President/CEO Message
August 16, 2021
This morning, I had the opportunity to participate in the New Faculty Orientation, where the Director of Research & Planning, Lauren Sosenko, and I provided an overview of Compton College 2024. During the New Faculty Orientation, I also had the opportunity to welcome the six new full-time faculty members and the three new full-time faculty members hired in spring 2021. Please note, the 2021-2022 California State Budget Act provided $100 million of funding for full-time faculty hiring. Compton College will receive funding to hire an additional seven new full-time faculty members this fiscal year. More information on future faculty hires will be included in future President/CEO Messages.
We are now five days away from the beginning of the fall 2021 semester, and I know many of you are excited about the upcoming semester. I am looking forward to a successful, rewarding, and healthy academic year!
I am also looking forward to our Professional Development Day 1 on Thursday, August 19, 2021, via Zoom Meeting. The President/CEO Message - August 16, 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 3,356 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County as of 6:00 p.m. on August 15, 2021. The county now has a total of 1,350,370 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.
Fall 2021 Enrollment Update
As of today, August 16, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,000 FTES for the Fall 2021 term. Our fill rate is currently 42%, and our seats filled is 6,527. 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 interested students to enroll today as some sections are already full. A list of open classes is available here.
Outstanding Student Fees Discharged
As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - August 5, 2021, Compton College discharged unpaid student fees using American Rescue Plan funds. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness has prepared a report describing which students were impacted by this effort to remove financial barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As described briefly in the President/CEO Message - July 26, 2021, the median owed to the college was $41. The report shows the breakdown of students by ethnicity/race, gender, and age. Black males are highlighted because they are of specific interest to the campus community. It also shows how many units students have earned and their cumulative GPA at Compton College. The report presents the median, maximum, total fees, the percent of the total fees, and the percent of the student count for the student groups whose fees were discharged. Groups whose percentage of total fees exceeded the percentage of students by 5 percentage points or more were Black or African American students, students aged 18 to 24, male students, and Black or African American male students. Click here to read the report online.
Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting
The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, August 17, 2021. The closed session begins at 4:00 p.m., with the open session commencing at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom Meeting. Information on how to access the Compton CCD Board of Trustees meeting is available here. Each month, the information section of the board agenda includes updates on programs and services, District financial reports, and information on the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee.
Virtual New Student Welcome Day - Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Students may still RSVP for the virtual New Student Welcome Day is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18, 2021, via Zoom, from 8:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. New Student Welcome Day is open to all students; students can click here to RSVP. Zoom meeting links will be provided in the confirmation email, along with additional event information.
Final Thoughts
I urge everyone to encourage our students to take advantage of the financial assistance and free student resources available this semester. We need to be proactive and remind our students about the many services that are available to students this semester, both in-person and virtually. Click on the links below for more information.
- In-Person Enrollment Services (admissions application, orientation, educational plans, and student IDs)
- Library-Student Success Center (library services, tutoring, computer labs, and more)
- Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Student Resources (laptop loans, Wi-Fi hotspots, headphones, food, and housing resources)
There has never been a better time to be a Compton College student. Please let students know we are open and ready to help them succeed! We have modern learning facilities, including a brand-new two-story instructional building set to open this fall and another all-new, multistory classroom building scheduled to open in the winter. In addition, safety protocols are in place, such as virtual learning, a wellness screening process, and free COVID-19 vaccines.
In closing, please be safe, and I look forward to seeing everyone virtually on Thursday, August 19, 2021.
Sincerely,
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
