Board of Trustees

 

Governor’s November Ballot Initiatives Endorsed by PACCD Board

The Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees has voted to endorse California Gov. Jerry Brown’s Temporary Taxes to Fund Education initiative on the 2012 November ballot.

 

“The Board and the Pasadena City College’s ability to offer high-quality programs to students will be seriously compromised if these measures do not go through and we sustain these draconian budget cuts,” said PACCD Trustee Dr. Jeanette Mann. “We have kept the cuts as far away from the classroom a possible, but without funding, we will not be able to continue to serve as many students into the future.”

 

The November ballot initiative will limit the cuts that would otherwise be made to community college and K-12, while providing budget stability from the temporary increases in sales and personal income taxes for four years. Without the passing of the initiative, community colleges will be reduced further and the additional budget hit to PCC will be more than $5 million, according to California Community Colleges Chancellor Office estimates.

 

California Community Colleges have taken extensive cuts to funding over recent years, while trying to educate the largest high school graduating classes in state history. The colleges are currently operating with $996 million (23%) less in total programmatic support in 2011-12 than in 2007-08, including cuts to both apportionment and categorical funding. These cuts have resulted in as many as 130,000 potential students to be turned away in a single year due to the need to reduce course sections.

 

The California Community College system is the largest system of higher education in the United States. Its 112 colleges provide higher education opportunity for more than two million Californians annually and provide students with the skills to be economically successful in the California economy.

 

For more information about state budget cuts to community colleges, please go to www.ccleague.net.

 

 

The board partnered with the Community College League of California (CCLC) and Redistricting Partners to enable the redistricting process in compliance with the 2002 Federal and California Voting Rights Act. Redistricting is the process of drawing Trustee area boundaries within the district. It is done every 10 years after the release of the United States Census.

 

PACCD Area 7, represented by Trustee Dr. Anthony Fellow, encompasses most of the City of Arcadia. The redistricting plan allowed the area to have a 50 percent Asian majority in voting-age residents.

 

To see the new final district map, go to www.pasadena.edu/board/districtmap2.cfm

 

 

Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of the Pasadena Area Community College District consists of seven members, one from each of the seven trustee areas in the district. Qualified voters in each of the seven areas (which include Arcadia, a portion of El Monte, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, Rosemead, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, and Temple City) elect a trustee for a four-year term. The superintendent-president of the district serves as secretary to the board.

 

Geoffrey L. Baum

President, Area 1

Dr. Jeanette Mann

Member, Area 2

Berlinda Brown

Member, Area 3

William E. Thomson

Member, Area 4

Linda Wah

Member, Area 5

John H. Martin

Vice President, Area 6

Dr. Anthony R. Fellow

Clerk, Area 7

Hanna Israel

Student Trustee

President’s Message

 

What Kind of Society Do We Want?

“Jails and state prisons are the complement of school: so many less you have of the latter, so many more must you have of the former.”


 

– Horace Mann (1796-1859)Considered the founder

of American public education.

PCC’s C-building was named for him.

 

It is clear to me from Horace Mann’s words as well as much additional historical evidence in our own library archives that the founders of Pasadena Junior College clearly had in mind certain ideals when they named our buildings and began their experiment in free public higher education. Our college’s founders believed that education was a universal human right.

 

Our longest serving president, John Harbeson, who guided the college 1926-1950, was born only 19 years after the close of the Civil War. President Harbeson, himself a Quaker, emphasized PJC’s social justice mission. In an iconic photograph in our 75th anniversary history book, President Harbeson with an open hand welcomed back Esther Nishio from the internment camps. PJC was the first college in the United States to do so. I had the privilege of meeting Esther, who is still very much with us.

 

Today, in the name of budget cuts, we turn students away from our door. What would John Harbeson do?

 

During the depths of the long Great Depression, Harbeson did have to make severe budget cuts, so he dealt with the material circumstances realistically. But Harbeson never wavered in his insistence on free public higher education for all. Harbeson believed deeply in the cause of social justice and saw the mission of our college and the purpose of education itself as a ministry. His words to the graduating class of 1934 are worth hearing again as a prescription for our own future:

 

A worthy ambition is never self-centered; it is always linked with a great cause. No person knows what life is until one has looked out of oneself into a world teeming with human values and there made the greatest discovery known to man – the discovery of something in life more important than oneself. It may be some worthy life vocation; it may be the service of young people; it may be the kingdom of God. Such a discovery will prove at once the cure of petty selfishness and the supreme challenge of adventurous life.

 

We must keep faith with the social justice mission of PCC and not allow it to be disposed of because the state is short of money. What kind of society turns away students who seek higher education? Or for that matter, what kind of society cuts health care to infants and seniors, cuts single parents trying to move from welfare to work, reduces public library hours and closes or even sells our state parks?

 

Harbeson would have us take vigorous action on two fronts. First, we must continue to innovate, think up new and better ways to serve more students with fewer dollars. We are doing this at PCC and I applaud so many of our faculty and staff who are working together enthusiastically on all fronts.

 

This edition of my report is proof positive that despite significantly less funding, the faculty and staff of PCC have faith in better days ahead. Green shoots are not hard to find at PCC and this report tells of so many of them. For only one example, our transfers in the Class of 2012 are up dramatically over last year. What is so hopeful is that our faculty have rejected the false choice between student access and success. Our faculty is working to revamp our basic skills and associate degree programs at the same time to demonstrate that access is only meaningful if it leads to success for every student.




Since 1924, PCC has delivered value to our community. There are few community colleges left who can boast of our superb arts, science, math, humanities and athletics programs. Now we need your help to convince our friends and neighbors to vote for the November tax initiative and save PCC from yet another cut to its budget of $6 million dollars. If someone asks what the money will go for, just show them this report. Tell your friends and neighbors that everyone here at PCC is doing much more with much less. Tell them we all need to vote for the future of our children. The November vote is not about whether we get cut still more or not. It’s about what kind of society we want.

 

Is it every man for himself? Or are we all in this together? For nearly ninety years, PCC has always chosen the latter. And we always will.

 

In hope and heart,

 

Mark

 

Dr. Mark. Rocha

Superintendent-President

Pasadena City College

 

 

PACCD Board Supports the Creation of Fred Korematsu Day

The Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its April meeting to approve a resolution in support of the creation of the Fred T. Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on Jan. 30.

 

Korematsu, a Japanese-American citizen living in the west coast during World War II, is best known for refusing to comply with Civilian Exclusion Order 34. Based on the federal Executive Order 9066, the order imposed strict curfew regulations and required 120,000 Japanese Americans to leave their homes to be incarcerated in internment camps. He was arrested and convicted, but fought back because he believed the conviction went against the basic freedoms guaranteed to him by the U.S. Constitution.

 

Korematsu’s conviction was ultimately overturned in 1984, a decision that influenced the U.S. government’s passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The Act recognized that a grave injustice was done by forced relocation and incarceration of civilian Americans because of wartime prejudice.

 

Current California law designates a number of days as having special significance, and public schools are encouraged to observe and conduct suitable commemorative exercises as specified.

 

The California Assembly and State Senate passed AB 1775, the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, without opposition. Then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed this bill into law on Sept. 23, 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Story

 

Student Success at PCC

In its 87 years as a higher institution of learning, Pasadena City College has exemplified what it means to further oneself not only in education, but personally as well. In its long and storied history, PCC has produced extraordinary members of society, from baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson and famed educator Jaime Escalante to rock legend Eddie Van Halen and filmmaker John Singleton.

 

PCC graduates have flourished in every field. There are those whose names we recognize instantly, and so many more that we might not. There have been scientists, musicians, writers, directors, architects, athletes, judges, designers, lawyers and teachers, who have all made a difference. And each year, we have a new class of graduates who will make us every bit as proud as we have been in the past.

 

Arash Ghodsi

(2004–2007)

 

Concentration: Computer Science

 

Occupation: Software development engineer at Amazon.com. I design, develop, and engineer software and software solutions for Amazon.com on the Product Aggregator team. My team members and I spend significant time writing software, creating designs to solve problems, and communicating with internal customers to meet company goals.

