Volume I, Fourth Edition

President's Greeting

Dear Faculty, Staff and Administrators,

What a great couple of months we've had at Saddleback College. From welcoming new tenured faculty to naming our Professors of the Year and Classified Employee of the Year, it's been wonderful to congratulate so many of our faculty and staff for their commitment and dedication to Saddleback College and our students. I know now is a very busy time for all of us as we work on our accreditation, strategic planning, and budget, prepare for finals, and plan events such as the scholarship ceremony and commencement. I thank everyone for their hard work in continuing to make Saddleback College the first choice for our students.

Sadly, in the midst of so much good news on campus, we were all shocked and saddened by the terrible loss of Steve Miller, Sophie Miller's husband and a 25-year employee of the South Orange County Community College District. Along with many Saddleback College and district employees, I attended Steve's memorial service and was touched by the kind and loving words of his family and friends. Steve's warmth and sense of humor were appreciated by all who knew him, and it's no suprise that so many of his former colleagues here at the college and district maintained lasting friendships with him. Steve will be greatly missed, and I know we've all had Sophie in our thoughts during this difficult time for her.

One thing I enjoy most as president is the ability to meet so many great people and learn about their important contributions to the college. I also get the ability to see our students succeed, which is what all of our jobs are about. I was thrilled that I had the chance to see our Gauchos men's basketball team play Riverside Community College at the state championships in Fresno. The team had a terrific season and to see it culminate at the state championships was phenomenal.

I also had the pleasure of participating on an Accreditation Team Visit to the College of Alameda. This was a great learning experience and provided insight on the entire accreditation process from a visiting team's point of view. I found that three areas in particular receive a great amount of focus: student learning outcomes, strategic planning, and finances. Because Saddleback College is so strong in these areas, I have no doubt that we will get our accreditation reaffirmed in 2010 with flying colors. However, there is much work to be done, and I greatly appreciate the tremendous efforts and work being carried out by our faculty and Academic Senate, staff and Classified Senate, students and ASG, and management.

Perhaps what has been the greatest part of the last month was that two of our students, ASG President Kalin Kelly and Alumnus David Curry, were honored at the Phi Theta Kappa All-California Community College Academic Team Awards in Sacramento on March 23rd. It was a pleasure to join Kalin and David, who were among 75 California community college students selected for their academic excellence, leadership, and community service.

I know that all of us have so many wonderful students that we teach or work with every day, and we are so proud of them and their accomplishments. This is what makes what we do so enjoyable. Thank you to all of you for your commitment to the success of our students.

Sincerely,

Tod A. Burnett, Ed.D.
President

Saddleback College Names Professors of the Year, Classified Staff of the Year

Congratulations to Saddleback College's Professors of the Year, Mathematics Instructor Larry Perez (Full-Time Faculty) and Anatomy Instructor Tracey Magrann (Anatomy, Associate Faculty), and Classified Employee of the Year, Video Production Specialist Mark Kruhmin.

Academic Senate President Bob Cosgrove said of Larry Perez, "What is clear from the committees Dr. Perez has served on is that most of them are student directed: how to make students better able to grasp math and science and how to keep them in classes. He does this by putting into different contexts why math will help students succeed not just here but also beyond college, as a way to critical thinking and problem solving." Professor Perez says, "The cornerstone of my teaching philosophy is recognizing that students are as important to the teaching process as I am. I lead with high expectations and teach with a conscious mind. My objective is therefore to create a learning environment that supports a variety of learning modalities while strategically dismantling barriers that exist between the student-teacher relationship." Professor Perez's students say that he has helped them significantly improve their math skills through his teaching style and his Algebra2Go website, a supplemental instructional tool that offers a non-threatening platform to assist learning through the use of videos and worksheets to compelement differing learning styles.

Professor Perez has taught at Saddleback College since 1998. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and a Master of Arts degree in applied mathematics at CSU Fullerton, and is expected to receive his Doctor of Education degree in educational leadership at Argosy University.

Dr. Tracey Magrann has been an anatomy lecture and lab instructor at Saddleback College since spring of 2007. Of her teaching philosophy, Dr. Magrann stated, "My personal feelings and beliefs about teaching are to understand the students, meet their needs, keep them motivated, and encourage them to live in the high ethical standard necessary for the health care field. While they learn anatomy in my class, I also want them to learn to cope with stress and have a positive attitude as well. A successful anatomy student is a future health care professional who is a good team player, views life with cheerfulness, and serves with a compassionate heart."

