In This Issue Chancellor Laguerre Visits College of Alameda Toys for Tots/ Food Drive Begins November 2 COA Welcomes Drew Douglass President s Roundtable Kicks Off RSVP for Veterans Resource Center Grand Opening Auto Club Hosts Back to the Future Auto Show Student Spotlight: Honor Student-Athlete Nadia Bedard Taskstream Training Completed Alameda City Council Recognizes COA and Bay Ship & Yacht COA Welcomes Chinese High School Principals Peralta Initiative for Foster Youth Success College of Alameda VPI Karas Attends CITRIS Day at UC Berkeley COA Hosts Regional State Academic Senate Workshop AAUW Hosts College of Alameda Scholarship Fundraiser EOPSA Conference 2015: Growing Hope, Equity and Justice Help Us Make a Splash! Chancellor Laguerre Visits College of Alameda Last Thursday, October 22, Peralta District Chancellor Jowell Laguerre visited College of Alameda to conduct a series of forums with classified staff, faculty, students and administration. His presentation focused on the results from the District s recent survey. The major issues and concerns that have clearly surfaced so far are 1) administrative accountability, inflation and instability; 2) technology/ IT; 3) budget transparency; and 4) lack of accountability and inefficiencies in many of the District s processes. Survey respondents also expressed a desire for us all to work as one team, with a sense of shared responsibility among all four colleges and the District; for a new model of resource allocation that favors the colleges rather than the District; for more permanent hires and less interim roles; and for a renewed sense of hope. Page 1
Dr. Laguerre also shared his plans to address these issues, in line with his New Peralta Way. He plans to undertake a comprehensive review of the District s technology, IT budget and staff; exploring a new, more transparent budget model; improve accounts payable process at the District; starting a leadership academy to help train current and future administrators; recruitment of permanent hires; and exploring greater selfgovernance for the colleges. During Q&A, he encouraged the COA campus community: It will take all of us working together to get there. We must support each other to make the change. If you have something going on in your area that s not working and only you know about it, we need you to let us know. Say something to me or to President Blake. Be a broken record. Keep talking about it until someone hears. After the forums, the Chancellor met briefly with ATLAS students, then took a guided tour of the automotive complex and a visit to Bay Ship & Yacht. John Peterson, ATECH faculty member, provided a tour of the automotive technology, SMART classroom facilities and auto body. Bill Andrews, AUTOB faculty, showed the auto welding booths. At Bay Ship & Yacht the Chancellor was joined by Chris Rochette of Bay Ship & Yacht and Dean Char Perlas for a tour of the facility. The Chancellor saw the full spectrum of the working waterfront, from vessels being moored in dry dock to training rooms used by COA students. He was impressed by the close collaboration between a corporation and the College in implementing an innovative instruction program benefiting the community. I will be back next semester, he pledged at the conclusion of his visit. Article by Tim Karas & Jenni Owen-Blackmon. Photos contributed by Dr. Laguerre. Toys for Tots/ Food Drive Begins November 2 The College of Alameda Auto Club is proudly sponsoring Toys for Tots and our local food bank. Our goal and mission is to provide families in the community the most memorable Christmas holiday. The toy drive and food donations will take place from November 2 through December 4. Join us in achieving our goal of 1,000 donated toys and 3,000 pounds of food. Come out and donate your toys and food on November 2 from 12:00 noon 1:00 pm at the Student Center (Quad). Collection bins will be placed throughout campus. Check in with Santa and see if you made the naughty or nice list. Facebook: College of Alameda Auto Club Instagram: @coaautoclub, #coaac For more information, please contact Auto Club Adviser Rufino Ramos at rramos@peralta.edu or 510-748-2284. Article by Rufino Ramos. Page 2
COA Welcomes Drew Douglass We are pleased to welcome Mr. Drew Douglass as College of Alameda s new Director of Workforce Systems. Drew brings extensive direct experience in managing workforce development programs. His experience includes serving as Deputy Director of Workforce Services for Rubicon Programs; Program Director Enterprise Development Director for Marin City Community Development Corporation; and Career Center Coordinator for the San Pablo One Stop-East Bay Works. