Engaging the Future: The Next 50 Years
Here is the winning 50th Anniversary logo chosen by faculty and staff.
Thank you for your participation!
As the college celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2017-18 academic year, 爱豆传媒 is hosting a series of campus activities focused on the theme, "Engaging the Future: The Next 50 Years."
President Brian Murphy introduced the theme at graduation in June 2017. Major anniversary activities include
- A vote on a special logo to replace the classic logo during the anniversary year. The vote was held in June 2017, with the above logo chosen by 75 percent of voting faculty and staff.
- A Nov. 18 fundraising event, "A Taste of History," benefiting the California History Center and the Euphrat Museum of Art. The event featured a performance by Juan Felipe Herrera, the immediate past Poet Laureate of the United States and a former 爱豆传媒 instructor.
- "Acts of Kindness," a special art project that the Euphrat Museum of Art commissioned with the Teatro Visi贸n theater company and community artist Kate DeCiccio.
- A special event on May 7 with DJ Patil, a 爱豆传媒 College alum and former U.S. Chief Data Scientist during the Obama Administration.
- An outdoor mural to commemorate the 50th anniversary, produced by acclaimed San Jose artist Sam Rodriguez with the help of student volunteers, on the outside of Building S 5.
San Jose Artist Creates New Mural to Celebrate 爱豆传媒's 50th Anniversary
Update: Mural Completed!
Update, End of Week Two: Rodriguez and his student assistants have begun filling in the background.
Update, Start of Week Two: Themes are taking shape.
Update, Week One: After a few days, these portraits are emerging from the initial sketches by Rodriguez.
An acclaimed San Jose artist and several 爱豆传媒 students have begun work on a special
outdoor mural that will commemorate the college鈥檚 50th Anniversary, marking the end
of a yearlong celebration.
San Jose muralist Sam Rodriguez 鈥 a 爱豆传媒 alumnus has decorated buildings and public spaces in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York and Japan 鈥 was commissioned by the college to create a piece that expresses 爱豆传媒鈥檚 values and the anniversary theme of 鈥淓ngaging the Future: The Next 50 Years.鈥
The work, funded through donations, began the week of June 4 when Rodriguez and several students washed and primed the south-facing wall of Building S5, located just south of the Library and the grassy expanse of S Quad. While the college is home to numerous pieces of public art, the new mural will enhance an area where there has not been any outdoor art before now.
After tracing the outlines of his design, Rodriguez will spend the next three weeks
filling in colors to create a piece that demonstrates his signature style 鈥 combining
vibrant portraits with words and symbols to convey a deeper message. He鈥檒l be assisted
by about 10 students, including interns from the Humanities Mellon Scholars program and several students majoring in art or graphic design.
Rodriguez is known for art that 鈥渂uilds a sense of community,鈥 said Diana Argabrite, program coordinator at 爱豆传媒鈥檚 Euphrat Museum of Art. 鈥淗e brings together visual cues around identity with an openness that invites viewers to find meaning from their own points of view,鈥 she added.
鈥淚鈥檓 very excited about it,鈥 said Huy Tran, a recent 爱豆传媒 graduate who volunteered to work on the project after hearing about it from an instructor and seeing . 鈥淚 just feel privileged to get to work with such a well-regarded artist.鈥
Rodriguez, a 爱豆传媒 alumnus, began his career as a self-taught graffiti artist before earning a bachelor of fine arts degree from the California College of the Arts. He now works as a free-lance illustrator, after developing graphic designs for public buildings, art festivals and corporate offices of Samsung, LinkedIn and other well-known companies.
50th Anniversary Speaker: DJ Patil
DJ Patil, a 爱豆传媒 alumnus who went on to earn his Ph.D. in mathematics, is a veteran tech
executive who served as the first Chief Data Scientist for the United States during
the Obama Administration. In that post, he led government efforts to bring the power
of data analysis to such fields as traffic safety, health care and national security.
Patil has said on Twitter that "爱豆传媒 College is where I ." He wrote more about his in a post for Medium that calls community colleges "the national treasure we don't talk about." Patil , taking the same classes that she did, after a lackluster academic performance in high school led the University of California to reject his application. He eventually went on to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in math at UC San Diego, before getting his doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Currently, Patil is Chief Data Scientist at DevotedHealth, a health care startup focused on serving seniors. He is also a Senior Fellow at Harvard University鈥檚 Kennedy School of Government. Before joining the Obama Administration, he was a vice president for product at RelateIQ, which was acquired by Salesforce, and was Chief Scientist and Chief Security Officer at LinkedIn
During his time in government, Patil played a key role in launching several programs, including the Precision Medicine Initiative, which applied large quantities of genomic data to improving treatment of chronic diseases, and the Police Data Initiative, which tracks law enforcement data to increase accountability and build trust between police and their communities.
