With SEPTEMBERFEBRUARY 2017 2016 WE Excellence Minding Their Business The SDCCD prepares entrepreneurs and small business owners for success. Story on page 12 CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE FOR SPENT ON Driving the Economy EVERY $1EDUCATION TAXPAYERS WILL RECEIVE $3.90 IN RETURN OVER THE COURSE OF THE STUDENTS’ WORKING LIVES The San Diego Community College District The result: for every tax dollar spent on educating (SDCCD) continues to play a significant role in fueling students attending City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, the regional economy. It is important to quantify this and Continuing Education, taxpayers will receive role in a manner that community leaders, legislators, an average of $3.90 in return over the course of the and taxpayers can understand. students’ working lives. According to the latest study by Idaho-based What the study did not look at, however, is what is Economic Modeling Specialists International (Emsi), happening behind the scenes. As noted through an the SDCCD generates $5.5 billion in annual spending, article you can read in this issue of With Excellence, an amount equal to approximately 2.8 percent of the District is playing a major role in building the San Diego County’s Gross Regional Product, which is innovation economy, from City College’s San Diego enough to support more than 74,000 jobs. Technology Incubator, which is run through the Center The 91-page report analyzed District spending in for Applied Competitive Technologies, to San Diego the 2015-16 fiscal year addressing everything from Continuing Education’s Entrepreneurship and Small payroll to construction, in addition to the higher Business Management Program. Another article in this wages earned by current and former students that are issue of With Excellence details how the District’s sharp attributed to the education provided by City, Mesa, focus on building state-of-the-art Science, Technology, and Miramar colleges, and Continuing Education. Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) facilities and In breaking down the numbers, the Emsi study nationally recognized STEM programs is having a noted that the SDCCD spent $261.9 million on profound impact on providing local biotechnology and payroll and benefits for 5,626 full-time and part-time engineering firms with workers who have the training employees, and an additional $258.4 million on goods and education they and services to carry out daily operations throughout need to succeed. the District. That investment leads to more spending Thanks to the across other businesses throughout San Diego ongoing support County, resulting in what is commonly referred to as of local taxpayers multiplier effects. In all, taxpayers provided the District and business with $416.1 million in state and local funding. That partners, the San investment yielded an estimated present-day value of Diego Community $1.5 billion in added tax revenue stemming from the College District students’ higher lifetime earnings and the increased continues to set the output of businesses. In addition, savings to the pace in building the public sector adds an estimated $114.4 million thanks economic vitality of to a reduced demand for government-funded social America’s Finest City. Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D. services. Chancellor 2 | WE—WITH EXCELLENCE CONTENTS 12 Minding their WHAT’S INSIDE 8 Living the Dream Business CONNECTIONS Mesa College gave Los The District’s colleges and 4 From Miramar to Fire Chief Angeles Angels general Continuing Education prepare WE Tweet manager Billy Eppler his entrepreneurs and small start. business owners for success. Working Together 5 Seal of Approval Nailed It War Stories 6 Celebrating MLK 7 Straight A’s On Board AROUND THE DISTRICT 16 Expanding the Promise 17 Students in Need CAMPUS NEWS 22 City College 23 Mesa College 24 Miramar College 25 Continuing Education 18 Strengthening 20 A Culture Focused SDCCD NEWSMAKERS the Humanities on STEM 26 From the Marines The San Diego Community From new state-of-the-art to Miramar College District partners facilities to groundbreaking with UC San Diego to boost educational programs, the recruitment and support for San Diego Community Humanities students. College District has placed STEM front and center. WE—With Excellence Magazine Board of Trustees Executive Editor Mary Graham Jack Beresford San Diego Community College District Rich Grosch Director, Communications Communications and Public Relations Office Bernie Rhinerson and Public Relations 3375 Camino del Rio South, Suite 335 Maria Nieto Senour, Ph.D. San Diego, CA 92108 Editor Peter Zschiesche Cesar Gumapas, Publications The San Diego Community College District is Chancellor Editor and Supervisor governed by its Board of Trustees. No oral or Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D. written representation is binding