CHANCELLOR’S C-DIRECTSeptember 14, 2016

Dear Colleagues:

September 11th brings back sad memories for me. Yet, unlike those who were injured or died and their kin, my experience was not so agonizing. I was a frozen participant stranded at an airport many miles away from home. I often think that all of us airplane passengers that day could have been a victim of that vicious attack. Remembering 9/11 still brings me to tears. I have gotten better every year, although I still remain somewhat fearful of television and news and do my best to stay away from them. I am pledging to be stronger in tribute to those who were struck down on September 11, 2001.

The Haitian earthquake of 2010 and September 11th are two events that have pushed me to be more loving, tolerant, patient and joyful in life. They have also increased my empathy and love for others and I see myself really dedicated to the betterment of all. My professional calling, and my sense of obligation have pressed down on me even more consciously. The tents I see in the streets of Oakland remind me of the tents in certain parts of Haiti. While these shelters have gradually disappeared Haiti, their pitiful circumstances bother me profoundly. The Peralta community ought to do what it can to certainly confront those issues of deprivation and homelessness, especially for our students. That purpose should hold us united together.

International Education and Cuba

Drew Gephart and I met to follow-up on to my visit to Cuba last November. You may recall our interest in developing opportunities for companies that do business in Cuba. With the way Cuba has operated over the past 50 years and the limited ways businesses have developed, an understanding of the culture and the political realities is required. This venture provides PCCD an opportunity to support businesses, from a social justice standpoint, a climate wherein Cuba is very committed, as well as a way to generate work and revenues for our faculty. We discussed our next steps including a potential to launch contract training or fee-based training in the near future.

Meeting with Urban Strategies Staff

Interim Associate VC of Workforce Development and Continuing Education Mel King, Sui Song, Karen Engel, Shemila Johnson, Rebecca Lacocque and I met with the staff of Urban Strategies and their CEOs at their offices downtown. You may recall that we met with the CEO alone a few weeks ago. This was a return, but more in-depth, visit. The staff shared with us the extent of their work and their partnerships in the community. They have supported the founding of many community-based organizations and are a vital part of the community. They are excited about the potential for a tighter relationship with Peralta, and are serving as an intermediary group for our Career Pathway Grant, and their partnership with Peralta will take on a presence of an ever-greater engagement.

DAS – 10+1

We met and discussed a few items that will be shared broadly in the future:

An explanation and more clarity on the Vice Chancellor positions. This item will be discussed at PBC at the end of the month. “Leading from the Middle,” an approach for ownership of the WDCE unit. We will host a meeting to discuss how to move forward with the unit in a comprehensive way. Presidential Forums: a debriefing of the BCC Presidential search and potential changes for future searches; especially at Laney and COA. Email decorum and broad access versus a discussion forum space: This item will go to the Technology Committee. We want to find a way to minimize the number of emails going to all, but to create a special forum where ideas can be expressed. International Education Partnership focus: This item will go to DEC and PBC.

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Budget transparency: San Diego and other places – DAS-PFT-PBC. Faculty and others would visit other colleges to see what we can learn to transform our budget processes.

I am happy DAS representatives and I are finding better ways to move forward ideas we have discussed and ones that show promise.

AT&T Gift Announcement

The Peralta Colleges Foundation received a $35,000 gift from AT&T in support of our Oakland Promise students. Trustee Brown; Presidents Burns, Stanley and White; Assistant VC Brown; foundation staff; and Executive Director Heyman were on hand for the announcement on the steps of City Hall. This gift will help us meet the needs of some of the students.

Other organizations were on hand to hear about their AT&T gifts as well. It has not ceased to delight me to hear these organizations talking about what they do and how closely they are either aligned with the Peralta District or want to be aligned with our Colleges. We have a lot of significant support. Many organizations believe in what we do and I am glad we are spending the time in outreach to ALL potential allies.

Visit with Dru Kim – Media Arts, BCC

Professor Kim gave me a tour of BCC’s multi-media labs so that I may understand the needs of the discipline more broadly. I discovered that we have some excellent labs that need to be maintained and cared for. We will do a follow-up to create some action plans and priorities.

