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BELOW/INSIDE

COD's Best and Brightest Employees

Academic Year Comes ToClose With Lots ofActivities

Free ConcertsFill Mid-Week Calendar

PSA Will Honor Cadets OnThursday

UB Dinner To RecognizeStudents

Commencement Is FridayNight at McCallum

Nurses Will Be PinnedFriday, Saturday

Nine Faculty MembersGranted Tenure

New Dean, More FacultyHired

Board Likes Concept ofSingle Salary Schedule

Trustees Move Date ofJune Meeting to 14th

Financial Aid Goes Wherethe Students Are

Man Who Named OurCollege Dies

Student Eyes PotentialBerth In U.S. Open

The Newsletter for Faculty and Staff at College of the DesertWeek of May 23, 2005 Volume 16 Number 25

COD's Best and Brightest: The judges sorted through 110 nominationsand came up with five winners in various categories in the 2004-05 employeerecognition contest. The winners will each receive a $50 gift certificate to theirfavorite restaurant and a framed award, both of which will be presented at areception on campus next month. The winners, from left: Nori Bambusch,Chris Bohn, Margaret Foat-Koenig, Sharon Bentzen and TerriAlm. The nominations in COD's Best and Brightest Awards came from otherclassified employees and/or the nominee's supervisor. See story, anotherphoto below.

President's Corner

This week's President's Corner is written by Dr. Maria Sheehan,Superintendent/President. In it, she reviews the year now coming toa close and cites the many accomplishments of faculty and

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staff. Click here to read the column or scroll down.

Campus News

Chamber Concert Opens Series: Aseries of free concerts was scheduled toopen Tuesday night with a chamberensemble performance.

Above: during a recent rehearsal, InstructorRong-Huey Liu, tickled the piano keys,assisted by Claire Kruse (right). In thebackground, Frank Michel plays thedrums while Kristen Kilpatrick providesbass accompaniment on the guitar.

Left: Tanya Triplett on the flute. Freeconcerts are also scheduled for Wednesdayand Thursday nights (vocal performancesand opera presentations, respectively).

See related stories below .

Whirlwind of Activity Brings Academic Year '04-05 to a Close: The three-day weekendcan't come soon enough for faculty and staff at COD. The college will be closed Monday inobservance of Memorial Day. But the road to the weekend is full of detours: 12 events ineight days, a schedule-busting abundance of celebrations and commemorative activities thatinclude seven musical theater performances and five graduation-related events. Related storiesfollow.

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Final Edition of '04-05 Insider: The Insider newsletter has finished its regularly scheduledrun for the academic year with this issue. We plan to produce a post-graduation specialedition next week, providing coverage of commencement and related events. The faculty andstaff newsletter will resume when classes start in August.

Concerts Wrap Up Busy Week for Performing Arts: Three free concerts were planned forTuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, all produced by the Division of PE andPerforming Arts. The COD Instrumental Chamber Ensemble was scheduled to hold its finalconcert of the semester in the Pollock Theatre on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m. A variety ofchamber music for duet, trio to quartet with combination of clarinet, electric bass guitar, flute,guitar, marimba, piano, jazz combo and drum sets will be played by the students in the classwith the repertoire ranging from Baroque era to 20th century music. Instructor is Rong-HueyLiu, Adjunct Music Instructor.

Another in a series of free concerts is set for Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. in the PollockTheatre. Featuring vocal music from the Renaissance to Broadway, the first half of theprogram will include works by Bach, Brahms, an American Spiritual and the final scene fromHenry Purcell's opera, Dido and Aeneas.The second half of the program highlights musicfrom the Broadway show Jekyll and Hyde, a choral celebration of the music of StephenSondheim, and the music of Cole Porter and George Gershwin. The concert will featurestudent soloists. The concert will be conducted by David Stowell, Adjunct Music Instructor.