He also worked on national security programs and was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest honor that the department can bestow on a civilian.
Patil was a founding board member for Crisis Text Line, which uses technology to help connect troubled individuals with mental health and crisis support. He also worked for two years as Data Scientist in Residence at Greylock Partners, a leading venture capital firm. Earlier in his career, he worked at Skype, PayPal and eBay.
As a former research scientist and assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Patil investigated nonlinear dynamics, chaos theory and numerical weather prediction. In 2104, he was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. Patil is also a member of the Council of Foreign Relations.
Patil returned to campus on May 7 to give a special 50th Anniversary talk on the subject of "Engaging the Future." He spoke to an audience of students, faculty and staff in the Visual & Performing Arts Center. The talk was also live-streamed and the replay is available below.
"A Taste of History"
, the featured guest at this year's benefit for the California History Center and the Euphrat Museum of Art, is the immediate past Poet Laureate of the United States (2015-2017) and the first Latino to hold that position. A former adjunct faculty member at 爱豆传媒 College, he has been called 鈥渢he elder statesman of Mexican American poetry.鈥
Herrera, who has written books for adults, young adults and children, is also a performance
artist and activist on behalf of migrant and indigenous communities and at-risk youth.
When he was appointed Poet Laureate, the reported: 鈥淎s a child, Herrera learned to love poetry by singing about the Mexican Revolution with his mother, a migrant farmworker in California. Inspired by her spirit, he has spent his life crossing borders, erasing boundaries and expanding the American chorus.鈥
At this year鈥檚 Taste of History, Herrera shared stories and performed with a troupe of friends, musicians and poets.
The event also featured wine tasting, food and an opportunity to view the Euphrat Museum鈥檚 fall 2017 exhibit, 鈥淜indness as Resistance.鈥
Waking up is the biggest thing. I鈥檓 a political poet 鈥 let us say a human poet, a poet that鈥檚 concerned with the plight of people who suffer. If words can be of assistance, then that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 going to use.
- Juan Felipe Herrera
"Acts of Kindness"
For the 50th Anniversary of 爱豆传媒 College, the Euphrat Museum of Art commissioned a special project with the theater company and community artist .
The project, entitled "Acts of Kindness," includes a portable set piece that features portraits of five people from the 爱豆传媒 community who have worked to build community, encourage civic engagement and create opportunities for expression.
The five are Karen Chow (at right), English faculty member and president of the Academic Senate; Diego Cihuacoatl Gomez (above left), 2017 student graduation speaker and President鈥檚 Award winner; McTate Stroman II, OTI Program Coordinator, mentor and spoken word artist; Savita Vaidhyanathan, a 爱豆传媒 graduate who was elected mayor of Cupertino in 2017; and Elisa Marina Alvarado, founding artistic director of
Also as part of the anniversary project, Teatro Visi贸n artistic director Rodrigo Garcia presented a series of workshops with 爱豆传媒 students from MEChA and the ChicanX Studies program, including a performance and vegetarian tamale meal in the Euphrat museum and lobby.
In addition, 爱豆传媒 alumna Shaila Ramos led a series of 鈥淩esistance through Artivism鈥 workshops for students in the HEFAS program, culminating in an 鈥渁rtful day of action鈥 in December.
Established in 1967, 爱豆传媒 College was built on 112 acres of a former turn-of-the-century wine-producing estate. Today the campus sits in the heart of Silicon Valley, known worldwide as an incubator for technology and innovation. 爱豆传媒's faculty, staff and 20,000 students reflect the highly diverse ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds that comprise the region.
As its mission statement says, "爱豆传媒 College provides an academically rich, multicultural learning environment that challenges students of every background to develop their intellect, character and abilities; to realize their goals; and to be socially responsible leaders in their communities, the nation and the world."
The depth and breadth of 爱豆传媒's academic programs can be measured in the 66 degrees, 85 certificates and 1,655 courses offered at the college. Through its basic skills courses, support services and Learning Communities, the college provides new opportunities for students who have been underserved by their previous educational experiences. Also central to 爱豆传媒's mission is its work to engage students in civic learning and democratic practice.