CAMPUS DIGEST. Learning on the Fly. President 2018 will map out the College s future Page 2. Women s Basketball Devils off to a fast start Page 6

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1 CAMPUS DIGEST A Merced College News Magazine Vol. VII Edition VI Published by the Office of Institutional Advancement January 2018 President 2018 will map out the College s future Page 2 Deans Cordova and DiCarlo ready to lead the way at MC Page 4 Devils off to a fast start Page 6 Learning on the Fly Merced College trainer Yasuko Tanabe puts towels on the back of chairs during a recent men s basketball game. Tanabe has seen the school s Athletic Training Program grow steadily during her five years on campus.

2 CAMPUS DIGEST JANUARY 2018 Happy New Year and welcome to 2018! I am looking forward to another wonderful semester at Merced College. For this edition of the Campus Digest, I have provided an update on a couple of important matters. Enrollment Update Currently the District is below the overall target for the academic year. As you all know, we develop our budget based on a certain level of enrollments. It is important that we do everything possible to maximize enrollments for the spring and summer 2018 terms. Each of you play an integral role in serving our students and going the extra mile to help each of them will go a long way in this effort. Educational Master Planning and Next Steps The Educational Master Plan (EMP) is entering the development of the college profile, which will serve as the foundation for the development of the College s strategic plan. The College has now completed the Discovery Phase of the Educational Master Plan (EMP) project. Listening sessions for both internal and external stakeholders have concluded, and the EMP Task Force has been working on identifying themes Page 2 Important work ahead in 2018 By Chris Vitelli Superintendent/President emerging from the internal and external environmental scans, and other quantitative and qualitative data. We are now in Phase Two of the project Preparation of the College Data Profile, and it is nearing completion. Phase Three of the project Goal-Setting will begin this semester with the final EMP Document scheduled for completion by March/April. Facilities Master Planning The College will soon begin work to develop a new Facilities Master Plan (FMP). With the pending completion of the EMP, the goal is to develop a FMP for all campuses to reflect the shortand long-term facility needs of the District. In the coming months, we will solicit the help of an outside firm to develop this important plan in concert with the educational master planning document. Accreditation As you know, the Commission reaffirmed the accreditation status of Merced College last year. Based on the comprehensive evaluation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), the College was granted reaffirmation for 18 months with the expectation of a follow-up report to address the team s findings and recommendations. The follow-up report is due to the Commission in the fall of Currently, the Standing Accreditation Committee and a team of campus leaders have been working on an action plan to address the recommendations of the Commission. The Follow-up Report is coming together and a draft will be ready for review by March I continue to be proud of the work Merced College is doing to make a great college even better. We have made tremendous strides towards excellence in the past year. As we welcome the opportunities and challenges of 2018, I ask that you continue to help us find innovative solutions to better serve our students and community. Thanks for all you do! Physics students build a Rube Goldberg machine for their fall final. Students were tasked with putting frosting and sprinkles on a cookie by using an unconventional machine.

3 JANUARY 2018 CAMPUS DIGEST January Events Wednesday, Jan p.m. Sequoias at MC 7 p.m. Sequoias at MC Friday, Jan. 12 All Day Active Learning Conference in the in Lesher 111 Saturday, Jan p.m. MC at Columbia; MC at Taft Monday, Jan. 15 Martin Luther King Day (Campus Closed) Tuesday, Jan. 16 Spring Semester Begins Wednesday, Jan p.m. Reedley at MC 7 p.m. Reedley at MC Thursday, Jan. 18 Survival Tips for College Students Friday, Jan. 19 Saturday, Jan p.m. MC at Cerro Coso Sunday, Jan p.m. Community Monday Jan p.m. Student Workshop: Understanding Your Professor s Writing Assignments Tuesday, Jan p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting Wednesday, Jan. 24 Navigating Canvas 5 p.m. Fresno City at MC 7 p.m. Fresno City at MC Thursday, Jan. 25 What Colors is Your Major? Friday, Jan. 26 Saturday, Jan p.m. Porterville at MC 5 p.m. Porterville at MC Sunday, Jan p.m. Community Monday, Jan. 29 Money Management and Budgeting Tips Tuesday, Jan. 30 STEM Study Skills Wednesday, Jan. 31 Understanding Academic Programs and Majors 6 p.m. MC Women s Basketball at West Hills 7 p.m. MC at West Hills Saturday, Feb. 3 3 p.m. MC Women s Basketball at Sequoias 5 p.m. MC at Sequoias Monday, Feb. 5 Overcoming Math Anxiety Wednesday, Feb. 7 Research Techniques Beyond Google 5 p.m. Taft at MC Women s Basketball 7 p.m. Columbia at MC Thursday, Feb. 8 Thesis vs. Topic Sentence Page 3

