Express-News Article
Bond money means Palo Alto can expand
Web Posted: 11/30/2005 12:01 AM CST
Edmundo ConchasExpress-News Staff Writer
When it came time to vote for the Alamo Community College District's new bond proposal at the beginning of this month, Daniel Gollihar was ready — thanks to all of the information he got at his school.
Gollihar, 22, said he voted in both the Nov. 8 election and ACCD's previous proposal that failed last February, and he understands why the bond push was successful this time around.
"They did a lot better job in getting the word out," the Palo Alto College student said.
Palo Alto officials agreed, stressing that educating the surrounding communities on what the district's plan was all about was a key in getting residents to the polls to vote on the $450 million bond proposal.
The bond received 60 percent voter approval. Now, officials at the various campuses are looking forward to expansions and improvements.
"Palo Alto College is ready to build," said Ana "Cha" Guzman, Palo Alto College president. "We have absolute support from the faculty, students and the surrounding neighborhood. There's no doubt in my mind that San Antonio, as a community, understands the importance of this. We live in a community that believes in coalition, and this coalition came together."
Guzman added that a main reason for the bond's success this time was leaving St. Philip's and San Antonio colleges' allied nursing and health programs in their present locations. February's bond proposal had those programs being moved to a new facility that would have been built at the Medical Center.
"I think that the East Side and downtown communities spoke very clearly," she said. "They have an investment in SAC and St. Philip's."
Palo Alto College faculty and staff need to know when and how the improvements are going to proceed, and there will be discussions on that very soon, she said.
"What we're going to do is have a retreat where we can fully comprehend the growth that this bond is going to allow us," Guzman said. "We're going to have to rank the need of the different buildings."
Palo Alto is slated to receive $55 million for new buildings, including $12.6 million for a new humanities and convocation center and $6.3 million for a veterinary science building that would move those classes to the main campus at 1400 Villaret. Those classes now are being conducted at Brooks City-Base.
School plans also call for a new "auto manufacturing of excellence" center estimated to cost $9.7 million and a $6.5 million allied health career center. They've also budgeted for some classroom renovations and additional parking.
"Everyone here wants to know when we are going to get started," Guzman said. "Everyone is ready for us to improve and increase what we're offering to this community, and I think that this time around that came through very clearly."
econchas@express-news.net
CCAMPIS GRANT UPDATE
More than 40 students have already submitted scholarship applications to be considered for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education last month. Selected students will receive child care subsidies, as well as individualized advisement, in an effort to improve recruitment and retention in college education. The $104,809 grant supports the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services.
PAC/LIGHTHOUSE PARTNERSHIP
PAC’s partnership with the San Antonio Lighthouse William Judson Center School of Business has produced its first graduating class. Five students successfully completed General Office Training Nov. 22. Under this agreement, students graduating from the program can take a test to receive continuing education credit equivalent to one three-credit business course, transferable to any major university. Students will now complete a 30-hour internship with companies such as the New Orleans-based Lambert Street Packing, Kinetic Concepts Inc., La Prensa and the San Antonio Library.
Weekly Campaign Update
Thank you for your support of the ACCD Employees’ 2005 Annual Charitable Campaign. In just one week and a day, Palo Alto College has achieved 25 percent of its participation goal! Thank you! We are trying to “officially” end the campaign by the first week of December, so time is of the essence! If your yellow envelope is on top of your desk, it’s time to move it to the top of mine!!!
It has been brought to my attention that some departments may have received pledge forms for colleagues who are not in that department, but are employed elsewhere on campus. Please do me a favor and forward those pledge forms to the proper department…if that is not possible, please call me and I will have someone come to your office and pick up the miss-routed forms and hopefully take them to the right office.
I cannot stress to you the importance this campaign has on those less fortunate in our community. Your PARTICIPATION—no matter how big or small—will make a huge difference in our community. This Campaign is a wonderful way for all of us to illustrate the important role we have in the community in which we serve.
