Also, as I lay there thinking of my vision, I could see it all again and feel the meaning with a part of me like a strange power glowing in my body; but when the part of me that talks would try to make words for the meaning, it would be like fog and get away from me.
–Black Elk
Intercultural Center Ribbon-Cutting
Time to get your Equity LEGS on! Under the leadership of Dr. Cheryl Johnson, the Intercultural Center has formally opened for students. It was an exciting event with a packed house! Dr. Johnson and her team, including Joshua Lindo, will be bringing an incredible line-up of events and speakers to include a Global Spectrum of Racial Equity & Social Justice Series, and a reimagining of the Equity Training Series: LEGS: Learning, Equity & Growth Series.
If that isn’t impressive enough, there’s upcoming Intergroup Dialogues: Facing the Divide: Part 1 Racism in America (Facilitators – Dr. Cheryl Johnson & Joshua Lindo); Addressing Microaggressions Part 2 September 14 and 21.; Trauma Informed Systems (Facilitated by Dr. Cheryl Johnson). And, a movie screening: We Still Here/Nos Tenemos on 10/11 /22 – a film by Eli Jacob-Fantauzzi from Fist Up Production. The film documents the devastation and resiliency of the people of Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria and the neglect from the Federal Government.
7-Point Plan Focus
I plan to give brief updates on our work here each week. On Opening Day, I laid out our work for the year – our seven-point plan, which included wrapping up major work that we have started, and a commitment to do our best not to bring new initiatives forward (which received great applause). We need to complete what we started! This week’s focus is Integrated Planning and People’s College Initiative-Climate Review.
7-Point Plan Focus: Integrated Planning
We have opened a new planning cycle starting with the Educational Master Plan and our Student Equity Plan, to be followed by a Strategic Enrollment Management plan and a Technology Plan. Throughout this year, our constituent committees are drafting plans and sharing out to our constituencies for feedback. These plans will ultimately come to College Governance Council (CGC) for approval and presented to the Board of Trustees. The Educational Master Plan will formally institutionalize the work of the People’s College Initiative. In the meantime, the “work ahead” being completed by the authorized PCI Task Groups will be completed by the end of the fiscal year. (If you want to join a task group, please reach out to Dean Ingrid Vargas).
7-Point Plan Focus: People’s College Initiative – Climate Review
I want to thread together for you the work we have been doing on Climate Review since my first day as your President. If you recall in 2020, I released the McPhail Report to the campus, and formed a “Climate Review Work Group” to consider the implementation of its recommendations and to determine next steps needed to better understand the college climate. The work group brought forward to CGC its recommendation to implement all the McPhail Group recommendations and to engage in regular climate review as a campus. This work continued with the PCI Climate Review Task Group (PCI-CRTG), which made sure that those recommendations had been implemented, and we are currently working to close the few outstanding items. And, now, under my direction and recommendation from CGC, we will be conducting two climate surveys this Fall – one for students and one for employees. The PCI-CRTG will be leading the survey design process, and an independent third party will be administering and analyzing the survey results. Draft survey questions will be vetted through our participatory governance process in October. Skyline College community members are invited to join PCI-CRWG meetings in September and October to help develop the questions for each survey. The next meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, September 6, at 2:00-3:30pm. Please email Becky Threewit to receive the Zoom meeting invite. Future meeting dates and Zoom links will be posted to the PCI website.
March 4th: Leadership Sets the Example of Supporting Professional Growth
We have set aside the annual date of March 4th for our leadership teams to focus on the professional growth of our direct reports. We will be officially celebrating on Friday, March 3rd, 2023. My hope is that you begin to have open conversations with your direct reports about their future. How can you support their growth or degree attainment? What is their five-year plan? What is your five year plan?
Many of us are interested in the myriad detail opportunities across the District or applying for the next logical step in our careers at another college within the District or elsewhere. We have so many examples of our own Skyline people transitioning to new opportunities, or ultimately choosing to retire. And I remind us that this is okay. In fact, it’s great! As leaders, we are working to be open, transparent, and positive-oriented in our support of others growing professionally and create a safe space to have conversations about our futures. If you have someone that is interested in a detail or other position, let’s encourage and support it as much as possible. And our goal is to have open communication between managers prior to offers being made in case there is an urgent reason to deny a detail opportunity. In addition, our we ask our managers work together and agree on a transition plan that creates the least harm to our programs. If a detail position is denied, please honor the employee’s interest in growth and carve out some time to help this employee move forward in the near future. It is on us, as leaders, to recognize that it’s good for our employees to want growth and upward mobility. And, we are also accountable for succession planning in our respective areas, because it is natural to expect employees to grow and move into new positions.
She’s Baaaack (Soon)
I have permission to share that Theresa is returning to campus on September 19th! Yay. We have missed her dearly while she was out recovering from major surgery.
Today is Free Form Fridays with the President at 1:00 pm. It is intended to provide us with a virtual space to connect. Anyone is welcome to join throughout the session which keeps the conversation interesting! Zoom In with me or I will be stuck talking to myself for an hour.
Upcoming dates: 10/07, 11/04, 12/02, 02/03, 03/03, 04/07, 05/05. Zoom In!