Visit to the Undocumented Student Center (USC)

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When the USC opened last year, I was not able to attend the opening. I finally got to see the center last week. I was greeted by an enthusiastic group of students who want to help their fellow students succeed and survive their hardships. The dedication of Carolina Martinez to everyone connected to the center is worth seeing. I was also pleased to see the work the Latino student group is doing. They have a focus to make BCC eligible for Hispanic Serving Institution status and to support the

application of the grant that will serve all. I want to thank the students and the staff for such a warm welcome. They exemplify the enthusiasm to make all students feel supported and welcome.

Academy for College Excellence (ACE)

Shannon Penn, who is Director of ACE and also serves as a part-time instructor for the Berkeley City College PERSIST and Umoja programs, has been chosen to run this organization nationwide to help colleges promote greater success for their students. Shannon sent me this email with more information on this student success model:

The challenges facing community college students performing at basic skills levels are numerous and well known. The Academy for College Excellence (ACE) offers 2 student success strategies: An evidenced based curriculum and cohort model for students and a professional development training for educators called the Five-Day Experiential Learning Institute (FELI).

Founded in 2002 to serve community college students at risk of dropping out, ACE developed a holistic solution for overcoming many of the problems underprepared students face in completing a college education. The cornerstone of the ACE model is an intensive, immersion style semester for students entering their first year of community college. Key outcomes include accelerated learning to transfer level course work and a positive impact on affective behaviors related to student motivation and attitude. The ACE Center has received ongoing support from the Gates Foundation and others to rigorously evaluate the program. As a result, ACE has served over 4000 students and provided professional development training to over 1000 educators from more than 55 colleges in the country. Berkeley City College (BCC) was one of the first colleges to adopt the ACE curriculum nearly 8 years ago

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when Cleavon Smith (Academic Senate President, Peralta District) launched BCC’s PERSIST program. Chris Lebo-Planas is currently the coordinator for this longstanding learning community (aleboplanas@peralta.edu).

ACE professional development workshops (Five-Day Experiential Learning Institute- FELI) for faculty, staff and administrators are offered at college campuses throughout the country during the summer and winter breaks. This year’s newcomers include Cal State University East Bay, Grossmont College and San Diego Continuing Education. All 3 institutions currently have teams underway that are working to adopt the ACE curriculum to support student success and retention on their campuses. Berkeley City College offers the ACE professional development workshop annually and extends a discount to all Peralta employees.

Recent Milestone for the ACE Center: U.C. Santa Cruz recently approved the ACE Foundation of Leadership Course as a general education (GE) course. This leadership curriculum is a core element of the ACE model and has been successfully offered to underprepared community college students to help them develop the habits and behaviors required for college success and beyond. You can learn more about ACE’s positive impact on student success across multiple colleges in a 2013 Case Study led by the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges: Student Support (Re)defined:

http://rpgroup.org/sites/default/files/Student_Support_Redefined-ACE_Case_Study_Summary-Fall2013.pdf

For more information about the ACE model and/or professional development workshops, please visit the website academyforcollegeexcellence.org or contact the ACE Center Director, Shannon Penn at shannonpenn@my-ace.org.

California Community College Common Assessment Initiative (CAI)Submitted by Vice Chancellor for Student Services Dr. Norma Ambriz-Galaviz

In spring 2016, Peralta applied and received grant funding for each College to begin mapping local competencies and compare to their placement model for the three areas of student assessment: English, Mathematics and English as a Second Language. The State Chancellor’s Office is leading the CAI as a means of developing a comprehensive, common assessment system to reduce remediation and provide statewide efficiencies for the placement process throughout the California Community Colleges. It is being referred to as CCCAssess. The Peralta Colleges, along with 36 other colleges, were scheduled to adopt CAI this fall and begin utilizing the new assessment instrument for spring 2017.

