NewsMakers

Accomplishments by our faculty and staff

Jo-Ann Rossitto, City College associate dean and director of nursing, was honored by the University of San Diego by being spotlighted as one of their leading alumni in the publication Nursing Dimensions, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the USD nursing school. She was a member of the first graduating class in 1974 and later returned for her doctorate in 1997.

A ceramics exhibition in Seoul, Korea, presented by YC Kim, City College professor, was so successful that four of the pieces are now part of permanent collections at three museums in Korea, including the Seoul Metropolitan Museum. Kim received widespread media coverage for her exhibition from 10 major Korean newspapers and three national TV networks. The celebrated ceramicist is also a committee member working to organize the World Ceramics Exposition 2001 planned in Korea.

Joan McKenna’s article, “Ode to Weighted Cord,” was published in the summer 1999 issue of The Creative Machine. McKenna teaches clothing and textiles for West City Center and ECC.

One doctorate was just an appetizer for Larry Forman, honors professor of computer and information systems at City College. He started a second Ph.D. program eight years ago at UC Berkeley, while teaching full-time at City College. He recently completed his dissertation, “Mathematical Foundations of Achievement Motivation in Classroom Learning,” which he wrote during the “quiet hours between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.” Forman has also been chosen for a select group to design new and innovative curricula compatible with the needs of the 21st century by the Community College Cooperative of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

Dave Evans, Mesa College dean of physical and health education, has been appointed to the California Community Colleges Commission on Athletics (COA) Management Council. The management council is a new concept for the COA and consists of 17 deans and athletic directors who are charged with governing all community college sports within the state. Evans, who is also Mesa College’s athletic director, is the council’s representative for baseball.

Juana Majel, Mesa College anthropology professor, was recently named national secretary for the National Congress of American Indians, which represents 260 tribes and is headquartered in Palm Springs.

Mary Lee Meiners, chair of behavioral sciences at Miramar College, was recently published in the Journal For Community and Technical College Leaders Academic Leadership quarterly magazine. Her article, “Birth of a Smart Classroom,” outlines necessary characteristics of establishing and maintaining a successful technology-based classroom.

Mary Lewis, district DSPS manager, and Sarah Hawthorne, attorney for the Office of Civil Rights, were selected as co-presenters on “Providing Services to Deaf Students and Options for Meeting the Challenge” at the California Association of Postsecondary Education and Disability Conference in Palm Springs.

Sid Forman, City College professor, was one of two college teachers in the state to receive the annual “Award of Classroom Excellence” from the California Association of Teachers of English. Forman directs the operations of the Independent Learning Center and the Audio-Visual Center and teaches a course in cinematography. He’s been a classroom teacher in San Diego for 44 years.

Cheryl Witt, employee relations manager, has been selected to participate in the National Institute for Leadership Development’s Leaders 2000 program, a year-long international mentoring program for administrators and faculty in higher education. Exercises are designed to enhance skills in supervisory and human relations, planning and budgeting and organizational transformation.

Peggy Lipscomb, adjunct instructor for North City, West City and Mid City centers, was honored by the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild in January 1998 with the first “Builders Award” and again in April 1999 with an honorary membership. Lipscomb presents “Microwave Magic” seminars for Senior Nutrition Centers.

Holly Leahy, desktop publisher for Continuing Education’s Communications office, created the graphics and the “screen saver” photos visible on the three stand-alone information kiosks at ECC, North City and Centre City centers. The touch-screen kiosks give students access to the district’s web pages. They enter at the Continuing Ed page and can point their way to each campus, class information and schedules, as well as important phone numbers and public transportation information.

Elena Cota, who taught Super Saturday “Menu Planning” classes for West City Center for many years, authored “Fiesta Barbecue Rancho-Style” featuring 22 of her recipes, for the July 1999 issue of Sunset magazine.

Bill Armstrong, research director for Continuing Education, had an article published in the Winter 2000 issue of RP News, the newsletter of research professionals for California’s community colleges. His article supports changes in intake and exit testing that are linked to curriculum alignment in order to improve the correspondence between what is taught in school and what is measured on tests.

Doug Welch, City College automated equipment technician (robotics) professor, has been named Manufacturing Engineering Educator of the Year by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Desert Pacific Region, which includes Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California. He was recognized for “distinguished academic contributions to industry, education, government and the engineering community….”

Ruth Page’s arts/crafts creations were displayed and sold at the San Diego Art Institute. Jewelry, dolls, sculpture and assemblages are now part of their Artesan Shop. The San Diego Art Institute is located in Balboa Park, just west of the Mingei Museum in the new House of Charm on El Prado. Page teaches retirement living/later life for West City Center.

Jim Vincent, DSPS counselor in Continuing Education, garnered five awards in swimming at the San Diego County Senior Olympics (50-54 age group): gold medals in 400-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke and 50-meter backstroke, and silver medals in 200-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly.

And the winners are...District faculty and staff hauled away a truck-load of awards from a statewide contest for “Out-of-the-Box Thinkers,” sponsored by the Community College League of California. Winners were chosen for their innovative ways of approaching old problems, which will be published in a compilation by the League.

Winners from City College were Jack Bollinger, machine technology professor; Sharon Ross, evaluator; and Teresa Vilaboy, financial aid supervisor. From Mesa College, winners were Al Taccone, business, computer studies and technologies dean for the new multimedia degree and certificate programs; Colleen O’Connor, history professor for the family history photo projects; and Sue Nizyborski, campus graphic artist, for her design work.

Mesa and Miramar colleges earned recognition at the 1999 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District 6 annual Medallion Awards competition.

The Mesa College faculty staff newsletter, The Mesa News, was named Best Newsletter for its design and photographic and editorial content. The newsletter, published five times a year, is edited by John Nunes, information officer, and designed by Sue Nizyborski, graphic artist.

Sandi Trevisan, Miramar College information officer, captured three NCMPR medals: gold medals for “Come Home to Miramar,” the college viewbook, and for the “Why Miramar?” folder cover; one silver in the website category for the “Why Miramar?” business card size CD; and a bronze award in color photography for the happy graduate with little sister seen in a number of publications. The 160-member NCMPR Region 6 consists of community colleges and some four-year colleges in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, Guam and New Zealand.