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; The Newsletter for Faculty and Staff at College of the Desert Week of May 23, 2005 Volume 16 Number 25 BELOW/INSIDE

COD's Best and Brightest Employees

Academic Year Comes To Close With Lots of Activities

Free Concerts Fill Mid-Week Calendar

PSA Will Honor Cadets On Thursday

UB Dinner To Recognize Students

Commencement Is Friday Night at McCallum

Nurses Will Be Pinned Friday, Saturday

Nine Faculty Members Granted Tenure

New Dean, More Faculty Hired

Board Likes Concept of Single Salary Schedule

Trustees Move Date of June Meeting to 14th COD's Best and Brightest: The judges sorted through 110 nominations and came up with five winners in various categories in the 2004-05 employee Financial Aid Goes Where the Students Are recognition contest. The winners will each receive a $50 gift certificate to their favorite restaurant and a framed award, both of which will be presented at a Man Who Named Our reception on campus next month. The winners, from left: Nori Bambusch, College Dies Chris Bohn, Margaret Foat-Koenig, Sharon Bentzen and Terri Student Eyes Potential Alm. The nominations in COD's Best and Brightest Awards came from other Berth In U.S. Open classified employees and/or the nominee's supervisor. See story, another photo below.

President's Corner

This week's President's Corner is written by Dr. Maria Sheehan, Superintendent/President. In it, she reviews the year now coming to a close and cites the many accomplishments of faculty and

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staff. Click here to read the column or scroll down.

Campus News

Chamber Concert Opens Series: A series of free concerts was scheduled to open Tuesday night with a chamber ensemble performance.

Above: during a recent rehearsal, Instructor Rong-Huey Liu, tickled the piano keys, assisted by Claire Kruse (right). In the background, Frank Michel plays the drums while Kristen Kilpatrick provides bass accompaniment on the guitar.

Left: Tanya Triplett on the flute. Free concerts are also scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday nights (vocal performances and opera presentations, respectively).

See related stories below .

Whirlwind of Activity Brings Academic Year '04-05 to a Close: The three-day weekend can't come soon enough for faculty and staff at COD. The college will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day. But the road to the weekend is full of detours: 12 events in eight days, a schedule-busting abundance of celebrations and commemorative activities that include seven musical theater performances and five graduation-related events. Related stories follow.

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Final Edition of '04-05 Insider: The Insider newsletter has finished its regularly scheduled run for the academic year with this issue. We plan to produce a post-graduation special edition next week, providing coverage of commencement and related events. The faculty and staff newsletter will resume when classes start in August. Concerts Wrap Up Busy Week for Performing Arts: Three free concerts were planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, all produced by the Division of PE and Performing Arts. The COD Instrumental Chamber Ensemble was scheduled to hold its final concert of the semester in the Pollock Theatre on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m. A variety of chamber music for duet, trio to quartet with combination of clarinet, electric bass guitar, flute, guitar, marimba, piano, jazz combo and drum sets will be played by the students in the class with the repertoire ranging from Baroque era to 20th century music. Instructor is Rong-Huey Liu, Adjunct Music Instructor. Another in a series of free concerts is set for Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. in the Pollock Theatre. Featuring vocal music from the Renaissance to Broadway, the first half of the program will include works by Bach, Brahms, an American Spiritual and the final scene from Henry Purcell's opera, Dido and Aeneas.The second half of the program highlights music from the Broadway show Jekyll and Hyde, a choral celebration of the music of Stephen Sondheim, and the music of Cole Porter and George Gershwin. The concert will feature student soloists. The concert will be conducted by David Stowell, Adjunct Music Instructor. There's a change in the format for the spring Opera Workshop. Rather than produce a full opera, Performing Arts has opted to present selections from Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute, Fledermaus and Carmen along with a one act opera by Puccini called Il Tabarro (The Cloak). Performers are the Opera Workshop ensemble, with a couple of seasoned operatic performers added, including noted Palm Springs mezzo soprano Daun Devore. Direction is by Mark Almy; musical direction by Robert E. Brown. The single performance is on Thursday, May 26 at 8 p.m. in Pollock Theatre on campus. Admission is free.

