Good Monday morning to you, May 22, 2017--- We are in the ...college.lattc.edu/president/files/2013/09/Monday-Morning-5-22-2017... · Jose. And of course, big thanks need to go to

Good Monday morning to you, May 22, 2017---

We are in the homestretch of the Spring semester, just a week away from finals, less than

two weeks from graduation. Right now, our push is to secure student success and to build

enrollment in the upcoming summer and fall sessions. Everyone is working so hard on so many

fronts and I want to thank each of you for going the extra mile in serving our students and our

college.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Obviously our biggest challenge last week was the technical issues facing the district’s new

PeopleSoft SIS system. As hard as we worked to prepare our students for the changeover, the

system would not allow for smooth access until Thursday. We are back on track with the system

and our commitment to priority registration remains the same. No student will lose their place on

the priority list and the timeline was basically pushed back four days. If you know of any student

struggling with the system, please direct them to the Bridges to Success office in Mariposa Hall,

Room 105 for assistance. Here is the new timeline in case you receive inquiries from students.

This afternoon under the South Tent, the Inter Club Council (ICC) will be celebrating a great

year for ASO club membership. It has been a banner year for club participation here at LATTC

as more than 30 clubs were chartered by the ASO this year. The Inter Club Council is holding

its first-ever banquet and awards ceremony today at 3pm to honor its members.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Black Graduation ceremony will take place at Southwest

College, and LATTC students are invited to take part. In addition to our students, we will also

have faculty and staff from our campus attending in support of our students. We congratulate

every student who is graduating this year, and we encourage all of our African-American

graduates to be a part of the ceremonies at Southwest College.

This Wednesday we will host our first Education Technology Fair. We have invited vendors

to inform college faculty, staff, administrators, and students about the latest technology. Expect

some cool presentations and devices, which could help you navigate the world of higher

education more easily.

Red Nose Day will take place this Thursday complete with the photo booth which allows you

to snap a few shots with your red nose on. This is part of a national and global effort to raise

funds to address the plight of children worldwide. Comic Relief is taking the lead on this effort in

the U.S. There’s a little contest going on at LATTC as well. Stop by if you can.

This Thursday from 1-3pm, members of our UMOJA community will hold their Annual Rites

of Passage. This ceremony supports and demonstrates a student’s commitment to their well-

being, their community and their studies. Some of our best students have taken the UMOJA

pledge and have made that commitment to themselves and to LATTC – let’s support them.

It is hard to believe, but the Gold Thimble Fashion Show is happening this Friday evening

at 7pm. The location this year is right outside Magnolia Hall. The graduating fashion design

students present their pieces in the runway show, themed “Barbie.” We will be setting up some

bleachers to get the ambiance flowing. Our cosmetology students do the hair and makeup work

to support the event as well. We will introduce our mystery donors who are donating

$500,000 to the Design & Media Arts Pathway, to conserve, preserve and publish the Costume

Collection, support a Mural Fund, and grow the Fashion, VisCom, Digital Media, and Sign

Graphics programs of study. You know the show is going to be a great one.

On Friday, we are pulling together the first planning meeting to set up a 12-Step Meeting

on our campus. I had reached out last Monday to find a volunteer from our faculty, staff or

administrators to work with some outside folks willing to help as well as students seeking our

support to help put this effort together. Please contact my confidential assistant, Lillian Johnson,

at 213-763-7055 or by email at [email protected] if you are interested in taking on this good

work. We are going to need a faculty, staff or administrator to support this, and you need not

have experience to take this on, just a willing heart. Please let me know.

THIS PAST WEEK (and it was busy)

We have another national champion. The organizers of the Junior Style Stars hair competition

came to campus last Monday and made the announcement that LATTC cosmetology student

Jose Miguel Salas Diaz had won the national title above hundreds of students throughout

the entire country. With this victory comes $50,000 in cash and prizes and Jose will be

mentored by internationally-acclaimed stylists. This is a real career-changing win for Jose.

