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The Link Newsletter

Articles

Welcome

Equipping Your Students
for Today's New Economy

From Culinary Arts to Global Fashion: How SAC and SCC Students Benefit from Opportunities

What is an Incubator?
Start-up Businesses: From a Santa Ana Launch to Success

Infusing Global Trade into the Classroom

RSCCD Educational Services Resources

YEP Partners

SAC and SCC faculty and staff who either contribute to YEP, or incorporate YEP's services into their classroom and curriculum include:

KYLA BENSON
Fashion Design & Nutrition, Faculty, Department Chair, SAC

CHRIS CANNON
Theatre Arts, Faculty, SAC

BRENNAN CARR
Business Administration, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

SUSAN DAMON
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

GLENN DOOLITTLE
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Faculty, SAC

MADELINE GRANT
Business Division, Interim Dean, SAC

EVE KIKAWA
Fine & Performing Arts, Dean, SAC

ALI KOWSARI
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

VICTOR MACIAS
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

MARK McCALLICK
Accounting, Faculty, SAC

GABRIEL SHWEIRI
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Chair

DIANA TODARO
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

ERIC VONHEIM
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

PATRICIA WATERMAN
Fine & Performing Arts, Faculty, SAC

 

 

 

 

Retail, Hospitality,
& Tourism Partners

SAC and SCC faculty and staff who either contribute to the Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism program, or incorporate the program's services into their classroom and curriculum include:

KYLA BENSON
Fashion Design & Nutrition, Faculty, Department Chair, SAC

MADELINE GRANT
Business Division, Interim Dean, SAC

BART HOFFMAN
Career Technical Education, Dean, SAC

JOHN RUSSO
Marketing, Adjunct Faculty, SAC Chairman, Retail/Hospitality/Tourism Advisory Board

MELODY VAUGHT
Administrative Secretary, Vice President Academic Affairs, SCC; Member, Retail/Hospitality/Tourism Advisory Board; Member, Retail Advisory Board

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DMC Partners

SAC and SCC faculty and staff who either contribute to the Digital Media Center, or incorporate the center's services into their classroom and curriculum include:

STEPHANIE CLARK
Fine & Performing Arts, Faculty, SAC; Participant, Regional Collaborative

HERB COHEN
Computer Information Systems, Adjunct Faculty, SCC; Participant, Regional Collaborative and Committees

KARI IRWIN
Business & Career Technical Education, Director, SCC

ROBERT MILLER
Art Department, Chair, SCC Participant, Regional Collaborative and Committees

PATRICIA WATERMAN
Fine & Performing Arts, Faculty, SAC; Participant, Regional Collaborative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Global Trade & Logistics Partners

SAC and SCC faculty and staff who either contribute to Global Trade and Logistics, or incorporate the center's services into their classroom and curriculum include:

SUSAN DAMON
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

MADELINE GRANT
Business Division, Interim Dean, SAC

ALI KOWSARI
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

RANDALL LONG
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

GABRIEL SHWEIRI
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Chair, SAC

DIANA TODARO
Global Business & Entrepreneurship, Adjunct Faculty, SAC

Welcome

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The LINK, the quarterly e-newsletter of Rancho Santiago Community College District's Educational Services Division. The LINK is prepared to update and inform faculty and staff at both Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College, and staff at the District office, on the services, support and opportunities offered by the educational services division. It will provide important information on securing and maintaining grants, new funding available, assistance with research, opportunities for students and faculty professional development available through the division's departments, grants and programs. Further, the state Chancellor's Office recent overhaul of the workforce & economic development programs has changed the focus and priority of the division's programs strengthening their link to college programs and creating opportunities for faculty and students alike. The LINK will provide information on the opportunities created by these changes, how faculty, students and college programs have participated and provide updates on future funding.

I want to make this e-newsletter as informative and helpful to you as possible so I would appreciate your feedback. If you have ideas of what you would like to see covered, please let me know. I can be reached at (714) 480-7460 or at perez_enrique@rsccd.edu.

Sincerely,

Enrique Perez
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Educational Services
RSCCD

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Equipping Your Students for
Today's New Economy

Text books and classroom discussions are one way to engage students. But what if you could show them how to re-invent their notion of "tomorrow" through real-life situations? It's one way to supplement your curriculum. And best of all, you don't have to leave your classroom.

Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) a program of RSCCD's Educational Services Division, has been impacting hundreds of high school and college-age students across Orange County, including SAC and SCC, and their feeder high schools since 2008. Established through a grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office via the Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Center for International Trade Development (CITD), YEP provides entrepreneurship education through interactive workshops, business plan competitions, and exposure to innovative practices in career development at the district's offices.

"We understand that the new economy facing young people requires a unique set of skills that marries job readiness with entrepreneurial know-how, leadership, and ingenuity," remarks Deputy Sector Navigator for Small Business Maricela Sandoval. To help bring these concepts to life in the classroom, SAC and SCC faculty can request speakers from YEP's speakers bureau. In addition, students and faculty alike can sign-up to receive YEP's e-mail updates. One upcoming event includes a business plan competition open to high school and college students in the spring where students compete for scholarships. Details will be available soon; to receive information, sign-up for e-mail updates at www.my-yep.org by clicking the "subscribe" button at the top right corner.

YEP's efforts to help tomorrow's business leaders while contributing to the local economy continue through the Deputy Sector Navigator, Small Business program with curriculum development at the college level, and career pathways creation in partnership with local high schools. YEP also works with the Orange County SBDC, and collaborates with several organizations, including Santa Ana College's Business Division.

To learn about upcoming events, or to refer your students, contact Maricela Sandoval, Deputy Sector Navigator, Small Business at (714) 564-5533 or Sandoval_Maricela@rsccd.edu or YEP Coordinator David Calderon at (714) 564-5220, or Calderon_David@rsccd.edu.

Youth Entreprenuer staff being recognized
On November 18, 2014, the City of Anaheim recognized the efforts of RSCCD's Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) in honor of Global Entrepreneurship Week. A proclamation was presented to YEP Coordinator David Calderon, left, and to Deputy Sector Navigator, Small Business Maricela Sandoval for YEP's dedicated work.

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From Culinary Arts to Global Fashion: How SAC and SCC Students Benefit from Opportunities

As tools of the trade and technology advance, faculty and students are often left to work with outdated materials or equipment. Working under these circumstances, for instance, could hinder a student to get a job if they're not accustomed to working with up-to-date software or equipment used by local employers.

To ensure that community college students are equipped, and to also enhance career pathway programs, Deputy Sector Navigator for Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Ruth Cossio-Muniz and her team help faculty at Santa Ana College (SAC) and Santiago Canyon College (SCC), as well as other community colleges, to expand classroom learning experiences. Recent examples of how the California Community College program for Los Angeles and Orange counties in retail, hospitality, and tourism (CCCLAOCRHT) is preparing SAC students for professional jobs that are in demand in the region include:

Culinary Arts/Nutrition Lab

"Since we work with existing culinary arts programs at local community colleges" says Cossio-Muniz, "we're able to see what other programs are offering." Cossio-Muniz's department reached out to SAC's nutrition and culinary arts program to see if they'd be interested in updating their instructional supplies so that students can learn hands-on techniques with modern tools. Armed with resources, CCCLAOCRHT facilitated the funding, and today SAC students are working with and learning culinary skills with the same kind of equipment that their future employers use.

Fashion Retail Merchandising

CCCLAOCRHT recently secured a coveted subscription to World Global Style Network (WGSN), an online platform of fashion industry specialists and thought leaders who share insights and trend analysis from catwalks, to trade shows, to street style from around the world as they happen. "This platform will help our retail, buying, and design students with their research and projects by using the same cutting-edge information used by fashion companies and designers worldwide," remarks Professor and Department Chair of Fashion Design and Merchandising at SAC Kyla Benson. Having this platform on their resumes will also help set students apart and help them to compete when entering the job market, says Benson. SAC is the first, and only, community college in the region to offer this platform to its students. Access begins in the spring.

Reveal Fashion Show
SAC fashion and retail merchandising students take part in Retail REVEAL, a program of Retail/Hospitality/Tourism, by modeling fashions at Westminster Mall.

