PRESIDENT’S NEWSLETTER * JUNE 2017 ISSUE 22

President’s Newsletter

June 2017

LEFT TO RIGHT: CUESTA COLLEGE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT/VICE PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DAN TROY, CUESTA COLLEGE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT/VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT SERVICES AND COLLEGE CENTERS DR. MARK SANCHEZ, CUESTA COLLEGE SUPERINTENDENT/PRESIDENT DR. GIL STORK, AND CUESTA COLLEGE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT/VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS DR. DEB WULFF.

Dear Cuesta College Colleagues,

June. For some of us, it’s a quiet time of year. For others, June is as busy as ever. Whether you‘re taking a break this summer, or crossing things off your to-do list here in the office, I do hope you take a moment to read through this newsletter. We have much to be proud of – students graduating, heading off to national competitions, and earning scholarships, while faculty and staff are garnering recognitions of their own. Details on all that and more – including information on an important panel discussion coming up on diversity and inclusion that you won’t want to miss – are contained within in this edition of the President’s Newsletter. As always, previous editions of my newsletter can be found on the Cuesta website by clicking here. If you would like for an event or accomplishment to be considered for inclusion in a future newsletter, please email Media Relations Coordinator Lauren Milbourne.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gil Stork Superintendent/President

”I support student success by encouraging students to argue persuasively for alternative answers to exam questions by using peer-reviewed references. This analysis is crucial to the clinical reasoning they must do on behalf of their patient’s as nurses and teaches advocacy.”

~ Toni Torrey, Nursing Instructor

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QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? SEND AN EMAIL TO LAUREN_MILBOURNE@CUESTA.EDU

What’s New?

Summer Semester Underway, Registration Open for Fall After a quiet couple of weeks, Cuesta College is bustling with activity again. Summer session has begun, and fall registration is underway. In addition, College for Kids begins June 19. Let’s all do what we can to help boost enrollment by encouraging those we know to take a class or two. Class Finder is updated daily with course information. Commencement Recap + Video Available Many of you attended the 52nd Commencement Ceremony on May 19. More than 418 of the 910 graduates came from local high schools, and 126 received their first year at Cuesta College fee-free through the Cuesta Promise Scholarship Program. A total of 470 associate of arts degrees, 225 associate of sciences degrees, and 501 transfer degrees were awarded this year. In case you missed the graduation ceremony, you can watch it by visiting the college’s You Tube page, or check out photos from the day on our Facebook page. The 2017 Nursing Pinning Ceremony also took place on May 19; video of the ceremony in available here, and photos here. Panel to Discuss Diversity & Inclusion Mark your calendars to attend a panel discussion titled “Advancing Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Strategies for Educators and Community Leaders.” Set for August 17 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the CPAC, the discussion will facilitate effective partnerships between schools, businesses, and community agencies in the effort to ensure diversity and equity within the county. More details to come. Rodeo Team & SkillsUSA Participants Head to National Competitions Two groups of Cuesta students are participating in national competitions this month. The Rodeo Club Men’s Team is currently in Casper, WY, competing in the College National Finals Rodeo; the team is the 2017 Western Region champions. Later this month, various Career Technical Education students will head to Louisville, KY, to participate in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. This past spring, 18 students competed at the State level; 12 qualified to advance to nationals. Good luck to our talented rodeo student athletes and CTE students, and their dedicated faculty advisors! Upcoming Art Exhibit Features Tradeswomen

This summer, Cuesta’s Harold J. Miossi Gallery hosts Rivet: An Exhibition of Women in Trade. The exhibition features the works of international tradeswomen including welders, electricians, blacksmiths, ironworkers, firefighters, and carpenters. Running June 22-July 29, the gallery is open Mondays-Fridays, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. More information.

Congratulations!

LLN & Enrollment Success Specialist Dana Tejada Recognized with Business Latino Awards Congratulations to the college’s Latino Leadership Network Chapter and Enrollment Success Specialist Danna Tejada Baquero; they’ve been selected to receive a 2017 Latino Business Award in Higher Education from the Pacific Coast Business Times, the business-focused newspaper covering Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Danna

“I support student success by teaching students how to make healthy dietary choices, while optimizing their mental acuity and overall wellness.”

~ Elisabeth DeSwart, Nutrition Instructor

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and the LLN will be featured in a PCBT article appearing in the June 23 print edition and be honored at a reception in Ventura on July 25. Dana and members of the LLN are extremely deserving of this recognition for the work they do to support Latino/s students and increase their participation in leadership roles and higher education. Math Scholarship Awarded to Cuesta Student The math department recently awarded the Judy Barclay Mathematics Scholarship to recently graduated student Scott McGloughlin. Scott received $200 and will attend Cal Poly this fall as a math transfer. Congratulations Scott!

Pictured left to right are Cuesta College math instructor Jennifer Sanders-Moreno, scholarship benefactor Judy Barclay, math instructor Marie Larsen, scholarship recipient Scott McGloughlin, math instructors Bill Demarest and Joe Vasta. Physical Science Students Awarded Cuesta College Physical Sciences recently handed out awards for the department's students of the year.

