Moorpark College
Since being established as the second Ventura
County Community College in 1967, we have grown
from serving a couple thousand students to meeting the
educational needs of more than 10,000 each semester. Our modest campus of five
original buildings has matured into a state-of-the-art facility
with more than a dozen modern structures, and plans are
being developed to build several more.
Moorpark College offers a comprehensive core of
classes leading to dozens of satisfying occupations or transfer
programs at four-year schools. Our contributions to the
local community go beyond educational opportunities to
provide recreation for families through our athletic,
performing arts and teaching zoo programs.
After 30 years of growth, Moorpark College has
become one of the top community colleges in the nation.
Our graduates are making meaningful contributions to both
the public and private sectors in Ventura County, the
state and the nation.
As we look forward to the 21st century we are
prepared to meet the needs of our future students by providing
up-to-the-minute technology, as well as better access to
our classes through alternate delivery methods; be they
televised courses, increased use of satellite campuses or
the Internet.
Moorpark College remains dedicated to its original
mission: to provide Excellence in Education that is
accessible to all. We invite you to discover the difference that
this dedication brings to students at Moorpark College.
Join us in celebrating our past and anticipating our future.
A standing-room-only crowd of Moorpark College
staff and local business people listened raptly Feb. 19 to J.
Handel Evans describe his vision for a four-year college in
Ventura County. Handel was invited by Dr. Walker to address
the members of the college's Corporate Roundtable.
"We have 100,000 students coming along that have
no access to higher education. We also need to provide
companies the ability to re-tool their employees to remain
competitive in the global marketplace."
Handel is working on a business plan to transform
the 690-acre Camarillo State Hospital site. According
to Handel, it will require about $40 million to gut and
rebuild the 1.5 million square feet of buildings there.
Because state funds are extremely limited, he is focusing on
business partnerships and the passage of a construction bond
to pay for some of the construction.
Handel's short-term vision for Channel Islands
University is to begin by relocating the Cal State Northridge Ventura
Campus there, offering just upper division courses for the first
five or six years. Handel would rely on the Community
College District to continue to provide lower division and remedial courses for students. His
ultimate goal is to create a "seamless entry" education
system, where students of all ages, skills and goals are
encouraged to transfer back and forth from community colleges
to four-year schools as their needs fluctuate.
"We need to re-tool our work force constantly and
forever. We need to break down the barriers so students
can come in and out," he said.
Handel wants Channel Islands to be the Cal
State system's `Virtual University.' He likened the `conventional'
university he hopes to build as the stem of a
mushroom with Internet courses being the huge cap. The
Virtual University would be able to link students with Ivy
League schools and renowned technical institutes. Channel
Islands University could then "broker technical education
from places like MIT for companies like Amgen," he said.
Over the next few months Handel is meeting with
local politicians and business leaders to build support for
his plan.
"I'm saddened by the cynicism that's developed
(over past failed attempts to bring a four-year school to
Ventura County.) I believe it's time we pick up the banner
and fight," he said.
Lisa Raufman, career counselor at Moorpark
College, was interviewed for a story which appeared on the
front page of the Conejo Valley edition of the Daily News,
Feb. 3. Her story was also carried on page 2 of the Simi
Valley edition.
"A community college is a chance to change and
expand your life," Lisa told Victoria Giraud, the reporter.
As a career transfer counselor, Lisa helps students
come to terms with their opportunities, ultimate
employment goals and the educational path that will help them get
there. Lisa said students training today can expect to have five
to seven occupations in their lifetime.
The article also announced that a book Lisa
collaborated on with Bill Bendat and Diane Sukiennik is now
being updated for its fifth edition. "The Career Fitness
Program, Exercise Your Options" was first published in 1987 and
is due out later this year.
Several photographs of Musicians Dolly Kessner
and Joan Thompson rehearsing for their Feb. 8 faculty
recital were featured on page A3 of the Feb. 2 issue of the
Simi Valley and Moorpark Star.
A huge photograph of EATM's newest and smallest
four-legged resident, a Fennec fox, also graced page A3 of
the Star.
Many of those who stopped by to bid "Adieu" to
Ray said they hope he'd be back at work on campus someday.
Ray's transfer to Oxnard is part of a three-way
personnel shift across the community college district. Dr.
Ruth Hemming, formerly the VP at Ventura College, will
assume Ray's responsibilities at Moorpark. Dr. Irene
Pinkard was transferred from Oxnard College to Ventura College.
MC on the Milleniums' Brink
By Dr. James W. Walker, President
The 30th Anniversary at Moorpark College is an
opportunity to proudly reflect on the successes we the
staff, faculty and students have achieved over the years
and to take stock of the challenges we face on the
brink of the millennium.
