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President’s Report to the
SMCCCD Board of Trustees
President Michael Claire ~ January 23, 2013
Inside...
CSM 1st in Nation to Offer Certificate in Astroimaging & Observatory Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CSM 1st in Nation to Offer Certificate in
Astroimaging & Observatory Operation
College Hosts Professional Development Workshop on Multicultural
Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CSM Secures Grants for Mental
Health and Puente . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
ASCSM Attends Retreat as
Kickoff to Spring Semester . . . . . 2
20” RC Telescope, CSM Observatory Rainbow over CSM Planetarium Certificate of Achievement
Astroimaging & Observatory Operation Program, College of San Mateo For more information go to http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/ Vets Take Care of the Troops . . . 3
Science Faculty Attend Reading
Apprenticeship Workshop . . . . . 3
Operation Welcome Mat Eases
Students into New Semester . . . 3
Kudos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
~ CPA Exam Prep Program
~ Michael Gaffney
~ Scott Feldman Traded to
Chicago Cubs
~ Football Players Moving on to
University Level
~ Baseball Players Sign with
Universities
Student Success Story:
Elena Seynova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
M81, Archive of CSM Obsevatory images by students Beginning
in fall 2013, CSM will offer a new certificate program in astroimaging
and observatory operation, the first of its kind in the nation. This program
was developed in response to a need in the astronomical community for
technicians who can operate observatories equipped with very sophisticated
imaging instruments. The Astroimaging and Observatory Operation Certificate
(AOOC) will provide students with theory and experience in operating complex
astronomical equipment such as the 20” Ritchey-Chretien and the TEC140
refractor. The AOOC is designed to introduce students to the underlying
principles of different imaging techniques during the hands-on training
sessions with different imaging instruments. The imaging techniques include
spectroscopy, photometry, and astrophotography.
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CSM Hosts Professional Development
Workshop on Multicultural Astronomy
services; peer to peer support; and suicide prevention. The
grant was formally introduced to the CSM community at a
workshop on January 10.
In other grant news, CSM will receive $35,000 for each of
the next three years from the Regents of the University of
California/Puente Project to provide support for the college’s
reinstated Puente Program. The program was launched in fall
2012 with a cohort group of approximately thirty students.
The Puente Project is an interdisciplinary program with
writing, counseling, and mentoring components designed to
support success in college and eventual university transfer.
This learning community focuses on the Chicano/Latino
experience and spans two semesters. The program has three
components: instruction, counseling and mentoring.
On January 12, CSM co-sponsored and served as host
college for “Multicultural Astronomy in the Classroom,” a
professional development workshop to enhance science
education in elementary, middle and high school classrooms.
The workshop explored activities and resources about the
astronomical heritage of cultures from around the world and
introduced techniques for engaging students with diverse
cultural backgrounds. The workshop is a collaboration of the
Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Project ASTRO, Hartnell
College and CSM. It was funded by The California Space Grant
Consortium. (Photo credit: Dean Drumheller)
CSM Secures Grants for
Mental Health and Puente
The college has been awarded a $247,319 two-year grant
from the California Community College Mental Health
Foundation designed to provide early intervention for
students with mental health needs, with an emphasis on
suicide prevention. An additional emphasis of the grant is
to focus on providing mental health services to veterans,
foster youth, and LGBTQ students. The project, titled CSM
Cares, was officially launched during the fall 2012 semester.
It includes three key components: training to increase faculty
and staff awareness of the mental health needs of students
and provide for early intervention and referral to support
ASCSM Attends Retreat as Kickoff to
Spring Semester
Prior to the start of the spring semester, members of the
ASCSM Student Senate took part in the group’s annual
leadership retreat held at the Ralston L. White Retreat in
Mill Valley. Fifteen members of the Senate spent two days
participating in lectures, workshops and activities that
encouraged personal reflection, interpersonal communication
skills development and collective assessment. The group
came away from the retreat with a renewed focus for the
spring. On the final day of the retreat, after returning to CSM,
the Senate’s working committees—the Advocacy Board and
the Programming Board—held meetings to begin planning
for the new semester. (Article and photo contributed by Fauzi
Hamadeh, student activities assistant)
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Vets Take Care of the Troops
The 3CSN organization trains and supports faculty in
initiatives that have been shown to enhance student success.
RA is a classroom intervention that is conducted by faculty
in different disciplines in order to enhance the reading skills
of their students. For example, in biology, texts are content
heavy, with many facts for students to learn and synthesize.
Biology faculty have expertise in reading their discipline
texts, and can share with students successful strategies for
engaging with the text.
RA offers a support network for professional development
and training for the team of faculty already beginning to use
RA tools. In addition, it will be used to support the beginning
of expansion into other departments and divisions across
CSM’s campus.
CSM’s Veterans Resource and Opportunity Center staff
along with members of the Veterans Alliance Club organized
a month-long event to support a care package project
benefitting deployed troops. They collected supplies that
eventually filled a six-by-ten-foot room then spent hours
organizing the supplies that included everything from soap
to soup. The boxes were sent overseas in time for troops to
receive them by the holidays. (Photo credit: Durella Combs)
Operation Welcome Mat
Eases Students into New Semester
Science Faculty Attend Reading
Apprenticeship Workshop
CSM teamed up with the California Community College
Success Network (3CSN) to sponsor a Reading Apprenticeship
(RA) workshop at the college during the January 11 flex
day. Approximately 50 faculty members from community
colleges throughout the Bay Area, attended to learn how
to incorporate the principles of RA into their courses.
The morning meeting was conducted by 3CSN while the
afternoon was presented by the RA “Dream Team” of faculty
from CSM’s biology, chemistry and reading departments and
a CSM chemistry student. Many of the faculty attendees
were from CSM’s Language Arts and Math/Science Divisions.
