Executive Committee Newsletter

Make a college wide impact, and gain career development and leadership: Join the Accreditation Steering Committee (ASC) for Faculty FLEX or Staff Professional Growth!

Your Accreditation Steering Committee (ASC) Co-Chairs, Pam Guenther, Keller Magenau, and Matthew Mooney are seeking committee members to participate in this important college wide effort. 

Serving on ASC is one of the most impactful ways employees can contribute to SBCC. 

Why join? 

• Institutional Impact: Shape the college’s direction, strengthen the student experience, and gain a deeper understanding of our operations.
• Career Growth: Enhance your professional profile with a qualification highly valued in higher education. Increase your campus visibility by collaborating across departments and strengthening your leadership skills.
• Advocacy & Connection: Ensure your area’s successes are represented, build lasting relationships, and foster college-wide collaboration.

All interested employees are invited to submit an interest form. Membership selection will be determined in consultation with your constituent leadership (Associated Student Government, Academic Senate, Classified Consultation Group/CSEA, Association of Confidential Employees, and the Advancing Leadership Association).

Accreditation Timeline

Reaffirmation is a multi-year collaborative effort. Here is our roadmap:

• 2026–2027: Preparation & Submission
• Drafting the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) with college-wide input, concluding with Board approval and submission to the ACCJC by December 15, 2027.
• 2028: ACCJC Review & Site Visit
• The ACCJC evaluates our ISER and online courses. Following their formative feedback (Core Inquiries), we will prepare responses and host the site visit in Fall 2028.
• 2029: Official Outcome
• We receive the official Action Letter following the ACCJC Commission’s January 2029 meeting.

Whether serving on the ASC or providing input on drafts, your engagement is vital as we showcase our institutional strengths and reflect on strategic direction for improvement. Stay tuned for regular updates from the Steering Committee.

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Welcome to the Fall Semester!

I am honored to share that I will continue to serve as your Acting Vice President of Academic Affairs through the Fall semester. I am excited for this opportunity to support our incredible faculty, staff, and academic programs another term. I look forward to working alongside all of you to keep our momentum strong. 

As we kick off this new term, I want to highlight several exciting updates, opportunities, and milestones across our division.

Driving Innovation and Opportunity for Our Students

At the heart of Academic Affairs lies a commitment to removing barriers and creating new horizons for our students. This month, we are proud to spotlight two departments that exemplify this spirit through collaborative, student-focused, impact innovation.

Zero Textbook Costs: A Milestone in Student Savings

The Business Department has achieved a remarkable milestone in student equity and affordability. Through the tireless collaboration of Professor Corrie Bott, Dean Michael Medel, and many dedicated full- and part-time faculty members, the department has implemented Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) materials across 45 sections in seven academic areas. This labor of love is projected to save students approximately $157,500 this Fall 2026 semester alone. That’s money that stays in the hands of our students for essential needs like rent and groceries. This achievement has even caught the attention of leaders in Sacramento, marking SBCC as a leader in ZTC implementation. That’s a great example of impact innovation: great for students and good for SBCC, too. 

New Transfer Pathways in Athletic Training

Innovation is also taking the form of a new educational launchpad. The Physical Education Department has partnered with Antioch University to create a direct, convenient pathway from an associate degree all the way through a Master’s in Athletic Training, and students don’t ever have to leave the SBCC campus. Building on existing SBCC coursework like Exercise Physiology, the program allows students to apply up to 90 SBCC units toward their Bachelor’s degree before transitioning into Antioch’s Master’s in Athletic Training program, set to launch in May 2027. SBCC’s Student Athletic Training Program provides hands-on experience toward satisfying clinical requirements, and Antioch will use SBCC campus facilities for portions of their curriculum. Eight current and former students are already in the pipeline, providing promising evidence for a growing collaboration between our two institutions with great benefit to students.

