Planning webpage.

Comets of the Week
Congratulations to Comets of the Week, Luis Guerrero and Matt Grills!  We are fortunate to have such dedicated and knowledgeable colleagues in our Professional Development department. Both Luis and Matt were also involved in the Inaugural Social Justice Convening and their contributions did not go unnoticed. Thank you, Luis and Matt, for your continued support and commitment to the success of Palomar College. You both outdid yourselves this week!

I also want to recognize the many individuals making our Wellness Fitness Center safer for our campus community! A special thank you to Timothy Cross, Derrick Upson, Sasha Craig, Juan Monroy, Dan Early, Dan Lynds, Michelle Fifield, Fernando Franco, and Ed Seckendorf for organizing the center and adding layers of safety measures such as installing plexiglass barriers. Thank you to all these comets for their hard work and collaboration!

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

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