CAMPUS Published by the Office of Institutional Advancement A Merced College News MagazineDIGESTVol. V Edition 2 SEPTEMBER 2015 Good Work President Taylor acknowledges team Sporting Life College athletic programs kick off 2015 Series Return MC The Performance & Lecture work and collaboration in response to ongoing efforts season with strong showing from Blue Devil fooball Series returns this year with World Guitar Night and to meet accreditation standards. Page 2 team. Page 3 lectures for college and community. Page 7 From the Past MC Archival photo, photographer unknown While classes were continuing to be taught at the Merced County Fairgrounds, construction of the College’s main campus in Merced commenced in summer 1966. By the fall of 1967, three buildings were complete, the Administration and Student Union buildings, and the Science Building. Pictured above, contruction crews build exterior walls for one of these buildings. CAMPUS DIGEST SEPTEMBER 2015 Accreditation Issues Remain on our Plate Good Work and Collaborative Team Efforts are to be Commended By Dr. Ron Taylor Superintendent/President The Standards Accreditation Standard I: Mission, Academic Quality and Institutional Effective- is serious busi- ness, and Integrity. ness, as I am sure “The Institution demonstrates strong commitment to a mission that you know. emphasizes student learning and student achievement. .” In fact, given Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Support Services the attention that “The institution offers instructional programs, library and learning sup- has been gener- port services, and student support services aligned with its mission. .” ated by a recent letter from the Standard III: Resources accrediting com- “The institution effectively uses its human, physical, technology, and mission (AC- Dr. Taylor financial resources to achieve its mission and to improve academic quality CJC), I know it and institutional effectiveness. .” is the case that Standard IV: Leadership and Governance most faculty and staff in the College un- “The institution recognizes and uses the contributions of leadership derstand this very well. throughout the organization for promoting student success, sustaining It is definitely the case that when academic quality, integrity, fiscal stability, and continuous improvement of we hear from the accrediting commis- the institution . .” sion (ACCJC), we pay attention. And we should. After all, the commission’s impri- matur means that we stay open for business The numbers have been inching up standard is due from the lead individual. as an institution of higher education. quickly. Last I saw, the overall rate of as- And finally, a succinct draft is due by De- As many know, from a mega-message sessment of about 62% had already moved cember 3. I sent out shortly after classes started this up by 10% or so. Incredible. Moreover, as In other words, willing hands are work- fall, we received a letter from ACCJC plac- they work on this complex puzzle, I sense ing together now so that by the end of the ing us on “enhanced monitoring” due to that the system is getting simpler, more fall term, a first, rough draft of the report some of the numbers that appeared in our straightforward, and more sensible. There is will be in hand. Then the first few weeks of Annual Report, submitted in March. The a silver lining to all the anxiety. I am also the spring semester can be used to review letter requires a response by October 15, guessing that connections among faculty and improve it. A complete, coherent draft which is coming up very fast. In our re- are happening who would not necessarily must be finished by early May 2016 for sponse, we must provide updated informa- have gotten to know each other—surely a sharing with the college community. tion on just where we are with assessment good thing. I want to thank everyone who is contrib- of student learning outcomes, and we must It is also true that we have an Institu- uting to these intense efforts. And I want to document an institution-set-standard for tional Self-Evaluation Report to prepare. assure everyone that although work related one of our career-technical programs. The And I am happy to report that under Dr. to accreditation may indeed feel unrelent- “enhanced monitoring” letter sent shock Walsh’s able leadership, a system for de- ing and negative in its orientation, there is waves through the college, and I am hap- veloping the report has been put in place. definitely a “silver lining” to the situation. py to report that many, many people have Meetings with appropriate committees and Eventually, our gravity will surely shift stepped up to address the issues. leadership