Welcoming Our New Faculty First, we are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to the newest members of our academic community: Charles (Chuck) Scudelari (Radiography), Andrew Layton (Theater Arts, Set & Lighting Design), and Sam Arnold (Biology, Biomedical Sciences). Each brings a wealth of expertise, passion, and fresh perspectives to their respective departments, strengthening our commitment to hands-on learning, creative expression, and scientific discovery. Whether preparing students for vital roles in healthcare and biomedical sciences or inspiring the next generation of set and lighting designers, our new colleagues are set to make a powerful impact across campus. Please join me in greeting Chuck, Andrew, and Sam as they begin this exciting chapter with us!

Leadership Opportunity:  On the administrative front, as President Endrijonas shared during Faculty In-Service, we are actively seeking qualified candidates to step into the role of Acting Dean for an assignment anticipated to run through June 30, 2027. This leadership opportunity is open to all full-time tenured SBCC faculty as well as managers with teaching experience. If you are interested, please submit a Letter of Interest outlining your leadership qualifications along with an up-to-date CV to Holly Higgins (hkhiggins@pipeline.sbcc.edu) by Wednesday, September 2, 2026. We deeply value the expertise you bring to our campus and look forward to partnering with the individual who takes on this key role.

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2026-27 Adoption Budget: The 2026-27 Adoption Budget will go before the Board of Trustees for approval on September 10th, 2026.  The related 2025-26 year-to-date spending report will be presented as well.

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Longevity:

June 

Alvarez, Sarah A.	10	Administrative Assistant II
Cruz, Emma L.	25	Administrative Assistant II
Rodriguez Mendoza, Jose J.	25	Custodian

August 

Huerta, MaryLou	10	Student Success Coordinator
Skiles, Arthur J.	15	Academic Technology Support Specialist
Wann, Zane A.	15	Information Systems Specialist
Eggertsen, Jennifer A.	20	International Student Advisor
Schweidler, Therese M.	20	LTA
Alexander, Ryan T.	25	Network Specialist
Whipple, Sara M.	25	Academic Technology Support Specialist

September

Limon, Christian J.	10	DSPS Program Specialist
Santana, Isidro G.	10	Lead Custodian
Crop, Benjamin E.	15	Theatre Stagecraft Specialist
Ghens, Michael S.	20	Information Systems Specialist
King, Kathy T.	20	LTA
Ruiz, Rosa I.	20	Admissions & Records Specialist, Senior
Zermeno, Kimberly R.	20	Director Children's Center
Arnold, Paloma L.	25	Assistant Superintendent / Vice President - Student Affairs
Limon, Sergio M.	30	Custodian

New Hires 

Monica Esparza - Payroll Technician

Ruth Fuentes - Administrative Assistant II Facilities

Keena Lee - Student Finance and Accounts Receivable Technician I

Shawn Dahlen - Executive Director Bond Programs

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Human Resources would like to remind you of the opportunity to utilize our EAP program to support you, your dependents or anyone living in your immediate household with confidential counseling and referral services for job-related and personal challenges. You may contact them at 800-999-7222 or visit anthemEAP.com and enter SISC for the company code.

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We are pleased to announce expanded IT support hours across all three SBCC locations.

 IT support will be available from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday, at all SBCC campuses.

This extended schedule is designed to provide greater accessibility and support for our students, faculty, and staff throughout the day and into the evening.

If you need assistance with technology-related issues, including account access, hardware, software, network connectivity, or other IT services, our team will be available during these new support hours.

IT Support Hours

• Monday – Thursday
• 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (at Cliff Campus, after hour support is located at the DAC lab)
• Fridays
• 8 AM - 4:30 PM
• Available at all three SBCC locations

The IT Help Desk is ready to assist at Get IT Help (the best way) or at 805-730-4215.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to serving you during these expanded hours.

Banner Budget Roll Successfully Completed

Information Technology partnered with Ferrilli and Fiscal Services to complete the annual Banner Budget Roll process. This collaborative effort ensured budget data was successfully rolled forward to support the upcoming fiscal cycle and maintain continuity across financial operations.