Please read the Designation Code Listing Booklet that is inside your yellow envelope and see the wide selection of worthy scholarships and programs that are need of your charitable assistance. Remember, all gifts are used locally and are tax deductible.
Don’t forget that ACCD-wide drawings will begin about mid-way in the Campaign, when meetings are being held, and later when everyone has had a chance to participate. In addition to regular drawings for gift certificates, a $250 grocery gift card will be drawn at the end of the Campaign from among all participants, and five $100 drawings will take place -- one for each "campus campaign."If you would like to contribute, but have not received a form, please call me and I will deliver a blank form to your office. And remember, everyone who participates and contributes gets their choice of a coffee mug or drinking glass. I have received many positive comments on these gifts, but quantities are limited so get yours today!!
PAC Says "Thank You San Antonio"
The four bond signs on campus have been modified on behalf of Dr. Guzmán to show our appreciation to the City of San Antonio for the passage of the ACCD Bond.
Dr. Thomas B. Baynum, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Robert Triana, Superintendent of Facilities, look over the signs facilities has updated on campus to show the community Palo Alto’s appreciation for passage of the ACCD Bond. (Photo by Mario Ramirez)
Charitable Campaign Update
I’m pleased to report that after our first full week of actively participating in the ACCD Employees’ 2005 Annual Charitable Campaign, Palo Alto College is at 20 percent of its participation goal!
Congratulations!!
Next week will be a short week, plus I’m sure many of you will be busy with preparations for a Thanksgiving feast…still, please take a few moments to fill out your pledge form if you haven’t already done so, and either:
a. Return the form to your coordinator
b. Place the form in the envelope provided and have it “Ponied” to me
c. Or call my office at X5269 and a workstudy will pick it up at your office!
Don’t forget to mark on the envelope your preference of a coffee mug or glass!
Your generous support of the 2005-06 ACCD Employees’ Charitable Campaign means that people throughout our region will receive superb educational services provided by the Alamo community colleges, and a host of community-based social services made possible by the United Way.
If you have not received a pledge form, and would like to participate in the Charitable Campaign, please call my office and I will have a form delivered to you.
A special “THANK YOU” goes out to all the coordinators who are assisting me in this year’s campaign—keep up the good work!
Study Abroad!
Study Abroad Opportunities at Palo Alto
Learn about trips planned to
Palestine/Israel, China, Poland/the Czech Republic, Madrid and Mexico during
Spring and Summer 2006.
Information and displays at the Student Center on Monday, 21 November from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Study at PAC, see the world!
For more information,
Please call Dr. Mary-Ellen Jacobs
At 921-5046
President's Commentary
Here is a commentary, written by Dr. Guzmán, President of Palo Alto College, which appears in Nov. 15's San Antonio Express-News (page 7B).
Comment: South Side needs more than ACCD win to thrive
Web Posted: 11/15/2005 12:00 AM CST
Ana "Cha" M. GuzmanThe community has spoken with a resounding 60 percent of its votes approving the Nov. 8 Alamo Community College District bond package. Bexar County residents understand the importance of education.
The passage of the $450 million bond to provide new facilities at our four colleges and to build a new college in the northeast sector of Bexar County will provide the impetus, facilities-wise, for the projected growth to almost 70,000 students by 2010.
This much-needed commitment takes care of the first two years of college. What about the rest?
Since the community has invested to expand our capacity at two-year institutions, that capacity must also be expanded at the bachelor's and master's degree levels. If not, the community and its aspirations will be shortchanged. It's like offering barbecue without the sauce.
Palo Alto will receive $55 million of the bond to enhance our students' freshmen and sophomore years. What about our students' junior and senior years?
When we asked students who applied to Palo Alto College this fall if they planned to go to a four-year school, 32 percent of them — 2,619 adults — said yes.
There are those who say UTSA should receive all the public funding for higher education in San Antonio.
