Summer 2017 Inside SFCC

INSIDE SFCC S A N TA F E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7

In this issue

Commencement Nursing Pinning Kids Stuff and more ...

FEATURE

Celebrating Success: Class of 2017 Commencement

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725 graduates 874 awards (certificates and degrees) At commencement on May 13, Cindy Nava, a former SFCC student, energized a packed audience with her keynote address encouraging graduates and their supporters to become leaders and “positive interrupters.” Nava was called one of “40 under 40: Latinos in American Politics” to watch by Huffington Post. Nava said her passion for politics and activism was sparked when she became president of SFCC’s Student Government Association in 2009.

SFCC student speaker Suri Sadai (Garcia Valenzuela) Rincon, 23, came to the U.S. as a child from Mexico.

“Believe in others. Believe in their success,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that this will change them; it just means that you have done your part. I am the product of people believing in me.” She received an associate degree in Human Services and plans to continue her studies in social work at New Mexico Highlands University.

Butheina Ghweir, 18, graduated with a Certificate of Academic Transfer, a week before graduating from The MASTERS Program, the high school based at SFCC. “My time at Santa Fe Community College has taught me that being a student is more than attending classes and writing papers. To be a student means to be excited about education.

It means showing resilience in the face of difficulty. Most of all, it means to love learning for the sake of learning.”

She plans to attend the University of New Mexico in the fall where she will study medicine and psychology. About one quarter of The MASTERS Program school’s graduates earned either a certificate or an associate degree.

Nursing Pinning

There were the usual tears of joy at the May 11 Nursing Pinning ceremony, but particularly grateful were the dozen ITT Tech transfer students, who thanked Interim Nursing Director Terri Tewart.

Tewart, herself, was tearful to see this day finally arrive for her former ITT Tech students and she thanked SFCC as the only nursing program in the state to accept the students after ITT Tech abruptly closed last fall. Congratulations to the 48 students who were pinned by family and friends.

HSE Graduation

More than 100 students successfully completed their High School Equivalency exams in the Adult Education, Academic and Career Education (ACE) program. Nearly 50 students participated in the May 17 ceremony, which included a keynote speech from New Mexico Cabinet Secretary of Higher Education Barbara Damron, Ph.D. A High School Equivalency certificate gives graduates the credential equivalent of a high school diploma and can open doors to job opportunities and better pay.

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PROGRAM PROFILE

Kids Stuff

It’s more than fun and games

if you’re good at math, you’ll be a better cartoonist – so practice drawing, and do your math homework assignments.”

He adds, “I cover creative writing skill sets as well as drawing. Being able to write is a key ingredient for making inroads in any profession. I have seen an immense amount of talent in the summer classes I’ve conducted at SFCC. It’s great to see kids develop creative skills and have fun doing it.”

Another top professional – Scott Saltsman, a Los Angeles-based designer and former art director for Stan Lee, creator of Spiderman – offers a funfilled, intensive workshop on video game design with tips on creating characters, developing a story line, and effects.

Ultimate Drone Games: Speed, Skill and Acrobatics and Drone Flying, Search & Rescue will introduce kids to drone operation, safety, the social responsibilities of flying drones and more.

Cartoonist Eric Teitelbaum draws for a summer class.

It’s never too early to go to college. More than 500 kids, ages 8 to 18, will get a taste of campus life this summer in Continuing Education’s Kids Stuff program.

Whether your child is ready to build a robot, fly a drone or become a fashion designer – there are lots of choices and new offerings this summer.

Kids who love comics and gaming can develop their creative muscles in a

variety of classes. Back by popular demand is Eric Teitelbaum, one of the co-creators of the Pink Panther Comix and a cartoonist for Bottomliners and the New Yorker.

“Kids are interested in finding out how a professional creates their characters, such as the Pink Panther, which are often based on simple geometric shapes,” said Teitelbaum. “I always explain that

The program also offers a range of outdoor adventure classes that combine fun activities with education. “It’s great for kids to to develop academic skills while having fun,” said Director of Continuing Education Kris Swedin. New this summer is the four-week course Up with Words. Students will spend the morning exploring books and the afternoons scaling the college’s Ropes Challenge Course. Kids wear a full-body harness and helmet as they participate

High-Tech Farm Pod Lands at

Controlled-Environment Agriculture is the new moniker for the college’s expanding focus on sustainable farming techniques, including greenhouse management, aquaponics, 4

hydroponics, and aquaculture, among others. The program’s newest addition is the recently donated Farm Pod, a converted shipping container for growing food, which sits just outside the Trades and Advanced Technology Center. Fish tanks on the lower level can produce up to 500 pounds of fish in six to eight months. Up top is a sophisticated greenhouse where vegetables, strawberries and herbs are grown in vertical towers using recycled, filtered water from the fish tanks below. Students can monitor

and control the systems using classroom computers.