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Pictured above from left to right: Owen Cancroft, Earth and Ocean Sciences Outstanding Student; Tegan Chapman, Outstanding Physics Student; Mac Reinhart, Earth and Ocean Sciences Outstanding Student; Kayla Nguyen, Outstanding General Chemistry Student; Ryan Ferreira, Outstanding Organic Chemistry Student; Josh Seely, Outstanding Organic Chemistry Student; and Krystopher Weeton, Outstanding Physics Student. Great job, Cougars! Brian Locher Named Coach of the Year Cross Country Coach Brian Locher was named the 2016-17 Western State Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year. Brian coached two runners this year who were named the college’s male and female 2016-17 Athlete of the Year. This is his second time receiving the award. Congratulations Brian! More information. Cuesta Athletes Participate in “Signing Day” Cuesta College Athletics hosted its annual Signing Day on May 11 in the Cuesta Gym Foyer. Ten Cuesta College athletes signed their National Letters of Intent as they move on to the four-year level. Congratulations to all 10 who are heading off to USC, Long Beach State University, Cal Poly, and various other universities! Click here for a video of the event. Ceramics Students Donate Bowls to Homeless Shelter Recently the college’s ceramics students donated more than 80 of their hand crafted bowls to the Atascadero’s El Camino Homeless Organization’s ‘Empty Bowls’ project, a local fundraiser that aims to end homelessness. Well done to the students, some of whom are pictured below with instructor Jarred Pfeiffer (center).

In the News

Over the past few weeks, the following media segments included good news about Cuesta College.

“I support student success by ensuring new construction and modifications provide an accessible, safe and secure learning environment.”

~ Brian McAlister, Facilities Services Assistant Director of Bond Projects

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This fall, all 13 of the 2017 Shandon High School graduating class will attend Cuesta College! Check out an article on

the entire class of future Cuesta students by the Tribune. Over at Leffingwell High School, the 2017 valedictorian also

plans to attend Cuesta this fall (also featured in the Tribune). In addition, approximately 100 SLO High School grads

will attend Cuesta this fall on the Promise Scholarship (Tribune). Congratulations to these soon-to-be Cougars!

The Tribune attended Cuesta’s commencement ceremony and took some great photos of our students and the

event. In addition, one of this year’s youngest graduates, 17-year-old Ryan Nett, was featured in a great human-

interest story in the Tribune about his experience attending Cuesta as a teenager.

The Athletic Department’s 2016-17 Athlete of the Year Luncheon was featured on KSBY.

News of the awards received by the college’s Marketing Department was included in the Tribune.

The Paso Robles Police Department recently hired Cuesta College alum Alex Ellis (as reported by the Paso Robles

Daily News).

KSBY came out to get shots of the recent SLO Campus art installations made by sculpture class students for a project

that used trash to raise awareness about recycling.

Cuesta music instructor David Becker opened the Jazz and Beyond Series at the Solvang Festival Theater (check out a

feature in the Santa Ynez Valley News).

Cuesta Counselor Andrea Devitt recently submitted a great opinion letter to the Tribune encouraging enrollment at

Cuesta College.

Cuesta College Police Chief Bryan Millard spoke about campus safety in a handheld alarm segment on KSBY.

Hello/Goodbye

As the Cuesta family changes, I would like to acknowledge our new full-time employees, changes in assignments, and

those employees, both full-time and part-time, who are retiring. At the June 7 meeting of the Board of Trustees, the

following action took place:

Faculty New Hires

Kelly Gottlieb, Chemistry full-time tenure-track

Cynthia Wilshusen, Instructional Designer full-time tenure-track

Erich Tucker, American Sign Language full-time temporary

“I support student success by being the bridge to Deaf students’ communication across all campus services. I also interpret classroom lectures

in a way that best fits the Deaf students’ method of learning.” ~ Jo Malizia, American Sign Language Interpreter

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Classified New Hires

Cheyenne Britton, Café Technician

Scot Halvorsen, IT Network and Systems Administrator

Melanie Stokes, Custodian I

Changes in Assignments

Jeremy Bettencourt, Academic Success Coach

Amy Pike, Basic Skills Transformation Grant Coordinator

John Stokes, CTE Liaison

Classified Retirements

Julieta Siu, Admissions & Records Technician (effective July 31, 2017)

Management/Supervisor/Confidential Retirements

Patricia Ewans, Interim Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services and College Centers (effective

May 31, 2017)

Upcoming Events Here’s a look at some of the events going on around campus. For the full calendar, visit www.cuesta.edu and click on Events.

June 17: Central Coast Gilbert and Sullivan presents “The Gondoliers”

June 19: College for Kids Session I

June 21: Board of Trustees Meeting / Board Budget Workshop & Self Evaluation

July 4: All college sites closed in observance of Independence Day

July 5: Board of Trustees Meeting

July 10: College for Kids Session II

July 12: SLO Promise Workshop

“I support student success in all aspects of our program, by supporting our director Marcia Scott, and by being the best

instructor that I can be at any given time.” ~ Rick Staley, Nursing & Allied Health Assistant Director

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? SEND AN EMAIL TO LAUREN_MILBOURNE@CUESTA.EDU