Martha Garcia, Ed.D., will become the ninth superintendent/president of Imperial Valley College on July 1. She also becomes the first woman to lead the college.The IVC Board of Trustees selected Garcia in a unanimous vote Wednesday.  She will be replacing Victor Jaime, Ed.D., who is retiring June 30 after 38 years at the college including the past seven years as superintendent/president.

Garcia was among the five finalists for the position who made public presentations May 1 at the college. Others included Robert A. Frost, Ph.D., currently (interim) dean of the John Adams Campus of City College, San Francisco; G.H. Javaheripour, Ed.D.,  currently Yuba College president; Christopher Villa, Ed.D., vice president of Student Services at Los Angeles Mission College and Wei Zhou, Ph.D., past president of Crafton Hills College. 

Garcia, a Brawley resident, currently serves as Imperial Valley College's vice president for Student Services, and since January has also been acting vice president for Academic Services. She is a graduate of Brawley Union High School and earned an associate's degree from Imperial Valley College.

Garcia holds a doctorate of education in educational leadership from San Diego State University, a master's degree from National University and a bachelor's degree from San Diego State University.

Before becoming an administrator, Garcia was responsible for developing and coordinating a $5.8 million California Career Pathways Trust Grant that enabled Imperial Valley College to create Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Level One Academy. She also developed a multitude of categorically funded programs that focused on serving minority and underrepresented students.

She has secured more than $14 million for Imperial Valley College, since 2009. 

Garcia has been employed at Imperial Valley College since 1999 and has held several positions under Student Services and Academic Services. 

She serves on various community organizations. She is a board member for Justice for Our Neighbors; Live Your Dream Scholarship coordinator for Soroptimist International of El Centro and a member of Imperial Valley Breakfast Rotary.

Last Friday, Garcia participated in the IVROP Community Foundation's "Dancing with the Stars Gala." Moreover, she was honored as a 56th California Assembly District "2018 Woman of the Year." She was commended for her commitment, tenacity, and leadership to improve our community through continuous leadership efforts. Finally, Dr. Garcia enjoys traveling and spending time with her family, which resides in Brawley.

After considering all of the written material noted above, the Commission finds that the College has sustained the work accomplished since the last comprehensive evaluation and has maintained compliance with the Standards previously identified in the 2013 comprehensive evaluation team report and linked to Recommendations 1 through 8, all of which the College satisfactorily addressed, and resolved associated deficiencies, by the time of its 2015 Follow-Up Report.

Read the full letter from the ACCJC

IMPERIAL – At a press conference today at Imperial Valley College, college and sheriff's officials assured staff and students that the campus was opened today only after a man accused of making threats against IVC had been arrested and there was no danger to students.

"IVC is committed to insuring the safety of our students and employees," said Sergio Lopez, Imperial Valley College's interim vice president for Student Services. He said counselors and a crisis team have been made available to help students suffering from anxiety or other issues as a result of the threat, which was well-publicized on social media.

A man accused of making the threat was arrested three hours after authorities were notified.

"Based on our investigation, we were not able to discover anything to make this a real threat," said Imperial County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jimmy Duran. "We do not believe (students) are in any danger based on the outcome of this investigation."

The threat was made on Facebook on Wednesday and reported to authorities shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. IVC posted a message on the College's Facebook account soon after midnight to alert students and staff of the threat, a second post was made shortly after 3 a.m. of the decision to keep the campus open. An email was additionally sent out to the campus community.

The incident began Wednesday night after IVC staff began receiving calls from students about the Facebook post, Lopez said. "We were able to ascertain an address," he said, crediting the community, staff, students and the Sheriff's Office for a quick resolution.

The man accused of making the threats was identified by the Sheriff's Office as Raymond Martinez, 18, who was taken into custody about 1:30 a.m. today at his home in Calexico, Duran said. Martinez was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats.

There appears to be no clear motive, said Duran. No weapons were found at the home, Duran said, "and we determined he did not have access to weapons." The investigation is continuing.

Attendance today appeared to be down, Lopez said, but by how much is not yet known.