Michele Gaines Steve Acree Amy Dibello

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Doug Kroll Jose Simo

Jim Parvizi Granted Tenure: Nine members of the COD Faculty were granted tenure, effective May 27. The approval came at a recent Board of Trustees meeting. The nine, eight of whom are pictured here: Steve Acree, Assistant Professor, English; Amy Dibello, Assistant Professor, English; Michele Gaines, Professor, Theatre Arts; Doug Kroll, Assistant Professor, History:Jim Parvizi, Professor, Mathematics; Jose Simo, Counselor, Transfer Jon Fernald Center;Michael Smith, Assistant Professor, Philosophy; Jon Fernald, Electronic Michael Smith Resources Cataloger. Not pictured: Denise Diamond, Assistant Professor, English.

COD Will Recognize PSA Cadets Thursday: A ceremony on May 26 will honor some 68 cadets enrolled in College of the Desert’s (COD) Public Safety Academy. The PSA program trains law enforcement and firefighting personnel. COD will be expanding the program with construction of a new state-of-the-art training academy, scheduled to open in about 2007.

The ceremony marks passage of students through various levels of training. A formal inspection at 5 p.m. starts things off, followed by the ceremony at 6. Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle, a COD graduate, is the keynote speaker. Superintendent/President Dr. Maria Sheehan will also speak at the event. Some 500 persons are expected to attend the ceremony, held at Wright Gym on the COD campus. For more information, call Applied Sciences and Business at (760) 773-2571.

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Upward Bound Recognition Dinner Is Thursday: COD will hold an Upward Bound Program banquet on Thursday, May 26, at 6 p.m. at the Heritage Palms Country Club in Indio. According to program secretary Patricia Reyes, "We are honoring outstanding students as well as celebrating those that are graduating from high school and from the program. This year we have 11 students graduating and many more receiving awards." The college celebrated ACES enrollees last week at a similar recognition dinner. Graduation Is Friday Night at McCallum: Some 345 graduates are expected to participate in next Friday's commencement exercises at the McCallum Theatre, starting with a 6:15 p.m. procession from the Hilb Student Center to the theater. There are 467 graduates in all. Dr. Maria Sheehan, COD Superintendent/President, will deliver the commencement address. Dr. Fred Jandt, Dean, CSUSB (Palm Desert Campus) will be a special guest. Doug Walker, COD's Agriculture and Natural Resources Professor will be the faculty speaker and the student speaker is Tamara Farrington. Jennifer Miele, a theater arts student at COD, will perform. COD Nursing Students’ Pinning Ceremony Is Friday, Too: College of the Desert’s Health Science’s Associate Degree Nursing pinning ceremony will be held at the McCallum Theatre on May 27 at 2 p.m. The Spring 2005 class has 43 graduates, the largest ever. Included among this group are 10 men and 33 women who will enter the healthcare field as Registered Nurses. Nine of the graduates are Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) who will have successfully transitioned to Registered Nurse (RN) after Friday’s pinning ceremony.

The event marks the rite of passage from student to graduate. One highlight of the ceremony is when guests of the student's choice (often family, friends, or mentors) present and affix the graduate's nursing pin in honor of the achievement. The nursing pin symbolizes the ideals of professional nursing: caring, curing, coordinating, enlightening, and service to mankind into the future. The ceremony culminates with the recitation of The Nightingale Pledge by the graduates. COD Vocational Nursing Students To Be Pinned Saturday in Indio: College of the Desert’s Health Science's Vocational Nursing pinning ceremony will be held at Indian Palms Country Club on May 28 at 10 a.m. Twenty-four students will have completed the one year program and will be entering the healthcare field at a time when the nation, state, and Coachella Valley are experiencing a nation-wide shortage of nurses. This June a new class of forty-five students will begin the intense 12-month long vocational nursing program, directed by Sandi Emerson, RN, MSN, Dean, Health Sciences/ECE Division, Nursing Programs Director.

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And the Winners Are... Five classified employees were selected as awardees in COD's Best and Brightest Awards. They are, from left: Nori Bambusch, Chris Bohn, Margaret Foat-Koenig, Sharon Bentzen and Terri Alm. See story, details below. Best and Brightest Awards Draw 110 Nominations, Winners Named: A recognition program for classified employees ended with the selection of five members of the COD support staff being surprised by Dr. Maria Sheehan, Superintendent/President, and a camera crew (Mike Hadley from the IS Media Center). The resulting video was emailed campus wide last week. The winners (see caption under photo, above) will each receive a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice. And special award is being framed for each of them. A reception is planned next month to present the certificates and awards. The winners were nominated by their immediate supervisors and/or their peers and were awarded in one of five categories:

