It's Smile Season at Mesa College!

April 2021

It’s Smile Season at Mesa College!
I hope that everyone enjoyed a wonderful and
restful Spring Break. With April upon us, we are
looking forward to multiple spring events and the
time of year that we fondly refer to as "Smile Sea-
son." Although we still cannot be together, we will
be celebrating our students and our collective suc-
cesses in many virtual ceremonies. So, stay tuned,
with the countdown to our Virtual Commencement
in May and our Drive-thru Grad Parade in June.

Student-Athletes Are Back!
Starting April 12 and 13, our Olympian student-
athletes will be returning to Mt. Olympus for on-
campus conditioning. The health and safety of our
student-athletes, employees, and campus commu-
nity are paramount as we transition back onto
campus. We are so excited to get our student-
athletes and coaches back to campus to prepare
for the upcoming competitions in the fall semes-
ter! Go Olympians!

Continuing Student Support
Student Health Services provides weekly groups
focusing on mental health. Some of these include
“Be Calm” sessions; group sessions for members of
our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer,
Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQI) community;
Black Student Forums; Active Minds Student Club;
and the Connections games group. They are also
working with the Mesa Athletics team to develop a
deep connection between Athletes and Student

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Health Services.

    Free one-on-one and family counseling is provided
    via Zoom by our diverse and experienced group of
    mental health clinicians. In addition, students who
    identify as Black may choose to work with either one
    of our in-house mental health clinicians who also
    identify as Black, or with Urban Restoration Center
    (URC).

    RISE UP, an event is meant to encourage the Black,
    Indigenous, and People of Color community, and en-
    lighten mental balance while instilling resilience and
    hope for the future, will take place this Friday, April 9,
    via Zoom. Our goal is to provide the soul nourishing
    elements that contribute to a healthy body-mind
    connection. Presenters will include singers, spoken
    word artists, drummers, Mesa College Administra-
    tors, Students, and Student Health Faculty. There are
    many free items and opportunity drawings. All Cam-
    pus Community members are welcome.

    Mesa Cares has also provided Mental Health Clini-
    cians for urgent group counseling related to national
    and global events (recent Capitol insurrection, racist
    zoom bombing, and events targeting the AAPI com-
    munity).

    Zoom COVID Education is routinely provided by Med-
    ical Director Dr. Calvin Wong, Professor Nancy Brom-
    ma, and COVID Nurse Renee Dean.

    Call to Action
    “Calling All Classified Professionals to Action” is a
    monthly conversation about ideas, practices, and
    steps to create a more equitable, anti-racist institu-
    tion of higher education. Classified Professionals and
    all employees of Mesa re invited to join the ongoing,
    informal conversation. This is a brave space to meet,
    listen to, participate in, and lead an evolving conver-
    sation from our unique perspectives in an authentic
    way.

    At the March meeting, classified professionals met
    and learned about the concept of racelighting, the
    process when people of color question their own
    thoughts and experiences due to systematically deliv-
    ered racialized messages that make them second
    guess their lived experiences. The group discussed
    how this is psychologically harmful to our colleagues
    and students of color, and how classified profession-
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als can be sensitive and thoughtful in their interac-
tions with students and colleagues to avoid mi-
croaggressions. Spring Meetings:
April 20, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

May 18, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/96455501302

Spring 2021 Virtual President’s Breakfast,
“Innovative Solutions for Supporting our Students”
The Spring President's Breakfast – an event hosted
twice a year to engage with friends, supporters, and
members of our broader community – will be taking
place virtually on Friday, April 16, at 8:30 a.m. This
semester, the event will be focusing on the crea-
tive ways that Mesa College has supported our stu-
dents throughout both nationwide calls for social jus-
tice and the pandemic. This event will offer the op-
portunity for community members to hear directly
from leaders at Mesa College and learn about adap-
tations we have made to our academics, student ser-
vices, financial aid, and areas of support for our stu-
dents. For more information, please contact Krista
Stellmacher at kstellmacher@sdccd.edu.

