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Solano’s Art and Literature Students Visit Legion of Honor

Solano Community College students visited the Legion of Honor, located in San Francisco, CA, on Sunday, September 27, 2015, as a part of Professor Ferdinanda Florence’s Art History (ART 001) and Michael Wyly’s Introduction to Mythology (English 018) classes.

Both classes participated in Professor Florence’s lively and informative tour of the ancient art collection housed at the Legion of Honor. The art represented key regions of the ancient Mediterranean basin, including examples from Ancient Egypt, the Near East and Greece. Students studied and discussed various works, including freestanding sculptures, vessels, jewelry and carved reliefs in various materials, including marble, diorite and gold.

Afterward, Professor Florence’s students continued their art analyses while Professor Wyly’s students discussed how representative pieces informed and/or were informed by their understandings of selected myths as well as the history of Ancient Greece.

Suisun Valley Review Awarded 2nd Place Honors at Literary Competition

The Suisun Valley Review, the literary magazine of Solano Community College, has been awarded 2nd place honors for the Pacific-Western Division of the Community College Humanities Association’s 2015 Literary Magazine Competition. Taught by Professor Michael J. Wyly, Suisun Valley Review is the product of English 058/059, a spring semester course for the students of Solano Community College to study and practice the craft of editing a literary journal.

Since its debut in 1981, students of Solano Community College have collaborated on 32 issues of Suisun Valley Review, carefully selecting the contents of each iteration from the submissions of new and established writers and artists from across the US and abroad.
The Suisun Valley Review also hosts the Quinton Duval Award for Creative Writing, a writing contest open to all Solano Community College students.

The Suisun Valley Review will again be accepting submission from November 2015 until March 2016 for its Spring 2016 issue.

The Community College Humanities Association (CCHA), founded in 1979, is the only national organization of its kind for humanities faculty and administrators in two-year colleges. Its annual Literary Magazine Competition solicits entries from across the nation to award excellence in literary magazine publishing at two-year colleges.

For more information on the Suisun Valley Review at suisunvalleyreview.wordpress.com or susiunvalleyreview.tumblr.com. Or, like SVR on Facebook at facebook.com/suisunreview.

Contact Prof. Michael Wyly at michael.wyly@solano.edu or (707) 864-7000, extension 4695.

About Solano Community College:

The College has served the community in Solano County since 1945 when it was founded as Vallejo Junior College. In the early 1970s, the College moved to its present Fairfield site, and is presently serving over 8,000 students throughout the academic year.

In addition to the campus in Fairfield, the College has one Center in Vacaville, and one in Vallejo. To further serve the community, SCC offers courses at Travis Air Force Base, and operates a School of Aeronautics at the Nut Tree Airport.

Currently, Solano Community College offers Associate Degrees and Certificates in various disciplines, to include transfer courses to California State Universities (CSU) and Universities of California (UC), and provides training in several trades. For more information, please visit us at www.solano.edu.

Darla Williams Celebrates 200th Win as SCC Volleyball Coach

Solano Community College (SCC) recognizes Darla Williams, Head Coach of the Women’s Volleyball Team, who recently celebrated her 200th win with the Falcon’s win over Mendocino last week. Coach Williams’ record is now 200 wins and 123 loses, and her Bay Valley Conference (BVC) Record is 128-44.

Darla Williams has been the Solano Community College Head Women’s Volleyball Coach since fall 2003. The Falcons were the 2006 and 2013 BVC Champions. The team has enjoyed seven trips to the Northern California play-offs. She finished the 2014 season in 2nd place and the 2013 season as the BVC champs along with being named Coach of the Year. Coach Williams was a student-athlete at Sierra College earning her Associates Degree in Liberal Studies. In the spring of 2008, she was honored and named into the Hall of Fame at Sierra College Athletic Department. Coach Williams earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (1988). She has two Master of Arts Degrees, in Counseling from La Verne University (1991) and in Physical Education from St. Mary’s College (1995).

