5 Things to Know Weekly Update
Dear Colleagues,
Happy Monday! I hope the students are settling into classes and the rest of us are getting into the rhythm of the semester. As you know, we continue to get notices about changes that may affect us from the federal government, and as a District, we are keeping up and working to keep everyone informed. I saw a quote recently that I found to be relevant and helpful as we navigate coming changes: “My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right.” That’s from Father Hesburgh, former President of Notre Dame, and it’s easier said than done … but worth remembering as we continue to support students and programs here at GWC. Have a fulfilling week as we move into the four-day weekend.
Meridith
Speaking of changes at the national level: we had an excellent webinar on Friday from Lisa Ramirez, attorney from US Immigration Law Group, which dispelled some misinformation and gave practical advice for all of us, no matter what our immigration status is. Thank you to the 157 employees who attended!! We will be sending out a recording for those of you who could not make it, as well as the slides. One takeaway is that we should clearly mark areas on campus that are “Private” – I’ll work with the Exec Team to get that done ASAP.
Many thanks to the groups who braved the awful weather last week to hold events. Lunar New Year was bustling, with so much entertainment, informative booths and good food – our new Trustee Phu Nguyen was in attendance along with Trustee Hornbuckle, and I was proud of how the college showed up. Of course, many thanks again to Jolynna Dang and Sabrina Nguyen. And we kicked off Black History Month with a talk from Rhonda Bolton, former HB City Council member, who had great (and sobering) advice for students about public service. Thanks to Joel Powell for moderating and Harry Anderson for arranging.
I guess I’d call this next item “blast from the past”: several of us attended the inaugural Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame event, where Albert Gasparian was one of five inductees. Some of us did not overlap with Albert (in my case, because I replaced him as VPI), so you may not know he was a 16-time state champion coach in women’s volleyball and had a .917 record in his time here. Albert continues to work as a sports commissioner and show up at events – we were happy to see him honored!
We continue to have some personnel changes as positions are vacated or filled. Some notable recent changes are the departure of Ashley Bell in nursing (we wish her well in her move out of state) with Nelson Contreras filling in temporarily; the permanent hiring of Cory Bird to support the auto program; and new hires coming in NextUp/Guardian Scholars, Foundation and Dual Enrollment.
We also have Sheila Hudson, an experienced dean most recently from Solano College, arriving today to fill in as temporary interim for the Dean of Arts and Letters. Try to attend Golden Greetings every month to meet everyone - the next one is scheduled for this Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 9 a.m. in LRC 250.
This week, I’ll be on campus through Wednesday, but off on Thursday. Remember to wear your polo on Wednesday and also send any comments on Vision 2030 by 2/18 (you can provide feedback at the Vision 2030 Feedback Form) – we are planning to finalize ASAP and move on when the District is ready to consider a bond.