Life Fitness Center Migration to Accudemia

The Life Fitness Center (LFC) successfully transitioned from the locally developed SIRS application to Accudemia, a vendor-supported platform. The migration provides a more secure, modern, and sustainable solution while improving long-term supportability and reducing reliance on custom-developed systems.

Campus Kick-Off Training Support

During Campus Kick-Off and In-Service activities, IT delivered six training sessions for campus employees:

• Three AI prompt training sessions
• Three Banner training sessions
• Three Etrieve training sessions
• Three Cybersecurity training sessions
• Three Classroom refresher and Helpdesk process training sessions

These sessions provided hands-on guidance and helped faculty and staff prepare for the academic year by strengthening familiarity with key administrative and business systems.

Looking Ahead:

IT will expand the monthly Open House to include Open Houses for Banner and Etrieve.

Banner Open House

IT will host Banner Open House sessions to provide employees with opportunities to learn more about Banner functionality, ask questions, and discover resources available to support their work.

Etrieve Open House

Etrieve Open House sessions are planned to showcase electronic forms and workflow capabilities, provide demonstrations of current solutions, and discuss opportunities for future process improvements across campus.

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Office of Communications Help Request 

The Office of Communications Help Request form can be found on the Office of Communications webpage. ALL requests must be submitted through the Help Request form. Click here to learn more about the form. 

Social Media Orientation & Registration

Please have your Social Media (Student) Workers join SBCC's Office of Communications for a Social Media (Student) Worker Orientation! This orientation is open to staff/faculty running accounts as well. September 30, 1-2 pm on Zoom.

PUT THIS ON MY CALENDAR

What will be covered:

• SBCC's Social Media Guidelines
• SBCC's Branding Guidelines
• Best practices and Tips
• Registering your department's social media account

If you or your student worker is unable to join us at this day and time, please reach out to Amanda Jacobs (ajjacobs@pipeline.sbcc.edu) to set up a 1-on-1 meeting for this orientation.

SBCC Comprehensive Marketing & Communications Strategy  

• High Level Goals: Enhance marketing & communications efforts internally and externally for SBCC. 
• Internal goal: Provide clarity in how we communicate to students and alleviate emails.  
• External goal: Maximize the return on investment of marketing & advertising dollars within SBCC's district and out of state. 

• Timeline: 

• Spring 2026: Announcement of Comprehensive Marketing & Communications Strategy
• Summer 2026: Discovery and Build-out of Comprehensive Marketing & Communications Strategy
• The strategy is in two parts:
• Internal Marketing & Communications - How SBCC communicates with our students and how SBCC communicates among colleagues. SBCC conducted an Internal Communications Audit. 
• External Marketing & Communications - How SBCC communicates with our district (Gaviota to Carpinteria) and Out-of-State Marketing
• Fall 2026: Enhancing the Comprehensive Marketing & Communications Strategy
• The strategy gets enhancements and feedback from key community stakeholder groups
• Spring 2027: Implementation of Comprehensive Marketing & Communications Strategy

• Quick Takeaways and Implementations for Fall 2026: 
• Internal Marketing & Communications:
• My.SBCC.edu Portal simplification efforts 
• Look for an email from Hong Lieu to explain all the upcoming enhancements to the My.SBCC.edu portal. With direction from the operational My.SBCC.edu Steering Committee and heavy student feedback, the portal will be simplified to streamline user experience and usage. Updates to happen in September. 
• NeoQuadApp.com 
• SBCC Board of Trustees approved an MOU for an events and wayfinding application that is specific to the SBCC Cliff Campus. Launching on Monday, August 24, in strong collaboration with Student Services this application is the premiere channel for events to be promoted (in an effort to minimize additional emails to students) and also serves as a wayfinding tool for students to find their classes. This app is FREE for the SBCC community, and the NeoQuad team has been working closely with Student Services and the Office of Communications to implement.

