What is a community? Sobonfu Some, a writer from Burkina Faso, writes that community is the place people come together to fulfill a specific purpose and help others fulfill their purpose. The goal of community is to make sure that each member of the community is heard, developed, supported, and encouraged to give the gifts that she or he has brought into the world. Sacramento City College is a community whose membership includes students, staff, faculty, and administrators. All of us gather at this particular place to share our unique gifts of teaching, learning, leadership, and ultimately the ‘self’. Without the contribution from all stakeholders, the community dies. SCC must create the best possible place for giving and receiving and teaching and learning to occur.
The Staff Resource Center’s commitment to faculty and staff development is guided by the premise that experiences that increase awareness, expand knowledge, and foster skill development will positively impact staff and thus impact our students' personal growth and interactions with others. Overall, the goals for us and our students must include increasing critical thinking and analytic skills, as well as increasing understanding of the significant impact of diversity (e.g., ethnicity, religion, gender, age, social-economic status and sexual orientation) on our lives individually and socially.
In order to aid our students' retention, persistence, and success, it is critical for faculty and staff to understand and gain knowledge regarding diverse groups and then to take that knowledge and understanding and connect it to learning. By providing our staff with theoretical discussions and learning style workshops, and exposure to both local (including in-house) and national experts, we can build from the theoretical to the applied. That is, we take this information and directly apply it and impact the students with whom we work. Welcome to Spring 2008. Enjoy the wonderful workshops we have developed and join us as Sacramento City College continues to Cultivate a Community of Learners. The possibilities are truly exciting.
Elaine Ader Gerri Scott Lisa Gunderson Sharon Terry
Joanie Mitchell Amber Escotto Josh Harris Sandy Vue
