Luke and Victoria Phillips, recipients of 2017 MPC President's Award

Luke and Victoria Phillips will be honored on April 28 for their contributions to the Monterey Peninsula College and the community at large.

Luke and Victoria grew up in the Monterey Peninsula and graduated Monterey Peninsula College. Luke was a prominent athlete and co-captain of the college's first football team in 1947, and later became the first football coach, according to the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation. After retirement from coaching football, he spent 14 years coaching golf teams. He retired in 1999 and has been inducted in several halls of fame, honored in various committees, and helped raised over $150,000 in scholarships for students.

Victoria received a degree from MPC in secretarial sciences and worked for 43 years on campus as secretary to the registrar then as administrative assistant to the dean of instruction. She dedicated the last 23 years of her career as executive assistant to the superintendent/president and the governing board. She has raised about $200,000 for scholarships for students.

Victoria and Luke have been married for 40 years, have six children, 14 grandchildren, and 23 grandchildren.

The couple will be recognized during the 11th Annual President’s Address to the Community from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Monterey Marriott, 350 Calle Principal, Monterey, CA 93940.

Cost: $60.00 individual Tickets, $800 Table of 10 seats Sponsorship.

For more information or to purchase tickets, click here or call (831) 646-4120

David Kersnar becomes interim theatre department chair at MPC

David Kersnar, founder of the award-winning Lookingglass Theater in Chicago, has been named interim theatre department chair at the Monterey Peninsula College.

Kersnar replaces Gary Bolen, who retired from the position after having directed the MPC summer production of Evita.

“David was selected from a truly impressive pool of over 75 applicants... and comes with a series of outstanding credentials.” Bolen said in a statement.

A member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA, David Kersnar is a graduate of the Theatre Arts department of Northwestern University, which is “One of the top 5 theatre training programs in the US,” Bolen said.

Kersnar served as artistic director of the Lookingglass Theater from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1997 to 2000. He also worked at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and “will bring a wealth of teaching and "real world" experience to the students at MPC and our local theatre community,” Bolen said.

Bolen has been named professor emeritus.

Kesnar's first production at MPC will be Shakespeare’s As You Like It - in November.

For Kesnar's complete biography, click here.

MPC trustees hold special meeting

And there are only two items on the agenda: whether to place a bond in the November ballot and whether the board approves the self-evaluation report that's to be delivered to the Accrediting Commission for Junior and Community Colleges. The accrediting team is scheduled to visit MPC in October.

It's still unclear how much would the college be asking in bonds or what the money would be used for, so attending the meeting could help to find out. Stay tuned.

The meeting takes place at 2 p.m. at the MPC library.

MPC trustees to receive preliminary report by consultant

Monterey Peninsula College Trustees will hear a preliminary report by Sacramento-based Collaborative Brain Trust Consulting; a firm hired in November to conduct a comprehensive audit of the college. Said study was meant to include analyzing current enrollment practices and develop a finance plan.

The report will take place at 2 p.m. Friday, May 20, a Lecture Forum 103 on the school's Monterey campus, 980 Fremont Street, Monterey. 

MPC refinances one of its bonds, saves money in the long run

Monterey Peninsula Community College District officials have refinanced a portion of its bonds to get lower interest rates. Which means that taxpayers will end up paying less for them in the long run.

The bonds will now carry an interest rate of 2.8 percent, down from 5 percent. The rate will begin in 2017 and will continue until 2034. By refinancing its bonds, college officials say they have saved the community about $30 million since 2005.

“The Measure I Bonds have literally transformed our Monterey campus and allowed the district to serve our communities better by adding centers in Marina and Seaside," College President Walter Tribley said in a statement.

Approved in 2002, Measure I brought $145 million into MPC that was used to renovate old facilities and build new ones. Some of the projects financed were the renovation of the pool, the students services center and the Marina campus.

Know a worthy high school graduating senior in the Monterey Peninsula?

The Monterey Peninsula College Foundation is accepting nominations for the Howard & Karin Evans College Incentive Program. Nominations may be submitted by staff members from any high school or organization that works with qualifying youth in the MPC service area.

Awards are made to students graduating from Carmel, Marina, Monterey, Seaside, or Pacific Grove high schools who come from a disadvantaged backgrounds and may not be able to finish college without additional support. More information and nomination forms are available here. Nomination forms for this program must be received by April 1, 2016.

