Your Monthly Update for December 2023

Koffee with Kim

• Tuesday, January 23 at 2 p.m.  
• Wednesday, March 6 at 9 a.m.
• Tuesday, April 30 at 4 p.m.

Captain’s Chat

• Thursday, February 22 at 1:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 17 at 2:30 p.m.

Open Executive Team Meeting

• Tuesday, March 12 at 10:30 a.m.  

Celebration of Successes

• End of Year Celebration & Retiree Recognition – Thursday, May 2 at 11:30 a.m.

Highlighting the amazing Administration, Faculty, Classified Professionals, and Students that make up our Pirate family. This month's highlights include: Cynthia Cuevas - Classified, Jordan Sandoval - Student, Cláudia Wilroy - Administrator, and Emily Bartel - Faculty.

Cynthia Cuevas - Classified

Jordan Sandoval - Student

Cláudia Wilroy - Administrator

Emily Bartel - Faculty

Ventura College Selected as Top 10 Bellwether Finalist

Ventura College is proud to announce that we have been selected as a Top 10 Bellwether Finalist in the category of Instructional Programs & Services for the impactful and expansive work done by our Basic Needs Center. A team of Pirates will participate in the final round of the Bellwether Award competition at the 30th Annual Community College Futures Assembly on February 25-27 in San Antonio, TX. As we all know, students cannot succeed if their basic needs are not met. The VC team will compete to show how the Ventura College Basic Needs Center fosters increased student success. Congratulations Alma Rodriguez and the Basic Needs Center staff for this prestigious honor!

Ventura College Selected as Top 150 in the Nation!

The Aspen Institute has again named Ventura College among the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. The institutions selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. Congratulations to Oxnard College and Moorpark Collage as they were also recognized as Aspen 150 institutions.

The Giving Tree - A Success!

The first annual Ventura College Giving Tree, where the spirit of giving is in full bloom this holiday season! Over 60 students have shared their heartfelt Christmas wishes, and our incredible staff and faculty have wasted no time in sponsoring each and every one of them. This week, students were invited to pick up their special gifts and enjoy a delightful breakfast, along with some extra surprises. As we spread joy and warmth, we eagerly anticipate expanding this program to encompass even more students and to both of our campuses next year!

ASVC Events Wrap Up

M.E.Ch.A' s Dia De Los Muertos Event

M.E.Ch.A hosted their annual Dia De Los Muertos Event at Ventura College in November. The event highlighted traditional practices, music, activities, and brought together both the VC campus and local Ventura community.

Vet Tech's Dia De Los Muertos Event

Veterinary Technology Club hosted their first Dia De Los Muertos event at East Campus last month. The event focused on bringing awareness to the significant meaning of celebrating DDLM. Students created and decorated an altar to memorialize their pets.

Basic Needs & Financial Aid & ASVC Gratitude Lunch

In partnership with Basic Needs, Financial Aid, and ASVC, our annual Gratitude Lunch was held at both VC East Campus and Ventura College. More than 250 students joined the VC Community to share a free holiday meal. Students were also given ingredients and turkeys to take home.

Student Athletes Continue to Impress!

Ventura College Football advanced to its fourth Southern California title game, the first since they defeated Riverside 31-21 in 2018 to reach the state finals. Ventura and Riverside renewed their rivalry in the SCFA Championship Game on Saturday Dec. 2 at the VC Sportsplex. The VC football team had another storybook season come to an end in the Southern California Football Association championship game. Despite the loss, the Pirates had a solid showing as one of the state's final four teams.

Ventura College Women’s Volleyball moved on to the 3C2A State Elite Eight for the third time in program history. VC placed third in 1991 and fourth in 2000. Ventura began the draw on Friday Dec. 1 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut as Southern California's No. 2 seed, playing NorCal No. 3 Feather River at 1:00 pm. Despite a valiant effort, the Pirate volleyball team dropped a four-set decision to defending champion Feather River. The Pirates completed their best season in a quarter-century at 21-4.  

FYE Friendsgiving

FYE Students have been busy completing priority registration requirements and preparing for Spring 2024 registration. Students attended workshops including: Major Exploration, Financial Basics, Time Management, VC Student resources and more. Students reported positive feedback on their experiences. FYE students learned the value of visiting a professor during office hours. The FYE office was a-buzz with students meeting with the FYE academic counselors to update their education plans and discuss their educational goals to be prepared for Spring 2024. FYE students and the campus community were invited to the annual FYE Friendsgiving friendship bracelet making party where students enjoyed snacks while socializing with peers.

FYE also hosted a Finals "De-Stress" Cookie decorating event on December 13, and in January we will hold a Spring Welcome Back event. FYE welcomes the campus community to participate in all sponsored events in the center.