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration from Villanova University, which he expects to complete in 2016. Drew s familiarity with regional workforce investment system and labor market information enables him to be a strategic and seasoned leader. His experience partnering with regional community colleges to develop sector-based employment programs prepares him to be an effective educational manager and promote service integration strategies across education, regional workforce investment agencies and employers. Drew s new email address is adouglass@peralta.edu (for Andrew, but he prefers Drew ). His new office will be located in the North Cities One Stop Center on campus, in Portable P, Office Number P 102-A. The One Stop phone number is 510-748-2208 (You may expect Kathleen to answer.) Article and photo by Dr. William Watson. President s Roundtable Kicks Off Alameda community leaders gathered in the Pit on Thursday morning, October 22 for College of Alameda s inaugural President s Roundtable. The Roundtable is a prestigious group of key individuals from business, industry, government, education, and the philanthropic sector who will act as the College s strategic advisors and help us to forge stronger ties with the Island s community. In this inaugural meeting, Dr. Blake shared her vision for the future of the College and introduced the COA Promise, a pilot program by which eligible West Alameda high school graduates will received one fee-free year at COA starting in fall 2016. Then, Student Trustee Adrien Abuyen shared the story of his COA journey as he pointed out, just one of the 6,600 stories of student success that happen on campus every day. Finally, the group discussed the goals and purpose of the Roundtable and worked in small groups to brainstorm ideas for new community partnerships, forging deeper connections and opportunities for the College and community to work together for mutual benefit. Learn more: http://alameda.peralta.edu/office-of-the-president/presidents-round-table/ Article by Jenni Owen-Blackmon. Photo by Susan May. Page 3
Reminder: RSVP for Veterans Resource Center Grand Opening On November 10, the COA Veterans Affairs Office will celebrate the grand opening of the Veterans Resource Center. The celebration will take place in the Gymnasium from 10:00 am -12:00 pm. Please come out and bring your family and friends as we celebrate this joyous occasion. Light refreshments will be served. We hope to see you there! Learn more and RSVP today: tinyurl.com/coaveteranscenteropening Article by La Shawn Brumfield Auto Club Hosts Back to the Future Auto Show October 17 marked the day the College of Alameda Auto Club had their Back to Future Auto Show. This day was expected to be a gloomy, rainy day and ended up being bright and sunny. As the cars started to roll in from various parts of the Bay Area, all you could hear was the rumbling and revving of engines. Little by little, cars were lined up to showcase what they had. There were Classics, Rat Rods, Imports and BMWs. Students and instructors from the College displayed their cars, from a 1962 Ford Falcon, 1964 Chevy C10 to more modern cars as Honda Preludes and Ford Mustangs. They even had SUVs that matched high-powered boats at the show. Then there were the BMWs. Boy were there BMWs. The COAAC invited MFEST (Motorsport Festival) to join in with the fun and they brought in some really exotic cars. It was like looking into a futuristic glass ball and seeing cars of the future, but they were right in front of you. Ever see a Tron I8? It s a wonderful sight. Car is a hybrid electric; sleek with swanwing doors and high performance that only BMW can offer. M5 wide body: sleek to the ground with a PlayStation and X-box on display in the truck of the car. When I speak to high end, there were no holds barred to the amount of money they put into these cars. Just the rims alone were worth more than $1K each. As the cars were on display, the models strutted their stuff enticing the spectators to snap a few photo shots. In the background, the DJ was thumping away to some high-energy music. A few local bands also entertained us. Page 4
As the day wound down, awards were presented to the winner of the Best of the Best in several categories. In my book, all cars shown at this event are winners. Most of all, the College of Alameda is the winner as the proceeds and donations from this event are being used to sponsor scholarships for students in the Automotive Technology and Auto Body/Paint field. Those who wish to donate to the COAAC can do so by sending a check to Instructor Rufino Ramos, PO Box 55 through internal mail. As an incentive, those who donate over $50 will receive a COAAC T-shirt. Sizes are limited. It was a great day spending time with other car enthusiasts and I am looking forward to the next one Article by Ernie Eugenio. Photos by Rufino Ramos. Student Spotlight: Honor Student-Athlete Nadia Bedard Scholar-athlete Nadia Bedard was named 2015 Player of the Week for her performance against Laney College and Los Medanos College on the volleyball court last week. Nadia began attending COA in summer 2014. She has consistently been an academic honor student and currently holds a 3.8 GPA. She will receive an A.S. degree in natural sciences in spring 2016. Afterwards, she will transfer on to pursue a degree in nursing and will continue to play volleyball (as she is being recruited by several colleges). As a freshman (2014) volleyball player, Bedard received the "Rookie of the Year" award presented by College of Alameda women's volleyball. As a sophomore (2015) volleyball player, Bedard is ranked third in the Bay Valley Conference in total kills, solo blocks, and service aces. She has received "Player of the Week" three times this season. This award is presented