Dr. Magrann's students praise her dedication to teaching, and say that she measures her success as a professor based on the success of her students. She often stays late after class to answer questions and synthesizes daunting information into fun lessons. For example, she has her students play a game to learn the direction of blood flow from the heart. In her students' statements, the word "mentor" is used over and over again, and for her commitment to them, Dr. Magrann's students adore her.

Dr. Magrann earned an Associate of Arts with honors in biology at Fullerton College, and a Bachelor of Science degree and a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine at the Samuel Merritt College of Medicine.

Television Production Specialist Mark Kruhmin was named Saddleback College's Classified Employee of the Year. Mark's commitment to the students and Channel 39 was highlighted in his nomination, which stated, "Mark consistently works beyond his scheduled hours and duties in order to help the department, and in particular our students. He does everything from explaining equipment to our students and faculty, to shooting videos for other departments, to making TV programs featuring student works, to acting in student movies if they need a cast member in a pinch (for example, his legendary performance as Dr. Fernando in the student production of 'Volume II.') 'Above and beyond" is the daily norm for Mark and I can't imagine the impact on our department if he was strictly a '9-5 and only doing my job description' man."

Mark started as a delivery driver in the audio visual department in 1989, and soon became an audio visual technician, before becoming a television production specialist in 1998. He says that he likes the ability he has to be creative in his work and that he has made many good friends at Saddleback College, where he gets to do something different almost every day.

Mark learned how to do his job as a student at Saddleback College, where he graduated in the 70's with an Associate of Arts degree before transferring to CSU Fullerton as a communications major.

Mark lives in San Clemente with his wife and son, who attends San Clemente High School. His daughter attended Saddleback College and is now a student at San Francisco State University.

SC Alumnus David Curry Highlighted in USA Today for Academic Achievement

Congratulations to Saddleback College alumnus David Curry, who was selected to be on the prestigious Phi Theta Kappa All-USA Academic First Team for Community Colleges sponsored by USA Today. David, who was one of 20 selected out of more than 1,500 nominations, is being honored on April 6th in Phoenix at the American Association of Community Colleges convention. David graduated last year from Saddleback College and now attends UC Irvine as a sociology major. David served two tours in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps and helped develop and run the college's Veterans Outreach Program. He is launching a similar program at UC Irvine. David's volunteer work includes student government, Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics, and environmental clean up efforts. Read about David in the April 6th edition of USA Today.

And congratulations to ASG President Kalin Kelly, who was placed on the All-California Academic Team for her academic excellence and commitment to community service. Kalin is a communications major -- who in addition to serving as ASG President -- is Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa and a member of the Honor Student Council. Kalin plans to transfer to UCLA and then obtain a master's degree at USC before becoming the chief executive officer of her own public relations firm.

Photo of David Curry courtesy of Graphic Designer Karen Fong.

Congratulations to SC's New Tenured Faculty

Saddleback College's new tenured faculty were recognized by the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees at its March meeting. Please welcome our new tenured faculty:

Advanced Technology & Applied Science Division:
Suzanne Denton, Culinary Arts
Darrell Deeter, Automotive Technology
Hiro Konishi, Communication Arts
Diane McGroarty, Fashion
Alinda (Bittner) Herron, Interior Design

Emeritus Institute:
Lesley Lowe, Kinesiology

Fine Arts Division:
Dr. Scott Farthing, Music
Kent McFann, Technical Theatre Arts
Kimberly Stankovich, Speech Communication

Liberal Arts and Learning Resources Division:
Suki Fisher, English
Irene Renault, Reading

Math, Science, and Engineering Division:
Dr. Karah Street, Biological Sciences
Dr. Mert Hill, Geology and Marine Science
Sharyn Ly, Mathematics

Social and Behavioral Sciences Division:
Dr. Bill Billingsley, World History
Renee Garcia, Anthropology
Dr. Kris Leppien-Christensen, Psychology

Dean Lipold and Professor Bessette Honored by Commission on Athletics

At the April 1st "Honoring our Own" Luncheon at the 12th Annual Commission on Athletics/California Community College Athletic Association at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Dean of Athletics and Kinesiology Tony Lipold was named Athletic Director of the Year and Professor Nancy Bessette was named Fitness/Exercise Physiology Instructor of the Year. Dean Lipold also received a special recognition award for serving on the Management Council for the COA/CCCAA for two terms.