Hotels

Recently, CCCLAOCRHT facilitated a job shadow program at Orange County hotels. Students from Newport Mesa Unified School District along with SAC students followed various hotel departments for a day to learn about their jobs. The Irvine Marriott, Marriott Newport Beach, and Wyndham Orange County Airport hotels allowed students to job shadow front desks, engineering, finance, restaurants, and spa areas. "Opportunities like these are a win-win," shares Cossio-Muniz. "Students see real-life application outside of the classroom; also employers know what schools are good resources for recruiting interns." Newly launched, look for more details to come in future LINK issues.

The California Community Colleges Los Angeles and Orange County Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Sector, a program funded by Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy which is a program of the California Community College Chancellor's Office, partners with employers to train students for retail, hospitality, and tourism careers in Los Angeles and Orange counties. To learn about upcoming job fairs, workshops, events and current job openings and industry trends, follow CCCLAOCRHT on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ccclaocrht. To learn how your classroom, lab, or program in the retail, hospitality, and tourism sector can benefit, contact Ruth Cossio-Muniz, deputy sector navigator, at (714) 564-5521 or Cossio_Muniz_Ruth@rsccd.edu .

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What is an Incubator?

Start-up Businesses: From a
Santa Ana Launch to Success

Starting up a company in today's business environment is not what it used to be. The distraction of building a business can easily take away from the creative and innovative side of entrepreneurship. So, just how are start-ups supposed to avoid business pitfalls while trying to secure potential investors and write marketing plans so that they can grow their business to the next level, and create jobs? Enter the Digital Media Center (DMC) Business Incubator in Santa Ana, Orange County's first business incubator specializing in technology.

While business incubators exist throughout the United States, and globally, to help business creation, the DMC Business Incubator in Santa Ana is the vision of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Being hosted by a community college district affords start-up businesses access to Santa Ana College's education programs in digital media arts, TV and video, business, and digital music. Santa Ana College (SAC) and Santiago Canyon College (SCC) become catalysts for California's economy by accomplishing two things: creating jobs, and closing the skills gap.

Housed in a 28,000 square foot state-of-the-art building made possible through a $1.6 million U.S. Department of Commerce grant, land donated by the City of Santa Ana, and Measure E local bond funds, the DMC is a one-stop shop providing business development, education, leadership and resources supporting and promoting the growth of innovative digital media technology across industries.

"We help start-ups get off the ground and take their business to the next level," says Digital Media Center Director Gustavo Chamorro, Ed.D. According to Chamorro, the DMC provides small businesses critical support which, if ignored, can lead to business failure. Since 2006, the DMC has assisted small businesses and entrepreneurs launch successful businesses. On-site and off-site consulting services, available at no cost, include but are not limited to:

  • Educational workshops
  • Identifying service areas
  • Referrals to partner agencies
  • Referrals to angel investors for possible funding
  • Assessment of business plan development and execution

Consulting services, also at no cost, include business development, intellectual property, human resources, legal, CPA services, strategic marketing, technology strategy, and sales. Companies housed at the incubator have a constant need to utilize SAC and SCC student talent, as well as talent from four-year university students, in the form of internships, some paid, to assist their growing enterprise. In the past, students have assisted with focus groups, corporate naming, logo design, and collateral materials.

Currently, the DMC Business Incubator is home to 15 technology companies in software development, energy efficiency, internet security, cloud services, and digital media communities or business models. A recent DMC success story includes MelRok, a provider of energy management systems for commercial buildings. In addition to introducing the world's first energy measurement and verifications (M&V) management platform, the start-up was featured last year in USA Today as one of the top ten technology innovators in energy.

Start-up businesses can participate at the DMC Business Incubator at one of two levels. The resident level program provides low-cost office space, access to four conference rooms for business meetings, and an executive conference room for meetings with potential funders or investors, strategic partners, and board members. The affiliate program provides similar benefits, but without access to brick and mortar office space; however, affiliate members can have access to a special area called "hoteling space" where they can work in cubicle-style spaces.

With its support of companies like MelRok, the DMC Business Incubator is contributing to workforce development of the community through the creation of successful businesses, which in turn leads to economic vitality, job creation, and quality internship opportunities for SAC and SCC students. To learn more about resident companies, available internships, and services, contact Marbella Gonzalez at 714-241-5836 or via e-mail at gonzalez_marbella@rsccd.edu or visit www.dmc-works.com.