Congratulations also need to go to Laconia Jefferson, an LATTC student who finished second to

Jose. And of course, big thanks need to go to cosmetology department chair Lina Chen, as well

as Marilyn Maine, Jose’s instructor, and all of the faculty in our amazing cosmetology

department. Four champions in seven years is an amazing feat.

Last week, our DSPS team led by Dean Saadia LaGarde Porche put together Mental

Health Awareness Day on the LATTC campus. Several great community partners and

agencies were on hand to engage our students and employees about the resources available

for those who have challenges with regard to mental health. That includes our partners at the

St. John’s Health Center on campus as well as the clinic across 23rd Street. In addition, Dean

Porche was honored with a commendation from the City of LA. Well done Saadia and we

appreciate your efforts in keeping us focused on this issue.

I know some of you did get a chance to see the Performing Arts Club Talent Showcase this past

week. I understand there were some great presentations of freestyle rap and the spoken word. I

know that we have many talented students and it’s great that they have a chance to perform.

Thanks to those who put the event together and supported the students included Mitchell Horn

and Jearold Mock.

We held our monthly Day of Dialogue this past week looking specifically at the progress on

our Educational Master Plan and walking through the recommendations of the Academic

Senate Educational Policies Committee. There was some great input on the future of the plan

and how it should be structured to provide the best support for student success. Our job is to

build the pathways framework and implement that strategy in all of the learning we provide at

LATTC. Those attending the Day of Dialogue helped shape this critical approach. The plan will

soon be finalized, and will serve as our guide in the future.

There is nothing like the Tools for the Trades dinner. After the excitement of the Tools for the

Trades rally choosing our winners, the dinner last week showcased the scholarships in

the form of tools being given to students. The South Tent was packed with the scholarship

winners, friends and family as they were honored. When you hear the student essays, you

begin to realize the deep appreciation these students have for the help being given them by

the LATTC Foundation. Congratulations to all of the students who were awarded scholarships.

Take these tools and make your dreams come true.

I cannot say enough about Dr. Dione Washington and her program’s Dancing with the

Foster Care Stars event last Thursday. Each year it is so much fun and more interesting and

this year was no different as the attendees joined in a Roaring Twenties theme for the night at

Steven’s Steakhouse. The excitement lasted all night as dancers competed in several

categories. This includes several staff and faculty who choose to give their special support of

the Foster and Kinship Care Program as well as the Guardian Scholars Program.

Congratulations on a great evening of fun-raising and fundraising.

This past Saturday more than 400 folks from South LA joined our Ninth District

Councilman Curren Price and his wife, Del, for the Council District 9 Latina

Empowerment Conference right here on campus. This is the second year in a row the

Councilman has selected LATTC as the location for this gathering of women. For some of the

attendees, they had never been on a college campus before, and the councilman talked about

the importance of LATTC to the council district. Telemundo anchor Nancy Leal was the mistress

of ceremonies and there were workshops on a variety of subjects including immigration,

business opportunities, education and resources. The keynote who inspired the crowd was

labor leader Maria Elena Durazo, who announced that she is running for the state legislature.

There was a chorus of cheers and applause. Add in some cumbia music and samba dancers

and you have a great community event. Trade Tech continues to put the community in

community college.

With graduation less than two weeks away, I would like to make a personal plea for you

to make graduation just a bit more accessible for one of our students by sponsoring a

student’s cap and gown. All you have to do is go to the Bookstore and give them a check for

$40 and either name a student you would like to sponsor or have the graduation committee

select a student for you. I understand some faculty and staff are sponsoring more than one

student. I am going to sponsor a couple students and I challenge all of you to sponsor a student,

either alone, or as part of a group. The semester is coming to a close; thanks for making it so

special.

Larry

Laurence B. Frank, LATTC

College to Career-It’s All Here

L.A. Trade-Technical College