Photo: Dean Tony Lipold and Professor Nancy Bessette, Winners of Athletic Director of the Year and Fitness/Exercise Physiology Instructor of the Year, attended the "Honoring Our Own" Awards with President Tod Burnett. Photo courtesy of Jess Perez.

California Journalism Education Coalition Names Paul McLeod Instructor of the Year

Professor and Lariat Adviser Paul McLeod was recognized on March 29th as an outstanding instructor by the California Journalism Education Coalition at the annual convention of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges. Professor McLeod is a former Los Angeles Times reporter who started at Saddleback College in August, 2007. Professor McLeod created lariatnews.com, an award-winning web companion to the campus newspaper, and under his guidance the Lariat was voted best in its class "with special merit" in 2008 by the American Scholastic Press Association.

As a professional journalist, Professor McLeod spent more than 20 years reporting at the Los Angeles Times. While there, he covered the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, which earned the Times a Pulitzer Prize. He also earned a 1997 Times Award for his reporting of the South Mission Viejo youth baseball team at the Little League World Series and a 1994 story in Spanish about Latino Diabetes.

Professsor McLeod began his career in 1972 as a reporter at the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram and later handled sports publicity and photo production in the public information office at Cypress College.

Gauchos Men's Basketball Team is 2nd in State

Congratulations to the Gauchos men's basketball team, who finished second in the state against Riverside Community College in a season that included a number one ranking in southern California. This was the Saddleback men’s basketball team’s sixth visit to the state tournament in the past nine seasons. The team was led by Coach Andy Ground, who was the Gauchos' head coach for the first time this season, and Assistant Coaches Darren Lax, Nick Booker, and Darryl Brown.

The Saddleback College Gauchos men’s basketball team roster follows, including the players’ high schools and home towns:

Kevin Menner, Lincoln (Brooklyn, NY)
Terrell Mack, Fort Vancouver (Vancouver, WA)
Malik Wilson, Paramount (CA)
Kyle Wallace, Servite (Anaheim)
Aaron Woods, Gahr (Cerritos)
Franklin Session, Jordan (Los Angeles)
T.J. Lipold, Edison (Huntington Beach)
Marquis Green, Cajon (San Bernardino)
Elijah York, Diamond Bar (CA)
Sarunas Jackson, Roosevelt (Corona)
Billy Azizi, Eden Prairie (MN)

Thrilling finishes was Saddleback’s forte during the year all the way through the state title game. The Gauchos won nine of their final 11 games, including eight victories by six points or less. In addition to the overtime loss in the season finale, they also lost a game to Irvine Valley on a 35-foot shot at the buzzer. Each of those games was worth the price of admission.

Both Session and Menner earned all-tournament honors, with Session going on to also earn all-state status. Session and Menner are the only sophomores on the team, affording the team optimism with the possible return of guards Lipold, Wallace, Mack, Wilson, Woods, and Green along with forwards Jackson, York, and Azizi. Point guard Perry Webster was injured early in the season and is also likely to return next season.

Ground, in his first season as head coach, was selected as the conference Coach of the Year while Session was the conference MVP and Menner earned first-team all-conference honors. Lipold and Wallace each earned Honorable Mention status.

The Gauchos men’s basketball team will be recognized at the upcoming South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees meeting on April 27th at 6:00 p.m.

Photo: The Gauchos huddle with Coach Ground at the state championships in Fresno. Photo courtesy of Assistant Athletic Director Jerry Hannula.

Faculty Spotlight: Professor Bob Bornemann

Congratulations to Speech Professor Bob Bornemann, who was recently honored by the Pacific Southwest Collegiate Forensics Association(PSCFA), who named its springchampionship tournament the “Bob Bornemann Spring Championships Forensics Tournament” at Los Angeles Valley College on February 27th through March 1st.  Bob was honored for his contributions over the years as President, Vice-President, and Executive Secretary of the PSCFA.  According to Jim Wyman, the current Executive Secretary of the PSCFA, “This year we honored Bob because he had held numerous offices in the organization, he is well-liked on the circuit, and he had a positive impact on the students and the PSCFA.” 