4 CAMPUS DIGEST JANUARY 2018 Cordova, DiCarlo named New Deans Page 4 Dr. Lonita Cordova said she s landed her dream job as Merced College s new Dean of Student Equity. Dr. Lonita Cordova s path towards becoming the Merced College Dean of Student Equity and Success began many years ago. It was during a brief stint working with underprivileged youth at the San Joaquin County Office of Education that Cordova discovered her passion. Wishing to make a substantial impact in those student s lives, Cordova decided her efforts would be best spent at the collegiate level. Capitalizing on her eight years spent serving in the Navy, Cordova used the Troops to Teachers Grant to obtain a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and the GI Bill to complete a Masters in Educational Counseling before earning a Ph.D. in Psychology at Walden University. The County Office of Education is where I got a lot of my foundational build in working with disproportionately represented students, Cordova said. Working with foster youth, homeless and incarcerated students definitely had a huge impact on me. I had a student that got 150 years in prison, and I decided at that point I wanted to do more and would like to influence institutional and systemic change at a level that would help eliminate some of the barriers that were keeping these kids out of college. Becoming the Dean of Student Equity is pretty much my dream job. Cordova s wasn t the only dream realized on Tuesday evening as the Merced College Board of Trustees also approved the promotion of Dr. Anne DiCarlo to Dean of Student Services. DiCarlo, a Merced College graduate, has served the school for three years as the Director of the Office of Relations with Schools where she oversaw the ORS, Career Center and Transfer Center. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from California State University Stanislaus. I worked closely with the previous dean for the last two years, so it was kind of like getting a job preview, DiCarlo said. I got to see what they did and how they did it and learned some of the potential pitfalls and some things you could do to impact students in positive ways. Cordova, who served as the Director of Student Services at Modesto Junior College before joining Merced, will oversee Extended Opportunity Programs Continued on Page 5

5 JANUARY 2018 CAMPUS DIGEST The Merced College Board of Trustees honored the Merced College football team with a tailgate party before its December meeting. The team won a conference title and appeared in its second consecutive bowl game. DEANS Countinued from Page 4 and Services (EOPS), Student Success, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), Disabled Students Program & Services (DSPS), Student Equity and the Veterans Resource Center. DiCarlo will watch over the Associated Students of Merced College (ASMC), Counseling, Admissions and Records, ORS, the Career Center and Transfer Center. Vice President of Student Services Dr. Michael McCandless said both are excellent additions to the Merced College management team. After three years serving as the Director of the Office of Relations with Schools, Dr. Anne DiCarlo has been named the new Dean of Student Services. Dr. Cordova possesses a wealth of experience in equity related programs, but more importantly is a dedicated educator committed to student learning and success, McCandless said. Dr. Cordova is poised to make immediate contributions to student success at Merced College. Dr. DiCarlo possesses the education and experience necessary to make immediate and substantial contributions to the College as Dean of Student Services. Dr. DiCarlo is a Merced native and a former Merced College student. She is invested in both the District and the community, with a focus on student success. Page 5

