Andrés Roemer to Give Keynote at Graduation

Dr. Andrés Roemer, the Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco, is a diplomat, journalist, civil servant, and scholar. He was born and raised in Mexico City and has earned degrees from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Harvard University, and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the grandson of orchestra conductor Ernesto Roemer and has had a career as a shaper of policy and opinion in Mexico on political, social, economic and cultural matters. The recipient of various cultural awards and prizes, he was the creator and producer of popular TV Azteca Network and Project 40 programs including Between the Public and Private, In the ring, Think about Thinking, Ciudad de las Ideas, and the Roemer Report.

He has authored 16 books and 2 stage plays that examine such diverse topics as: happiness, art, love, water, soccer, law, economics, crime, evolutionary psychology, government, and public policy. He is a passionate communicator of humanistic science. He is a tireless advocate for human rights, and a leader in building firmer Mexican and American political, economic, and cultural relations. He is the Curator and Founder of the City of Ideas and Brilliant Minds International Festival, which is held annually in the Mexican State of Puebla.

Dr. Roemer is a Senior Visiting Scholar in Cultural Codes and Evolutionary Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

He has been awarded numerous national and international awards, including the prestigious Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award from the University of California, Berkeley, for his outstanding public service to the people of Mexico. He has been the recipient of the Promotion of Science Award, presented by Nobel Prize winner, Mario Molina and the President of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, Arturo Menchaca. In 2009, he received a National Theatre Award for best author for his play,The Other Einstein. Finally, in 2006, the Microsoft Corporation created the Andres Roemer Award, in his honor, given annually to distinguished individuals for their service to the worldwide community of scholars.

Dr. Roemer is among Mexico's most internationally recognized public intellectuals. Devoting his personal and professional life to empowering individuals to question accepted beliefs and the order of society's complexities, he has emerged as one of the most distinguished Mexican leaders of the 21st Century.

Paul Roscelli Presented Above and Beyond Award

On May 13, 2014, the SMCCCD Board of Trustees bestowed on Paul Roscelli, Cañada College Professor of Economics, the Above and Beyond Award. Paul was honored for his outstanding work as advisor to Beta Zeta Nu, Cañada College’s Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honors society for two-year colleges. Over the past decade, in large part due to Paul’s extraordinary efforts, the chapter has been honored as one of the premier chapters in the nation.

In 2013, it was recognized at the honor society's international convention as a distinguished chapter and was later and named the Most Distinguished Chapter in the Nevada-California Region. Beta Zeta Nu also received PTK’s College Project Award for its organization of the Evening of Academic Excellence, which annually recognizes the area's top high school scholars and received the Honors in Action Award for a study on academic integrity. Beta Zeta Nu was the only West Coast chapter to be named to the Top 10 Most Distinguished Chapters polling in 2013. It was the second consecutive year Beta Zeta Nu earned the honor.

In January 2014, Paul was named a Phi Theta Kappa Faculty Scholar. He was just one of 26 community college instructors selected from among nearly 3,000 Phi Theta Kappa Chapters. He was invited to attend the Phi Theta Kappa Annual Faculty Scholar Conference in the British Virgin Islands. As a Faculty Scholar, Paul will lead Honor Student seminar discussions at PTK's Honors Institute, which will be held in June at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Cañada Hosts ACCEL

On May 2, 2014, the Adult Education, College, and Career Educational Leadership Consortium (ACCEL) held a major meeting at Canada College. Over sixty teachers, professors, student services professionals, and administrators spent a productive and inspiring afternoon. The ACCEL work is a mobilization in response to the AB 86 legislation with leadership from the three colleges in our district and the major adult schools along with support from community based organizations, non-profits, libraries, the County Office of Education, and other providers of adult education across the county. This work is funded by the AB 86 Adult Education Consortium Planning Grants in which the state provided $22.5 million. The goal is to redesign an educational system that creates linkages for students across adult schools and community colleges to accelerate academic and career success.

Four teams have been formed to cover the county–Coast, South, Central, and North. Co-directing two of the groups from Cañada are Jenny Castello, Professor of ESL, and Nadya Sigona, Counselor. We also have Dr. Larry Buckley, President, Dr. David Johnson, Dean, Diana Tedone, Librarian, Ray Lapuz, Professor of Mathematics, and Noel Chavez, Outreach Coordinator, serving in various capacities. Codirecting this entire project for the district is Dr Gregory Anderson, Vice President of Instruction.

In less than a year, the ACCEL coalition will prepare a comprehensive plan for the ongoing coordination and integration of adult education. Your colleagues mentioned above along with partners from across the county are laying the groundwork for ongoing funding of hundreds of millions of dollars.