Highlights from the 2011-2012 Academic Year - About Ohlone College

At Ohlone we are proud of the accomplishments made by our dedicated students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We are pleased to share several of the highlights of the past academic year (2011-2012) at Ohlone, which are a mere sampling of the great things that are going on at Ohlone.

• Student Accomplishments
• Athletics
• Faculty and Staff Accomplishments
• College Accomplishments
• Community Outreach
• College Events

Student Accomplishments

The success rate of students enrolled in basic skills Math classes for Fall 2010 was up 10% over Fall 2009 and is at its highest rate in at least the past 10 years.

On November 15, 2011 over 100 students from Ohlone environmental studies courses transformed a 2,200 square foot space at the Newark campus into an Urban Farm Research Lab to celebrate America Recycles Day. They were joined by employees of Waste Management of Alameda County and WMEarthCare© (WMEC), who donated all the materials and labor, and will be benefiting from the research that Ohlone students conduct in the lab.

At the Community College League of California conference in San Jose during fall 2011, attendees were treated to performances by the Ohlone Jazz/Rock Combo and the Ohlone Guitar Ensemble. We have received an official "thank you" for the superb job they did and a commendation for Tim Roberts, Assistant Professor in Music, for his great work with students.

Paul Mueller's stellar photography students recently completed a book project, "Capturing Ohlone" about Ohlone College.

On June 25, 2011 Ohlone College hosted the NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) photovoltaic entry level examination. NABCEP is the "gold standard" for photovoltaic and solar thermal installation certification. Fourteen students took the exam and twelve passed, for a cumulative pass rate of 85.71%. The national pass rate is 50%.

Ohlone's PTA Program graduates now officially have posted a 100% pass rate on the National Physical Therapist Assistant Exam for the past five years!

Members of Ohlone's Speech and Debate team won prizes at the Diablo Valley College Tournament in Poetry Interpretation, including a first place in poetry, Programmed Oral Interpretation, and Dramatic Interpretation.

At the California State Speech Tournament March 15-18, 2012 Ohlone students took the fourth place sweepstakes for small schools and Philip Enguancho earned a Silver Medal in Prose Interpretation. Two of our students, Philip Enguancho and Heather Warren, qualified for the National tournament.

Did You Know…?

Ohlone College was the first smoke-free college in the Bay Area and has set a trend for other colleges. Learn more about Ohlone's No Smoking Policy.

The Forensics (Speech and Debate) Team competed at San Francisco State in September 2011, with impressive results at two separate tournaments. At the first tournament Eric Camacho earned a second place in Novice Extemporaneous Speaking and fourth place in Novice Impromptu; Phillip Enguancho earned a place in Novice Poetry Interpretation and third place in Programmed Oral Interpretation; Heather Warren earned Communication Analysis, Top Novice Speaker; Dramatic Interpretation, Top Novice Speaker; and third place in Prose Interpretation.

At the second tournament Eric Camacho received a second place in Novice Extemporaneous; Allen Chan received a sixth place in Open Extemporaneous; Philip Enguancho received a third place in Programmed Oral Interpretation and third place in Prose Interpretation; and Heather Warren received a first place in Prose Interpretation; sixth place in Open Dramatic Interpretation; and Communication Analysis, Top Novice.

Did You Know…?

In 2009-2010, 54% of California State University graduates and 28% of University of California graduates began their college years at a community college—and, upon transferring to either four-year institution, obtained grade point averages equal to, or better than, "native" UC or CSU students, and graduated at rates comparable to "native" UC and CSU students. Go to Admissions and Records for information about how to enroll at Ohlone College.

Athletics

2011-2012 was once again another amazing year for Ohlone Athletics. Ohlone offered 11 sports during 2011-2012 and six sports went on to compete in the post season.

Graduated sophomores Jason Corbett, Swimming, and Jessica Varady, Softball, were honored as the 2010-2011 Male and Female Athletes of the Year during the 27th Annual Fremont Bank and Ohlone College Golf Tournament in September 2011.