Professional Development (nominated by supervisor): The winner in this category was Sharon Bentzen , Student Services. She was nominated by her supervisor, Dr. Diane Ramirez, for regularly attending and taking part in training and workshops offered by the District. "She shares her knowledge freely with others and is always available to assist co-workers, students, colleagues and, thankfully, administrators." Attendance and Dependability (nominated by supervisor): The award went to Chris Bohn, Financial Aid, who was nominated by Heidi Granger, Financial Aid Officer. Granger pointed out that Chris never misses a day of work and is the epitome of dependability. "I think that deserves a huge acknowledgment," Granger said. The last time Bohn called in sick, Granger said, was on Feb. 26, 1999. Customer Service: Terri Alm was nominated by her supervisor, Lenita Richards, and by Mike Hadley, Jeannette Camargo, Dorothy Turner, and Becky Swanson. Comments included: "She has a heart for people and a strong desire to do her job well." "She goes above and beyond great customer service daily, helping students, staff and faculty." "She is so knowledgeable and treats each person's insurance problems with professionalism. We all benefit from her knowledge of her position and her caring heart." "I have witnessed Terri coming in on her vacation time to help someone who http://www2.collegeofthedesert.edu:85/FacultyStaff/PublicRelations/Insider/newsletter.asp?id=1610[3/24/2009 2:15:09 PM] Insider Newsletter

needed her." Team Building: Nori Bambusch was nominated by Dr. Rick Post, her division dean, and by faculty members David Acquistapace and Kurt Leuschner. Comments: "She is the best at getting things done in a prompt, reliable manner. We don't know ho we would survive the mountains of paperwork without her." "She is the glue that holds our division together." "Nori is truly the division's 'Mother Superior.' She is positive, resourceful and the epitome of a team player. She has developed and maintained strong professional relationships with each and every employee in the division." Process Improvement and Productivity: This award went to Margaret Foat-Koenig, who was nominated by her division dean, Sandi Emerson, and nursing faculty member Dee Gerken. "Last year, she developed one generic scholarship form that students could use in applying for one or more of the several nursing scholarships," Emerson wrote about her. "The form helped tremendously, for students as well as the scholarship committee. Not only was it a huge timesaver, it improved the organization of the process. That semester, the division awarded over $26,000 in scholarships to over 30 students."

COD's Best and Brightest Awards grew out of a leadership circle meeting of classified supervisors, who brainstormed ways to honor classified staff. A committee was formed and researched programs at other institutions and created a COD employee recognition program. The committee included Tom Wixon, Marc Drescher, Sally Triplett, Aracely Gomez, Florante Roa, Elaine Snyder, and Dr. David Bugay.

Dev Ed Will Hold Grad Ceremony June 1 For High School Diplomates: The division of Developmental Education, Department of Adult Basic Education, will hold a graduation ceremony to honor 47 students who have received their High School Diploma between the dates of July 2003 to May 2005.The ceremony will be Wednesday, June 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Hilb Student Center. Juan Lujan, Division Dean, and Tyrone Thomas, Lead Instructor, will be the Masters of Ceremony. Professor Featured in News Story: Associate Professor of Speech John Mandes was the subject of a recent feature story in the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which explored his battle with cancer and his struggle to continue to teach while undergoing treatment to fight the illness. The story tells how fellow COD faculty members and other employees are showing their support. You can access story at the following link:

http://www.pe.com/lifestyles/stories/PE_Fea_Daily_D_playwright508.a1d13.html

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The Solstice Team: COD's literary magazine, The Solstice, has enjoyed a revival thanks to the contributors and sponsors shown here, and others. The group presented their magazine to the Board of Trustees recently and posed for this photo. From Left: Laura Ortega, Beverly Nolan (sponsor), Ruth Nolan, faculty advisor, Juana Rodriquez, Jack Talmadge (sponsor), Gerry Morrow and Hortencia Diaz-Rodriguez.