on the San Graphic Design Diego Community College District without the Presidents Brenda Manzelli, Graphic Artist express written approval of the Board of Trustees. Denise S. Whisenhunt, J.D. and Photographer Pamela T. Luster, Ed.D. Contributors Questions, comments? We’d love to hear from Patricia Hsieh, Ed.D. you. Email us [email protected]. Campus Public Information Officers: Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Ph.D. Heidi Bunkowske Jennifer Nichols Kearns Stephen Quis Ranessa Ashton David Ogul, Writer FEBRUARY 2017 | 3 CONNECTIONS From Miramar to Fire Chief San Diego Miramar College alumnus Colin Stowell is the new chief of Heartland Fire & Rescue, which provides fire protection to El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove under a joint powers agreement. Stowell, who spent 28 years @SeherAwan13 with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Seher Awan Vice President, Admin Services, Department, where he rose City College to become assistant fire chief, began his new job November This is how Admin Services rolls. Fills the food 7. Stowell replaces former pantry on campus during our lunch break! Heartland Fire Chief Rick Sitta, We love our students! @sdcitycollege who retired August 12. #citycollege Stowell earned his associate degree in Fire Science from Miramar College before securing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and a certificate in Fire Protection Administration from San Diego State University. He graduated from Mira Mesa High School in 1985. Stowell, 49, worked for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department from 1988 to 2016 in a variety of roles, including fire captain, fire battalion chief, deputy fire chief, and assistant fire chief of emergency operations. His latter post had him overseeing the Emergency Operations Division, which includes 48 fire stations, 845 sworn personnel, the training division, special operations, lifeguards, and emergency medical services. Working Together They meet again. The governing boards of the San Diego Community College District and the San Diego Unified School District, which have built a close partnership that is seeing strengthened collaborative efforts, is set to hold its sixth joint session since 2011 on April 18, 2017. Past meetings have focused on promoting student success from pre-kindergarten through college. Through such collaborative efforts, the two districts have seen a fourfold jump in the number of high school students concurrently enrolled in college courses, along with a threefold increase in the number of San Diego Unified graduates enrolling in the San Joint Board Meeting Diego Promise program. The San Diego Community College District and April 18, 2017, at 5 p.m. San Diego Unified educate more than 230,000 Continuing Education Educational students combined. The SDCCD is the second-largest Cultural Complex Theatre community college district in the state and San Diego 4343 Ocean View Boulevard, Unified is the second-largest K-12 system in California. San Diego, CA 92113 4 | WE—WITH EXCELLENCE CONNECTIONS Seal of Approval Nailed It Accreditation teams are scheduled to visit San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, and San Diego Continuing Education from March 13 to 16. San Diego City College, Mesa College, and Miramar College are accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior San Diego City College has launched a new Colleges, Western Association program to train nail technicians, which is among the of Schools and Colleges. fastest growing professions in California. Continuing Education is City College’s Manicuring Program, approved by the accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Board of Barbering and Cosmetology in Sacramento, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. places a heavy emphasis on sanitation and safety. The colleges and Continuing Education last The program is aimed at preparing students to pass fall completed their comprehensive institutional the State Board Exam and receive their Manicuring self-evaluations, a process that involved hundreds License. of faculty, staff, and students and culminated in Establishing the Manicuring Program comes at an Institutional Self-Evaluation Reports. Those reports opportune time. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics were submitted to the accrediting commissions in foresees an employment growth in the profession of January. 10 percent in the 10-year period ending in 2024 from Accreditation enables for the transfer of credits the 113,600 jobs in 2014. The California Economic among colleges and universities and authorizes the Development Department notes that most employers receipt of federal and state funding. City, Mesa, are looking for candidates with postsecondary and Miramar colleges, and Continuing Education vocational training. underwent a comprehensive review in 2010 and their