性视界 Convocation Draws 400
August 12, 2021
Hundreds of 性视界 faculty and staff kicked off the 2021-2022 academic year with fall Convocation and FLEX, hearing messages of hope for the future and ways to better serve 性视界 students.
性视界 Superintendent/President Henry Shannon said that with the state resuming in-person instruction at K-12 districts, on-site dining at restaurants and amusement parks reopening, 性视界 also needs to adapt to the changes.
鈥淲e must do this because our students are waiting for us to open our doors,鈥� Shannon said. 鈥淚 cannot tell you how many times I have found students on campus wandering, looking for someone 鈥� anyone to help them,鈥� he said.
Professor and Academic Senate President Neil Watkins told faculty that many students consider 性视界 a haven, and they need everyone鈥檚 support.
鈥淎s you鈥檝e done in the past, open doors for them, be on the same team as them, learn their names, how to pronounce them, learn their pronouns and learn their stories,鈥� he said.
Keynote speaker Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, a researcher in equity and justice in higher education, spoke about how 性视界 can better serve its students in her presentation 鈥淭ransforming Hispanic-Serving Institutions for Equity, Justice and Liberation.鈥�
鈥淲e as institutions have to shift, not the students,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o how do we shift so that our students feel like they do belong, rather than forcing students to belong in a place that wasn鈥檛 designed for them?鈥�
She encouraged 性视界 to create a mission with the college鈥檚 HSI status in mind, and take an 鈥渋dentity model鈥� approach by determining what kind of HSI 性视界 would like to be.
鈥淚f you are accessing federal dollars to do HSI work and a majority of your population is Hispanic and are students of color, then why not put it into the mission?鈥� Garcia said.
The traditional 鈥淧uck Award鈥� and the new 鈥淧anther Pride Award鈥� were also announced during Convocation.
Puck Awards winners are:
- Classified: Olympia Olaluwoye
- Faculty: Melissa Sakoonphong
- Team: Adult education pathways
Panther Pride Award winners are:
- Classified: Lindy Mercante
- Faculty: Sherm Taylor
- Administration: Troy Ament and Matt Morin