But look at the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It has four public universities with 639 programs.
UTSA has outgrown its space with its 27,000 students, and it offers 167 programs. UTSA and the private universities will never be able to meet the demand of all the students in our area who want an affordable education.
According to 2000 census data, only 22 percent of adults in San Antonio have a college degree. Compare that to Dallas, where 28 percent have college degrees, and Houston, where 27 percent do. How can San Antonio and Bexar County become the vital region it is destined to be without a more educated work force?
The goal of Texas' Closing the Gaps campaign is to increase the number of students who are in college. Our higher education system is not meeting this goal for our Hispanic population. The goal is to increase the college-going rate for Hispanics to 4.5 percent. On the South Side of San Antonio, only 1.5 percent of Hispanics attend college.
State Sen. Frank Madla initiated the legislation to fund a South Side Texas A&M campus. Since the fall of 2000, Palo Alto has hosted junior- and senior-level university classes for the fledgling Texas A&M campus. The minimal funding received by the system center has not allowed it to develop the programs or hire the faculty it needs to reach the goals originally set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The growth has been slow not because of the lack of students but because of the lack of available funds.
Hundreds of Palo Alto students have traveled across our library's parking lot to A&M's portable buildings. Of the students enrolled at the system center this fall, 62 percent have transferred coursework from Palo Alto College. More than 500 have already graduated with a bachelor's degree. Most of these graduates are Hispanic, and many of them are the first in their family to attain such an educational milestone.
Palo Alto College — now celebrating its 20th birthday — has proven that Hispanics recognize the importance of education. Built for 2,500 students, Palo Alto now serves 8,000 students, and 65 percent of our students are Hispanic.
As president of Palo Alto College, I know there are thousands of students waiting for Texas A&M to be built in San Antonio. They long to continue their education close to their families and their jobs. Lack of access is keeping the South Side from rising to its fullest potential. We need las ganas, the will, to make a South Side Texas A&M campus a reality.
Ana M. "Cha" Guzmán has been president of Palo Alto College since 2001.
PAC Receives Grant from JPMorgan-Chase
Photo by Steve Sosa
SAN ANTONIO- Representatives of JPMorgan Chase-San Antonio, present a $10,000 grant to Palo Alto College that will be applied toward a job readiness program for the Battered Women’s Shelter. Pictured are (L to R) David P. McGee, President; Lisa A. Rodriguez, Vice President of Community Relations; Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzmán, PAC President; and Jay Clingman, Chairman of the Board. The job readiness program will focus on enhancing employment skills such as computer literacy, keyboarding and time management skills.
PAC Selects Director of Enrollment Management
Rachel A. Montejano has been selected to become the Director of Enrollment Management at Palo Alto College effective immediately. Montejano has been the college’s Associate Director of Admissions and Records since September 2001, and has been with the Alamo Community College District since 1989. She received her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1993. She was awarded an M.A. in Management and Leadership from Webster University in 2005.
Palo Alto College is celebrating its 20th Anniversary as an educational institution in south San Antonio during the 2005-06 academic year. Classes began in September 1985 with 231 students enrolled, and reached its highest enrollment in Fall 2005 with 8,119 students.
Palo Alto College is a fully accredited community college located on the Southside, and awards associate degrees, short-term certificates and offers non-credit continuing education classes. The college is recognized nationally for its high transfer rate. The campus is located at 1400 W. Villaret Blvd. at I-410 South and
Texas Hwy. 16 or online at .
Veterans Day
A Veteran’s Day Ceremony will be held Friday, November 11, 2005 at 11:00 a.m., in the Flag Staging area just outside the Administration Building. Mr. Gil Coronado, Director of Selective Service (Retired) will be the keynote speaker. Come by to honor our veterans. Refreshments will be served immediately following the short ceremony.
This event is sponsored by the Veteran’s Affairs Office and Student Activities.