 

The PCC Effect: PCC was a vital part of my academic career. I had at least as an informative and maturing experience at PCC as I had at the University of California Santa Cruz.

 

Favorite Professors: Paul Wilkinson (computer science), Sassan Barkeshli (computer science), Chris Strinden (math), and Phil Pastras (English). These professors have an incredible mastery of their fields, as do all remarkable professors. The two things that distinguished them from other professors I’ve ever met are that they love to teach. You don’t find that often at the university level as there are other responsibilities, such as research, for university professors.

 

Advice for Lancers: Absorb yourself in everything. You’re young. Be inquisitive and never hesitate to ask questions. The moment you find you’re stopping yourself from asking questions, you know you’ve reached your academic peak. Treat your professors with respect, but also be real with them; they appreciate and respect it. Most importantly, enjoy yourselves. This is one of the best times in your life. You will always look back on it and cherish your new found independence, irresponsibility, responsibility, new friendships, and many other things. Take it all in and don’t hesitate.

 

Eric Ng

(2003–2004)

Concentration: Design

 

Occupation: Concept designer, freelance photographer, and an instructor for Art Center College of Design. As a concept designer, I give visual input to projects including film, games, as well as theme parks. Through visuals, I can dictate story elements as well as interactive spaces. In photography, I am utilizing some of the skills learned from concept design and enjoy emphasizing storytelling in my imagery. As an instructor, I teach practical utilization of perspective as well as entertainment design foundation.

 

The PCC Effect: PCC prepared me for the work ethic that I would need in order to succeed while in school and in a professional setting. I was fortunate enough to befriend a vast number of students who all had the same goals as I did. I think that the opportunity to be around a network of hardworking individuals has really pushed me to better myself throughout my career.

 

Fondest Memory: One of my fondest memories was going with an instructor, Andy Ogden, out of the classroom with a chrome-plated airplane into the Quad to learn about how lighting and reflection techniques can be applied to objects. I think that the experience really taught me to look at things and understand how materials and forms come together.

 

Favorite Professor: Being able to be under Stan Kong’s tutelage at PCC really gave me inspiration to further my career. He was able to open up for me ideas and thought processes that I never had before. Through his years of experiences told through anecdotes and stories, he has shared countless gems of knowledge. I was lucky enough to start in his class and end up teaching a few rooms away from him at Art Center @ Night. I credit Stan for being influential to me as a designer, instructor, and a friend.

 

Advice for Lancers: PCC has been the starting point for many people. I think it is a good place to figure out if being a designer is the right path for you. As career paths change, having an idea of a general direction will be very beneficial. There are many options of courses that can be taken and it’s much better to have that figured out as you move toward your future. Design is a very competitive and rigorous profession to get into. I would suggest for students to have many skills going in and be open for learning new techniques and ideas. Once in higher education or the professional world, adaptability is key. Life decisions can be influenced by a leap of faith followed by hard work and determination in order to succeed. For myself, studying design was my leap of faith. The courses I took at PCC honed my skills so that I could further my education and pursue my goals.

 

Dr. Lori Gagliardi

(1977–1979, 1985–1987)

Concentration: Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene

 

Occupation: Program director for the PCC Dental Assisting Program. I’m responsible for program administration in Dental Assisting, including student admission, faculty, teaching, student counseling, annual reports, budget, schedules, program review, curriculum, etc. Additionally, I serve as commissioner for the American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation and the director of Public Policy, Statues and Regulations for the California Association for Dental Assisting Teachers. I’m a past president for the California Dental Hygienists Association and continue to be active in the local, state and national professional organizations for Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene. I’m also a full-time instructor with professor status.

 

The PCC Effect: PCC gave me the opportunity to develop a solid foundation, expand my skills, knowledge and confidence in the Dental Assisting area. Because of the excellent education received, I was employed immediately after graduation from the program at the USC School of Dentistry as a dental assistant working and training dental students. I worked at USC for 10 years before going back to PCC to begin taking upper division and science courses to complete prerequisites for Dental Hygiene.

 

Fondest Memory: Going to our clinical rotation sites in the second semester. This was the time to put all of the skills and knowledge learned to “real life” situations in our assigned dental offices.

 

Favorite Professor: Ms. Martha Burkhart, program director, was a big influence during my time at PCC. Her compassion, motivation and enthusiasm were inspirational. I knew someday I wanted to come back and teach.

 

Advice for Lancers: Believe in yourself and make all of your dreams come true. Don’t ever give up, because anything and everything is possible to one that has faith.

 

Shellie Samtani

(2002–2004)

 

Concentration: English

 

Occupation: English instructor at PCC. I teach classes in English composition from basic skills and developmental through college transfer level composition (English 400, 100, and 1A).

 

The PCC Effect: PCC was simply more than a route to advance my education or earn a degree to make myself more marketable. It provided me with the solid foundation and framework that I needed to succeed at work and in everyday life. It enhanced my ability to organize, plan and meet deadlines, and improved my teamwork capabilities through class projects and study groups. It strengthened my communication skills, both oral and written. This skill allows me to work effectively with both students and colleagues, build relationships, and deliver quality instruction.

 

Fondest Memory: I remember always feeling at home when I walked on campus. Even though, 10 years ago, I left my family and friends in Jamaica to start a new life in America, when I entered through PCC’s doors I was immediately enveloped with a sense of warmth, connection, and belonging. It was at PCC that I gained not only an education, but a family. As a student here, I met amazing professors and deans who supported, guided, and mentored me and helped shaped me into the person I am today. It was also at PCC that I gained a strong familial bond with my colleagues when I became a reader, tutor, an Instructional Aide, a mentor for the UJIMA students, and, finally, a full-time English instructor. PCC has become my home, and I have in turn made it a home for my students by building a sense of community within all of my classes.

 

Favorite Professors: My Ancient Literature instructor, Harry Smallenburg, was a huge influence in my career and studies. Professor Smallenburg introduced me to timeless epics like “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” He also helped me develop a greater understanding and respect for classical Indian epics such as “The Mahabharata,” “The Ramayana,” and “The Bhagavad Gita,” which provide moral teachings on the value of truth and self-sacrifice. This class reinforced my love for literature and simply made me want to pass on this passion for learning by becoming an English Instructor myself.

 

Professor Beverly Tate and English Division Dean Amy Ulmer were also my mentors. They provided ongoing support and encouragement throughout my time at PCC, and even while I was in grad school. Their constant guidance and dedication to students influenced my decision to become an English instructor at PCC.

Advice for Lancers: My advice would be to make use of all the learning resources and educational and extracurricular activities that PCC has to offer. When I was a student here, the Learning Assistance Center, Writing Center, and the Computer Labs provided me with invaluable support and was very essential to my overall success. Extracurricular involvement aided in my personal development and helped me interact with and form lifelong relationships with my peers.

 

 

For more student success stories, visit the digital version of The President’s Report to the Community at www.pasadena.edu/publicrelations/campusreport.cfm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure P Update

 

Move-In for Center for the Arts Slated for Fall 2013 Semester

With the Center for the Arts less than a year from completion, the building is coming into its full form. Typically, construction work always seems to be very slow at first, due to the tremendous amount of work that is required just to get a new building out of the ground.

 

After the demolition of the former K and T Buildings, which housed much of the Performing and Communications Arts Division, the underground utility work began. As always happens when working on a campus that has been in existence for 100 years, many unknown conditions existed beneath the surface. Many decades ago, a part of the site for the new building was a residential neighborhood, and any number of previous connections, including sewer manholes and lines, were uncovered. Many were out of the way, but significant others had to be relocated.

 

Once the new underground utilities were dealt with, foundations had to be constructed. In order to complete that task, the ground had to be compacted and prepared. Because the project began in December 2010, two rainy seasons caused the ground to be unworkable for weeks at a time, slowing the project to a crawl at times. But with better weather came better progress. During the summer and fall of 2011, most of the steel superstructure was erected and concrete floors were poured in the main part of the building.

 

As more space became available, more workers had places to complete tasks, so the pace of construction picked up. The first level, which is mostly below ground level, has most of its interior walls in place, and construction of walls on the other floors is underway.

