Thinking Out Loud An occasional rambling from the AHC President

November 17, 2014 We are closing in on the end of the fall semester, but I hope you can take a few minutes to read about some good news from your colleagues and the latest developments across the college. And let me also take this time to wish you a very (early) Happy Thanksgiving, and to tell you that I give thanks every day for the opportunity to be part of AHC and to work with all of you as we move forward in changing the odds for our students and our community.

Celebrating Thirty Years of Service As you know, Rebecca Alarcio retired this month after thirty years on campus. I can’t say enough about the impact she has had on the college – and on me. Last month a local high school superintendent was on campus and asked me how we manage to have a consistent, professional look on campus, in the media, and in our publications. The answer is simple: Rebecca Alarcio. Rebecca is more than the “logo cop,” though. Over the past year and a half, I have come to know Rebecca as someone who always puts the needs of the college first – and that includes students, faculty and staff. I hope you will take a few minutes to join me at 2:30 on Tuesday in the Art Gallery to thank Rebecca for her service to all of us.

Are You “All In”?

We kicked off the Fall Semester with a new program for employee giving called I’m All In. At All Staff Day we had some three dozen faculty and staff members on stage to show their support for targeted giving. The result of the initial phase of the campaign was that we doubled the number of people giving verifiable gifts (payroll deduction or personal check) to twenty-five percent of full time faculty and staff. We also have survey data that show as many as three-quarters of us are giving in other ways that don’t show up in our reporting – mostly by stepping up and helping students in need directly. This is a generous campus and we should be proud of our work – especially as the holiday season approaches. You can still join the movement. You are All In when you commit to giving and follow up – no matter the amount or the purpose of the gift. As we approach Thanksgiving, many of you are giving to the CARE Turkey program – this makes you All In! To make sure you get credit for your gift, fill out this form and write “I’m All In” across the top. We will collect those and the other gifts that have come in and provide everyone that is All In with a t-shirt recognizing your commitment.

Apply Now for Fall

Speaking of applications, Student Services Vice President Nohemy Ornelas has been working with our local high schools to change their approach to college applications. Rather than the emphasis being only on university applications in November, we are pushing to emphasize ALL college applications, including Allan Hancock College. To do so, we have changed our application period for fall classes to begin Nov. 1. The schools are encouraging all of their seniors to apply to college in November, whether it be a university, Hancock, or both. By applying now, high school seniors can complete our new student orientation and take advantage of priority registration when it begins in May. Please spread the word. The time to apply for fall at Allan Hancock College is now!

Speaking of Enrollment

During All Staff Day we discussed the need to pay particular attention to enrollment. I want to thank our enrollment management committee, the public affairs office and ASBG for making this a point of emphasis. ASBG took the lead on spreading the word about Term II enrollment (October and later). Their work resulted in an additional 80 FTES being added to the roll. The Enrollment Management Committee is continuing to work to maximize our efforts and their work is going to be very critical over the next two years. Even with all of this focus and thoughtful work, we are still lagging behind our state-mandated target – our need to meet that goal is very important and it will take all of us to make it happen. We will continue to have public pushes on campus and in the community, but each of us can spread the word in our neighborhoods, churches and social clubs. Every enrollment matters!

$1.4 million donation to Public Safety Training Complex A newly installed flashover simulator/trainer at the college’s Public Safety Training Complex is the first piece of equipment funded by a $1.4 million anonymous donation we received earlier this year to support training at the complex. When a fire makes a room so hot that everything, even the gases in the air, spontaneously combust, the room explodes into a ball of fire -- a flashover fire. It is one of the most feared events among firefighters, and most deadly. The simulator is now helping our cadets and veteran firefighters to understand and combat the flashover phenomenon. The gift is also targeted at enhancing the training capabilities at the high-speed driving track. The donor, who asked for anonymity, wants the funds to also focus on critical components of the facility’s Emergency Vehicles Operations Course (EVOC), specifically, completing the city grid and scenario village that were part of the master plan, but not funded in the initial construction. Knowing that more police officers die in traffic-related incidents than die from firearms-related incidents, inspired the donor to help support the EVOC. This is one of the largest gifts in the history of the college and it is fitting that it supports a facility that focuses on building careers in public service. And to know that those public safety professionals, in turn, will save lives in the long course of their careers makes the gift all the more incredible. We are very grateful. It will truly make a difference for the college and for the public.

Online Scholarship Application

We launched a new online scholarship application last week, something that sounds incredibly simple, but was, in fact, a huge effort to complete. With the application, our students will have easier access to the close the $500,000 in Allan Hancock College Foundation scholarship funds we expect to be available next year. The online process pulls in data from their existing records, allows for electronic references, and gives students more time to complete the process. My thanks to Toni McCracken and Shirley Rorabaugh, who tackled this huge project and spent hundreds of hours to bring us to this point. Now, please encourage your students to hop on myHancock, go to the scholarship channel and make their case as potential scholarship recipients.

Women’s Basketball Cary Nerelli Inducted Before taking over the Allan Hancock College women’s basketball program in 2013, Cary Nerelli established himself as one of the most legendary high school coaches on the Central Coast. Recently, Nerelli was rewarded for his decades of dedication when he was inducted into the California Interscholastic Federation (C.I.F.) Southern Section’s Hall of Fame.

Kim Ensing, our athletic director, said the honor speaks volumes of the man she hired to take over the women’s basketball program. During the 2013-14 season, Nerelli’s first year at Hancock, the Bulldogs enjoyed their most successful season in 11 years.

“What makes coach Nerelli so successful is that he doesn’t coach with his ego, he coaches with his heart,” Kim said. “This is a great testament to recognize someone who has been mentoring young athletes for his entire life. We are lucky to have him at Hancock.”

I agree.

Bachelor’s Degree at Hancock?

Many have heard that the community colleges now have the opportunity to offer a limited selection of baccalaureate degrees. It has been made possible through Senate Bill 850 which authorizes up to 15 California community colleges to offer a single baccalaureate degree on a pilot basis. There are several criteria, including the restriction that the degree cannot be currently offered throughout the CSU system. In order to participate, each college must send in a certification of interest by November 12.

Our academic senate is in the process of reviewing options. We have submitted our letter of intent to apply – next week we should get a better idea of the current status from the Chancellor’s Office. Thank you for taking a minute to read – I hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving! Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D Superintendent/President Allan Hancock College 800 South College Drive Santa Maria, CA 93454 805-922-6966, Ext. 3223 805-868-9651 mobile