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President's Updates
Skyline Shines

January 20, 2006

Faculty Door Cards: As we begin the fourth day of the spring term, we are already at 85% of faculty door cards available for students on the website. That is a terrific asset for our students and I would like to thank the nearly one hundred faculty who have provided that information already. We hope to hit 100% by Monday morning when the second week of the term begins.

Facilities delivers over the Winter break: In my first Skyline Shines message this month, I mentioned a few issues they grappled with on our behalf. Now, I have just seen the complete and extensive list of projects they completed over the winter break. During the short 13 work day period, the custodial, grounds, engineering and office staff were involved in completing such projects as cleaning of carpets and waxing of hallways, installing signage, setting up our designated smoking areas, cleaning up a great deal of wind and storm damage, removing graffiti, supporting the many construction projects, repairing roadways and parking lots, and much, much more. Again, please join me in thanking them when you see them around on campus.

Martinez farewell reception: As you know, our farewell reception for Anita Martinez, Dean of the Language Arts Division, will be next Friday, January 27 from 12:00-1:30 in the Gallery Theater. Please join us to wish her well in her new role as Vice President of Student Learning. We have begun the process of identifying an Interim Dean for the division with a district-wide job announcement for that role. Letters of interest and a resume are due to the Human Resources office by Sunday, January 29. We hope to have identified the interim replacement by early February. We will then launch the search process for her permanent replacement.

Parking and the new drop off/pick up area: We are adapting our parking areas to the changing construction landscape and attempting to ensure the safety of students and staff. We must meet Sam Trans requirements relative to bus stops and we need to separate the dropping off and picking up of students from hazardous areas where there are vehicles moving in and out of the loading docks near both Building 5 and Building 1. Last semester we had no official drop off/pick up areas and so we have sought to remedy that. For all of those reasons, we have set aside drop-off/pick up slots in Lot 1 near the Gallery Theater. It is essential that those spaces be left vacant for that purpose. Thanks for your patience and your assistance with the new designations. Meanwhile, as usual, parking is challenging at the beginning of the term. Keep in mind Lot 2 and Lot 4 as options, as well as the new Lot 11 (near the soccer fields/track); that lot adds about 100 slots. We are working to improve signage to direct people to those options, as well as to the drop off/pick up area. We will monitor how all this works. We welcome your feedback and ideas. Please route them to Lori Adrian.

Smoking areas: As you know, we now have a new smoking policy on campus, with designated smoking areas. As I mentioned in my last edition of Skyline Shines before the winter break, plans for the new approach to smoking at the college include notification to faculty, staff and students, a college-wide forum, and an education campaign. The college-wide forum slated for mid-February is designed to be an assessment of how it is working in terms of smokers and non-smokers living together at Skyline. We are already beginning to hear additional ideas about the policy and about its implementation, and we are compiling them to ensure that they get consideration. If you have ideas, please route them to Sherri Hancock.

Skyline faculty member’s China journal published at sfgate.com: Shann Chu teaches in Skyline’s CAOT program. He is the offensive coordinator for Lowell High School’s football team, and he kept a daily diary while teaching football clinics in China last month. The first installment, entitled "Christmas in China? More like the Twilight Zone," can be found at this address: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/10/SPCHU.DTL The article is the first of several installments, to run every Tuesday this month. Future topics include: Angry people, football in China, eating snake, personal space and privacy, Guanghou University town and falling for Chinese culture.

College Council Draft Agenda for January 25: The College Council will be addressing the following topics at its monthly meeting next Wednesday:

1. Accreditation update: Review and update on accreditation activities by the Co-Chairs of the Accreditation Steering Committee, Donna Bestock and Ray Hernandez. Discussion.

2. Art on Campus project: Discussion of next steps including formation of the permanent Art on Campus committee and the process of identification of sites and art works for the college.

3. Smoking policy implementation: Review of early weeks of the implementation, possible additional designated area, and planning for forum, signage and education campaign. Discussion.

4. Parking: Update on the status of parking at Skyline.

5. Skyline Shines awards: Review of timing and nomination process. Discussion.

6. Fresh Look Project update: Briefing on the project activities and identify the next steps relative to implementation of the recommendations by Sandy Irber. Discussion.

7. Institutional Planning: Update on planning projects under way and about to begin, by Cathy Hasson:

a) IPC Charter and Bylaws: This item was presented by Cathy Hasson, Director of Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. The Senate was interested in a chance to review it before final adoption by the College Council. Action.

b) Year End Report, 2004-05: Review and discussion of the goals and activities achieved college wide, broken down by division, for last year. The full document which Cathy Hasson will present is also available on our website at http://www.smccd.net/accounts/skypro/home.html under Planning.

c) Skyline Educational Planning Project and District Facilities Master Planning: The Council will be updated on the IPC recommendation to move ahead on an Educational Plan for Skyline. This will inform the Facilities Master Planning which is being undertaken district wide in relation to the passage of the facilities bond measure. The Council will review plans for college wide involvement in both of these projects.

8. Governance model: Review of redrafted graphic descriptions of Skyline’s governance model and our committee reporting lines, and discussion of whether there is any possible streamlining we should consider.

Victoria P. Morrow, Ph.D.
President, Skyline College
650-738-4111
morrowv@smccd.net
3300 College Drive
San Bruno, CA 94066