Transfer Awareness Week

Transfer is a central mission of Cerro Coso Community College and we honor that mission by providing a week of transfer-related services that educate our students about the transfer process and encourage them to consider all of their transfer options. DIRECTED. CONNECTED.

November 2018

President’s Circle Luncheon 1

Transfer Awareness Week 1

Disability Awarenes 1

Moving Never Looked So Good 2

Dearmore - Safety & Security 2

Sticky Tape Adds Festive Flairto Bishop Commons 2

Mammoth High School Collegeand Career Fair 3

Coward Talks About FirstAmendment Issues AffectingHigher Education 3

Human Services Club Donatesto Women’s Center 4

Manufacturing Day 4

College Day 5

Griffin Lives for Adventure 5

Ready. Set. Survive! Zombie Fun Run 5

Foundation Feature:

VIP Friendraiser in Tehachapi 6

Employee Giving - It Starts with US! 6

Inside this Issue

President’s Circle Luncheon The Cerro Coso Community College Foundation’s President’s Circle offers a unique opportunity to join a select group of like-minded people united to make dreams come true for others. On the 45th Anniversary of the college, a small group of people with a common goal joined in a commitment to support the college and its students. Members recognized at the luncheon included: Diamond Level – Mather Bros. Inc.; Gold Level – GKK Works, Dr. Anthony and Cynthia Damiano; and Silver Level – Desert Valleys Federal Credit Union. “We are truly grateful for your partnership. As part of the President’s Circle, you share a special place of distinction in shaping the Cerro Coso community through your boundless generosity,” said College President Board. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from Phi Theta Kappa student officers who presented their research plans for their upcoming Honors in Action project. DIRECTED. FOCUSED. NURTURED. VALUED.

Disability Awareness October has been designated by Congress as Disability Awareness Month. Access Programs hosted a Disability Awareness obstacle course at the Ridgecrest campus on Thursday, October 18, on the lawn in front of the LRC. Understanding obstacles was the theme for the activities designed to build awareness of those in our community who face disability related obstacles every day. “Our goal is to increase understanding about what’s it’s like to have a disability from real-life experiences,” stated Pam Campbell, Director of Access Programs. “It’s important that we get the message out that we support persons of all abilities.” NURTURED. ENGAGED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Cerro Coso President Jill Board presents Dana Griffin, Desert Valleys Federal Credit Union’s Vice President of Operations, with a plaque at the first President’s Circle Luncheon held at the college on Thursday, September 27th.

2 COYOTE HOWLER

Moving Never Looked So Good After three very long years of being temporarily relocated into modulars and other nooks and crannies around campus, the time came to transition back into the main building at the Ridgecrest campus. Both exciting and challenging, the move back began Monday, October 15th, and was structured to minimize the impact on students and the community. Employees played a big role in relocating offices back into the main building, so open communication was important. A communications plan was put in place to keep all stakeholders equally informed of office closures and relocations. Successfully organized and executed, the hard work of Vice President of Administrative Services Lisa Couch, IT, and Maintenance and Operations staff kept everyone on track, informed, and stress at a minimum. Departments and offices have been moved and most of the staff are settled into their new surroundings. A gateway to the entire East side of the campus, the newly remodeled student-centered facility is exciting and innovative and designed to foster creativity, collaboration, flexibility, and communication. It is good to be back together again. NURTURED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Dearmore – Safety & Security Retired from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) after 23 years of service as a Detentions Sergeant, Todd Dearmore is the new Program Manager for Safety and Security at the college. While with KCSO he was a security supervisor, training manager, and tactical supervisor for the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team. He also served 8 years in the U.S. Army National Guard as an Infantry Soldier. He and his wife are the proud parents of a 10-year-old daughter and a son serving our country as a U.S. Marine. When asked what was the craziest thing he has ever done, Dearmore replied, “does being a dad to a pre-teen daughter count? I’ll mark that down.” He graduated from Bakersfield High School and holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Dearmore is also a graduate from S.W.A.T. Command and Team Leader schools and several FEMA courses. His motto in life, “Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but rising every time we fall.” Welcome Todd! FOCUSED. NURTURED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Sticky Tape Adds Festive Flair to Bishop Commons

Tape art is a nationwide phenomenon and a group of 3-D Art students at the Bishop campus collaboratively adorned the commons area of the Bishop campus, infusing the space with energy and innovation. Creating a non-representational piece that definitely adds some festive flair to the space, the group took one class period to develop and execute the idea, trying to craft a piece involving interaction from the entire campus. Students sought to make the project noticeable and mysterious with great success. You can find many people following the tape into the Sierra Lounge where a perplexing figure faces the web of tape. The tape installation has definitely made an impact and has the entire campus wondering…what will they do next? NURTURED. ENGAGED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Staff members l to r: Debbie Gregory, Amber Reed, Sylvia Sotomayor, Jennifer Curtis, and Kellen Nelepovitz showcase the new flexible learning space on the third floor. These types of spaces allow users to modify their environment to fit a variety of learning styles and activities from small group to large group exercises.

