College of Marin - President’s Monday Briefing

COM is one of Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine’s picks of the year

The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine has issued its 10th Annual Publisher’s Picks, a list of colleges and universities in the 50 states and in Puerto Rico that are doing a commendable job of recruiting, retaining, educating, and graduating Hispanics. College of Marin has made the list! Colleges and universities were selected on the basis of student achievements, academic factors, advisement capabilities, and admissions. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® has been a top information news source and the sole Hispanic educational magazine for the higher education community and those involved in running our institutions of higher learning.

The December 2006 edition of Theatre Bay Area Magazine features an article, “Bang for the Buck: Theatre Classes at Community Colleges,” extolling the benefits of training for a career in show business at community colleges and applauding COM’s very successful Department of Theater Arts. Some of COM’s high-profile graduates include Robin Williams, David Ogden Stiers, David Dukes, Kathleen Quinlan, and, more recently, Leslie Hendrix of Law and Order.

Tree Preservation and Removal Project. Location: Kentfield Campus. Tree work will take place in the following areas: Circle Drive; Parking Lot #2 on Sir Francis Drake; area adjacent to Children’s Center (work will be accessed from the Tacqueria parking lot). If you need further information, contact Debra Roche-Mathau (415) 884-3195.

Storm Drain Repairs, Project Number 401A Location: Indian Valley Campus Storm drain repair work will occur in the following areas: Central Campus Glade between Miwok and Business Administration Clusters; Service Road between Miwok Cluster and the creek, and the Corporation Yard. Repairs consist of compacting, filling, and paving. Swale work will also continue along Ignacio Blvd during the week.

The College ends its 80th year this year. College Council has discussed various ideas to mark the occasion; however, this effort will require planning, time, and involvement by many people to be successful. College Council members would like to assess if there are adequate numbers of faculty, staff, and students willing to form an ad hoc committee to work on planning an event to mark this occasion probably at the end of next semester. If you are interested in working on the planning committee, please email Kathleen Kirkpatrick at (kathleen.kirkpatrick@marin.edu) as soon as possible. College Council will be taking this matter under consideration and making a recommendation at its next meeting on December 7, 2006.

The Child Development Center for the College of Marin is preparing for enrollment for the spring semester. Students’ children have first priority at our model preschool serving children ages 2.9 to 5 years of age; all children must be potty trained. Our warm and loving teachers are specialists in the field of early childhood education with an average of 15 to 20 years of professional child development experience. The Children’s Center focuses on nurturing the early learner’s development by fostering their creative play, satisfying their natural curiosity, and assisting them in their ability to relate to the world and the people around them. Most students qualify for state subsidies providing free or reduced child care fees. We offer breakfast, lunch, and snack as part of our program. The center follows the school schedule and is open from 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:45 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. Friday. We have a center at both the Kentfield Campus and the Indian Valley Campus. Preliminary applications can be obtained before December 15th at the centers or by calling Linda Hyland at (415) 883-2211, ext. 8221.

College of Marin Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Tara Flandreau, has created a professional audio CD of their fall 2006 performance. The CD features a variety of works, including Overture to Hansel & Gretel by Humperdinck, Jessica Ivry, conductor; Bruch Violin Concerto in G Minor with violin soloist, COM student Elizabeth Courtin; and Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor. Proceeds will benefit the COM Symphony Orchestra Program Fund. The CDs are $15 each and can be purchased through the COM Music Office. To order, please call ext. 7460 or 415-485-9460. Cash or checks payable to the COM Foundation will be accepted.

There will be a Holiday Jewelry Sale presented by Club Metals on Monday and Tuesday, December 4 and 5, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Learning Center Quad on the Kentfield Campus. For sale will be unique handcrafted pieces from COM’s celebrated jewelry program.

A Reception for the Artists for a new exhibit in the College of Marin Fine Art Gallery featuring an exploration of the art of collage by artists David King, Lisa Kokin, and Tom Thompson will be held on December 7, 2006, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Gallery on the Kentfield campus. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call Andrea Antonaccio (415) 485-9484.

The Music Department presents College Chorus and Chamber Singers who will perform on Thursday, December 7, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.in Lefort Recital Hall, Room 72, in the Fine Arts Building on the Kentfield Campus. Directed by Boyd Jarrell and from Stille Nacht to Stravinsky, the College Chorus and Chamber Singers combine their voices for an enjoyable evening. This holiday concert will feature anthems ancient and modern, as well as familiar and lesser known carols. Admission is free.

Guest director Anna Berner will direct Gert Hoffman’s darkly comic capitalist take on the apocalypse, Our Man in Madras. It’s the end of the world, but business as usual for our man in Madras. Rounding out the evening will be Improv by AWOL (Actors With Out Lines) COM’s resident improvisational performers. Our Man in Madras and Improv will be performed Fridays and Saturdays, December 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets for all Black Box Festival events are a suggested donation of $10 at the door. No advance sales or reservations. For information call (415) 485-9555.