There's a change in the format for the spring Opera Workshop. Rather than produce a fullopera, Performing Arts has opted to present selections from Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute,Fledermaus and Carmen along with a one act opera by Puccini called Il Tabarro (The Cloak).Performers are the Opera Workshop ensemble, with a couple of seasoned operatic performersadded, including noted Palm Springs mezzo soprano Daun Devore. Direction is by MarkAlmy; musical direction by Robert E. Brown. The single performance is on Thursday, May26 at 8 p.m. in Pollock Theatre on campus. Admission is free.

Steve Acree

Michele Gaines

Amy Dibello

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Doug Kroll

JimParvizi

Jose Simo

Jon Fernald

Michael Smith

Granted Tenure: Ninemembers of the COD Facultywere granted tenure, effectiveMay 27. The approval came at arecent Board of Trusteesmeeting. The nine, eight of whomare pictured here: SteveAcree, Assistant Professor,English; Amy Dibello, AssistantProfessor, English; MicheleGaines, Professor, Theatre Arts;Doug Kroll, AssistantProfessor, History:Jim Parvizi,Professor, Mathematics; JoseSimo, Counselor, TransferCenter;Michael Smith,Assistant Professor, Philosophy;Jon Fernald, ElectronicResources Cataloger. Notpictured: Denise Diamond,Assistant Professor, English.

COD Will Recognize PSA Cadets Thursday: A ceremony on May 26 will honor some 68cadets enrolled in College of the Desert’s (COD) Public Safety Academy. The PSA programtrains law enforcement and firefighting personnel. COD will be expanding the program withconstruction of a new state-of-the-art training academy, scheduled to open in about 2007.

The ceremony marks passage of students through various levels of training. A formalinspection at 5 p.m. starts things off, followed by the ceremony at 6. Riverside County SheriffBob Doyle, a COD graduate, is the keynote speaker. Superintendent/President Dr. MariaSheehan will also speak at the event. Some 500 persons are expected to attend the ceremony,held at Wright Gym on the COD campus. For more information, call Applied Sciences andBusiness at (760) 773-2571.

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Upward Bound Recognition Dinner Is Thursday: COD will hold an Upward BoundProgram banquet on Thursday, May 26, at 6 p.m. at the Heritage Palms Country Club inIndio. According to program secretary Patricia Reyes, "We are honoring outstanding studentsas well as celebrating those that are graduating from high school and from the program. Thisyear we have 11 students graduating and many more receiving awards." The collegecelebrated ACES enrollees last week at a similar recognition dinner.

Graduation Is Friday Night at McCallum: Some 345 graduates are expected to participatein next Friday's commencement exercises at the McCallum Theatre, starting with a 6:15 p.m.procession from the Hilb Student Center to the theater. There are 467 graduates in all. Dr.Maria Sheehan, COD Superintendent/President, will deliver the commencement address. Dr.Fred Jandt, Dean, CSUSB (Palm Desert Campus) will be a special guest. Doug Walker,COD's Agriculture and Natural Resources Professor will be the faculty speaker and thestudent speaker is Tamara Farrington. Jennifer Miele, a theater arts student at COD, willperform.

COD Nursing Students’ Pinning Ceremony Is Friday, Too: College of the Desert’s HealthScience’s Associate Degree Nursing pinning ceremony will be held at the McCallum Theatreon May 27 at 2 p.m.

The Spring 2005 class has 43 graduates, the largest ever. Included among this group are 10men and 33 women who will enter the healthcare field as Registered Nurses. Nine of thegraduates are Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) who will have successfully transitioned toRegistered Nurse (RN) after Friday’s pinning ceremony.

The event marks the rite of passage from student to graduate. One highlight of the ceremonyis when guests of the student's choice (often family, friends, or mentors) present and affix thegraduate's nursing pin in honor of the achievement. The nursing pin symbolizes the ideals ofprofessional nursing: caring, curing, coordinating, enlightening, and service to mankind intothe future.

The ceremony culminates with the recitation of The Nightingale Pledge by the graduates.

COD Vocational Nursing Students To Be Pinned Saturday in Indio: College of theDesert’s Health Science's Vocational Nursing pinning ceremony will be held at Indian PalmsCountry Club on May 28 at 10 a.m.

