LAVC Professional Development is excited to offer several professional development activities for faculty and staff this Winter! Classified staff are invited to learn how to use their personal strengths in work and life at the "Strength Finders Workshop on January 18 at 8:30 a.m.; lunch is provided for those who RSVP. The college leadership team are also participating in the "Strength Finders Workshop" on January 17. If any faculty and staff want to learn new ways to incorporate technology in their work at the Winter 2019 Tech Fest on January 28-29. Stay tuned for more exciting opportunities this Spring!

LAVC honored Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian for his help in securing a $800,000 California State Budget Carve-Out to enable the LAVC Family Resource Center to expand its services for students who are parents. In addition, the LAVC Foundation established The Adrin Nazarian Scholarship & Endowment to help student parents at LAVC. 

Congrats to LAVC Monarch Football, Women's Soccer, Men's Water Polo, Women's Water Polo teams for a successful Fall season. Men's Water Polo Team earned its 5th consecutive WSC Championship title and is ranked #2 in the state, Women's Soccer is 13-6-2 and made it to the first round of the So Cal Playoffs, Football finished 7-3, and Women's Water Polo was 16-10. #GoMonarchs

LAVC welcomes Maria Calpito as the new Program Director at Valley College for the Title V Cooperative Program: Engaging for Student Success. In this new role, she oversees the 3-campus cooperative program (at LAVC, East LA College, and LA Trade Tech) that is designed to improve retention, persistence, and completion rates of students, including managing LAVC's Teaching Innovation Academy (TIA) program for faculty.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming Winter/Spring 2019 professional development activities for faculty and staff. Classified Staff Professional Development Day is January 18, TechFest is January 28 & 29, and the first B.U.I.L.D. Series meeting will begin in early February. Professional Development is continuing to work on expanding and improving professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. The implementation of the IEPI plan will begin soon, and a revised New Employee Orientation Program for classified staff and faculty will be piloted starting in February. Keep your eye out for emails and tweets with details on our upcoming Professional Development events!

Congratulations to the Men's Water Polo team being ranked #2 in California! The defending WSC Conference Championship team made it all the way to the CCCAA Men's Water Polo Championship.

Congrats to Men's Water Polo's Haik Gukasyan on being named the Conference and So. Cal. Player of the Year, and Jim McMillan on being named the Conference and So. Cal Coach of the Year. Also, Women's Soccer is going to the So. Cal. Soccer Playoffs, and Men's Water Polo is advancing to the CCCAA State Tournment.

Congratulations to the Men's Water Polo team for bringing home the WSC Conference Championship for the fifth year in a row! They are heading to the So. Cal. Regional Championships as the number two seed on November 9-10 in Cerritos. 

The LAVC Family Resource Center and Strengthening Working Families were showcased as national models of holistic family support at the "Women in Leadership Higher Education Conference" on October 2-3 at the Harvard Faculty Club. Los Angeles Community College District Trustee Andra Hoffman, LAVC President Dr. Erika Endrijonas, LAVC Dean of Workforce Training Dr. Doug Marriott, and the LAVC Family Resource Center's Marni Roosevelt and Amber Angel spoke about how both programs have helped change the paradigm for student and workforce training participants in higher education.

The LAVC Associated Student Union (ASU) and the LAVC Child Development Department are holding Food Drives on campus in November to help the LAVC Helping Hands Pantry. Students, faculty, staff and the public are encouraged to donate canned and non-perishable foods to the Child Development Department Office (CDFC 166) from October 15-November 15, or the Student Life Office on the second floor of the Student Union (SU 208) from November 1-30.