5 Things to Know Weekly Update

July 29, 2024

photograph of president randall with arms folded on top of bookcase

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you had a relaxing weekend watching the Olympics, or ignoring the Olympics, or whatever you might have been doing. We need to squeeze in some fun before fall semester starts. To that end, thank you to everyone who came to our ice cream social last Thursday – as you can see, we had a good time (particularly Jon Holland 😊) and a welcome break in the afternoon. Make sure to take some breathers during the day, ice cream or not!

Meridith

collage of photos showing employees eating ice cream and smiling, with the words ice cream social written in script font in the center

Last week, the Automotive Program hosted a nationwide Honda training featuring the carmaker’s all-new electric vehicles (where we all learned that the size of the wheels is the key determinant in vehicle range – who knew?). President of the Board of Trustees Lorraine Prinsky and Chancellor Yamamura joined in as well. Many thanks to John Kasabian – who received the “Challenging Spirit” award by the Honda PACT team at the awards dinner, as well as Mike Russell, Max Marheine and Dean Brooks for a fantastic event. And everyone commented on the beauty of our campus!

photograph of dean of cte dorsie brooks, automotive technology faculty mike russell, coast community college district board of trustees president lorraine prinsky, and golden west college president meridith randall

photograph of members of honda pact team with gwc auto tech faculty john kasabian, who is holding a glass award.

Congratulations to the nursing program, Linda Ju-Ong and Alice Martanegara for gaining approval of our new CNA program, a non-credit pathway into healthcare careers. The program will start as soon as we can get some equipment into the classroom in the Business building. Very exciting.

Not everyone may be aware that our Financial Aid professionals have been putting in extra effort to address national FAFSA issues and ensure that students are awarded in time for fall. The drop for non-payment has been delayed to August 1, so we may see some declines in classes – FA is doing everything it can to make sure students meet that deadline.

Thanks to VP Lee, Christina Ryan-Rodriguez and Lauren Sosenko, we have submitted an application for a federal grant to continue Basic Needs support for students. Also, a new partnership with Grocery Outlet will bolster offerings at the Stand – much appreciation to Yasmin Bravo, Jose Carrillo and Betty Pierce.

photograph of building with lettering that says recreation education near top of building, and then lit up letters that say the stand lower. Windows below the lit up letters have graphic clings with photos of groceries.

My week will include some focused work on the Foundation and making connections for fundraising as well as wrapping up some hiring. We are also moving quickly to complete a draft of the accreditation report for review this fall – and when I say “we,” it’s a lot of other people besides me, so thanks to you all!

GWC Mission Statement

Golden West College provides an intellectually and culturally stimulating learning environment for its diverse student population. The College provides enriching and innovative programs that help students: transfer to four-year institutions, earn associate degrees, complete certificates in career and technical education, advance their careers, and demonstrate college readiness. The College is committed to continuous assessment and improvement of student learning and institutional effectiveness.