EL CAJON—There will be a “Week of Welcome” at Grossmont College starting Monday, August 19, when the Fall Semester begins. Grossmont College President Sunita V. Cooke says the week will kick off another term in which emphasis will be placed on enriching student life through interdisciplinary studies while emphasizing the need to complete their associate’s degrees and certificate programs.
“Last year, we did everything we could, such as taking special pains to schedule classes needed by students in their majors, to make certain that they could complete their requirements without delay,” President Cooke stated. “The result was that 2,159 degrees and certificates were awarded this last June – an increase of over 32 percent over the 1,631 degrees and certificates awarded the previous year. This year, we hope to improve upon that accomplishment!
“This year, we’ve again placed special emphasis on assuring that the classes that students need to complete their course of studies are on the class schedule. Overall, with more than 1,570 class sections offered, we are expecting an enrollment in excess of 18,200 full-time and part-time students,” Dr. Cooke said.
During the first two days of the Week of Welcome (Monday, Aug 19 and Tuesday, Aug. 20) students, staff members, faculty, deans and vice presidents will be among the volunteers at three information tables strategically stationed around the campus to help students find their classrooms or nearly a score of specialized campus venues including Admissions & Records; Adult Re-entry, Student Employment & Career Center; ASGC. Inc Student Activities Window; Assessment Center; Bookstore; Calworks/ New Horizon; Cashiers Office; Counseling Center; Disabled Students Programs & Services (DSP&S); EOPS/CARE; Financial Aid; Griffin Dining Services; Learning Technology & Resource Center; Public Safety; Student Affairs; Student Health Services; Transfer Center; Veterans Resource Center.
On the third day, Wednesday, August 21, an informational fair will be held on the Main Quad of the campus, where students will be able to meet representatives of various academic departments and student clubs, sign up for a variety of activities, and enjoy some demonstrations by Grossmont College’s dance department.
“Students who become involved in our various activities tend to spend more time on our campus, and thereby enrich their educational experience,” commented Sara Glasgow, interim associate dean of student activities, who is coordinating the event.
Interdisciplinary activities throughout the year are planned at Grossmont College in an effort to demonstrate to students how the subjects they study in the classroom mesh well with classes offered by other disciplines.
English Prof. Tate Hurvitz said under the interdisciplinary “One Campus, One Book” program, classes in many departments will be reading from their own academic perspectives the Pulitzer Prize-winning Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The English Department will examine the use of metaphors in the book; the Nursing School will study various aspects of the disease; Health Sciences in cooperation with the Culinary Arts department will consider best possible diets for cancer patients, and the Art Department plans to sponsor a show of faculty work to raise money for cancer research. Media Communications is considering production of a documentary film illustrating the interdisciplinary approach to the study of cancer.
Meanwhile, at the Grossmont College Library, under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a bridge-building program to understand Muslim culture has gotten underway. Called “Muslim Journeys,” the program involves making available 25 books and three films about Muslim culture, according to librarian Nadra Farina-Hess. In each ensuing year, she said, another culture will be studied, in an effort to build bridges among the world’s peoples, according to Farina-Hess.
--DHH-
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