On behalf of the Veteran’s Day Committee, I present my thoughts on Veteran’s Day:
For more than 200 years, our nation’s armed forces has served as the world’s premier “force-in-readiness.” Each November, Americans around the world take time to honor what was formerly known as “Armistice Day” by remembering the sacrifices of those veterans who have fought so gallantly in times of war, and have served so faithfully in times of peace. The legacy of our military’s veterans has produced a solid foundation upon which today’s Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen can march forward and add to the courageous deeds history books have recorded.
On November 11, people all across this country will remember with reverence the sacrifices veterans—living and deceased—have made for our country. They will recall all the wars and major conflicts America has engaged in, and they will rejoice with pride as they acknowledge how America’s sons and daughters have risen to the occasion in “every clime and place” by exceeding all expectations, and by giving our country true heroes.
No one really goes into war with the intent of being labeled a hero. There aren’t any special training courses one can take, no secret military job specialty, no magic pill, or background traits that solely prepares a select few for such lofty a title. Most times, it’s simply the “luck of the draw,” and the determination to not let a buddy down.
By using the term “hero,” some people may feel that I am referring to those who easily fit the conventional notions of heroism by showing bravery and selfless courage in the face of extreme physical danger. That isn’t the case here. For me, heroes are simply ordinary people performing exceptionally well in ordinary and extraordinary times.
During my 23-years on active duty, I saw young men and women, the majority of them just out of high school, transformed into the finest fighting force in the world. I believe the same is still true today. They go beyond the call of duty because they want to make a positive impact in their life and in the lives of others. Not everything they do is “great,” but then great things aren’t always needed. It’s taking care of the little things that really count.
Today, just like yesterday, we have people in the military that could make a successful career in private enterprise. They could be earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, but instead they’ve chosen to serve our country in times of war and in times of peace. They are veterans who have interrupted their educational goals, careers, and dreams to defend a Nation. America will always be indebted to them.
Sometimes I turn on the TV and I hear “where have all our heroes gone?”
I know where.
They walk the grounds of Palo Alto College, the streets of San Antonio, and the towns and cities of America. They wear, or have worn, our country’s uniform proudly. They serve in remote places away from families and friends during holidays such as Fiesta, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. They have taken off a semester of college, or have postponed it indefinitely, in order to answer a higher calling. They sometimes tend to be overlooked during times of peace, but are the first ones to be called upon when hostile actions arise. And they respond—valiantly.
What kind of people are these heroes?
I know.
They are the sons and daughters of a proud nation. They are veterans. They are your colleagues, or even students, here on campus, and throughout ACCD. They come from the city and the farm; from community college classrooms and the streets of el barrio; and they come from the right side and the wrong side of the tracks. Some bring with them GEDs while others carry college degrees, and some bring with them problems representative of society while others are as naïve as a newborn baby. Some have served in the military just to prove something to themselves. They wear, or have worn, this country’s uniforms proudly and I respect them all.
When America needs a hero, it doesn’t need to look beyond its military and her veterans. I know, for I have proudly served with them. Please remember Veteran’s Day solemnly, and if you serve, or have served in the military, Thank You.
Capt. Vincent Bosquez, USMC Ret.
Happy Birthday!
On behalf of Palo Alto College, we wish every current or former U. S. Marine who has worked for the College or ACCD, a happy 230th Birthday. Semper Fi!
Enrollment Benchmark!
