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Dear Friends and Colleagues:                                 

Where has the summer gone? It seems as if we just said farewell to our graduates at commencement, but my office is already busy planning the program for my opening session for Fall 2012 Flex Week!

I certainly hope to see you all on the first day of our in-service activities, Monday, August 13, in the Performing Arts Center. Chancellor Poertner's very important session is scheduled for the next day, Tuesday, August 14, also in the PAC. Both days feature a no-host networking breakfast at 8 am, followed by my program from 9-11 am on the 13th, and the Chancellor's program from 8:45-11 am on the 14th.  

My program features a keynote presentation by Dr. Harold Martin, a combat infantry veteran who fought in Vietnam, served another 20 years, until 2003, in the active Army National Guard and Army Reserves, and received 20 Army awards and decorations. He retired as a counselor from the California State University, and has taught for over 10 years in both the Psychology and Counseling Departments at Pasadena City College.

In 2006, Dr. Martin founded that college's Veteran's Club, and has served as advisor ever since. He began teaching transition courses there for veterans in 2008, and lectures widely on today's returning veterans. His degrees include a PhD from UCLA in Counseling Psychology, with a cognate in Psychiatry. The title of his talk will be "Today's Community College Veteran Student: How To Really Thank Them For Their Service."  I think you will find Dr. Martin's insights both useful and timely--he came highly recommended by our own Dr. Stephen Rochford, who heard him speak at an ASCCC luncheon.

I will conclude with some remarks on the College Completion Agenda/ Student Success Task Force Recommendations.

During his program, Chancellor Poertner will also be presenting on the College Completion Agenda/Student Success Task Force Recommendations and will provide a brief state of the district update. He encourages all faculty and staff to attend as the information pertains to state and national initiatives that directly impact the way we do business and serve students.

Both the Chancellor and I look forward to seeing you during your very busy Flex Week activities.

IVC dance professor Marie de la Palme recently returned from France and reports that "the summer dance exchange in Paris was a great success." She explains that her "New Choreographic Landscape" is "a cultural and educational exchange project which stems from the aspirations of two schools of dance to promote their programs and develop unique opportunities for intellectual, artistic and personal enrichment."

"Fifteen like-minded dance students, intermediate to advanced, ages 14 to 25, participated in this exchange of choreographic repertoire, meeting French dancers, teachers and choreographers, as well as visiting cultural highlights as they relate to the choreographic culture of each country," explains Marie.

 Marie goes on to say, "The first part of our exchange took place from June 9th til the 25th, with IVC students dancing in Paris...We rehearsed at the Paris Opera School, saw Luc Petton's dancers move with live swans, did an improvisational performance with clowns, craned our necks at the Eiffel Tower, checked out Philippe Descoufle's whimisical repertoire, performed twice, and walked, walked, walked...and, oh yes, we did some shopping too!"

"Now we are hosting our French counterparts," Marie adds, "We hope to give them the time of their lives! They arrived at IVC on Saturday, July 28, and will be rehearsing, visiting and preparing a joint performance in the PAC for Friday, August 10th at 8 pm. Please plan to come and support them and see how both countries contrast and collaborate."

For more information on the French-American Dance Exchange, please contact Professor Marie de la Palme at mdelapalme@ivc.edu or 949.422.5533. Tickets to the August 10th performance are available at the IVC PAC ticket office or online at www.ivcarts.org.