 

Because of the very tight construction site, in the very center of the campus, many scheduling dilemmas had to be overcome. For example, soil had to be stored in massive quantities while the ground-floor walls were being built and waterproofed. Those piles of earth took away large sections of the site that could otherwise have been used for storage of building materials and for actual construction work.

 

Only in the past few months has the last part of the project been started. The Little Theater has only recently had its floor poured in order to allow the concrete block wall to be put in place. This final piece has allowed visitors to the site to get a sense of the magnitude of the building. With the Recital Hall on the very eastern part of the site, the Little Theater on the northeast corner, the Lecture Hall on the northwest and the main part of the building along the south side, the entire building can be seen.

 

While many hurdles remain to be overcome, some no doubt very challenging, the college is confident that the contractor will step up and make every effort to continue to complete the project in a high-quality and timely way. For those wanting to check progress for themselves, the best vantage point is the second floor of the V Building, where the exterior corridor allows views along the entire northern side of the site. Everyone is welcome to share in the excitement as the college begins to plan the actual move in prior to the beginning of the Fall 2013 semester.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Features

 

PCC in the Palm of Your Hands

Pasadena City College constantly strives to be a “Global Community College.” As a part of this ongoing commitment, the college recently rolled out “PCC Mobile,” an application that allows users to access vital information pertaining to the college in the palm of their hands.

 

“PCC Mobile,” which is compatible with iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad), Blackberry, and Android devices, helps students and staff to stay connected to PCC whether they are on or off campus. The iOS version of the application was released in mid-February and currently has 817 active users. Both the Blackberry and Android versions were released in late April.

 

“Introducing a mobile application supports a key ‘Educational Master Plan Signature Goal’ to offer cutting-edge learning environments,” explained Leslie Tirapelle, PCC’s interim director of Distance Education. “PCC’s mobile presence will allow learners, educators, and the community to have instant access to the information they need. It will allow them to accomplish goals and engage in an education experience anytime, anywhere.”

 

Currently, the application offers mobile access to campus maps, class schedules, event calendars, sports schedules, campus news, and a staff directory. Patrick Gonzaga, a third-year student studying television and radio, downloaded PCC Mobile on to his iPod Touch and Android phone as soon as it was released.

 

“I use the app about once a week to make sure that class is in session for the following week or to look up a professor’s contact information,” Gonzaga said. “I use the directory application the most because I like to know how or where to find a certain professor and their office hours.”

 

According to Tirapelle, the application’s capabilities will be greatly increased after the college implements its new Administrative Information System. “With improved technology, we will be able to offer such mobile features such as admissions, registration, and access to academic records,” she said.

 

Currently, the Long Distance Education team is working on “Phase II” of the application, which Tirapelle hopes will be released by Welcome Day this August. Phase II includes a campus tour, as well as transit information and a campus services directory.

 

 

Conference Focuses on Student-Veterans

Pasadena City College recently hosted “The Road Home 2.0: The Next Step,” a conference designed to help administrators and faculty maximize the opportunity for success for student veterans.

 

The two-day conference featured a discussion on women veterans’ issues and a veterans’ transition course, training workshops for faculty and staff, and a boot camp for administrators and PCC Board of Trustees members.

 

The morning sessions focused on a broad overview of the issues facing returning veterans, as well as an extensive rundown on military culture, the general experience of veterans on campus, and women veterans.

 

During the afternoon sessions, colleagues discussed challenges, best practices, and new ideas around more specific topics of relevance to student-veterans.

 

 

 

 

 

Q & A with PCC Police Chief Stanton Perez

Though he is still new to the campus, Pasadena City College Chief of Police and Safety Services Stanton Perez already has a plan set out for improving the safety of the PCC community. Since beginning his tenure on April 16, Perez has met with several PCC officials to put together a strategic plan. His decades of experience in law enforcement and emergency operations make him the perfect man for the job as shown here with a Q and A session about his vision for the future.

 

What are some changes to the PCC police department that you are already thinking of implementing?

 

Police Chief Stanton Perez: What we are focusing on are two different elements: internal improvements and external services. Internally, there are certain types of training that we need to quickly develop, and that would be our disaster response training. What we will be doing very shortly is training every police officer, every dispatcher and members of the rest of the department so that everybody has all four required levels of disaster training. A connection between internal services and improving external services would be the department’s approach to policing the campus. My opinion is that campus policing is from the heart. Our officers understand that we are not your traditional typical police department that you might see in a surrounding community. We are community service providers and that’s what community policing is all about.

 

What will you do to alleviate parking problems at PCC, especially when it comes to the first week of the semester?

 

SP: I have learned that parking is a major issue that I work on every single day. We will be performing a check to see the percentage of consumption of parking spaces throughout the day for a two day period, and from that we can determine where our needs are. Also, we have implemented something new. All guest passes that are issued are now centralized in the police department so we control who can issue them and how many they can issue at a given time. If you’re here as part as an organized event, interviewing or any other event that is being hosted for the benefit of the campus, different departments can issue a guest pass. Finally, when film crews or any other outside businesses request our parking lots, we will try not to give both lots. If they take up Lot 9, we will not give up Lot 10.

 

Is there a need to increase night safety for students? If so, what will be done?

 

SP: The campus police department is working with the PCC website producer to make the services we provide, including an assault/rape prevention training program, easily accessible online. The website would highlight the availability of the training programs and escort services available to students. We want to remind students that if you ever feel uncomfortable or uneasy, just call us or text us and we will send a cadet or officer over right away.

 

A couple of years ago, there were discussions about allowing campus police to carry guns. What is your stance on that?

 

SP: The decision of the college is that we will be an unarmed police force, which I fully support. My role as the college’s new police chief is to ensure our officers are trained in alternative means of responding to emergency situations given our unarmed status. My job is to provide tools and the training to protect our campus community and to use the resources we do have, such as pepper spray, batons and the Pasadena Police Department.

 

What strategies that you learned in your 27 years as a CHP officer and chief will you bring to the PCC Campus Police?

 

SP: I have learned to always have very strong supervisors, be understanding and compassionate with your officers, be forgiving but always be engaged, and teach your officers what policing is all about. I’ve worked for some great bosses and I’ve seen departments that were just in utter turmoil and you can always point to the same problem which was failed leadership. What I bring to the college campus is 35 years of law enforcement successes, failures and experience that I pass along to young cadets so that they benefit from them and not have to make those same mistakes. There is probably nothing that can happen on this campus that I have not experienced myself, from riots and demonstrations such as the Rodney King riots to natural disasters, which I have experienced on a large scale when I took a team of 120 to respond to Hurricane Katrina.

 

As the Operations/Security Disaster Assistance Manager for the Department of Homeland Security, have you seen any areas where the campus can improve and become a safer place?

 

SP: My role is securing what we have and planning for the changes that might happen. What I see are how the structures on campus are protected and what our weakest points are. My concerns are more with what I am faced with and how to make do in the best way possible. My job in an emergency with our facilities is to protect the campus, faculty and students, get us accounted for and assist them in any way we can.

 

 

Chancellor Jack Scott Returns to PCC for “State of Community Colleges” Address

California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott, in a major address delivered at Pasadena City College, said the state must come to terms with its disinvestment in higher education and acknowledge the human and economic tolls of shutting hundreds of thousands of students out of college.

 

Scott served as president of the college from 1987 to 1995 before being elected to the state Legislature and later becoming chancellor of the largest system of higher education in the nation.

 

Speaking to a campus-wide audience, Scott said in his “State of Community Colleges” address that the latest blow dealt to higher education will mean another 16,000 community college students will not be able to transfer to California State University in the spring of 2013. He noted that years of budget cuts to community colleges have left masses of high school graduates unable to enroll in the two-year system.

 

“We had the February surprise–a $149 million mid-year cut we didn’t expect, leading to even more course reductions and layoffs in our system. Now, we have the March surprise–a cruel reality that California State University can afford to take only a handful of our transfer students next spring,” Scott said in prepared remarks. “Please, no more surprises. As a state we have to own up to the fact that we are imperiling our economic competitiveness and setting a path to a bleak future for our state and our communities.”