Coach Williams has been teaching Physical Education and coaching volleyball since 1988. At Solano, she continues to develop young athletes through youth and high school volleyball camps. Erik Visser, SCC Athletic Director, stated “Coach Williams is an outstanding role model for our student athletes. Her teams excel both academically and athletically. In addition to an excellent teacher of the game, Coach Williams positively impacts the students on a daily basis, providing a very compassionate and nurturing environment.”

For more information, contact Erik Visser, SCC Athletic Director, at (707) 864-7126 or erik.visser@solano.edu.

SCC To Honor Athletics Hall of Fame Recipients

The Solano Community College (SCC) Athletics Department will induct eight outstanding persons into the 19th Solano College Athletics Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 3rd at the Hiddenbrooke Golf Course in Vallejo starting at 7 pm. Due to the popularity of the ceremony, the event is currently sold out. The Master of Ceremonies will be Professor Greg Poff, Communication Studies faculty. SCC Athletic Director Erik Visser stated, “We are very excited to induct this very talented group of individuals who have represented Solano College in an exemplary way. They represent the strong tradition of Falcons – academic and athletic excellence.”

The Class of 2015 inductees are as follows:

Alison Aubert – Athletic Trainer
Alison has been the head certified athletic trainer at Solano Community College since 1993, and has been a college athletic trainer since 1987. Alison has also worked for USA track and field since 1984. She was an athletic trainer for track and field in the Los Angeles (1984) and Atlanta (1996) Summer Olympic Games, and worked with many notable US and International athletes. Alison has be awarded many honors, included the 2002 California Athletic Trainer of the Year, 2008 Solano College Adjunct Faculty of the Year, and 2009 National Athletic Trainer of the Year. Alison is presently the President of the California Community College Athletic Trainers Association and serves on the CCCAA Management Council.

Nadia Cameron Hollomon – Softball
Nadia’s college softball career began at Solano College, which helped her achieve a full-scholarship to the University of Tennessee. While at Solano, Nadia was named 1st team All-Conference (1997 & 1998); Golden Glove Award (1997 & 1998); All American (1998); All Northern California (1998), and the MVP of the Bay Valley Conference (1998). Nadia also received recognition off the field while at Solano College, making the Academic Dean’s list in 1997 & 1998. Nadia began her Tennessee (Lady Vols) softball career in 1998, where she was named All-Tournament team on five separate occasions, was selected for the Academic All-American team, and helped lead Tennessee softball to their first ever SEC Championship. While at Tennessee, Nadia obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, with a concentration in Criminal Justice.

Christina Horner – Volleyball
Christina has had the pleasure of playing for coach Darla Williams in the 2005 and 2008 seasons. During these two seasons, Coach Williams has helped Christina obtain All-League in 2005 and MVP in 2008. Christina was also added to the All-Northern California Team in 2008 which is a great honor, as it is made up of the top twelve women for that year. With Coach Williams’ support she has helped Christina obtain two degrees from Solano: one in Psychology and the other in Social Science. After graduating from Solano Christina transferred to California State University, Sacramento and graduated with her B.A. in Psychology with emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Tom Hassey – Track
Tom ran track all four years while attending Fairfield High School, and became the first Fairfield High track athlete to go to State. Tome broke all of the meet records in the triple jump. While a student at Solano College, Tom began lifting weights. In a two year period of time, he went from bench pressing 160lbs to 490lbs. This feat, along with his strength, speed and technique enabled him to jump 52’2” – the 3rd best triple jump mark in junior college history. He also long jumped 24’2”, which was 4” off the school record. After Solano College, Tom became involved in professional arm wrestling. He won the Solano County, Northern California and the State Championships. Tom then won the World Arm Wrestling Championships 3 times and also took Second Place, left-handed at Petaluma.

Arica Henry – Softball
Arica Henry was the starting pitcher the year of 1995/1996. She led her team to a 36-11 record, in which they took second in the Bay Valley Conference (BVC), were Regional Champions and finished fourth in the State Championships. She received 2 All-Tournament selections, an All-State Tournament Honor, and 3 out of 4 win over the State Champion Sacramento College. She additionally received the most Inspirational Coaches’ Award in 1996. Arica maintained a cumulative 3.3 GPA while at SCC. She completed her Liberal Arts A.A. in 1997, also receiving the coaches’ award, and an NCAA Full Athletic Scholarship to Northeast Louisiana University (NLU) in 1997. She received a BS is Psychology and a PPS credential, and is currently employed as a school psychologist with the Fairfield Suisun Unified School District.