Coward Talks About First Amendment Issues Affecting Higher EducationTyler Coward, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), spoke about First Amendment issues affecting higher education on Thursday, October 18, 2018, at 6 p.m. in the Cerro Coso Library. FIRE’s mission is to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience – the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. Founded in 1999 by University of Pennsylvania professor Alan Charles Kors and Boston civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate after the overwhelming response to their 1998 book The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty On America’s Campuses, FIRE seeks to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on college campuses and the means to preserve them. Tyler is a 2010 graduate of Indiana University – Bloomington with dual degrees in political science and history. After spending time working as a program facilitator at Camp Miniwanca in Michigan, he enrolled at Michigan State University College of Law and graduated in May 2015. At MSU Law, he participated in the school’s First Amendment Clinic and was president of MSU Law’s chapter of the Federalist Society. Funded by Student Development and Student Equity funds at Cerro Coso, the event was FREE and open to the public. NURTURED. ENGAGED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

COYOTE HOWLER 3

Mammoth High School College and Career Fair

Mammoth High School hosted a College and Career Fair on Thursday, October 3. The event was open to all Mammoth High School students, as well as students from other Inyo and Mono County schools and the public. ESCC staff and faculty attended the event to share information about Cerro Coso programs, career technical education certificates, scholarships, and the many benefits of choosing Cerro Coso Community College. ESCC faculty and staff in attendance included: Kim Blackwell, Education Advisor; Annette Coussan, CTE Liaison; Lisa Fuller, Child Development Department Chair; Matt Hightower, Business & Computer Science Professor; Yvette Matthiessen, Allied Health Professor; and Melissa Reeves, Executive Assistant for Mammoth Lakes Foundation. Representatives of businesses, trades, and colleges throughout the Eastern Sierra were present, including Mammoth Mountain, Paul Mitchell, Bleu Market and Kitchen, Mammoth Lakes High School Welding, Construction Trades and Adult Education programs, Mammoth Lakes Police Department, Mammoth Hospital, University of Nevada-Reno, University of the Pacific, Bakersfield College, Sierra Nevada College, and Lake Tahoe Community College. An opportunity to promote ESCC, the event was also to collaborate with other businesses, trades, and higher education professionals that provide service to Inyo and Mono County students and the public. DIRECTED. FOCUSED. ENGAGED. VALUED.

Melissa Reeves, Executive Assistant for Mammoth Lakes Foundation; Yvette Matthiessen, Allied Health Professor; Matt Hightower, Business & Computer Science Professor; Lisa Fuller, Child Development Center Chair; Kim Blackwell, Education Advisor; and Annette Coussan, CTE Liaison.

Veterans Day HolidayNovember 12College Closed

4 COYOTE HOWLER

Human Services Club Donates to Women’s Center

Civic-minded people care about improving the lives of others. Students in the Human Services Club at the Ridgecrest campus accepted donations of diapers and hygiene products for the domestic violence shelter during October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention month. Community service projects like this one make a big difference in the organizations they serve and demonstrate that students have invested in bettering their local community and the world. For students, they help them to better understand and value teamwork, cultivate decision-making skills, develop leadership abilities, and gain practical skills. Awareness + Action = Social Change. NURTURED. ENGAGED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Manufacturing Day Opening doors and opening minds was the goal for Manufacturing Day, held in the College Welding Lab on Friday, October 5. Designed to inspire the next generation of manufacturers, the event was part of an effort to draw greater attention to today’s manufacturing environment and the outstanding opportunities that a career in manufacturing can provide. Cerro Coso’s Welding Lab showed students, parents, and educators what modern manufacturing is all about. A career in welding could offer more choices of industries to work in and advancement opportunities than just about any other career choice. Welders are needed in almost every industry and those who want to advance their career have the ability to do so. It is an industry that spans the globe, and can be applied to a variety of different sectors. There are a wide range of skills and duties that are involved. Welders learn to read blueprints, do calculations, maintain projects, and inspect structures and goods. Welders can find jobs in manufacturing, inspection, engineering, robotics, education, project management, sales, transportation, shipbuilding, bridge building, construction, and so much more. The event addressed common misperceptions about manufacturing in the hopes of inspiring students and community members to pursue manufacturing careers, and to strengthen the future of manufacturing to avoid the talent shortage on the horizon. DIRECTED. FOCUSED. NURTURED. VALUED.

L to r: Melissa Bowen, Vada Pelant (Human Services Club Vice President), Renee Santamaria (Human Services Club Secretary), Karin Stone (Women’s Center High-Desert), and Elizabeth Connors (Women’s Center High Desert).

