Rio Hondo College will receive $200,000 from the National Science Foundation to create and evaluate work-based training tools for alternative-fuels automotive technology students as a way of diversifying and strengthening the auto industry’s workforce. The three-year grant specifies training in high-performance electronics, computer management and advanced diagnostic skills within the College’s fledgling Associate of Science degree in Alternative Fuels/Second Degree Battery/Electric/Hybrid/Fuel Cell Technology. Directed by Professor John Frala and Automotive Program Director Steve C. Tomory, the effort is expected to build on the expertise and partnerships Rio Hondo College has developed with area schools, companies, Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), the state Employment Development Department, the Governor's Green Team and the California Energy Commission. Rio Hondo’s Automotive Technology Program also was selected this month to offer one of the state’s first four-year degrees offered by a community college.
Rio Hondo College received unanimous approval May 18 from the California Community Colleges Board of Governors to offer a four-year, Bachelor of Science degree in automotive technology as part of a historic statewide pilot program. The degree is authorized by Senate Bill 850 as a way to train a new generation of graduates for high-demand technical jobs that increasingly require bachelor degrees. The degree will offer concentrations in management and technical expertise as it prepares students for a variety of positions with automotive, sea and rail transit companies. The College expects to begin offering lower-division courses this fall and upper-division courses in fall 2016, once the program is reviewed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. Rio Hondo College’s existing Automotive Technology program draws 300 students annually for certificate courses and two-year degrees. Enrollment has climbed about 20 percent over the last five years as new components – including one on alternative fuels – have been added.
Rio Hondo College Police Academy will pay tribute at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27 to fallen Covina Police Officer Jordan Corder during a special ceremony featuring College leaders and law enforcement officials from across the region, at Rio Hondo College Police Academy, Administration of Justice Building, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. Corder, 28, of Fontana, was on his motorcycle pursuing another motorcycle on Sept. 30, 2014 when he was struck by an SUV and died of his injuries. More than 1,400 people attended his funeral at Pomona First Baptist Church. A 2008 graduate of the Academy’s 185th class, Corder is the 24th police officer whose name will be added to Rio Hondo Police Academy Memorial Wall. The first name was posted in 1967 and the most recent went up in 2005.
Follow-up Story: Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, who has served the public for 32 years at national, state and local levels, urged graduates to give back to their community during her keynote address at Rio Hondo College’s 52nd commencement on May 28. Molina said her volunteer service prepared her to be a community leader. More than 1,300 students were eligible to receive their degrees this spring.
Follow-up Story: More than 150 Rio Hondo College leaders, staff students and veterans on May 20 celebrated the completion of the Rio Hondo Veterans Memorial with an inspirational ceremony and flag-raising. The memorial was championed by the campus Veterans Club and designed by a task force of students and staff members over two years. It features a monument topped with a plaque recognizing the contributions of the military celebrating Rio Hondo’s relationship with the veterans in its student body. Three flagpoles bear the U.S., state and college flags.
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College students within the nursing, public safety, arts and communications & languages divisions applied the skills they have learned in class to a staged accident on campus at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, May 8 in the Administration of Justice Annex. The Collaborative Crisis Scenario tested students’ knowledge in reacting to emergency situations. Performing and visual arts students acted as the accident victims while the other students responded to the crisis simulation according to their field of study. More than 100 students were involved, including those studying to be nurses, emergency medical technicians, police officers and journalists.
Rio Hondo College’s Pathway to Law School program will host a trio of Los Angeles County Superior Court judges at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 29 for a special one-hour panel discussion on criminal and civil courts as well as career trajectories of judges and attorneys. The event is open to the public. Rio Hondo College is one of 24 California community colleges to launch a Pathway to Law School Initiative in fall 2014. The initiative assists underrepresented, first-generation students who are interested in pursuing careers in the legal field.
Nearly 300 High School Students to Attend Rio Hondo CHOICES Conference
Rio Hondo College will welcome nearly 300 high school students from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 24 for its CHOICES 2015 Youth Conference, an event designed to empower students in grades nine through 11. CHOICES workshops educate students about making decisions that help them gain better control of their lives and their futures. The event is coordinated by a partnership of groups, including SPIRITT Family Services and the Hispanic Outreach Taskforce.
Rio Hondo College women’s volleyball setter Megan Ward and outside hitter Andrea Velasco will sign letters of intent at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16 to formalize their commitment to attend four-year programs at Wilmington University in New Castle, Delaware and Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York, respectively. The signings will take place at the Rio Hondo College P.E. Complex, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The two sophomores will be surrounded by teammates and coaches from the Rio Hondo College women’s volleyball program, their parents and other Rio Hondo College officials.
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College Foundation’s A Taste of Rio wine and food tasting event raised $56,000 for student scholarships and services, $21,000 more than the amount raised in 2014. The event, held May 1, attracted about 300 community members, and College and elected officials.