Twenty-four students will have completed the one year program and will be entering thehealthcare field at a time when the nation, state, and Coachella Valley are experiencing anation-wide shortage of nurses.

This June a new class of forty-five students will begin the intense 12-month long vocationalnursing program, directed by Sandi Emerson, RN, MSN, Dean, Health Sciences/ECEDivision, Nursing Programs Director.

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And the Winners Are... Five classified employees were selected as awardees in COD's Best andBrightest Awards. They are, from left: Nori Bambusch, Chris Bohn, Margaret Foat-Koenig,Sharon Bentzen and Terri Alm. See story, details below.

Best and Brightest Awards Draw 110 Nominations, Winners Named: A recognitionprogram for classified employees ended with the selection of five members of the CODsupport staff being surprised by Dr. Maria Sheehan, Superintendent/President, and a cameracrew (Mike Hadley from the IS Media Center). The resulting video was emailed campuswide last week. The winners (see caption under photo, above) will each receive a $50 giftcertificate to the restaurant of their choice. And special award is being framed for each ofthem. A reception is planned next month to present the certificates and awards.

The winners were nominated by their immediate supervisors and/or their peers and wereawarded in one of five categories:

Professional Development (nominated by supervisor): The winner in this category wasSharon Bentzen , Student Services. She was nominated by her supervisor, Dr. DianeRamirez, for regularly attending and taking part in training and workshops offered bythe District. "She shares her knowledge freely with others and is always available toassist co-workers, students, colleagues and, thankfully, administrators." Attendance and Dependability (nominated by supervisor): The award went to ChrisBohn, Financial Aid, who was nominated by Heidi Granger, Financial Aid Officer.Granger pointed out that Chris never misses a day of work and is the epitome of dependability. "I think that deserves a huge acknowledgment," Granger said. The lasttime Bohn called in sick, Granger said, was on Feb. 26, 1999.Customer Service: Terri Alm was nominated by her supervisor, Lenita Richards,and by Mike Hadley, Jeannette Camargo, Dorothy Turner, and Becky Swanson.Comments included: "She has a heart for people and a strong desire to do her job well.""She goes above and beyond great customer service daily, helping students, staff andfaculty." "She is so knowledgeable and treats each person's insurance problems withprofessionalism. We all benefit from her knowledge of her position and her caringheart." "I have witnessed Terri coming in on her vacation time to help someone who

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needed her."Team Building: Nori Bambusch was nominated by Dr. Rick Post, her division dean,and by faculty members David Acquistapace and Kurt Leuschner. Comments: "She isthe best at getting things done in a prompt, reliable manner. We don't know ho wewould survive the mountains of paperwork without her." "She is the glue that holds ourdivision together." "Nori is truly the division's 'Mother Superior.' She is positive,resourceful and the epitome of a team player. She has developed and maintained strongprofessional relationships with each and every employee in the division."Process Improvement and Productivity: This award went to Margaret Foat-Koenig,who was nominated by her division dean, Sandi Emerson, and nursing faculty memberDee Gerken. "Last year, she developed one generic scholarship form that studentscould use in applying for one or more of the several nursing scholarships," Emersonwrote about her. "The form helped tremendously, for students as well as the scholarshipcommittee. Not only was it a huge timesaver, it improved the organization of theprocess. That semester, the division awarded over $26,000 in scholarships to over 30students."

COD's Best and Brightest Awards grew out of a leadership circle meeting of classifiedsupervisors, who brainstormed ways to honor classified staff. A committee was formed andresearched programs at other institutions and created a COD employee recognition program.

The committee included Tom Wixon, Marc Drescher, Sally Triplett, Aracely Gomez,Florante Roa, Elaine Snyder, and Dr. David Bugay.

Dev Ed Will Hold Grad Ceremony June 1 For High School Diplomates: The division ofDevelopmental Education, Department of Adult Basic Education, will hold a graduationceremony to honor 47 students who have received their High School Diploma between thedates of July 2003 to May 2005.The ceremony will be Wednesday, June 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. inthe Hilb Student Center. Juan Lujan, Division Dean, and Tyrone Thomas, Lead Instructor,will be the Masters of Ceremony.

