Campus Weekly
Congratulations Graduates!
In the photo, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (at far left) takes a moment to capture an image of SFCC’s Fall graduates. The highest ranking Hispanic serving in the U.S. House of Representatives talked to the graduates about the importance of getting an education, using your education and supporting others on their journey. He also reflected upon the college’s 35th anniversary and the role his father, the late Ben Luján, played in the establishment of the college. His father was a longtime member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, serving as Majority Whip and Speaker of the House. “He carried the legislation that created Santa Fe College. And that legislation passed by only one vote,” he said. He added that all graduates should vote and make a difference. He acknowledged the faculty saying, “Teaching is one of the most noble professions.”
Congressman Luján praised the college’s sustainability programs and the impact those graduates will make. He also noted that his father, who belonged to the Ironworkers Union, had to go to California to learn how to weld and how impressed he would be to know that the college now has a welding program.
He emphasized to the graduates to “be proud of what you accomplished, but don’t every stop treating people with respect.”
News and Announcements
Save the Date: Convocation, January 14
Spring 2019 Convocation begins Thurs., Jan. 10 with the campus-wide meeting scheduled for Mon., Jan. 14. See the agenda.
Respiratory Therapy Graduation, 11 a.m. Dec. 10
Respiratory Therapy will have its graduation today, Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. at the biowall in the Health and Sciences Center.
Stop by for the ceremony and then stay after to congratulate the graduates!
OIT Maintenance Alert Dec. 13
OIT will be performing system patching and maintenance on Thursday, December 13 starting at 5 p.m. The updates are expected to be completed by 10 p.m. Systems will be affected by intermittent outages. Sorry for any inconvenience.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact the OIT Service Desk at 505-428-1222.
Congratulations Nursing grads!
Last week the 2018 Nursing cohort celebrated with the traditional pinning ceremony. The graduates, who received an AAS in Nursing include Andrew Boe, Loretto Garcia and Dan Harada. The BSN Nursing graduates are Abigail Beagle, Heathe Galeano, Amy King, Marlena Lewis, Scott Martin, Andrew Meyer, Matthew Moody, Ashlyn Nunley, Marcos Perez, Darlene Quintana, Saira Rio, Kelly Smith and Kaitlyn Trujillo.
Photo: Keynote speaker Ramar Jette, director of SFCC’s Medical Simulation Center, addressed the class.
SFCC celebrated the first group of Early Childhood Certificate grads who were taught in Spanish
SFCC has its first group of Early Childhood Development graduates who took all of their classes in Spanish. SFCC has 45 who received their certificates. There’s a huge demand for those grads in our community.
Jennifer Duran-Sallee, Director of the Early Childhood Center of Excellence said, “Special thanks to Tiffany Bracamontes for her dedication to supporting the group, Olga Jaramillo as our first professor in Spanish and Dawn Wink for continued dedication to making this a possibility.”
Director of Teacher Education Dawn Wink shared this video that captures the festive feel of the celebration.
Clay Club supports Campus Cupboard
The SFCC Clay Club reports they will donating $1,300 to the SFCC Campus Cupboard. The donated funds were raised through the recent Silent Auction.
The Club sends along a big thank you to the campus community, which made this year’s 10th annual sale a success.
Search Inside Yourself on campus last week
The Spanish cohort of “Search Inside Yourself” by Google took place last week. The two-day training session, which is provided by the college’s Early Childhood Center of Excellence and its partnership with First Born through United Way, provides participants with practical mindful leadership and emotional intelligence tools.
Science on a Sphere
Experience SFCC’s Science on a Sphere during free presentations:
Mon., Dec. 10, noon to 2 p.m.
Wed., Dec 12, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Winter Solstice Program
The Science on a Sphere is an educational product of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The satellite imagery has been provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). For more information, contact Lenny Gannes, ext. 1757.
Get your team ready!
