Citrus College Instructor Returns to North Korea

By Ariel Carmona Jr.

How do you bridge the cultural divide between two countries? With a little magic and a whole lot of good will and diplomacy.

Dr. Dale Salwak, has taught literature classes for 39 years at Citrus College, including Shakespeare, Literature of the Bible and Critical Thinking. He is also a prolific writer and a professional magician who recently returned from his third trip to North Korea. 

He was there for seven nights and eight days and performed on three of those nights at the renowned Pyongyang Circus Theater, a 2,500 seat circus where he shared the stage with two other magicians.  The two-hour show featured some of the best gymnasts and aerialists in the world.

Salwak said he got a chance to stand approximately 20 to 30 feet away from new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at a brief speech given by one of Un’s advisers. Salwak had arrived four days before Un’s speech celebrating the centennial of the birth of the country’s father, the late Kim Il Sung, grandfather of Un.

At the event, Un was sitting in a viewing platform in front and to the left of Salwak, who stood with other members of an American delegation, Salwak’s interpreter, their North Korean host and other guests.

The speech was followed by an hour-long fireworks show, “the most elaborate one I've ever seen synchronized with national music, and then followed by another speech,” said Salwak. He added that it was magic that brought him to North Korea for the first time in 2009 after a friend asked if he would be interested in performing there. Salwak responded he was very interested in doing so.

Salwak made a lot of friends and developed close relationships abroad on what he called a “life-changing trip,” and he had such a splendid time, he longed to return. His wish came true in the spring of 2011, when he was asked to perform along with some of North Korea’s premiere magicians.

The purpose of Salwak’s April trip was to take a delegation of five Americans, including two magicians, as the first step toward what he hopes will be a long lasting and meaningful cultural exchange. North Korea, in turn, will send some delegates to the United States.

He travelled with his son Ryan, fellow magician Rick Block from Washington D.C., and California magician Danny Cole and his wife Stacey. Salwak said the American delegation has made a lot of progress in their non-official diplomatic relations with the North Koreans, despite a lot of stereotypes about the country.

Salwak’s perspective on North Korea and its people is civic, not political. He said he tries to steer clear of politics and instead focuses on the fine and performing arts. “When I go there, I don’t go with any agenda; I go there to make a connection on a human level. I am always seeking growth and understanding, so I hope there will be more of such exchanges.”

Dr. Geraldine M. Perri, superintendent/president of Citrus College, believes fostering cultural relationships beyond the United States’ borders reflects the college’s mission. “Citrus College as an institution is a microcosm of our global community.  We are a very diverse campus, and I am happy that Dr. Salwak represents the college in such a unique and fascinating way on his travels abroad.”

“A lot of what people think comes from what they read and hear and not from having actually been there,” Salwak said.  His involvement in the magic community affords him a unique chance to grow and learn about other cultures. “We have a lot in common, and we can learn a lot from each other.”

“Dr. Salwak, in addition to being a great instructor is also very wise,” said Mrs. Joanne Montgomery, president of the Citrus College Board of Trustees.  “He knows that people respond to art and his particular brand of artistic expression is magic, something  for which he has an innate talent.  He is utilizing this to build bridges.” 

Salwak is the first to admit he is surprised by his involvement abroad. “North Korea wasn’t even on my radar a few years ago, but it’s funny how life sometimes leads us in paths we never predicted. I hope to go back, next year, at the latest, and maybe this autumn. Each time I leave the host says, ‘You’re always welcome in our country,’ and I hope to be the one saying that soon.”

He said he is hopeful the country’s new leadership will bring forth change, and he takes Un’s speaking to the North Korean people as a good sign, because previous political leaders have rarely addressed the people publicly in the past. “I got to experience the moment of his speaking and how people reacted. I was very touched by hearing him speak.“

It might be too early to tell whether significant social change will follow a new regime, but one thing has already been proven: the North Koreans, like a lot of their western counterparts, love magic. Politics and finances derailed a plan to bring American magician David Copperfield to North Korea in the 90s, but popularity in the performances continues to grow, Salwak seems to hint at why this is so. 

“Magic, like music, is universal; it’s what we call a great leveler. All of us respond to wonder and fantasy. Magic at its best connects with the inner child in all of us,” he said.

 

Dr. Dale Salwak (second from right) and North Korea’s lead magician, Kim Taek Song (center) after discussing a future cultural exchange with (from left) Yuji Yasuda, Jae Hwe Ku and Ryan Salwak.

 

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SB 1440 to Help Students Earn Associate Degrees for Transfer to the Cal State University System

By Ariel Carmona Jr.

Citrus College has joined 61 community colleges throughout California that offer associate degrees for transfer to the California State University (CSU) system. System-wide, 133 associate degrees for transfer have been developed and approved since last summer, and are now available to students throughout the state.

The associate degrees are the byproduct of the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (SB 1440) of 2010. SB 1440 guarantees admission to the CSU system with junior standing to any California community college student who completes an associate degree for transfer. If admitted to a similar major at the CSU, students will then have to complete 60 units to earn a bachelor’s degree.

According to information made public by the Office of State Senator Alex Padilla, who authored the bill, clarifying and streamlining the transfer process would result in students graduating more quickly, allowing community colleges and the CSU to serve more students.

Dr. Geraldine M. Perri, superintendent/president of Citrus College believes that SB 1440 will be instrumental in removing a key barrier students face in transferring to a CSU institution.

“California’s economy is directly dependent on an educated workforce with the skills set and training required to succeed in job sectors requiring advanced degrees,” she said. “The associate degrees for transfer empower our students with the knowledge they need to navigate what has traditionally been a rigorous path into the CSU. This pathway to baccalaureate degrees will be instrumental in producing the professional workforce California needs as more numbers of the baby boom generation retire.”

