Noteworthy
SFCC President Randy W. Grissom will retire in October. Grissom, who taught the first class at the new college in 1983, has led SFCC as president since 2013. During that time, he has promoted a unified, campus-wide commitment to increase student success. As a result, the college has almost doubled its graduation rate during his tenure.
“President Grissom’s steadfast and forward-thinking leadership has benefitted our students on multiple levels and in countless ways,” said Linda Siegle, chair of the SFCC Governing Board. “He has kept student success at the forefront of every initiative and decision, and it has paid off through a heightened focus on retention and increased graduation rates. He has fostered vital business and industry partnerships and championed innovative entrepreneurial programs that better prepare our students for good-paying jobs.”
“It has been an honor to serve SFCC and our students,” said Grissom. “I appreciate the outstanding support we have received from the Santa Fe community and I am confident that the college will continue to thrive.”
The SFCC Governing Board is currently conducting a search for an interim president. Read more about President Grissom’s legacy in an upcoming issue of Inside SFCC.
President Grissom was honored by Rising Stars in the Southwest at their annual fundraiser in September for his leadership in the community. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to helping local teens succeed in school, in the workforce and in every aspect of their lives.
SFCC is part of the Verde Community Impact Collaborative, which works to address climate and poverty issues. The group will help create new jobs and train young people in careers such as energy efficiency, weatherization, biofuel production, controlled environment agriculture, biomass recycling and more. Also part of the Collaborative are YouthWorks, the Food Depot, Reunity Resources, MoGro, ProScape, Wildfire Network, Interfaith Leadership Alliance, Dashing Delivery, All Trees Firewood, SFPS Adelante Program for Children, Youth and Families Experiencing Homelessness, and the Santa Fe Public Schools District.
Todd Eric Lovato has been named Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations. A former staff writer for the Albuquerque Journal, Lovato joined the college in 2007 and served as Director of Media Relations until 2011. He then was managing editor at Hutton Broadcasting for six radio stations and multiple city-centric websites. He rejoined the college in 2015 and played a key role in redesigning the college website, a project that earned him a “Communicator of the Year” award by the National Council of Marketing and Public Relations’ District 4.
SFCC welcomes Kathleen Sena as Registrar, succeeding Barbara Tucci who has retired. Sena is a native Santa Fean, and a graduate of Santa Fe High School and UNM, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Vocational Home Economics Education with a minor in Political Science. She has been involved in student services for more than 30 years, as Executive Director of the New Mexico Future Homemakers of America/ Home Economics Related Occupations, then in the Office of Admissions, the Office of the Registrar and as University Registrar at UNM. Most recently she was at Northern New Mexico College.
The U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration has awarded SFCC $351,800 to construct workforce training labs for Building Energy Automation and a Microgrid Training Center. With an anticipated 750 jobs created, these workforce training labs will be the first to serve the entire Northern New Mexico district and will provide specialized hands-on training in automation and microgrid energy distribution systems. This investment will create a research environment in the community to support product development and testing, job creation and training, and attract businesses to the region.
The Dental Program offered free dental education and dental screenings at the International Folk Arts Artists Resource Fair 2017. The dental booth was made possible by the New Mexico Dental Foundation, Henry Schein Dental Supply Company and Patterson Dental.
In July, 11 students received recognition pins for completing Dental Assisting and Dental Health certificate education requirements. Congratulations, Graduates!
Daniel Gutierrez (Executive Director of Human Resources), Margaret Peters (Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs), Randy Grissom (President), Romelia (Ivette) Saenz, Fashionette Montoya, Lizeth Tarango-Rodriguez, Rossy Soto, Victor Franco, Noah Bernardez, Dr. David Franklin (Dental Advisory Committee), Karla Martinez-Vigil (Dental Lab/Clinic Coordinator), Rudy Blea (Director, NM Oral Health program), Noel McCann (Adjunct faculty), and Dr. Aamna Nayyar (Director, Dental Department) Kneeling: Tenzin Dheden, Addisen Rodriguez, Yvette Perez and Ariana Perea
SFCC and the Higher Education Center partners are pleased to welcome Northern New Mexico College this fall. NNMC will offer bachelor’s degree programs in Information Engineering Technology, Project Management and Integrated Studies with a concentration in Psychology. NNMC joins Highlands University, the University of New Mexico and SFCC to offer courses for students who want to pursue an advanced degree while staying in Santa Fe. Students who start at SFCC and transfer typically save $10,000 or more, and SFCC graduates can transfer seamlessly into programs at the HEC partner institutions.
Amanda Hatherly, who is the director of the Center of Excellence for Green Building and Energy Efficiency and the New Mexico EnergySmart Academy, wrote the chapter, “Environmental Contaminants,” for the book Health and Well-Being for Interior Architecture. The book was published by Routledge and will be used as a college textbook.
Winners of Nontraditional Student Scholarships Announced
These $1,000 awards from the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund help local, nontraditional students return to formal education to expand job opportunities or pursue new careers with a certification or two-year degree from an accredited college or university in Northern New Mexico.
The July 2017 scholarship winners attending SFCC are:
• Bobby Barela of Santa Fe HVAC and plumbing
• Annadine Benavidez of Santa Fe hospitality and tourism
• Kathryn Eustice of Santa Fe nursing
• Rebekah Lane of Santa Fe biological sciences
• Ashley Montoya of Fairview nursing
• Carrie Quade of Santa Fe media arts
Since 2011, 173 Regional College/Returning Student scholarships totaling $173,000 have supported adult students from Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties.
SAVE the DATE
SAFE TRICK OR TREATING FOR KIDS Community Event Thursday, Oct. 26 | 3:30 to 6 p.m.
SFCC Main Hallway
