Paul Krikorian Named Employee of the Year

Higher Education Act Update

Paul Krikorian Named Two-Time Coast Community College District-Site Employee of the Year

District-site employee of the year, Krikorian

Paul Krikorian, Coast Community College District’s Applications Project Coordinator, has been named the District-site 2006-07 employee of the year for the second time. Krikorian was the first-ever recipient of the award in 1993.

Krikorian received the award from Chancellor Ken Yglesias, at the annual District Administrative Management picnic. He was one among six employees nominated for the award.  The five other nominees include: Phyllis Acevedo, Sandra Badenoch, Dave Bunnell, Cathy Mesenbrink and Charles Turk.

The District Administrative Management group also gave away raffle prizes at the picnic and provided a catered lunch from Stonefire Grill.

Krikorian was surprised to receive this year’s employee honor. “I am really honored to receive the award, again. So many people are good workers and do a great job.”

Krikorian, a Costa Mesa resident, began working at the District in 1984 and was responsible for the finance division of applications support. Now, Krikorian oversees three people and is in charge of the finance, human resources and payroll applications support for the entire District.

(Left- Right) Dave Bunnell, Cathy Messenbrink, Paul Krikorian, Phyllis Acevedo, Ken Yglesias. (Not pictured Sandra Badenoch and Charles Turk)

Richard Patterson, Krikorian’s supervisor, said this about the new Employee of the Year, “Paul has a solid history of success. Although I have only worked with Paul for two years, there is no finer example for the Employee of the Year.”

When asked about his job, Krikorian replied, “Two things make my job easier, the group that I work with is full of good people and the users are very knowledgeable. I enjoy everyone I work with.”

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Higher Education Act Update

After many years of prodding, Congress has eliminated the tuition sensitivity clause that hindered California community college students from receiving the maximum Pell Grant award.

Until the Higher Education Act bill (H.R. 2669) passed earlier this month, community college students in California were penalized for the state’s low cost-per-unit without taking into account their high cost-of-living and transportation expenses. Without this restriction, our students are eligible to receive $700 more per semester; this change will take effect for the current student aid award year, which began July 1. It will also increase the maximum award from $4,800 to $5,400 by 2012.

The Pell Grant, which is money that does not have to be repaid, generally goes to families making less that $40,000 or $50,000 per year. This bill is a big victory for our students who will benefit in the long run from grants instead of costly loans. 

Government will slash subsidies to lenders in their guaranteed-student-loan program, freeing up more than $20 billion over five years.

In addition to eliminating tuition sensitivity the new bill also included the following,

• Funds Upward Bound through 2011 (provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance)
• Captures $6.9 billion by cutting the interest rates in half on some federally subsidized loans
• Establishes a tuition-assistance program for students who commit to teaching high-need subjects in low-income public schools
• Creates a loan-forgiveness program for other public-sector workers
• For the first time, there will be an auction process for the right to provide government-guaranteed Plus loans to parents

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Project Voyager Progresses with MyCCC, MyGWC, & MyOCC

A “TEST” instance of Luminis IV, the software for MyCCC, MyGWC, and MyOCC has been installed at the District and was rolled out for Mock Registration VII testing last month. The Voyager Team has implemented a large portion of Banner and installed and tested approximately 30 upgrades this summer. Integration and further testing of Luminis with Banner, the Course Management Systems, and Student “GMail” encompass the next phase of implementation. Some of the features of MyCCC, MyGWC and MyOCC include Targeted Announcements (information “targeted” to specific end users), Multi-institution Functionality (the ability to separate the shared database based upon affiliation), and Banner Channels (to display end-user information in an efficient manner).

Training:
Up-to-date information regarding training can be found on the CCCD Voyager website under “End-User Training” (www.cccd.edu). Training on the Student Module is now being offered on a campus-specific basis and training for MyCCC, MyGWC, and MyOCC is currently in development, with courses to be offered in the fall.

Student Email:
After researching various options, the Luminis Team chose Google’s GMail to provide and host e-mail accounts for students only (a CCCD employee, who is also a student, will not receive a G-Mail account). Students will access their e-mail accounts through MyCCC, MyGWC or MyOCC (depending on where they are enrolled) with single sign-on functionality. In addition, Google will not display advertising while the user is an active student and the previous restriction imposed on incoming e-mail to only “.edu” and “.gov” addresses will no longer apply, allowing students broader communication for educational purposes.

MyCCC, MyGWC, MyOCC – What’s Next?:
The team has been invited to each campus’ “Opening Day” activities to present MyCCC, MyGWC, and MyOCC to all faculty and staff this semester. The Luminis Team is also actively installing the “PROD” instance of Luminis IV in preparation for Student Admissions and Student Registration. The Student module will go live this month and student registration begins on November 12.

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Students to Host Benefit Concert

Students to Host Benefit Concert

Local bands will provide free entertainment, with proceeds going to Africa Project

The student leadership group of Coastline Community College will host a free concert in September to raise funds and awareness for “The Africa Project.” Music lovers and local bands are both needed in order to make this event a success.