You're invited to a retirement party for Marti Sukoski. The music department is hosting a reception on Friday, December 8th, at 12 noon right after the recital hour, in FA 75. Juice and cookies will be served as we wish Marti well. If you like, you may come at 11:10 a.m. to the recital, in the Fine Arts Theatre, where Marti will dance a tango with accompaniment by three of our talented music faculty! Please call (415) 485-9460 for further information.

On December 8 at 7 p.m. in Olney Hall 96, the COM Center for Regenerative Design will present John Francis: Saving the Planet One Step at a Time. This COMmunity Profile event features an intimate conversation with John Francis as he describes his pilgrimage on behalf of the environment and world peace that he describes as an interior journey as well as a physical trek walk across North and South America. Also, meet College of Marin Biology professor Paul Da Silva as he shares his perspective on environmental education. This event will be moderated by Sim Van der Ryn and Andres Edwards. For information about this event and the Center for Regenerative Design (CRD) call: (415) 457-8811 ext. 7727 or send an email to: andres@andresedwards.com.

The College of Marin Community Chorus presents Heavenly Counterpoint, a performance directed by Boyd Jarrell on Saturday, December 9, 2006 at 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre on the Kentfield campus. Admission is $15 general, and $10 for students, staff, seniors and alumni. The music of Josquin Desprez and Arvo Pärt will be performed by the one hundred voice College of Marin Community Chorus. They will present an all a- cappella program of spiritual beauty and technical grace. From the 16th century sacred counterpoint of the Josquin Desprez Missa De beata Virgine to the mystic 20th century tintinnabulism of Arvo Pärt, this concert encompasses some of the finest of devotional music ever written. Featured Pärt compositions include his Magnificat and Seven Magnificat Antiphons. Call the COM Box Office (415) 485-9385 for more information.

Measure C Construction Bond Program Community Forums will be held on December 13 and December 14, 2006. You will learn up-to-date details on how bond dollars are being used to revitalize both the Kentfield and Indian Valley campuses. Current site maps will be presented. The forums will include a question and answer session. The Kentfield Forum will be held Wednesday, December 13, 2006 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Olney Hall, Room 96. The Indian Valley Campus forum will take place on Thursday, December 14, 2006 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Campus Room AS101.

College of Marin Dance Department students and members of the COM Dance Company will perform at the Fall Student Recital on December 15, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kentfield Dance Studio. The program will feature guest aerialist Brennan Figari who has performed on the Ellen DeGeneres Show among other venues. Sandi Weldon’s Tap Class, Hip Hop Class, and Ballroom Dance Class will perform and featured student guest choreographers will contribute their original choreography to the event. Special guest Morgaine Nile, The Bubble Lady and professional clown, will also perform. There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door. For more information, contact Sandi Weldon (415) 485-9411 ext. 7732.

Gian Carlo Menotti’s seasonal classic: Amahl and the Night Visitors
Contemporary Opera Marin, the opera program of the College of Marin, Paul Smith, director, presents Amahl and the Night Visitors. This classic work by American composer Gian Carlo Menotti is perfect for the upcoming holiday season and is suitable for the entire family. Fully staged and sung in English, this performance, directed by James Dunn, lasts approximately one hour, The role of Amahl and the mother are shared by Seth Coad Douglass and Gail MacGowan (evening performances) and Liza Wallace and Carole Klein. Rick Wallace, Michael Irvine and Wendell Wilson, as the three wise men, are joined by a large chorus of villagers. Performances in Kentfield, Tiburon and Mill Valley.

Classified Personnel Appointments Welcome to the following new classified staff members who have accepted these respective appointments: Aftab Enty, Lab Technician – Biology F/T. Deirdre Martinez, Lab Technician for Microbiology F/T – 11 MPY. Joan Paulino has accepted the position of Office Technician – Admissions & Records F/T. Mary Sage, accepted the position with DSPS of E-Text Assistant for the Disabled student program. This position is P/T and 12 MPY. Leslie Sarfert, will be the new Office Technician for Admissions and Records F/T.

Resignation of classified personnel Kate Brady, Accountant submitted her letter of resignation effective November 1, 2006.

Resignation of Academic personnel Julie Driscoll, Instructor of Nursing Education, has submitted her resignation for personal reasons effective end of 2006-2007 Academic Year.

President's Monday Briefing webpage
Technical Contact: Nicole Cruz, Admin Assist., 415-485-9510
Content Responsible: Cathy Summa-Wolfe, Dir. of Communications & Community Relations, 415-485-9528