PAC Faculty Member Selected for Fulbright

Karen Mahaffy, a professor of art at Palo Alto College, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and research at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn, Estonia during the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Mahaffy will focus her research on “Considering Place: The Role and Influence of Place in Contemporary Art.” She is scheduled to depart for Estonia in February and return in July.

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the U. S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

Palo Alto College, one of the Alamo Community Colleges, 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 campus is located at 1400 W. Villaret Blvd. at I-410 South and Texas Hwy. 16 or online at www.accd.edu/pac.

Best Books of 2008

If you haven't had a chance yet, please check out the following article "Area book lovers share their choices for the top read of 2008" in today's San Antonio Express-News.

Please allow me to share with you five books by Hispanic authors that I have enjoyed reading in 2008:

Mexican Enough by Stephanie Elizondo Griest
Names on a Map by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Suckerpunch by David Hernandez
Next Stop: Growing Up Wild Style in the Bronx by Ivan Sanchez
Crazy Loco Love by Victor Villasenor

Thank you,
Vincent Bosquez
President, Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio

College Closed until January 5, 2009

The Alamo Community Colleges are closed for the holidays from December 22 to January 2. This includes Palo Alto College and its satellite locations and offices. We will resume regular operating hours beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, January 5, 2009. In the event of an emergency, please call our Department of Public Safety at 222-0911. For non-emergencies, please call 485-0099. Have a safe and joyful holiday season!

Alamo Community Colleges team up with Rampage

It looks like the Alamo Community Colleges will be hosting "High School Night with the San Antonio Rampage" on Saturday, January 10, 2009. Stay tuned for ticket information!!

McNay and SAMA

Recently the Alamo Community Colleges became members of the McNay Art Museum and the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA). Both memberships provide free admission for all faculty, staff, and students.

With the McNay membership, the benefits include free general admission (excluding paid exhibitions), use of the McNay Library and discounts on education programs and distinguished lectures.

The SAMA membership provides free admission with an ACC ID.

Thank you to the faculty who recommended the memberships!

Diane Greene Scholarship Winners

The Diane Greene Memorial Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the Spring 2009 scholarship recipients.

1. Jessica Gomez
2. Rosario Plascencia
3. Gabriella Reynosa
4. Karen Warren
5. Janneth Garcia
6. Norma Martinez

Congratulations to the above named students!!

Holiday Phone Message

Dear PAC Family,

As we did last year, below is a standard telephone message that can be used to let callers know we are on a holiday break. Please ensure you update your phone messaging system with the recommended message below:


Thank you for your call. The Alamo Community Colleges are closed for the holidays from December 22 to January 2. This includes Palo Alto College and its satellite locations and offices. We will resume regular operating hours beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, January 5, 2009. In the event of an emergency, please call our Department of Public Safety at 222-0911. For non-emergencies, please call 485-0099. Have a safe and joyful holiday season!

HACU President Comments on Education Secretary Appointment

Statement by HACU President
on the appointment of the new U.S. Secretary of Education

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) President and CEO Antonio Flores issued the following statement today on the appointment of Arne Duncan as the next U.S. Secretary of Education.

“The appointment of Mr. Arne Duncan as the next U.S. Secretary of Education is another step towards improving our schools so that all of our children have the opportunity to succeed in school, to graduate from high school, and to pursue their aspirations to college and university or to their chosen career.

"Having led the country’s third-largest school district for the past seven years, Mr. Duncan is surely familiar with the challenges to our nation’s ability to educate our youth. The majority of Hispanic young people are enrolled in large and often under-funded school districts. We trust that Mr. Duncan’s experience will raise awareness of the urgent need to increase the achievement rates of all students, but especially of those Hispanics who too often are denied the higher educational opportunities to develop their talents and make their best contributions to the American way of life.

"HACU will continue to work for more adequate funding to strengthen the capacity of Hispanic-Serving Institutions of higher learning (HSIs) and Hispanic-Serving School Districts.