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Unfortunately, we received word ten days ago, and confirmed today, that there will be a delay with the implementation of the new assessment tool. The State Chancellor’s office Assessment workgroup and the Statewide Academic Senate agreed that additional validation phase was required. Consequently, a revised timeline is being constructed along with alternatives for consideration. Additionally, the Statewide CAI work team is committed to work closely with affected colleges including the Peralta Colleges to identify and support alternative plans for assessment. A Compass User Group is being formed to share resources and best practices. Vice Chancellor for Student Services, Dr. Norma Ambriz-Galaviz is attending a meeting on Friday, September 16, 2016, for the latest development and revised project timeline. A complete overview of the Statewide Initiative is available online at CCCAssess.org. In the meantime, we want to express our appreciation to the dedicated Peralta faculty (English, Math and ESL) who have spent time on the local competency mapping with Common Core competencies.

Visit to Laney Student Center

I learned through an exchange with Professor Scott Strong that our Culinary Program is supposed to be relocated in the new Student Center. With that in mind and to have a better understanding of the issues we are dealing with, several of us (President Stanley; Professors Strong and Johnson; Schiller and Okundaye) toured the Student Center to ascertain the status of the building and provide any support we can regarding this Program. I must say that I have a greater understanding and appreciation for the work ahead of us. Earlier in the week I interacted with Professor Chantal Martin and we also have some plans to transform what we do in Culinary and in response to the needs of the community and the interest of our students. As you might have learned of the

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closing of ITT Tech last week, several proprietary schools are closing leaving many students with the desire to learn unmet. Our Laney Program is looking at that trend and is willing to meet the challenge. This is also a great “starting career” for some in our population. However, we need to provide them with not only the best instruction, but also the best facilities.

Scott showed us a fair amount of work that has already taken place, including new floors, ovens and hoods. I want to express our gratitude to the engineers and the DGS staff that have accomplished these tasks for us over the past year. Some of the issues date back a decade. Though resources are scarce, I am happy we are doing the best we can with what we have as we plan for additional resources. There is still a lot of work to be done until we can replace the building.

Robert Mayberry

I met with Robert Mayberry, CEO of Mentor Global, Inc., and Sunil Cherian, Chairman and President of Mentor Global, Inc. This company works with companies to recruit people to train for jobs in technology. The training takes place at a fast pace from 8 to 5. The trainees are pretty much guaranteed positions until successful completion of the program. These programs have taken place in several major cities and they are looking at an expansion into the East Bay and approached us for potential partnerships. Our Workforce Development and Continuing Education unit is a perfect place for such training and will explore working with them.

Outreach

Last Sunday I participated in a couple of activities representing the District. At Oakland Pride, I had the opportunity to meet several elected officials and business leaders in Oakland. Getting reacquainted with some of

our partners was very good. Trustee Brown and I were at the event. There, I reached out to a businessperson with space downtown that could be utilized for Continuing Education and Workforce Development, targeting Downtown businesses. We will do a

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follow-up on that opportunity. At the same event, I renewed a contact with PG&E for interactions with a new PG&E Vice President. A meeting will be scheduled to acquaint him with our Colleges.

Allen Temple was the site of our Super Sunday where we reached out to the community to get information about our Colleges and to encourage potential students to go to college or to return to college. I had the opportunity to share a small fraction of my personal educational story - a story that has motivated more than a few individuals to want to go back to college.

Most importantly, whether it is PG&E, Oakland Pride, or Allen Temple, the message is that we have to educate our current workers and our young people for the high-end jobs that are being created in our community. Trustees Brown and Riley were in attendance and so were Tamika Brown and Ericka Williams from Laney College.

JowelJowel C. Laguerre, Ph.D.

Chancellor

In remembrance of our heroes and the lives we lost on and around 9/11:

Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.

—President Obama in a 2011 radio address

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If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.

—Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, in Shanksville, Pa., in 2002

My older brother John lived [his life] in Technicolor. … When he walked in the door, the whole house lit up. And I’m sure heaven lit up when he got there too.—Anthoula Katsimatides at the World Trade Center site in 2005

Five years from the date of the attack that changed our world, we’ve come back to remember the valor of those we lost—those who innocently went to work that day and the brave souls who went in after them. We have also come to be ever mindful of the courage

of those who grieve for them, and the light that still lives in their hearts.—New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani at the World Trade Center site in 2006

One of the worst days in America’s history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans’ history. We’ll always honor the heroes of 9/11. And here at this hallowed place, we pledge

that we will never forget their sacrifice.—President George W. Bush at the Pentagon in 2008

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