Report to the Board of Trustees: June 2017

2nd Commencement held on May 19

Families, friends, employers, staff, faculty, and administrators honored and celebrated the graduates at the college’s 2nd Commencement Ceremony. Nearly 500 students successfully satisfied all of their requirements for an Associate’s Degree and 130 participated in the ceremony. Lt. Col. (Retired) Lorenzo Rios served as the commencement speaker. Mr. Rios is a decorated veteran of both the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and currently serves as the chief executive offi cer of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. Board President John Leal attended on behalf of SCCCD.

Ms. Hiba Mirza earns President’s Medal

Hiba has been an active student leader during her time at Clovis Community College. She served as a Senator and Public Relations Coordinator for the Associated Student Government. Hiba also started the Muslim Student Association and participated in the Interfaith Club. In these leadership roles, she organized a variety of college-wide activities that helped create a cohesive, caring, collaborative, and inclusive college culture. We are proud of her accomplishments at CCC, and we wish her all the best as she transfers to Fresno State to major in psychology, with a minor in biology.

Dean’s Medalists Named

Jessica Chadbourne (Student Services) is the first person in her family to graduate from college. Growing up in a family of fourteen children, Jessica knew that she wanted to be a lawyer from a young age. Her desire is to advocate for youth in the Central Valley. During her time at Clovis Community College, Jessica consistently worked two jobs (totaling over 40 hours per week) while maintaining full-time student loads every semester. Jessica was also actively involved in the college’s Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) for the past year. She graduated with two Associate’s Degrees, a 3.0 GPA, and has been admitted to Fresno State as a history major.

Taylor Prentice Ford (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) instantly made an impact as a top student since fi rst taking classes at CCC in the spring of 2014. His professor noted that Taylor wrote lab reports and project papers that were among the best he has ever have seen in his 28 years of teaching. Mr. Ford earned all A’s throughout the challenging Physics 4 A/B/C progression of courses. Taylor will transfer to Fresno State and has been accepted in the Mechanical Engineering program and hopes to eventually work in the aerospace industry.

Spencer Shadley (Humanities and Social Sciences) is an excellent student and has been the Student Court Chief Justice for the college’s Associate Student Government and a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma. He worked as a dedicated student tutor in the Tutorial Center where he is described as punctual, respectful, and a remarkable team player. Spencer graduated with an ADT Degree and has been accepted to the University of California, Berkeley where he will study political science.

Lawrence Young (Career Technical Education, and Athletics) is a Bullard High School graduate, a devoted single parent and a U.S. Air Force Veteran. Lawrence has faced numerous challenges along the way in achieving his academic pursuits but, through it all, he hasn’t given up. Lawrence has been an active member of the Criminology Club and has been a wonderful student spokesperson for the college. Lawrence graduated with an Associate in Science Degree in Administration of Justice and will transfer to Fresno State and major in criminology.

CalWORKs program recognizes 60 students at the annual ceremony on May 18

Many gathered to recognize these hard-working and dedicated students. Nearly half of the students have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher, all while working 20 hours per week.

The Peters family joins staff, faculty and family at the Leon S. Peters Honors Program annual Transfer and Scholarship Ceremony on May 18

Special guests included Ken & Regina Peters and David & Roselle Peters. The generous contributions of the Peters family has positively transformed the lives of so many students and helped them reach their educational goals. There were 21 students that earned the Leon S. Peters Honors Program scholarship; 15 students were presented with the distinguished Leon S. Peters hood; and 37 of the Leon S. Peters Honors Program students earned an Associate’s Degree. In total, 47 students were recognized. A “Transfer Yearbook” was created and transfer students had an opportunity to write a special message. Elsie Cortes, who is transferring to UC Merced, wrote “Clovis Community College was full of great memories, and I’m honestly sad to go, but, I’m grateful for all that the faculty and students have done for me. I’ll carry everything I learned to UC Merced.”

Three Crush Athletes Earn “All-American” Status at the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) championships

Freshman diver Randi Berg made history and earned a 6th place medal on the 1m springboard with a score of 182.00. Dante Ramos had a ground breaking performance in the men’s 1650y freestyle, with a time of 16:33.3, and earning the 6th place medal. Sophomore and returning CCCAA All-American female swimmer, Rylee Radke repeated her effort from last year in her signature event, the 1650y freestyle at 18:07.73, otherwise known as the “mile,” which earned her a 6th place medal. The CCCAA State Championship Meet closed with the Crush women finishing in 24th place with 36 points, and the men also placing 24th but with 24 points (out of 56 colleges).

English and Reading Department host mini-conference on April 29

The mini-conference was open to CCC current and future adjunct English and reading instructors. Attendees learned about best practices for teaching poetry and how to plan solid lessons to incorporate student success strategies in the classroom.

Outreach Team participates at the Clovis Chamber of Commerce EXPO on May 10

CCC had a booth at this annual networking event and showcased the upcoming summer school sessions. Outreach representatives networked with students and parents, and shared information about the various resources available at the college.

Students get “Powered Up” for finals week

The week of May 8 offered a variety of activities and resources to students. Vendor tables included a yoga station and snow cone booth. In addition, a volleyball court was set up, and many students took advantage of the extended hours for the tutorial center and the library. Each daily event offered pencils, scantrons, and snacks to students. The BIG hit was the “Power Up with the President” lunch event on Tuesday, May 9 as nearly 125 students stopped by for pizza and conversation!

Communication Program holds 2nd Annual Speech Night on May 5

Instructors selected the best speeches from various Communication classes of the 2016-2017 academic year to present at this annual event. The event provided students a venue to show-off their newfound skills in front of a larger and more public audience. Over 150 attendees listened and enjoyed the messages shared by the students.

Open Studios Art Show held on May 12

The event showcased a wonderful display of student art created during the spring semester. Artwork and projects were displayed in four classrooms and included paintings, drawings, photography, digital videos, and 2D and 3D designs. Special guests included members from the SCCCD Chancellor’s Circle.

CCC set to install new Associated Student Government Officers for fall 2017 and spring 2018

Student Services will hold a special ceremony on Friday, June 30, to install the incoming Associated Student Government Officers. Congratulations to these outstanding and dedicated students for being elected to their respective positions. The ceremony will take place in AC1-150 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

President
Bryndis Arnarsdottir, Business Mathematics

Vice President
Yasmeen Maklani, Computer Science

Vice President of External Affairs
Israel Cozar, Criminology

Secretary
Emmanuelle Issa, Mathematics

Trustee
Farhan Mohammadi, Political Science

Inter-Club Council President/Senator
Niko Shamlin, Genetics