• Inclusive Onboarding for New Employees

• The Office of Communications will continue to host optional Inclusive Onboarding meetings as an added resource to welcome, build community, and foster relationships among new employees. These will happen in Fall and Spring semesters for new employees (faculty - full time and part time, new staff, and new administrators). Special thanks to Amitty and Jing for all their help in curating this first program. 
• External Marketing & Communications:
• Out-of-State Marketing Paused
• Out-of-state marketing has been paused. Since 2020, the Office of Communications has concentrated out-of-state marketing in 6 key areas across the country. We are analyzing the return on investment of these marketing and advertising efforts with help from Institutional Research & Planning, and Enrollment Services & Outreach. We are currently evaluating and will have updates this Fall. 

• Hyper Local Marketing & Advertising

• With greater collaboration with Student Services, Enrollment Services, and ASG - you will start to see SBCC at more community events including, Indy40 Fest, local festivals, High School stadiums/gyms, local theatre playbills, and more. Since marketing is confined to our district by law, we are working to be in as many places as we can within our district.

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Please join us at the School of Extended for the following events: 

Friday, Sept. 18th, 10am - 12pm, Wake Auditorium:  Faculty Professional Development Workshop with Gina Bell: Effective Classroom Management Strategies and Self Care 

Saturday, October 3, 10 am - 12 pm, Schott Auditorium:  The Transformational Power of Grief with Dave Cumes, MD. Event Ad:  Since inception, polarity has been present in various guises, including, Grief and Happiness. Grief can be “grist for the mill” - there can be no transformation without conflict. We are schooled to tough it out and not to cry but our inner pain needs expression. Learn how to honor, manage and subordinate those maladies that affect body, mind and spirit including; pessimism, ‘learned helplessness’, guilt (survivors as well), shame, the Broken Heart Syndrome, the role of a negatively primed subconscious and their resulting toxic emotions. 

Saturday, November 14, 1-3pm, BC Forum: Rewriting the Human Aging Clock with Professor Joel Rothman: Event Ad

Join Professor Joel Rothman, Founding Director of the UCSB Center for Aging and Longevity Science, for an engaging discussion on groundbreaking advances in the science of aging and emerging technologies that may slow or even reverse age-related decline. The presentation will explore innovations such as gene

therapies, cellular reprogramming, AI-driven drug discovery, and anti-aging vaccines, while also examining

the ethical, social, and financial questions surrounding longer and healthier lives.

Saturday, December 5, 10am - 2pm, Wake Campus: Annual Arts & Craft Fair (flyers and ads on their way via office of communications) Applications open for students in October, date TBA.

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The WELL
Wag WELL, Be WELL Therapy Dog Event

All SBCC Students, Staff, & Faculty are invited to join Therapy Dogs of America & The WELL for the Wag WELL, Be WELL ~ Therapy Dog Event for some paws-itivity and a general pup-lifting time! Therapy dogs will be available to provide comfort and uplift and welcome students to the start of Fall 2026 semester!

• Wednesday, September 2nd
• 11am - 1pm
• West Campus Lawn - In Front of Luria Library

The Becoming Experience & Resource Discovery Event

The Becoming Experience is a collaborative, student- centered initiative in partnership with SBCC's The WELL, DSPS, Veterans Support & Resource Center, UMOJA, and Office of Student Life. Join us for a special afternoon exploring a powerful student art exhibition and resource discovery celebrating growth, resilience, and self-expression. Food provided to SBCC students, staff, and faculty by Chef Rene & Mister Softee.

• Tuesday, September 15th
• 11am - 2pm
• Friendship Plaza in front of UMOJA Mural

STI Screen-A-Thon & Health Resource Event

Join Student Health Services’ The WELL & The CLINIC + Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics for an afternoon of confidential STI Screenings and access to health and wellness resources in a supportive and stigma-free environment. Burritos provided to SBCC students, staff, and faculty by Chef Rene.

• Tuesday, September 22nd
• 11am - 3pm
• West Campus Lawn - In front of Luria Library

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