Citrus College has established Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) degrees in seven areas: sociology, psychology, communication studies, English, administration of justice, mathematics, and early childhood education.

To earn an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) or an Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T), students must complete 60 transferable units in an AA-T or AS-T major, with a minimum GPA of 2.0., complete specified courses required for transfer and a minimum of 18 units in their chosen major.

Justina Rivadeneyra, career/transfer center coordinator at Citrus College, said it is important to note that while students are not guaranteed admission to a specific campus, major or program, transfer degrees give students priority consideration over other transfer students in their local area.

Another advantage is that students obtain a GPA bonus for impacted majors.

“Any GPA bonus is a plus. Although a .10 or .20 GPA bump may not seem significant, it may help a borderline student gain admission.” said Rivadeneyra.

“The AA-S and AA-T degrees are most beneficial if students select majors that have been deemed ‘similar’ at the CSU campuses, she said, “Therefore, if students want to save time and money by streamlining the preparation for their majors, it is wise to pick from the ‘similar’ majors and non-similar majors that are not impacted at the CSU.”

According to Rivadeneyra, once students learn that their CSU of choice or their major is impacted, maintaining a good academic record is imperative.

“When the CSU campus or major is impacted, a competitive GPA is very important for admissions. When the major is impacted, specific major preparation, or supplemental criteria, is often required. If a student completes an AA-S or an AS-T, they do not need to complete additional supplemental criteria for the major. This is precisely how an associate degree for transfer can benefit students; they reduce time to complete a degree because the major preparation is the same for all the CSU campuses that deem the major similar” she said.

Mrs. Joanne Montgomery, president of the Citrus Community College District Board of Trustees, said she was also happy to see the associate degrees for transfer removing the barriers students often encounter when transferring into the CSU system.

“Preparing our students to transfer to a four-year university has been a core function of the community college system, and that remains true today,” she said. “I am extremely glad that the pathway to transfer, which previously had been difficult for students to navigate, has been streamlined.”

For more information about the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, or general transfer question, call the Career/Transfer Center at (626) 914-8639 or email them at transfer@citruscollege.edu or visit www.sb1440.org.

California's Higher Education Systems Face New Challenges

source: Walnut.patch.com

We all get a little discouraged by the news coming out of Sacramento in regards to higher education funding. Perhaps I should amend that to say, we get very discouraged.

The news hasn’t exactly been rosy for the past couple of years, and as we anticipate the release of the Governor’s state budget- last week’s announcement by the Legislature that the 112-college system would take another $149 million of unexpected cuts this year, was met with disapproval and protest.

The cuts were necessitated because of an unexpected higher demand this school year for student fee waivers, specifically the Board of Governor’s Grant, plus lower-than-projected property tax revenues, according to a system news release.

“This $149 million reduction is unexpected and even larger than the mid-year trigger cut that the community college system has already endured,” California Community College Chancellor Scott said in a prepared statement.

Protests at all the regional schools, including Mt. San Antonio College, Cal Poly Pomona, and a well publicized protest at the start of the new semester at Pasadena City College, where the college president had to address a throng of angry students, have sadly become the norm at the start of every new school semester.

While working at Citrus College in Glendora this week, a familiar sight for me has been students hanging outside of bungalows and classrooms, hoping to add to already full-to-the-brim class sections, while a professor addresses the crowds, like a ring leader mitigating the chaos.

Meanwhile, the Little Hoover’s Commission Report, an independent state oversight agency tasked with updating the community colleges to meet evolving demands, has made some eye opening recommendations to fix the ailing system’s wounds, or to at least try and stop some of the bleeding.

According to the commission’s executive summary, it recommends that community colleges refine their mission scope to prioritize preparation for transfer to four-year universities, career technical education and adult basic education, establish a credit unit cap, tie a portion of funding to student outcomes, and shift responsibility and funding for all adult basic skills education programs to the community colleges, among many others.

Yet the part of the commission’s report that stood out to me most, as a former student and a byproduct of the community college system, is the one that recommends the establishment of additional criteria for Board of Governors fee waivers.

According to a recent article in the New University, the student newspaper at UC Irvine, California gives billions of dollars to support higher education every year. During the 2009-2010 school year UC students received billions in financial aid from the federal and state governments as well as private sources. This totaled $2.1 billion dollars for undergraduate and $1.5 billion to graduate students.

These financial aid incentives may be a thing of the past and what’s troubling about the possible recommended restructuring of the BOG waivers, coupled with Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal that calls for cutting funding to the Cal Grant system (totaling $131.2 million, according to the California Department of Finance), is that a college student’s imperative to explore career options, majors, or even to enrich their skills seems like it may also fall by the wayside.

This comes in the wake of “graduation initiatives” pushed by CSU administrators which have turned the state schools into more like factory lines, churning out graduates by the hundreds, rather than offering a plethora of programs and options like they once did.

Think of it in these terms: A student who enrolls in a community college, even after already having graduated or having obtained a bachelor’s from a four year institution will be required to pay out of pocket for classes to enhance their skills set, such as courses in specialized software programs. Does this not seem a little contrary to the state’s goal to meet their future needs with a competent, well prepared work force? Considering the price of education has risen 498.3 percent from 1985 to 2011, and continues to rise, is this even a realistic expectation?

These are the questions facing the future of the Golden State’s higher education systems, as Gov. Jerry Brown pushes to place a temporary increase in income taxes on high earners with a half-cent rise in the sales tax on the November ballot. I shudder to think how much worse it will be if Brown’s tax initiatives go down in defeat.