CSU President Packs the Conference Room
By Jeanne Bailey, Marketing Specialist
Handel, a 30-year veteran of the Cal State system
who oversaw the construction of Cal State Monterey Bay,
listed the reasons why Ventura County needs a four-year
college.
Counselor Makes Front Page
By Jeanne Bailey, Marketing Specialist
Lisa's years of service to students and the college
were chronicled in the complimentary article which detailed
her own career path including undergraduate work at UCLA,
a Master's from Cal State LA and internships as a tutor for
emotionally disturbed children and in the personnel department
of the State Department of Mental Health. Lisa was hired at
MC as a counselor in 1975 and has been here ever since.
Also recently in the news
MC's long-winning speech team was profiled in the
Life section, Feb. 6 issue of the Simi Valley and Moorpark Star.
So Long, It's Been Good To Know You
Vice President for Administrative Services Ray
DiGuilio left Moorpark College at the end of February to assume
a new post, that of Vice President of College Services, at
Oxnard College. Ray was honored at a reception hosted by Dr.
Walker on Feb. 24. He was given a plaque which read, "In
appreciation of your steadfast determination to maintain the
highest quality of service to our students during lean financial
times, and of your unalterable patience and optimism during
this arduous task."
Moorpark Staffers Have Given 29 Years of Service
Sid Adler, Humanities Division Dean |
Judy Alexander, Professor Nutrition |
Dave Bishop, Department Head Life Sciences |
Ed Castro, Grounds-Maintenance worker |
 Ceil Copsey, Professor History
|
1. When I first started to teach at Moorpark College
in Sept., 1968, I sought out the division office to help
with some typing. I was referred to a student worker and,
after some searching, found her under a large office desk
locked in a fierce embrace with her boyfriend. I leaned
forward and foolishly announced that when she had a few free
moments, I would need her help. After a brief but
despairing grimace aimed at me, she resumed her own interests.
This was one of my earliest introductions to Moorpark
College, then a bastion of individuals innerly directed
and marching to the tune of a different drummer.
2. "Ah-h-h, the excitement of being called before the Grand Jury - making the front page of the Wall Street Journal - getting a phone call from the ACLU - just for teaching a Women's Health Class in The early 1970s. Ah-h-h, the good old days!"
3. My goal has been to help make my department at Moorpark College the best in California. We have sent many excellent students to some of the best schools in the country, especially, the Art Center in Pasadena. I am very proud of that achievement. Two of the top illustrators in the country, Matt Mahurin and Larry Carrol graduated from Moorpark College. That should say something.
4. I remember a post graduation faculty party where the hot tub beckoned bare bodies and Chubby Checker Music encouraged twisters. In the midst of the party, a college administrator dressed `au natural,' excused himself from the hot tub to greet some latecoming guests. The three school board members chatted politely with red faces and managed to focus their gazes up, not down. The incident was never mentioned among those involved.
|
 Carole Ginet, Professor Sociology and Psychology
|
 Philip McGuire, a MC student worker in the Maintenance Department puts the Welcome banners up. |
No. 17 - What is it?
| No. 18 - Who built the structure above and is pictured in foreground? |
No. 20 - What is it?
| No. 21 - Who is this person who is responsible for bringing the structure above to Moorpark College? |
No. 19 - What is it?
| No. 22 - Who is this person who created the sculpture above? |
The Title III Project and the Matriculation Program co-sponsored the first JOIN US program at Moorpark College in the Fall 1996 semester. Twenty five students were enrolled together in a block of four courses based on their college assessment scores. The courses included math 9, English 3, English 50 (formerly Reading 1) and PG 1 and 2X.
The instructors, along with the coordinators of the
program, met twice a month throughout the semester to
discuss a variety of issues and concerns affecting student
learning. Some of the issues that arose were student attitude and
behavior in class, student health problems, possible learning
disabilities, English proficiency, social and cultural
factors, instructors' academic standards and practices, general
student progress and recommendations for future programs.
The students in this learning community shared personal and academic concerns with each other. They also formed partnerships with their instructors in their first college semester. Evaluations from the students express gratitude, satisfaction, and a big thank you to the JOIN US faculty for all their help and dedication. The faculty are: Alberto Beron, Mathematics; Patti Ross, English (writing); Barbara Baker, English (reading); and Don Henderson, Personal Growth (career education and extended orientation.)
The group's GPA was 2.76 in Math and 2.44 in English. Of the 20 students enrolled in Spring, course placement is as follows: Math 9- two students, Math 1- 14 students, no Math- four students; English 3- one student, English 2- 10 students, English 1A-five students and no English- four students.
The JOIN US and the BRIDGE TO SUCCESS (ESL) programs will continue in the Fall 1997.