In addition to the college incentive program, the Foundation is also accepting applications from qualified students for MPC Alumni Scholarships and Robert K. Bullock Journalism Scholarships.

Dan and Joanne Albert to receive MPC's President's Award

Former Monterey Mayor Dan Albert and his wife Joanne have been selected to receive the 2016 President’s Award by the Monterey Peninsula College and its foundation. The award will be presented at the 10th annual president’s address to the community on April 22 at the Monterey Marriott. For tickets, click here.

The President’s Award is presented annually to those that have made extraordinary contributions to the Monterey Peninsula community and the college. It recognizes the importance of the strong connection between MPC and the communities it serves.

“Dan and Joanne Albert provide us with extraordinary examples of how our lives can include dedicated service and selfless work to improve both our community and our college," MPC President Walter Tribley said in a statement. "They are Lobos and Lobos give back. We are so proud of their legacy of service and commitment to education and community development.”

Tribley will present the state of the college during the event. He's expected to outline MPC’s accomplishments, challenges, and future plans.

Charles Page will receive 2015 President’s Award by Monterey Peninsula College

Charles Page, former Monterey Peninsula College trustee and long time community activist, has been chosen to receive the 2015 President's Award by Monterey Peninsula College and its foundation.

The President’s Award is presented annually to a community leader who has made significant contributions to the Monterey Peninsula and has helped fulfill the college’s mission of providing educational opportunities to diverse communities.

Page was selected to receive the award because of his work as an attorney, his service as Monterey city councilman and a longtime member of the Board of Trustees at Monterey Peninsula College, MPC President Walter Tribley said in a statement.

"But that’s not all. Charlie, along with his late wife, Caroline Page, and other community leaders, began meeting in 1994 with the idea of starting a foundation to support Monterey Peninsula College," Tribley said. "Even then, before a rash of budget cuts, these community leaders realized MPC would never have enough money to reach its full potential unless the community stepped up. They understood that a foundation would bring additional money to help the college thrive - and it has done exactly that.”

The award will be presented May 1 at the 9th annual president’s address to the community at the Monterey Conference Center. 

Cash for College workshops coming to Hartnell, MPC

Need help filling out your federal financial aid application -- the FAFSA? Or the Dream Act application?

Come to the student services building, room B-110, at Hartnell College from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 21.

Or the Marina Education Center of Monterey Peninsula College from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 28. The Marina Education Center is at 289 12th Street, Marina. Attending this workshop will give students the opportunity to win a $1,000 scholarship.

MPC's Walter Tribley to talk about community college challenges

Monterey Peninsula College President Walt Tribley will talk about the community college mission and the significant changes that are changing the way colleges operate.

In the last decade, higher education has faced severe funding cuts and the implementation of very prescriptive policies controlling how higher education (colleges and students) will be funded. From limits on the amount of federal financial aid a student receives to the so-called national completion agenda, this presentation will highlight the challenges and opportunities for community colleges and the students and communities they serve.

This is around the time college administrators also present their budgets, so chances are Tribley will also address the college financials. It should be a presentation worth attending.

The presentation will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Jan 21., at the Lecture Forum #103 of the main campus, 980 Fremont St., Monterey.

Monterey Peninsula College trustees are scheduled to extend the contract for President Walter Tribley until 2018.

His original contract approved in 2012 was for 3.5 years, an annual salary of $205,000, minus a 2 percent wage concession for 2012-13, for a total of $200,859.

MPC's "Great Books" recognized by national organization

The American Council of Trustees & Alumni, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization that promotes academic excellence in higher education, is highlighting Monterey Peninsula College’s Great Books Program as an "oases of excellence."

The organization has encouraged alumni and donors for many years to support programs it calls “oases of excellence” -- which are defined as promoting the study of Western civilization, political theory, economics, leadership, and the Great Books.

The organization has now launched an online directory of over 50 “oases of excellence,” and the Great Books Program at MPC is among those featured. This directory is designed to encourage supporters and the interested public to learn about and support the Great Books Program.

For more information about the MPC program, click here.

Congratulations, founder David Clemens. Big kudos to you, your team and your work.

Alisal, MPC, and MPUSD

Ah, so many stories, so little time...

A brief taste of potential good stories.

