Presidents Newsletter

March 15, 2016

Dear Cuesta College,

Spring is in full swing! This time of year is full of events, recognitions and celebrations. Get caught up on everything thats happened recently, and find out what you can still take part in as you peruse this newsletter. And remember, you can always find my monthly newsletters on the Cuesta website by clicking here.

Dr. Gil Stork

Superintendent/President

Whats New?

Measure L

The bond has broken ground! The first of two groundbreaking ceremonies took place on March 11 on the San Luis Obispo Campus. Despite the downpour, approximately 80 people turned out for the ceremony to celebrate the San Luis Obispo Instructional Building. For a look at photos from the event, click here and scroll down to Project Images. Construction is set to begin on this 32,000 square foot building in late spring.

A second groundbreaking ceremony will occur on March 24 on our Paso Robles campus, where the dirt will be turned in honor of the North County Campus Center building. The event begins at 10:00 a.m. in parking lot 10. All are welcome to attend and take a look at plans for the future 43,000 square foot structure.

The very first Measure L Citizens Bond Oversight Committee Annual Report is now available to the public. The report states that bond expenditures have been properly managed and money solely spent on projects identified in the bond. Thank you to all those who have worked to ensure the Districts financial responsibility to the taxpayers of San Luis Obispo County.

For updates on all of this and more, please continue to check www.cuestacollegebond.info.

VPAS Position

Dan Troy has accepted the position of Vice President of Administrative Services and will be submitted for approval to the Board of Trustees on April 13. The anticipated start date from Dan will be April 25. Thank you to all who attended the VPAS forums last month and provided feedback on the candidates.

Book of the Year Author Talk

The 2016 Book of the Year Program will culminate tonight with its annual author talk event. Pulitzer Prize winningL.A. Timesjournalist and author Hctor Tobar will discuss his novel, The Barbarian Nurseries, in the colleges Cultural and Performing Arts Center at 5:00 p.m. Tickets have sold out; however, the event will be filmed and uploaded to the colleges You Tube channel for those unable to attend.

Edcate S Se Puede

The colleges Extended Opportunities Programs & Services (EOPS) Office is gearing up to host the 5th Annual Edcate S Se Puede, an outreach conference for local Latina and Latino high school students on the San Luis Obispo Campus. More than 300 students are expected to attend the event on March 18.

Annual Awards Luncheon

On April 1, the college will hold its 2016 Annual Awards Luncheon, where (the following) nine individuals will be honored. The honorees represent the great alumni of Cuesta College, local volunteers and faculty members. The luncheon begins at noon in room 5401. Tickets to attend cost $20 and can be purchased through March 25 by calling the Foundation Office at ext. 3279.

2016 Honored Alumni

Dale Gomer

John Alan Connerley

Leonard Grant

Brandon Bond

2016 Volunteer Awards

Dr. Frank Martinez Superintendent/Presidents Award: Joan Gellert-Sargen

John Schaub Student Volunteer Award: Chanda Miller

Dr. Merlin E. Eisenbise Service in the Classroom Award: Dr. Jeffrey Gervasi

Betty Nielsen Volunteer of the Year Award: Lyn Baker

2016 Faculty Award

Peter and MMay Diffley Award for Faculty Excellence: Jeff Grover

Spring 2016 CC News

Did you know that Cuesta College was named a Military Friendly School for the second year in a row? Want to read about a biology instructors recent sabbatical to Mexico? Or find out which of our 2016 Honored Alum stated that his extremely successful and honorable career was set into motion by a Cuesta College EMT course? Then check out the Spring 2016 edition of CC News! Its full of great information about our programs, students, alumni, faculty and more.

Congratulations!

Athletic Scholar Team Awards

Congratulations to the athletic teams of Men's Track & Field and Wrestling. The CA Community College Athletic Organization (CCCAO) recently announced that these two teams earned the distinction of attaining the highest academic achievement for all California Community College teams in their two respective sports for the 2014-2015 academic year.