 Career Ed administrative aide Darlene Ruz (L) coordinates the work of students Amber Holland (C) and Britt Christensen (R) |
Spring semester sprang into life with the Academic Senate's first Distinguished Faculty Chair lecture on Jan. 10. Dr. Clint Harper made a fascinating and informative presentation on "The Last Frontier," an exploration of distance and relative size fro planetary, solar, galactic and cosmic perspectives, with reflections on our aloneness in space and the insuperable obstacles to contact life forms in different planetary systems.
Clint's presentation set a high standard for the Distinguished Faculty Chair, to be awarded to an outstanding faculty member each year. His message was thought-provoking and his delivery an example of how abstract concepts can be expressed in down-to-earth (literally, in this case) analogies and models. In using both high tech computerized projections on a screen and low tech materials, including string and paper plates, he illustrated how a wide range of instructional aids can be effectively employed to support substantive content. Many thanks to Clint for the excellent benchmark he established for this honor.
During the spring, the Senate will seek nominations for the second Distinguished Faculty Chair. Be sure to let us know who deserves comparable recognition.
The Moorpark College Foundation has offered its support for the Academic Court of Honor, which houses a bronze plaque for each faculty member who has served MC for 25 years. The Foundation has agreed to pay half the cost of each year's additions, and the Senate deeply appreciates its kindness and financial assistance.
APRIL
MAY
A major 30th anniversary celebration, dubbed Retro Daze, is being planned now for April 15-16, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Campus Center Quad.
Free birthday cake will be served to all who attend at noon each day. Sodas and hot dogs will be sold for just 67 cents by student clubs. Associated Students President Kristina Balobek and Student Activities Director Sharon Miller are coordinating other student booths or events to coincide with the celebration.
We would love to have as many staff members as possible dress in 60's garb for those two days. Could instructors plan special class time remembrances? Presidents of both the Academic and Classifies Senates will be discussing the events with their boards. Please support their suggestions.
To get you in the mood for Retro Daze, here are some facts
from the 1967-68 era:
Two Moorpark College students, Hee W. Yang and Pearl Fleming, have won cash scholarships in a nationwide essay contest open to two-year and four-year college students enrolled in a developmental reading and writing class.
The 1996 Townsend Press Scholarship Program awarded $40,000 to 218 students placing in five categories for a 1,500 to 2,500 word essay n the topic, "Taking Charge of Your Life." Yang won a $500 scholarship, and Fleming won a $100 scholarship.
First off, the elections coincide with Retro Daze, which will feature noontime activities, cheap food and free cake each day. Second, Dr. Walker has offered to donate 300 Frisbees to the promotion. One hundred and fifty of the bright blue, 30th anniversary Frisbees will be handed out to voters each day.
Please encourage your students to vote on April 15 or 16.
 The 1996-97 AS board takes a break while working on the budget. AS President Kristina Balobek is seated center. Student Activities Director Sharon Miller is seated second from the right corner. |
 This young man cools his heels after voting in the 1973 ASB elections at Moorpark College. |
MEMORY answers:
1. Sid Adler, 2. Linda Moore, 3. Frank Sardisco, 4. Judy Alexander.
LANDMARK answers:
17. The Earth Wind Shell, constructed by an art class
in the early 1970s, is a reinforced concrete shell located
southwest of the Performing Arts Center. The shell was
built over two semesters when students and staff mounded
dirt, then laid a rebar grid 18" on center and poured
concrete over the steel. After curing, the earth support was
removed. The concrete and river rock amphitheater seating was
built the following year. Today the shell sits in the middle of
a proposed parking lot. The fate of the shell is still
being decided.
18. Gerald Bridgeman, professor on campus since 1969, conceived the shell as a "project to meld the hands and minds of his art students," he said. Built predominantly with "blood, sweat and tears," the project cost only $800 for materials. Bridgeman succeeded in getting the shell added to the campus' master plan approved by the State Architect's Office in 1986, he said.
19. The Sculpture located just southeast of the library was built by an art professor and a student in the late 1960s. A kinetic sculpture designed to sway with the wind, the mechanism rusted early on and the top heavy sculpture barely moved. Long time art Professor Frank Sardisco said the sculpture, which is still a highly identifiable landmark on campus, was controversial from the start. "Some people liked it, others did not, just like life," he said.
20. URBAN, a sculpture by Steven Adam Simon, was donated to the college in 1993 for an Earth Day celebration and set up on the small concrete plaza south of Parking Lot B. The twin nine-foot tall towers are built of computer motherboards which are powered by 12-volt batteries, charged by a solar tracking system.
21. Environmental Science professor Muthena Naseri helped secure the donation of URBAN for the college.
22. Art Professor, Jim Sturgeon. He retired in 1986.
