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- M-U-S-I-C-A-L C-O-M-E-D-Y … Del Mar Drama presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” during three-weekend run beginning April 12Article by Melinda Eddleman Can you spell “musical comedy?” April marks the first time since 2018 that Del Mar Drama has produced a musical. For a three-weekend run, audiences can laugh and spell during the Del Mar College (DMC) Drama Program’s production of the musical comedy, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” scheduled April 12-13, 18-20 and 26-27. First performed on Broadway in 2005, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” isn’t a typical musical as the line between audience and performers is frequently crossed. The Tony Award-winning musical follows six quirky adolescent contestants and three moderators at a spelling bee in the regionally ambiguous Putnam County. As the bee progresses, audience members will learn about the characters’ lives and backstories through songs and montages during this coming-of-age story with as much heart as humor. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Sue Sellors Finley Theatre, located in the Fine Arts Center on the Heritage Campus (101 Baldwin Blvd., 78404). Get online directions and campus map. Online ticket sales are available (delmardrama.ludus.com/) with the Finley Theatre Box Office opening one hour before each performance for available day-of-show ticket purchases. Tickets are $15 for general admission; $10 for seniors, military and DMC employees; and $5 for DMC students with a valid ID. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is rated PG-13 due to mature content. The April 12 opening features a cash bar and post-production reception. Additionally, April 18 (Thursday) is Student Night when any local student with a valid student I.D. can attend the performance for free, along with a post-production reception in the lobby. For more information, contact Del Mar Drama at 361-698-1216 or drama@delmar.edu. Details about cast, crew and credits are available at delmar.edu/offices/art/theatres.html. A downloadable poster in PDF format is available in the upper right-hand corner above “CONTACTS.”
- Table Tennis anyone? Del Mar College Kinesiology Program hosting two-day tournament play April 26-27Article by Melinda Eddleman You might know the game as ping pong. But, for serious tournament-worthy players familiar with game rules, “table tennis” is the appropriate term, and Del Mar College’s (DMC) Kinesiology Program is hosting two days of non-sanctioned USA Table Tennis tournament play April 26-27 in the Heritage Campus Gymnasium at 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404). Spectators are welcome to watch the competition each day. 2024 Vikings Table Tennis Tournament organizers note that the competition is in honor of the late Doug Wade (June 9, 1942 – Oct. 9, 2014), a landscape architect who not only left his mark around Corpus Christi through various landscaping projects but also co-founded the Corpus Christi Table Tennis Club in the early 1990s. Three-hour practice sessions were the norm and held on the third floor of the YMCA, ending with Wade telling everyone “Happy Trails” and flashing a contagious smile. Tournament play includes Friday, April 26, as the DMC Open for the College’s students and employees and Saturday, April 27, as the Corpus Christi Open Round Robin for anyone from the public wanting to compete and show-off their table tennis savvy. DMC community members interested in playing Saturday, too, may do so but must register separately for both Tennis Tournament Opens. Cost for the DMC Open is $10 with in-person registration starting at 5 p.m. and tournament play running 6 to 10 p.m. The fee for the Corpus Christi Open Round Robin is $15, which includes a Continental breakfast, with in-person registration beginning at 8 a.m. and tournament play running from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Payment for both days of play will be collected in cash and in-person each day. Online registration is now underway for the Corpus Christi Open Round Robin. Scroll down to “Texas” and click on the “Register” button next to “Vikings SP 2024 Table Tennis Tournament - in honor of Doug Wade” (get the flyer). The Omni-Pong website requires fast, easy and free registration with the site before individuals can register for the tournament. DMC students and employees can register in advance for the April 26 tournament by contacting Rogerio Moya at 361-698-1947 or rmoya@delmar.edu. Play includes A, B, C and D Divisions with cash prizes for the A and B Divisions and trophies for the C and D Divisions. Prize money will be dependent upon the number of entries. Additionally, proceeds after prizes are awarded will benefit the DMC Viking Food Pantry. April 26 matches will be “best three” out of five games to 11 during the DMC Open. On April 27 during the Corpus Christi Open, the 9 a.m. Round 1 will include players seeded into Round Robin groups of four to five players based on rating. Round 2 at 1 p.m. includes players being seeded into the A through D Divisions depending on group placing in Round 1. If more than 30 entrants participate, Round 3 will include the top two players from each group in each division advancing to a single-elimination bracket. Questions? Contact the DMC Kinesiology Program’s Intramural Director Dr. Carla Vela at 361-698-1337 or cgamez@delmar.edu or Recreation Supervisor Rogerio Moya at 361-698-1947 or rmoya@delmar.edu.
- TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel presents $315,501 JET grant to Rockport-Fulton ISD at DMC Oso Creek Campus todayArticle by Melinda Eddleman (Updated March 28, 2024) With new industries and construction growing in the Coastal Bend, welding is a high-demand occupation. According to latest data on the Targeted Occupation List (2022-23) from Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend, the 12-county region’s employment demand for welders was 1,392 jobs offering a median wage of $24.14 an hour. That demand aligns Rockport-Fulton Independent School District (ISD) students taking career and technical education (CTE) courses in welding with workforce needs in their community and beyond. And, today a Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) grant for a $315,501 award was recognized with an oversized check presentation by TWC Chair Bryan Daniel, Commissioner Representing the Public, to Rockport-Fulton ISD representatives at Del Mar College’s Oso Creek Campus. (Read release from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Office) Del Mar College (DMC) Welding Applied Technology faculty provided guidance to the school district with procurement recommendations as well as reviewed their proposal for the JET grant. During the presentation, Rockport-Fulton High School (RFHS) Instructor Andrew Swanberg noted that the JET grant will “help us guide future welders into the field” by providing resources to accommodate more students pursuing welding as their career choice. The JET grant will support training 127 RFHS students overall as they prepare for well-paying welding careers. Currently, 118 students receive Craft Training Center instruction in beginning, intermediate and advanced courses with the ISD expecting increased enrollment in their welding program next year according to representatives. The program addresses the need for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers. As part of the grant, DMC faculty are providing expertise and working with high school instructors to rebuild RFHS’s welding shop, which suffered irreparable damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. That work includes replacing the ventilation system that will accommodate 22 new welding booths. JET grant funds are covering these much-needed reparations and the expanded shop reconfiguration, allowing more students to pursue CTE courses in welding at the high school. In May 2023, the College hosted the TWC’s presentation totaling more than $7.7 million in JET grants awarded to 12 Coastal Bend educational institutions. “Rockport-Fulton has long been one of the many high schools in the area that offers dual enrollment courses in partnership with Del Mar College, so, we are very familiar with their excellent welding program.” she said, adding, “This JET grant will put at students’ fingertips the instruction and equipment they need to be professionally trained and career-ready.”
- College's APEX Accelerator and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers holding CCAD Industry Day April 4 for business owners looking for DoD contract workArticle by Melinda Eddleman Contracting with the Department of Defense (DoD) can mean BIG business for the small business owner. And, for those owners in the Coastal Bend wanting to conduct business with the DoD, Del Mar College’s APEX Accelerator and the U.S. Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District have scheduled Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) Industry Day on Thursday, April 4, to provide attendees the opportunity to learn how. CCAD and Corps reps will present information about the requirements for conducting business with the federal government and their specific contracting needs, including forecasted Depot project opportunities––both large and small. Additionally, representatives with Naval Air Station Corpus Christi’s Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) will brief attendees about current and upcoming contracting needs. For the busy business owner, two sessions––9 a.m. and 1 p.m.––are scheduled at the College’s Oso Creek Campus in Rooms 209/210 (Tres Grace Community Room) in the Culinary Arts Building, 7002 Yorktown Blvd. (78414). Get online directions and campus map. There is no fee, but registration is required to attend either session: 9 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 3 p.m. While not necessary, individuals may attend both sessions but must register for both. These sessions are also offered as a hybrid format. By attending in-person, business owners can network with these agencies, resource partners and other owners, so attendees are encouraged to bring plenty of business cards and updated capability statements to either the morning or afternoon session. Businesses that do not have a capabilities statement should contact the College’s APEX Accelerator Office to request assistance to acquire one before April 4. Targeted trades include but are not limited to abatement (for hex chrome), asphalt/parking lot repair, concrete, electrical/mechanical, fire protection/fire suppression, HVAC/plumbing, paint booths/ventilation, post-construction cleanup and renovations. For more information about the sessions, how to acquire a capabilities statement or how to access the sessions online, contact APEX Accelerator Plan Room staffer Susie Hargress at 361-698-1020 or shargress@delmar.edu or Program Coordinator Veronica Renaud at 361-698-1034 or vrenaud@delmar.edu. To learn more about APEX Accelerator services at Del Mar College, visit their web page at https://delmarptac.ecenterdirect.com/.