"We will probably have a better idea tomorrow," he said.

For students who opted to stay home today, faculty has been given the option of allowing students to take makeup tests, Lopez said, although that decision is being left up to each instructor.

The college has been reviewing its safety procedures and policies in the wake of recent attacks on college campuses in other parts of the United States. Last week, IVC students and staff were sent information by email detailing what to do in the event of an active shooting event, as well as how to contact campus security.

The college has a policy forbidding weapons, including firearms, knives and explosives. A state law was signed last week by Gov. Jerry Brown outlawing handguns on campuses throughout the state, excluding those carried current or retired law enforcement officers.

Imperial Valley College has been removed from its Accreditation warning status and has been granted full accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

"While this news was not unexpected, we are thrilled to have all accreditation sanctions lifted," said Victor Jaime, IVC President/Superintendent. "It is a tribute to the very hard work of lots of people since 2013."

The ACCJC action comes as a result of a campus accrediting team visit this spring and official action by the full commission at its meeting June 3-5. The college was notified of the action Monday.

"In our exit interview after the visit, the team leader was very positive about our college's work," Jaime said. "But nothing was official until after the ACCJC acted.

IVC had been on "Warning" as the result of the comprehensive accreditation evaluation conducted on campus in March 2013. The status is the mildest sanction that is issued and came amid serious fiscal issues that had hit the college in the aftermath of the state budget crisis. Through this period, IVC had remained fully accredited and was given a statutory two years to resolve the commission's concerns.

The recommendations that needed to be addressed involved the college's strategic planning processes as well as fiscal issues.

"At no time did the commission ever question the quality of education provided by IVC," Jaime said. "In fact they commended us for that."

But the commission wanted to see improvements in two areas:

1. Linkage of Institutional Goals and Objectives from the Educational Master Plan with Operational Plan goals and resource allocations.
2. Development of a fiscal strategy to have a balanced budget.

Jaime said that over the past two years, IVC has proven to the commission that planning processes have been improved and the fiscal issues have been adequately addressed.

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges has a number of options when it evaluates colleges. It can reaffirm accreditation without sanctions or it can continue accreditation but with options of three levels of sanctions. Sanctions, by level of severity, include warning, probation or "show cause" -- which is the step before losing accreditation.

Of the 13 colleges that received full accreditation reviews in 2013, six were reaffirmed, six were issued warnings and one was placed on probation. The commission also voted to terminate accreditation of the City College of San Francisco which had been placed on "Show Cause" status the year before.

In its latest findings, IVC is one of 13 colleges that were been reaffirmed with full accreditation. Another seven were placed either on probation or in a warning status. A complete list of the commission's actions can be found at http://www.accjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Commission_Actions_on_Institutions_June_3_5_2015.pdf

The commission's letter to IVC has been posted on the IVC Accreditation website at http://accreditation.imperial.edu.

FROM LEFT: Biology major Mario Lopez and administration of justice major Rocio Lopez march toward their seats Saturday during the Class of 2015 commencement exercises at Imperial Valley College. JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO

Graduating students applaud after receiving their diplomas and the ceremonial moving of their caps' tassels during the class of 2015 commencement exercises Saturday at Imperial Valley College. The 2015 candidates for graduation program lists exactly 500 graduates with degrees in Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees. JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO

Posted: Sunday, June 14, 2015 1:10 am
By MICHAEL DUKES Staff Writer | 0 comments

IMPERIAL — Shattering last year's total cap-and-gown count of just over 800, Imperial Valley College's 53rd annual commencement ceremony consisted of some 13,322 deserving scholars, 500 of which received their associate's degrees at DePaoli Sports Complex here Saturday morning.

"We work with the other school districts and also the P-16 Council of Imperial County in increasing the college-going rate of our community . This is part of our results of that," said school Superintendent and President Victor Jaime. "Over the course of the last seven years, we've begun to see the trend changing and more and more local students are completing higher education than ever before."

