Reimagining the Future of College of the Siskiyous
During Convocation Day, the College participated in a workshop that allowed us to start diving into educational master planning. We are now putting lessons learned into action but we need your voices to ensure that the College is meeting the needs of its community, students, and employees.
Proposed Planning Process and Timeline
Phase I: Discovery Phase - Data Gathering, Analysis, and Synthesis
July 2023 to October 2023: Thank you to those who have already completed the following survey. If you haven’t completed the survey yet, it's not too late! Click on the applicable link below to complete. Deadline: Nov. 3, 2023.
Phase II: Portfolio Development - Identification of Recommendations/Priorities
January 2024: Schedule public Town Hall to discuss recommendations/priorities and commence draft of Education Master Plan.
February 2024 to May 2024: Present working draft to participatory governance groups and update draft as needed.
Phase III: Establish Goals & Finalize
May 2024: Confirm final goals, obtain participatory governance and Board of Trustees approval of final Educational Master Plan.
June 2024: Adoption of the Final 2024 – 2029 Educational Master Plan.
For any questions regarding the Educational Master Plan process, email Dr. Mark Fields at mfields1@siskiyous.edu.
October is National:
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation to receive breast cancer facts and stats as well as to request a free Breast Cancer Signs and Symptoms guide.
LGBT History Month: LGBT History Month celebrates the accomplishments and advocacy of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender icons. Additionally, October 11th celebrates Coming Out Day. Coming Out Day acknowledges that every individual deserves the right to live their lives authentically and honestly. Race, ethnicity, language, religion, culture, gender expression, sexual orientation, and gender identity should never be barriers (Human Rights Campaign, 2023). Learn how you can support these efforts by clicking here.
Emotional Wellness Month: Did you know your emotional well-being has powerful effects on your overall health? Mental and emotional stress can translate into negative physical reactions, a weakened immune system, and poor health (nationalday.com). This month is an opportunity for you to focus on your emotional wellbeing. The National Institute of Health provides six strategies for improving your emotional health:
To learn more, visit: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/emotional-wellness-toolkit. I also highly recommend the book 'The Stress Prescription' by Dr. Elissa Epel.
Undocumented Student Action Week: October 16 – 20, 2023
The California Community Colleges system enrolls the largest population of undocumented students in the nation, and our community allies and college faculty, staff, and administrators are vitally important to ensuring that all of our students can achieve their goals and dreams, regardless of their citizenship status (California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO), 2023). The CCCCO is hosting a number of inclusive, accessible, and virtual events throughout the week. To learn more, visit the College's Undocumented Student Action Week webpage.
2023 College & Career Day: College of the Siskiyous along with UC Davis Upward Bound, Siskiyou County Office of Education, College/Career Options, and SiskiyouWorks will host College & Career Day at the Weed Campus on Tuesday, October 17 from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm. Students from Siskiyou County High Schools will have the opportunity to meet COS faculty and staff; view demonstrations; gather information on COS academic programs; and have fun. The College & Career Fair hosts representatives from other colleges and universities as well as industry partners and employers. High school seniors and their parents, current COS students or any student who would like to attend the College & Career Day event is invited to stop by the Weed Campus on October 17.
Holiday Craft Fair: The 26th Annual COS Holiday Craft Fair will be Friday evening, December 1 (5:00 to 8:00 pm) and Saturday, December 2 (9:00 am to 3:00 pm) at the COS Weed Campus in the Gym. This Craft Fair celebrates the finest of handcrafted products produced by local and regional artisans and crafters. Vendor registration is open. However, spaces are filling quickly. For more information or to request a registration packet call (530) 938-5373 or email foundation@siskiyous.edu.
Stay Connected: Now that school has started, it is a great time to sign up for the college's communication system, "COS Connect" powered by Everbridge. This is a free system used to notify students and staff of emergency situations, campus closures, or general information. To sign up click on the COS Connect button located on the COS homepage and follow the directions to get signed up.
Come Join Our Team: We are looking for new volunteers to join the Eagle's Nest team. Volunteers work as cashiers, screen items as they come in, price merchandise, repair items, research antiques, etc. There is never a dull moment at the Eagles Nest. If you know of anyone who may be interested in volunteering or working as a paid student worker, have them call (530) 938-4663 or stop by the Eagle's Nest Shop to speak with Angel Keen, Shop Supervisor.
