Skyline College President Victoria Morrow gave a speech at the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Feb. 9, detailing distinct qualities of Skyline, her plans for the college, and an appeal to the community for ideas to enrich the college.

At the luncheon, sponsored by the Women in Business Committee, Morrow’s forward-looking speech was built upon a basis of Skyline’s diversity and well-roundedness to a presentation of future plans and goals for the school. The speech was one step in Morrow’s admitted goal to “connect with the community.”

“Part of my reason for doing this speech is to help me get out into the community and meet leaders in our service area around the college,” Morrow said in an interview beforehand.

Although the title of the speech was, “Fog? Heck no! Skyline Shines!” and Morrow did effectively show there is more to Skyline than dismal weather, its focus was on the future: the future of students, the future of education, and the future of the college.

Interweaving personal sentiment into her speech, Morrow promoted the college by speaking about the elements of Skyline that appealed to her in her newly acquired role as president.

“The more I learned about Skyline, the more I knew I wanted the job.” Morrow said.

Morrow used examples of past events such as the “I Can’t Believe You Said That!” presentation and the partnership in bio-manufacturing program as evidence of Skyline’s varied commitments to preparing students for the job market, four-year universities, and society in general.

“We have a creative staff, which is very committed to leadership, rich knowledge, and the community,” Morrow said.

The focus shifted quickly away from the past, however, and Morrow’s enthusiasm about her position and her progressive outlook was apparent in the goals she outlined for the college. She spoke about the college’s commitment to innovation in its education as well as extracurricular activities.

“The college is interested in diversity,” Morrow said. “It is interested in direct, hands-on learning.”

One example was Morrow’s address of the constantly changing needs of employers in the immediate community and beyond. Morrow challenged Skyline to “step up to the plate to help meet those needs.”

“We will connect with employers and get ahead of the curve,” she said.

At the heart of Morrow’s speech was an appeal to the attendees of the luncheon, many of whom are members of the chamber of commerce and prominent businesspeople in the community. She asked for input on how to enrich Skyline further and assistance in doing so.

Some of the ongoing and future plans she listed were the Women on Writing Conference, inductions into the Transfer Hall of Fame, and the “Fresh Look” project which aims to “make Skyline more user friendly for all services.”

“Does Skyline shine? You bet it does, in lots and lots of ways. The challenge for me is to find ways to make it shine even more.”