The Veterans Resource Center - Veterans Week 2023

The VRC had a blast celebrating Veterans Week in November. Our week was jam-packed with awesome events and workshops, kicking it off at our VC football tailgate. It was a fantastic gathering of VC Vet students and families, filled with delicious food and great camaraderie. Special shout-out to Jose Garcia and Lenny Gonzalez, our honorary captains, who rocked the coin toss!

But that's not all—our week-long extravaganza continued with a claims and appeals workshop featuring our local Veterans Service Officers and CalVET. We also had the VET Center in the house, along with an informative VA home loan session and the celebration of the 248th Marine Corps birthday!

Throughout the week, the VRC joined forces with ASVC & Basic Needs to spread gratitude around campus. Our 'Thank a Veteran' and 'Thank a Soldier' stations were a hit, where students could write heartfelt thank-you cards to our vets on campus or soldiers stationed overseas. We mailed all those warm wishes to the Hugs For Soldiers.

It was a week filled with appreciation, collaboration, and a whole lot of fun.

Ventura College Paramedic Graduation Ceremony, Class 26

The Ventura College School of Prehospital and Emergency Medicine celebrated its Paramedic Graduation Ceremony honoring the graduates of the Twenty-Sixth Paramedic Class on Friday, November 17.

Sixteen students have been part of a two-day-a-week cohort meeting on Fridays and Saturdays since August 2022. The class schedule allowed students to remain employed full-time as they attended the paramedic program. This allowed the students the opportunity to retain financial security and for their employers to retain hard-working EMTs as they looked to upgrade their professional skill set. Local EMS employers are eager to have the students join their workforce as paramedics in the coming weeks as they complete their national certification and state licensure as a paramedic. Congrats to all!

Congratulations VC Nursing Grads!

The Ventura College School of Nursing Pinning Ceremony was held on Monday, December 11, 2023 to honor the graduating class of Fall 2023. The Pinning Ceremony signifies the transition from student to Nurse and provides an opportunity to celebrate this astounding accomplishment with friends, family, and faculty. This semester we had the pleasure of honoring 31 graduates.

Jolly Times and Holiday Cheer

On December 7, Ventura College held its annual Holiday Gathering and Socktacular event. Employees enjoyed a yummy lunch followed by a parade of socks, competing for Most Traditional, Most Creative, and Most “Knock Your Socks Off." There was also a photo booth with fun props for attendees to take pics with their colleagues. The Classified Senate’s annual Gift Basket Silent Auction was also a hit - raising funds for student scholarships offered through the VC Foundation.

Professional Development

Ventura College is happy to bring Professional Development opportunities to staff, faculty, and administration to help develop new skills and stay up to date on current trends that are always evolving within our campus community. Upcoming event information can be found in the Classified Professional Development Corner, SharePoint, and the Master Calendar.

Upcoming Events

• January 5 - FLEX Day
• February 7 - FLEX Day
• March 7 - FLEX Day
• April 10 - Diversity in Culture Festival
• April 11 -  Diversity in Culture Festival

On-Going

• State Vision Resource Center: The Vision Resource Center is a portal for professional development and colleague connection throughout all of California’s Community Colleges.
• USC Race and Equity Center: The Alliance unites community colleges across the state of California for high-quality professional learning experiences on an array of racial equity topics.

SAVE THE DATE

VENTURA COLLEGE FOUNDATION'S

35TH ANNUAL

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Ventura College Sportsplex Field

More details to come soon!

VC Foundation 2022-2023 Impact Report

The Ventura College Foundation distributed $809,995 in direct student support during the 2022-2023 academic year and another $1.17 million to 68 Ventura College programs across 16 departments and divisions.

From the VC Promise, VC Basic Needs & student emergency grants, our textbook & equipment lending library, to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships awarded, the Foundation was able to help Ventura College students with the education they need to be our community's next generation of workers, volunteers, and leaders.

With gratitude, we invite you to celebrate the philanthropic investment you and numerous donors made this past academic year by viewing our Impact Report below. Thank you, VC Employees, for your impactful support!

VC Foundation Scholarships for Students Close in January

Help us spread the word to Ventura College students! The General Scholarship Application will close on Jan. 21, 2024. Contact Micsin Martinez at micsin_martinez1@vcccd.edu or 805-289-6161 for scholarship marketing materials for students, to schedule a classroom visit, or a special scholarship application workshop for your program.

Be a part of the $40 for 40 Years Campaign!

Will you celebrate the VC Foundation’s 40th Year of Service to Ventura College by donating $40 or more for our 40th? Now is a great time to donate.

Need help determining where to give, please consider donating to the Fund for VC (Greatest Need), the VC Promise, or VC Basic Needs. For more information about the VC Foundation’s employee giving options, contact Julie Harvey, Development Manager at 805.289.6502 or jharvey@vcccd.edu.

Colleagues, for the most updated information and guidance on COVID-19, please check out the VC COVID-19 website. 

Acknowledge the great work of your peers! A "Pirate Treasure" is a way to recognize colleagues and say thank you for outstanding support to our college community.

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