The Ohlone Women's Soccer Team posted a record of 14-5-2 to earn the 14th seed in the Northern California State Playoffs. This is the second consecutive year that the women have seen a postseason berth.

Ohlone Men's Soccer completed the season on a high note that was accentuated by a draw over Foothill, the second place team in the region. The 2011 squad was a mix of players from around the Bay Area and beyond. The Ohlone team continues to add local players from Fremont, San Jose, Newark, Union City, Pleasanton, Hayward, San Lorenzo, and even Phoenix, Chicago, and beyond. On the international side, players from Mexico, Costa Rica, England, Germany, Afghanistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Belgium, and other nationalities have found Ohlone a great place to start their college playing career. Special acknowledgements go to Jonathan "Cookie" Santillan, sophomore, and Greiven Pacheco Quesada, both named All Conference first team players; and to Joshua Weinert, sophomore, and Dominic Hertz, freshman, second team All Conference. The team's final record was 8-7-6 overall and a conference finish of 7-4-3, which was a finish one place out of the top six that go on to the playoffs.

Did You Know…?

During 2011-2012 Ohlone's athletic teams won two Coast Conference Championships in Baseball and Women's Basketball (both for the third year in a row!), and six teams competed in the post season championships (Women's Soccer, Women's Basketball, Men's Basketball, Softball, Baseball, Women's Swimming)!

The Volleyball Team finished 3rd in the conference with a 17-8 record, which represents their first winning record in almost a decade. The team received Honorable Mention in the final six of seven Top 25 State Polls. Congratulations to all four sophomores as they will be leaving Ohlone with an associate degree. Two freshmen, Lindsey Calabrese and Jennifer Covey, were selected to the All-Conference Team. The volleyball program has been growing under Coach Penaflor's leadership and we are very excited to see this program grow.

Ohlone's Men's Basketball finished the season with a record of 15-12 and a conference record of 8-4. The 2011-2012 season was extremely successful with the team advancing to the Northern California Regional's as the 6th seeded team. Coach Peterson is proud to announce that all of his graduating sophomores have been placed and/or will be accepting placement to four-year universities to continue their academic and athletic pursuits.

The Women's Basketball Team won the 2011-2012 Coast Conference Championship for the fourth consecutive year. They had a 12-0 record in conference play and a 24-6 record overall, which is only the second time since 2007 that the team has won more than 20 games in a season. Coach Julia Allender was named, once again, Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Player accomplishments include Sophomore Chereese Thomas, who earned Conference MVP, 1st Team All State, and 2012 Northern California Player of the Year. Tina Dang earned 2nd Team All State and All Conference. Nikki Beckman earned All Conference. Four out of the four sophomores will be transferring, three of them with an associate degree. Chereese and Nikki will be attending four-year universities with full-ride athletic scholarships to the D1 level.

Ohlone's Swim Team competed well this year with two members of the team qualifying and competing in the State Championship Tournament. Devan Seeley and Victoria Gerome both qualified for three individual events. Congratulations to Devan as she recently broke the Ohlone record in the 200 individual medley.

The Ohlone Softball Team once again qualified for 2012 Post Season Playoffs. The Renegades have qualified for postseason for 24 years under Coach Donna Runyon. The 2012 season had the Renegades seeded in Northern California as the 6th seed in Regional Playoffs. Their conference record was again a 15-3 record and 27-11 overall. Ohlone received first, second, and honorable mention honors by placing five players on first team, four players on second team, and a player on honorable mention. Ohlone had a player selected on the All State Team and a selection to the All American Team as well this year.

Ohlone's Baseball Team once again captured the 2012 Coast Conference Championship, which was solidified four games prior to the end of the regular season. This year the Baseball Team finished with an overall record of 26-10 and a conference record of 20-4. The team was seeded 3rd for the post season playoffs, which is the highest ranking since their State Championship season of 2010. There were 13 members of this squad that were honored with 1st team or 2nd team All-Conference. Second year Coach Julian Russell was named, once again, Coast Conference Coach of the Year.