The occasion saw such a massive turnout that many friends and family members were rerouted from the gym doors to Building 400, where they witnessed the graduation via livestream. Those fortunate enough to have found a seat while there was still space sat nearly elbow-to-elbow, but even a slight discomfort was not enough to mar the day, which served as a crucial step along their sons', daughters', brothers' or sisters' paths to becoming full-fledged university graduates .

"You're more than ready for the next steps you take in life," outgoing Associated Student GovernmentPresident Priscilla Ortiz encouraged her fellow former Arabs. "The opportunities are there, you just have to find them. Always picture yourself being exceptional, and remember where you started."

Ortiz, a political science major, will be attending the Calexico campus of San Diego State University in the fall, where she will slightly modify her studies to suit a bachelor's in public administration. If one day it becomes feasible, Ortiz will consider attending law school.

"My grandfather was the one who really influenced me to follow politics," she explained, "but it's always been an interest I've had. I used to be involved with student government when I was little."

Regardless of what may lie ahead, the ceremony was really about commemorating what the students have accomplished thus far. Some — two, in particular — accomplished more than academic excellence in their time at IVC, unwittingly setting themselves apart by merit of their moral principles.

"I was completely surprised to receive it, but I'm very thankful," said Alexis Soto, another political science major, who received the prestigious American Legion Award alongside classmate Nirvana Navarro.

Psychology major Clarissa Chipress was the youngest graduate to walk across the stage Saturday at 19 years old. The Calexico native was one of about 40 students enrolled in the Imperial Valley University Partnership, an IVROP-sponsored program, in which accelerated coursework structure ensures a bachelor's degree within four years.

"I would recommend it to everyone who wants to take it," she said of the 3-year-old course. "There are people who take longer here, maybe up to 5 years, but this program is the best."

Staff Writer Michael Dukes can be reached at 760-337-3440 or at mdukes@ivpressonline.com

Imperial Valley College class of 2015 numbers:

• Oldest graduate age: 62 years
• Youngest graduate age: 19 years
• Average graduate age: 25 years
• 63 percent women, 37 percent men
• 131 students graduating with honors

Source: Imperial Valley College

IVC was one of 40 institutions statewide to receive part of the $244 million in Career Pathways grants announced Wednesday by the Department of Education.

"To say we are thrilled is an understatement," said IVC President Dr. Victor Jaime. "This grant will be a major step in our efforts to enhance student success and open doors to higher education for our Valley," he said.

"The beauty of this program is that mid-way through high school, students can also start down their path to a college degree," he added.

The Career Pathways grants are designed to blend academic and career technical education, connect employers with schools and train students for jobs in high-demand fields, such as health care, advanced manufacturing, information technology and software development. The grants are provided through the California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT) program, which is the largest program of its kind in the nation. The program has provided nearly $500 million in career tech grants over two years.

IVC will be partnering with IVROP, the Imperial County Office of Education Alternative Education program and five local high school districts to offer students in their junior year the opportunity to earn college credit in the fields of Administration of Justice and Allied Health.
The participating school districts are Calexico Unified, Imperial Unified, Central Union, Holtville Unified and Brawley Union.

Dr. Martha Garcia, IVC special projects director, is administering the grant. She said the new program goes beyond existing law enforcement and health courses offered through articulation agreements between IVC and the high schools.
"This is going a step beyond and will take the college experience to the high schools. It will also bring the students to the IVC campus."

By the time they graduate from high school, those seeking careers in Administration of Justice will have 12 units of the 60 units needed for an Associate of Arts Transfer degree. Students in health fields will have the capability to obtain certification as either an Emergency Medical Technician, Home Health Aide or Certified Nursing Assistant during the summer of their senior year.

"This community is receiving a significant amount of funding to insure student success in college," said Garcia. "At the end of the day lots of students will be able to have a work-ready skill and a significant number of college credits as they enter IVC as freshmen."

The first 180 juniors will enter the program this fall with an additional 180 entering in both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years, Garcia said.

The students will take college course work as well as a college success workshop on their high school campuses. They also will attend special academies on the IVC campus during the summer between their junior year as well as the summer of their senior year.

