AMERIC A N RIV E R COL L E GE | S PRING 2 0 1 5 The value of a degree or certificate
A great variety of programs
Steps to Success for Spring 2015
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Career program photos by Stevenson Media
New ARC President Thomas Greene
Key Spring 2015 Dates • Early October – apply • Late October – check out the online class schedules • Late November, early December – register for classes • January 17 – Spring 2015 officially starts
American River College | (916) 484-8011 4700 College Oak Drive, Sacramento, CA 95841 McClellan Center | (916) 570-5049 5146 Arnold Ave., McClellan, CA 95652 Natomas Education Center | (916) 485-6000 2421 Del Paso Rd., Sacramento 95835 www.arc.losrios.edu Los Rios Community College District
**ECRWSS** Residential Customer
CO NTENTS
Got Questions? Get Answers 24/7!
3 New ARC President Thomas Greene 4 The value of a degree or certificate 4 Our locations 5 Career programs 6 Transfer programs
Our online service, “Ask ARC” lets you type in your own questions – in your own words – and receive accurate answers to hundreds of questions about the college, its programs and services.
7 Construction updates 8 Student highlights 9 A great variety of programs
You’ll find the “Ask ARC” button on the ARC home page at arc.losrios.edu and on Facebook at facebook.com/ americanrivercollege
10 Resources to help you succeed
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS Admissions & Records.................................................. 484-8261 Assessment Center....................................................... 484-8423 Bookstore..................................................................... 484-8111 Child Development Center............................................ 484-8651 Counseling Center........................................................ 484-8572 Disabled Student Programs & Services......................... 484-8382 (TTY 484-8365) eServices Enrollment Helpline....................................... 484-8152 Financial Aid................................................................. 484-8437 McClellan Center.......................................................... 570-5049 Natomas Center............................................................ 485-6000 Public Safety Training Center........................................ 570-5000
So cial m ed i a
11 Steps to success for Spring 2015
www.linkedin.com/edu/american-river-college-21263
www.pinterest.com/arcbeavers
www.twitter.com/ARCNewsToday
www.facebook.com/americanrivercollege
http://instagram.com/arcnewstoday
http://issuu.com/arcnewstoday
Transfer Center............................................................. 484-8685 Veterans Services......................................................... 484-8135
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https://storify.com/arcnewstoday
ARC Welcomes New President Thomas Greene American River College is excited to welcome Dr. Thomas Greene as its seventh President. Thomas started his service at ARC in early August 2014. He brings a rich and varied career in higher education to American River College. Below is a brief excerpt from an interview with Thomas; please go to http://www.arc.losrios.edu/About_ARC/President.htm for the full interview.
You’ve had a diverse professional career. Share a little about your experiences and how you will apply them to serve ARC and its communities.
Congratulations on your appointment as the seventh President of American River College! What was your reaction when you were offered the position?
I have the good fortune of bringing to this position both a depth and breadth of previous career experiences. My background ranges from financial management in the private sector to teaching, counseling, research and administration, in both non-traditional and traditional educational settings. Of all these past experiences, however, the most valuable continues to be my direct work with students. These opportunities, both in the classroom and counseling office, were the basis for and continue to reinforce my educational and leadership philosophy. I strongly believe that anyone can learn and succeed in college under the right conditions, and that the best conditions are created when authentic collaboration combines with trust, creativity, and courage to fulfill a shared learning and student-centered vision. My role as ARC’s president will be to support such a vision and make sure that the most encouraging environment exists for faculty, staff, and the community-at-large.
I was both pleasantly surprised and honored when I was offered the position. Having previously worked in the Los Rios District, I was familiar with the reputation of ARC and its commitment to students’ learning and success. Serving as the next president of ARC represents a rare opportunity for me to contribute to this effort. What are you looking forward to most in terms of coming to ARC? More than anything, I am excited to know and serve with an outstanding group of faculty, staff, and administrators who are committed to making a positive difference in students’ lives through education.
