Mt. SAC Student of Distinction Named to All-USA Academic Team
Mt. SAC’s Laurie Covarrubias was among 20 students from across the nation to be selected to the distinguished All-USA Community College Academic Team by Phi Theta Kappa, the international community college honor society.
She was recognized at the 54th annual PTK Presidents Breakfast during the annual convention of the American Association of Community Colleges this week in Orlando. Laurie is a member of an elite Top-20 class of students, having been chosen among an highly competitive pool of 1,700 students from over 800 colleges in 48 states, Guam and Canada. Winners’ selections are based on academic record, leadership skills and campus/community involvements. Last month, Laurie was inducted onto the All-California Academic First Team.
Laurie, 29, is a geological anthropology major and Honors Program student at Mt. SAC with a 3.75 GPA. A first-generation, reentry college student, Laurie has been recognized as a Student of Distinction for her academic success while overcoming several personal challenges. She has served as the VP of scholarship for Mt. SAC’s PTK chapter.
Driven by a passion for the plight of Native Americans, Laurie is heading a school supplies and personal products drive on campus to help supply the needs of Native American school children in South Dakota as well as families who need soap and shampoo. Off campus, the mother of a 4-year-old son continues to help local elders attend powwows.
As for her immediate future, Laurie plans to transfer to Pitzer College next fall and pursue a bachelor’s degree in criminalistics with the hopes of joining the ranks of the LAPD or FBI. (Posted 4-24-12)
Forensics Team Captures Gold at Nationals
Congratulations to Communication Professors Jeff Archibald, Danny Cantrell and Mei Ling Hsieh and their Mt. SAC Forensics Team, which won an overall gold medal at the recent Phi Rho Phi National Championship Tournament in Schaumburg, Ill.
The team placed second among the 58 community colleges competing and also finished second in the Individual Events Sweepstakes. Notably, the team placed third in the Debate Sweepstakes, marking Mt. SAC’s first award in this category in more than a decade.
Individually, Mt. SAC students won seven gold, five silver, and five bronze medals. Simon Rhee won the Bovero Award as the tournament’s top individual speaker—the first Mt. SAC winner of this distinction in nine years. He won four gold medals in the extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, parliamentary debate, and speech to entertain competitions.
These honors cap a rewarding tournament season for this distinguished team and further solidify Mt. SAC’s dominance in speech and debate competition nationally. (Posted 4-23-12)
State Title Holders—again!
Congratulations to Head Coach Brian Crichlow and the Mountie Women’s Basketball Team for capturing the state championship by defeating No. 1 seed Foothill College (68-58). This win marks the Mountie’s its fifth California Community College Athletic Association State Championship and further enhances the renowned athletics legacy of the college. (Posted 4-10-12)
Health Occupations Students Win Medals at State Competition
Congratulations to Psychiatric Technician Professor Mary-Ellen Reyes and Mt. SAC’s Health Occupations Students of America team for winning three silver and three bronze medals at the HOSA State Leadership Conference in Garden Grove. Some 1,600 students competed at the conference. In addition to the medal wins, the Mt. SAC team placed three finalists in the Healthcare Issues Exam, where there were over 500 competitiors. The students are now eligible to compete in the National Leadership Conference in Orlando in June. (Posted 4-10-12)
Trustees Approve Redistricting Plan
to Expand Community Representation
The Board of Trustees last month approved a redistricting plan that will expand the board from five to seven members and alter the way in which board members are elected, changing from at-large elections to intra-district elections.
The new trustee areas will embrace the western edge of Mt. SAC's district, specifically covering West Covina/Valinda and Baldwin Park/Irwindale.
The redistricting was prompted by the 2010 Census and the need to comply with the California Voting Rights Act. The approved plan creates four majority minority Latino seats, with the fifth seat being majority minority Asian. The election for the two additional board members will be held in 2013. (Posted 4-5-12)
Continuing Education Self-Study Accreditation Report Completed
After two years of intensive effort, the Continuing Education Division has released its 2012 Continuing Education WASC ACS Self-Study Accreditation Report. The 200+ page document represents the tireless collective work of nearly 60 division faculty, staff, managers, and students.
The report has been submitted for review by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and Accrediting Commission for Schools. A WASC/ACS team of faculty and administrators representing various adult education programs throughout Southern California will visit the Mt. SAC campus for four days (March 25-28) to validate the Self-Study Report through observations, interviews, an examination of evidence, and meetings with division employees.
At the conclusion of the visit, the team will issue a public report of its findings to Continuing Education and submit a report to WASC/ACS for action. It will contain recommendations regarding the school's ongoing improvement process. The final evaluation and accreditation status of Continuing Education will be issued by the WASC in a formal written document in the summer.
“I want to extend a huge thank you to Standards and Program Team chairs, who each spent countless hours leading a WASC Team,” said Continuing Education Dean Donna Burns. “Special recognition goes to all those who participated on one or more WASC teams. You hard work, time and expertise have helped lead the division towards continual improvement. Part of what makes Continuing Education a special place to work is its dedication of faculty and staff. I appreciate all of you!”