ALISAL: Three new board members were sworn in at the Alisal Union School District this week, and boy, are they going to make changes soon. Their agenda for Wednesday's special board meeting includes dismissing at least five people who were hired during the Castañeda regime. These soon-to-be-unemployed people include relatives or friends of the Ibarra clan. Union leaders had complained they had displaced union members who'd worked for the district for decades.

Two previously dismissed employees are being re-hired. 

MPC: At a time when perhaps more transparency is needed -- given impending budget cuts -- student journalists of the MPC Pipeline are crying foul because the Associated Students of the Monterey Peninsula College cut its funding. MPC student council president Chris Marshall told me the cuts had nothing to do with MPC Pipeline reporting on his scuffle with Eric Foster.

This ongoing saga is worth at least an entire blog post and perhaps a full blown article in the print edition, since the number of newspaper publications has shrunk considerably in the last few years, and MPC Pipeline is the first paper I see come out recently. That and The Galleon of Monterey High. Story idea for the new year, for sure.

MPUSD: Joanna Greenshields was not the only person blown away by MPUSD trustees saying no to a $5 million cost overrun. I've been marveled by the fact that trustees get sort of "trapped" into positions they can't back out of, and I was wondering how long it would take for them to stop going down dead end roads.

The Digital Schools contract is such an example. They were warned by the Monterey County Office of Education not to try to go its separate way, but the trustees voted for "fiscal independency" anyway. Regardless, it was too late. By then, they had already approved -- unanimously -- a five year, half-a-million contract they could only use if they were fiscally independent. After Monterey County officials deemed MPUSD unable to become fiscally independent, it became obvious they would not be able to use the half-million dollars software they had already committed to buying.

The board seemed a lot more cautious on Monday, perhaps they've learned a lesson or two. Like Jon Hill told me: "This is a board that has learned they don't have to do what they don't want to do."

Which is sometimes more important than doing what you want to do.

Stay tuned.

Monterey Peninsula College candidates set to debate

Marina in Motion, a non-partisan, no profit organization established to discuss local and regional issues, will host a candidates forum for the race to represent Marina on the board of trustees of Monterey Peninsula College.

MPC's President Walter Tribley announced recently he's seeking to cut $2.5 million from the college's budget, one of the many pressing issues the college will be facing in the upcoming months.

Three candidates are challenging incumbent Margaret-Anne Coppernoll:  Charles Fuller,  a translator and editor; former Mayor Gary Wilmot, and Attorney Leigh Rodriguez. At least three candidates will appear at the forum.

The forum will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the City Council Chambers, 211 Hillcrest.

Anti-abortion group "Project Truth" to visit Monterey Peninsula College

Students from the Monterey Peninsula College received this email from Martin Johnson, interim vice president for student services:

Our campus was recently contacted by an organization called “Project Truth” informing us that they will visit our campus on September 16 & 17 , 2013, to practice free speech. Project Truth is an organization that will be handing out information to students and others “who are interested in discussing our issue of the sanctity of human life.” The organization has expressed that they “will be quiet and respectful, and will not hinder any foot traffic in areas open to the public.” Project Truth will set up displays that are considered by some to contain extremely graphic images that might upset those who see the images. Some images are of unborn fetuses in different stages of development.

While the images may be upsetting, the organization has the right to show these images as a matter of free speech. The group will be on campus from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on each of the days. It is important to note that they are acting within the boundaries of the Time, Place, and Manner Policy of the college. The First Amendment protects their right to engage opinions which may differ and they may confront those beliefs aggressively. It is important to note that our Time, Place, and Manner Policy does not permit the violation of lawful college regulations or the disruption of the orderly operation of the college. Security personnel will be observing the activities to ensure that the policies are adhered to by all parties.

If concerns need to be expressed, please forward them to my office by e-mail, in person or by calling 646-4190. Also, please refer to me any inquiries that you may receive from the media.

Another story that may be interesting to report on. Stay tuned.

Getting 'slammed' by a Monterey Peninsula College supporter

A gentle reader took me to task for "slamming" Monterey Peninsula College in a story I wrote about its proposed $2.5 million budget cut. You can find the story here, but here's the gist of it: The college has been flagged by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges because of its finances,  citing its declining enrollment, and excessive salaries/benefits packages.

The reader first challenged me for distorting the words of the ACCJC, saying the "excessive declining in enrollment" was my interpretation.

