November 2018
A FOND FAREWELL
Chancellor Cindy Miles led a farewell tribute during a special reception held before the regular Governing Board session to thank outgoing trustees Greg Barr and Edwin Hiel for their dedicated service and significant contributions.  Barr has been on the board since 2006 and Hiel since 2010.

About Barr, the chancellor said that as a former history teacher, he brought patience and the long view on issues to the board. To keep the student’s perspective fresh, he regularly took classes at both colleges, always speaking admiringly of his instructors. His contributions included teaming with board president Bill Garrett to cut textbook costs to students, serving as a board representative during preparations for the 2013 accreditation visit, and serving on a bond-polling task force.

Hiel’s issue of note during his board service was equity and diversity, the chancellor said, pointing to his election in 2014 as the Pacific Region representative to the national Association of Community College Trustees Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Hiel served as the Governing Board’s vice president in 2013-2014 and 2017-2018. 

The chancellor added that both have made legislative advocacy visits to Sacramento and Washington, D.C., and have attended innumerable events at the colleges.

As representatives of the college district, the two were dependably stellar and genuine in conveying their commitment to serving students and the public.

“They have always maintained a tone of civility, courtesy and professionalism, no matter how contentious the issue,” Miles said. “It is appropriate that today is World Kindness Day as we say farewell to two of the kindest board members you will ever find.”

The two were each presented a crystal trophy, a gift bag of commemorative college memorabilia, and as a gag gift, A-frame reserved-parking signs to use during return visits to the colleges.

“You will always have free parking when you come back to visit us,” the chancellor quipped.

GCCCD
Governing Board

Bill Garrett
Edwin Hiel
Debbie Justeson
Greg Barr
Elena Adams

Student Trustees:
Edwin Hernandez Armenta
Kyrie Macogay

Chancellor
Cindy L. Miles, Ph.D.

Grossmont College
President
Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, Ed.D.

Cuyamaca College President
Julianna Barnes, Ed.D.

Vice Chancellors
Tim Corcoran, Human Resources
Sue Rearic, Business Services
Sean Hancock, Ed.D. Student & Institutional Success
Next Meeting
The Governing Board's next regular meeting will be held Tuesday, Dec. 11, at Grossmont College's Griffin Gate.The open session will begin at 6:30 p.m. following closed session at 5 p.m.

Site Reports

Meeting agendas are posted on the District website and in the district and presidents' offices 72 hours before regular meetings and 24 before special meetings. 
8800 Grossmont College Dr.
El Cajon, CA 92020 
(619) 644-7010
BOARD REPORTS

Barr addressed his fellow board members and the chancellor individually in farewell remarks he gave during his last Governing Board meeting. He praised Board President Bill Garrett as a great leader and Miles as a collaborator and consensus builder. “I am bowing out tonight from a family I truly love,” he said. “It is important to think of all of us as family.”

Heil said in his farewell remarks that it has been a pleasure to serve on the board and congratulated incoming trustees Brad Monroe and Linda Cartwright for their successful campaigns. “As you assume this level of responsibility, I would urge you to shed a myopic view and consider the needs of everybody,” he said. “And remember, the reason we are here is not for faculty or administrators, it’s for students. Students first, always.”

Trustee Elena Adams reminisced about being warmly welcomed at her first board meeting as a newly minted trustee. “These two are just gentlemen,” she said. “They have shown how we can disagree with each other on issues, but still maintain respect for one another.”

Debbie Justeson echoed Adams in her well wishes to the departing trustees. “It is through your example that I hope everyone sees that although we may have different opinions, we are very civil, respectful and professional toward each other. Serving on this board is an exceptional experience.”

Garrett thanked Heil for his unwavering commitment to equity and diversity. “ Edwin, I didn’t know what social justice was before you joined the board,” he said. “We have come around to your view and we are better for it. And Greg, from the bottom of our hearts, we will miss you.”

Cuyamaca College student trustee Kyrie Macogay thanked Barr and Heil for their service and reported on campus activities during Native American Heritage Month. Grossmont College student trustee Edwin Hernandez Armenta thanked the departing trustees for their commitment to students. He highlighted a Donuts with the Deans gathering for students, pumpkin painting, attending a general assembly of Associated Students organizations, and Grossmont College’s sponsoring of the Region X Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost Summit.

Adams reported on attending the Association of Community College Trustees conference in New York City, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee Breakfast, and the topping-off ceremony for Grossmont College’s Performance and Visual Arts Center.

Justeson reported on attending the dedication of the Samuel M. Cicatti Performing Arts Center and the Samuel M. Ciccati Performing Arts Theatre. Justeson also talked about personal connections to the double tragedies of the mass shootings and the wildfires and urged everyone to remember the victims in our hearts and prayers.