 

The CSU enrollment cuts, Scott noted, will impact students already in the community college system as well as new students trying to get in. Many of those who are eligible for transfer in the spring are likely to remain at community colleges, further crowding out recent high school graduates and the unemployed who are turning to the two-year system for job training skills.

 

Scott said he understood the position that California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed is in.

 

“Chancellor Reed has been put in a tough spot and has to do what he thinks is fiscally prudent to prepare his colleges for the worst if Gov. Brown’s tax initiative does not pass in November,” Scott said. “We have been working hard together to improve transfer for our students and to make the process more efficient so we can serve greater numbers of students with the resources we have. But there is only so much either of us can do if our systems are not funded to hire the faculty and staff to keep our classrooms open.”

 

For spring 2013, CSU will consider only community college students who have earned the new SB 1440 Associate Degree for Transfer. Those students will be offered admission to eight state campuses (Channel Islands, Chico, East Bay, Fullerton, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Bernardino and Sonoma). All but three of the state’s 112 community colleges have approved Associate Degree for Transfer programs in at least two majors and 10 colleges have them in five or more majors.

 

In the 2011-12 budget, the California Community Colleges were cut $400 million, and in December mid-year “trigger” cuts resulted in an additional $102 million reduction because state revenues fell short of projections. Then, in February 2012, the two-year system took an additional $149 million unexpected cut. Since 2008-09, the college system has seen its funding slashed by $809 million, which translates into a 12 percent reduction.

 

State budget cuts have forced community college campuses to reduce course offerings by as much as 20 percent at a time when more students than ever are seeking admission. The cuts have resulted in a greater number of students squeezing into fewer classes and waitlisted seats soaring in to the tens of thousands. Since the 2009-10 academic year, the California Community Colleges enrollment has decreased by nearly 300,000 students. The decline is directly attributed to the state’s funding reductions because students simply cannot get into the classes they need to achieve their educational goals.

 

“We should be working together to rebuild California and making it a better place for our children,” Scott said. “Dreams are necessary to live. If we keep dashing college dreams and denying opportunities for Californians, we’re going to lose our best and brightest to other states which will only further exacerbate our state’s economic situation.”

 

 

Student Services

 

Exchange Student Program Expanding Horizons

Pasadena City College is known for being a global community college. And now, its efforts have broadened to include an exchange student program.

 

The program is still evolving, according to PCC Languages Division Dean Dr. Theodore Young, although some students have already taken part in its early development.

 

Marina Guterres spent this past January at the University of Tokushima in Tokushima, Japan, immersing herself in Japanese culture and studies, and specifically in the distinct Tokushima culture.

 

“This program emphasized the importance of one’s own culture and how globalization has influenced countries all over the world,” Guterres said.

 

She had the opportunity to go to the only remaining public bathhouses in Naruto City, called a Sentou. These bathhouses are a place of communication and relaxation for the locals.

 

“While sitting in the sauna I noticed for the first time that I could hear the local dialect of Japanese which I had not heard before,” she said. “This type of social interaction allowed people not only to make conversation but to become familiar with each other, creating a bond.”

 

Young believes that the exchange student program will allow a further depth inside a different culture to be reached, something that is not always possible with a study abroad program.

 

“It enhances the educational experience,” Young said. “If you bring people together from all over, you create the potential to make amazing contacts, and interpersonal connections.”

 

The program also has ties to Russia, where PCC, in conjunction with Cal State Northridge, has sent students to the Russian State University for Humanities since 2009. PCC student Fernando Vaughn went to Moscow during the summer of 2011.

 

“People who are trying to broaden their understanding of the world through foreign language acquisition motivate me to help build bridges between cultures and borders,” Vaughn said.

 

Cal State Northridge’s Russian Studies Program was initially part of the National Strategic Language Initiative, a federally funded program aimed at increasing and improving instruction in less commonly taught, vitally important languages. The program is headed up by professor Dina Mokhnatkin, an instructor at both PCC and CSUN. Students stayed in the dormitories at the university, which is PCC’s and CSUN’s Russian Studies institutional partner in Moscow. In addition to seminars and lectures at RSUH, students explored arts, history, commerce, and culture throughout Moscow. Students came away with a contemporary, contextual understanding of both the similarities and differences between U.S. and Russian culture, everyday life, and national identity.

 

Former PCC student Marina Crissman went to Russia in the summer of 2010 and found it enlightening.

 

“I look forward to the opportunities my experience in this program will bring in the future,” she said.

 

The benefits of the program, according to Young, will be enormous. Students will pay PCC fees and tuition, but be completely immersed in another country and culture. The program PCC has set up now with Tokushima University allows a full-time student with good academic standing to participate in both the summer program classes and the student conference, and receive a free home stay with a Japanese host family.

 

“We’re building it to be part of the international education at PCC,” Young said.

 

Those students who have participated so far can attest to that.

 

“Through this amazing opportunity, I not only learned about my Japanese roots but I also discovered my American identity,” Guterres said.

 

For more information about the program, contact the PCC Languages Division at (626) 585-3187.

 

 

New Program Aims to Develop Students’ Passion for Engineering

Engineering Innovation (EI) is a special summer program at Pasadena City College that nurtures students’ interests in engineering. The program’s curriculum, which includes laboratory work, hands-on projects, and field trips, was developed by professor Michael Karweit of Johns Hopkins University. EI is offered at 11 sites throughout California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, DC. Eighty-five percent of alumni have gone on to major in engineering, math, or science.

 

“The Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation summer enrichment program offers students the opportunity to put their math, science, and technology skills to the test, and to explore different types of engineering including civil, electric, mechanical, and chemical,” said Salomón Dávila, associate professor of Engineering & Technology at PCC. Students with a final grade of A or B receive three transferable Johns Hopkins University credits.

 

Ernesto Jimenez, a former PCC student who participated in EI during the summer of 2008, discovered his passion for chemical engineering through the program. “The class reinforced my ambition to pursue engineering because of the problems we were given to solve. We were given problems that I never imagined I could solve with math or science, and the method of solving these problems fascinated me,” Jimenez explained. “By the time I completed the summer course, I was sure that I wanted to be an engineer.”

 

Jimenez is currently a sophomore at MIT majoring in chemical engineering and minoring in applied mathematics. He plans on pursuing a doctorate focused on computer simulation and control theory after he graduates.

 

EI, which is taught by university level instructors and graduate students, encourages students to analyze and problem-solve like real-life engineers. Students work on various mind-bending projects, including one where they are required to build bridges out of spaghetti.

 

“The program gave me a sense of what engineering is all about and taught me how to think outside the box,” said Alfred Espinoza, an EI participant last summer. “[EI] taught me that the answer sometimes does not matter, but it’s the thinking process and the procedure that makes all the difference.” Espinoza will be transferring to Syracuse University this fall to study biomedical engineering or neuroscience.

 

Through participating in EI, students develop their passions for engineering and put the concepts they learn to the ultimate test.

 

 

PCC Receives Grants for MESA Program, Biotechnology

Pasadena City College has been awarded two grants for its exemplary work in the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) Program, as well as its exceptional biotechnology program.

 

The Chancellor’s Office awarded a grant of $50,500 to PCC to continue its MESA program to 120 educationally and economically disadvantaged students majoring in calculus-based math and science fields. The program’s purpose is to academically prepare the students to transfer successfully and attain baccalaureate degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

 

PCC is proud to have offered a MESA Program since 1999. MESA students receive extensive support services, including tutoring, mentoring, advisement, guidance on financial aid, access to research-oriented activities, and workshops that prepare them for success in college. Students continue to outperform non-MESA students from similar backgrounds by at least 15 percentage points across the board for all indicators of academic success. Recent MESA alumni transferred to such highly regarded institutions as UCLA, USC, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and MIT, and MESA students received a total of $166,575 in scholarships and internships in 2011.

 

PCC also received a three-year extension of the Bridges to Stem Cell Research Grant originally awarded to PCC’s biotechnology program in 2009 by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Beginning Sept. 1, the extension will add $1.85 million to the original grant award of $1.7 million over three years, bringing total grant funding to $3,609,060.