Rex Pettigrew – Football Coach
Rex was a star athlete and student at Hogan High School in Vallejo playing football and baseball. After high school, he attended Solano College playing baseball and earning his AS degree in Science in 1977. He then went on to San Jose State, graduating in 1981 with his BS degree and teaching credential in Kinesiology and minoring in Biology. For the past 35 years, Rex has taught physical education and biology at the high school level in the Vallejo City Unified School District. From 1988 to 1998, Rex returned to Solano College and joined Coach Ron Beverly as the Offensive Line Coach for the Football team. During this time, he assisted the team to 5 division championships and 5 bowl appearances. Under their direction, they had two of their players go pro; numerous players went on to play D-1 and many became teachers and coaches. Rex has been very involved in his community, serving as a Coach for Babe Ruth and Little league teams, training and teaching CPR for the Red Cross, volunteering for the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and the Senior Games.

Holly Smith – Softball
After graduating Armijo High School in 1995, Holly continued her career at Solano Community College. Even though she only played one year at SCC, it was one of the most memorable years she ever had playing softball. Holly transferred to Arizona State University on a full scholarship and was the starting shortstop for three years. While at Arizona State she had the opportunity to play in the College World Series in 1999. She graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor in Science in Justice Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, and a Minor in Psychology. After graduating, she continued to be involved in softball by becoming the Assistant Coach for the University of Oregon’s Softball Team. Upon deciding to return back home to California, Holly moved to Santa Cruz where she continued to give back to her community and help young girls develop their softball skills and a love for the game. Holly is currently working as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at a Level One Trauma Center.

Ebonielove Williams – Women’s Basketball
After breaking records at Vallejo Senior High, Ebonielove Williams was recruited into the great basketball program of Solano Community College. In her first year, Ebonielove received the award for Most Improved Player, and was key in the success of Solano Women’s Basketball team’s championship finish even though the team took a loss in the Elite 8. Ebonielove was a star leader starting for the Solano Falcons and averaged double-doubles in both points and rebounds. She took pride in defending great opponents and always played with a sense of passion and respect. She is the 4th all-time leading rebounder for a single season with 381 rebounds, and was All-Bay Valley Conference in 1999 and 2000. Ebonielove is the 9th all-time leading scorer for a career with 819 points. During her years at Solano, Ebonielove was a star student, earning awards that reflected GPAs of 3.0.

For more information, contact Erik Visser, SCC Athletic Director, at (707) 864-7126 or erik.visser@solano.edu.

SCC Fairfield Campus Now Open

FAIRFIELD, CA: The Solano Community College (SCC) Fairfield campus is now open, and the water main break has been repaired. Staff will be reporting back to campus at noon, followed by students at 2 pm. Classes and campus operations are expected to fully resume at 2 pm. Stan Arterberry, Interim Superintendent/President thanked the facilities team for their efforts: “Our facilities teams worked throughout the day and evening to ensure that the repairs were completed. I want to thank them for their efforts in bringing a positive end to this situation.”

For more information, contact Yashica Crawford at yashica.crawford@solano.edu or (707) 864-7112.

2015 Solano Grown Online Marketplace

The 2015 Solano Grown Online Marketplace is open for business. You can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, and other products grown in Solano County from the ease of your home. Open now until October, the Online Marketplace has a weekly pick-up point at it’s Food Hub located at the Solano Community College. Customers order by Wednesday and pick up their order Thursday afternoon. Customers interested in buying or farmers wanting to sell products can visit www.SolanoGrown.org

The Solano Grown Online Marketplace is an online farmer’s market where customers are able to select goods from various farmers and make only one payment through our secure online shopping cart. The Solano Grown Food Hub is centrally located at the Horticulture building, 1000, on the Solano Community College campus.