have occurred related to each from a focus on compliance with the re- Dr. Susan Walsh, our interim vice presi- of the major standards and sub-standards, quirements, to meeting the requirements dent of Instruction, deserves a lot of credit with the first task being the identification because we see the benefits to our effective- for rallying the troops among the faculty of evidence. ness and our students. and instructional deans to get course SLOs The meetings have been brainstorming As I mentioned to the Academic Senate assessed where they haven’t been. And the mini-workshops in which each group has a couple of weeks ago, Merced College is a IPRSLOAC leadership, professors Modaf- identified types of evidence pertinent to big, complex place, and we are like a large feri, Kehoe, Albano and Clark, also deserve the standard. Links for the evidence docu- ship that turns slowly, but it does turn— a lot of credit for working tirelessly with ments are to be sent to Toni McCall by and I am grateful and glad for everyone colleagues to assist and to tally results on October 5. Then, by October 30, an outline who is stoking the engines and leaning on a weekly basis. for the first, rough draft on each sub-sub- the rudder. Page 2 SEPTEMBER 2015 CAMPUS DIGEST Blue Devils Kick Off 2015 Season with Optimism By Patrick Kelly Sports Information Officer Football Team Shows Talent in 2-0 Start With August comes not only the start Blue Devil of the school year, but the start pf another football is off to a athletic year. As this is written the football 2-0 start for the team is finishing up their first two weeks of first time since practice and men’s and women’s water polo 2009. and volleyball are about to start their offi- The Blue cial season. Devils avenged Blue Devil football head coach Bob a narrow loss Casey looks to improve on last year’s 5-5 last year to Los record and 4-2 Golden Coast League fin- Medanos College, ish. While the Blue Devils did lose five beating them 44- games, it was only by a combined 16 points. 14. In that win the Looking towards this year, the Blue Blue Devils had Devils enter the season with a national over 570 offensive ranking for the first time in well over a de- yards. cade. They are ranked number 26 in the JC Freshman QB Gridiron preseason poll. Though the Blue Randy Jones was Devils lost some 20 for 28 with key players, they do 348 yards and return four or five two touchdowns. offensive and four His main target defensive starters. was sophomore Included in this WR Stephon year’s returning Cross who caught players are defensive seven passes for backs Devron Davis, 130 yards and Earl Chambers, running back Josh Stevens, one touchdown and offensive lineman Xzavier McAllister. receiving and one Stevens became the first Blue Devil since touchdown rush- 1998 to rush for more than 1,000 yards, ing. Sophomore and along with OL McAllister, were both RB Josh Stevens named to the All-Northern California Re- had 10 carries for gion II team. 78 yards before The Blue vs Gold Scrimmage was leaving the game Thursday, Aug. 27, and their first game was midway through against Los Medanos College on Septem- the first half. FB ber 5. The first home game is against Yuba Justin Stefani had In the first two games, Blue Devil running back Josh Stevens College on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. five carries for is averaging 8.1 yards per carry and 130.0 yards per game. Volleyball and women’s water polo look 101 yards and two to rebuild this year, while men’s water polo touchdowns (42 works on building upon last year’s team and 2 yards). week in Redding to play the Shasta Col- that finished the season 18-14 overall and Josh Stevens followed his first game lege Knights. They return home on Sept. second in the Coast Conference. with a 22 for 182 yards and a two- 26 against powerhouse Contra Costa Under head coach Scott McCall, the touchdown (84 and 37 yards) perfor- College, which is also 2-0 at the time of men’s water polo team has improved each mance leading the Blue Devils. Cross this writing. year, including last year’s second place fin- lead the team again in receiving with ish in the very tough Coast Conference. five catches for 11 yards. QB Nate Nel- The team also qualified for the Northern son got the starting job and was 20 for Go Blue Devils! California playoffs. 28 with 264 yards and two touchdowns. The Blue Devils are out of town this See Blue Devils, page 8. Page 3 CAMPUS DIGEST SEPTEMBER 2015 College Provides 500 Free Copies of U.S. Constitution Merced College provided 500 free cop- ies of the Constitution of the United States during the national observance of Consti- tution Day on September 17.