According to Dean Charlene Frontiera, the workshop was an
extremely successful event.
CSM’s Operation Welcome Mat (OWM) has just wrapped
up another successful week of activity in assisting students
during the beginning of the semester. A team of volunteers
comprised of faculty, staff and student ambassadors wearing
easily identifiable blue shirts, were stationed at strategic
campus locations during the day and evening to guide
students and answer questions. This activity has been very
well received by students, and considering the large volume
of student questions, it provides an important service. OWM
was coordinated by Alex Guiriba of the Community Relations
and Marketing Office. (Photo credit: CSM Community Relations
and Marketing)
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Kudos
~ Three students in the college’s CPA Exam Preparation
Program, Eddie Swain, Karen Lee and Jimmy Pho, have been
hired for internships with Novagradac & Company, LLP, a
distinguished CPA company. They will be interning during the
2013 tax season at Novagradac’s San Francisco office. Swain
and Lee are both previous Cal CPA scholarship honorees and
already have earned bachelor’s degrees; Pho recently passed
all four parts of the CPA exam (the exam’s national pass rate
is approximately 40%). According to Professor of Accounting
Bruce Maule, “We are very fortunate to have students like
Karen, Eddie, and Jimmy at CSM. They earned challenging
bachelor’s degrees at competitive universities, and then
came to CSM to complete the education requirements to sit
for the CPA exam. Now they have launched their careers at
a distinguished national CPA firm. In this very challenging
job market, every success is a huge success.”
~ Michael Gaffney, a CSM alum and Belmont Fire
Department battalion chief has been
promoted to deputy fire chief, a position
created under the new command
structure shared between Belmont and
San Mateo/Foster City Departments.
Gaffney is a 27-year veteran of the
Belmont-San Carlos and South County
Fire departments. He has a BA degree in
leadership from Bellevue University and
studied fire science at CSM. (Photo source: Belmont Patch)
~ Scott Feldman, a CSM alum and major league baseball
player, has been traded by the Texas Rangers to the
Chicago Cubs in a one-year, $6 million deal. The 29-year
old right-handed pitcher
was drafted in the 30 th
round of the 2003 by the
Rangers out of CSM. He
was a relief pitcher early in
his career and then made
a very successful transition
to starting pitcher. (Image
source: Bing Images)
~ CSM defensive ends Sione Sina and Lyman Faoliu will
continue their football careers next fall at the university level:
Sina has committed to UC Berkeley while Faoliu will attend
Washington State University. Bulldog linebacker Tevita
Lataimua signed a letter of intent with University of Hawaii.
(Photo credit: CSM Community Relations and Marketing)
~ Two CSM baseball players have already signed letters
of intent to play at universities in fall 2013. All-American
shortstop Brandon DeFazio will be attending the University
of San Diego, a school with a very successful baseball
program that competes at the top of the West Coast
Conference every year. DeFazio was a huge part of the
Bulldogs’ Coast Conference Championship as he hit .346 in
conference play while playing outstanding defense. Andrew
Herrera is a right-handed pitcher who came from Wilcox
High School in Santa Clara. Herrera was a key contributor
to the Bulldog bullpen in 2012 making 12 appearances as
a freshman compiling a 3.12 ERA. Herrera also thrived in
conference play, as he had 5 appearances with a paltry 1.74
ERA. Herrera will compete for San Jose State University next
year. (Photo source: CSM Baseball website)
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Student Success Story: Elena Seynova
San Francisco State University
Major: International Business
Selecting the right college was a major consideration for
Elena Seynova, an international student from Russia. She
arrived in the U.S. without friends or family and was not
proficient in English. She faced challenges adapting to a new
culture and educational system. After visiting several colleges
and meeting with admissions staff, Elena chose to attend
CSM. She discovered that CSM met her needs on multiple
levels: “I liked CSM right away because the faculty and staff
made me feel welcomed. And they took time to explain how
the International Student Program worked, which made me
feel that they really cared. ”
Once enrolled in the program, Elena was guided through the
educational process with the assistance of her counselor,
Martin Bednarek. Martin worked with her to develop a
Student Educational Plan to ensure that she progressed
toward her goal of transferring to a university. Elena also
gives kudos to Maggie Skaff, program services coordinator in
the International Student Program, who was very helpful in
answering questions, providing advice and offering referrals
to college resources. “Rather than feeling like an outsider, I
was treated as part of the community,” says Elena.
Once in the classroom, Elena realized the contrast in teaching
styles between Russia and the U.S. “I prepared myself for
immediate disapproval. To my surprise, the teachers were
very welcoming and patient. Moreover, they encouraged
me to ask questions about the material. I was astonished
with such a friendly way of teaching. This gave me strength
to believe in myself, to actually feel like I was capable of
overcoming something that I always considered beyond my
reach. People at CSM really changed my point of view which
positively changed me. I became a confident student, a cando kind of student.”
In addition to the
International Students
Program, Elena found
o t h e r re s o u rc e s o n
campus that helped
h e r stre n gth e n h e r
academic abilities. She
spent time in Speech Lab
and Writing Lab, both of
which helped improve
her English skills; the
college library provided
support with research
papers; and the Math
Resource Center was a
place where Elena could
hone her math skills.
“CSM gave me the strength to believe in myself. The college
also provided me with the information I needed to transfer so
that I could continue my education. Transfer Services made
my search for a university easier and less time consuming.”
In fall 2012, Elena transferred to San Francisco University
and is studying international business. In looking back on
her decision to attend CSM, Elena says, “I am very proud to
be an alumnus of CSM.”
“I have always known that this is the field I was meant to be
in because it allows me to give back directly to the community
I serve. CSM definitely helped me reach that goal.”
(Photo provided by: Elena Seynova)