by COA's Women's Volleyball Head Coach Linda Thompson and is based on game statistics. Article and graphic by Linda Thompson. Taskstream Training Completed On Friday, October 23, a Taskstream training was held as part of the Department Chairs Seminar series. The training was open to all faculty. Jennifer Shanoski, Merritt SLOAC, led this hands-on training with support from your COA SLO Coordinators, Eileen Clifford (Div. I), Matthew Goldstein (Div. II) and Jamar Mears (Student Services). Topics covered included mapping program and/or course level outcomes to intuitional level outcomes, running at a glance reports, and a general overview of Taskstream. The mission of the College of Alameda is to serve the educational needs of its community by providing comprehensive and flexible programs and resources to empower students to achieve their goals. Page 5
If you were unable to attend the training but would like to learn more, please contact Tim Karas, Vice President of Instruction, at tkaras@peralta.edu or 510-748-2301. Article by Tim Karas. Photo by Matthew Goldstein. Alameda City Council Recognizes COA and Bay Ship & Yacht At the October 20 Alameda City Council Meeting, College of Alameda was awarded a plaque which acknowledges the College for its extraordinary work with the Working Waterfront Cohort program. The plaque was presented in the spirit of The Extra Mile Day that celebrates the individuals and organizations that make a difference in the Alameda community. College of Alameda s Bay Ship Program, which consists of a 2-unit Maritime Painting class, offered its first class which ended on October 5. 100% of the students enrolled successfully passed the course and, currently three of the students have obtained full time employment at Bay Ship & Yacht. Article by Dr. Char Perlas. Photo by Matt Kirschling. Pictured from left to right: Chris Rochette (Training Supervisor, Bay Ship and Yacht (BSY)), Dr. Char Perlas (Dean COA), Dr. Joi Blake (President, COA), Leslie Cameron (Owner, BSY), Tim Karas (VPI, COA), Wassim Rashad (Student, BSY/COA Program and now employed FT at BSY) COA Welcomes Chinese High School Principals On October 15, the College of Alameda Office of Instruction hosted an 18-member delegation of Chinese high school principals. A team of College personnel (Dean Lee, Dean Perlas, Dean Cook, Drew Gephart, Min Vu, Ava Lee, and VPI Karas) presented information about College programs and services. The delegation engaged in dialog to learn about the opportunities international students have to pursue their academic careers at the College of Alameda. The visit ended with a campus tour. Article by Tim Karas Peralta Initiative for Foster Youth Success College of Alameda The Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program (CAFYES) was authorized in September 2014, when Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill 1023 (Chapter 771, Statutes of 2014). The law allows the Chancellor s Office to enter into agreements with up to 10 community college districts to provide additional funds for services in support of postsecondary education for foster youth. Page 6
On October 19, 2015 the Peralta District was notified of the State Chancellor s office s intent to recommend that Peralta Community College District be selected as one of the 10 pilot districts. The four-college Peralta Community College District (CCD) on behalf of College of Alameda and our three sister collges proposes to significantly improve the postsecondary enrollment, retention, certificate/degree attainment, and transfer outcomes of current and former foster youth in Alameda County and the region by building Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) capacity and extending internal and external collaborative networks. The College of Alameda CAFYES program will be deeply integrated with the EOPS and Open Gate programs. Service strategies to be employed include: Foster-youth-specialized EOPS/CAFYES academic counseling; Beyond Emancipation s evidence-based coaching and case management model, deeply coordinated with EOPS and delivered on campus to address students barriers to academic success; Peer networks established through group activities and dedicated Peer Advisors; and Extensive referrals facilitated by participation in the Alameda County College Bridge Collaborative, a cross sector initiative led by the Alameda County Foster Youth Alliance. For more information, please contact Toni Cook, Dean of Special Programs & Grants, at tcook@peralta.edu or 510-748-2135. Article by Toni Cook VPI Karas Attends CITRIS Day at UC Berkeley On October 13, Vice President of Instruction Tim Karas attended the inaugural CITRIS Day at UC Berkeley. The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) presented on innovation in education, the maker movement, and artificial intelligence. The day included included panels on Deep Learning for Robotics, the Future of Technology-Mediated Education, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship in a University Environment. Keynote speaker was former California Governor Grey Davis. Attendees were also provided tours of the research facility and labs. Article by Tim Karas. Image courtesy of UC Berkeley. COA Hosts Regional State Academic Senate Workshop On October 16, College of Alameda hosted a regional State Academic Senate workshop focused on Career Technical Education. COA Academic Senate President Rochelle Olive coordinated the event. VPI Karas welcomed attendees to campus. The days focused on the Chancellor s Office Workforce Taskforce and Baccalaureate Degree pilot program. Article by Tim Karas The mission of the College of Alameda is to serve the educational needs of its community by providing comprehensive and flexible programs and resources to empower students to achieve their goals. Page 7