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Infusing Global Trade into the Classroom

Did you know?

  • In Orange County alone, there are 165,218 global trade-related jobs.
  • That 13 percent of Orange County's gross metropolitan product is generated from exports.
  • Orange County has identified international trade as a "cross cutting industry sector" -- this means that international trade is an important component in Orange County's major industry clusters such as manufacturing, biotechnology, digital media and entertainment, and finance. International trade is expected to both support these traditional sectors AND become a major source of employment and income generation.
  • The average salary in global trade in Orange County is $76,574
  • Fifty-nine percent of employers believe that there's a lack of qualified employees entering the global trade sector

The good news for community colleges like Santa Ana College (SAC) and Santiago Canyon College (SCC), and their faculty and educators is that there's opportunity.

As part of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office "Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy" Program, the Global Trade and Logistics (GTL) Initiative based at Rancho Santiago Community College District helps to train and educate students, faculty, and counselors for today's global economy.

For Educators

GTL, for example, offers full-, half- or multi-day faculty externships at global companies such as Allergan, Brighton Best, and Blizzard Entertainment to help faculty understand the global trade and logistics sector. The job shadowing externships assist educators to improve student training back in the classroom; duration is mutually agreed upon between the company and the faculty member. Any Orange County faculty member (high school or community college) looking to learn about international trade and logistics qualifies. Through GTL, educators are also able to:

  • Infuse global trade and logistics resources into their classrooms in the form of lesson plans, activities, assessments, and materials ready for classroom use
  • Learn about the most current global trade and logistics career pathway information so that faculty and counselors can guide students in their career path
  • Better inform students about high-wage and high-growth career opportunities, align curriculum to industry needs, enhance relevance of classroom learning, and build relationships with local companies.

For Students

Along with area students, SAC and SCC students can also glean a global perspective from a variety of opportunities in GTL:

  • Participate in internships and job opportunities at local international companies
  • Learn about global trade and logistics career pathway information, while learning what a career in global trade looks like
  • Participate in education and training programs in the region
  • Obtain an industry-recognized credential

On a broader level, GTL recently created an online Global Business Skills Certificate at SAC that launched this fall. The program has been well received and is attracting students as well as business owners. Also new on the horizon is the International Business Education Alliance (IBEA), a multi-college and multi-regional alliance of community colleges with international trade and logistics programs for the purpose of cross promoting programs, and expanding students' options. GTL also provided training, "Counseling for the 21st Century College and Career Readiness," to over 300 middle school, high school and community college counselors and administrators, and training workshops in partnership with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for business owners. More multi-national companies, such as Western Digital and Allergan, recently joined GTL's expanding industry advisory committee.

To participate in an externship, secure curriculum, refer students to internships, or help students learn which colleges and universities offer international trade programs, contact Director of the Global Trade & Logistics Initiative Lynn Stewart at stewart_lynn@rsccd.edu or (714) 564-5419. For more program information, visit www.orangecountycitd.com.

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RSCCD Resources

RSCCD's Educational Services Division also offers the following programs and services to staff, faculty, and students of Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. To learn more, visit their websites, or call the contacts below. Also, look for articles featuring these departments in upcoming issues of The LINK.

Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
www.ocsbdc.org
Leila Mozaffari, Director
Mozaffari_Leila@rsccd.edu
(714) 564-5200

Elizabeth Arteaga, Associate Director
Arteaga_Elizabeth@rsccd.edu
(714) 564-5200  

RSCCD Research Department
www.rsccd.edu/research
Nga Pham, Director
Pham_Nga@rsccd.edu
(714) 480-7467

RSCCD Grant Department
www.rsccd.edu/grants
Sarah Santoyo, Director
Santoyo_Sarah@rsccd.edu
(714) 480-7463

RSCCD Child Development Services
www.occhildcarecenter.org
Janneth Linnell, Director
Linnell_Janneth@rsccd.edu
(714) 480-7548

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The LINK is an e-newsletter distributed by the Rancho Santiago Community College District Educational Services Division to inform colleagues of department news, events and activities. If you have a question, comment or news to share please send us an email.