Industrial Arts Associate Professor, David Villicana.

Hay ThankgivingCollege Closed November 22-23

COYOTE HOWLER 5

College Day 2018 Students, parents, and community members had the opportunity to talk with representatives from a number of educational institutions and organizations during College Day on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lobby of the Learning Resource Center at the Ridgecrest Campus. The event, sponsored by Cerro Coso Community College, was FREE and open to the public. Representatives from UC Berkeley, CSU Bakersfield, UC Santa Barbara, University of the Pacific, UC Merced, Columbia College-Hollywood, University of La Verne,

Holy Names University, Brandman University, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Azusa Pacific University, US Navy, US Army, San Bernardino Probation Recruiter, the California State Military Reserve, and Cerro Coso were on hand to answer questions. College Day offers a unique opportunity for area residents to connect with the schools they’re considering at one time, in one place, where they can ask questions, gather materials, and make comparisons without having to schedule multiple meetings. DIRECTED. FOCUSED. NURTURED. VALUED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Griffin Lives for Adventure

Meet Nicole Griffin, the new Program Manager for Dual Enrollment and Prison Education at the Tehachapi Campus. Now part of Cerro Coso’s Prison Education program, Griffin will have the opportunity to help incarcerated individuals receive an education, which will not only make them less likely to return to prison after their release, but also lead to less violence and create

a more positive prison environment. Griffin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from San Diego State University, a Masters of Public Policy (MPP) from CSU-Monterey Bay, and a California Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. Griffin’s motto for life is “live for adventure and experience the world.” Welcome Nicole. DIRECTED. FOCUSED. NURTURED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Ready. Set. Survive! Zombie Fun Run Have you ever wondered if you could outrun the living dead? What could be more fun than running from zombies? How about running from zombies through a college campus. A zombie infection hit Cerro Coso on Saturday, October 27, 2018 when the Alumni Association hosted their first 5k Zombie Fun Run on the Ridgecrest campus. The goal for runners was to reach the Drop Dead Zone (track) without losing all their flags and becoming infected with the Zombie virus. Zombies were stationed throughout the “PANDEMIC” course and participants were required to complete tasks in zombie zones to move on. Never knowing where zombies would show up to infect, runners ran for their lives being quick to dodge the crawling, creeping, and running living dead creatures while screaming like kids. The first activity of the Cerro Coso Alumni Association in a very long time, it was a fun, blood thirsty, thrilling way to work off some of that Halloween candy. The Alumni Association’s mission is to serve Cerro Coso students past, present, and future by providing scholarships, recognition, and social, and cultural events that enhance learning. FOCUSED. NURTURED. ENGAGED. VALUED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

L to r: Lauren Falk and Gabriel Gutierrez staff the Cerro Coso Promise and Financial Aid booth during College Day at the Ridgecrest Campus.

The Coyote Howler is a publication of Cerro Coso Community College. For more information about the stories in this publication, or to include information in this publication, contact Natalie Dorrell, Public Relations

Director, at 760-384-6260 or email ndorrell@cerrocoso.edu.

BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE

CERRO COSOCOMMUNITY COLLEGE

PORTERVILLE COLLEGE

About this Publication

6 COYOTE HOWLER

VIP Friendraiser in TehachapiCerro Coso has been building programs and offering classes in Tehachapi for more than 4 years and yet, regularly, we hear “I didn’t know there was a college in Tehachapi”. This is exactly what the CCCC Foundation set out to change with their VIP Friendraiser held at the Tehachapi campus on Thursday, October 18, 2018. The affair provided an opportunity for Cerro Coso staff, faculty, and administrators to introduce themselves to community leaders in a relaxed atmosphere. It was a beautiful evening in the campus courtyard in which to meet, greet, network, and share the many educational benefits and opportunities Cerro Coso and the Foundation have available in Tehachapi. FOCUSED. NURTURED. ENGAGED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

Employee Giving – It starts with US!Employees of Cerro Coso Community College are dedicated to improving students’ lives in so many ways. They give of themselves, their time, and their expertise as well as a lot of encouragement to help see students through to graduation. They understand better than anyone the challenges that many of CCCC students face. Thank YOU! FOCUSED. NURTURED. CONNECTED. VALUED.

The CCCC Foundation’s Employee Giving Program provides an opportunity for our employees to make an even greater collective impact in the lives of our students. Every investment, whatever the amount, makes a difference in the lives of our students in very significant ways. It is a voluntary effort and tax deductible.

“Being able to receive this scholarship, I will have to worry about one less thing knowing I will have the money to buy the books needed for my classes. With work, school, and having a family, anything that helps ease your mind is a major blessing. It helps get me one step closer to reaching my goals of obtaining my business degree.” – Jessica

So Much To Be Thankful ForJoin TODAY!

Contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at Extension 6262 for more information

FOUNDATION FEATURE