Celebrating Our Graduates In May 2014, ARC celebrated its largest graduating class in history, 1,898 total grads. The class of 2014 was awarded 2,645 degrees (1,658 Associates of Arts and 987 Associates of Science). The average age of the class was 31 and the average GPA was 3.17. Of the class, 43 students had a 4.0 GPA, 751 students earned Distinction, and 540 earned Great Distinction. The youngest grad was 16 (earning three degrees) and the oldest was 86. To see a collection of images from the 2014 graduation ceremony, please go to storify.com/arcnewstoday
ARC’s 2015 Commencement ceremony will be Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 7pm at Beaver Stadium.
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Degrees & Certificates = Dollars ARC offers a wide variety of Associate degrees and certificates. Check out these statistics from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce: Students who complete an Associate degree more than double their annual pre-degree earnings after two years in the workforce and nearly triple their pre-degree earnings after five years in the workforce. Nearly 45% of students who graduate with an Associate degree earned more than $54,000 annually five years after getting their degree. That is the median wage of someone with a bachelor’s degree living in California, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
About 25% of those graduates with Associate degrees had median wages of more than $77,000 five years after graduating. That is higher than the median income level for those Californians with a master’s degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Median wages five years after award for students with Associate degrees in vocational disciplines was $61,600. Certificate holders earn 20% more than workers who hold only a high school diploma.
YOU can do it! YOU can earn your degree or certificate at American River College.
Go to page 9 for more information on our programs.
OU R L O C AT IO NS ARC Main Campus 4700 College Oak Drive Sacramento, CA 95841 (916) 484-8011
Mather Center 10150 Missile Way, Mather, CA 95655
McClellan Center & Sacramento Regional Public Safety Training Center 5146 Arnold Avenue, Building 8 McClellan, CA 95652 McClellan Center (916) 570-5049 Mon. – Thurs. 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Public Safety Center (916) 570-5000 Mon. – Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Natomas Education Center 2421 Del Paso Road, Sacramento, CA 95835 (916) 485-6000 Mon – Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Classes also offered at adjacent Inderkum High School, 2500 New Market Drive
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YOUR journeY Success is not a destination – it’s a journey. And no two journeys are the same. Whatever success you want to achieve, we will help you on your journey. American River College offers you a wide variety of options and pathways to success. We will help you identify steps you need to take along that journey.
Want to get started? Go to success.losrios.edu to learn more about your first steps.
Join us this spring! Make American River College part of your journey!
Career P rograms ARC offers over 40 different career programs – all of them featuring exceptional faculty who will work one-on-one with you in a real-world, hands-on environment. Go to page 9 of this publication to see an overview of ARC’s programs. For more information on our career programs, go to arc.losrios.edu and click on “Academics.” To see an exciting video overview of our career programs, go to arc.losrios.edu/cte/video Career program photos by Stevenson Media
Derrick Fong Derrick has loved jazz music ever since he was a little kid. He has been playing both the clarinet and saxophone since he was in junior high school and decided to pursue a music major and focus solely on the saxophone after winning a top soloist award in high school. Even though Derrick lives in Vacaville, which is a considerable commute, he chose ARC because the music program is renowned and considered one of the best in the state. His goal is to transfer to the University of Reno because the music faculty are great. “I decided to attend ARC instead of going directly to a university because ARC’s music program is one of the best in the state and I wanted to complete my GE requirements with as little debt as possible.”
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Transfer Pathways
TRANSIT PASS
Did you know about two programs that guarantee admission to CSU, UC, and other 4-year universities? Transfer Admission Agreements (sometimes referred to as TAGs) offer guaranteed transfer admission to some California institutions (including UC campuses). ARC currently has agreements with University of the Pacific, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz.
The Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) is a special, new degree. This degree guarantees that students who earn an AA-T or AS-T degree and meet the CSU minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed admission to a CSU (but not necessarily to a particular campus or major). ARC currently offers 16 of these degrees - with more coming!