 

PCC was one of only 11 institutions, and the only community college, to receive a Bridges grant in the first round of funding. The purpose of the Bridges grant program is to support student training and research internships in stem cell technology. The award will enable the college to continue to provide up to 10 research internships each year at three of the most prestigious research institutes in the region – Caltech, USC, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The internship/training program has significantly enhanced the college’s pre-existing Biotechnology Certificate Program, the only community college training program for careers in biotechnology and biosciences in Los Angeles County.

 

The PCC Biotechnology training program prepares CIRM Bridges interns to work at various levels in stem cell research laboratories, including laboratory assistant, lab manager, professional staff, and research associates, or to continue in postgraduate programs. The program offers the trainees research opportunities with 40 potential mentors in fields ranging from basic science of stem cells to translational research in regenerative medicine.        

 

 

President’s Latino Advisory Committee Holds Scholarship Breakfast

Pasadena City College President’s Latino Advisory Committee recently recognized the achievements of PCC students at its 8th annual Scholarship Awards Breakfast.

 

The PLAC is comprised of PCC educators, staff members, and community leaders. The group was formed eight years ago for the purpose of providing input directly to PCC’s president on the needs of the large Latino community served by PCC. One of the major duties of the PLAC is also to provide scholarships to students. To be eligible for the scholarship, one must be a full-time student, demonstrate financial need, show an understanding of Latino culture, and be involved in extracurricular activities.

 

“The PLAC Breakfast provides everyone an opportunity to support hard-working students,” said Dr. Cynthia Olivo, PCC associate dean of Counseling and Student Success Services and PLAC member. “We award students the funding they need to continue their studies and give them energy to complete their educational goals.”

 

Noted author and professor Dr. Otto Santa Ana served as keynote speaker for the event. Santa Ana is a professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCLA, and Author of “Brown Tide Rising: Metaphoric Representations of Latinos in Contemporary American Public Discourse.” The 2002 book focuses on ethnic and racial politics. His upcoming book, “Juan in a 100: the Faces and Stories of Latinos on the Evening News,” focuses on immigration as a national policy issue.

 

 

Speech and Debate Team Takes Second in State

The Pasadena City College Speech and Debate (PCCS&D) team finished second in the state at the California Community College Forensics Association State Championship Speech & Debate Tournament in Concord. Additionally, the 21-member team earned five gold medals, five silver medals, 14 bronze medals, and the Tim Miller Perpetual Sweepstakes Award. Over the past four years, PCCS&D has placed in the top five in the state.

 

The PCCS&D team, which is a charter member of the national speech organization Phi Rho Pi, competes in an eight-month long season, from September through April. “We brought the most students to the state competition,” said Joshua R. Fleming, PCC instructor and the team’s faculty advisor. “Seventeen of the 21 students took home at least one medal.”

 

“The team’s success at state was amazing and well-deserved,” Fleming added. “All year we have been placing in the top three at local tournaments in Southern California. [The students] have a truly admirable work ethic and team bond and they deserve all the accolades that they have earned.”

 

This year’s gold medalists included Jeff Valdivieso and Gabriela Leverette in “Dramatic Duo,” Alayna Leibman and Cassie Yeager in “Dramatic Duo,” Beatrice Torres in “Programmed Oral Interpretation,” and Kevin Lopez and Brian Hy in “Poetry Interpretation.”

 

For more information, please contact Fleming at (626) 585-7010.

 

 

 

 

General Information

 

PCC Offers

AA and AS Degrees

You can earn a two-year Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree while taking courses in any of PCC’s 60 academic program areas.

 

College Transfer

At PCC, students can complete the lower-division requirements for almost any major offered by a four-year institution. PCC is noted for its exceptionally high student transfer rate to junior-level status at local and national public and private four-year colleges. For more information, visit www.pasadena.edu/transfer.

 

Scholars Program

Motivated PCC students can take a challenging, course-enrichment option to complete this program and be guaranteed priority transfer admission to seven top local colleges and universities. For more information, visit www.pasadena.edu/transfer/specialprograms/scholar.cfm.

 

Career and Technical Education

Day and evening certificate programs in more than 70 one- and two-year Career and Technical Education curricula are available for students who seek a career in a CTE field. For more information, visit www.pasadena.edu/cte.

 

Online Courses

PCC offers a number of classes each semester in which part or all of the time ordinarily spent in a classroom with other students is spent accessing the course via the Internet. For more information, visit the Distance Education website at http://online.pasadena.edu.

 

Study Abroad Programs

Full-credit, semester-length study/travel programs are offered in Mexico, England, and Italy. For more information, visit www.pasadena.edu/travel.

 

Fee-Based Programs

Classes are offered for career-enhancement, skill-building, and personal growth. Classes are not-for-credit, however, some classes offer Continuing Education Units and course completion certification. Both classroom and online platforms are featured. Youth programs for those under eighteen also are available. For more information, visit www.pcclearn.org.

 

Courses at Local High Schools

Can’t take the class you need on campus? A number of sections of regular PCC full-credit course offerings are held at local high schools. These classes are open to both PCC students and high school students. See the Schedule of Classes online at www.pasadena.edu/classes for more information or call (626) 585-7575.

 

Community Education Center

The CEC offers a wide variety of credit and noncredit learning opportunities in general education, CTE, developmental, basic skills, and recreational courses and programs. The Community Education Center is located at 3035 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena. For more information, visit www.pasadena.edu/cec.

 

Child Development Center

Located adjacent to the campus at 1324 E. Green St., the CDC provides quality child care and an enriched educational program for children of PCC and CEC students, as well as for children of faculty and staff and community families. For more information, visit www.pasadena.edu/cdc.

 

Community Business Center

Located inside PCC’s Community Education Center, the Community Business Center offers services such as: Live Scan and ink fingerprinting, passport application acceptance, passport and ID photos, child IDs, and notary public. For more information, visit www.pasadena.edu/cbc.

 

 

Enroll NOW! Classes Fill Quickly!

Admissions and Records

Room L113

(626) 585-7395

If you did not attend PCC in Spring 2012, you must apply for
admission for Summer and/or Fall 2012-----. You may apply online at www.pasadena.edu.

 

Counseling Services

Room L104

(626) 585-7251

See a counselor for help with choosing classes and getting an orientation to the college. Also provided are counseling for personal problems and specialized counseling for re-entry students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities.

 

Testing/Assessment

Room D205

(626) 585-7272

Some of your classes may require an assessment test before you can register. Check in the Assessment Office, room D205.

 

Registration

Room L113

(626) 585-7575

Register and pay your fees on the website or by phone at your assigned time. To register online, go to www.pasadena.edu.


Cost of Attending PCC

California residents:            $46 per unit*

 

Out-of-state                            additional $202 per unit (Summer)*
  tuition:                                   additional $207 per unit (Fall)*

International                          additional $202 per unit (Summer)*

  student tuition:                     additional $207 per unit (Fall)*

Health fee:                             $11 (Summer) / $14 (Fall)

Student activity fee:              $5 (Summer) / $10 (Fall)

 

*Plus capital outlay fee of $16 per unit (Summer); $11 per unit (Fall)

For help with enrollment fees and other costs of attending PCC, contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at (626) 585-7401. or visit www.pasadena.edu/getmoney.

 

PCC General Information: (626) 585-7123

PCC on the Internet: www.pasadena.edu

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/pasadenacitycollege

On Twitter: twitter.com/PCCLancer

On YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/PCCLancer

 

Staff Success

 

PCC LAC Wins Tutoring Award

Pasadena City College has been honored for excellence once again, this time for its tutoring program.

 

At its conference in March, the National Tutoring Association presented PCC with the NTA 2012 Award of Excellence for two-year colleges. The NTA said the organization selected PCC “for its high number of student tutors earning certification, and for continuing development of effective tutoring support services for the college.”

 

John Wood, director of the PCC Learning Assistance Center, said it’s a collaborative effort on the part of everyone in the community. “Our program is especially effective because it’s a cooperative program,” Wood said.