AAUW Hosts College of Alameda Scholarship Fundraiser The American Association of University Women (AAUW)Alameda Branch hosted the 2nd Annual College of Alameda Scholarship Fundraiser from 2:00 pm 4:00 pm at the home of Patti Heimburger, Branch President, on October 11. Guest speakers were Dr. Joi Lin Blake, College of Alameda President, and Alameda Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer, who also serves on Peralta Colleges Foundation. There were a number of AAUW members in attendance. Both Dr. Blake and Mayor Spencer expressed their commitment to the students who attend College of Alameda and the importance of community collaborations and partnerships to better serve Alameda residents. Article by Dr. Joi Lin Blake. Photographer: Carolyn Cannon. Pictured from left to right: Patti Heimburger, AAUW-Alameda Branch President; Trish Herrera Spencer, Alameda Mayor; Dr. Joi Lin Blake, College of Alameda President. EOPSA Conference 2015: Growing Hope, Equity and Justice EOPS/ Care counselors Marissa Nakano, Mary Shaughnessy and Charles Washington flew down to San Diego to attend this year s EOPSA Conference. It was held from October 20-22 at the Town & Country Convention Center, with over 500 attendees from EOPS departments throughout the state. We met other EOPS/ Care counselors, support staff and administrators and exchanged best practices and ideas. Each conference day was full of workshops, meetings, speakers and presentations. We also had a great time getting to know each other over the delicious food in San Diego! Highlights of the event included: Keynote speakers: Dr. Victor Rios, a sociology professor and motivational speaker from UC Santa Barbara, and Congressman Joe Baca motivated the audience with their stories, accomplishments and life lessons Workshops, including: o How to build and outreach for an EOPS summer bridge program o Counseling strategies to support female students of color in STEM majors o Workshop ideas for CARE students (e.g. how to incorporate everyday literacy in children s lives and still have fun!) o Presentation about Striving Black Brothers Coalition (SBBC), a successful EOPS program that supports Black male students at Chabot College The mission of the College of Alameda is to serve the educational needs of its community by providing comprehensive and flexible programs and resources to empower students to achieve their goals. Page 8
o Programmatic differences between serving EOPS, Care, and CalWORKs students Plenary Sessions & Meetings, including: o Recognition of EOPS/ Care staff for their years of service (with a nod to Mary, who was recognized for 10 years of service!) o Award ceremony for student recipients of 2015 EOPSA scholarships o Updates from Jonathan Lightman, Executive Director for the Faculty Association of California s Community Colleges and our EOPS lobbyist on Capitol Hill o EOPSA Annual Meeting including updates on changes in BOG fee waiver eligibility and the possible negative effects on our students o Region III meeting to discuss preparation for EOPSA Conference 2016 and budget allocation for 2016-2017. We re already looking forward to next year! Article and photos by Marissa Nakano. Pictured from left to right: Charles Washington, Marissa Nakano, Mary Shaughnessy Help Us Make a Splash! Please send us your articles so we can include them in the COA Splash Newsletter! Upcoming events involving the COA community Past events involving the COA campus community Accomplishments, awards and accolades of faculty, staff or students Welcome/ introduce new faculty or staff members to the COA community Updates on COA campus projects and initiatives All articles should be submitted to your Dean or Vice President and are due EOD on Mondays. The next due date will be Monday, November 9. Please be sure to include: Your article or story. (1-3 paragraphs is best) Your name and contact info (We want to credit you for writing the story!) At least one high quality, compelling photos(s). Please give us name of the photographer so we can credit them, and tell us who s in the photo too. (To ensure that we obey copyright laws, please confirm that the photographer and people pictured have given you written consent to have their image published online.) Contact person whose name and phone/ email we can publish in the article for more information Please note that articles may be edited for length or content before publication. Not all articles will be published, subject to space and the editors discretion. Some articles will be excerpted to appear in the President s Report to the Peralta Board of Directors. Questions? Please email Jenni Owen-Blackmon at joblackmon@peralta.edu. Page 9