The Africa Project was adopted by Coastline’s Student Advisory Council (SAC) last year as a service project, the Project aims to enhance access to education for underprivileged children in South Africa. The project benefits the village of Nkandla in South Africa, which is home to 140,000 people (nearly half of which are younger than 15 years old) and where 1 in 4 people are infected with AIDS. The Africa Project was developed to promote empowerment and self-reliance among African refugees, immigrants and the economically disadvantaged, through socioeconomic development, education and cultural diversity. 

The benefit concert will be held on Sunday, September 23 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Garden Grove Center. The center is located at 12901 Euclid Street in Garden Grove (near the intersection of Garden Grove Blvd. and Euclid St.).

Although there is no charge to attend, music fans will be encouraged to provide a small donation to Project Africa. Donations will go toward food, clothing, school fees and other basic necessities.

Currently, there are four open spots for bands. Participating groups will be added to concert marketing materials and publicity items. Bands will also have the opportunity to sell their CDs at the event. Local bands are encouraged to play at the event to show their support for The Africa Project and their local community college.

If you are interested in showcasing your band’s talent to a diverse audience as part of this fundraising concert, or if you need more information on the event, please contact SAC at (714) 241-6253 or email sac@coastline.edu.

For more information about The Africa Project, visit: www.theafricaproject.com.

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Coastline President to Be Honored As “Pacesetter of the Year”

Dr. Currie "Pacesetter of the Year"

The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) has chosen Coastline President, Dr. Ding-Jo Currie, as District 6 Pacesetter of the Year for 2007. The Pacesetter of the Year Award is one of the most prestigious awards presented by NCMPR and is awarded annually in each of the organization’s seven districts. The award is given to a chief executive officer at a two-year community, junior or technical college or district who has demonstrated special leadership, support and ability in the area of college communications and marketing. Special emphasis is placed on accomplishments within the past year.

With more than 25 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Currie makes for an attractive subject for both trade and general media publications, and her eloquence has led to her being featured on the cover of major publications, including Diverse Issues on Higher Education in November 2006. In addition, she and the college have recently been featured in Today’s Woman, ACE’s The Presidency, Community College Times and Community College Journal.

Dr. Currie will be honored at a special awards luncheon at NCMPR’s annual district conference in Reno, Nevada. The luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11:45 am on Friday, September 28 at Harrah’s Reno.

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Golden West’s Second Annual Chefs for Scholarships

On Sunday, September 9, the second annual Chefs for Scholarships showcased more than 22 local restaurants, wineries and breweries and featured live entertainment from local residents.

The event was started by the Golden West College Patrons to raise funds for scholarships. Through their fundraising efforts, they have made it possible to award more than $100,000 in scholarships since April 1973.

“This event is a win-win event for everyone—it is great exposure for the restaurants, it gives the community an opportunity to visit the campus and it raises funds for student scholarships.  It is an event the whole family will enjoy,” said Wes Bryan, President of GWC.

Children enjoyed bubble machines and a bounce house, while adult attendees shopped for a variety of interesting and luxurious gifts at the silent auction, the opportunity drawings or grab bags.

Guests sampled culinary delights from restaurants including Bayhawk Ales, BrewBakers, Buca di Beppo, Coco’s Bakery Restaurant, Dinner’s Ready!, Don Ramon’s Mexican Restaurant, Lynda S. Foster, Culinary Artistry, Fresca’s Mexican Grill, Heck Estates, Hot Dog on a Stick, La Salsa –  Fresh Mexican Grill, Lazy Dog Café, Luggatti’s Italian Grill, Park Ave™, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Phil’s California Bar & Grill, PRP Wine International, SLOWfish, Sodexho, Stonefire Grill, and The Grand: Long Beach Event Center.

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Golden West College Professor Wins First Place in International Photography Contest

Roger Camp, GWC Professor of Photography, has been recognized as a winner in the 2007 International Photography Awards (IPA). This year was the largest year of the competition, generating nearly 20,000 entries from more than 90 countries!   
 
Camp won first place in the Non-Professional, People/Other category with his four images titled Junior Lifeguards, taken in Huntington Beach.

Camp is also eligible to receive the International Photographer of the Year award, The Discovery of the Year or the Deeper Perspective International Photographer of the Year award, which will be announced on October 15 in New York.
 
Camp’s winning images will be included in the 2007 Annual IPA coffee-table book.   
 
The International Photography Awards is officially the world’s largest photo competition. Camp’s work will be seen by millions of viewers who visit the site each year.

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Tom Kubis – GWC Professor and International Composer

Tom Kubris, GWC Teacher and Composer

Last year, GWC Music Instructor Tom Kubis wrote all of the musical arrangements for the highest-rated, biggest-selling jazz show in the history of Tokyo Disney: Big Band Beat. A CD of this Broadway-style show has sold more than 50,000 copies.

Kubis also composed and conducted Toyland Spectacular, a Christmas Broadway review that will play in December at Universal Studios Japan.

Kubis and his jazz ensemble performed two concerts this year on the Golden West Mainstage Theater. He was also asked to arrange the Star Spangled Banner for the opening of this year’s International Musician’s Union Convention in Las Vegas.  In his spare time, Kubis will be a member of the Honorary Tribute Committee honoring Johnny Mandel, arranger, composer, producer and jazz legend.

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