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District Names Dr. Gloria Fisher to Lead San Bernardino Valley College
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On November 13, by a unanimous vote, the SBCCD Board of Trustees approved the Chancellor's recommendation to appoint Dr. Gloria Fisher as the 14th president of San Bernardino Valley College. Dr. Fisher comes with 23 years of experience at San Bernardino Valley College and in her time as Interim President, she has restored a strong collegial consultation process, which is vital to the successful internal operations of the campus. In addition, she has reconnected the campus with the community through partnerships that will benefit our students and events that serve to make SBVC a a vital community resource.
Dr. Fisher is committed to support success in all areas of the college and will bring her rich experience to enhance the reputation of SBVC as a state-wide leader in community college education.
I ask each of you to congratulate Dr. Fisher and support her as she joins us in our very important work.
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Will San Bernardino Community College District Offer a Four-Year Degree Program?
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On November 19, the California Community Colleges announced that thirty-six districts, half of all districts in the system including San Bernardino Community College District, submitted letters of intent to the state Chancellor's Office indicating their desire to host a baccalaureate degree program as part of a limited pilot program.
The legislation, known as Senate Bill 850, allows up to 15 districts to establish a pilot baccalaureate degree program at one of their colleges in a field of study not offered by the California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC). San Bernardino Community College District's letter of intent was submitted for Emergency Services and Allied Health Systems at Crafton Hills College. Lower-division coursework is planned to cost $46 and upper-division coursework would cost $84 under the new program, with an estimated total cost of about $10,000 to obtain a bachelor's degree. The California Community Colleges Board of Governors is scheduled to make its decision on Jan. 21, 2015 based on applications to be filed by mid-December.
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The District Appoints Interim Vice Chancellor and Interim Director
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 Jose Torres was selected to serve as Interim Vice Chancellor of Fiscal Services following Tim Oliver who will be leaving the position on December 31st. Jose's extensive background in finance, administration, and fund accounting coupled with his achievements in finance management, internal controls, business planning, and staff development will be beneficial as he transitions into his new position. The District has held two recruitments for the Vice Chancellor of Fiscal Services and has been unsuccessful each time. We intend to begin a new recruitment during the spring.
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Lawrence Strong was selected to serve as Interim Director of Finance, following Jose Torres who previously held that position. Larry started with the District in September 2013 as the Director of Internal Audits at SBCCD. His 25 years combined experience in auditing, accounting operations, compliance, financial reporting and corporate lease administration will help in his new role as Interim Director of Fiscal Services.
Please welcome Jose and Larry to their new positions.
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SBVC Applied Technology Building Receives $4.3 Million For Upgrades to Improve Health and Safety
| With funding for a brand new Applied Technology Building at least a few years away when we are able to issue more Measure M bonds, we have reallocated approximately $4.3 million from existing bond funds to cover the cost of upgrades meant to improve safety and environmental concerns in the building.
The two phase project will address issues with ventilation and fume extraction, fire sprinkler coverage, and welding station layout for the building. Upgrades to HVAC, lighting, dust and particle collection, roof repairs and other important work is part of the project.
This current project will allow the faculty and staff to continue to work with improved comfort in the existing facility.
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Work to Expand International Student Program Continues to Make Progress
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One of our goals has been the expansion of our international students program. Not only are international students an excellent way to enhance diversity on our campuses, they are also a self-supporting revenue stream that can also provide additional classes and services to all students.
Currently, Dr. Glen Kuck has stepped into the leadership role to continue the development and expand this program. Glen has developed MOUs with University of Redlands and Cal State University San Bernardino for the smooth articulation of international student graduates into programs at those schools. Agreements with University of California Riverside and Loma Linda are in the works.
In addition, Glen has updated the district's materials that can be used for recruitment of international students and is working on an update of the district's website as well.
In December, Glen will be attending the nation's largest recruitment gathering for international students where recruiters who work in many countries will be present and can be signed-up to recruit on behalf of SBCCD.
Our goal is to add 25 additional international students next year with more ambitious goals for the following years as we get our program running smoothly.
We appreciate the assistance of Dr. Jeremiah Gilbert, who spent his sabbatical last year visiting several countries to build relationships in preparation for international student recruitment.
