Río Hondo College to Host Commencement Ceremony
Río Hondo College will host its 59th commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, May 27 to honor the Summer/Fall 2021 graduates and Spring 2022 degree candidates. The event will take place in Student Parking Lot A and include a speech from Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss, “Profiles of Student Success” presentations by Vice President Dr. Earic Dixon-Peters, and the announcement of the Marie I. Pellissier Award, given to this year’s valedictorian. Río Hondo College is located at 3600 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier.
Río Hondo College’s Reaching Institutionalized Students through Education (RISE) Scholars program will receive significant additional funding to provide counseling, peer tutoring, mentoring and other services, thanks to a Rising Scholars Network grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO). The CCCCO grant will provide more than $460,000 – spread over three years – to the RISE Scholars program, an award-winning Río Hondo College academic initiative that seeks to educate and empower formerly incarcerated students or those impacted by the criminal justice system. This is the first year the RISE Scholar program has received the CCCCO grant.
Río Hondo College is meeting the high demand for more electric vehicle technicians by joining Tesla’s Pathway to START Program – an intensive training course that prepares new high school graduates to enter the College’s Tesla’s START program. Launched in 2021, the Pathway to START Program places recent high school graduates into an eight-week online program to work with Southern California Tesla service centers, during which they learn the basics of servicing electric vehicles.
Río Hondo College Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss, Board of Trustees Member Rosaelva Lomeli and Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education Specialist Laura Verdugo joined City of South El Monte officials and dignitaries for a National Day of Prayer event on May 5. The event, which was held at the El Monte Community Center, included an introduction from the City of South El Monte Mayor Gloria Olmos and a color guard presentation featuring the El Monte American Legion Post 10.
Río Hondo College is meeting the high demand for more electric vehicle technicians by joining Tesla’s Pathway to START Program – an intensive training course that prepares new high school graduates to enter the College’s Tesla START program. Launched in 2021, the Pathway to START Program places recent high school graduates into an eight-week online program to work with Southern California Tesla service centers, during which they learn the basics of servicing electric vehicles.
Río Hondo College’s Mesoamerican Clay-Figurine Project has received a $157,000 grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), which will improve classroom facilities, provide more learning materials and boost interest in arts and humanities. The grant was awarded by ACLS through the Sustaining Public Engagement Grant Program, which is part of the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative. The SHARP initiative was enacted to help the U.S. recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Río Hondo College Art Gallery will unveil its latest exhibition “Through the Empyrean,” which features the work of Ada Pullini Brown. The exhibit is curated by Gallery Director Robert Miller. The exhibition features a series of sky paintings that were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown’s work is meant to depict the loss of freedom and enforced isolationism resulting from the last two years of COVID-prompted closures.
Río Hondo College students had the opportunity to talk face-to-face with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Congresswoman Linda Sánchez on March 29, relaying their own personal stories about housing and food security and discussing what elected officials can do to provide further assistance. Cardona and Sánchez met with six current and former Río Hondo College students, Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss and the College’s Board of Trustees, then went into a roundtable discussion with Dreyfuss and the students, discussing topics such as the Hope Scholars Program, transportation, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Río Hondo College and the Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Marilyn Flores as its new Superintendent/President to continue leading the College on the path of prosperity, achievement and success. The Board unanimously appointed Flores on March 24. Flores will succeed Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss, who retires on June 30, 2022. Flores is currently the vice president of academic affairs at Santiago Canyon College in Orange County and previously served as interim president for Santa Ana College.
Río Hondo College has announced four finalists for the position of superintendent/president after an extensive national search by the College’s Presidential Search Committee, which considered the applications of many professionals from across the country. The final four candidates are Marilyn Flores, Ph.D., Don Miller, Ph.D., Cynthia Olivo, Ph.D. and Tammy Robinson, Ed.D. The search for the new superintendent/president started in November 2021 with a series of virtual open forums to solicit feedback from students, faculty, staff, and community members. An employment profile was created by the Search Committee and the Association of Community College Trustees. Upon their selection, Río Hondo College’s new leader will succeed Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss when she finishes her contract in June 2022. The College will begin its final selection process, in which Flores, Miller, Olivo and Robinson will participate in a virtual public forum from 1 – 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22. The event, which will be held via Zoom, will provide 60 minutes to each of the finalists as they introduce themselves and their future goals.
