President/CEO Message
August 2, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised to find an email from Dr. Kent Schwitkis, assistant professor of astronomy and physics, in my inbox this morning. He shared a news article about Compton College engineering students, including 2021 alum and emerging physicist Tre Willingham, who are building a 20-foot-long bipropellant liquid oxygen rocket. Read the full High Desert Post article here.
If you have student (or faculty) success stories that you would like to share with the Compton College community, please send an email to the Director of Community Relations, Heather Parnock at hparnock@compton.edu. A collection of student spotlights is available on the Compton College website at www.compton.edu/studentsuccess/ and media coverage is here.
The President/CEO Message - August 2, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.
Compton College COVID-19 Update
Los Angeles County's Daily COVID-19 Data webpage reports 3.045 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County as of 6:00 p.m. on August 1, 2021. The county now has a total of 1,303,343 reported cases (including cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena health departments). For more information, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/. Compton College is operating at Level 4 - Severe Infection Rate according to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan.
August 12, 2021 Open Pandemic Coordinator Meeting
We invite you to join the Pandemic Coordinators on Thursday, August 12, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. to discuss the Safe Return to Campus. If you are interested in participating in the meeting, please email Heather Parnock, Director of Community Relations, at hparnock@compton.edu to receive the Zoom meeting information. The Open Pandemic Coordinator Meeting will focus on the timeline for the gradual return of employees to on-campus work and the modified entry to campus protocol for fall 2021.
Fall 2021 Enrollment Update
As of today, August 2, 2021, Compton College has generated 789 FTES for the Fall 2021 term. Our fill rate is currently 31%, and our seats filled is 5063. Click here to view today's enrollment snapshot.
The fall semester begins Saturday, August 21, 2021, with weekday classes beginning on Monday, August 23, 2021. Please encourage students to apply and register as soon as possible as some sections are already full.
The Vice President of Academic Affairs, Sheri Berger, emailed all Compton College faculty this afternoon asking them to encourage their current students to register for the fall semester. Vice President Berger provided a link to the online searchable class schedule and a list of open classes: www.compton.edu/studentservices/admissionandrecords/ClassSchedule. Vice President Berger also reminded faculty to promote the enrollment services offered on campus in Tartar Village. Appointments may be made online at www.compton.edu/studentservices/, or by calling the Welcome Center, at 310-900-1600, ext. 2765.
Fall 2021 Professional Development Days
As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - June 10, 2021 and President/CEO Message - July 19, 2021, we will begin the fall 2021 semester with two Professional Development Days on Thursday, August 19 (mandatory), and Friday, August 20 (optional) via Zoom Meeting. The agendas for the events are available below. Registration is required for both days. Details to sign-up for each professional development day are included in the agendas below.
- Fall 2021 Professional Development Day 1 - Thursday, August 19, 2021 (Mandatory)
- Fall 2021 Professional Development Day 2 - Friday, August 20, 2021 (Optional)
Also, the agendas for the Fall 2021 New Faculty and Adjunct Faculty orientations, scheduled for Monday, August 16, are available here.
2021 Management Retreat
Managers/supervisors have been sent instructions on how to prepare for the Management Retreat scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 13, 2021. Please refer to my July 28, 2021 email for your 'homework' including the PowerPoint slides you must prepare in advance. If you haven't already done so, be sure to RSVP for the retreat, the link is provided in my email.
Declining Representation of Black Students - Free Webinar
The Center for Organizational Responsibility and Advancement (CORA), African American Male Education Network & Development (A2MEND), and the #EquityAvengers are hosting a free webinar, Sounding the Alarm: Addressing the Declining Representation of Black Students in California's Community Colleges. The webinar will address the declining enrollment of Black students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leading scholars, practitioners, and policy advocates, including myself, will discuss what needs to be done to address this pressing concern. This webinar will take place on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, from noon to 2:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time). Click this link to Register for FREE.
Final Thoughts
Today, I reviewed the enrollment data for fall 2021. I cannot stress enough how important it is that we all stay focused on student enrollment for fall 2021. If you have students enrolled in your classes for summer, please encourage them to enroll for fall 2021. Also, for students who are participating in student support programs, such as EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, and the Special Resource Center, we should be encouraging them to enroll now for fall 2021.
You can refer students to the email sent on July 29, 2021 to fall 2020, winter 2021, spring 2021, and summer 2021 students who have not yet registered for fall classes. The email, along with all emails sent to current students, is available on the Student Information and Communications webpage.
In closing, we are looking at all our options as it relates to the Safe Return to Campus, including requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for all faculty, Classified staff, and students. In the coming weeks, I will provide more information including a timeline for implementing this requirement during the 2021-2022 year.
Sincerely,
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