Solano Grown began with the purpose of supporting products grown and produced in Solano County, and the organization is now in its fourth year. The non-profit partnership has expanded, but the focus remains on producing and marketing an array of high quality products. Being located in the heart of an agricultural paradise, Solano County houses a vast number of small and micro farmers. Products from Solano Grown members range from everyday fruits and vegetables (both conventional and organic), to plants, wines, honey, fibers, and even gourmet meats. Several of the farmers sell on their own roadway fruit stands, farmer’s markets, or other venues, but Solano Grown also provides a convenient way for you to purchase products via the Online Marketplace with a single pick up location at the Food Hub.

For more information visit www.SolanoGrown.org
And www.localfoodmarketplace.com/solano

News Contact:
Jamie Burnett, Food Hub and Advertising Manager
(707) 301-8169 | jburnett07@hotmail.com
SCC Contact: Ken Williams at ken.williams@solano.edu

Solano Community College Awarded $1.1 Million Federal Grant

Solano Community College (SCC) was awarded a US Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) STEM grant in the amount of $220,000 per year for five years to provide support services to 140 low-income, first-generation community college students who are pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) based degrees or certificates.

“This grant will allow the College to provide enhanced support services to STEM students to help them stay in school, maintain a higher grade point average, and graduate and transfer to four-year universities at a higher rate. And the beauty of this grant is that it complements our recently awarded $622,715 National Science Foundation grant in which we offer 25 to 35 scholarships per year to STEM students. Along with our new Biomanufacturing baccalaureate degree, Solano is a welcome home to high-achieving STEM students,” said Stan Arterberry, SCC’s Interim Superintendent-President.

This grant project will be nested in the current Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program in place at the college and will supplement the program to create the MESA/TRIO program. MESA/TRIO will follow a model that provides academic support and a community environment that assists first generation, low-income students to pursue attainment of a STEM associate degree/certificate and/or transfer to a four-year university. Dr. Jose Ballesteros will manage the MESA/TRIO program.

The MESA/TRIO program will have the following objectives: 1) 80% of participants will persist or graduate and/or transfer, 2) 90% of participants will be in good academic standing and 3) 10% of new participants will graduate within four years and 25% of new participants will graduate and transfer to a four-year institution within four years. Support services will be provided to the participants, including academic counseling, career counseling, financial aid workshops, assistance with filling out the FAFSA, economic literacy workshops, tutoring, university visits, leadership training as well as development of non-cognitive factors and individualized counseling.

“I’d like to thank Dr. Jose Ballesteros, Professors Genele Rhoads and Chuck Spillner, Cynthia K. Garcia, Dean Peter Cammish, Pei-Lin Van’t Hul and others for putting the proposal together. This grant will elevate STEM education at Solano to a new level,” said Dr. Zhanjing “John” Yu, SCC Dean of Math and Science.

Solano Community College has 3,864 of 14,054 students declaring as STEM majors. A significant portion, 52%, of the STEM majors are eligible for the MESA/TRIO program.

For more information, please contact Cynthia Garcia at cynthia.garcia@solano.edu or 707-863-7866.

Public Statement Regarding the Civil Grand Jury Report

The Solano Community College District (SCCD) Governing Board and District staff have received copies of the Civil Grand Jury’s reports relating to the District’s Measure Q bond.

The District appreciates the extensive efforts of this Grand Jury, by law a “group of ordinary citizens,” to review the presentation and operations of the Measure Q bond program. The District also takes very seriously the information developed by the Grand Jury and will respond, in writing, to the findings and recommendations by the September dates set by law.

Governing Board President A. Marie Young stated that, “After receiving these reports, we directed staff to review and report back on the findings and recommendations, and on the factual and legal statements in the reports, for review by the Board in a public forum. The District takes its responsibilities to the public and all stakeholders very seriously, and we look forward to continuing to make Measure Q successful in the support of transforming student lives.”

SCCD Interim Superintendent-President Stan Arterberry stated that, “Our College will continue to follow its approved facilities plan.” He further stated that, “Our primary purpose at SCC is always to focus on student success.”