2 Students Named to State Academic Teams
Mt. SAC students Laurie Covarrubias and Hirbod Rahimi are two of the 68 community college students throughout the state recently selected for the 2012 All-California Academic teams, chosen by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international community college honor society.
Covarrubias and Rahimi, both students in Mt. SAC's Honors Program, received medallions during the Community College League of California’s awards ceremony held on March 7 at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento. The academic team award is based on grades, leadership, and community service.
Covarrubias, 29, is a biology major and carries a 3.94 GPA. She was selected for the All-California Academic First Team. A resident of West Covina, she serves as vice president of scholarship for Mt. SAC’s PTK chapter. On campus, she is a member of the Native American Intertribal Student Association (NAISA), is a presenter for the college’s Single Parent Academy, and volunteers for the Child Development Center. She also serves as a volunteer off campus with the Lodge Circle Ministries. She was honored as one of Mt. SAC’s Students of Distinction last year. She plans to transfer to Pomona Pitzer College as a biology major.
Rahimi, 19, is also a biology major and carries a 3.6 GPA. He was selected for the All-California Academic Third Team. A resident of La Verne, he serves as vice president of service for PTK. On campus, he also serves as a student instructor in anatomy and chemistry, is a member of the Caduceus Club, and played on the college’s tennis team. Off campus, he is an intern with Citrus Valley Hospice and a volunteer with the Emeritus Alzheimer’s Center in San Dimas. He plans to transfer to either Dartmouth College or Northwestern University as a neuroscience major.
The 22 first-team, 22 second-team, and 24 third-team winners represent the best and brightest scholars among California’s 2.8 million community college students.
Soccer Team Rocks . . . and rolls with 3-pete titles
Mt. SAC trustees recognized the “three-pete” national and state title-holding Men’s Soccer Team at a recent reception in Founders Hall. The event marked the third consecutive year that the soccer program and Head Coach Juan Sanchez captured the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Men's Soccer Championship.
Along with this state honor, the team also captured the Continental Tire National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Division III Junior College National Championship, Southern California Championship and South Coast Conference (SCC) Championship.
The team finished with an undefeated record of 20 wins and 3 ties and garnered numerous individual accolades. Coach Sanchez was named “Coach of the Year” by the NSCAA West Regional Community College and South Coast Conference. Sophomore Goalkeeper Alfredo Ontiveros was named the NSCAA “Player of the Year,” sophomore defender Eric Flores was named to the NSCAA All-American First Team, and sophomore Luis Fuentes was named to the All-American Third Team as well as being named the SCC’s ” Offensive Player of the Year.” Go Mounties! (Posted 3-5-12)
Mt. SAC Students Protest Education Revenue Reductions
Sporting “March in March” sweatshirts, a delegation of some 30 Mt. SAC students joined fellow students around the state in Sacramento to protest budget cuts and demand support for public higher education.
The organized demonstrations came on the heels of the recent “February Surprise” that was unexpectedly announced, containing additional budget cuts due to unmet revenue projections, higher demand for student fee waivers, and lower-than-expected property tax receipts. All of this translated into an additional $149-million revenue reduction for the state’s 112 community colleges.
As with Mt. SAC, many colleges have been forced to cut class sections, adopt further efficiency measures, and dip into cash reserves to offset these and previous revenue shortfalls from the state. (Posted 3-5-12)
Forensics Team Takes Big Bite Out of Big Apple
Mt. SAC’s nationally ranked Forensics Team took a big bite out of the Big Apple by completing another tournament weekend sweep—this time in New York City. The team placed first overall with 40 awards at both halves of the Long Island Forensics Extravaganza.
According to coach Jeff Archibald, this win marks the ninth time this year that Mt. SAC has taken top honors at a competition. “We’re so incredibly proud of the team as a whole, as well as each individual team member, who performed exceptionally well at this highly competitive venue,” he said.
The team dominated the categories of Informative Speaking and Communication Analysis, taking five of six awards in both categories over two days of competition. Team members Hishaam Siddiqi and Jennifer Lee each won five awards, while Matthew Guest took home six awards.
Congratulations to the entire team and its coaches, Jeff, Danny Cantrell, and Shae Hsieh. (Posted 3-5-12)
Mt. SAC Launches Support Program for
Underperforming Asian/Pacific Islander Students
Community leaders joined the campus community Feb. 29 to celebrate the public launch of Mt. SAC’s new support program designed especially for underperforming Asian-American, Native American, and Pacific Islander students. The rollout event was held in Founders Hall to inform everyone about the program goals and strategies for improving the academic performance and enriching the college experience for these students, who represent 25% of Mt. SAC’s credit student population.
Thanks to a $2-million, five-year federal grant, Mt. SAC will provide instructional support, counseling intervention, student development, and faculty development services. The program also contains a research and evaluation component with the intent to share best practices and lessons learned with other institutions and stakeholders.
According to program interim Director Aida Cuenza, the program will target first-generation, low-income, recent immigrant students whose needs include English language development, basic skills, tutoring, counseling intervention, cultural experiences.
The Asian-American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institutions Program is a competitive federal grant program provided through the U.S. Department of Education. Mt. SAC is proud to be among the 21 institutions across the nation to be selected for the grant and declared an AANAPISI institution. (Posted 3-2-12)