Summer work at IVC for the law enforcement students will include a law enforcement academy during both summers as well as 6 units of general education courses. An allied health academy will be held in the first summer for students in that program. The second summer, they will attend a special "preparing for your nursing career workshop" as well as take a home health aide and nursing mathematics course.

Allied health students also will be attending a conference for pre-medical and pre-health college majors at the University of California, Davis at the start of their program.

Included in the grant is equipment for both the high schools as well as IVC. A new "home health aide" laboratory is also slated for IVC. The lab, according to Garcia, will be located in a modular building and will simulate a house where students will learn home health aide skills.

Garcia said there are a number of community collaborators for the program. They include the Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District, El Centro Regional Medical Center, Imperial County Workforce Development Office, police departments from both the City of El Centro and City of Imperial and the Imperial County Sheriff's Office.

The state Legislature created the Career Pathways program in 2013 and allocated $250 million for the program in the state's 2013-14 budget. Last year, State Superintendent of Instruction Tom Torlakson awarded grants to 39 recipients. After seeing the program's popularity – the state received 123 applications requesting $709 million in CCPT grants last year – lawmakers approved an additional $250 million for this year.

For more information contact Bill Gay 760-427-2314.

A crowd of young women listen to Imperial Valley College superintendent Victor Jaime (not pictured) during the welcome ceremony at the Expanding Your Horizons Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Girls' Conference on Saturday at IVC. MICHAEL DUKES PHOTO

IMPERIAL - There are jobs to be had in the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and more young girls need to hear that.

Such was the platform of the first-ever Expanding Your Horizons STEM Girls' Conference held on the grounds of Imperial Valley College here Saturday, brought about by a coalition of the college, San Diego State University-Imperial Valley campus and CETYS Universidad of Mexicali.

Swollen numbers of participants spanning the middle and junior high school spectrum had their choice of 18 different workshops to attend, and keynote speaker Victoria Gastelum DeMatteis, an aerospace engineer with The Boeing Company, was on hand to offer up her own example as proof that anyone — no matter their ethnicity, economic background or gender — can seize the day.

"We're trying to encourage young women to think about occupations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," said event organizer Lisa Rajigah, who alluded to a societal discouragement of female students to pursue career paths in the "more difficult" fields aforementioned. "There's a misperception that girls don't do well in math, for example, that it's something boys are better at, and that's been going around for years and being propagated."

Rajigah points to behavioral studies showing that as many girls reach preadolescence, a social anxiety disorder known as "center-of-the-stage phobia" takes root in them, meaning they are prone to withdraw from classroom participation. They may know the answers as often as the boys, Rajigah said, but because of these alleged environmental barriers — including stereotypes and gender bias — girls are less likely to raise their hands and volunteer an answer.

Academia must, therefore, reform and desist from blocking women's participation and progress in these fields, said Rajigah.

El Centro St. Mary's School seventh-grader Nicole Ye, 12, comes from a family of doctors and has her sights set on following in that legacy. Her friend Brianna Balli, also 12, is interested in computer graphics. Neither has noticed any particular bias or discouragement, but on their way to a seminar based on the duties of emergency room doctors — one of 18 offered — Ye said opportunities must always exist.

"If you don't get a lot of opportunities, you're not going to try hard to achieve your goals ," she stated.

Growing up in a fairly traditional Mexican family in Culiacan, Sinaloa, a young Gastelum DeMatteis thought heading her own accounting firm might be her highest achievement in life. Her passion for physics and mechanical engineering was first stoked by primary teachers, who motivated her to seek a degree in those fields.

She attended high school in Mexicali and went on to complete a degree in mechanical engineering at CETYS. In 2000, Gastelum DeMatteis obtained two master's degrees — another in her field of choice, and one in business — from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

She has since held multiple positions with Boeing but presently works as an aerospace engineer, helping to create a large program that will fundamentally transform functionality testing in modern aircraft.

"My path was dictated because I really love math and I was really good at it, but I also loved physics and science," she said. "I did very well in school and got a lot of motivation from my teachers, who opened my eyes to real opportunity."