Your Student Access Card serves as a Regional Transit Pass. This allows students to use all public transit bus and light rail systems at a greatly reduced rate in Sacramento and Yolo counties (excluding Unitrans), El Dorado County, and the cities of Folsom and Elk Grove. Your Student Access card is your transit pass, and it is good seven days a week, from August 1 through December 31, and from January 1 through May 31. For more information, go to:
For more information, visit arc.losrios.edu/transfer
Sarah Kanbar Sarah graduated from ARC with her Associates degrees in Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. After that, she transferred to UC Berkeley, where she graduated with a BA in History and later published her senior thesis in the textbook American Multicultural Studies. She now is a law student at the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, who is interested in national security, civil rights, immigration, and criminal defense. At McGeorge, Sarah is a board member of the Public Legal Services Society and the McGeorge International Law Society, and is a Research Assistant for International Jessup Cup Moot Court Team. Sarah recently received the prestigious Witkin Award for Legal Writing and Research. Sarah chose ARC because she really wanted to go to UC Berkeley, and knew it would be best to attend ARC in order to transfer. How did Sarah like ARC? “I appreciated having faculty members who cared about the subjects they taught, connected that subject to daily
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losrios.edu
life, and were willing to go the extra step to help out students. The staff and school also provided great support resources like college counseling and opportunities to be involved with social life on campus.” “One thing I am proud of was being able to find the subject I really wanted to study. I could never decide what I wanted to major in because I was interested in so many subjects. After taking two history courses at ARC, I realized I was really interested in the topic because I kept finding myself talking about historical analysis with friends and family. It was nice to find my scholarly niche.” “ARC is definitely one of the most diverse schools I have been to. Being able to interact with people who come from all walks of life has allowed me to appreciate the hardships of others and want to contribute to marginalized communities to further their advancement.”
ARC’s Student Services building is currently under construction. The project will expand the facility and offer increased space for vital student support programs. When completed, the new facility will house Financial Aid, Disabled Students, Veterans Resource Center, Career Center, and more. It’s hoped that construction will be completed by summer 2015.
B u i ld i n g for the
Future ARC’s new Culinary Arts facility is nearly open! The approximately 20,000 sq. ft. facility will expand learning opportunities for culinary students and help reduce wait lists for those being turned away, as new classes can be added in the future. The new culinary center will house the Oak Café restaurant with more than double the current seating capacity as well as provide three distinct laboratory kitchens designed to meet the unique needs of different aspects of the culinary industry. The new baking laboratory includes its own temperature controlled candy laboratory as well as a retail bakery/café for students to focus on both production level baking and customer service. Thanks to the generosity of over 200 donors and major gift support from Fred and Molly Evangelisti, River City Bank and the McClatchy Company, the culinary program will open with a commemorative wall thanking many generous supporters for supporting this award-winning program. A VIP celebration will be held on January 29, 2015 for donors who have given to support the expansion efforts. Commemorative naming is still available through November for gifts of $500 or more. Contact the ARC Foundation office for further information at 916-484-8175 or go to arc.losrios.edu/found
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Student Highlights The ARC Physics and Astronomy Club successfully launched a high altitude balloon 22 miles into near-space June 14 in the Mojave Desert. The students, led by advisor Professor Paulo Afonso and other ARC faculty and staff, have been working on the project for almost 2 years. Students designed and constructed the balloon payload, which included a capsule to collect near-space microorganisms, cameras, a GPS, and a stuffed beaver from the college store! Students did extensive research on the project. The launch was a triumph, with the balloon reaching a height of 22 miles (taking spectacular photos in the process) before being brought safely back down to earth. Go to http://bit.ly/ARCballoon for exciting photos and videos of the project.
