FEBRUARY 2020

Welcome Back SRJC Petaluma!

Graham Culver Links Together Petaluma Tutorial and Writing Centers

Graham Culver supports both the Petaluma Tutorial Center and the Writing Center as an Instructional Assistant Senior, who specializes in writing, math, and computer science. Graham started at the Petaluma Tutorial Center as a volunteer tutor, before joining as STNC in fall, 2019. A former SRJC student, Graham transferred to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he earned a B.Sc. in Computer Science. In his free time, Graham enjoys backpacking and being in nature.

Jake Stillman Connects Students to Audio Industry

Jake Stillman, Digital Audio Production faculty, earned his Master’s in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts from San Francisco State University in 2019; his thesis project explored the need to teach music business in undergraduate recording programs.  Jake, in partnership with Mike Starkey and Lauralyn Larsen, has developed internships at House of Sound, KOWS radio station, Occidental Center for the Arts, Strawberry Hill Music video game production, and Alice Radio. The Digital Media film and audio production programs are also exploring broadcasting student generated content on Petaluma Community Access television station.

Michael McKeever Connects with Cisco Instructors

Michael McKeever, Computer Studies faculty, attended the January Cisco Networking Academy Instructor Professional Development Winter Conference at Cisco headquarters in San Jose, funded by a Career Education grant. He participated in an exclusive Adaptive Learning research workshop with the Cisco research team and instructors from across the US and Canada. His SRJC classes and students will continue to provide feedback to the team over the next year. Also while there, he conducted a workshop on the new security topics and content in the course curriculum. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of network and computer systems architects will grow 28% by 2020 — twice as fast as all occupations in general.

SRJC Petaluma Reaches Out with JumpStart!

Outreach efforts for 2020 have gotten off to a great start. We have conducted “lunch time” presentations to more than 130 students at JumpStart high schools such as Novato High, Rancho Cotate High, and Casa Grade High. We are also strengthening our partnerships with schools interested in joining JumpStart such as Terra Linda High School and San Antonio High School. Outreach also presented to about 40 students and parents at an ELAC meeting at Petaluma High, an awesome turnout to start 2020. SRJC Petaluma hosted approximately 140 eighth graders from Adele Harrison Middle School from the city of Sonoma, here at the campus on January 31st. It's a great start to 2020!

Grant Award Goes to SRJC Petaluma to Build  Regional Construction and Trades Training Center

The federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced awarding SRJC a $7.1million grant on January 6th.  SRJC Petaluma will construct lab classroom space next to the Maintenance Compound in parking lot 3 over the next two years.

The new center is projected to train hundreds of construction and trades workers annually in order to support ongoing county-wide recovery and rebuild efforts after the October 2017 wildfires. “Affordable housing is extremely limited in Sonoma County right now and construction professionals are in high demand,” SRJC President Frank Chong said. “I am thrilled that SRJC will be able to provide high quality training for students who want to enter the building trades at this new facility. This is another way that the college will help build a foundation for Sonoma County’s future.”

After some of the deadliest wildfires in California’s history destroyed over 5,300 homes in October 2017, a housing impact study was commissioned as a part of the Strategic Sonoma Action Plan partnership recovery efforts. The study by Beacon Economics identified the need to build 30,000 more housing units to account for local fire losses, overcrowding and employment growth, according to Sonoma County EDB Executive Director Sheba Person-Whitley.

Person-Whitley also commented that the project was a great example of a collaborative partnership between the EDB and SRJC. The EDB also led efforts to secure a $1 million matching grant from the Tipping Point Community Foundation. “If partners are able to mobilize around the Regional Construction and Trades Training and Employment Center to achieve this ambitious goal, Sonoma County could position itself as a model for addressing this pressing post-disaster relief need in other California communities,” added 2nd District Supervisor David Rabbitt.

SRJC will utilize the new facility to offer short-term career skill training classes leading to non-credit certificates in areas such as: construction and building trades, industrial residential construction methods, home repair and maintenance, construction project planning and supervision, hardscape, softscape, and   fire prevention through landscape. In addition to the non-credit certificates, SRJC will offer an array of credit programs that take one to four semesters to complete, including: HVAC, refrigeration technician, solar technology, and construction management. An associate degree program for students in trade union apprenticeships is under development.

Jane and Catherine to Be Featured Speakers at Petaluma Women's Club

Next up in “Conversations with Women Leaders in our Community” are two women leaders from Santa Rosa Junior College, Petaluma Campus. 

