Insider Newsletter - College of the Desert

Insider Newsletter 

BELOW/INSIDE 

Dean Green Rides 

Off Into Sunset In 

Retirement 

Science Building 

Renamed For Berger 

Foundation 

President: Campus 

Joins In Mourning 

Astronauts 

Sacramento Bee: 

Deep Cuts To 

Colleges Do Not 

Make Sense 

Another Baseball 

Tournament On COD 

Campus 

Enrollments Up, 

Headcount Flat, At 

Spring Census 

Sweets & Treats Day 

To Honor Classified 

Staff 

Alumni Releases 

Names Of Hall Of 

Fame Inductees 

New Coffee Cart 

Opens At COD Cafe 

Caps, Gowns On Sale 

Thursday For 

Faculty, Staff 

Home Students Faculty & Staff Visitors 

Home > FacultyStaff > PublicRelations > Insider Newsletter 

The Newsletter for Faculty and Staff at COD 

Feb. 4, 2003 Volume 14 Number 18 

On the Road Again: Jacke Green, Dean, Economic Development and 

Community Education at COD, hopped on the back of a Harley Davidson, 

driven by Daryl Murphy, instructional computer support specialist, and rode 

off into the sunset Friday, after more than 17 years at the college. Dozens of 

friends and well-wishers were on hand to see her go. She plans to spend her 

retirement caring for her ailing mother and tending her garden. See more 

photos, below. 

President's Corner 

by Dr. Maria Sheehan 

Superintendent/President 

As we mourn with the rest of the country for the loss of 

the astronauts of the Columbia, we again come together 

as a nation that grows stronger with the tragedies we 

endure. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families 

who must suffer the greatest pain, that of not having their 

adventurers home with them ever again. 

February is the month that we at COD stop and say thank you to the 

wonderful support staff of the College. From the Admissions and 

http://www2.collegeofthedesert.edu:85/FacultyStaff/PublicRelations/Insider/newsletter.asp?id=1108[3/24/2009 3:48:08 PM]


Records staff to the grounds and maintenance staff, our College is 

better at serving students because we are supported by the wonderful 

dedicated classified staff. 

As a token of our appreciation all support staff will be invited to drop 

in on a reception of special treats on Feb.12 (see story below). 

Members of the administration will be serving up the confections in 

honor of the support staff, and there will be a drawing for a dozen red 

roses. 

Please use this month to take a moment to say a special thank you to 

those whose spirit of dedication makes College of the Desert such a 

special place. In the weeks ahead, we will continue to deal with the 

issues surrounding the state’s proposed budget reductions for our 

College, but for this month let’s take the time to appreciate and 

celebrate all of the great work on behalf of students that is being 

accomplished by the support staff at COD! 

Campus News 

Science Building Dedication and Tour: Members of the Berger 

Foundation, for which the COD science building was renamed following a 

major renovations, get a tour of the Geology lab from Chris 

Totten, Professor of Biology (third from right). The 40 year old building was 

completely gutted and refurnished, thanks to some $2 million in donations to 

the Foundation, largely from the H. N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, 

JoAnn McGrath, and the City of Palm Desert (labs were named for the latter 

two donors as well). See more photos, below. 

Deep Cuts To Colleges Make No Sense: The Sacramento Bee, a 

powerful voice in the State Capital, has editorialized against the drastic 

cuts to Community College funding that are proposed in Gov. Gray 

Davis' budget for 2003-04. 

In an editorial on Sunday, the Bee said the State's community college 

system, once amodel for the nation, was part of a contract made nearly 



40 years ago in California, and the contract was now on the verge of 

being breached. "At a time when more Californians will be out of work 

and looking to the community colleges to train for new jobs, this kind 

of hatchet work makes no sense. The state suffers from severe 

shortages of nurses and teachers -- key professions that depend heavily 

on the community colleges for all or parts of their training. The hightech 

sector, which will be an engine in any economic recovery, relies 

on community collges throughout the state to train its workers." 

The Bee decried disproportionate cuts to the community college 

system. "Adding insult to injury..., neither of the other two higher 

education segments -- the University of California and California State 

University -- face such deep cuts from the governor. Despite the fact 

that community colleges deliver education in a far more cost-effective 

manner, they would be cut while the other segments would actually get 

smaller increases." 

The newspaper called on the Legislature to instead provide 

more "equitable cuts" and to generate "the revenues necessary to rescue 

a vulnerable and valuable institution from the brink of disaster, and 

(keep) the promise of universal college access that has long held the 

state economy and culture in good stead." 

Here's a link to the Bee's editorial page: 

http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/6049114p-7005580c.html 

Desert Classic Baseball Tournament At COD Thursday: COD will 

host another college baseball tournament this week. The men's baseball 

season is underway with a tournament scheduled for Thursday, Friday 

and Saturday, right on the heels of the Tim Patterson Memorial 

Tournament held last weekend. The Desert Classic Tournament will 

feature four teams in non-conference play. The teams are COD, 

Reedley College, Yuba College and San Diego City College. 