Board Moves Up Date of Next Meeting: The DCCD Board of Trustees has moved its June meeting up two days to Tuesday, June 14 because of a scheduling conflict. The location of the 9 a.m. meeting on the COD campus will be determined. Board Okays Emeritus Status For Faculty Members : Nine members of the COD faculty were awarded Emeritus Status when the DCCD Board of Trustees approved a recommendation from the Academic Senate. The faculty members were selected by unanimous vote by their respective divisions, and got the unanimous nod from the Academic Senate. The nine are: Counselor Ed Morante, Coordinator EOPS and CARE Programs Marcelino Diaz, Professor Developmental Education Rosemary Ortega, Associate Professor English Linda Morante, Professor Business Floyd Watson, Coordinator Library Services Char Whitaker and Adjunct Math Instructor Anne Walker. Sabbatical Approved for Hagopian: Math Professor Geoff Hagopian was approved for a sabbatical leave by the Board of Trustees on Thursday. Hagopian will be gone from September to June and will develop "new methods of visual learning" in the areas of math and physics, making use of new developments in computer graphics. Board Sets Strategic Goals: The DCCD Board of Trustees adopted goals for 2005-06 for

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itself. The annual goals for the coming year are:

enhance student learning and student achievement address the educational needs of students and the community at large ensure that resources support student learning enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of college governance

Faculty Overwhelmingly Support Agreement: The DCCD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a tentative agreement between the District and the Faculty Association (CCA/CTA) at its recent meeting. The faculty voted 75% in favor of the agreement which included Cost of Living Adjustments, step adjustments, and a change in the group health insurance program that eliminated the POS option. The agreement was the result of reopened negotiations, as provided for in the contract which runs from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2006. Board Likes Concept of Single Salary Schedule for Managers: The DCCD Board of Trustees approved the concept of a new, simplified salary schedule for all of COD's management team, which includes confidentials, managers, supervisors and the college president. The proposed new schedule, which will come before the board for approval next month, combines the three existing salary schedules for managers, supervisors and confidentials as well as individually negotiated contracts (such as the president's). Dr. David Bugay, VP, Human Resources, made the presentation. He said the current schedules have some aberrations and were recommended to be streamlined back in 1999- 2000 by the Randall Report, which pointed out that the multiple scales and "vast reach of the scales" was unusual in the California system and that most colleges had consolidated them. Bugay said the combined salary schedule, which takes into account a market basket comparison of comparable colleges collected by ACCCA, would be paid for by using the COLA funds (projected at 3.93% next year) provided by the state, proportionate to the number of leadership employees. "All changes will be completed with no additional impact on the General Fund," he said.

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Another Smash Hit For COD: The curtain came down Sunday on four performances of Sweet Charity , another Broadway musical production staged by the COD Division of PE and Performing Arts. Above, taxi dancers Nickie (Rosanne Hopkins ) and Helene (Stacy Casaluci) rehearsed their number last week, while at the same rehearsal (left), Oscar (Tod Kent) and Charity Hope Valentine, the dance hall hostess (Chelsey Clime), worked through a scene in which they were stuck in an elevator. The show at the McCallum Theatre was directed and choreographed by Michele Gaines with musical direction by Scott Smith .

Nurses Score High On State Exam: Recent graduates of COD's Vocational Nursing training program scored extremely well in the required Board of Vocational Nursing examination, according to Sandi Emerson, Dean of the Health Sciences Division. Of 25 students who took the exam, 24 passed, a pass rate of 96%. "Congratulations to the VN instructors for solidly preparing the students for entry into practice," Emerson said. "Kudos to (instructors) Pat Keller and Monica Langella."

