When the sun rose there was a white fog, very warm and clammy, and more blinding than the night. It did not shift or drive; it was just there, standing all around you like something solid.
Excerpt from the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Block Party Event for Black History Month
Activities continue for the rest of February. See the line up below.
District Antiracism Council’s Statement Regarding Tyre Nichols
Last week, Chancellor Claire shared the San Mateo County Community College District Antiracism Council (ARC) statement regarding Tyre Nichols. The statement can be found here.
Gilman Scholars Workshop
I had the pleasure of attending part of the Gilman Scholars Workshop as part of the Study Abroad Program with Dean Zaid Ghori and Acting Director Alice Yang. The Gilman Scholarship is given to students based on their need and application. Alice moderated a panel of past Gilman Scholars who shared their experiences. Because of Zaid’s great work, Skyline College is the number one Gilman Scholar community college in the nation!
Superintendent Randall Booker
I loved meeting Superintendent Randall Booker from San Mateo Union High School District and was so pleased he reached out! He joined SMUHSD last Fall and has been very busy. He came to my office last week and we had a whirlwind conversation. Skyline College is connected to SMUHSD through Capuchino High School in our backyard. We had an excellent conversation about the challenges we face leading large organizations, and focused on what we can do better in providing dual enrollment programs, and we are excited to explore greater depths of partnership.
Participatory Governance: What Are Task Groups?
As part of our participatory governance work, we have defined Task Groups as a short-term group created and charged by a Constituent Committee or Council/Senate, that carries out a specific task. Task Group members are approved by constituent groups. I am responsible for facilitating two task groups that have been authorized by our College Governance Council (CGC): the Gender Equity Task Group, and the Participatory Governance Task Group.
– Participatory Governance Task Group
The Participatory Governance Task Group has been meeting for about a year under the auspices of the Peoples College Initiative. We have completed a lot of the “Work Ahead”. The finale of our work is to create a Participatory Governance Guide and hope to have this ready for constituency feedback before the end of Spring Semester.
– Gender Equity Task Group
A group of us starting meeting monthly in the Fall to work on gender equity issues. Our charge is to explore gender equity on campus to gain a better understanding of the underlying issues and make recommendations for action and change. Our first action item was to review the Employee Voice survey questions through a gender equity lens and provide feedback. We did that and now the survey questions reflect our feedback. Next, we will be taking an inventory of all the resources on campus and in the District that are available relating to gender equity. We intend to provide the campus clarity and communication about available resources and processes. By the end of Fall, 2023, we will be identifying gaps in gender equity programs and services and making recommendations for action to CGC.
If you would like to be involved in either Task Group or would like a chance to provide input, please do not hesitate to let me know!
Celebrate the People! Congrats on Enrollment Recovery!
On Saturday, February 4, I presented to the Board during their retreat. It was an amazing moment to showcase that all of our hard work across the college has paid off in terms of our enrollment recovery. We are up in ALL metrics. I hope you take some time to review the report here and you can watch the presentation is you are so inclined. Here is the link to the Board Videos – look for the Board Retreat Video of 2/4/2023 and if you go to 1:52:00 you will find the start of my report. I reported that we were up 14% in FTES, 15% in enrollments and up 8% in headcount. Trustee Pimentel gave us all enthusiastic high fives, and the Board was very laudatory of our efforts across the District.
Free Form Fridays
Free Form Fridays with the President is intended to provide us with a virtual space to connect. Anyone is welcome to join throughout the session which keeps the conversation interesting! NEXT UP 03/03!
Upcoming dates: 04/07, 05/05. Zoom In!