Professor Featured in News Story: Associate Professor of Speech John Mandes was thesubject of a recent feature story in the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which explored his battlewith cancer and his struggle to continue to teach while undergoing treatment to fight theillness. The story tells how fellow COD faculty members and other employees are showingtheir support. You can access story at the following link:

http://www.pe.com/lifestyles/stories/PE_Fea_Daily_D_playwright508.a1d13.html

http://www.pe.com/lifestyles/stories/PE_Fea_Daily_D_playwright508.a1d13.html

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The Solstice Team: COD's literary magazine, The Solstice, has enjoyed a revival thanks tothe contributors and sponsors shown here, and others. The group presented their magazine to theBoard of Trustees recently and posed for this photo. From Left: Laura Ortega, Beverly Nolan(sponsor), Ruth Nolan, faculty advisor, Juana Rodriquez, Jack Talmadge (sponsor), GerryMorrow and Hortencia Diaz-Rodriguez.

Board Moves Up Date of Next Meeting: The DCCD Board of Trustees has moved its Junemeeting up two days to Tuesday, June 14 because of a scheduling conflict. The location of the9 a.m. meeting on the COD campus will be determined.

Board Okays Emeritus Status For Faculty Members : Nine members of the COD facultywere awarded Emeritus Status when the DCCD Board of Trustees approved arecommendation from the Academic Senate. The faculty members were selected byunanimous vote by their respective divisions, and got the unanimous nod from the AcademicSenate. The nine are:

Counselor Ed Morante, Coordinator EOPS and CARE Programs Marcelino Diaz, ProfessorDevelopmental Education Rosemary Ortega, Associate Professor English Linda Morante,Professor Business Floyd Watson, Coordinator Library Services Char Whitaker andAdjunct Math Instructor Anne Walker.

Sabbatical Approved for Hagopian: Math Professor Geoff Hagopian was approved for asabbatical leave by the Board of Trustees on Thursday. Hagopian will be gone fromSeptember to June and will develop "new methods of visual learning" in the areas of mathand physics, making use of new developments in computer graphics.

Board Sets Strategic Goals: The DCCD Board of Trustees adopted goals for 2005-06 for

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itself. The annual goals for the coming year are:

enhance student learning and student achievementaddress the educational needs of students and the community at largeensure that resources support student learningenhance the effectiveness and efficiency of college governance

Faculty Overwhelmingly Support Agreement: The DCCD Board of Trustees unanimouslyapproved a tentative agreement between the District and the Faculty Association (CCA/CTA)at its recent meeting. The faculty voted 75% in favor of the agreement which included Costof Living Adjustments, step adjustments, and a change in the group health insurance programthat eliminated the POS option. The agreement was the result of reopened negotiations, asprovided for in the contract which runs from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2006.

Board Likes Concept of Single Salary Schedule for Managers: The DCCD Board ofTrustees approved the concept of a new, simplified salary schedule for all of COD'smanagement team, which includes confidentials, managers, supervisors and the collegepresident. The proposed new schedule, which will come before the board for approval nextmonth, combines the three existing salary schedules for managers, supervisors andconfidentials as well as individually negotiated contracts (such as the president's).

Dr. David Bugay, VP, Human Resources, made the presentation. He said the currentschedules have some aberrations and were recommended to be streamlined back in 1999-2000 by the Randall Report, which pointed out that the multiple scales and "vast reach of thescales" was unusual in the California system and that most colleges had consolidated them.

Bugay said the combined salary schedule, which takes into account a market basketcomparison of comparable colleges collected by ACCCA, would be paid for by using theCOLA funds (projected at 3.93% next year) provided by the state, proportionate to thenumber of leadership employees. "All changes will be completed with no additional impact onthe General Fund," he said.