ARC’s athletics program finished 3rd in the state for competitive excellence on the field of play (shown on the right is the women’s volleyball team, which qualified for the State Championships as one of the top four teams in California). But that’s not all: ARC athletes also excelled in the classroom! Among Beaver athletes, 107 scored a 3.0 GPA, 66 earned a 3.5 GPA, and 6 had a 4.0+ GPA! For more information on our athletic programs, go to arc.losrios.edu/~athletics/
The student literary journal, the American River Review, continued its proud tradition of success by receiving a number of major national awards in 2013. The 2013 Review won awards from the Associated Collegiate Press, the Community College Humanities Associations, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and the American Scholastic Press Association. For more information on this and other English department programs, go to arc.losrios.edu/ Programs_of_Study/English.htm
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ARC’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble has won multiple national awards and performed at prestigious competitions and events. The ensemble is the only community college group in the nation invited to sing at the renowned 2015 American Choral Directors Association National Conference in February. For information on this and other outstanding ARC music programs, go to arc.losrios.edu/music
A Wide Variety of Options transfer Courses • Accounting • American Sign Language
• English as a Second Language • Fashion
• Anthropology
• Film
• Art
• Fire Technology
• Art New Media
• Foreign Languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian)
• Astronomy • Biology • Biotechnology • Business
• Geography • Geographic Information Systems
Whether you want to start at ARC and transfer to the college or university of your choice or train to enter the career of your dreams, we offer a wide range of programs to help you find your success.
CAREER Programs • Mathematics
• Accounting
• Music
• Advertising and Sales Promotion
• Natural Resources
• Human Services
• Automotive Collision
• Interior Design
• Automotive Technology
• Management
• Biotechnology
• Marketing
• Philosophy
• Commercial Music
• Multimedia
• Physical Education
• Computer Information Science
• Natural Resources
• Nutrition • Paralegal Studies/ Legal Assisting
• Physics
• Culinary Arts
• Geology
• Political Science
• Computer Information Science
• Gerontology
• Psychology
• History
• Real Estate
• Hospitality Management
• Recreation Education
• Human Services
• Respiratory Care
• Humanities
• Social Science
• Design & Engineering Technology
• Interior Design
• Sociology
• Early Childhood Education
• Journalism
• Speech
• Electronic Technology
• Theatre Arts
• Energy (including Solar Technology)
• Early Childhood Education • Earth Sciences • Economics • Electronics Technology • Engineering • English
• Literature • Management
• Diesel Technology & Clean Diesel Technology
• Office Administration/ Technology • Paramedics
• Professional • Dietary Service Supervisor Communication
• Fashion
• Funeral Service
For a complete list of courses and programs, check out the ARC Catalog available on our website at:
• Nursing
• Dietary Manager
• Fire Technology
arc.losrios.edu/catalog
• Horticulture
• Apprenticeship
• Nursing
• Chemistry
• Design Technology
• Hospitality Management
• Gerontology
• Real Estate • Respiratory Care • Retailing • Sign Language Interpreting • Speech/Language Pathology • Telecommunications Management • Welding Technology
• Graphic Design & Illustration
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Accelerate Your Future! The Accelerated College Education (ACE) program at the Natomas Center puts you on the fast track toward a Bachelor’s degree! • Continue working while you complete your educational goals • Start 2 new classes every 8 weeks • Classes meet one evening per week and on Saturday at the Natomas Educational Center • Prepare to transfer to a university
Community Services Classes ARC offers a variety of non-credit Community Services (CSERV) Classes, including Automotive Tech, Paramedic, and other activity courses offered on a fee-per-class basis. For more information, visit: arc.losrios.edu/cserv
• For more information, go to arc.losrios.edu/ACE
Resources to help you succeed Assessment Center Assessment of your skills in mathematics and English will help you succeed in college by placing you in classes appropriate to your skill level. ESL (English as a Second Language) students are also required to take the ESL assessment. There is no fee for testing. Career Center Resources to help make career decisions, plan for college, and search for job openings. Services are available to enrolled students and the community. (484-8492) Child Development Center American River College operates toddler and preschool programs for parents who are continuing their education. Options include mornings/afternoons or all day. Fees for the program are based on a sliding scale set by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division. (484-8651) Counseling Professional counselors are available to help you plan a program of study. (484-8572)
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Disabled Students Programs & Services (DSP&S) Help for disabled students through counseling, tutoring, note-takers and interpreter services. (484-8382, general calls; 484-8559 for deaf or hard of hearing) Financial Aid ARC offers many opportunities to help offset the expense of attending college. Visit arc.losrios.edu/ FinancialAid for complete information or stop by the financial aid office, located in the Student Services Building, for more information about these programs and deadlines for application. Library The ARC library provides students with research assistance, books, e-books, magazines and journals, DVDs and videos, study space, and Internet access. Many library resources can be used from home, including e-books, e-reserves, and the databases. Also, many instructors place textbooks and supplemental materials on reserve in the library.
