Faculty Honors and Awards
Betsy Fisher Named Volunteer of the Year
In October 2009, Culinary Arts Adjunct Instructor Betsy Fischer was selected as Sonoma County´s “Volunteer of the Year” by a committee of business leaders and board members from the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County. The competitive award involved 30 nonprofit associations. Betsy's nomination was submitted by the Council on Aging, where Betsy has been a lead volunteer for 10 years organizing the Council's annual Derby Day fundraiser for the Meals on Wheels program.
Congratulations to Betsy for her very dedicated work both at SRJC and in the community!
Michael Salinger Selected
Spring 2010 Tauzer Lecturer
Plan to join your SRJC colleagues at the annual Brook Tauzer Faculty Lecture on February 16, 2010 that will spotlight Michael Salinger, Chef Instructor and Chair of the Culinary Arts Program. The Tauzer Lecturer is a SRJC faculty member who is selected for teaching excellence by a committee of former Tauzer Lecturers. This year Michael will present “What's Cooking? A Personal Perspective,” exploring the remarkable bounty of local, organic, and sustainable gardens, farms, markets, kitchens, cooks and tables while he presents and prepares a home-cooked meal.
The lecture will be presented in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the Petaluma Campus, and will be video broadcast to Newman Auditorium on the Santa Rosa Campus. There will also be a tasting from SRJC's Culinary Café and Bakery following the lecture.
Congratulations, Michael!
Infant Toddler Program Receives Department Of Education Award
SRJC's Infant Toddler Program at the Call Children's Center is the recipient of an award from the California Department of Education for its leadership in the field and as one of only four designated demonstration sites for the Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC). The award was presented at the national PITC Graduate Conference held in Berkeley in October 21, 2009. PITC, created by the Center for Child and Family Studies at WestEd and the California Department of Education, promotes optimal care for infants and toddlers based on the most current research and recognized best practices.
SRJC's model program has now been adopted by 17 other states nationally and by Early HeadStart and Migrant HeadStart. As a demonstration site, the program receives visitors from around the state and the nation who want to see the program's pedagogy being modeled firsthand. The program also trains Sonoma County's Early Childhood Education workforce; in fact, a recent study indicates that 81 percent of the county's workforce attends SRJC's Child Development Department for career training.