Please join us Tuesday, March 3rd at 5:30 PM
Put this event on your calendars and pick up your tickets now!

Jane Saldaña-Talley, Ed.D. is currently the Santa Rosa Junior College Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs/Assistant Superintendent.
Dr. Saldaña-Talley provides District-wide leadership, supervision and oversight for Academic Affairs including accreditation, grant development, policy development, strategic planning, and curriculum and services development for the District’s instructional program and services.
She also oversees the SRJC Petaluma campus and the District Office of Institutional Research, and serves as chief negotiator for the District in contract negotiations with the All Faculty Association.
Prior to assuming this role, Dr. Saldaña-Talley served since 2007 as Vice President in charge of district-wide Institutional Planning and Effectiveness and Chief Administrator of SRJC’s Petaluma campus.  In that role, Jane led the college-wide effort to develop SRJC’s current strategic plan and facilities master plan, provided executive oversight of the District Office of Institutional Research, and co-chaired the Institutional Planning Council.
She led all aspects of the SRJC Petaluma campus operations, including enrollment management, instructional programs, student services, outreach and engagement, financial services, facilities planning and operation, and community development and relations.
Dr. Saldaña-Talley holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Davis/California State University, Fresno Joint Doctoral Program, and her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Psychology are from California State University, Fresno.
Dr. Catherine Williams received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) in 2001.  She began teaching undergraduate and graduate psychology classes in 1999 at Dominican University, Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, and CSPP.  As a Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Williams was employed at multiple public sector safety net service centers, where she provided program coordination and evaluation as well as individual and group psychotherapy.
Dr. Williams was hired as a full-time faculty member in 2009 in the Disability Resources Department at SRJC, where she achieved tenure.  In 2015, Dr. Williams was hired as the Dean of Instruction and Enrollment Management for the Petaluma campus.  She has expanded the number of career certificates offered from 6 to 12 including adding Digital Media Audio Recording and Yoga Teacher Training.  Dr. Williams also facilitated the development of SRJC Petaluma’s Education Master Plan, which drives the Facilities Master Plan, and resulted in the Measure H-funded project designed to expand Science offerings and support Student Services.

Tickets available on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/petaluma-womans-club-speakers-series-2020-tickets-85314848007  or use this button…

Our House Launches Spring Programming

Please visit webpage for more info: https://petaluma.santarosa.edu/our-house-intercultural-center

 

Petaluma Student Services Updates

Assessment

Student Success Technician, Maria Gonzalez retired in late October. Testing Specialist Guadalupe Quiroz and the Assessment office has officially co-located with the Disability Resources Department Office in Jacobs 101. The testing services of those two units are cross-training in order to provide further support for each of their operations. GED Testing will remain upstairs in PC 127/128.

Dream Center

Starting on Jan. 15th, Eva Barragan, the new Coordinator, will resume Dream Center services at Petaluma on Wednesdays from 10am-7pm. Elias Carreño, Petaluma Outreach Coordinator, covers those services during times when Eva is not present.

Disability Resources Department
Jennifer Ullman has returned to Petaluma as the Intake Facilitator, and Faculty member Ashley Arnold has returned from sabbatical.  Bess Eiermann has retired as Student Support Specialist and her duties in testing accommodations are covered by STNC Stephanie Charles with assistance from STNC Diego Morfín, Jennifer Ullman and Guadalupe Quiroz.

Financial Aid
Osiris Zuberi has transferred to the Santa Rosa Financial Aid office, and the staff in the Petaluma First Stop Center are hiring a specialist to be cross-trained, along with other staff, to provide Financial Aid customer service along with their other duties of Admissions & Records, Student Employment and student account payment. 

Student Success Team
Byron Reaves has accepted a position as an EOPS counselor on the Santa Rosa campus, which is to begin mid-February. Plans for securing the staffing on this program will be forthcoming.

Services Centers
We continue to explore the concept of consolidating more of our services into multi-functional service centers this Spring.  Under consideration are more of a consolidated healthy learning center which might host several of our services, and a combined testing center, as has already been created on the Santa Rosa campus.  More to come on this, as we roll along during the semester.

February is Study Skills Month

The Student Success Team will be hosting many workshops designed to help students on how to study, and develop their soft skills. Check out our great lineup of workshops in the flyer below. We look forward to seeing you in the Student Success Center (Call 690) in the coming month!

Student Research Conference

Friday, May 1, 2020, 10am - 12pm