Jump Start 2021
Mesa College is thrilled to present Jumpstart Your
Success 2021. This is a virtual event for prospective
students, and their families and friends, on Saturday,
April 17, 2021 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Join fellow
future Olympians for an introduction to college life!
Attendees will have an opportunity to learn more
about Mesa College and the San Diego Promise FREE
Tuition Program. There will be virtual tours
and presentations to showcase the diversity and
depth of programs and services that Mesa College
has to offer. We will host interactive workshops,
demonstrations, and so much more! In addition, stu-
dents who will be attending Mesa in the Fall will have
an opportunity to enter our opportunity drawing for
a chance to win a $500 scholarship, plus additional
prizes. Spread the word by encouraging prospective
students and family members to join this free, engag-
ing, and informative introduction to Mesa College
life! Click here to RSVP and for additional information

2021 Scholarship Awards Ceremony
We are proud to be closing out another scholarship
cycle that illustrates yet again how resilient our stu-
dents are and how deeply committed this campus is
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to student success. We had an exceptional submis-
    sion rate with our Mesa College Foundation Scholar-
    ships. This year, Mesa College offered more than
    $180,000 in awards through 137 separate scholarship
    opportunities funded by the Mesa College Founda-
    tion. During the application period, from December
    2020 to March 2021, 641 students submitted a com-
    bined total of 2311 scholarship applications. Reviews
    are currently underway and the winners will be an-
    nounced in May, as we honor, recognize, and cele-
    brate our student awardees during our Virtual Schol-
    arship Awards Celebration on May, 12, 2021, at 5:00
    p.m. Stay tuned for additional event information.

    Celebrating Earth Month
    This month we celebrate Earth as humanity’s home.
    It is a chance to reflect on the beauty and abundance
    of the Earth, as well as on the ways in which we live
    upon it. Attend a composting 101 workshop at 12:45
    p.m. on Thursday, April 8, to learn how to reduce
    food waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions. At
    the STEM Lecture on Tuesday, April 13, hear from
    professional geoscientists who turned their interests
    in the Earth and its environments into successful ca-
    reers. On Wednesday, April 21, at 2:30 p.m., join a
    student-led interactive discussion on the climate cri-
    sis and climate action co-sponsored by the APIA Com-
    mittee and TerraMesa. Contact Natalia Trinh for
    more information. All community members are wel-
    come to attend the Mesa Facing the Climate Crisis
    Earth Day event on Thursday, April 22, at 4 p.m. Reg-
    ister at tinyurl.com/facingclimatecrisis.

    Participate in Canyon Day 2021
    Since we cannot gather together to clean Tecolote
    Canyon this year, in the spirit of Canyon Day, partici-
    pants will be cleaning their own local neighborhood
    or canyon to help keep San Diego clean and pollution
    free. The "event" will take place on Saturday, April
    10, 2021, from 9:00am-12:00pm.
    To participate, spend the time cleaning your own
    neighborhood or local canyon (pending allowed
    guidelines - do not enter closed areas). Visit
    www.sdmesa.edu/CanyonDay to register and learn
    more. Faculty and clubs are encouraged to offer extra
    credit or community service hours to students. All
    registered participants will be eligible to earn 4 hours
    of community credit, and will be entered into an Op-
    portunity Drawing to win one of 20 Mesa College
    Prize Packs ($50 value).
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Campus Community Forums
We continue to hold our Campus Community Forums
twice each month, providing a platform for members
of our Mesa community to obtain information, ask
questions and assist us in ensuring the continuity of
education and services for our students. The next
Forum will be held on Tuesday, April 13 at 2:15 p.m,
and will be focused on our Pathways work and how
we plan to approach our "meta-majors". Questions
can be submitted in advance at https://bit.ly/
sdmesaqa. There will also be a Forum on Tuesday,
April 27, with the topic to be determined. If you were
unable to join us for the Forums in March, you can
watch them on the Mesa College YouTube Channel.

The Campus Community Forum on March 9 featured
a Student Panel with incredible presenters from
EOPS, CARE, NextUp, FAST Scholars, STAR TRIO, Pro-
ject Restart and Borderless Scholars. These student
panelists shared powerful stories of “Finding Joy... in
the Moments” while navigating challenges in the last
year of lockdown during a global pandemic. Despite
the obstacles in taking classes and accessing services
remotely, the students shared success stories of their
academic journey, support network, and future
plans! EOPS and Special Programs, and our Mesa
Community, are moved by the stories of resilience
from our student voices, and we seek to continue
improving our services to meet the needs of our di-
verse student populations.