Heil reported on attending Cuyamaca College’s 40 th Anniversary event. Garrett said joining the chancellor at the ACCT conference to present on strategic enrollment management was a great opportunity to tout what Grossmont and Cuyamaca have been doing to tackle enrollment challenges. He also attended the Samuel M. Cicatti dedication, the chancellor’s breakfast and Chancellor’s Circle Dinner. Garrett also led the board in a tribute to Chancellor and Governing Board Office Supervisor Jennifer Danks, with each trustee giving a personal account of the depth of personal care, professionalism, and service she provided during her 15 years at the District.
BOARD ACTIONS
At its Nov. 13, 2018 meeting, the Governing Board:

  • Heard public comments from Grossmont College Tutoring Center specialist Kathleen Flynn, AFT President Jim Mahler and Grossmont College Librarian Nadra Farina-Hess on agenda item 15.3 regarding salary increases.
  • Conferred emeritus status on Cuyamaca College faculty member Angela Nesta. Nesta’s colleagues recounted her 30 years as a librarian and her meticulous archiving of the college’s historical documents, as well as her many years serving on the Academic Senate.
  • Heard a report from director Sally Cox on the activities of the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges for 2017-18.
  • Approved course, certificate and degree additions, modifications and requests for courses to be offered through distance education.
  • Set December 11 at Grossmont College as the date and location of the annual organizational meeting.
  • Approved academic calendars for 2019-20 and 2020-21 for Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges.
  • Updated Board Policies 3145 Equal Access; 3720 Computer and Network Use; 4020 Program, Curriculum and Course Development; 4103 Cooperative Work Experience; 7140 Collective Bargaining; 7145 Personnel Files; 7211 Faculty Service Areas, Minimum Qualifications, and Equivalencies; 7216 Academic Employees (Faculty); 7236 Substitute and Shore-Term Non-Exempt Classified Staff; 7333 Blood Borne Pathogen Exposure Control; 7343 Industrial Accident and Illness Leave; 7360 Discipline and Dismissals-Academic Employees.
  • Accepted donations to Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges.
  • Approved the ratification of signatures on expenditure agreements
  • Approved purchase orders and warrants issued during October
  • Approved the filing of a notice of completion for Cuyamaca College Building L Remodel Audio Visual.
  • Approved issuing a bid for the Cuyamaca College Chiller Expansion Project.
  • Approved the awarding of a bid for the Grossmont College Chiller Repair.
  • Ratified new and replacement hires Lisa Ann Brlas, library technician II, Grossmont College; Julie Burcham, science lab technician II, Grossmont College; Maricruz Pulido, Campus and Parking Services Specialist, District Services; Enrique Rios, Campus and Parking Services Specialist, District Services.
  • Approved with three yes votes and two abstentions by Justeson and Adams 4% salary increases for employees in these groups: Professional/Technical Hourly; Student Hourly; Non-Academic Non-Classified Employees; Assistant Coaches; CSEA Chapter 707; Chancellor; Chancellor’s Cabinet; Extended Cabinet; and Confidential Staff.
  • Approved the tentative agreement between CSEA Chapter 707 and the District.
  • Approved the District’s Quarterly Financial Report.
  • Updated Administrative Procedures 3245 Equal Access; 3720 Computer and Network Use; 4020 Program, Curriculum and Course Development; 4103 Cooperative Work Experience; 7145 Personnel Files; 7211 Faculty Service Areas, Minimum Qualifications, and Equivalencies; 7216 Academic Employees (Faculty); 7236 Substitute and Shore-Term Non-Exempt Classified Staff; and 7343 Industrial Accident and Illness Leave.

CHANCELLOR'S REPORT

The Board heard reports from the chancellor and her cabinet members:

Cuyamaca President Julianna Barnes reported on :

  • The 40th Anniversary celebration at Cuyamaca College and Samuel M. Ciccatti Performing Arts Center dedication.
  • “Got Plans?,” the annual outreach event targeting East County high-schoolers attracted about 1,500 teens and family members.
  • Economics Professor Emeritus Anthony Zambelli’s 2018 California Heroes Award from state Sen. Joel Anderson, and his selection as Kiwanian of the Year in October by the Kiwanis Club of El Cajon Valley.

Grossmont College Vice President of Student Services Marsha Gable spoke on behalf of President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, who was away in Sacramento. Gable reported on the OER Summit which drew more than 100 attendees, including representatives of all nine San Diego & Imperial Counties Community College Association (SDICCCA) colleges.

Miles said this month of tragedies in California have impacted community colleges, from the mass shootings in Thousand Oaks that included community college students among their victims, to the Camp Fire in Northern California, which has left 130 faculty and students at Butte College homeless. She encouraged donations to a statewide relief fund announced by the state Chancellor’s Office.
 
The chancellor reported on the recent fifth annual summit of the East County Education Alliance, a partnership between the college and the local high school district. She also spoke about the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee Breakfast and Chancellor’s Circle Dinner. She also noted the second annual Bill and Judy Garrett Civic Leadership Award was given to the Rice Family Foundation, which has donated more than $1 million to Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges over the years.
 
Miles also mentioned the topping-off ceremony of the theater being built at Grossmont College, and about Cuyamaca College, she thanked Macogay and student government for shuttling students to polling sites on Election Day.
 
Grossmont College Academic Senate President Tate Hurvitz thanked Barr and Heil for their service to the district and wished Danks well as she draws close to retiring. Cuyamaca College Academic Senate President Kim Dudzik said a contingent from Cuyamaca attended the OER Summit at Grossmont College and is now eager to launch a similar effort at their campus.
 
Mahler wished the departing trustees well and mentioned AFT labor negotiations.