Your Monthly Update for September 2023

Dear Pirate Crew,

Can you believe how quickly this semester is passing by? We are already through mid-September! As we sail through this exciting fall term, it is my pleasure to share with you some important updates and events happening at Ventura College this month.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month and Hispanic Serving Institution Week: As September marks the commencement of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we seize this opportunity to rejoice in and pay tribute to the valuable cultural contributions and accomplishments of our Hispanic and Latinx community members. Likewise, we extend our recognition to National Hispanic Serving Institution Week, which falls within this month's time-frame. On Friday, September 8, I attended the 2nd annual HSI Summit, Our Journey to Metamorphosis, where I had the privilege of hearing from Dr. Wil Del Pilar. His data, which delved into the trends and successes of the work undertaken by numerous HSI institutions committed to enhancing access for historically marginalized students, provided invaluable insights. It fills me with pride that VC is a Hispanic serving institution. I want to express my gratitude to Adrienne Arguijo-Morgan and her team for their diligent efforts in making this National HSI week a truly memorable one at VC. There are still more events to participate in at Ventura College and East Campus. To discover more, please visit the Ventura College events page.

Accreditation Update: I am delighted to share that Ventura College has made significant progress in our accreditation process. We have been working diligently to ensure that our institution meets and exceeds the highest standards of educational excellence. The accreditation team has been impressed with our dedication to student success, the quality of our faculty and staff, and the resources we provide to our students.

An upcoming forum provides an opportunity to meet the team from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). They extend a warm invitation to our VC community including faculty, staff, students, and the general public, to attend the open forum on Monday, September 25 at 5 p.m. in ASC 150. I highly encourage participation. This event offers a valuable chance for you to acquaint yourselves with the ACCJC team, gain insights into their mission, pose inquiries about their procedures, and contribute any pertinent information to the Team. More information on the forum can be found in the upcoming events section below.

I want to express my gratitude to our faculty and staff for their unwavering commitment to our mission and for their hard work in the accreditation process. Let's continue to work together to ensure that Ventura College remains a place of exceptional learning and opportunity.

Upcoming Constitution Day: Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who are born in the U.S. or by naturalization, have become citizens. It is a day to foster awareness and appreciation for our Constitution, its history, and the rights and responsibilities it bestows upon us as citizens. Jessica Perez and ASVC students hosted an event on Thursday to commemorate Constitution Day.

Wishing you all a fantastic National Hispanic Heritage Month, a successful accreditation journey, and a meaningful Constitution Day celebration!

With warm regards,

Kim

Koffee with Kim

Tuesday, October 3 at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, November 29 at 10 a.m.

Captain's Chat

Wednesday, November 1 at 2 p.m.

Open Executive Team Meeting

Tuesday, October 24 at 10:30 a.m.

Celebration of Successes

Campuswide Retreat - October 13 at 8:15 a.m.
Holiday Gathering - December 7 at 11:30 a.m.

Highlighting the amazing Administration, Faculty, Classified Professionals, and Students that make up our Pirate family. This month's highlights include: Maureen Sheldon - Classified, Tyler Maldonado - Student, Oscar Rivera - Administrator, and Antonio Calisto - Faculty.

Read their stories here!

Maureen Sheldon - Classified

Tyler Maldonado - Student

Oscar Rivera - Administrator

Antonio Calisto - Faculty

Clarissa Campos Alvarado

Office Assistant

Foster and Kinship Care Education

Maureen Sheldon

Office Assistant

Veterans Resource Center

Miguel Mendoza

Office Assistant - Sciences Division

Attention Pirates! City Project Along Telegraph Road

The City of Ventura is replacing the waterline along Telegraph Road between Hill and Mills Road.

Starting the week of September 18 through mid-October, parking on Telegraph Road will be impacted. "No Parking" signs will be posted and impacts include single-lane closures, construction-related noise, dust, and vibration. Please plan for increased traffic and parking restrictions on the impacted areas of Telegraph Road during this time. Click the button below to learn more.

Ventura College student Kayla Murdoch has been named as a 2023 AVCA Two-Year College Women's Indoor Player to Watch. Congratulations Kayla!

Read More About Kayla

2023 Marketing Social Media Report

Ventura College's Marketing team is happy to report the impressive growth of our social media accounts. Below is an overview of this growth:

Instagram Growth Overview:

Our college's primary Instagram account, @venturacollege, has achieved an exceptional milestone by gaining over 2,000 followers in just one year. As of today, the follower count stands at 5,774 and continues to rise steadily. This marks an impressive increase of (+2,304) followers since August 11, 2022. Notably, this growth represents nearly a doubling of our total followers on the VC Official account within the span of a single year. We take immense pride in this accomplishment and remain ambitious in our pursuit of reaching 10,000 followers soon, a goal that we are confident we will achieve. VC Official also takes the lead in followers for all district official accounts.