Upcoming Activities & Events: Event dates, times, and locations based on information available at the time of publication and are subject to change.
October
November
COS Performing Arts Thrilled to Present Fall Production of "She Kills Monsters" by Qui Nyugen.
"She Kills Monsters" is a story about kids who make up stories, stories in which girls wield swords, and nerds rule the earth. A comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games, "She Kills Monsters" follows the journey of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook, how-ever, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly's refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed young playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.
We had such a great response to our auditions that the show was cast TWICE…so we have two full casts that will be sharing the stage during this run. We have current and former COS students, students from Weed and Mount Shasta High Schools that are cast, crew, monsters in this fun production.
December
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The Office of Research wanted to share some updates on our enrollment growth that we have observed in our academic divisions and subjects from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023. It is evident that the dedication of our students, staff, and faculty has made a positive impact.
Division Updates:
Career Technical Education has experienced a notable 17% growth, jumping from 509 to 593 students. Additionally, both Health/Physical Education/Kinesiology and Liberal Arts and Sciences have seen a 12% increase in student enrollment this year. Notably, our Non-Credit division deserves special mention for its impressive growth of 362%, rising from 47 to 217 students.
| Fall 2022 | Fall 2023 | Change | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career & Technical Education | 509 | 593 | 84 | 17% |
| Health/Physical Ed./Kinesiology | 323 | 361 | 38 | 12% |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | 891 | 995 | 104 | 12% |
| Non-credit | 47 | 217 | 170 | 362% |
Subject Insights:
The below graph shows our top ten subjects with the most enrollment growth by percentage from Fall 2022 compared to Fall 2023. This aligns with our overall general growth of registered credits, which now stands at 11,902 credits, an increase of 1,589 credits (15% growth) over the previous fall term.
Check the Athletics webpage for game schedules, scores, and photos from the events. Go Eagles!
Vice President, Student Services
October is here, fall colors are everywhere. Student Services is busy with hiring, report submissions, campus events, and much more. Just recently, the Student Center got a makeover and has new furniture and a new look. It is a wonderful space that students will be able to enjoy eating, studying, and hanging out in. Thank you to those that helped make it happen.
This month we are hosting our College & Career Day and are excited to have dozens of colleges, universities, and employers on campus participating in the College & Career Fair. In addition, various departments from across COS are participating by doing workshops, presentations, and hosting booths. Thank you to the many folks who have volunteered to make this event possible. Hosting hundreds of our K-12 students, welcoming the general public, and providing this service for our own COS students is a tremendous undertaking but it is well worth it. Thank you to all who have helped but particularly to Liz Jungermann, Stephanie Wroten, Regina Weston, Dawnie Slabaugh, Christina Wiglesworth, Brenda Collins, Erin Kangas, Josh Collins, and Janice Porterfield. Due to unforeseen circumstances, many had to step up and help in ways that would not have normally been their responsibility but I appreciate the support from all across campus. Thank you as well to our facilities crew, cafeteria crew, presenters, and booth representatives for making this all happen as well. I would also like to acknowledge our outside partners such as SCOE, Siskiyouworks, and College Options.
I often mention how wonderful and blessed I am to work with the team in Student Services. They make each day a joy. I want to also acknowledge and show appreciation for our colleagues in Academic Affairs, Administrative Services, and the President's Office. We appreciate your support, collaboration, and input as we work together to serve students at COS. The staff, faculty, ASM, and administrators in those departments at COS bring a smile to my face and laughter to my heart. I enjoy each day working with them but also just being around them. Thank you for being the superb people that you all are and making where we work such a wonderful place.
Fall semester at TRiO is in full swing!
Fiscal Services Staff are working on the final stretch of closing out the FY 2022-2023 financials in order to submit the CCFS-311 due October 10.
In order to help with the processes in the Business Office, they have been developing a training schedule for budget managers and other interested staff. They would like to have monthly training sessions, but need your help deciding on the topics. Topics that have been suggested and will be considered include proper account coding, program codes, 50% coding, monthly reconciliations. If you have other ideas for topics, please email them to Melissa Ericsson at mericsson@siskiyous.edu.
Here is a monthly tentative list, which is subject to change:
Recently completed projects:
Upcoming projects:
Reminder: Facilities is no longer collecting batteries that did not originate from our own supply. Disposal is very expensive for the College, so we are no longer accepting personal dead battery collections.