The March 23, 2021, Campus Forum highlighted the
Olympian Pathways Prototype, a collaboration be-
tween the School of Student Development and
School of Exercise Science, Health Education, Dance,
and Athletics. The program prototype is geared to-
ward serving student-athletes at San Diego Mesa Col-
lege by introducing intentional, intrusive interven-
tions that aim to increase retention, academic suc-
cess, a sense of belonging, and accountability.

Dr. Ailene Crakes, Dean of Student Development, and
Dr. Ryan Shumaker, Dean of Exercise Science, Health
Education, Dance, and Athletics, shared the fall 2020
program outcomes, including Olympian Contact
Tracker updates which the Athletic Retention Techni-
cians complete with each student contact. Data was
presented on students’ rating of their academic expe-
rience, athletic experience, and willingness to seek

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help. Support from coaches was integral, along with
    the active involvement, mentoring, and guidance pro-
    vided by the athletic retention technicians.

    There was a panel of student-athletes that included
    the following participants: Aaron Wright (Baseball),
    Emma Fitzgerald (Women’s Basketball, Track & Field),
    Juliana Valadez (Women’s Basketball), Max Feit
    (Men’s Basketball), Yahaira Zuniga (Women’s Cross
    Country), and Andrew Mitchell (Men’s Track & Field).
    Students shared their journey leading up to the pan-
    demic and discussed how their plans have changed,
    including the challenges they faced. They also shared
    how the ARTs and Coaches provided support during
    this difficult time.

    Many thanks to all the ARTs, especially to those who
    participated in the webinar: Taylor Genuser
    (Football), Careth Herron (Women’s Basketball), Talib
    Mahdi (Men’s Basketball), Jake Portugal (Baseball),
    and Wes Williams (Track & Field and Cross Country).
    Much appreciation goes to all the coaches for build-
    ing a community of student-athletes during this criti-
    cal time, especially to Travis Nichols (Men’s Basket-
    ball), Sean Ricketts (Track & Field and Cross Country,
    Lindsay Samaniego (Women’s Basketball), Steve
    Sanchez (Baseball), and Gary Watkins (Football).
    Click here to for more information on the Olympian
    Pathways Prototype - https://youtu.be/L1qFPC6cKyo

    April Mobile and Farmers Markets
    The Stand will continue to provide two large free
    food distributions per month during Spring 2021.
    April distributions will take place on Monday, April 5
    from 1:00-2:00 p.m., and Thursday, April 15, 10:30
    a.m. -1:00 p.m., in the parking structure. Please en-
    courage students to OPT IN for more information and
    emails about upcoming events.

    Administrative Services Update
    Mesa College will be receiving additional Federal
    funding under the Higher Education Emergency Relief
    Fund II (HEERF II) authorized by the Coronavirus Re-
    sponse and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
    Vice President Legaspi had the opportunity to pre-
    sent information about HEERF II to the Classified and
    Associates Student Senates, discussing the process
    for how departments can communicate their needs
    as related to the funds, and plans to meet with the
    Academic Senate as well.

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Administrative Services hosted the Mesa College
COVID Reopening Group discussion with representa-
tives from constituency groups across campus on
March 8. While the campus remains closed, any em-
ployees who access campus are required to check in
for screening either at the Stockroom or with College
Technology. While we anticipate obtaining more in-
formation regarding the return to on campus activi-
ties as COVID cases continue to decrease within the
county, please make sure to refer to the Chancellor’s
COVID updates for the most current information. If
you have questions or would like to be put in contact
with your Mesa College COVID Reopening Group rep-
resentative, please reach out to Vice President of Ad-
ministrative Services, Lorenze Legaspi.

Our contractors continue to make progress on the
Mesa College quadrangle project, and are aiming for
a mid-fall completion.

Mesa2030
After nearly two years of work and collaboration with
over 150 members of the Mesa community, the
Mesa2030 Task Force has developed a draft of the
Mesa2030 plan. The full draft will be presented at
President’s Cabinet on April 6. In the meantime, you
can review the presentation from the last Taskforce
meeting here. In parallel to this work, the Planning
and Institutional Effectiveness Committee and the
Strategic Planning Task Force has been working on
the Roadmap to Mesa2030, which will identify short-
term objectives and priorities for the campus for the
next 5 years.

Here's the big picture and how Mesa2030 con-
nects to our other planning processes:
Mesa 2030 Goals -- Larger funnel; Framework for
all planning; Long-term, big visionary goals; See
more here
Roadmap to Mesa2030-Strategic Plan
and Objectives -- Midterm Objectives to support pro-
gress toward Mesa2030 goals. See the draft here and
provide input here.