So there's no shadow of a doubt of what the ACCJC said in its letter, here it is, for your reading pleasure. And my apologies, I should have posted it up sooner.

 The gentle reader goes on to say that declining enrollment at MPC is due to many, complicated factors -- hinting that I should have expounded on those. True enough, I'm aware of the complications, and I plan to address those in a future article.

I'll take it a bit further. The decline in enrollment is not just at MPC, but nationwide. According to a report released by the US Census Bureau, college enrollment nationwide in 2012 plunged by half a million (467,000) from one year earlier. This decline, which includes both graduate and undergraduate enrollment, follows a period of substantial growth ─ 3.2 million ─ between 2006 and 2011.

The decline was driven by older students, those 25 and older. Their enrollment fell by 419,000, while the enrollment of younger students declined by 48,000.

Those among you who know MPC well know its student body has a significant percentage of "life long learners" or older students. Since the decline was seen most sharply among the older population, it only follows that MPC was significantly affected.

Now, the question is, how will MPC tackle this challenge? Stay tuned.

Former Monterey Peninsula College trustees spoke, and Marina listened

If you missed the controversy of the week, three former Monterey Peninsula College trustees (namely Charley Page, Jim Tunney and Lynne Davis) urged current Marina trustee Margaret-Anne Coppernoll to either not run or for Marina residents to step up and find someone to run against her.

You can find the Herald's story here, an editorial on the topic here, and a rebuttal from current Marina City Councilman Dave Brown here.

Well, it looks like at least one Marina resident will heed the Peninsula folks' advice. Former Marina Mayor Gary Wilmot has taken out papers to run for the MPC seat. His paperwork is not complete, but neither is Coppernoll's, so anything can happen between now and August 9. Maybe another candidate will throw his/her hat in the ring?

Stay tuned.

Monterey Peninsula College awards nearly $250,000 in scholarships

The Scholarship Program at Monterey Peninsula College helps students with grants for costs such as tuition, fees, textbooks, and other necessary expenses. The Monterey Peninsula College Scholarship Program is sustained through local and nationwide donors.

Each spring donors and recipients are honored at the college’s Scholarship Awards Ceremony. This year 192 scholarships totaling $246,467 dollars were awarded to 154 MPC students, including $132,000 funded through the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation.

The MPC Foundation gives donors the opportunity to contribute or set up their own endowments to support causes they believe in. For instance, the MPC Foundation’s newly established Robert K. Bullock Journalism Scholarship fund awarded $37,000 to students pursuing a career in journalism communications and/or mass media at MPC. Of the funds, $4,000 to four high school scholarships, $12,000 to six MPC students returning in the fall and $21,000 to five MPC students transferring to four-year institutions.

For a full list of recipients, click here.

MPC bonds refinanced -- with savings attached

It took a few months for the paperwork to go through, but Monterey Peninsula College district administrators finally re-financed a $28 million bond in a deal that will save taxpayers nearly $1.4 million.

The bond is part of Measure I, the $145 million in bonds approved in 2002 to build MPC 's Marina center and rebuild the Monterey campus. 

MPC administrators began the process earlier this year, and were able to reduce the interest rate of the bond from 4.9 percent to 1.69 percent a year.

The bond refinanced is not a "capital appreciation bond," which became infamous last year after media reports publicized that Poway Unified School District in San Diego County will end up paying $1 billion in interest on $105 million in capital appreciation bonds that will mature in 22 to 40 years.

Two weeks ago, the California State Assembly approved a bill that would limit the duration of capital-appreciation bonds to 25 years, prohibit debt payments of more than four times the principal and mandate the option of early repayment on deals that mature in more than 10 years. 

MPC will not receive any part of the savings. However, taxpayers living in the MPC district boundaries will see their tax rates reduced as a result of this transaction.

Beccie Michael to lead Monterey Peninsula Foundation

Beccie Michael will be the new executive director of the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation, the arm of the school tasked with raising extra funds.

Michael, 33, previously worked as director of development at Columbia College in Sonora, Calif. Under her leadership, the Foundation tripled their annual donations and successfully completed a scholarship fundraising campaign, MPC officials say. Michael has worked as a resource development professional in the California community college system for the past eight years.

Michael attended Santa Barbara City College and earned a B.A. from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2001. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in community development from Kansas State University.

She's scheduled to take on her new position May 13.