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Board Approves Hiring of New Dean, Faculty Members: Dr. Gaither Loewenstein will be the Dean of the Social Science and Arts Division on July 1. Dr. Loewenstein was most recently the V.P., Academic and Student Success, at Barstow Community College. He earned a Bachelors degree in Public Administration from the University of the Pacific and a Masters of Urban Affairs degree from Wichita State University and a Ph.D. Urban Affairs from the University of Delaware. Loewenstein was the Dean of Instruction at Mendocino College and Humphreys College. He has been the Division head for social and behavioral sciences at Holy Family College in Philadelphia. Several faculty positions were also filled: Dr. Kimberly Dozier, has been appointed Assistant Professor, English, effective Aug. 24. Dr. Dozier earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Social Science from UCR, a Masters of Arts in English from California State University, Sacramento, and a Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois. She has been a full time instructor at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota and recently teaching at Hartwell College in Salinas, Ca. Additionally, she has been a Content Editor for McGraw-Hill and a writer/editor for Longman Publishers. Daniel Kleinfelter is the successful candidate for the Assistant Professor, Mathematics position. He will begin teaching Aug. 24. Kleinfelter earned an Associate of Science degree in Mathematics from Grossmont College and both a Bachelors of Arts degree, Mathematics and Masters of Arts degree, Mathematics, from San Diego State University, San Diego. He has held adjunct positions at San Diego Mesa College, Grossmont College, and San Diego City College. Effective Aug. 24 Frank Marfai will be an Assistant Professor, Mathematics. He earned an Associate of Science degree, Physical Science/Math from Glendale Community College, a Bachelor of Art degree, Mathematics from Occidental College and a Masters of Arts, Mathematics from California state University, San Bernardino. Marfai has been an ajunct faculty member at COD for five years and has also taught at Mount San Jacinto College. He was a full time instructor at Riverside Community College. Christen Smith has been appointed Assistant Professor, English as a Second Language, effective Aug. 24. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, English from the University of California, Irvine, and a Masters of Arts degree, English from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She's held adjunct positions at Mira Costa College, Palomar College, Miramar College and Rancho Santiago Community College. Smith was a full time instructor at Imperial Valley College. Dr. Basilia Softas-Nall, is the successful candidate for the Professor, Psychology position. She will begin teaching Aug. 24. Softas-Nall earned a Bachelor of Arts, Psychology from Deree College, Athens, Greece, and both a Masters of Arts, Counseling and Ph.D. Counseling Psychology from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. She's been teaching form twelve years at the University of Northern Colorado and previously taught at the University of Laverne, Athens Campus. Wedding Bells Ring: Micheline Patel (now Morena ), an ISA in the language lab in the Academic Skills Center, who also teaches ESL classes for the Developmental Education Division at night, wants everyone to know she got married this past Saturday, May 21, in Palm Springs. She's been a member of the COD family since 1992 when she was hired by the Communication Division as a French instructor. "My husband's name is Jorge Morena," she reports. "He comes from Uruguay. We met on line in the summer of 2003. He was in Florida at the time. We fell in love with each other's personalities and voices, and we used up thousands of cell phone minutes before we had a chance to meet in person a few months

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later. Needless to say, the actual meeting was a success. I'm very excited and very happy!"

Spreading the Word About Financial Aid: Members of the Financial Aid Office at COD are "taking it to the streets," in effect. They set up a table on campus and gave away coffee, donuts (ice cream in the evening), and financial aid literature. They talked to scores of students and found that a number of them had no idea they might be eligible for one of many financial aid programs offered at the college. Helping out one morning recently were: Top, from left: Greg Chesterman and Chris Bohn, both Sr. Financial Aid Assistants, and Joanie Peters, Financial Aid Assistant. That's Karla Duarte, a student worker, seated with them. The student at left is unidentified. Right: Chris explains financial aid to a curious student. Below: More students gather around to see what they can learn and get some help from Greg.

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Doug Crocker, the Man Who Named COD, Dies: When he was 16, he won a newspaper contest by coming up with the name, College of the Desert, for a brand new junior college to be built in Palm Desert. That was back in 1958, after voters approved the formation of the college district. Douglas F. Crocker lived in Palm Springs all his life, working for the City of Palm Springs at the Wastewater Treatment Plant for 36 years. He was the adopted son of Francis and Rosalie Crocker, a prominent local family that founded the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Services were held Saturday at Desert Chapel in Palm Springs. He was 63.

Workshops On Sexual Harassment Law Begin June 2: Employers need to be aware of the new California law on mandatory sexual harassment training, according to the Center for Training and Development at College of the Desert. COD will hold several workshops to help supervisors understand and comply with regulations. Training begins June 2. The new California Law, AB1825, requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide at least 2 hours of training to all supervisory employees and provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment training for newly-hired or promoted supervisors within 6 months of their hiring or promotion. “Our 2.5 hour Unlawful Harassment course meets the state requirement and provides participants with an understanding of the key issues of sexual harassment which includes: sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, or age,” said Dr. Wendy Flint, Director, Professional & Continuing Education. “Participants will learn what is and is not harassment, and how to recognize and respond to it effectively,” said Pam LiCalsi, Dean, Center for Training and Development. “While the course is designed for supervisors and managers, every employee will benefit from this workshop.” Workshops will be held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on June 2, July 13, July 28, Aug. 11 and 23. Workshop presenter is Dr. Wendy Flint, COD Director, Professional & Continuing Education. Cost is $89 per person, or call the Center to find out how to schedule this

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workshop for your employees at your worksite. For more information or to register call (760) 773-2545 or register online at www.CODtrainingcenter.com.