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Another Smash Hit For COD: The curtaincame down Sunday on four performances ofSweet Charity , another Broadway musicalproduction staged by the COD Division of PEand Performing Arts. Above, taxi dancersNickie (Rosanne Hopkins ) and Helene(Stacy Casaluci) rehearsed their number lastweek, while at the same rehearsal (left), Oscar(Tod Kent) and Charity Hope Valentine, thedance hall hostess (Chelsey Clime), workedthrough a scene in which they were stuck in anelevator. The show at the McCallum Theatre wasdirected and choreographed by MicheleGaines with musical direction by Scott Smith.

Nurses Score High On State Exam: Recent graduates of COD's Vocational Nursing trainingprogram scored extremely well in the required Board of Vocational Nursing examination,according to Sandi Emerson, Dean of the Health Sciences Division. Of 25 students who tookthe exam, 24 passed, a pass rate of 96%. "Congratulations to the VN instructors for solidlypreparing the students for entry into practice," Emerson said. "Kudos to (instructors) PatKeller and Monica Langella."

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Board Approves Hiring of New Dean, Faculty Members: Dr. Gaither Loewenstein willbe the Dean of the Social Science and Arts Division on July 1. Dr. Loewenstein was mostrecently the V.P., Academic and Student Success, at Barstow Community College. He earneda Bachelors degree in Public Administration from the University of the Pacific and a Mastersof Urban Affairs degree from Wichita State University and a Ph.D. Urban Affairs from theUniversity of Delaware. Loewenstein was the Dean of Instruction at Mendocino Collegeand Humphreys College. He has been the Division head for social and behavioral sciences atHoly Family College in Philadelphia.

Several faculty positions were also filled:

Dr. Kimberly Dozier, has been appointed Assistant Professor, English, effective Aug. 24. Dr.Dozier earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Social Science from UCR, a Masters ofArts in English from California State University, Sacramento, and a Ph.D. in English Studiesfrom Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois. She has been a full time instructor at DakotaState University in Madison, South Dakota and recently teaching at Hartwell College inSalinas, Ca. Additionally, she has been a Content Editor for McGraw-Hill and a writer/editorfor Longman Publishers.

Daniel Kleinfelter is the successful candidate for the Assistant Professor, Mathematicsposition. He will begin teaching Aug. 24. Kleinfelter earned an Associate of Science degree inMathematics from Grossmont College and both a Bachelors of Arts degree, Mathematics andMasters of Arts degree, Mathematics, from San Diego State University, San Diego. He hasheld adjunct positions at San Diego Mesa College, Grossmont College, and San Diego CityCollege.

Effective Aug. 24 Frank Marfai will be an Assistant Professor, Mathematics. He earned anAssociate of Science degree, Physical Science/Math from Glendale Community College, aBachelor of Art degree, Mathematics from Occidental College and a Masters of Arts,Mathematics from California state University, San Bernardino. Marfai has been an ajunctfaculty member at COD for five years and has also taught at Mount San Jacinto College. Hewas a full time instructor at Riverside Community College.

Christen Smith has been appointed Assistant Professor, English as a Second Language,effective Aug. 24. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, English from the University ofCalifornia, Irvine, and a Masters of Arts degree, English from California State PolytechnicUniversity, Pomona. She's held adjunct positions at Mira Costa College, Palomar College,Miramar College and Rancho Santiago Community College. Smith was a full time instructorat Imperial Valley College.

Dr. Basilia Softas-Nall, is the successful candidate for the Professor, Psychology position.She will begin teaching Aug. 24. Softas-Nall earned a Bachelor of Arts, Psychology fromDeree College, Athens, Greece, and both a Masters of Arts, Counseling and Ph.D. CounselingPsychology from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. She's been teaching form twelveyears at the University of Northern Colorado and previously taught at the University ofLaverne, Athens Campus.