Bob came to Saddleback College in 1983, where he coached the forensics team for 10 years. Previously, he coached for nine years at Los Angeles City College.

Bornemann currently teaches the basic public speaking course Speech 1 (Communication Fundamentals) and Speech 3 (Argumentation and Debate).  His research involves the importance of oral communication skills in society, which involves dozens of studies from a variety of fields supporting the claim that oral communication skills are one of, if not, the most important factor in affecting the future success of students.  “The skills our students gain from our classes are vital to their future education and professional endeavors,” says Bornemann. 

Photo provided by Fine Arts Public Information Officer Nina Welch.

Staff Spotlight: Don Mineo

Career Guidance Counselor Don Mineo is known for using innovations to highlight careers to students and counselors. Under his leadership, the Career Center was one of the first career centers of all two- and four-year colleges and universities to have a MySpace and Facebook page.

Don also supports online courses from the use of online assessment instruments including the accounting and distribution of assessments. He says, "Even if a course is taught online, there are specific assessment theories and standards of ethical use and practices that need to be followed. This brings a large challenge to the area of counseling that can’t be easily addressed.” 

Because of his technological acumen, Don was appointed to to the Career Advisory Group for the California Community College Chancellor's Office in spring 2007. His responsibilities in this voluntary role include planning, coordinating, and hosting regional training sessions for counselors and career professionals, and he has hosted a regional training session here at Saddleback College and in 2008 spoke at San Diego, Compton, and Santa Monica colleges. At the end of last year, along with his Career Center colleagues Eric Hilden and Mike Engles, Don made a presentation in front of a standing room only crowd at the 25th Annual International Career Development Conference in Los Angeles.

Don has worked at Saddleback College since 1994, when he started as a Matriculation Specialist while he worked to earn his bachelor's degree at CSU Fullerton and a master's degree in career counseling at Chapman University.

Don encourages his colleagues to use technology to connect with students and says that My Space and Facebook in particular meet students at their level and is an inexpensive outreach tool.

To see what Don and his colleagues in the Career Center offer students, check out the Career Center website here.

Community Education Launches Junior Gauchos Program

To bring the college experience to local kids and encourage them to think about college as the obvious step after high school, the Community Education Department has established the Junior Gauchos program, which links Saddleback College with representatives from local schools to get them more involved with College for Kids and other college programs.

In February eight public elementary schools participated in the first Junior Gauchos advisory meeting, with attendees including school principals, counselors, and parents.  The meeting was a success; all schools participated in an active discussion on how we at Saddleback College can work with them to involve their students with our Community Education, College for Kids programs and our new interactive Junior Gauchos outreach activities.  The meeting was a positive start to a new and successful program.

Program Highlights for 2009:

• Partner Awards – Each participating school was awarded a $100 College for Kids scholarship to be given to a student of their choice.  
• College for Kids Reference Card – A reference card was provided for teachers to use to recommend academic classes to parents during their spring conferences. 
• Art Contest - The contest will be implemented to introduce the new 2009 Summer Community Education catalog to the students. Each participate will receive a Junior Gauchos pencil and sticker. Thirteen winners will receive a $100 scholarship that can be used for summer Community Education classes at Saddleback College.
• College for Kids Kick Off – The first Junior Gauchos event will be held in June at the college pool. Families will be able to swim for free, find out more about College for Kids classes, and register for summer programs. 
• Onsite College For Kids Classes – Community Education will partner with the participating schools and with the PTA to offer Onsite College for Kids classes in the areas of reading, writing, and math. In Fall 2009 the program will be launched at the Rancho Canada Elementary school site.

Participating schools include Del Obispo Elementary, Philip J. Reilly Elementary, Barcelona Hills Elementary, R. H. Dana Elementary, Castille Elementary, San Juan Elementary, Crown Valley Elementary, and Rancho Canada Elementary.  

SC Celebrates Black History Month with Community Leaders

The Saddleback College Associated Student Government Diversity Student Council and Black Student Union sponsored “A Celebration of Black History: Legacy, Liberation, and New Beginnings” on Thursday, February 26th in room 212 of the Student Services Center. 