 

Wood isn’t just talking about the 15 or so tutoring programs on campus, although those have certainly contributed to the learning atmosphere. Within PCC’s tutoring program, faculty, management, classified staff, and students all come together to talk about various topics throughout the 10-week course, such as being prepared, listening skills, and organization.

 

“It’s all about how well we do when we work together,” Wood said. “It’s about producing the right conducive atmosphere.”

 

And as any tutor will tell you, teaching is one of the best ways to learn.

 

“There’s only so much you can learn from a 16-week course and to me, I feel like I learn something new each time I tutor and review concepts from chemistry,” PCC student and tutor Heenal Shah said.

 

Wood smiles when he talks about his tutors. “Tutoring is where learning really takes place,” he said. “The biggest reward is that it taught them about the process of learning. I’ve seen it change perspectives on careers.”

 

Vincent Belletto agreed. “The experience and training I’ve received as a tutor at PCC has helped set a strong foundation for my future career as an academic,” he said.

 

PCC has certified more than 1,000 tutors in the last 10 years. The program is designed to give tutors a more comprehensive vision of learning, and the different styles of learning that are unique to each student that comes for help.

 

Wood believes that the program was honored with the award because of its continuing interest and participation in the evolution of tutoring. “We find out what works and we incorporate it into our program,” Wood said. “We’re actually going to start offering a 24/7 online tutoring program, made possible by a grant from the student body.”

 

 

Reed “Women of the Year” Honoree

Theresa Reed, program director for the Foster/Kinship Care Education and Independent Living Programs at Pasadena City College, was named a “Women of the Year” honoree in the 21st Senate District by Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cańada Flintridge) this past March. Additionally, Reed is the Foster Youth Success Initiative Co-Liaison at PCC, providing support for any foster youth wanting access to the community college. Her years in the foster care system have been the inspiration to begin writing a series of books to encourage foster youth and their supporters.

 

“I do what I do because there is a need and a passion for helping foster youth,” said Reed. “To me, it’s not just a job. Being able to touch one life at a time is an amazing accomplishment.”

 

Sen. Liu honored the five “2012 Women of the Year” at a reception in late March.

 

 

Professor Brian Kennedy Writes New Book On Hockey

Brian Kennedy, Pasadena City College associate professor of English, has written a new book titled “My Country Is Hockey,” which explores how the sport became central to the Canadian identity, and what it means to Americans who love it.

 

“For Canadians, this game is so much their identity, and so closely tied to who they are, you really can’t think much about anything—Canadian politics, regionalism, the French-English issue, violence, identity—without hockey being at the center,” he said.

 

Kennedy grew up in Montreal playing hockey as soon as he could hold a stick. In his spare time, he covers the Anaheim Ducks and the recently crowned Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings as a freelance writer.

 

The book has garnered positive reviews. Eric Duhatschek, a sports columnist for the Canadian newspaper The Globe & Mail, called the book “An intelligent and reflective look at hockey’s place in the fabric of Canadian society.

 

“Might be the best read of the current season’s hockey offerings,” Duhatschek said.

 

Kennedy wrote two books previously: “Growing Up Hockey” and “Living The Hockey Dream.”

 

 

Librarian Mary Ann Laun Receives Community College Learning Award

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) recently named Mary Ann Laun, Pasadena City College Library division dean and director of the PCC Shatford Library, the recipient of the 2012 Community and Junior College Libraries Section (CJCLS) EBSCO Community College Learning Resources Leadership Award.

 

“Mary Ann Laun has demonstrated a dedication to community college libraries for over 30 years,” said award Chair Amy Gonzalez Ferguson of the Richland College Library. “Her service as co-founder and chair of the first California Community College consortium, as an editor of ‘Choice’ and as a member of Infopeople advisory committees, among other roles, benefit not just PCC students, faculty and staff, but also community colleges across the state and nationwide.”

Since 1980, Laun has served PCC in various capacities, including coordinator of technical services; coordinator of reference services; and faculty liaison, bibliographic instruction, and acquisitions librarian.

 

She has also been involved with numerous committees including the Eureka! Leadership Institute (2011), the OCLC Members Council (2005-2009), and the Infopeople Advisory Committee (2005-present).

 

Her numerous publications include “On-ramps to PCC Digital Highways: Digitization Activities and Trends in California’s Community College Libraries” (2007), and “California Community College Consortium from Electronic Research Purchasing,” with Tamara Weintraub (2000).

 

Laun earned her M.L.S. in 1974 from UCLA and received her Master’s of Education and Instructional Technology at Cal State Los Angeles in 1995.

 

For more information regarding the ACRL CJCLS EBSCO Community College Learning Resources Leadership Award, or a complete list of past recipients, please visit www.ala.org/acrl/awards/achievementawards/ebscoawards.

 

 

P.R. Garners Five Statewide Awards

Pasadena City College’s Public Relations office won five awards at the Community College Public Relations Organization (CCPRO) 2012 Annual Conference recently held at Mission College in Santa Clara.

 

CCPRO is an organization comprised of public relations professionals from the 112 California Community Colleges. In the Social Media Marketing category, PCC won first place for the Pulse, the college’s online staff newspaper; and second place for PCC’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Lancer Life and RSS feed that is linked on the PCC official website at www.pasadena.edu.

 

PCC also won first place in the Electronic Collateral category for its digital version of the President’s Report to the Community, the college’s external newsletter. The Report also took home third place in the Newsletter category.

 

PCC’s 2011-2012 women’s basketball guide was chosen for second place in the Sports Media Guide category for the second year in a row.

 

 

PCC Wins National Bellwether Award for Innovation

The Community College Futures Assembly (CCFA) recently presented Pasadena City College with the prestigious Bellwether Award. Established in 1995, the Bellwether Awards are given annually in three categories to community colleges with outstanding and innovative programs or practices.

 

PCC won in the Instructional Programs and Services category for its “Math Jam: Setting First-Year Students on the Right Pathway” program. The two-week, no-cost summer program provides a creative, engaging, no-stress environment in which first-year community college students can experience math success before beginning college. The transition-to-college program offers innovative math instruction, structured supplemental support, and orientation-to-college activities.

 

“We’re just honored and excited to get this award,” said Brock Klein, the program’s director. “I think it really represents the hard work of lots of different groups on campus. The administration has been very supportive, math faculty has been actively involved, and the awesome student tutors are the key to making this program a success.”

 

The CCFA, now in its 18th year, convenes annually as an independent national policy forum for key opinion leaders to work as a “think tank” in identifying critical issues facing the future of community colleges, and to recognize Bellwether Finalist colleges as trend-setting institutions.

 

For more information on the Bellwether Award, please visit http://futures.education.ufl.edu/. For more information on Math Jam, please contact Klein at (626) 585-3049.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foundation/Alumni Update

 

Foundation Provides $51,000 to Restore Classes

The Pasadena City College Foundation is taking the first step toward restoring classes for students. The Spring 2012 semester class schedule underwent last minute reductions when news from Sacramento reported that a budget shortfall had occurred due to less-than-expected revenues. PCC was forced, as other colleges around the state, to suspend 46 low-enrollment classes. Dismayed by the need to take such action, PCC President Dr. Mark W. Rocha made a donation to the Foundation as a leadership gift to start an employee campaign to raise funds to restore classes. Members of the administration, faculty, staff and the student association quickly joined the effort. This effort caught the attention of the PCC Foundation Board, and at its April, 2012 meeting, the Foundation provided $51,000 to the fund to restore classes. Of that amount, $40,000 was pledged as a matching gift to provide an incentive to raise more funding. The remaining $11,000 was pledged to specifically restore two classes.

 

In a fundraising letter sent to PCC faculty and staff, PCC alumnus and Foundation President Mel Cohen said, “When I see PCC students who do not have the same opportunity (I had) to move forward because of state budget cuts, I know it is time for me to take action.”

 

The campaign to restore classes will be a community-wide effort to raise funds to replace the state funding for classes that was stripped away in the budget cuts of February 2012. It is anticipated that even further cuts in funding will cause up to 500 classes to be cut over the next year. At the time of this printing, 11 classes, representing 385 seats for students, have been restored.