"HACU pledges to work with Mr. Duncan to assure equal access to education for every student. We look forward, under this new administration, to a renewed commitment to educational access and success for all Americans as the only sure and solid foundation of our country’s future."

Book Review: Forgotten Patriots

Thank you to everyone who has commented on my book review of "Forgotten Patriots," which appeared in yesterday's San Antonio Express-News.

In case you missed it, here it is: Forgotten Patriots

Jane Hope Scholarship Recipients

The Jane Hope Memorial Scholarship Selection Committee is pleased to announce the Spring 2009 scholarship recipients.

1. Loraine Rodriguez

2. Mellisa Warren

Each student will receive $300 for the Spring semester at Palo Alto College. This is a onetime award. The scholarship will not be renewed, however a qualified student could reapply at a future date.

PAC Power Outage

A power outage has occurred in the following buildings: Ozuna, Ray Ellison Family Center, Vet Tech and the Gym/Natatorium. The buildings will be closed until power has been restored. Everyone working in the above mentioned buildings have been relocated to the PAC Student Center.

We will keep you updated on further developments.

PAC Charitable Campaign "A Success"

Dear PAC Family,

Pardon my grammar but you guys are awesome!

Thank you for your participation in the 2008 ACCD Charitable Giving Campaign. As you can see from the email below, your generosity has set a District record! And a lot of deserving students and agencies will receive must needed financial assistance thanks to you.

I hope everyone who contributed has received his or her "Thank You" gift. If not, please come by my office and pick it up.

Thank you once again for opening your hearts and pocketbook to the ACCD Foundation and the Bexar County United Way.

With Great Admiration,
Vince

From: DUBAY, ROLAND
Sent: Wed 12/10/2008 3:54 PM
Subject: Employee Charitable Giving Appeal ends with a SUCCESSFUL BANG

CONGRATULATIONS to Susan Espinoza, Sarah Padilla, Jorge Trevino, Gloria Hernandez, Vincent Bosquez, Christin Godin, Deb Morgan, Pat Majors, and Joan Barborak who carried out the lion’s share of coordinating, encouraging, facilitating, recording, etc. the MOST SUCCESSFUL EVER Employees’ Charitable Giving Appeal: FINAL TOTAL is $145,250.

We exceeded our GOAL of $140,000, & are $17,250 OVER our high of last year (and did it all in 6 weeks … instead of 3 months as in past years) … EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT. Congratulations to all!!!! AND A BIG THANK YOU. I appreciate all your hard work and efforts.

Roland C. DuBay, Th.D.
Executive Director, Institutional Advancement

Chancellor's Suggestion Box

M E M O R A N D U M


TO: The Alamo Community Colleges Family

FROM: Dr. Bruce Leslie, Chancellor

DATE: December 9, 2008

SUBJECT: Chancellor’s Suggestion Box

As the economy continues to deteriorate, the future financial health of ACC becomes of greater concern. This recent downturn will certainly negatively affect our level of state support and, most likely, result in a greater number of students at our door. Because we cannot rely on the state for substantial new revenues, we must turn to ourselves for solutions. With this in mind, I have created a Chancellor’s Suggestion Box (located on my web page) to collect the thoughts and ideas from all employees. In my experience, it is those that are closest to the customers and processes that typically have the best insight as to how to cut costs, generate additional revenues, and increase operational efficiencies. In short, ACC needs your help.

Please take a moment to provide your feedback via the link below. I am confident that, collectively, we will be able to identify many areas for improvements and thus strengthen our fiscal position. Your thought-leadership on this initiative will be critical to our short- and long-term success both operationally and financially.

I have also directed that a committee be formed to review the recommendations and advise me of those that have the greatest merit. The committee will be co-chaired by Jim McLaughlin and Tom Cleary and consist of two representatives from each college and district.

As an added incentive, the ACC Foundation has agreed to award cash bonuses to those submitting the best actionable ideas.

As always, I appreciate all the important work that each of you do along with your continued support of, and dedication to, the students and communities of ACC.


