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MiraCosta College Events
Mark your calendars for these fabulous events happening at MiraCosta College this spring semester!
ART
The Kruglak Gallery offers a diverse range of contemporary exhibitions of interest to both students and the general public. The gallery is located in the MiraCosta College Student Center on the Oceanside Campus.
Gallery Hours:
Mon. & Tues., 2:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Wed. & Thurs., 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Free admission
Gallery: (760) 795-6657
Gallery Director: Diane Adams
The Cloths of Heaven
Siobhan Arnold
February 9 - March 4
closed February 15
Reception: Feb. 11, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Talk: Feb. 18, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
This body of work is inspired by the art historical representation of female figures from biblical, allegorical and mythological narratives. Drawing largely from the late Mannerist and Baroque periods of European painting, the images are Arnold’s reinterpreted "mise en" scenes. In her photographs, she explores her interest in the use of fabric and drapery as a pictorial device underscoring the stories and characters of these compositions.
DANCE
Building Community through Dance: Eveoke Dance Theatre
Sponsored by North County Higher Education Alliance (NCHEA)
Friday, February 5, 8 p.m.
MiraCosta College Theatre
1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside
General admission: $12
For more information, e-mail dmassey@miracosta.edu
MiraCosta College, Palomar College and CSU San Marcos, in conjunction with the NCHEA have invited Eveoke Dance Theatre for a residency that will take place on all three campuses. The event will include a lecture/demonstration at CSU San Marcos on February 3, a hip hop master class at Palomar College on February 4, and a culminating performance by the Eveoke Dance Theatre at MiraCosta College on February 5.
THEATRE
The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
Directed by David Ellenstein
Assistant Direction by Tracy Williams
MiraCosta College Theatre
1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside
2 p.m. performances:
February 27 & 28
March 7, 13 & 14
7 p.m. performances:
March 3
7:30 p.m. performances:
February 26 & 27
March 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 & 13
Preview: Feb. 25: 7:30 p.m.
General Admission, $25
Seniors/Staff, $20
Students, $15 with current student ID
Preview night, $15 all seats
Student ID must be presented at the door.
Box Office: (760) 795-6815
Starring Jonathan McMurtry and directed by North Coast Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director, David Ellenstein, The Tempest is a must-see theatre event in North County this year. This co-production with NCRT will feature a cast of seasoned professional actors mixed with top aspiring MiraCosta College students. Here is your chance to see one of the great Shakespearean actors lead the cast in a play of revenge, magic, humor and revelry.
Catch the great music, theatre, art, film, dance and lecture events happening each month at MiraCosta College! Visit our arts and events pages for more information.
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President's Message for January
I would like to take the time to thank each of you who made a year-end donation and to give you a quick update on the Textbook Endowment Campaign. Earlier this year, the Associated Student Government (ASG) and MiraCosta Foundation challenged themselves to create a $250,000 endowment that will provide consistent funding for the Textbook Assistance Program. I am happy to announce that thanks to your help we are closing in on that goal. Through the combined efforts of the students, faculty, staff, and community, $192,000 has already been raised! Learn more about the textbook endowment by clicking here.
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Great things are happening at MiraCosta College, and I will continue to send out this newsletter monthly to keep you apprised. In the meantime, as always, please feel free to contact me anytime at Francisco.Rodriguez@miracosta.edu.
In This Issue
MiraCosta Growth Recognized Nationally
New MiraCosta Programs
MiraCosta Events
Meet MiraCosta Nursing Graduate Tina Kain
MiraCosta Named One of the Fastest Growing Community Colleges in the Country
MiraCosta is committed to serving the needs of our local community, and the community has made it clear that they want more courses to prepare students for local jobs and to transfer to four-year institutions. By responding to local needs, we’ve been able to steward the public’s resources in appropriate and responsive ways. This has resulted in MiraCosta College being recognized as the eleventh fastest-growing community college in the United States, according to “Community College Weekly,” which ranked public, two-year colleges by the percent change in headcount during the fall 2007-fall 2008 academic year.
MiraCosta was the only San Diego-based community college listed in the article, though nine of the 15 colleges experiencing the most enrollment growth are in California. Between fall 2007 and fall 2008, student enrollment increased at MiraCosta College by 14.5%, or by approximately 1,550 students. The college accommodated this growth by increasing the number of course sections offered, and by expanding its distance education program.
“We have been smart and strategic in what we are offering to students,” says Vice President of Instruction Pam Deegan. “We’ve been able to increase distance education courses, reformat the times we offer classes to better accommodate student schedules and fill more seats per class.”