“It’s a terrific opportunity for our students to get hands-on experience,” faculty member Richard “Charlie” Shultz said. “Students are asked to test the limits of the Farm Pod, and then to publish or present the results. It’s quite hightech and sophisticated, so our students face real-world challenges in troubleshooting and maintaining the systems.”

The Farm Pod operates completely off grid. Solar voltaic and solar thermal

Contract for a Better Tomorrow

Domanica Foundation Executive Director Linda Anderson and CBT Recipient Katherine Rodriguez (Pojoaque/Picuris) with SFCC President Randy W. Grissom.

A grant from the Domanica Foundation that is matched

by Carole Brito and Bruce Besser, the Nusenda Credit Union Foundation and the SFCC Foundation, funds the Contract for a Better Tomorrow Scholarship that supports first-generation, low-income students — and they have the highest retention rate in the college.

Santa Fe Woman’s Club Turns 125 in “challenges by choice” on the zip line, single and dual shaky pole and the climbing tower.

Budding scientists will find a wealth of fun classes that challenge and teach computer, design and building skills.

Robot building, computer programming and the interactive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Explorations are just some of the offerings.

For a complete schedule, visit sfcc.edu or pick up a schedule from the new Continuing Education office in Room 131.

SFCC systems used to power and heat the system allow students to integrate skills with the Solar Energy program.

Shultz envisions that this type of system would be ideal for restaurants and schools wanting to raise fish and fresh produce. He adds that Pueblo leaders have expressed interest in the potential for off-grid aquaponic food production.

Come the fall, harvests from the Farm Pod will be used by students in the Culinary Arts Department and served at the student-run East Wing Eatery.

Bon Appétit!

Marie Newsom, SFWC Scholarship Committee Chairman; Camilla Bustamante, Ph.D., SFCC Dean; Cindy Kane, SFWC Co-President; Carol Rose, SFWC Co-President; Randy W. Grissom, SFCC President; Betty Scott, SFWC Treasurer; Deborah Boldt, SFCC Foundation Executive Director; and Kathleen Enz, SFWC Member.

In honor of their 125th anniversary, the Santa Fe Woman’s Club and Library Association has donated $10,000 for an endowed scholarship to the SFCC Foundation. Santa Fe Woman’s Club and Library Association believes that investing in college scholarships for young women at SFCC supports local students and the Santa Fe community.

New Endowment Honors Dean Landen

During the Nursing Pinning Ceremony in May, Dr. Nancy Ridenour, Ph.D., APRN, BC, FAAN, Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Nursing (left) made a surprise announcement: a gift through the SFCC Foundation to honor Jenny Landen, R.N., M.S.N., FNP-BC, Dean of Sciences, Health, Engineering and Math (right). The Jenny Landen New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium Project Support Endowment will help fund the NMNEC’s mission to create a common core curriculum in nursing education across state programs.

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NOTEWORTHY

Gerald Clay: A Legacy in Fitness Education

Two initiatives honored fitness instructor Gerald Clay, who passed away last August.

He taught at SFCC for more than 22 years. He believed in each student’s potential and he inspired them to believe in themselves.

Left to right: Jack Sullivan, SFCC President Randy W. Grissom, Kathy Keith, Martha Romero, Ph.D., George Gamble, Ph.D. and Linda Siegle

SFCC Governing Board Installs New Member, Officers SFCC Governing Board recently installed new member George Gamble, Ph.D. Dr. Gamble Retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These are the newly elected officers: Linda Siegle, Chair; Jack Sullivan, Vice Chair; and George Gamble, Ph.D., Secretary; Kathy Keith and Martha Romero, Ph.D., members. SFCC thanks past Governing Board Member Pablo Sedillo for his years of service to and support of the college.

SFCC WELCOMES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROGRAM MANAGER Former SFCC Governing Board Chair Kathy Keith and members of the College’s Training Center Corporation recently welcomed Dr. Imre Gyuk to campus. Dr. Gyuk is the Energy Storage Systems Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.

Dr. Gyuk spoke with professionals from diverse energy sectors and explored such topics as the kind of energy storage that might work in Santa Fe, how energy storage can reduce costs at peak times, emerging technologies, workforce training, and more.

“For every dollar that we are not spending on energy we can spend on our students,” said Keith.

Executive Director for Plant Operations Management Henry Mignardot, along with faculty and staff Stephen Gomez, Ph.D., Ondine Frauenglass, Luke Spangenburg and Xubi Wilson facilitated the conversation and provided a tour of the Trades and Advanced Technology Center.