- Del Mar College recognized among top 10 U.S. community colleges selected as finalists for Bellwether Award for Workforce DevelopmentArticle by Melinda Eddleman The initiative is gaining attention. Del Mar College (DMC) and its innovative Continuing Education (CE) to Credit stackable process that matriculates students’ Workforce Skills Awards earned through CE programs into aligned academic credit programs earned the College selection last fall as a finalist by the Bellwether College Consortium to compete for the Bellwether Award for Workforce Development. The competition was held last week in San Antonio during the Community College Futures Assembly scheduled Feb. 25-27. The Bellwether College Consortium embodies award-winning colleges charged with addressing critical issues facing community colleges through applicable research, promotion and replication of best practices concentrating on 1) workforce development, 2) instructional programs and services and 3) planning governance and finance. These three categories make up the Bellwether Award competition, which is nationally recognized for focusing on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs worthy of replication across the country. DMC was one of 30 community colleges representing 18 states chosen to compete and one of two from Texas out of the 10 selected to vie for the Bellwether Award for Workforce Development. The College’s CE to Credit initiative is noted for providing all students, regardless of educational level, a post-secondary education and workforce credentials that prepare them for high-demand careers in the Coastal Bend. DMC representatives from Continuing Education and the Architecture, Aviation and Automotive Department presented “Building Our Nation’s Workforce One Stackable Credential at a Time” on Feb. 26 as part of competition against nine other colleges representing Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina (2), Texas (San Antonio College) and Virginia. St. Louis Community College in Missouri won the Bellwether Award for Workforce Development, and the other nine competitors received a Finalist Award. The 10 colleges were assessed on their showcase table, formal presentation and a Q&A session with judges. Dr. Escamilla noted the accomplishment when the award was recognized during the regular regular DMC Board of Regents meeting on March 5. Authors who submitted last summer the College’s nomination to the Bellwether College Consortium noted that 49% of the Coastal Bend’s population possess a high school diploma or less, and over 22% have completed some college but have not earned a degree. Additionally, 62% of Texas jobs will require at least a post-secondary education or specific workforce credentials by 2030 according to Commit Partnership (Aug. 12, 2022). They also addressed the need to develop the CE to Credit initiative based on the comparatively high unemployment rate in the Coastal Bend in 2020. That rate was 9.3% regionally in relation to 7.2% for the state and 6.7% nationally, mostly due to the pandemic. While strategies to prepare more students for the local workforce through short-term CE occupational training had already been developed as early as 2018, the guiding question was how to move CE students toward completing a post-secondary education and workforce credentials that could lead to earning Level I and Level II certificates or an associate’s degree? Even a bachelor’s degree is possible. The goal was to prepare ALL students for the workforce … even those who need to earn their high school equivalency. The solution was creating Workforce Skills Awards or WSAs earned through CE programs aligned with pathways developed for academic programs that address high-demand needs among Coastal Bend employers. WSAs can be earned in less than six months through CE programs and enable students to gain entry-level positions with business and industry. WSAs are also “stackable” or convertible credentials that count toward DMC credit programs, including current high-demand fields such as automotive, building maintenance, heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC), instrumentation, millwright, process technology and welding. Since starting the CE to Credit initiative, the College has seen success and recognized over 320 WSA graduates who each completed 144 CE units or nine credit hours between 2021 and 2023 with a ceremony as well as held pinnings for those who finished health industry-related training. He added, “Continuing Education and our collaboration with the College’s credit programs will ensure students reach their goals one stackable credential at a time toward a degree that will take them even further during their careers.”
- DMC Board of Regents holding regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 5Article by DMC College Relations Office On Tuesday, March 5, the Del Mar College (DMC) Board of Regents will hold their regular monthly meeting beginning at 1 p.m. in Room 106 of the College’s Center for Economic Development at 3209 S. Staples (78411). Get online directions and map. The regular meeting also will be livestreamed. Community members may access the meeting by going to the online video link at www.delmar.edu/webcast/ by 12:55 p.m. A copy of the Agenda Notice and Board Packet is available online at www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/_resources/agendas/agenda_packet-3-5-24.pdf. Meeting agendas and other resources are also available on the DMC Board of Regents web page at www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/index.html. The health and safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors are a priority for Del Mar College. To view the College’s COVID-19 guidelines, visit www.delmar.edu/rtc/index.html.