 

After the college was forced to reduce the number of classes during the first week of the semester, PCC responded by creating the “Spring Forward” intersession. This provided a real-time response for students who needed specific classes to transfer or graduate. The intersession, which started in March, condensed the regular 16-week session into 12 weeks and was offered first to any student who was displaced by the need to reduce classes.

 

 

Bobbi Abram Named Foundation Executive Director

The Pasadena City College Foundation has named Bobbi Abram as executive director. Abram began her new position on Jan. 9, 2012 amidst great challenges of state budget cuts and PCC’s need to reduce the number of classes offered to stay within the new budget.

Abram, new to the Pasadena area, has had previous community college foundation experience. She moved to Pasadena from the Kansas City area, where she served as manager of Alumni Relations and Development at Johnson County Community College, and later as executive director of the Metropolitan Community Colleges Foundation, where she conducted the district’s first major gifts campaign.

 

Abram was identified as the top candidate for the position after an extensive national search. Mel Cohen, president of the PCC Foundation, said, “The search committee was very pleased that we were able to find Bobbi. She has hit the ground running and brings a solid fundraising background with her that will be essential to our success as we work with the college to continue to support the excellent work they do, in light of the financial challenges they face.”

 

Abram acknowledges that she has a big job ahead of her.

 

“The PCC Foundation has always been an important support for the college,” Abram said. “From capital campaigns to scholarships, it has been a steady force for progress. Now, the college needs the Foundation’s support to meet its goals for student success by being able to offer the classes students need to transfer and graduate. That’s why my first priority is to raise funds to restore classes that have been eliminated due to state budget cuts.”

 

 

Alumni Spotlight: Esther Takei Nishio

Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cańada Flintridge) recently named five local women, including Pasadena City College alum Esther Takei Nishio, as “Women of the Year” honorees in the 21st Senate District. It is a tradition of the California State Legislature for senators to honor women in their districts who have made unique and often unsung contributions to enhance the quality of life for others.

 

“I am pleased to celebrate these remarkable women,” Liu said. “Each of them deserves special recognition for the ways in which they contribute to the community.”

 

Nishio was a 19-year-old internee at a World War II Colorado site for Japanese-Americans when she served as a “test case” for Japanese-Americans returning to California and the West Coast. She enrolled at PCC in 1945 to see how the community would react to a Japanese-American in their midst. She persevered in spite of harsh treatment and rejection by some of her fellow students and became a role model for civil rights and reintegration.

 

 

Academic Excellence and Innovation Grants Awarded

Each year, the Pasadena City College Foundation celebrates Academic Excellence and Innovation by funding a grants program open to all PCC staff and faculty. Grant submissions are received, reviewed and approved by a committee of the PCC Foundation Board of Directors. For 2012-2013, the Foundation will award more than $47,000 in grants to 26 projects, spanning nine divisions of the college to 31 separate recipients.

 

Jil Sheldon, chair of the 2012-2013 selection committee, commented on the process, “I am impressed with the proposals that our committee reviewed. From books to chest simulators, from fine art paper to generators, our committee had our own horizons expanded just reading about the work and trending technology that will be taking place on the PCC campus over the coming year.”

 

Academic Excellence Grants (Requests up to $1,500)

Name

Department

Proposal

Award

Joy Brittain

Math/Science Upward Bound

Books for college application & scholarship workshops

$1,350

Carla Christensen

Health Sciences

Pro Doppler devices to enable nursing students to practice taking pulse

$1,080

Kim-Lien T. Dinh

& Claudia Van Corva

Natural Sciences

Kiln, art clay and steam apparatus for ENV3 lab experiments

$1,486

David Em

& Benjamin Wilkes

Visual Arts & Media Studies

Fine art paper, materials for museum quality prints of student’s work

$655

Lorraine Gagliardi

& Denise Romero

Health Sciences

Learning modules for Dental Assisting

$1,050

Kristin K. Hyatt

Health Sciences

Two foot simulators to practice/care for foot wounds

$1,126

Maryrose C. Mendoza

Visual Arts & Media Studies

Field study to Watts Towers for concepts in drawing

$808

Dr. Paula Standley

Health Sciences

Interactive software upgrade for dental programs

$756

Brian Tucker

& Mahara T. Sinclaire

Visual Arts & Media Studies

Special VIP Lecturers for art class students

$800

 

 

 

 

 

Innovation Grants (Requests of $1,500 to $3,000)

Name

Department

Proposal

Award

Thomas W. Baumann

Health Sciences

Online learning and assessment resources for radiologic technologies

$1,900

Thomas M. Berg

Health Sciences

Three chest simulators for the nursing program

$2,485

Peter P. Castro

Natural Sciences

Three melting point apparatus for organic chemistry labs

$2,000

Pamela L. Eversole-Cire

Natural Sciences

Laboratory materials for biotechnology research

$2,958

Sandra B. Hill

Project LEAP

Textbooks for low-income students, including foster youth

$3,000

Brady M. Hunt

Visual Arts & Media Studies

Three-dimensional printer and materials

$2,773

Clody Johnson

Health Sciences

Online resources for computer tomography

$1,955

Barbara A. Kissel

Health Sciences

Online learning resources & Breast Cancer Awareness event

$1,780

Xiaodan Leng

Mathematics

Software for summer math work shops

$2,000

Kyle D. Luck

Performing & Communication Arts

Power generator for band and drum line classes

$2,175

Pearl M. Ly

& Krista F. Goguen

Library

Management software for teaching labs

$2,000

Valeria Mancino

Natural Sciences

Cell counter for biotechnology program

$2,999

Penny L. McLain

Health Sciences

Teaching models for mammography & material for breast cancer awareness

$1,550

Michael L. McClellan

Counseling

Life skills conference for student athletes

$1,500

Grace Santiago

Math/Science Upward Bound

Field study opportunity in the sciences for the MSUB students

$2,400

Kay Y. Yee

Visual Arts & Media Studies

iPad technology for jewelry students digital portfolios

$1,600

Andrea Wilkerson

Performing & Communication Arts

Clinicians and VIP artists for the Jazz Program classes and events

$3,000

Committee Members:

Jil Sheldon (Chair), Jack Van Amringe, Don Anderson, William Hawkins, Diane Holguin, Phyllis Specht, Gregory Sun, Winston Uchiyama

 

 

Athletics Update

 

Badminton’s Ortiz, Basketball’s Crump 2011-2012 PCC Athletes of the Year

The Pasadena City College Kinesiology, Health & Athletics Division named women’s badminton player Angie Ortiz and men’s basketball player Givon Crump as the 2011-2012 PCC Athletes of the Year.

 

Ortiz, a freshman from Pasadena High, recently was crowned PCC’s first CCCAA State singles champion after also winning both the South Coast Conference singles and doubles titles. Ortiz, who is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, also helped the 13-1 Lancers to their fourth consecutive SCC team championship. She held a 44-match win streak to start the season and finished a combined 58-3 in singles/doubles play. PCC head coach Bill Sanchez guided Ortiz.

 

Ortiz’s talents extend also to the classroom as she currently holds a 3.7 GPA. She is the first badminton player to win the PCC top women’s athlete award.

 

In his one season for Pasadena, the 6-foot-7, sophomore guard-forward Crump averaged 20.3 points a game and helped the Lancers to a 16-12 record, good enough for second place in the SCC North Division. Crump’s production aided the Lancers to more victories than each of the previous two seasons combined (2009-2011, 14).

 

Named All-SCC First Team, Crump was seventh in the state in scoring and he added 7.4 rebounds per game. His 150 free throws made and .829 line accuracy was also in the state top 10. He made a team-high 69 baskets from 3-point range. He scored 30 or more points in five contests, including a 39-point game against Cerritos (fifth highest single-game scoring total in PCC history).

 

Matt Chavez received the President’s Award for the combination of athletic and school performance plus sportsmanship. The middle infielder became the first Lancer in eight years to be named to the All-SCC First Team.

