PRESIDENT’S NEWSLETTER * JUNE 2017 ISSUE 23

President’s Newsletter

July 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,

As one fiscal year recently ended, another has begun. And in about a month, the next academic year will commence as well. It’s a time of new beginnings. This fall, the college is launching some new events and initiatives – like a panel discussion on diversity and inclusion, a new plant science facility on the North County Campus, and expanded student services on the SLO Campus. The District has also unveiled its proposed budget for the year. July also brings closure to others at the college, like our Rodeo Club and SkillsUSA students who recently completed their 2016-17 competition year with wins at national conferences. We also had to say goodbye to two beloved members of the Cuesta College family. A look at all this and more can be found in this month’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

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What’s New?

Fall Registration is Open & a Schedule-at-a-Glance is Available Registration for the fall semester is currently underway! Classes begin August 21st and the college is offering hundreds of courses from all three sites, plus online. In addition, the college is launching a number of exciting new events and endeavors. They include:

A brand new Plant Science Facility on the North County Campus and expanded agriculture offerings (transfer degree in plant science and courses in agriculture mechanics)

The first-year experience program - İZOOM! – designed to help students complete their pre-college-level English and math courses faster, will now be offered on the SLO Campus (in addition to the North County Campus)

A transfer degree in kinesiology will now be offered on the North County Campus, where activity courses are also now available (in Pilates, yoga, and trail running)

The SLO Campus’s Student Success Center is expanding and will be holding an open house

Various art exhibits, including one that includes the works of CMC inmates In addition, printed schedule information is back! Now available in various areas of the Student Services building (3100), printed Fall 2017 Schedule-at-a-Glance provide a shorter version of the traditional class schedule, with basic course information and tips on how to get started at Cuesta and get financial aid, maps, and more. You can check out an electronic version here, or grab a copy for yourself. Hard copies will also be available at specific locations throughout SLO County. Register Now to Attend Panel Discussion on Diversity & Inclusion You are invited to attend Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Strategies for Business and Education, a panel discussion taking place in the CPAC on August 17 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (a reception will precede the event at 5:30 p.m.) The event is free to the public and geared toward those in the community involved in business and education. The goal is to provide an opportunity to discuss strategies addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Attendees will learn how to understand micro-aggression and unconscious bias in educational and community settings, to recognize these biases, and about the benefits of sustaining a diverse workforce. More information about the event and details on how to register can be found here. Results of North County Campus Land Use Study and Site Appraisal The Board of Trustees heard a report at the meeting on July 5th about a study of land use and land appraisal of properties related to the North County Campus. The District owns approximately 30 acres that could be potentially sold or leased in the future, and wanted to know the value and the potential uses that could be developed for the property. No decisions have been made, and more discussion will be heard at future Board of Trustee meetings. 2017-18 Cuesta College Tentative Budget Approved At the June 21st Board of Trustees meeting, the District's tentative 2017-18 budget was approved. The tentative budget proposes Unrestricted General Fund expenditures of $52,345,874. While District revenues are expected to increase (due largely to a 1.56% COLA and an additional increase in an unallocated general purpose funding), long-term concerns remain due to declines in core enrollment and the increasing costs of CalSTRS and CalPERS contributions. Therefore, the tentative budget includes expenditure reductions of approximately $1.1 million to ensure a balanced budget. This summer, the District will build a final budget incorporating up-to-date expenditure and revenue figures from the 2016-17 year and the final decisions made in the State's budget.

PRESIDENT’S NEWSLETTER JULY 2017 | Issue 14 3

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

Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery Currently Features Tradeswomen Have you stopped by the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery on the SLO Campus this summer? It’s a great time to stop in – currently the space is hosting Rivet: An Exhibition of Women in Trade. The exhibition features the works of international tradeswomen including welders, electricians, blacksmiths, ironworkers, firefighters, and carpenters. Running through July 29, the gallery is open Mondays-Fridays, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. More information can be found here; and, check out a great New Times article on the exhibit on page 5 below. Kids in Business Students Hold Business Fair Last week, the College for Kids – Kids in Business class (session I) held its annual Kids in Business Fair on the SLO Campus. The kids – ages 5th-9th grade – sold a variety of homemade goods, including edible treats plus original artwork, clay sculptures, lip balm, and more. The students had spent more than two weeks learning how to start and launch a business. In case you missed the fair, you are in luck! Session II is underway and its fair will take place around noon on July 25 in the cafeteria. For a fun video featuring the session I students, check out the story KSBY did on page 5 below.

Congratulations!

Cuesta College SkillsUSA Students Earn Medals at National Competition Congrats are in order for a group of Cuesta College SkillsUSA competitors who recently returned from the 53rd Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Twelve students attended the conference, and for the 11th year in a row, Cuesta College was on the national awards podium! Here are the results:

Gold: Daniel MacFarlane | Related Technical Math

Bronze: Michael Dye | Welding Fabrication (team of three)

Bronze: Tyler Forbes | Welding Fabrication (team of three)

Bronze: Robert Kohlbush | Welding Fabrication (team of three)

Results Pending: Oziel Gutierrez | Electrical Construction Wiring

Results Pending: Tom Razo | Electronics Technology

Results Pending: Alexander Bissell | Digital Cinema Production

Results Pending: Marvin Cantorna | Digital Cinema Production

Results Pending: Richard Lock | Automotive Services Technology Students Courtney Lawrie, Fernando Castillo, and Drew Herman also competed in Occupational Safety & Health as a team of three. Congratulations to all the students who competed, and to their hardworking faculty advisors: Mike Fontes, Richard Leonard, Bret Allen, Gary Villa, and John Stokes! They continue to show that Cuesta College’s career technical education programs are some of the best in the nation. Rodeo Club Places 14th in Nation, 1st in the West Congratulations to the Cuesta College Rodeo Team! They recently returned from the annual College National Finals

