June 7, 2023 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Santa Monica College Names Its Manager Of The Year:

Santa Monica College Dean of Counseling and Retention Brenda Johnson Benson has been named SMC’s 2013 Manager of the Year.

Benson has worked tirelessly for nearly 30 years to provide crucial support services to students in virtually all areas – from transferring to four-year universities to helping veteran students.

In announcing his choice for the honor, SMC President Dr. Chui L. Tsang said, “Brenda personifies the best of Santa Monica College, combining a nurturing and supportive management style with a push for constant improvement and innovation. She is truly an outstanding manager.”

The daughter of a teacher and a tennis coach, the Westchester resident – who was recently named an outstanding educator (“Best of L.A. Education People”) by L.A. Weekly – began working at SMC as an intern while a graduate student in the School of Education at UCLA.

She fell in love with her work at SMC and moved up the ranks from intern to counselor to coordinator/assistant dean of transfer services, a position she held for ten years from 1988 to 1998.

It was in this capacity and with her leadership that, in 1989, SMC first distinguished itself as the leader in transfer, sending more students to the University of California system than any other community college in the state.

This is a record that the college continues to maintain.

“Brenda is a strong and unyielding advocate for her students, colleagues and the community college mission,” said SMC Transfer Center faculty leader Dan Nannini, “She is an educator for the educators and, for this, she is held in the highest regard.”

In 1998, Benson was promoted to her current position, Dean of Counseling and Retention, where her focus shifted to developing strategies that would support SMC – an “open door” community college – to both retain students until graduation and to support them with tools needed to succeed both during and after their time at SMC. 

Each semester, the SMC Counseling Department works with other campus programs and departments to deliver a myriad of orientation events, workshops and courses, all designed to lead to student success.

Over the past 15 years these programs have proven to be key in supporting SMC students to complete their education and achieve their goals.   

SMC’s annual fall season VIP Welcome Day has been a particularly successful and well attended orientation/retention event.

Now in its 9th year, VIP Welcome Day typically brings 4,000 to 5,000 new students and their families to campus for a day of student success workshops and an opportunity to interact with SMC faculty and staff. 

Research has shown that this one event increases fall-to-fall student persistence by 49 percent.

She also oversees 10 specialized counseling programs that serve veterans and other underrepresented student populations.

The SMC Veterans Resource Center currently supports over 600 student veterans and provides critical services that help these students while making the adjustment from military to civilian life.

Benson is currently near the end of a one-year term as President of the SMC Management Association.

She has also, over the years, been active on statewide committees related to counseling and transfer, and co-authored the minimum standards for California Community College Transfer Centers.

in News
Related Posts

(Video) The Grand Opening Ceremony For Made With PRIDE Marketplace Speech From Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis

June 6, 2023

June 6, 2023

The Made with PRIDE Marketplace is located on level one in Center Plaza in Santa Monica Place which is located...

(Video) Deputy Under Secretary of the Army Visits SMC to Discuss Student Veteran Opportunities

June 6, 2023

June 6, 2023

Deputy Under Secretary of the Army Mario Diaz visited Santa Monica College to talk with student leaders on how to...

Felony DUI Arrest Made After Severe Crash

June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023

A Volkswagen Jetta Veered off the Road, Into a Pedestrian Shortly before midnight on June 2, the Santa Monica Police...

Santa Monica City Council Takes Action To Criminalize Catalytic Converter Theft

June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023

After Historic Rise In Catalytic Converter Thefts, The New Ordinance Passes Unanimously By Dolores Quintana In the Santa Monica City...

(Video) A First Look At The Made With Pride Marketplace In Santa Monica

June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023

We were at the ribbon cutting ceremony and the official opening this morning. Made With Pride is located at 395...

(Video) Rents in Santa Monica Dipped in May

June 4, 2023

June 4, 2023

May’s dip negated a gain seen the previous month. @smmirrornews Rents in Santa Monica dropped during May #realestate #santamonica #californiarent...

Former Waymo CEO Purchases Santa Monica Canyon Home

June 4, 2023

June 4, 2023

John Krafcik Settled Into a Modern Twist on a Classic Mid-Century Compound John Krafcik, former CEO of Waymo, has found...

New Business and Personal Lines Property and Casualty Insurance Paused In California

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

Allstate and State Farm Say Currently Insured Homeowners Will Not Be Affected  After State Farm announced a pause on new...

(Video) Mayor Karen Bass Speaks At The Memorial Day Ceremony At The Los Angeles National Cemetery

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

This was the first ceremony that had been held in person at The National Cemetery since 2019 and before the...

Film Review: The Little Mermaid

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

FILM REVIEWTHE LITTLE MERMAIDRated PG135 MinutesReleased May 26th With today’s technological developments, a live-action The Little Mermaid is not only...

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Has Appointed A New Superintendent

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

Antonio M. Shelton, Ed.D. Appointment Will Be Effective July 1, 2023 In a late afternoon press release, The Santa Monica-Malibu...

Clerk Charged With Selling Alcohol to Minor

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

The Incident Was Part of a Minor Decoy Operation The Santa Monica Police Department issued a citation to a clerk...

Extra Officers Deployed for Motorcyclists’ Violations

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Speeding Is the Primary Cause of Motorcycle Crashes The Santa Monica Police Department deployed additional officers on patrol June 1...

Santa Monica Police Department Releases First Quarter Crime Report

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Decrease in Calls for Service, Increase in Arrests, Shifts in Part I Offenses The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has...

Free Meals for WGA Members During Strike at Bob’s Big Boy and Swingers Diner

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Comedian and Host Drew Carey Is Paying For Meals For Striking WGA Members By Dolores Quintana As the Writers Guild...