Wedding Bells Ring: Micheline Patel (now Morena ), an ISA in the language lab in theAcademic Skills Center, who also teaches ESL classes for the Developmental EducationDivision at night, wants everyone to know she got married this past Saturday, May 21, inPalm Springs. She's been a member of the COD family since 1992 when she was hired by theCommunication Division as a French instructor. "My husband's name is Jorge Morena," shereports. "He comes from Uruguay. We met on line in the summer of 2003. He was in Floridaat the time. We fell in love with each other's personalities and voices, and we usedup thousands of cell phone minutes before we had a chance to meet in person a few months

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later. Needless to say, the actual meeting was a success. I'm very excited and very happy!"

Spreading the Word About Financial Aid:Members of the Financial Aid Office at COD are"taking it to the streets," in effect. They set up atable on campus and gave away coffee, donuts(ice cream in the evening), and financial aidliterature. They talked to scores of students andfound that a number of them had no idea theymight be eligible for one of many financial aidprograms offered at the college. Helping out onemorning recently were: Top, from left: GregChesterman and Chris Bohn, both Sr.Financial Aid Assistants, and Joanie Peters,Financial Aid Assistant. That's Karla Duarte, astudent worker, seated with them. The student atleft is unidentified. Right: Chris explains financialaid to a curious student. Below: More studentsgather around to see what they can learn and getsome help from Greg.

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Doug Crocker, the Man Who Named COD, Dies: When he was 16, he won a newspapercontest by coming up with the name, College of the Desert, for a brand new junior college tobe built in Palm Desert. That was back in 1958, after voters approved the formation of thecollege district. Douglas F. Crocker lived in Palm Springs all his life, working for the City ofPalm Springs at the Wastewater Treatment Plant for 36 years. He was the adopted son ofFrancis and Rosalie Crocker, a prominent local family that founded the Palm Springs AerialTramway. Services were held Saturday at Desert Chapel in Palm Springs. He was 63.

Workshops On Sexual Harassment Law Begin June 2: Employers need to be aware of thenew California law on mandatory sexual harassment training, according to the Center forTraining and Development at College of the Desert. COD will hold several workshops to helpsupervisors understand and comply with regulations. Training begins June 2.

The new California Law, AB1825, requires employers with 50 or more employees to provideat least 2 hours of training to all supervisory employees and provide at least 2 hours of sexualharassment training for newly-hired or promoted supervisors within 6 months of their hiringor promotion.

“Our 2.5 hour Unlawful Harassment course meets the state requirement and providesparticipants with an understanding of the key issues of sexual harassment which includes: sex,race, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, or age,”said Dr. Wendy Flint, Director, Professional & Continuing Education.

“Participants will learn what is and is not harassment, and how to recognize and respond to iteffectively,” said Pam LiCalsi, Dean, Center for Training and Development. “While thecourse is designed for supervisors and managers, every employee will benefit from thisworkshop.”

Workshops will be held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on June 2, July 13, July 28, Aug. 11 and 23.Workshop presenter is Dr. Wendy Flint, COD Director, Professional & ContinuingEducation. Cost is $89 per person, or call the Center to find out how to schedule this

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workshop for your employees at your worksite.

For more information or to register call (760) 773-2545 or register online atwww.CODtrainingcenter.com.

Street Fair Shifts to Summer Hours June 4: The COD Street Fair “Summer Season”begins June 4. During the months of July, August, and September the Street Fair hours arefrom 7 a.m. to noon. The Street Fair is held all year long on Saturday and Sunday on the CODcampus in Palm Desert. It is operated by COD’s Alumni Association, a non-profitorganization.

The Fair provides open-air shopping for the entire family including a selection of unique giftsfor all occasions, a farmers market and refreshment booths. There is free admission, parkingand entertainment.For more information call, Marchu at (760) 340-1045.

Library Friends Receive Huge Book Collection For Sale: The largest and finest collectionof books ever received has been donated to the Friends of the Library (FOTL) bymember/donors. Five thousand books were picked up by the Book Room staff last week,according to Millie Bird, who coordinates two annual book sales that benefit COD. Thecollection consists of books in all subjects with a large portion of historic in leather bindingsand other modern titles.