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State Reveals New Funding Model
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SB 860 directed the state Chancellor's Office to develop a new funding model for the allocation of growth dollars to districts across the state. The new model which was revealed for the first time at a meeting of system business officials can mean more funding for SBCCD. The model includes five factors: Educational Attainment, Unemployment, PELL, Participation Rate and Unfunded FTES. Each factor is given a 20% weight in the formula.
It was anticipated that the Los Angeles District and the San Bernardino District would fare better in the formula than is playing out because of the economics within the districts. However, there are measurements that we need to understand in more depth including the sources of the data, prior to registering a concern with the Chancellor's Office.
We will present more about this model to the Board as we better understand all of the components and the implications for SBCCD.
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FNX on PBS Satellite
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FNX (First Nations Experience), the country's first and only Public Television network dedicated to Native American and World Indigenous content was launched as a full-time channel on the Public Television Interconnect System on Saturday, November 1st. A fully-contained, 24/7 channel, FNX offers unique and creative programming. The launching of this channel allows PBS stations around the country to simply download the programming without the need for specialized equipment or connections. We anticipate many more viewers will be added to the current 30,000 average in the coming year.
If you didn't get to watch "FNX Live" on television when it aired Nov. 3, you can still see it here http://fnx.org/live/
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SBCCD Celebrates Its Employees
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 409 employees of the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) were invited to come together on October 30th, to be recognized for their service to the District. These employees each worked for the District from five to 45 years - a collective total of more than 4,900 years of service to the students of the Inland Empire. The District recognized 18 employees who have served the District from 30 to 45 years each and 25 who have been with the District for 25 years. Angelita Gideon, recipient of the 45 year award, is a supervisor in the San Bernardino Valley College library who came to the campus as a student, fell in love with the school, and stayed on. "Every day is a wonderful day in the library. I love what I do and the people I work with and the students we serve," she said.
We cannot successfully complete our mission without stellar, dedicated employees and we thank all of our employees for the hard work and dedication they provide each and every day.
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| District Receives Energy Award from Green California |  On November 5, the District was recognized and awarded for its extensive energy savings activities. The District has reduced its electric consumption by nearly 24 million BTU's - the equivalent of 1,483 metric tons of greenhouse gases or the planting of over 38,000 trees grown for ten years. SBCCD has been an energy partner with Cenergistics since 2013, implementing demand-reduction strategies across the district. In addition, all new construction is at least LEED certified. Also, SBCCD has built one of the largest solar farms in California at Crafton Hills College, which is expected to become entirely grid-neutral over the next eight years. So far, the District has achieved over $1 million in energy savings over the past 17 months and sells back excess electricity for approximately $50,000 per year. Interim Vice Chancellor, Tim Oliver accepted the award on behalf of the district. |
| Dr. Fisher and Trustee Harrison to Receive Prestigious Awards | | The National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc., Delta Rho Chapter, announced Dr. Gloria Fisher and Gloria Macias Harrison as the prestigious award recipients for their support of education, women in education, and their contributions to the quality of education for all students. Ted Alejandre, Superintendent of County Schools will be the keynote speaker at this 4th Annual Educators' Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, December 13, 2014, at the National Orange Show, Valencia Room, at 9:00 a.m. and ending no later than 11:30 a.m. For more information, please call 909-864-3267.
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| Chancellor's Holiday Party | |
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My Vision
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We will:
- be considered the "best" community college in the State.
- build a culture of trust with open and respectful communication.
- increase all partnerships with business and industry, other academic institutions, non-profit agencies so that we can be stronger through combining resources and working together.
- improve student success as measured by the State Chancellor's Office and any additional indicators that we determine are appropriate.
- increase our resource development and bring new grants and fundraising dollars to the colleges.
- continue to develop and implement new academic programs that meet the needs of our community.
- use technology to work smarter and to improve opportunities for student success.
- provide service to students that reflects quality and excellence.
- enhance our safety programs and be responsive to staff concerns about environmental health and safety.
- hold professional development, including wellness, to be an integral part of our commitment to faculty and staff.
- be good stewards of the environment and continue to develop and implement the SBCCD Sustainability Plan and alternative energy programs.
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Please let me know how I can help you in the performance of your important work on behalf of our great District.
Sincerely,
Bruce Baron
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