Higher Education

COSTA MESA — Vanguard University began its 90th anniversary celebration in the world of higher education Thursday with a look at what some of its alumni have gone on to accomplish. University officials, alumni and some cupcakes in the Great Commission Hall helped kick off the private Christian school's festivities, which will last 90 days. The event was a chance to show off what Vanguard has done, but it also was a moment for alumni to say thank you for the foundation the school on Fair Drive has given them.

Sage Hill School was awarded almost $74,000 in a grant to expand its campus garden. State Farm is giving the Newport Coast private school money for its Organic Educational Center, a project that focuses on environmental responsibility. Sage Hill's organic garden was created through a service learning project by six of the school's students and Savannah's Organic Ranch, an Aliso Viejo-based nonprofit that educates children about organic gardening. The students spent a school year planning out the project before more than 100 volunteers brought the garden to life over three weekends in April.

Recognizing the significance of getting an education, Dr. Arthur G. Coons, of Lido Isle, made it his goal to help every child make something positive of their life. A former president of Occidental College and chairman of the Master Plan Survey Team, which drew the state's plan for higher education, Coons worked tirelessly to set the standards for anyone who wanted to attend college and achieve their goals. Coons, who along with his wife, Edna, moved to Lido Isle in 1965, also worked as a member of the Federal Reserve Board and the Haynes Foundation in Los Angeles.

OCC athletic director Jane Hilgendorf has been selected to participate in the National Institute for Leadership Development "Leaders 2000" program, an international program for educational administrators and faculty members. The 58-year-old Corona del Mar resident will be introduced to the program during a special weeklong institute scheduled for Feb. 27 to March 3 in San Diego. The National Institute is recognized internationally by colleges, universities and businesses for its visionary programs that produce educational leaders who effectively challenge assumptions, eliminate barriers and create new pathways to successful solutions.

A UC Irvine professor of public health was recognized in England this week by international education groups for his leadership in making the university's courses and course materials free and public. Professor Oladele Ogunseitan, the founding chairman of the department of population health and disease prevention at UCI, was honored with the OpenCourseWare Leadership Excellence Award by the OpenCourseWare Consortium for increasing the status of the university's free and open education site, according to a news release.

City planners to hold open house The city of Costa Mesa's Planning Division will be holding an Open House on Oct. 4 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Community members are invited to visit the Open House to learn about new resources available to them, and to meet the city's planning commissioners and staff. The Planning Division is on the second floor of City Hall at 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information, call Senior Planner Kimberly Brandt at (714)

Who needs a chancellor, anyway? The question posed in the May 11 Daily Pilot, "What is a chancellor and what do they do?" sought to identify the role and responsibilities of this somewhat exalted position and, in the process, seek to provide something resembling justification for the jump in his salary along with his three vice-chancellor assistants. This did not happen. It's most pertinent to recall that, a little over five years ago, the California Citizens Commission on Higher Education saw fit to recommend the elimination of the chancellors of the 72 community college districts in California, along with 72 district boards.

Marisa O'Neil After of year of doing without, Coast Community College District has hired a new vice chancellor for human resources. Joseph Quarles, formerly deputy superintendent and chief of staff for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, took the position on July 1. He replaced John Renley, who retired in August of last year but stayed on to work a couple days a week. Quarles, 56, served as the top human resources officer with the kindergarten through 12th-grade school district since 1992.

A California assemblyman who wants to levy a tax on the state’s oil drillers appeared Thursday at Orange Coast College, pitching his bill to a group of student senators and pointing out that California pays $2 billion more a year on prisons than higher education. The Assembly’s majority leader, Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont), urged the senators to take part in the campaign to raise fees on California’s oil industry, a move that could raise as much as $2 billion a year, nearly a half-million of which would be earmarked for community colleges statewide.

Early College High School's Parent Information Night   Where: Early College High School  2990 Mesa Verde Drive East               Costa Mesa, CA 92626   When: Thursday, March 20th, 2008              6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Are you interested in a smaller learning environment with greater academic support? Are you interested in a challenging environment? Are you mature enough to take college level courses? We are now accepting applications from current 9th and 10th grade students for next school year!

A UC Irvine professor of public health was recognized in England this week by international education groups for his leadership in making the university's courses and course materials free and public. Professor Oladele Ogunseitan, the founding chairman of the department of population health and disease prevention at UCI, was honored with the OpenCourseWare Leadership Excellence Award by the OpenCourseWare Consortium for increasing the status of the university's free and open education site, according to a news release.

Sage Hill School was awarded almost $74,000 in a grant to expand its campus garden. State Farm is giving the Newport Coast private school money for its Organic Educational Center, a project that focuses on environmental responsibility. Sage Hill's organic garden was created through a service learning project by six of the school's students and Savannah's Organic Ranch, an Aliso Viejo-based nonprofit that educates children about organic gardening. The students spent a school year planning out the project before more than 100 volunteers brought the garden to life over three weekends in April.

COSTA MESA — Vanguard University began its 90th anniversary celebration in the world of higher education Thursday with a look at what some of its alumni have gone on to accomplish. University officials, alumni and some cupcakes in the Great Commission Hall helped kick off the private Christian school's festivities, which will last 90 days. The event was a chance to show off what Vanguard has done, but it also was a moment for alumni to say thank you for the foundation the school on Fair Drive has given them.

A California assemblyman who wants to levy a tax on the state’s oil drillers appeared Thursday at Orange Coast College, pitching his bill to a group of student senators and pointing out that California pays $2 billion more a year on prisons than higher education. The Assembly’s majority leader, Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont), urged the senators to take part in the campaign to raise fees on California’s oil industry, a move that could raise as much as $2 billion a year, nearly a half-million of which would be earmarked for community colleges statewide.

If you’re a Japanese American who was sent off to an internment camp while World War II played out, you could now qualify for an honorary degree from a state university or University of California campus, and any of the community colleges in California, including Orange Coast College and UC Irvine. The special program is part of a state Assembly bill signed into law last fall by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The monumental task of finding some of these former prisoners, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s, is beginning to take shape statewide.

Dragging their limbs, zombies with slack-jawed, pale faces paraded across the UC Irvine campus Thursday, protesting cuts to higher education. The demonstration by students and faculty had more than a Halloween connotation. In a now-infamous interview, University of California President Mark Yudof told writer Deborah Solomon of the New York Times Magazine last month that “being president of the University of California is like being manager of a cemetery: There are many people under you, but no one is listening.

Submitted by Dannielle Padilla  University of California, Irvine Extension, the continuing education unit of UC Irvine, announces the reappointment of its dean of continuing education, Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D., for a second term as treasurer of the OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCWC). Matkin will play a vital role in the leadership of the Consortium—an exceptional teaming of more than 200 global higher education institutions and associated organizations, united by the goal of advancing education and empowering people worldwide through the open sharing of educational resources.

Early College High School's Parent Information Night   Where: Early College High School  2990 Mesa Verde Drive East               Costa Mesa, CA 92626   When: Thursday, March 20th, 2008              6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Are you interested in a smaller learning environment with greater academic support? Are you interested in a challenging environment? Are you mature enough to take college level courses? We are now accepting applications from current 9th and 10th grade students for next school year!

The Newport-Mesa education community is set to have at least three new leaders this year, as another pair of trustees have announced that they will not seek re-election in November. George Brown, who presides over Seal Beach and Westminster for the Coast Community College District board, and Tom Egan, who oversees the Westside for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, both plan to retire from their posts at the end of this year. Linda Sneen, another Newport-Mesa trustee, has previously said that she will not run again in November.