Street Fair Shifts to Summer Hours June 4: The COD Street Fair “Summer Season” begins June 4. During the months of July, August, and September the Street Fair hours are from 7 a.m. to noon. The Street Fair is held all year long on Saturday and Sunday on the COD campus in Palm Desert. It is operated by COD’s Alumni Association, a non-profit organization. The Fair provides open-air shopping for the entire family including a selection of unique gifts for all occasions, a farmers market and refreshment booths. There is free admission, parking and entertainment.For more information call, Marchu at (760) 340-1045. Library Friends Receive Huge Book Collection For Sale: The largest and finest collection of books ever received has been donated to the Friends of the Library (FOTL) by member/donors. Five thousand books were picked up by the Book Room staff last week, according to Millie Bird, who coordinates two annual book sales that benefit COD. The collection consists of books in all subjects with a large portion of historic in leather bindings and other modern titles. This was a private collection compiled over time, since 1920, by the father of the donor, Alice Stanton Serrao, and her husband, John A. Serrao. The couple has sold their home here and will be leaving the area, Bird said. "The FOTL is very privileged and most grateful to receive such a large donation of outstanding books," said Book Sale Coordinator Bird. "Some of the books will go directly to the COD Library, and others will be placed in our upcoming sales Nov. 4, and Mar. 18-22, 2006." In appreciation to the donors letters of thanks have been delivered to the Serrao's along with a special recognition for Alice's generosity. A special certificate was prepared and placed in a hand made blue case with satin linings by Millie and Dr. Harold Bird, bookbinders. It contained the FOTL seal and her name in gold on the front of the case. This was presented to Alice in her home on May 23 by members of the FOTL staff. Her husband, John, was present and received the letters.

President's Corner by Dr. Maria Sheehan

Looking Back Over the Year: As we conclude the academic year, it is time to look back on all of the successes of the last twelve months. The first issuance of 65 million dollars of bonds funds took place in August and modular buildings were the first purchases for much needed classroom space. The Nursing Program took center stage this year with an expanded RN program, a record of more grants received than ever, and an astounding 95% passage rate on the Board exams for Registered Nurses. The number of entering RN students rose to an incredible 144 for the year. Through the extraordinary hard work of faculty, especially Chris Nelson and Rick Rawnsley, Dr. Gari Browning and other members of the staff, a model Accreditation Self Study was completed. Thanks to great coordination on the part of the Research Office directed by Matthew Breindel, an outstanding team http://www2.collegeofthedesert.edu:85/FacultyStaff/PublicRelations/Insider/newsletter.asp?id=1610[3/24/2009 2:15:09 PM] Insider Newsletter

visit took place.

The Research Office also took a lead role in securing evidence that determined the success of our pilot intersession program. Faculty determined the quality of the courses provided during the intersession was strong. It gives students a new tool to achieve their goals. This week, the priority process moves forward so that we will have in place the comprehensive listing of needs for the 05-06 academic year. The listing will assist in fundraising for college priorities. In the areas of athletics, student athletes outdid themselves with winning seasons in golf, football, tennis and basketball. I especially want to commend 18 year old Chelsey Clime who was so brilliant in this past weekend’s theater production of Sweet Charity, a great example of COD students achieving their best. As we ended the year, a record number of the members of the college family came out to celebrate the President’s Games without the games. The barbecue was a great stress reliever and a time for reviving relationships for all staff. The annual event will be back again on May 4, 2006 for a fifth year. At the last Board meeting, the Trustees approved emeritus status for retiring faculty, a faculty sabbatical for the year and a new dean for the Division of Social Sciences and Arts, and six new faculty members. The Board approved the articles for negotiation with CSEA and the approved the ratified faculty contract. The Board also approved the concept of a single salary schedule for all members of leadership to replace the three separate schedules and lack of a schedule for two members of leadership, the Superintendent/President and the Vice president of Administrative Services. Last week the college celebrated California Classified Employees Week and acknowledged the winners of the COD’s Best and Brightest Awards. The awardees star in the video which was distributed last week by email. Congratulations to Chris Bohn, Sharon Bentzen, Margaret Foat-Koenig, Terri Alm, and Nori Bambusch. And speaking of awards, the Academic Senate recognized Doug Walker as faculty member of the year, a well-deserved distinction. Congratulations to all of our dedicated staff for a year well done. Congratulations also go to our record number of graduates. More faculty members then ever will be participating in commencement, demonstrating their commitment to College of the Desert students. COD had a wonderful year with a great year to come. Hopefully everyone will take time for rest and relaxation during the summer months.