Thousands Turn Out for Senior Day

More than fifteen hundred seniors from south Orange County high schools today attended Saddleback College’s annual Senior Day from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the quad outside of the Student Services Center. The festivities included informational workshops on the academic, career, and counseling programs offered to Saddleback College students, as well as a free In-N-Out Burger lunch, a DJ, a rock climbing wall, and prizes.

"This was the most well attended Senior Day we've had," said Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator Leslie Humphrey. "Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make Senior Day such a success."

The Senior Day committee included Director of Admissions & Records Jane Rosenkrans, Transfer Center Coordinator Miki Mikolajczak, EOPS Specialist Maria Paniagua, Transfer Center Office Assistant Rosann Rios, Student Development Director Audra DiPadova, Reading Instructor Irene Renault, Reading Instructor Janet Bagwell, Mathematics Instructor Will Summers, Senior Matriculation Specialist Laura Toscano, Senior Matriculation Specialist Brooke Sauter, Environmental Studies Professor Morgan Barrows, Career Services Technician Michael Engels, Disabled Student Program Specialist Sylvia Mejia, Outreach Program Assistant Tracy McConnell, Graphics Professor Christopher Claflin, Director of Public Information & Marketing Jennie McCue, Student Development Office Assistant Erin Maremont, and Career Placement Officer Eric Hilden.

Photo (courtesy of Photography Senior Lab Technician Ken Kinder): High school seniors swarm the quad on Senior Day

Upcoming Events


Tuesday, April 7th
Transfer Fair
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Student Services Quad

Tuesday, April 14th
ASG Awareness Day and Clothesline Project
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
SSC Quad

Wednesday, April 15th
Cambodian New Year Celebration
12:00 p.m.
SSC Quad

Thursday, April 16th
ASG Diversity Council Presents Book Discussion with Author Dr. Anour Majid
5:00 p.m.
BGS 356

LGBT Day of Silence Event
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
SSC Quad

"You Can Get a Job in Fashion" Presentation by Paul Reiter
4:00 p.m.
BGS 144

Saturday, April 18th
Arty Party Workshop
9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Monday, April 20th to Thursday, April 23rd
Earth Week Sponsored by the ASG Go Green Committee
9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
SSC Quad

Thursday, April 30th
Veterans Memorial Preview
4:00 p.m.
Veterans Memorial Site

Thursday, May 8th
Softball Game Between SC and IVC Faculty and Staff
Saddleback College Softball Field
Contact Dr. Burnett's office if you want to play!

Thursday, May 14th
Scholarship Ceremony
5:00 p.m.
Saddleback College Gymnasium

Sunday, May 17th
President's Club Sweeney Todd performance
3:00 p.m.
McKinney Theatre

Thursday, May 21st
Transfer Celebration
5:00 p.m.
Saddlebac College Stadium

Friday, May 22nd
Commencement
10:00 a.m.
Saddleback College Stadium

Sunday, May 24th
KSBR Birthday Bash
5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Village Green at Oso Viejo Park

Presidential Highlights

The following is a quick overview of Dr. Burnett's schedule during the months of February and March:

February

Attended UC Irvine Partners in Education Conference...attended the Junior Gaucho Conference...met with the Orange County Business Council at the Hyatt Regency...Held a President's Chat...Attended the Association of California Community College Administrators conference in San Diego...Introduced Reverend Mark Whitlock of the AME Church in Irvine at the Black History Celebration...attended Mission Viejo Rotary Club breakfast...Attended Orange County Business Council dinner...Attended Association of California Community College Administrators conference...Met with Mission Viejo City Manager Dennis Wilberg.


March

Provided an interview for a documentary on the Saddleback College Veterans Memorial...Attended the Consortium of Southern California College and Universities...Greeted participants at the Saddleback College Women's Conference...Participated on an Accreditation Team Visit to the College of Alameda...Attended the Paramedic Graduation...Attended Phi Beta Kappa Awards Luncheon in Sacramento with Honorees David Curry and Kalin Kelley...Attended Persian New Year Celebration...Enjoyed "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" at the McKinney Theatre with Board Vice President John Williams and Trustee Nancy Padberg...Attended Transfer Conference of the Consortium of Southern California Collges and Universities at the Concordia University...met with Lariat students...spoke at the Dean's List Reception...Congratulated recipients of service pins at Classified Staff Development Day.