Rodeo competition in Casper, WY, and completed their competitive year as 14th in the nation (up from placing 19th last

year) and first in the western region. Six Rodeo Club student athletes participated in the national intercollegiate

competition, facing off against hundreds of the best college rodeo athletes in the nation. The results from the

competition are as follows:

Men’s Team All-Around: 14th place

Will Centoni: Saddle Bronc Riding 8th place, Bull Riding 17th place, Team Roping 32nd place

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Caden Clay: Team Roping 32nd place

Tim Dietrick: Saddle Bronc Riding 34th place

Sterling Humphrey: Steer Wrestling 13th place

Dalton Pearce: Team Roping 24th place

Tristan Ruffoni: Team Roping 24th place

Congrats to the students, coach Clint Pearce, and faculty advisor Dr. Anthony Koeninger – all their hard work enhances the viability of our rodeo experience for future student-athletes.

Pictured above at the 2017 College National Finals Rodeo are (top row, left to right) student athletes Dalton Pearce, Caden Clay, Will Centoni, and Tristan Ruffoni, (bottom row, left to right) Rodeo Club Coach Clint Pearce, student athlete Tim Ditrich, Rodeo Club Assistant Coach Connie Pearce, student athlete Sterling Humphry, and Cal Poly Rodeo Coach Ben Londo.

Sad News

Last month, the college received the sad news that longtime donor and friend Mary Schwartz had passed away. Mary will be missed by many of us. Over the years, Mary was a major donor to both Cuesta College and the Cuesta College Foundation, most notably in the expansion of the college’s facilities on the North County Campus. As a result of her generous support, the Dale and Mary Schwartz Learning Resource Center is named in the Schwartz’s honor. In 2010, Mary received the Benefactor of the Year Award by the Council for Resource Development, Region IX, in Washington DC, recognizing individuals who have given extraordinary support to a community college. Also in 2010, Mary received the Dr. Frank Martinez Superintendent/President’s award for distinguished volunteer service. Mary also served for six years on the Cuesta College Foundation Board of Directors.

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Mary Schwartz’s spirit, kind heart, volunteerism and philanthropic contributions will always be warmly regarded and appreciated, and have undoubtedly influenced the future of Cuesta College. You can learn more about Mary’s contributions to San Luis Obispo County in this Tribune article. The Cuesta College family lost another longtime member recently; David Kelly, original political science faculty member and the second division chair for Social Science died this past week. Dave arrived at Cuesta College in Fall 1965 to help launch a very talented social science faculty division. He previously taught at Delano High School. Following the retirement of Social Science Division Chair Frank Avila, Dave was appointed the second Division Chair in Social Sciences. Dave ended his career at Cuesta College, earning emeritus status, in 1990.

In the News

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

The Paso Robles Daily News featured information on the panel on diversity and inclusion (described on page 2 of

this newsletter).

KSBY reported on the news about the Rodeo Club’s national and regional rankings (described on page 3 of this

newsletter).

For a look at the Rivet art show currently on display in the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery (as described on page 2 of this

newsletter), check out a great write-up in the New Times.

Exciting news for the Cuesta College City to the Sea 5K & Half Marathon! Local running phenom Jordan Hassay will

serve as race ambassador for the 2017 event. For details, check out this Tribune article.

As they worked to sell their goods, young students in the recent Kids in Business class (as mentioned on page 2 of

this newsletter) showed off their merchandises to KSBY.

A recent publication of Paralegal Today featured an article (‘Teaching Evidence with Serial Podcast’) written by

Cuesta College Paralegal Instructor Stacey Hunt as its cover story! Check it out here: The Paralegal Educator

The recent local high school graduations mean Cuesta College will be welcoming some brand new Cougars this fall!

Coast Union High School reports that more than half of its graduating class of 2017 (a total of 26 students) will attend

Cuesta (Tribune article with details), more than 100 SLO High School grads will take advantage of the Cuesta College

Promise and get their first-year fee-free (Tribune article with details), and approximately 60 percent of Paso Robles

High School graduates plan to attend Cuesta this fall (Tribune article with details).

A newly hired City of Paso Robles police officer is a recent Cuesta College alum! Read all about her in the Paso

Robles Daily News.

KSBY mentioned Cuesta College’s dual enrollment offerings available this fall in a recent report.

PRESIDENT’S NEWSLETTER JULY 2017 | Issue 14 6

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

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 July 5 meeting of the Board of Trustees, the

following action took place:

Faculty New Hires

Zachary McKiernan, Full-Time Tenure Track Social Sciences

Classified New Hires

Cheyenn Donald Cleave, Library and Learning Resources

Anabel Gutierrez, Library and Learning Resources

Alicia Paniagua, ESL Outreach, Recruitment and Retention Specialist

Management/Supervisor/Confidential New Hires

Siboney Guardado, Associate Director of the Student Success Centers

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.

July 25: Kids in Business Fair

July 31: College for Kids 4th Grade Camp begins

August 1: Deadline to apply for the Promise Scholarship

August 2: Board of Trustees meeting

August 8 & 10: Psych Tech Program Info meetings

August 17: Diversity & Inclusion Panel Discussion

August 18: Opening Day

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