Transfer Center Our transfer-level courses are university level and count toward your B.A. or B.S. degree in any major. More important, our Transfer Center can help you transfer to the four-year college or university of your choice. You can earn guaranteed transfer admission to many California universities, including UC and CSU campuses. (484-8685) Tutorial Services We offer individual tutoring in math, writing, reading, English as a Second Language, and much more. In addition, many classes have small study groups, led by student learning assistants, which have been shown to increase student success in those classes. (484-8695) Veterans Resource Center The Veterans Resource Center offers a wide variety of services for Veterans, including assistance with processing VA certification for educational benefits, available through the Office of Veterans Affairs. (484-8135)
Steps to success New Students – Welcome!
for spring 2015 Step 3: Complete Assessment/Placement
In order for us to most effectively help you FIND YOUR SUCCESS, all new students must plan ahead and complete the following steps:
Assessment of your skills in mathematics and English will help you succeed in college by placing you in classes appropriate to your skill level. ESL (English as a Second Language) students are also required to take the ESL assessment.
Step 1: Apply
Step 4: Create an Education Plan
Complete your application online. Fill out and submit your application in late September or early October. You will then receive a “welcome” email that includes your personalized student ID number, which you will need in order to access all of our services.
Step 2: Complete Orientation Orientation is offered in an online format. Complete the online orientation and quizzes the day after you receive your student ID number.
Choose your first-semester classes.
Step 5: Register for Classes Register for your classes online through eServices. Go to losrios.edu and click on eServices. NOTE: You only have to complete the Application, Orientation, Assessment and Education Plan steps once – regardless of whether you are attending more than one college – to ensure highest priority for class registration.
HOW TO FIND OPEN CLASSES Finding Open Classes – Step by Step 1. On the Los Rios website (losrios.edu), click on “Class Schedules” 2. Click on the “Search for Classes” magnifying glass
• Under College, choose American River College • Under Subject, choose whatever subject you wish to see (from Accounting to Work Experience) • Then click View Courses 4. On the next page, scroll the page to view open courses.
3. On the next page, choose these options: • Under Semester, select Spring 2015 • Under classes, switch from All Classes to Open
5. Click the Course Title link for more information Note that classes open and close frequently, due to student adds and drops. If the class you want is closed, continue checking class wait list status.
Class Locations Check location information when selecting your classes – do not assume that they meet on the main campus on College Oak Drive. Off-campus sites include McClellan/Public Safety Center, Mather, and Natomas.
Wait Lists When a class becomes full, students will be placed on the wait list (20 students maximum). Wait list status may change throughout the enrollment period (status updates may be sent to your Los Rios Gmail account). Students need to regularly monitor their wait list status (check your eServices account for status).
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Join us in Spring 2015! American River College offers a wide variety of classes for you this spring – so check us out!
It all starts at arc.losrios.edu: • Find out what spring classes we are offering • Start the process of enrolling • Learn more about our programs and services
Here are some important dates to keep in mind as you plan for Spring 2015: • Early October – the student application is available online; this is the first step in the enrollment process – take care of online orientation and assessment next
• Late November – registration begins for spring classes • January – the spring semester officially starts
Career program photos by Stevenson Media
• Late October – class schedules are posted online at losrios.edu