Back
President's Updates
Skyline Shines

November 18, 2005

Smoking on campus: Effective January 17, we will have a new policy relative to smoking on campus. Please see the more detailed description below under College Council.

Former Skyline View editor recognized: Giselle Velazquez, a former Skyline View editor-in-chief, has just been picked to be a Chips Quinn Scholar for Spring 2006. After leaving Skyline, she graduated from SFSU and went on to intern with KQED, the Bay Guardian and Business 2.0. The nationwide Chips Quinn program strives to increase diversity in the newsroom, while "giving opportunity, training and voice to young journalists of color." Ms. Velazquez will be placed at the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York.

Update on the implementation of the new phone system at Skyline: As you learned from Phyllis Taylor’s November 9 Professional Development Newsletter, the "cutover" to the new phone system will take place the weekend of December 9. During the prior week–December 5-9–two things will happen: we will have the new phones placed on our desks next to the current ones, and training on the use of the new phones will be offered at multiple times at Skyline. Frank Vaskelis will give us a fuller picture soon.

Business Division videoconference: The Business Division hosted a videoconference entitled Developing & Enhancing the International Business Curriculum at the Community College. The two-hour program provided an overview of Curriculum, Program, and Faculty Development for International Business at the community college. Hui Pate, from Skyline, was one of the video presenters and was introduced with accolades by Senator Barbara Boxer in the video. Attendees included faculty from Foothill DeAnza, Diablo Valley and Skyline College. Thanks to Salah Webb, who did a flawless job on the tehnical end, and videotaped the conference. Copies are available to interested faculty and staff.

College Council update: At its monthly meeting this week, the Council addressed the following items:

1. Minutes of the October 28 meeting: Those minutes were approved and are availabe on our website at http://www.smccd.net/accounts/skynotes/ by clicking on "College Council."

2. Accreditation: Ray Hernandez and Donna Bestock, the Co-Chairs of the Accreditation Steering Committee, provided an update on the college’s self-study work and reviewed plans for a survey of our students to be conducted during the spring. The plan will be discussed by the Academic Senate today, November 19.

3. Smoking on campus: The College Council has been discussing our approach to smoking on campus. We are attempting to address and balance all of these issues: the legal prohibition of smoking within 20 feet of buildings, the respectful treatment of smokers, the health interests of people seeking to avoid encountering smoke, and the enforcement of whatever policy is in place. To that end, the Council has made the following recommendation to me, which I have accepted. I am verifying with legal counsel that it is workable, and assuming that it is, then effective January 17, smoking on campus will be confined to four Designated Smoking Areas:

All ashtrays will be moved to those locations. This change in policy will be accompanied by a college-wide forum to be jointly hosted by the Academic Senate and the Classified Council. The Associated Students may also join this effort. The forum will provide an opportunity for discussion of the policy as well as consideration of other approaches. In addition, an educational campaign will be conducted college-wide, the details of which will be discussed further at the next College Council meeting, along with establishment of the date for the college wide forum. Between now and January 17, appropriate and clear signage will be developed as well as other communication materials for faculty, staff and students.

4. Bond implementation: The Council discussed the kinds of capital improvements which will be made possible by the passage of Measure A.

5. Fresh Look Project: The Council received an update on the status of the project, the student focus groups and the draft recommendations from the consultant. The Fresh Look Advisory Group was slated to review the draft recommendations the following day (and did so on Thursday). Following that meeting, the recommendations will be finalized and submitted to the college.

6. Institutional Planning Committee (IPC) update: Cathy Hasson, Director of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness, reviewed the revisions to the college’s planning model which have been under discussion by both the College Council and the Institutional Planning Committee. The revisions include the creation of some college wide "strategies" that link our broad college goals with our more concrete and specific unit objectives. The identification of those strategies will allow us to assess our progress toward the goals. She also provided a proposed revision to the Charter and Bylaws for the IPC. The Council was generally comfortable with them. They will be reviewed by the constituent groups and then finalized by the College Council.

7. Skyline Shines Awards: At the last meeting the Council approved a proposal for the creation of new "Skyline Shines Awards" which would recognize two people each year, a Skyline employee and a community member who in some important way help "Skyline shine." The criteria were revised to mirror the college’s values, and the Council approved the revised draft. The timeline for this year will be drafted for consideration by the Council at its next meeting.

8. College’s Thematic Governance Model and committee meeting schedule: The Council reviewed the current governance model and the current meeting schedule and began to discuss ways to get our governance work done while minimizing duplication of effort. This topic will be pursued further at the next meeting.

9. Next meeting: Wednesday, December 7.


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