PALO ALTO COLLEGE SETS ENROLLMENT BENCHMARK Palo Alto College has set a new enrollment benchmark by exceeding 8,000 students signed on for the Fall 2005 semester.According to Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzmán, PAC president, the college’s fall semester enrollment reached a record 8,119 students by the end of the school’s census period Sept. 7. Last fall, PAC had 7,986 students enrolled in courses, and 7,960 this past spring.“We’re extremely pleased to be the college of choice for the citizens of south San Antonio,” Guzmán said. “We will continue to respond to our community’s educational wants and needs by developing courses and programs that will help our students succeed in life.”Palo Alto College is celebrating its 20th Anniversary as an educational institution in south San Antonio during the 2005-06 academic year. Classes began in September 1985 with 231 students enrolled at various locations, including the ACCD Southwest Center in East Kelly Field, local high schools and other military bases. The main campus opened in January 1987.Palo Alto College is a fully accredited community college located on the Southside, and awards associate degrees, short-term certificates and offers non-credit continuing education classes. The college is recognized nationally for its high transfer rate. The campus is located at 1400 W. Villaret Blvd. at I-410 South and Texas Hwy. 16 or online at www.accd.edu/pac.
Time Capsule Unearthed
PAC TO UNEARTH 1995 TIME CAPSULE Palo Alto College is inviting the public to a 20th Anniversary Celebration featuring the unearthing of a “time capsule” buried on campus 10 years ago by a group of second grade students, many of who are now entering freshmen at PAC. The unearthing will occur outside the Performing Arts Building on Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. In 1995, second grade students from Bob Hope and Palo Alto Elementary schools were asked to participate in PAC’s 10th Anniversary festivities by burying a time capsule on campus. Included in the capsule were essays written by the second graders about what they wanted to be doing in 10 years; collages depicting items important to them in 1995; photographs of the students; a video tape of the ceremony; and PAC items such as a student newspaper, a class schedule, brochures, and newsletters.Palo Alto College is celebrating its 20th Anniversary as an educational institution in south San Antonio during the 2005-06 academic year. Classes began in September 1985 with 231 students enrolled at various locations, including the ACCD Southwest Center in East Kelly Field, local high schools, and other military bases. The main campus opened in January 1987.
PAC to offer Child Care Training
CHILD CARE DIRECTOR TRAINING AVAILABLE IN EVENINGS AT PALO ALTO COLLEGE
Adults who are seeking employment or credentials in the child care industry can enroll for Director Training for Child Care, offered for eight weeks at Palo Alto College on the Southside.
The class meets from 7-10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from Oct. 4 through Nov. 29 at Palo Alto College. Cost is $150.
This course is perfect for assistant directors, child care workers and those new to child care, said Susan Woods, Continuing Education Program Manager. “It also helps you maintain your required CEU (Continuing Education Units) credentials or it can be for workers wanting assistance in starting their own business,” she said.
The class provides an in-depth study of the skills and techniques in managing early child care and education programs, including legal and ethical issues, personnel management, team building, leadership, conflict resolution, stress management, advocacy, professionalism, fiscal analysis and planning parent education/partnerships.
Another course that provides the path to become a certified Child Development Associate meets on Monday and Wednesday evenings from Oct. 3 through March 1.
For more information, contact Susan Woods at 210/921-5336.
To register, call Palo Alto College’s Continuing Education Department at 210/921-5330.
First Blog Ever!
PALO ALTO COLLEGE TO STAGE LORCA
SAN ANTONIO - To cap off Hispanic Heritage Month, Palo Alto College brings back the popular one-man performance of LORCA by local playwright, actor and vocalist, José Rubén De León. Two performances are scheduled‹in English on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 11:25 a.m and en Español on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public.
Currently, De León is winding down from a very successful run of Simplemente Lara, a concert of songs by Mexican composer Agustín Lara at Jump-Star Perfomance Co.
As writer and producer of LORCA, De León, covers major aspects of the life and works of Spain¹s best-known poet and one of the most significant writers of the twentieth century, Federico García Lorca. The Spanish Civil War serves as a political background for LORCA and introduces audiences to the artist¹s prose, poetry, theatre, and songs, as well as the people who played significant roles at different stages of his life.
LORCA, set on the day of his arrest, also explores the multifaceted personality of the writer who was assassinated in 1936 by anti-Republican rebels, and whose books were destroyed and works banned for almost twenty years in Franco¹s Spain.
For information contact Luis Mercado at 210.921.5077.
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