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The Gerald Clay Memorial Basketball Tournament raised nearly $5,000 to support maintenance and equipment for the William C. Witter Fitness Education Center. Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales joined SFCC President Randy Grissom to cheer on teams and participate in the free-throw competition. Students, faculty and staff members, and local sponsors helped make the tournament a success.

The SFCC Foundation established the Gerald Clay Memorial Endowed Scholarship. Nancy Witter, widow of SFCC President William C. Witter, has raised $3,500 toward the goal of $10,000, and she’s committed to seeing that goal met. To donate to the Gerald Clay Scholarship, contact Kelly Smith, Foundation Database and Fund Development Manager, at 505- 428-1175 or kelly.smith@sfcc.edu.

Skills USA NM East Wing Eatery Sous Chef and alumnus Kyle Pacheco (Santo Domingo) won the First Place Gold award in Culinary. Student Frank Trujillo won First Place in the Welding Sculpting, and student Michelle Harding took Third Place in Commercial Baking. Pacheco and Trujillo will compete in the SkillsUSA Championships at the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, KY.

Scholarships from LANL. The LANL Foundation has awarded $1,000 Regional College and Returning Student Scholarships from the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund to help local nontraditional students return to formal education to expand job opportunities or pursue new careers. The SFCC recipients are Craig Charlton (biology and health sciences); Lydia Clark (film); and Jinelle Scully (nursing). Los Alamos National Laboratory employees, Los Alamos National Security LLC and community members provided funding.

NOTEWORTHY

Fine Woodworking Instructor’s Art Graces Church Advanced Wood Carving instructor Ivan Dimitrov has designed and created carved works that have graced the finest hotels and churches as well as many homes. Parishioners at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Santa Fe have observed the master craftsman at work.

For two years, Ivan has meticulously carved the intricate details of the church’s iconostasis (a screen bearing religious symbols that separates the sanctuary from the nave). Two griffins

stand sentry. “They ensure there will always be bread for the parishioners to eat,” explained Dimitrov. “Birds symbolize the innocence of souls that go on to heaven. The composition is based around the Holy Trinity.”

spread. “I’m grateful for the support that I’ve received,” he said with a grin. Since arriving in Santa Fe 20 years ago, he has worked on carvings for La Fonda, the Hilton, churches in several states, and homes in Las Campanas.

An immigrant from Bulgaria who was a recognized artist in his country and abroad, Ivan arrived in the U.S. with little more than a dream of a better life. As people started to recognize his talents, demand for his work began to

While Ivan enjoys carving professionally, he also loves sharing his skills with his students. “This work takes tremendous patience and I’m proud of my students and their work,” he said.

Academic All-Stars

Climate Leadership

Left to right: Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Margaret Peters, Academic All-Star Susan Griego O’Connor, President Randy Grissom, Academic All-Star Jinelle Scully, Associate Professor and Phi Theta Kappa adviser Andrew Lovato, Ph.D.

The American Association of Community Colleges and ecoAmerica’s Solution Generation presented SFCC the 2017 Climate Leadership Award for the community college sector. The award recognizes colleges that prioritize climate change and sustainability, implement trend-setting initiatives, and measurably influence and mobilize the community.

SFCC students Susan Griego O’Connor and Jinelle Scully were named to the New Mexico All-Stars Academic Team, sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa and the New Mexico Independent Community College Association.

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Nonprofit Organization US Postage PAID Santa Fe Community College

6401 Richards Ave. Santa Fe, NM 87508-4887 www.sfcc.edu

InsideSFCC

S A N TA F E CO M M U N I T Y CO L L E G E Empower Students, Strengthen Community. Empoderar a los estudiantes, Fortalecer a la comunidad.

Inside SFCC

Published by Santa Fe Community College Governing Board Linda S. Siegle Jack Sullivan George Gamble, Ph.D. Martha G. Romero, Ph.D. Kathleen Keith

Chair Vice Chair Secretary Member Member

President Randy W. Grissom Contact Board Members at www.sfcc.edu/about/ governing-board/ or call 505-428-1148.

Produced by SFCC’s Marketing and Public Relations Department mpr@sfcc.edu, 505-428-1667 Interim Executive Director: Todd Eric Lovato Writing & Editing: Jennifer Bleyle, Emily Drabanski, Todd Eric Lovato, Laura J. Mulry Design & Layout: Sonja Berthrong Photos: Jeffrey Atwell, Chris Corrie, Emily Drabanski, Todd Eric Lovato, Dorothy Perez y Piriz, Kerry Scherck

REGISTER NOW FOR SUMMER CLASSES! Check www.sfcc.edu for the latest events.

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