However, Gastelum DeMatteis notes, her path was "not typical" and that "most of the time, women don't see it as a possibility." She believes, like Rajigah, that girls do not receive as much encouragement as their male classmates, but places such attitudes within the cultural context of smaller, close-knit societies.

Placing emphasis on outward mobility and higher education are things that parents "need to reconsider," Gastelum DeMatteis said, even if it means leaving home. "My parents always said … Wherever you can make a living and develop your talents, that's your land, that's your home."

Furthermore, women in STEM jobs tend to be more independent and vocationally satisfied. On average, they earn 33 percent more than those in non-STEM occupations. They have the chance to engage in some of the most exciting realms of discovery, Gastelum DeMatteis said, and increasing opportunities for women in these fields is a crucial step toward realizing equality across the board.

Staff Writer Michael Dukes can be reached at 760-337-3440 or at mdukes@ivpressonline.com

IMPERIAL, Calif.- Imperial Valley College program directors, along with other career professionals from the valley, spent the morning telling students what they do. Students went from booth to booth gathering information they will use, not only to pick a career, but also educational programs available locally.

"Customs I found it a good career maybe after I graduate and the electronic class because I like to learn about electronics and other things" said Jose Quero, eleventh grade student at Imperial High School.

This is the fourteenth year Imperial Valley College hosts the Applied Sciences Expo. Participants from throughout the county are exposed to different career and educational opportunities. Imperial Valley College Dean of Economics and Workforce development, Efrain Silva says, this event is a good tool for students to develop an interest on what they may want to pursue in life.
"The exhibitors continue to come which shows us that there is a return on their investment of time for being here and exposing their industries and opportunities for our community."

Student Aaron Equihua says he'll be graduating high school soon and participating in the event gave him a better glimpse at his future plans. "For me it's like the best route to go to so if I want to get a good job that pays well I can get any of these right here."

Exhibitors were able to promote their services and interact with the young students who one day may become their future employees or members. Elveda Serrano, member of the IVC Business Club says, this is her second year participating and she sees the importance in the event.

"Not only because it helps them get to know what the whole Imperial Valley College has to offer for them but it gives them an idea of what they are going to do when they get here."

IMPERIAL — Since his murder in January of 2013, the family of Martin Alberto Garza has found ways not only to remember its fallen son, but more importantly establish community ties in an effort to see that another young life is not cut short by gang violence.

Martin was just 17-years-old when his life was taken, prompting his mother, Yulil Alonso-Garza and other family members to establish the Mothers and Men Against Gangs Coalition.

On Saturday, the coalition hosted its inaugural Anti-Gang Awareness Family Health & Outreach Fair at Imperial Valley College to urge the community to keep the youth involved in sports, music and other positive activities in order to deter them from joining gangs.

The event started with the coalition's annual 5k run, which helps the non-profit organization distribute scholarships to Imperial Valley seniors toward the end of the school year.

"It went very well," Alonso-Garza said of the run. "We had people from Calexico and Blythe. The team from Calexico High School earned a trophy for Top Gang Violence Prevention Team because they had the biggest group."

While both events are in their grass-root stages, Alonso-Garza said she was optimistic about the future of the events as well as their need in their community.

"We're glad to have been able to start something," she said. "We want to keep kids busy and involved to help prevent them from getting involved in gangs."

Present at the event were local public safety agencies such as the Imperial County Gang Intelligence Coalition and Calipatria State Prison.

This was one of the first times the prison had been asked to partner with a community organization and Claudia S. Macias, the prison's community resource manager, was happy to do so.

"We're always willing to do our part in the community," Macias said. "We want to help stop that cycle of violence."

In addition to reaching out to the community the event also served as an opportunity for MAG Coalition to continue its SmashBro Bear drive, which benefits the foster youth of Imperial County.

On Saturday the MAG Coalition members presented Ricardo Martinez, a CASA of Imperial County case supervisor, with 187 toy bears.

"Since MAG (Coalition) came into existence we've been partners," Martinez said. "The bears help the volunteers or juvenile judge break the ice with the children."

Staff Writer Karina Lopez can be reached at 760-337-3439 or klopez@ivpressonline.com