Mallery Kinnun, Marketing & Outreach office assistant (left) presents Island Packers tickets to VC student and contest winner @_daisyzecua_. We had over 16,000 organic views on the Instagram contest, over 260 comments, and 700+ likes. Go Us!

Additional Social Media Milestones:

• VC Facebook: Our presence on Facebook has expanded significantly, gaining an impressive 1,200 new followers, bringing our follower count to 7,700. Additionally, the page has received 7,000 likes, indicating strong engagement from our audience.

• VC EC Facebook: The Ventura College East Campus' Facebook page (@VC_EC_Facebook) has seen a growth of (+131) followers, reaching a total of 952 followers and 824 likes.

• VC LinkedIn: On the professional networking platform LinkedIn, our college's page has seen significant growth with (+1,640) new connections, totaling an impressive 22,047 followers.

• TikTok: Our presence on TikTok has also seen a small yet notable increase of (+4) followers, reinforcing our commitment to exploring various social media platforms to engage with diverse audiences.

Engaging the Team, A Call to Action:

We believe that the collective effort of our college community plays a vital role in the success of our social media engagement strategy. Your involvement will undoubtedly contribute to our continued growth on these platforms and enhance our online presence. We encourage all VC employees to actively support our digital presence by taking the following actions:

• Like, Follow, and Share: Please take a moment to like, follow, and share the content posted on our college's social media accounts. Your engagement not only fosters a sense of unity but also boosts the visibility of our posts within social media algorithms.

• Engage Authentically: When interacting with our content, we encourage everyone to leave thoughtful comments and engage with others' comments. This level of engagement helps in building a vibrant online community.

Click the icons below to follow us on your favorite social media platform!

Congratulations Rocio and Daniella!

Ventura College faculty Rocio Hernandez is the editor of a newly published book: Diverse Experiences of Latinas in Higher Education, Chingonas on their Own Term, and one of the contributors of this work is Ventura College professor of Sociology, Dr. Daniella Graves (Chapter 8). This collection will be important reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students in education-related programs, including Higher Education Studies and Educational Leadership, as well as courses in Ethnic Studies, Chicana/o/x Studies, Latinx/a/o Studies and Women’s Studies. It also offers an invaluable learning opportunity for higher education professionals, leaders, and administrators, especially within student affairs.

Visiting Artist Workshop & Talk

Attend a workshop or artist's talk with Hideo Mabuchi, who is a professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University. He is interested in the microscopic transformations that occur when clay is fired in atmospheric kilns, and in ideas arising from the interplay of art, craft and science.

Workshop | September 21 & 22 | 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Artist Talk | September 21 | 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. | SAB 101 | Open to the Public

Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month Events

The VC Student Activities Office and ASVC are excited to host and collaborate on Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month events. Two events were held during National HSI Week to raise awareness about the Ventura College HSI identity, a community space event called “Platica with ASVC”.

September 18 - Students share issues and needs they have on campus
September 26 - Latinx culture celebrated with information, entertainment, and food.

Professional Development

Ventura College is happy to bring Professional Development opportunities to staff, faculty, and administration to help develop new skills and stay up to date on current trends that are always evolving within our campus community. Upcoming event information can be found in the Classified Professional Development Corner, SharePoint, and the Master Calendar.

Upcoming Events

September 19 | Classified Mini Retreat
September 19 | Flex Day
September 20 | Lunch & Learn (Classified)
September 28 | 2024 Commencement Info Session
October 18 | Flex Day
October 27 | VETNET Ally Event

On-Going

State Vision Resource Center: The Vision Resource Center is a portal for professional development and colleague connection throughout all of California’s Community Colleges.
USC Race and Equity Center: The Alliance unites community colleges across the state of California for high-quality professional learning experiences on an array of racial equity topics.

Professional Development Website

Thank You Rotary Club of Ventura South!

A huge thank you to the Rotary Club of Ventura South’s Members, Jack Pollock (second from left) and Bob Davis, (far right) for visiting Ventura College this week to present fellow Rotary Club of Ventura South Member President Kim Hoffmans (second from right), and the VC Foundation's Executive Director, Anne Paul King (left), also a Rotarian, with a check for $6,000 towards the VC Foundation’s efforts to provide gap funding for the VC Promise due to the State’s budget shortfall. This past May, the Rotary Club of Ventura’s Julius Gius Memorial Foundation also contributed $10,000 towards the VC Promise campaign. We’re so grateful for the long history of support and generosity from our local Rotarian Clubs to support Ventura College students.

Gerry Pantoja Named 40 Under 40 Honoree

Congratulations to the VC Foundation's Director of Philanthropy, Gerry Pantoja, MA, CFRE, for being selected by the Pacific Coast Business Times for their 2023 40 under 40 honoree class!

The 23rd annual edition of the Pacific Coast Business Times 40 Under 40 special report spotlights the rising stars of the tri-counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. Honorees must be under 40 years of age at the time of the publication and have made contributions to the region through their professional or volunteer capacities.