Congratulations Renegades!

Did You Know…?

80% of firefighters, law enforcement officers, and EMTs are credentialed at community colleges. Source: Community College League of California. Go to Admissions and Records for information about how to enroll at Ohlone College.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Ohlone College Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Maru Grant, Counselor Brenda Arteaga-Reynoso, and Ohlone students Jasmine Cancino, Elizabeth Rodriguez, and Roberto Rosas were honored in June 2011 by Avanzando, a Newark community group dedicated to advancing and empowering our Latino youth, their families, and our community.

Kate Harrison, Ohlone Community Education and Workforce Development Program Coordinator, has been selected by the Association of Community and Continuing Education to receive the award for creating a model program. Kate's award is for Ohlone for Kids and Teens.

Cynthia Katona, Emeritus Professor of English, has published a new book of haiku, Imagine My Surprise.

Dr. Kim Stiles, Professor in Nursing, published an article "Becoming a Nurse Faculty Leader: Practices of Leading Illuminated Through Advancing Reform in Nursing Education" in Nursing Forum. This article is based on research and work Kim has completed with the American Holistic Nursing Association.

Congratulations to Wayne Yuen, Philosophy Faculty, for publishing his work again. He edited and wrote a chapter in the book The Walking Dead and Philosophy, and co-edited and wrote a chapter for Neil Gaiman and Philosophy.

During Summer 2011 fourteen Ohlone College faculty taught overseas, at our partner schools in China and Vietnam. The disciplines represented by our faculty were ESL, Music, Business, Computer Science, and Computer Networking. The instruction took place in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, China, and in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam. These activities were subsidized by our just-concluded BIE grant program and our English Language Institute (ELI).

Did You Know…?

In 2010-2011, the California Community College system transferred more than 112,000 students to four-year institutions (public, private, in-state, and out-of-state). The CSU system continues as the most frequent transfer desination for community college students with the enrollment of almost 57,000 students from the communiy colleges. Nearly 16,000 community college students enrolled in the UC system. This figure continues a six-year trend of increasing transfers to the UC system. Source: Accountability Reporting for Community Colleges.

College Accomplishments

In the 2012 ARCC (Accountability Reporting for Community Colleges) report Ohlone College scored above both the peer group and the statewide average for all seven student success indicators for the second year in a row. This year there were four of the 112 community colleges to achieve that level of success. In addition to Ohlone, Foothill, Glendale, and Sierra Colleges were rated above peer and statewide rates for all seven indicators. Ohlone is in the top three of all peers on five of the seven indicators. Finally, on the most critical Progress and Achievement indicator, which is based on transfers and completers, Ohlone is number one among our peers.

September's 2011 Ohlone College Foundation Golf tournament netted an estimated $45,000 for our Athletics program – the highest amount ever!

Ohlone is in the third semester of implementation of a new internship program for our biotechnology students. Typically we try to place our biotech students with local companies to gain some real-world experience where they can practice some of the skills they learn in our program. However, since the industry internship positions have recently been fewer, the biotechnology faculty developed an internal internship opportunity for the students. Students go through the interview process with some of our biotech faculty and science lab technicians as interviewers, then each ab technician selects a biotech student to serve for one semester as an intern in their lab on campus. This internship- mentoring arrangement is for credit, and the Ohlone lab technician gains some assistance from student interns practicing their laboratory skills in the real-world environment of a microbiology or chemistry laboratory.

The partnership between Ohlone's high school outreach program in biotechnology, the Learning Alliance for Bioscience (LAB), and CSU East Bay pays for Ohlone students to gain some teaching experience by serving as in-class tutors and teaching assistants. This arrangement provides assistance for high school teachers in our LAB Program. One great outcome is that LAB students who, after coming to Ohlone College and continuing their studies in Biotechnology, become eligible to return to their respective high schools to serve as teaching assistants and tutors.