The action starts at 2 p.m. Thursday. COD's first game is with SDCC at 

6 p.m. Thursday. Desert plays a double-header Friday at 10 a.m. and 2 

p.m. COD's last game is Saturday at 11 a.m. All games are at COD's 

Ted Hamilton Field, except for a contest Friday between SDCC and 

Reedley at La Quinta High School. For more information, contact the 

HPER Division at ext. 591. COD's baseball coach is David Buttles. 

Sweets & Treats Celebration Classified, Confidentials Is Feb. 12: 

All classified and confidential support staff are invited to the second 

annual Sweets & Treats Celebration, to be held from 2-4 p.m. in the 

COD Cafe. The event is hosted by Superintendent/President Maria 

Sheehan and is designed to show appreciation for classified staff 

members. 



Biker Chicks: "You've taken this dysfunctional team and turned us into a 

biker gang" were some of the words used to say goodbye to retiring Dean 

Jacke Green by Pam LiCalsi, who will run the department as Interim Dean. 

Here the Economic Development and Community Education staff posed in full 

motorcycle gang regalia (Jacke and her husband, former DCCD Board of 

Trustee chairman Terry Green, spend their summer vacation on tour aboard a 

Harley Davidson motorcycle). That's Marisol Liebelt and Wendy Flint, in 

front. Everybody else, from left: Maria Villanueva, Jim Heffel, Sheryl 

O'Donnell, Sandy Arceo, Keith Adams, Pam LiCalsi, Linda Young, 

Julie Flint and Rose Lawrence. 

Farewell: Dean Jacke Green, with 

Superintendent/President Maria 

Sheehan, above left; with SunLine's 

CEO Dick Cromwell, above, and at 

the podium in front of an antique 

motorcycle ad, saying so long to staff 

and friends before driving off on the 

back of a Harley-Davidson. A large 

crowd of well-wishers gathered at the 

Library Community Room to say 

goodbye to the dean, who started at 



COD back in 1985. Members of her 

staff delivered glowing tributes, as did 

Dr. Sheehan and Dean Green's 

husband, Terry, the former chairman of 

the DCCD Board of Trustees and 

member of the UCR administrative 

team, and other guests. EDCE staffers 

decorated the room in motorcyle 

memorabilia. 

Spring Enrollments Up, Headcount Sits at 9,200: The official 

Census deadline has come and gone and the numbers for COD 

enrollments are in. Actual enrollments, the number of classes taken by 

students, is up 3.7% over last Spring. However, the headcount is down 

slightly and settled in at about 9,200 after recent drops for nonpayment 

of fees. Matthew Breindel, Coordinator of Institutional 

Research, said the lower headcount, down from 9,292 a year ago, is 

probably due to the compressed enrollment period. Late registrations 

were only accepted for one week this semester, compared to the 

previous two-week period. Students took more classes on average, 

however. And class sizes are up by an average of two or three seats per 

class, Breindel said. COD headcount for the Fall was almost 9,700, and 

there is historically a drop in numbers between Fall and Spring. 

With the final figures, COD gets through the 2002-03 academic year at 

3 to 6% above the state mandated "cap" on growth, he said. "It looks 

like we will easily meet the FTES cap, and with projected mid-year 

cuts to the cap being proposed by the State, we may be well above the 

cap," he said. "Right now, we're at least 40 to 150 students over the 

cap, depending on the formula." Local community colleges do not get 

any state allocation for educating those students above the capped 

enrollment, so the students are absorbed into the system without any 

reimbursement. 

Hall of Fame Inductees Named: The COD Alumni Association has 

announced the winners of the 2003 Hall of Fame Awards. They'll be 

honored at a gala dinner on April 26. 

Outstanding Alumni: Sheriff Bob Doyle, Dr. Kenneth Phillips, young 

singer Allison Lohman. 

Outstanding Faculty: Michael O'Neill, who runs the campus DSPS 

program. 

Oustanding Adjunct Faculty: Lisa McFadden, an adjunct counselor, 



and Julie Andrews, an adjunct instructor in HPER. 

Outstanding Classified Staff Member: Pam Buchheit, an executive 

assistant to the Superintendent/President. 

Outstanding Community Leader, Patrick McCarthy, a COD 

benefactor for whose family the campus Child Care Center was recently 

renamed. 

Outstanding Spirit Award: Kathie Westerfield, Dean, Enrollment 

Services. 

Last Minute Conference: COD Foundation Executive Director Sam 

Hook and Superintendent/President Maria Sheehan go over some last 

minute details before Dr. Sheehan addressed a crowd of donors, faculty, and 

staff on Thursday. The occasion was the dedication of the newly renamed H. 

N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Science Building. 



A COD Milestone: Dr. Sheehan thanks the crowd for coming and introduced 

special guests during the science building dedication, including members of the 

Berger Foundation, the Palm Desert City Council, and others. That's Dr. Jack 

Randall, COD's Interim VP of Instruction, seated at right, who later spoke. 

Faces In the Crowd: Listening intently to a series of speeches at the 

science building dedication are members of the Berger Foundation, Palm 

Desert city officials, and many college staff and faculty members and other 

invited guests. 