Program Review -- Smaller funnel; Short-term goals--
> Programs will identify Action Plans that map to
Strategic Objectives and assess progress annual-
ly. Program Review Steering Committee will be devel-
oping the workspaces in Fall 21.

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Mesa Pathways Update
    Mesa Pathways is jumping into spring with a flurry of
    activity. Ian Duckles and Cynthia Rico from the Guid-
    ed Majors and Mapping Workgroup hosted 11 Mesa
    Mixers which provided an opportunity for represent-
    atives from all constituency groups to provide input
    into the sorting of the college’s 191 degree and cer-
    tificate programs into areas of interest. This is an im-
    portant first step in defining the final list of areas of
    interest as well as the actual name for them. Stay
    tuned for more opportunities to participate.

    The Mesa Pathways Committee has made up to
    $50,000 available to fund projects of up to $5,000
    each, related to advancing our Mesa Pathways efforts
    here on campus! A total of 12 projects were received,
    reviewed, and approved by MPC, with the recipients
    to be announced and notified on April 5, 2021.

    Mesa Pathways has collaborated with Communica-
    tion Studies professor Dr. Veronica Gerace and her
    COMS 170 class. Students are working hard on Mesa
    Pathways centered projects with specific outcomes
    to inform the work that the campus is doing. We are
    excited to see the presentations that the students
    will be making at the end of the semester.

    Finally, our Mesa Pathways Fellows, under the lead-
    ership of Trina Larson and Lead Fellow Dani Perez
    Padilla, continue to obtain and provide the student
    voice for our Pathways work and have been actively
    involved in MPC, workgroups, and the mixers. Addi-
    tionally, the Fellows plan to attend additional govern-
    ance groups to get a feel for the Mesa experience.
    The Fellows are participating in one of three groups:
    outreach, research, or social media each having spe-
    cific projects each addressing a specific aspect of the
    student experience.
    Outreach: Fellows in this interest group are working
       on a video that will introduce the Fellows to stu-
       dents around campus. In the video, they will re-
       spond to thoughts and questions students have
       shared via a questionnaire that is in development.

    Research: Mesa has received a grant to encourage
      student participation in Pathways. The Fellows Re-
      search Team, Research Office, and campus leaders
      have developed a longitudinal study to understand
      the ongoing experiences that support and under-
      mine Black / African American student success. The

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study comprises five surveys that will be adminis-
  tered every two weeks through the end of the se-
  mester.

Social Media: Social Media is working with the Com-
  munications Office to develop a Facebook group
  for Pathway’s dialogue. The team is focusing on
  Facebook because of the tools available on that
  platform; however, this will be promoted on other
  college platforms like Instagram. To support their
  efforts, the Research Team has launched a social
  media survey.

We are excited for the Fellows to present their find-
ings at the end of this semester.

Data Dashboard
The California Community College Chancellor’s
Office released the updated Student Success Metrics
Dashboard. The dashboard now includes data for
the 19/20 Academic year as well as a new Cohort
view. The cohort view tracks first time students and
completion of critical early metrics such as comple-
tion of Transfer Math and English, retention from
first to second term, and unit completion in the first
year. These data help set the stage and provide con-
text for our planning efforts and goal setting and will
be used to evaluate and improve programs. You can
access other Launchboard dashboards here and
view recordings of the Chancellor’s Office Launch-
board Webinar Series here.

A note of thanks....
Thank you hardly seems enough, but it’s what I have
to offer all of you in our Mesa Community. For over
a year now we have met the challenge of a global
                                                                 We have learned much, and have much to share as
pandemic and its multiple impacts on all of us. As we
                                                                 we move through these next phases. None of us has
move back to campus over the next several months,
                                                                 ever done this before, so let us give one another
there are many decisions to make. You have my
                                                                 grace and be in good communication as we do this
commitment to be as inclusive as possible as we
                                                                 work together.
take each step.
                                                                 Prez Pam

                                                                   First Monday on the Mesa
                                                             Is the President’s monthly newsletter, published by
                                                          the President’s Office and the Office of Communications.

               The SDCCD is governed by its Board of Trustees. No oral or written representation is binding on
               the San Diego Community College District without the express approval of the Board of Trustees.

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