Ohlone College Deaf Studies celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 19, 2012. For forty years, the Language and Culture Center for Deaf Studies at Ohlone College has opened the doors to educational and occupational opportunities for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Inspired by the leadership of George Attletweed and other visionary educators, the Deaf Studies Division at Ohlone College allowed for Deaf students in the area to continue their education at an institution for higher learning. Deaf Studies has expanded to include instruction in ASL and an Interpreter Preparation Program (IPP). Since its founding in 1972, the Deaf Studies Division has grown to serve more than 200 Deaf and Hard of Hearing students each year and 420 ASL and IPP students. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive programs in the West, with award winning faculty and a new state-of-the-art Language Lab. The division has a national and international reputation for excellence in education with their collaboration with Japan (JASS and the Nippon Foundation), Sweden, and visitors from all over the world.

The Ohlone College Newark Campus Urban Garden has been designated as a Monarch Butterfly Station by Monarch Watch. The monarch's exquisite orange and black markings and large size make it a wildlife gardener's favorite. Monarchs appear in North America's gardens in spring, summer, and fall. The monarch is the only butterfly that migrates seasonally in the same way that birds do. Our garden is very attractive to the monarchs because of the African milkweed we have planted. It is the monarch's favorite food and main choice for depositing its larvae.

Our Newark Urban Garden will also be a stop on the spring 2012 annual Garden Tour of over 65 gardens located in geographic clusters in Alameda, Marin, Napa, and Santa Clara counties. This year's host gardens represent the many different styles of Bay-friendly plants. They include urban homesteads with orchards, chickens and bees, greywater installations by local experts, and drought tolerant replacements for water thirsty lawns. The host gardeners themselves are a diverse group that includes permaculturists, native plant enthusiasts, do-it- yourselfers, landscape professionals, and Ohlone.

Program awards for 2010-2011 were up 80% over 2009-2010, with the number of associate degrees awarded up 45%, and the certificates awarded were up 220%. This increase reflects a college wide effort by faculty, counselors, deans, Student Services, and other managers to encourage students to complete a program before they leave Ohlone. This increase also aligns with a systemwide effort to increase completions.

Community Outreach

Community Education successfully added 30 courses to the state's Eligible Training Provider List. These courses now qualify for Workforce Investment Act funds, allowing dislocated workers to take courses through community education on government grants. Community Education is also extending its course offerings, scheduling several Fine Arts, Healthy Living, and special interest classes that are currently in high demand at other community colleges.

Our Tri-Cities One-Stop Career Center and the Alameda County WIB has been doing great things for the laid off Solyndra workers.

These events include two orientations in September 2011 that had an attendance of 160 people; a job fair in September 2011 that was attended by 160 people, and a session on how to access affordable health care when Cobra is not an option, attended by 30 people.

The One-Stop Career Center has hosted five enrollment days and more dates are scheduled. Currently we have enrolled 104 people in the WIA program. We are also working with several East Bay employers who are interested in employing these individuals.

College Events

The Ohlone College community celebrated Dia de los Muertos in October 2011 with an altar display and reception. A short presentation on the origins of Dia de los Muertos, and altars created by the Chicano Studies Department, MEChA, LISTOS, the Puente Club, and the Multicultural Anthropology Club was well received.

On March 16, 2012 Ohlone hosted the 19th Annual High School Theatre Festival, with over 800 students from 35 high schools in attendance. Students enjoy and learn from watching competitive performances and competing themselves.

Nearly 200 Latino/Latina students from local high schools attended Ohlone College's 7th Annual RAZA Day in May 2012. They learned the importance of pursuing their future through education. Five-time Grammy nominee and US Artist Fontales Fellow, John Santos, was the keynote speaker, and discussed the power of music for change and unity. The event featured informative workshops, financial aid information, college programs, careers and services, gender gatherings, testimonials from current and past students, as well as entertainment by Aztec Dancers. Students were also introduced to the strong network of support that exists at Ohlone to assist students as they make the transition from high school to college.

[From the 2011-2012 Ohlone College Catalog.]