Afterwards, a tour was conducted of the new laboratories and classrooms, all 

refurbished by grants from generous donors. 

Cappucino, Anyone? The long awaited Coffee Cart is now open for 

business in the Dining Hall. The Coffee Cart featuring mocha, 

cappuccino, latte and frozen drinks will be open the same hours as the 

Dinning Hall, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 



Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Faculty, Staff Can Purchase Graduation Caps, Gowns: If you'd 

rather purchase your graduation regalia instead of renting, the COD 

Bookstore will hold a faculty and staff Cap & Gown Day on Thursday 

from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A representative from Collegiate Cap and Gown 

Company will be there with samples. 

The Astronomical Society of the Desert invites COD faculty and staff 

to its February Lecture meeting on Friday, Feb. 14 at 7:30p.m. at St. 

Margaret's Episcopal Church on the west side of Highway 74. This 

month's speaker is Ashley McDermott, professor emeritus, astronomy 

and history at COD, and president, Astronomical Society of the Desert. 

He will be speaking on "The Invisible Universe." Man can observe 

cosmos directly via visible light through eyes, binoculars and 

telescopes. But the stars speak to us througout the elector-magnetic 

spectrum; from radio waves and infra-red, through ultra-voilet, x-rays, 

and gamma rays. Find out what the universe is telling us at this 

entertaining and informative talk. For more details, call Bruce Gottlieb 

at 568-3668. 

Thought For the Week 

“Careers, like rockets, don’t always take off on schedule. The key is to 

keep working on the engines.”--Gary Sinise 

Classified Staff Development Workshops 

Joyce Moore, Chair Classified Staff Development Committee, would like to make 

everyone aware of a number of upcoming staff development workshops. For more 

information stop by Joyce's office, SOC 1, or call her at Ext. 587. 

Calendar of Events 

The Insider lists home games for all athletic events on the weekly 

calendar. For more details, contact the Athletics Department at Ext. 591 

or visit the Athletics Division website at 

http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/Athletics. 

Monday, Feb. 3 

Tuesday, Feb. 4 2:30 p.m. 

Wednesday, Feb. 5 3:30 p.m. 

5 p.m. 

7 p.m. 

Thursday, Feb. 6 TBA 

Techonology Training: Media 

Training 

Career Center: Intro to Career 

Path plus Strong Assessment 

Workshop 

Women's Basketball VS 

Antelope Valley 

Men's Basketball VS Antelope 

Valley 

Desert Classic Baseball 

Tournament 



10:30 a.m. 

Techonology Training: 

Windows XP File Management 

11 - 3 Cap & Gown Day 

2 p.m. 

2:30 p.m. 

Friday, Feb. 7 TBA 

10:30 a.m. 

Women's Tennis VS 

Grossmont-IWTG 

Techonology Training: EZ Web 

Site Creator: Creating Faculty 

Web Sites 


Tournament 

Techonology Training: Media 

Training 

Saturday, Feb. 8 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair 

TBA 


Tournament 

Noon Softball VS L.A. Mission 

Sunday, Feb. 9 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair 

Monday, Feb. 10 3 p.m. 

Tuesday, Feb. 11 2 p.m. 


PowerPoint 1: Computer Based 

Presentations 

Women's Tennis VS 

Southwestern-IWTG 

2:30 p.m. Baseball VS Rio Hondo 

Wednesday, Feb. 12 2 p.m. Sweets and Treats 

3:30 p.m 

Career Center: Byers Briggs 

Assessment 

Thursday, Feb. 13 9 a.m. Board of Trustee's Meeting 

1:30 p.m. 

2 p.m. 

2:30 p.m. 


Accessing E-mail Account Off 

Campus 

Academic Senate Executive 

Committee Meeting 

Baseball VS San Berdnardino 

Valley 

3 p.m. Softball VS Imperial Valley 

3 p.m. 


PowerPoint 2: Advanced 

Features of PowerPoint 

Friday, Feb. 14 COD Holiday 



Saturday, Feb. 15 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair 

Noon Softball VS Santa Monica 

2:30 p.m. Baseball VS Cerro Coso 

5 p.m. 

7 p.m. 

Women's Basketball VS Victor 

Valley 

Men's Basketball VS Victor 

Valley 

Sunday, Feb. 16 7 a.m. Alumni Association Street Fair 

Noon Softball Vs San Diego City 

5 p.m. Don Reuben Lecture 

Monday, Feb. 17 COD Holiday 

The Insider is the newsletter for Faculty and Staff at College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey Ave., 

Palm Desert, CA 92260. Published weekly during the school year, except during holidays. Send 

submissions via email or interoffice campus mail. Information: Tom Wixon, Director, Public Relations, 

ext. 2589. From off-campus: (760) 773-2589 or twixon@collegeofthedesert.edu. 

College of the Desert • 43-500 Monterey Ave • Palm Desert, CA 92260 • 760.346.8041 

©2009 • Acceptable Use Guidelines • Disclaimer

Insider Newsletter - College of the Desert

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