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COD Sports

The Pacific Coast Fencing Championships were held in Las Vegas recently and a handful of COD fencers competed: Costa Nichols in men's sabre, Frank Campellone in men's foil and epee, Mark Johnson in men's foil, and Leslie Taft in women's sabre, with Coach Taft winning the bronze medal. "The Pacific Coast Championships are a prestigious fencing event," said Taft. "We had fencers from Hawaii, Nevada and California coming to compete ranging in ages from 15 to 72 and it is also a qualifying path for the National Championships." Some of the COD fencers will be at the National Championships in Sacramento July 1-10.

Former COD Student Moves Through Qualifying Rounds for U.S. Open: Brandon Petelski, a member of the COD men's golf team in 2003 and 2004, is one of several local players to get past the first round in qualifying for the U.S. Open Golf Tournament. Petelski, 21, now plays in the Southern California regional tournament in Tarzana on June 2 and needs a low score over 36 holes to earn a chance to qualify for the major tournament. He got past the first obstacle by carding a 70 at Ironwood earlier this month, joining three other local golfers in moving on to the next level.

Openings

Management Appointment: Gaither Loewenstein, Dean, Social Science and Arts, effective July 1. Management Reassignment: Reynaldo Ortiz, Counselor, effective July 1. Faculty Appointment: Kimberly Dozier, Assistant Professor, English, effective Aug. 24. Daniel Kleinfelter, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, effective Aug. 24. Frank Marfai, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, effective Aug. 24. Wendy Sanders, Professor, Early Childhood Education, effective Aug. 24. Christen Smith, Assistant Professor, ESL, effective Aug. 24. Basilia Softas-Nall, Professor, Psychology, effective Aug. 24. Faculty Resignation: John La Fontaine, Assistant Professor, Air Cond & Refrig, effective June 30. Classified Appointments: Sean Black, Training & Development Assistant, effective Apr. 27. Rodrick Coleman, Groundskeeper, effective Apr. 18. Carol O’Rourke, Training & Development Assistant, effective Apr. 27. Classified Resignations: Hope Morrison, Admissions & Records Technician, effective Apr. 21. Chris Mozga, Instructional Support Assistant/PE, effective Apr. 22. Melissa Raineri, Administrative Secretary/Counseling, effective May 13. Classified Reassignment: Mary Lisi, Business Services Technician, effective Apr. 25.

Faculty Development Workshops For information on Faculty Development, Flex Days, and Online Faculty Development, contact Wendy Flint, Chair Faculty Development Committee at ext. 122 or email her at [email protected] or go to http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/FacultyStaff/FacultyDevelopment/index.asp .

Calendar of Events The Insider lists home games for all athletic events on the weekly calendar. For more details, contact the Athletics Department at Ext. 591 or visit the Athletics Division website at http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/Athletics.

Monday, May 23 Final Exams Begin Tuesday, May 24 11:30 a.m. CDC Moving Up Celebration 7 p.m. Instrumental Concert

http://www2.collegeofthedesert.edu:85/FacultyStaff/PublicRelations/Insider/newsletter.asp?id=1610[3/24/2009 2:15:09 PM] Insider Newsletter

Wednesday, May 25 7 p.m. Vocal Ensemble Concert Public Safety Academy Awards Thursday, May 26 6 p.m. Ceremony 6 p.m. Upward Bound Awards 8 p.m. Opera Workshop Friday, May 27 2 p.m. RN Pinning 7 p.m. Graduation Saturday, May 28 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair 11 a.m. VN Pinning Sunday, May 29 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair Monday, May 30 COD Holiday Monday, June 6 First Day of Summer Semester

The Insider is the newsletter for Faculty and Staff at College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert, CA 92260. Published weekly during the school year, except during holidays. Send submissions via email or interoffice campus mail. Information: Tom Wixon, Director, Public Relations, ext. 2589. From off-campus: (760) 773-2589 or [email protected].

http://www2.collegeofthedesert.edu:85/FacultyStaff/PublicRelations/Insider/newsletter.asp?id=1610[3/24/2009 2:15:09 PM]