This marks the 12th consecutive year that Cuesta College has been recognized by the CCCAO as having at least one of our teams receive this academic recognition. Congratulations to all of our coaching staff and athletic advisors for their leadership in promoting academic achievement.

Women of Distinction Award Recipients

On Thursday, March 17, the following six individuals will receive the 2016 Women of Distinction Awards during a ceremony being held on the San Luis Obispo Campus. Tickets to the event have sold out; however, it will be videotaped and uploaded to the colleges You Tube page for those who are unable to attend. For details on these remarkable women, please click here.

Community and Public Service Award, Volunteer: Cherie K. Michaelson

Community and Public Service Award, Professional: Lisa Fraser

Progress for Women Award: Anita Robinson

Grace N. Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award: Ann Robinson

Susan Dressler Women in Education: Anna Bates

Barbara George Women in Philanthropy: Libbie Agran

Newly Approved Tenure Status

Congratulations to the newly approved tenure-status faculty members Susan Iredale (Economics), Beth Johnson (Nursing), Dr. Elizabeth Lobo (Biology), and Dr. Jeffrey Gervasi (Mathematics). The Board of Trustees approved their tenure status on March 2; they will formally be introduced to the Board on April 13.

In the News

Over the past month, good news about Cuesta College was featured in the following media segments:

KSBY braved the rain last Thursday and came out to the San Luis Obispo Campus Instructional Buildings groundbreaking ceremony.

Currently in the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery, the Camille Rose Garcia exhibit was covered by the Tribune, KSBY and New Times.

This years Book of the Year author talk event with Hctor Tobar was featured in a great preview done by the Tribune.

This years six recipients of the Women of Distinction Awards were profiled in the Tribune.

The colleges Nursing Program was featured in multiple segments over the past few weeks; first in a regional healthcare story on KCOY, and then the recent Nursing Fair was previewed on both KSBY & KVEC.

Cuestas Spring Choirs Concert was previewed in a recent Cougars & Mustangs article in the New Times.

Last month, the North County Campus held a Career Exploration Fair for its students. KSBY helped get the word out via a preview report.

Information on the 10 students who recently qualified to compete at the SkillsUSA state competition hit the Tribune

And in case you werent aware, a Cuesta professor penned a book on veganism! Check out this New Times report for more information.

Hello/Goodbye

As the Cuesta family changes, I would like to acknowledge our new full-time employees as well as those who are retiring. At the March 2 Board of Trustees meeting, the following individuals were welcomed aboard:

Classified New Hires:

Kelli Bartel, Nursing & Allied Health Clinical Coordinator

Regina Dynes, Financial Aid Technician

Richard Fusillo, Fine Arts Instructional Assistant Photography

Cindy Sanchez, Bilingual Student Services Site Specialist

Frances Wheeler, Registered Nurse, Student Health Services

Faculty Retirements:

Irene Nunez, Counseling

Additional Changes:

Dr. Pamela Ralston, Dean of Academic Affairs - Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, has resigned her position, effective April 29. She will assume a new professional opportunity as Vice President of Instruction at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California. We wish Dr. Ralston well on the next leg of her employment journey!

Mark Your Calendar

March 24 * North County Campus Center Groundbreaking Ceremony: Come celebrate the first Measure L-funded North County Campus building. Parking lot 10, 10:00 a.m.

April 4 - 8* Spring Break: The District will be closed on Monday, April 4, in honor of a Board holiday. The district will reopen for the remainder of spring break on April 5.

April 13 * Board of Trustees Meeting: Stay informed on important district matters, including the budget, Measure L and more. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month on the SLO Campus in room 5401 and PolyCom to the NCC in room N3213. Open session begins at 4:00pm. For meeting agendas click here.

For more information on events, click here.

For more information on college news, click here.

We hope you enjoyed the Presidents Newsletter.

Questions? Contact Media Relations Coordinator Lauren Milbourne.