Safety Committee
When to use 5911 or 911:
Examples of 5911 Use:
Immediate assistance from the police, fire department, or ambulance call - 911.
Just a reminder to everyone that the speed limit on campus is 10 mph.
The Client Services team continues to execute a workstation refresh for Athletics. They have completed the FY23-24 refresh for TRiO and has moved on to two additional departments in Student Services, anticipating completion before the end of the calendar year.
The Classroom/Lab Improvements Project (CLIP) taskforce has finished the initial draft of the Classroom/Lab Service definition and will soon complete the Classroom/Lab Standard. Both will be taken to the Academic Senate for review and input.
A committee has been formed to evaluate the College's printing and copying needs and then implement a new lease to implement these needs. This lease will need to be in-place by January when the current lease expires.
Due to a change in hardware support by Zoom, the Client Services team has begun the process of replacing the existing Zoom room controllers throughout campus. We plan to have this completed by the end of the month.
The Enterprise Application team continues to work on updating the existing student application import process to utilize improved technology that will allow us to incorporate all data provided by students on the CCCApply web site.
A vendor engaged by the Chancellor's Office to perform a security review has completed an analysis of our technology infrastructure along with penetration testing to identify any potential vulnerabilities. The Infrastructure Services Team will be meeting with them to review the results and develop an action plan to develop any issues that may have been identified. The Infrastructure Services Team also continues its efforts with an outside vendor to implement the Microsoft A5 Security Suite to significantly enhance the College's cybersecurity posture. In this month, we will be implementing two new capabilities. First, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint will be installed on all workstations to identify and eradicate malicious software. Second, Microsoft Exchange Online Protection will be implemented to better filter spam and protect against phishing attacks.
We are hoping to fill the Food Services Cook position within the next few weeks. Once that occurs, the Department will finally be fully staffed! Kudos to Rob and his staff for getting the new point of sale system (TOAST) up and running. This new system will allow us to implement mobile ordering in the next few months.
Fire Technology has been ramping up since returning from summer break. Over the summer, we have been able to complete a few large projects that have been in the works. We are proud to announce that our new Ventilation Roof Prop has been installed and is in service. The Prop is hydraulically controlled so we can change the roof pitch from flat to very steep to train our Fire Fighters on various types of roofs. We have also received two new forcible entry door props, along with many new tools and hose.
Huge thanks to the Weed High School Wood Shop for being a supporter of our program. We entered into a partnership with them over the last year where we supply the materials and plans for the students, and they build the projects. The projects are normally props we need to support educational learning objectives. Pictured is a restricted access dormer for the forcible entry door prop that was constructed by the Weed High School Students.
Our Core in person and online classes are holding strong with 15 students as we continue to expand our online offerings. The CTE office has been hard at work registering 36 Cadets for the 45th Fire Academy. The Academy will run from October 30, with graduation on May 3, 2024. We have many stand-alone classes being scheduled to support our working Fire Fighters career advancement and job skills.
Hi Everyone.
Academic Senate will be working on revising our local COSGE pattern this Friday, October 13 (which is also Dawnie Slabaugh's birthday – Happy Birthday, Dawnie!). We need to update our local COSGE pattern to incorporate Ethnic Studies, which is now a graduation requirement. We also need to discuss if we want to make additional changes to our GE pattern to align more with Cal-GETC. I am hoping we get a good faculty turnout, so everyone's voice is heard in this process. The Academic Senate will provide lunch and refreshments for this meeting.
In addition, the Faculty Prioritization Taskforce met in late September and created our priority list for new faculty hiring. We still have a few faculty positions that were budgeted but never hired this last year. This includes Ethnic Studies/History, Physics/Math, and Business. For Business, Sherice Bellamy and Mark Klever decided to wait on hiring this faculty position until next year. Instead, it was decided that the EMS Instructor for Mendocino would be hired in place of Business. Here is the list of new faculty hiring positions the Faculty Prioritization Taskforce decided on (Notably, this list is not rank ordered):
This list of new faculty hiring positions was brought to IPB on October 6 where it was approved. Now, we are waiting for final approval from Dr. Perlas and an indication of how many faculty positions will be recruited in the coming year. I hope that the College decides to fund and recruit all of these instructor positions. The only way we will grow as a College and increase enrollment is by hiring faculty and expanding academic programs.
Thanks for listening,
Andrea Craddock, Ph.D.
Academic Senate President
No other reports received.
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