Office of Instruction and Student Development Update-Week 7-October 10, 2015
Emergency Preparedness
The Emergency Preparedness and Safety Committee had a special meeting this week to discuss
measures to improve campus safety in response to the recent Umpqua Community College
shootings. In addition to the regular committee members, Interim President Keith Snow-Flamer
and a representative from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office were present. Information about
campus emergency preparedness will follow in the weeks ahead.
Enrollment Management
In the run-up to this semester, enrollment lagged by more than 100 FTES (full-time equivalent
students) compared to last year. Shortly after census, the gap appeared to narrow considerably
and was tantalizingly close to our enrollment targets, only to quickly return, again, to over 100
FTES. While the gap may narrow when all student enrollment is accounted for, it’s apparent that
we are below enrollment targets and “softer” than last year.
The Enrollment Management Committee met this week to review its mission and scope,
membership, and 2015-17 Enrollment Management Plan. This committee will take a holistic
view of enrollment beginning with how students are informed about CR (marketing, branding,
high school outreach); how students navigated the College student services (enrollment,
assessment, advising & planning, and registration,) and instruction (schedules), and; how
students persist, succeed, and ultimately graduate with a degree or certificate. As we implement
“better practices” we should see our success in higher FTES data next year.
Civility Webinar
Early in the week, Instructional Administrators attended a webinar on Faculty Civility &
Academic Freedom – Protecting the Workplace while Preserving Academic Culture. Defining
civility as “Engaging in collaborative, constructive conduct – including speech” and ‘Refraining
from conduct or speech that is unconstructive or violates policies or laws (such as
harassment…’), important steps toward a fully civil and functional organization is to educate
ourselves, identify institutional practices that contribute to civility and incivility, and conduct
ourselves in a civil fashion. Webinar “takeaways” include Institutions cannot afford to ignore
uncivil conduct in faculty because:




It is sometimes illegal,
it is likely to be “called out” in public,
it is unfair to the rest of the campus, and
it undermines the institutional mission.
I will initiate a discussion with the Academic Senate Co Presidents and Instructional Deans and
Directors, in consultation with the CRFO, on Faculty Civility to support a Healthy Workplace.
Mathematica
I had the pleasure of watching math professor Dave Arnold provide an introduction to
Mathematica, a mathematical software program currently used primarily by CR calculus
students. Mathematica has applications from math to the social sciences to art. I was impressed
that Mathematica is only one of many contributions Dave Arnold and his math colleagues make
to support a quality program and promote their students’ success. More will follow in subsequent
weekly updates.
Spotlight on Associate Faculty
Christine Dobrowolski grew up in Sacramento, went to the University of California at Davis
and graduated in 1992 with a degree in Biochemistry. She received her Doctorate in Podiatric
Medicine in 1996 from Samuel Merritt University and in 1998 she completed her surgical
residency training. After practicing with Redwood Podiatry Group for a few years, she returned
to school to earn her Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in
2004. She started teaching nutrition at CR in 2005. In 2006, Christine moved to South Lake
Tahoe. She converted her face-to-face nutrition course into an online course and started teaching
online at CR the following year. Her HO-15 class in Nutrition is used as a “model course” in the
CR Online Teaching and Learning Training (OTLT). In 2010, she started teaching online at
Humboldt State University in the Exercise Nutrition Certificate program. Her Optimal Bone and
Muscle Development course at HSU won the California State University QOLT Award in Spring
of 2014, and her Pharmacology and Ergogenic Aids course was a QOLT recognized course in
the Spring of 2015. When she is not teaching or practicing podiatry, Christine enjoys mountain
biking, downhill and backcountry skiing, hiking and paddle boarding.
Spotlight on Staff
Clifford LaMastus currently serves as a Student Services Specialist – II, assigned to the Veteran
Resource Center (VRC). Originally from California, Clifford joined the U.S. Army, where he
served for five years as an Infantryman. His years of service in the Armed Forces include one
tour to Afghanistan and one tour to Iraq. Prior to coming to work for CR, he began his college
studies here in 2013. He began working for the VRC as a VA work-study student and became a
permanent employee in March of this year while also continuing his education goals. When not
serving the Veterans and Dependents of our community or studying, Clifford enjoys spending
time with his family and playing in the woods. He and his beautiful wife Mayra now live in
Fortuna with their dog, cat and baby on-the-way.
Cheers - Almost to the Semester Halfway Point!