 

An outstanding left-handed batter, Chavez led the Lancers in nine different offensive categories, including a .362 batting average, 13 doubles, 20 walks, a .444 on-base percentage, and 30 RBI. Chavez accepted a playing scholarship at Division II New Mexico Highlands University. A product of Pasadena Maranatha High, Chavez topped all baseball players in the classroom with a 3.3 GPA. Chavez’s PCC head coach is Evan O’Meara.

 

The men’s highest GPA award (sophomores with at least 48 units completed) was captured by All-SCC First Team men’s soccer sophomore forward Gor Kirakosyan (from Burbank High). Kirakosyan, who is moving on to UC Irvine, held an outstanding 3.56 GPA. Of sophomore student-athletes, the Lancers men’s soccer team had the three highest GPAs. Kirakosyan was guided by PCC head coach Edgar Manvelyan.

 

Women’s distance swimmer Courtney Jensen (Burbank High) won the women’s high GPA award with a 3.48 mark. Jensen twice was a CCCAA state meet qualifier and she swam her all-time best in the marathon 1,650-yard freestyle to finish 12th.

 

The following student-athletes are sophomores who received transfer scholarships with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA and at least 48 units completed:

Cassandra Lew (women’s cross country runner, track and field, 3.45 GPA, from Temple City High); Ryosuke Tarui (men’s soccer midfielder, All-SCC Second Team, 3.42 GPA, international student from Osaka, Japan); Kim Wong (women’s basketball guard, twice sank eight or more 3-pointers in a game, 3.42 GPA, from Arcadia High); Rebecca Iraheta (women’s water polo team captain; swimming, 3.39 GPA, from Alverno High); Joleen Galeazzi-Pimentel (All-SCC Second Team women’s soccer midfielder, 3.30 GPA, from Arcadia High); Mallorie Hopkins (women’s volleyball defensive specialist, 3.19 GPA, from Bell Gardens High, headed to continue her playing career at Mercy College, N.Y.); Elizabeth Lyons (All-SCC women’s cross country/also track and field, 2.6 GPA, from Rosemead High); and Ilene Suleymanyan (women’s softball third baseman, 22 RBI this season, 2.6 GPA, from Glendale High).

 

The Jensen scholarships are $1,000 awards and their acceptance by student-athletes are guided by standards set by the CCCAA and NCAA.

 

 

Swimmer Stephen To Captures 200-Yard Butterfly State Title

Nine state meet records were set at the fast indoor pool that is the East Los Angeles College Swim Stadium. But none of those swims had the drama or element of comeback quite like the one turned in by Pasadena City College freshman Stephen To on April 28. To somehow stormed from back in the field and made a furious rally in the final 50 yards to become state 200-yard butterfly champion.

 

To’s victory in the final individual event of the meet helped the Lancers finish in 15th place at the CCCAA Swimming and Diving Championships held April 26-28.

 

Although not a state record, To’s 1:50.52 gold medal finish was remarkable in that he was fourth after the first 50 yards and fell to seventh midway through the race. In third going into the last 50, To (pronounced toe) picked up speed while the rest of the field tired. His final split of 27.61 was more than two seconds faster than any of the other seven competitors as he finished 1.44 seconds ahead of second-place Danh Bui (De Anza). Orange Coast’s Michael Kim, the leader for most of the race, finished in third.

 

To, who won both the 100 and 200 butterfly titles at the South Coast Conference Championships April 21-23, is the first Lancer since Sharif Alaoui in 2010 to win a state title. It is the sixth state individual champion in the past five seasons coached by PCC head coach Terry Stoddard.

 

“Stephen has tremendous ability,” Stoddard said. “It’s like he shot out of nowhere in that race. In the end, he showed his will to win. That’s the sign of a true champion.”

 

To (from San Marino High) also scored fourth place in the 100-yard butterfly event (50:12).

 

 

Schedule Makover for PCC Football in 2012

This year, the Pasadena City College football team returns to the SCFA National Northern Conference as the Lancers’ 2012 schedule features substantial changes from the previous few seasons. PCC played the 2010 and 2011 seasons in the SCFA National Southern Conference, last playing in the now realigned NNC in 2008-2009.

 

Under the direction of second-year head coach Fred Fimbres, the Lancers play their season opener on Saturday, Sept. 1 at Citrus College. It is the first meeting between the Lancers and Owls in 39 years.

 

Pasadena starts its six-game conference schedule on Sept. 22 when it visits College of the Canyons. PCC renews its rivalry with Cerritos College on Sept. 29 in a 6 p.m. game at the home for Lancers’ football--Robinson Stadium. PCC last played the Falcons in 2007, but had been regular foes with Cerritos back when both were members of the powerful Mission Conference (1988-2007). Fimbres started his football coaching career as a nine-year assistant at Cerritos after also playing his collegiate football there.

 

Only two opponents from last year’s schedule will play PCC this season--Allan Hancock (Oct. 20 at home) and Ventura (Nov. 3 on the road, 6 p.m.). Long-time rival Mt. San Antonio is not on the schedule and that breaks a streak of 27 consecutive seasons that PCC faced the Mounties.

 

Day

Date

Opponent

Location

Time

Sat

Sep 1

Citrus

Citrus College, Glendora

1 PM

Sat

Sep 8

Orange Coast

Robinson Stadium

6 PM

Sat

Sep 15

El Camino

Robinson Stadium

6 PM

Sat

Sep 22

Canyons*

College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita

7 PM

Sat

Sep 29

Cerritos*

Robinson Stadium

6 PM

Sat

Oct 6

Golden West

LeBard Stadium, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa

7 PM

Sat

Oct 13

Moorpark*

Robinson Stadium

6 PM

Sat

Oct 20

Allan*

Hancock

Robinson Stadium

6 PM

Sat

Oct 27

Bye Week

No Game

 

Sat

Nov 3

Ventura*

Ventura College

6 PM

Sat

Nov 10

Bakersfield*

Bakersfield College

4 PM

*National Northern Conference

 

 

President’s Report to the community

Pasadena City College • Public Relations Office

1570 East Colorado Boulevard

Pasadena, California 91106-2003

(626) 585-7315

 

Gold Medallion Winner, Electronic Collateral Category, National Council

for Marketing & Public Relations District 6, 2012

 

Pasadena Area

Community College District

Board of Trustees

 

Geoffrey L. Baum, President

John H. Martin, Vice President

Dr. Anthony R. Fellow, Clerk

Berlinda Brown, Member

Dr. Jeanette Mann, Member

William E. Thomson, Member

Linda Wah, Member

Hanna Israel, Student Trustee

 

Director of Public Relations

Juan Gutierrez

 

Publications Supervisor

Gilbert Rivera

 

Sports Information

Robert Lewis

 

Contributing Writers

Bobbi Abram

Barbara Beaser

Cathy Chaplin

Sara Medina

Photography

Richshell Allen

Tim Berreth

Richard Quinton

 

Graphic Designer

Tony Au

Davina Garcia

 

 

Calendar of Events

Summer Fall 2012

1st Sunday of every month

PCC Flea Market

7 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Corner of Bonnie & Colorado

Free Admission – Parking $2 all day

 

August 24

Welcome Day for New Students

8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Quad

 

August 27

First Day of Classes for Fall Semester

 

September 8

Football Hosts Orange Coast College

Home Opener

6 p.m. – Robinson Stadium

 

 

PCC Celebrates 87th Commencement

 

Pasadena City College presented the latest graduating class in its long and storied history in the 87th commencement ceremony Friday, June 15 in PCC’s Robinson Stadium. More than 1,500 students received degrees.

 

To view photos of the commencement ceremony, visit PCC’s flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/pcclancer.

 

 

The President’s Report  to the Community is available ONLINE

www.pasadena.edu/publicrelations/campusreport.cfm

  The above link is your gateway
  to the Report’s eBook version.

 

  Featuring:

   •  Videos

   •  Embedded web links

   •  Flash objects

   •  iPad enabled

   •  Extra content

   •  And much more!

 

For more information, contact (626) 585-7264.

For the latest information on PCC events and topics, go to www.pasadena.edu.