MiraCosta has continued to accommodate a growing student body. In fall 2009, the college enrolled the largest number of students ever—13,618, up 14.8% since fall 2008. The college experienced a record number of students on the first day of spring classes on January 25.
“More and more students have been shut out of the UC and CSU systems,” says Deegan. “This, coupled with more people wanting to take courses to make themselves more marketable has meant that we have an unprecedented demand for classes. We are fortunate that the careful financial stewardship of the Board of Trustees has allowed the college to continue to offer more courses in order to meet these growing student needs.”
New MiraCosta Programs Prepare Student for Great Careers
MiraCosta College has started two new programs that will help local students prepare for high-growth, high-wage careers. Graduates will be able to take the education and skills they learn at MiraCosta and directly apply them in fields where the demand for qualified workers continues to grow.
New Registered Nursing Program
The first class of MiraCosta’s new Registered Nursing (RN) Program began classes this January. About 40 new registered nurses will graduate each year from the program, earning an associate in science degree in nursing, which will allow them to sit for the registered nursing exams administered by the California Board of Registered Nursing. MiraCosta also offers a Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) to Registered Nursing Career Ladder Program, an LVN program, Surgical Technology, Massage Therapy and more.
The new RN Program will help fill a local need for qualified, quality registered nurses. The addition of Palomar Pomerado Health's new facility and the expansion of Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas will result in an increased need for RNs.
MiraCosta students completing the two-year RN program will spend about $2,000 on tuition, fees and supplies. The average income for new RN in the area is $62,000 –a tremendous return on investment. MiraCosta students also benefit from strong and coordinated partnerships with Scripps and Tri-City Medical Center, where they are able to get hands-on, clinical training and fulfill their laboratory requirements.
Additional information about the program, can be found at www.miracosta.edu/nurs, or by calling the Nursing Department at (760) 757-2121 ext. 6466.
Hybrid Vehicle Technician Training Program
The college has also just started a new noncredit Hybrid Vehicle Technician Training Program, which provides students with quality, hands-on training that enables them to service hybrid vehicles. MiraCosta is positioning itself to become a leader in new alternative energy workforce education, and this program is a wonderful addition to the college’s growing number of alternative energy training programs.
The Hybrid Vehicle Technician Training Program, which is funded by a $400,000 federal grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered through San Diego Workforce Partnership and MiraCosta's Community Services Program, is scheduled to begin in March 2010. Upon completion of the 40-hour program, students will be able to earn a Certificate of Accomplishment as a Hybrid Vehicle Technician.
For more information on the Vehicle Technician Training Program, contact Linda Kurokawa at lkurokawa@miracosta.edu or call (760) 795-6820.
Meet MiraCosta Nursing Graduate Tina Kain
After 15 years of working as a special education teacher’s assistant, working with severely handicapped and autistic children, Tina Kain decided to take advantage of a special work program to go back to school and get certified as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN).
“I love my job but I realized I can’t do it forever. While the job is rewarding, the intensity of it really starts to take a toll,” she explains. “I have always wanted to be a nurse and I felt, hey, time is going by anyway—what the heck, now is the time to follow through.”
Tina asked her employer, the Escondido Unified School District, if she could be an alternate in a program that provides support to the district’s health technicians wanting to get their LVN license at MiraCosta. The district allowed her to participate and next thing she knew, she was enrolled in MiraCosta’s Nursing Program. Tina first spent two semesters completing prerequisites and then completed MiraCosta’s summer-based Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program.
“I loved the program. I especially loved the clinical time and the hands-on experience we got at the bedside. I felt that this just came naturally to me.”
Once she completed the CNA Program, Lisa continued her studies in the LVN Program and excelled. Not only was she learning a lot academically, but she also made lifelong friendships.
“I got really close to the people in the program,” she says. “We went through a lot together. The most amazing part is that most of us are adult learners who, like in my case, had not thought about returning to school in years. Many of us worked all day and then came to class at night and the weekends. And a lot of us went through a lot of personal issues. One student lost her mother, another her son-in-law. But we all kept on pushing through and, through supporting each other, every one of us graduated.”
Now that Lisa has graduated from MiraCosta she is hoping to get a job with the school district as a school nurse. In the meantime, she has discovered a passion for learning that she says can only be quenched by continuing her education.
“Now that I’ve graduated I’m in shock. I think, ‘what was my life before MiraCosta?’ I don’t even know,” she laughs. “I do know that I love to learn and I want to continue to take classes. I’m planning on continuing on to become a registered nurse. The best part is that my family is also cheering me on—going back to school has brought an excitement into the house that we all just love.”
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