Registration for the Third Annual Gerald Clay Memorial Basketball Tournament (April 6 and 7, 2019) will open Jan. 2 at New Mexico Sports Online.
For more information, contact Miquela Martinez, ext. 1656 or 1615.
If you don’t play basketball, but you want to join in the fun, contact Sandra Brintnall, ext. 1508, to sign up for a time to volunteer at the event.
Pardon Our Mess
The William C. Witter Fitness Education Center will be closed for beautification and upgrades Dec. 8 through Jan. 13, 2019. Your support of local bonds helped fund these renovations.
Additionally, the gymnasium will be closed for floor refurbishing Dec. 3 through Feb. 4, 2019.
Thank you!
Student Spotlight
¡Viva! continues for spring
¡Viva! Free Fitness for Full-time Students continues this spring. Students registered for 12 credit hours or more will be able to access the William C. Witter Fitness Education Center from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day (6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.) Friday.
Participants will have access to the gymnasium, swimming pools, indoor track, resistance training center and tennis courts.
To get started, students enrolled in 12 credits hours must sign a liability waiver, available now on MySFCC. Students can check their enrollment status and number of credit hours by checking their class schedule on MySFCC.
In order to access the facilities, students must provide a valid SFCC student identification card.
Students must be age 16 or older to participate. Students age 16 and 17 need parental approval. FEC facilities are not available when classes or special events are taking place.
Students enrolled in less than 12 credit hours or who drop below 12 credit hours are not eligible for the program.
If you have questions or need some additional information about your enrollment status, you can call the Welcome and Advising Center at 505-428-1270.
Students and alumni featured in story about certificates
SFCC students and alumni talked about “the power of certificates” in the Santa Fe New Mexican’s story, “Certificate programs on rise in Santa Fe.”
Student wins Third place in Writing Contest
SFCC student Darlene Goering has won Third place in the Fiction category of the Santa Fe Reporter’s Writing Contest for her story Remember. Goering is an up-and-coming writer who is working her creative writing certificate from SFCC. One of her stories was also published in Accolades as part of the 2018 SFCC Katie Besser Writing Awards.
Spring payment deadline Jan. 15
Before students leave for winter break, remember the payment deadline for the spring 2019 semester is January 15! Verify your financial aid today, don’t lose your spring classes.
Need money to pay for school? Complete the 2018-2019 FAFSA online now. Are you International or Undocumented? Then complete the 2018-2019 Dreamers Financial Aid form.
Contact Financial Aid, 505-428-1268.
HSE/GED and ESL classes - orientations in January
Staff in Adult Education is gearing up for a new semester with High-School Equivalency/GED preparation classes and English as a Second Language (ESL). Both programs have required orientations, get all the details:
High-School Equivalency/GED details and orientation schedule – Lynne Matthes, ext. 1433.
English as a Second Language (ESL) details and orientation schedule – Dafyd Rawlings, ext. 1444.
For more information, contact Adult Education at 505-428-1356.
Employee Announcements
SFCC wishes Rebecca Estrada well on new endeavor
Faculty, staff and administration gathered to thank Executive Director of the Santa Fe Higher Education Center Rebecca Estrada for her many years of service at SFCC and to wish her well as she moves to her new position as a Community Outreach Specialist 3 in the Community Partners office of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The college looks forward to working with her in her new role. Congratulations!
Wellness and Kindness programming continues
Please consider joining your colleagues in the following upcoming activities:
• Mindful Meditation: The Planetarium will be open to students and SFCC employees from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11. Please observe the following guidelines: no talking, eating, drinks or cell phones.
• Walking group walks the trails at noon to 1 p.m. Fridays. Meet in front of the William C. Witter Fitness Education Center. Group walks rain or shine.
Drop-ins welcome.
Feb. 13, 2019 Shooter-on-Campus Drill
More details will available as we get closer to the date, but please see an overview of the Feb. 13 drill planned in conjunction with Santa Fe County and the City of Santa Fe emergency management teams.
