ΒιΆΉΣ³» MESA/STEM Student Affairs Specialist RenΓ© Rubio Receives βDr. Ed Shenk Excellence in Student Service Awardβ
ΒιΆΉΣ³» has announced RenΓ© Rubio as the 2021 recipient of the βDr. Ed Shenk Excellence in Student Service Award.β The award was launched last year as a way to recognize and honor student service staff members who have contributed to the success of ΒιΆΉΣ³» students through activities that promote student learning, retention and growth.
Rubio is a student affairs specialist for the MESA/STEM Center, where ΒιΆΉΣ³» Collegeβs Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) programs live. He started working at NVC in 2001 as a part-time EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs & Services) student specialist before joining the MESA/STEM Center in 2002. MESA, the heart of the MESA/STEM Center, was established in 1999 to serve educationally underrepresented students. The center provides a wide range of services to encourage students to develop the necessary academic and leadership skills to successfully transfer and later graduate from a four-year university with a degree in mathematics, engineering, science or computer science.
βMy passion to support student success stems from the wonderful support I received from the EOPS program when I was a student here at ΒιΆΉΣ³»,β said Rubio.
Rubio regularly works with high school students interested in STEM, assisting them with their applications to NVCβs MESA/STEM and STEM summer bridge programs. Since 2010, he has coordinated the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Grant at ΒιΆΉΣ³», and since 2015 the Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Medical Scholars Pathway Program.
Rubio works with students to ensure they work with a counselor to create an educational plan and have the resources necessary to succeed and ensure a smooth transfer to a four-year university. He also leads tutoring efforts in the MESA/STEM Center, advises two STEM clubs each year, and has taken students on leadership retreats, to STEM national conferences, to regional leadership conferences and on visits to universities. In 2017, Rubio served as interim associate dean of MESA and STEM programs.
βRenΓ© truly cares about the success of our MESA/STEM Center students and would never hesitate to assist any student at NVC,β said Luis Alcazar, associate dean of MESA and STEM programs. βHe is a team player as a colleague and a superhero to our NVC students.β
βItβs an honor to be nominated and selected for the Dr. Ed Shenk Excellence in Service Award,β said Rubio. βIt truly has been a privilege to work with so many students over the years, especially with our MESA/STEM students at NVC the past 20 years. Every year I continue to be amazed by our studentβs resilience, their eagerness to learn and to give back to our community.β
The award is named in honor of Dr. Ed Shenk, who spent 30 years at ΒιΆΉΣ³», first as assistant dean for student services and then retiring in December 2005 as vice president. It was created by Sue Dee Shenk and her parents, Jerry and Peggy Schlosser, who established a $25,000 endowment to fund an annual award. The endowment is held and invested by the ΒιΆΉΣ³» Foundation, to ensure the continued monetary recognition of recipients in the future. Recipients are selected through a nomination process by the Office of Student Affairs.
A longtime supporter of student services, Mrs. Shenk is a former Napa city councilmember and former executive director of ΒιΆΉΣ³» Community Housing. She also led the efforts to build a school in Liberia for 100 children, which was dedicated in 2016.
Rubio will be honored in the inaugural virtual ceremony on May 18 and will receive a monetary award of $500.
Recent Articles
- Moving day: ΒιΆΉΣ³» welcomes students to new on-campus housing complex
- Graduate emphasizes importance of βshowing upβ
- Graduate praises college as a place of βfertile groundβ
- Future Winemaker Launches Career at NVC
- ΒιΆΉΣ³» graduation features State Sen. Bill Dodd
- Transfer Student Finds His Path in Science and Technology
- ΒιΆΉΣ³» Breaks Ground on Wine Spectator Wine Education Center