President's Message

For more than 50 years, the Southwestern Community College District has been an instrument of the people and a recipient of the public’s trust.

In 1960, the people of the South County created the College District to help their children, their neighbors and themselves learn and succeed. That bond is reinforced every time the people go to the polls to choose their trustees on the Governing Board, to choose who will oversee their community’s education and who will spend the community’s hard-earned dollars.

January 2012

In this month's edition

• Construction Update
• Faculty Recognition Awards
• Employee Update

Construction Update

The Governing Board first suspended, then took steps to sever, the district's contracts with Seville Construction Services and BCA Architecture, Inc.

Seville Construction had been hired in November 2009 as overall program manager for Proposition R, the construction bond measure approved by district voters in 2008. BCA Architecture was then hired in April 2010 to design the Corner Lot.

Those decisions have halted progress on the Corner Lot development, but other Proposition R-funded projects continue to move forward. Work is continuing on the Central Plant, the field house at DeVore Stadium and other renovations around campus. Part of parking Lot J has been fenced off to accomodate the work.

Faculty Recognition Awards

The Governing Board honored four individual faculty members and a team of educators for their excellence in teaching and for their leadership.

Recipients are recommended by their peers in the Academic Senate. Categories were revised this year: Previously there had been teaching excellence and professional leadership awards for full-time faculty and one general adjunct faculty award.

	Dr. Chris Hayashi Full-time Teaching Excellence "“To say that Chris has been invaluable to what we do at Southwestern College is an understatement. In every area  that we as faculty excel or as faculty have responsibility for, Chris is on top of it.” —Dr. Randy Beach
Dr. Sylvia Garcia-Navarrete Part-time Teaching Excellence “One of the things she does is, she truly creates a culture of thinking. When you go to her classroom, the students are all engaged in thinking every minute of the whole class. It's extraordinary, and if we could clone this we could solve a lot of the world's problems.” — Dr. Joel Levine, Dean of the School of Languages & Literature
		Dr. Nouna Bakhiet Full-time Faculty Leadership “She has very high expectations for those around her and inspires her students to strive for excellence. A quote from one of her students is ‘Dr. Bakhiet provides with all of the foundations, but she challenges us to earn our grade and the future we desire.’” —Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Kathy Tyner
Veronica Gerace Part-time Faculty Leadership "Miss Gerace's professionalism, communications, expertise, creativity and pleasant demeanor were a welcome addition to the Centennial Celebration Team." —Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox
		Jeffrey Buchholtz, Janelle Williams, Henry Aronson TELA (The Exponential Learning Academy) Team Award “To see faculty take concepts that you teach in the classroom and bring them to life in the classroom is dynamic. I really want to commend you for the outstanding work that you all have done. Excellent job!” —Aaron Starck, EOPS program director

 

Employee Update

Among the Governing Board's actions:

• Naming the Cafeteria grill for the late Raul Haro, former chief grill cook who retired last spring after 23 years with the College.
• Approving the hiring of John Pickelle as Assistant Professor of Photography and Maria Bautista as Grant Writer.
• Approving promotions and position changes for Dolores Duenas, Maria Esquivel-Torres, Alfredo Farah, Patricia Hiebert, Angela Islas, Jenny Marasigan, Yolanda Puentes and Lynda Ware.
• Accepting the retirement of Student Activities Coordinator Craig Moffat.