The Board will hear a preliminary report on the findings related to the bond election at the July 15th Governing Board meeting, and a preliminary report on the findings related to the CBOC at the August 5th Governing Board meeting.

This constitutes the entirety of the District’s response at this time as this is an ongoing legal matter.

Solano Community College Awarded $100,000 Grant from the Foundation for Community Colleges

Solano Community College has been awarded the California Community College Linked Learning Work-Based Learning Program grant. The grant, provided by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, was awarded based on a proposed work-based learning program for grades 9-12 and SCC students for automotive occupations, culminating in internships with large dealers for SCC and Los Medanos Community College students. Deborah Mann, Director of Workforce Development Grants, stated, “We are very excited about the opportunity this grant affords our community, our students and our automotive employers. We will be working with high school and college students to help them gain the skills our employers need in their workforce. This program will be a win for all participants.”

She further added, “California community colleges have been asked to work regionally and to prepare students for jobs with the skills that industry says they must have in their employees. We have been asked to spend tax payer funds wisely and with intent to assure that students get jobs in the area in which they trained, and that employers have the highly skilled workers they need. This grant successfully addresses all of these goals.”

There were several individuals who contributed to the preparation and submission of the grant application, including Jerry Bernstein, Deputy Sector Navigator for Advanced Transportation and Renewables, Eileen Amick, Administrative Assistant, Laura Convento, Business Operations Coordinator and Paul Hidy, SCC Automotive faculty.

For more information, contact Deborah Mann at Deborah.Mann@solano.edu or (707)864-7195.

Solano College Awarded $622,715 STEM Scholarship Grant by the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF), the nation’s premier agency that sponsors STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) research and education activities in colleges and universities across the country, has granted Solano Community College $622,715 to award 165 scholarships to “academically talented and financially needy” students over a five-year period. Dr. Jowel Laguerre, the outgoing Superintendent-President of SCC was pleased, stating “I am happy that SCC received the grant. This is the second time within one year that we received an NSF grant. I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to Professors Genele Roads, Chuck Spillner, and Zhen Chen, Drs. Jose Ballesteros and John Yu, Cynthia Garcia, Peter Cammish, Pei-Lin Van’t Hul and others who were involved.”

Professor Genele Rhoads, the Director of the project and the President of the Solano County Mathematics Education Association stated, “The 2+1 STEM scholarship grant from the National Science Foundation provides a wonderful opportunity for Solano Community College to support academically talented students who want to study and work in a STEM field; especially students who may be the first in their family to attend college or have difficulty paying for college. In addition to financial support, the program includes counseling and mentoring and provides opportunities for tutoring, internships, and special projects.”

Dr. Leslie Minor, Vice President of Academic Affairs, added “We are very excited to see our deserving STEM students be rewarded for their hard work with these scholarships. We look forward to seeing great things from them in the future.”

Dr. John Yu, the Dean for the School of Math and Science and a former NSF program director, credited Dr. Laguerre’s leadership and the great STEM programs at SCC for helping to secure the grant. “The chance of receiving an NSF STEM scholarship grant is about 10 to 15% and it is a very competitive process.” he said.

The grant will award 25 to 35 scholarships per year to students in Astronomy, Biology, Biotech, Chemistry, CADD, Computer Science, Engineering, Geology/Geography, Horticulture, Mathematics, Physics, Surveying, and Water/Waste Water Treatment. If these students transfer to a four-your institution in a STEM major, they will be awarded an additional year to continue their study at that institution. The scholarship support will average $3,000 per year per student.

The Director of the project is Genele Rhoads and the Co-Directors are Jose Ballesteros, Chuck Spillner, Zhen Chen and John Yu. The evaluators for the project are Peter Cammish and Pei-Lin Van’t Hul. Many SCC staff contributed to the success of the NSF Proposal. They include Shirley Lewis, Maire Morinec, Diane White, Robin Darcangelo, Curt Johnston, Yashica Crawford, Patrick Killingworth and Yulian Ligioso.

For more information, contact Dr. John Yu, Dean of Math and Sciences, at Zhanjing.Yu@solano.edu or 707.864-7110