Chancellor’s Suggestion Box

PAC Staff Workstation Replacement Plan

The inaugural PAC Staff Workstation Replacement Plan is being rolled out by the Information & Communication Technology department. Approximately 54 machines will be replaced campus-wide with funding from FY 08 budget sweeps.

The following criteria were used to determine selection:

(1) Employment status - Full time staff received priority consideration
(2) Year of original purchase – Four years from date of purchase (District & Grant-funder personnel are not funded from this Plan but are tracked to anticipate a four replacement)

The following process is used to replace a workstation:

a) A technician will contact the user to schedule an appointment for replacement.
b) The technician will backup all work related data (non-work related music files & photos are excluded).
c) A notation of unique software & peripheral devices will be noted for installation on the new system.
d) A technician will then remove the old system to return to Materials Management.
e) The New system will then be placed and setup with a basic package of Office 2007, and email configuration.
Data and unique software will be loaded on the new system at this time.
f) A Fixed Asset Transfer Form will be filled out and submitted at the time of completion.

Each replacement will take about one hour to complete. Completion is scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, 2008.

Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we work toward implementation of the PAC Staff Workstation Replacement Plan.

Loop 410

The extrance/exit route from the campus to the Loop 410 access road is now open!

Dances in Progress

DANCES IN PROGRESS:

FALL 2008

MODERN DANCE, BALLET FOLKLORICO,

SOCIAL DANCE, JAZZ & FUNK HIP-HOP
PRESENTED BY PAC DANCE PROGRAM

featuring
FACULTY WORKS by
ERICA WILSON-PERKINS
JEANNETTE CHAVEZ
MICHELLE ANGULO

and

STUDENT WORKS by

PACDANCE PERFORMANCE

GROUP MEMBERS:
MONICA AYALA
GENIE DAVIS
ERIC FLORES
SAVANNA RICHARDSON
AARON SALAS
JESSICA VIERA
WANDA VOGT
ALYSSA K. WANDER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12
7PM

SATURDAY,
DECEMBER 13
7PM

FREE ADMISSION!

PALO ALTO COLLEGE

GYM/NATATORIUM

RM 202

Conjunto Palo Alto on KABB

In case you missed it, here’s the news segment on the Conjunto CD Release by KABB:

http://www.kabb.com/

Look for the tab “News Video” and click on it.
Now, the tricky part.
Do NOT click on “Conjunto CD Release.” If you do, you will see Governor Perry meeting with auto dealers.
Instead, click on “Auto Dealer Bailout”
Then, "Play Video."

Enjoy!

PAC Bereavement Notice

Willis W. Johnson, father of Dr. Stacey Johnson, Vice President of Academic Affairs, passed away Tuesday evening at the age of 83. Funeral Arrangements are as follows:

Barnes Funeral Home
209 N. Douglas
Sedan, KS 67361
(620) 725-3101

In memory of Bill Johnson

Burial Services
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008
10:30 a.m.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Dr. Johnson and her family.

Palomino Book Club

Diane Lerma sent the following note and photo regarding the recent meeting of the Palomino Book Club:

The meeting was an overwhelming success—we had to grab chairs from another classroom to accommodate 30 students.

What: Palomino Book Club
When: November 19, 2008
Who: PAC students
Purpose: To read for fun and knowledge

Other: Students who read the “Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch also received a club t-shirt. Pizzas and drinks were provided.

Thank you.

Diane N. Lerma
Lead Instructor of Reading
Palo Alto College
Office: 210.921.5091

Mass and Meal

Mass and Meal

WHEN: Thursday, December 4

WHERE: Business Room 106

TIME: 1 P.M.

Sponsored by:

Catholic Campus Ministry Student Organization

A light lunch will be served following Mass

ALL ARE WELCOME!

For details, contact Anna Rodriguez at

arodriguez799@mail.accd.edu

Or

Gerardo Mechler at

gmechler@mail.accd.edu