This was a private collection compiled over time, since 1920, by the father of the donor, AliceStanton Serrao, and her husband, John A. Serrao. The couple has sold their home here andwill be leaving the area, Bird said.

"The FOTL is very privileged and most grateful to receive such a large donation ofoutstanding books," said Book Sale Coordinator Bird. "Some of the books will go directly tothe COD Library, and others will be placed in our upcoming sales Nov. 4, and Mar. 18-22,2006."

In appreciation to the donors letters of thanks have been delivered to the Serrao's along with aspecial recognition for Alice's generosity. A special certificate was prepared and placed in ahand made blue case with satin linings by Millie and Dr. Harold Bird, bookbinders. Itcontained the FOTL seal and her name in gold on the front of the case. This was presented toAlice in her home on May 23 by members of the FOTL staff. Her husband, John, was presentand received the letters.

President's Cornerby Dr. Maria Sheehan

Looking Back Over the Year: As we conclude the academic year, itis time to look back on all of the successes of the last twelve months.The first issuance of 65 million dollars of bonds funds took place inAugust and modular buildings were the first purchases for muchneeded classroom space. The Nursing Program took center stage thisyear with an expanded RN program, a record of more grants receivedthan ever, and an astounding 95% passage rate on the Board examsfor Registered Nurses. The number of entering RN students rose to anincredible 144 for the year. Through the extraordinary hard work offaculty, especially Chris Nelson and Rick Rawnsley, Dr. GariBrowning and other members of the staff, a model Accreditation SelfStudy was completed. Thanks to great coordination on the part of theResearch Office directed by Matthew Breindel, an outstanding team

http://www.codtrainingcenter.com/

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visit took place.

The Research Office also took a lead role in securing evidence that determined the success ofour pilot intersession program. Faculty determined the quality of the courses provided duringthe intersession was strong. It gives students a new tool to achieve their goals.

This week, the priority process moves forward so that we will have in place thecomprehensive listing of needs for the 05-06 academic year. The listing will assist infundraising for college priorities.

In the areas of athletics, student athletes outdid themselves with winning seasons in golf,football, tennis and basketball. I especially want to commend 18 year old Chelsey Clime whowas so brilliant in this past weekend’s theater production of Sweet Charity, a great exampleof COD students achieving their best.

As we ended the year, a record number of the members of the college family came out tocelebrate the President’s Games without the games. The barbecue was a great stress relieverand a time for reviving relationships for all staff. The annual event will be back again on May4, 2006 for a fifth year.

At the last Board meeting, the Trustees approved emeritus status for retiring faculty, a facultysabbatical for the year and a new dean for the Division of Social Sciences and Arts, and sixnew faculty members. The Board approved the articles for negotiation with CSEA and theapproved the ratified faculty contract. The Board also approved the concept of a single salaryschedule for all members of leadership to replace the three separate schedules and lack of aschedule for two members of leadership, the Superintendent/President and the Vice presidentof Administrative Services.

Last week the college celebrated California Classified Employees Week and acknowledgedthe winners of the COD’s Best and Brightest Awards. The awardees star in the video whichwas distributed last week by email. Congratulations to Chris Bohn, Sharon Bentzen,Margaret Foat-Koenig, Terri Alm, and Nori Bambusch. And speaking of awards, theAcademic Senate recognized Doug Walker as faculty member of the year, a well-deserveddistinction.

Congratulations to all of our dedicated staff for a year well done. Congratulations also go toour record number of graduates. More faculty members then ever will be participating incommencement, demonstrating their commitment to College of the Desert students. COD hada wonderful year with a great year to come. Hopefully everyone will take time for rest andrelaxation during the summer months.