6 CAMPUS DIGEST JANUARY 2018 The inspired play of guards like sophomore Trinity Washington (3) has helped the Merced College women s basketball team compensate for a lack of post players. Washington has averaged 11.6 points, 6.7 assists and 4.9 steals per game to help lead the Blue Devils to a 16-3 record and a ranking of No. 7 in the state. Undersized Devils Off to a Fast Start Allen Huddleston entered the fall thinking he had one of the biggest teams to ever grace Don Reid Court during the women s basketball coach s tenure. Post players tend to be scarce commodity at the junior college level, so Huddleston was enjoying his embarrassment of riches until they slowly started to disappear. Some were lost to injury, one joined the military and one didn t take care of business in the classroom. When the dust settled, Huddleston and his squad entered the sea-son with just one player listed at least 6-feet tall, but the team has barely skipped a beat. The Blue Devils enter the second week of conference play with a 16-3 record and are ranked No. 7 in the State and No. 4 in Northern California thanks to a bevy of vet-eran guards. The starting quintet of Shea Williams (12.6 points per game), Trinity Washington (11.6) Tajaheray McMahan (11.5), Jordan Pierce (10.9) and Champelle Kelly (10.2) are all averaging double figures for the season. Merced is ranked 10th in the state averaging 75.1 points per game and seventh in the state defensively, surrendering just 72.4 ppg. It s the group s defensive tenacity that s allowed them to compensate for the missing size. The Devils rank second in the state forcing a whopping 26.5 points per game, in-cluding almost 15 steals per game. The Blue Devils already have wins over Nor- Cal top-15 teams No. 9 Delta, No. 10 Feather River, No. 13 Foothill, No. 6 Diablo Valley and No. 2 Fresno City as well as SoCal No. 8 Moorpark and No. 13 Cypress. The group looks poised to make a run at a very competitive Central Valley Conference title, set-ting the stage for a possible NorCal Tournament run as well. Page 6

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8 CAMPUS DIGEST JANUARY 2018 Page 8 Athletic Training Program has International Flair Student athletes happily travel miles across the state and occasionally the country for their love of sport. A class full of students have traveled across oceans for their desire to help those same athletes at Merced College. The Merced College athletic training program is a three-tier study of basic skills, medical and entry-level athletic training. The curriculum program focuses on a set number of contact hours (10-12 for freshman, for sophomores), where students work directly with athletes and teams, as well as a lecture course once a week. One of the things that makes the MC program unique is its popularity with international students, the majority of which come from Japan. Head athletic trainer Scott Lemberger said the number of students, which started with two back in the 1998 school year, has grown steadily in the 20 years that followed with 16 students registered in the fall semester. We see ourselves as part of the team, said Trainer Scott Lemberger, right, and an international athletic training student walk out of the locker room during halftime of a men s basketball game. trainer Yasuko Tanabe. We consider the trainers and the athletes together are a family. Tanabe, who is Japanese herself, has watched the program grow over the course of her five-year tenure at the College. She explained that many of the students join the program via simple word of mouth. The students are assisted by Student Support Coordinator Mayumi Wood, who works collaboratively with students and the Y.E.S. homestay program to ensure international students enjoy a positive educational experience. The program prides itself on their hands-on training, with student trainers on the sidelines of almost every game on campus. The students average about 15 to 20 hours of direct training a week, split between pre- and post-practice treatments, practices and games. They are taught to ask questions, adapt and to be quick on their feet while they work. I hope they can adjust, like I did, where they can learn to say, I can do this and be active with the instructors, Tanabe said. The students in the program aren t only learning a vocation, but also the culture of a Western collegiate program. The immediacy of the environment forces students to be prepared and to possess the ability to communicate their reasoning with the players and the rest of the training staff. These trainers are huge, not only when our players are injured, but also proactively. Merced College women s basketball coach Allen Huddleston said. According to Huddleston, the trainers make his life easier as a coach. Their impact is most evident when the teams hit the road and visit a campus that doesn t have an athletic training program. We re here for the students. Tanabe said of both her trainers and the athletes. We want them to keep going and we want them to be successful. -- Contributed by Alessandria Pedretti