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COD Sports

The Pacific Coast Fencing Championships were held in Las Vegas recently and a handfulof COD fencers competed: Costa Nichols in men's sabre, Frank Campellone in men's foiland epee, Mark Johnson in men's foil, and Leslie Taft in women's sabre, with Coach Taftwinning the bronze medal. "The Pacific Coast Championships are a prestigious fencingevent," said Taft. "We had fencers from Hawaii, Nevada and California coming to competeranging in ages from 15 to 72 and it is also a qualifying path for the NationalChampionships." Some of the COD fencers will be at the National Championships inSacramento July 1-10. Former COD Student Moves Through Qualifying Rounds for U.S. Open:</strong>Brandon Petelski, a member of the COD men's golf team in 2003 and 2004, is one ofseveral local players to get past the first round in qualifying for the U.S. Open GolfTournament. Petelski, 21, now plays in the Southern California regional tournament inTarzana on June 2 and needs a low score over 36 holes to earn a chance to qualifyfor the major tournament. He got past the first obstacle by carding a 70 at Ironwoodearlier this month, joining three other local golfers in moving on to the next level.

OpeningsManagement Appointment: Gaither Loewenstein, Dean, Social Science and Arts, effective July 1.Management Reassignment: Reynaldo Ortiz, Counselor, effective July 1. Faculty Appointment:Kimberly Dozier, Assistant Professor, English, effective Aug. 24. Daniel Kleinfelter, AssistantProfessor, Mathematics, effective Aug. 24. Frank Marfai, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, effectiveAug. 24. Wendy Sanders, Professor, Early Childhood Education, effective Aug. 24. ChristenSmith, Assistant Professor, ESL, effective Aug. 24. Basilia Softas-Nall, Professor, Psychology,effective Aug. 24. Faculty Resignation: John La Fontaine, Assistant Professor, Air Cond & Refrig,effective June 30. Classified Appointments: Sean Black, Training & Development Assistant,effective Apr. 27. Rodrick Coleman, Groundskeeper, effective Apr. 18. Carol O’Rourke, Training& Development Assistant, effective Apr. 27. Classified Resignations: Hope Morrison, Admissions& Records Technician, effective Apr. 21. Chris Mozga, Instructional Support Assistant/PE,effective Apr. 22. Melissa Raineri, Administrative Secretary/Counseling, effective May 13. ClassifiedReassignment: Mary Lisi, Business Services Technician, effective Apr. 25.

Faculty Development WorkshopsFor information on Faculty Development, Flex Days, and Online Faculty Development, contact Wendy Flint, ChairFaculty Development Committee at ext. 122 or email her at [email protected] or go tohttp://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/FacultyStaff/FacultyDevelopment/index.asp .

Calendar of EventsThe Insider lists home games for all athletic events on the weekly calendar. For more details, contactthe Athletics Department at Ext. 591 or visit the Athletics Division website athttp://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/Athletics.

Monday, May 23 Final Exams Begin

Tuesday, May 24 11:30 a.m. CDC Moving Up Celebration

7 p.m. Instrumental Concert

http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/FacultyStaff/FacultyDevelopment/index.asp

http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/Athletics

Insider Newsletter


Wednesday, May 25 7 p.m. Vocal Ensemble Concert

Thursday, May 26 6 p.m. Public Safety Academy AwardsCeremony

6 p.m. Upward Bound Awards

8 p.m. Opera Workshop

Friday, May 27 2 p.m. RN Pinning

7 p.m. Graduation

Saturday, May 28 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair

11 a.m. VN Pinning

Sunday, May 29 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair

Monday, May 30 COD Holiday

Monday, June 6 First Day of Summer Semester

The Insider is the newsletter for Faculty and Staff at College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey Ave.,Palm Desert, CA 92260. Published weekly during the school year, except during holidays. Sendsubmissions via email or interoffice campus mail. Information: Tom Wixon, Director, Public Relations, ext.2589. From off-campus: (760) 773-2589 or [email protected].

College of the Desert • 43-500 Monterey Ave • Palm Desert, CA 92260 • 760.346.8041©2009 • Acceptable Use Guidelines • Disclaimer

mailto:[email protected]

http://www2.collegeofthedesert.edu:85/FacultyStaff/InformationSystems/index.asp?id=641

http://www2.collegeofthedesert.edu:85/AboutCOD/index.asp?id=553

home students faculty & staff visitors...assisted by claire kruse (right). in the background,...

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