President/CEO Message

December 14, 2020

Campus Community,

Although the fall 2020 semester has officially ended for students, I know faculty, Classified staff, and managers/supervisors are working to close out the calendar year, including submitting final grades, completing reports, and following-up on program/student-related items. After this President/CEO Message, I only have two more to write and send out for the 2020 year. I used to have a monthly newsletter for those of you who may recall, and then due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was sending daily updates, and now I publish the President/CEO Message every Monday and Thursday. I enjoy writing these messages, which allow me to provide you with information about what's happening at Compton College and Compton Community College District. I can share pertinent information and decisions promptly. In the future, these messages may evolve but will continue to be published on Mondays and Thursdays. If there is any other information or topics you want me to include in future President/CEO Messages, please send me an email at kcurry@compton.edu.

The President/CEO Message - December 14, 2020, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.

Compton College COVID-19 Update

Los Angeles County's current risk level is Tier 1 (widespread), according to California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." On December 13, 2020, there were 12,819 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 487,917 reported cases (including cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena Health Departments). For more information, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/index. According to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan, Compton College continues to operate at Level Four - Severe Infection Rate.

Eventual Return to Campus

As stated in the President/CEO Message - November 5, 2020, employees who wish to return to working on campus versus telecommuting, with their manager/supervisor's approval, may request to be added to the Essential Employees Work Schedule. Please note, you will be required to submit COVID-19 test results every month to the Office of Human Resources, in addition to following the entry to campus protocol (temperature check and online wellness questionnaire). If you would like to be added to the schedule, please contact your manager/supervisor, who will then email the approved request to the Pandemic Coordinators (rbox@compton.edu, rjames@compton.edu, hparnock@compton.edu, and rsasser@compton.edu). Please note, the Essential Employees work schedule is updated every Thursday for the following week; once an individual is added to the schedule, they remain on it until their manager/supervisor removes them.

Individual Requests to Come to Campus

Individual employees (faculty and Classified staff) who are not included on the Essential Employees Work Schedule who wish to come to campus must submit an Individual, One-Time Request Form online. Requests must be submitted at least two business days in advance after obtaining your manager/supervisor's approval.

The location you wish to visit on campus will determine what day of the week (Monday-Thursday) you can come to campus. Please note, individual requests to come to campus are only scheduled between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. This schedule helps track occupied spaces on campus in terms of capacity and cleaning needs. Please review the chart available via the online request form before making your request.

Employee Guidelines for Children/Minors on Campus

Compton College values its employees and recognizes there are circumstances where it is necessary to bring non-student, minor children to the workplace or classroom. To ensure safety and respect for all those impacted by such visits, employees and their children may visit the campus for a maximum of one hour; employees must supervise child(ren) at all times. Employees must submit an Individual, One-Time Request Form online and include the purpose of their visit and the name and age of all children who will enter campus with them. Employees and child(ren) will have their temperature taken at the entry to campus, as part of the district's symptom screening protocol, and everyone is required to wear a face/covering mask while on campus.

Free Groceries Available for Pick Up

With our partner, Sunrise Produce, Compton College will continue to distribute 1,200 30-pound grocery boxes at the east Greenleaf Boulevard entrance between noon and 5:00 p.m. on the following dates:

Thursday, December 17, 2020
Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Students must show their Compton College student ID or a copy of their fall 2020 class schedule. The grocery boxes are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. Compton College employees are also invited to pick up a box at the Greenleaf entrance. Drive-thru and walk-up service are available.

Call for Volunteers for Distributing Grocery Boxes

I am asking for staff and faculty volunteers to help distribute the last 1,200 grocery boxes mentioned above. Please email Student Services Coordinator Oluwatosin Williams at owilliams@compton.edu if you can help us on Thursday, December 17, 2020, from noon to 5:00 p.m.

Winter 2021 and Spring 2021 Enrollment Update

As of today, December 14, 2020, Compton College has generated 200 FTES for the Winter 2021 term; the fill rate is currently 49%, and our seats filled is 1,621. Compton College has generated 463 FTES as of today, December 14, 2020, for the Spring 2021 semester, with a fill rate of 18% and seats filled is 3,019. The Winter 2021/Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. A postcard has been mailed to all district residents encouraging them to register for the winter term and spring semester.

Child Development Center Update

At the December 8, 2020, Board of Trustees meeting, the Board of Trustees conducted a Public Hearing on the Closure and Eventual Reopening of the Abel Sykes Jr. Child Development Center. I genuinely appreciate the Child Development Center staff who continue to provide services to children in this online environment. This morning, I decided to move the Child Development Center's administrative oversight to Dr. Paul Flor, Dean of Student Learning, effective Wednesday, February 10, 2021. This will be consistent with the Early Childhood Education program, which is already included in the Social Sciences Guided Pathway Division.

Oliver W. Conner Estate

At the last Compton College Planning and Budget Committee meeting, there was a question raised about the Oliver W. Conner Estate and what is happening. At the May 19, 2020, Board of Trustees meeting, the Board of Trustees approved Compton Community College District Resolution #05-192020B To Take Necessary Action Regarding The Oliver W. Conner Estate. The Board of Trustees has requested timely updates from the President/CEO on the Oliver W. Conner Estate. Each month, I update the Board of Trustees on the Oliver W. Conner Estate, and this month's update is available here.

Compton Community College District Annual Organizational Meeting

The Compton CCD Board of Trustees held their Annual Organizational Meeting on December 8, 2020, including the elected officers. Sonia Lopez was elected president, Dr. Sharoni Little was elected vice president, and Barbara Calhoun will serve as clerk. Compton Community College District CEO, Dr. Keith Curry, was appointed secretary.

Andres Ramos will serve as the district representative to the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association. Barbara Calhoun will serve as a member of the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization. Dr. Deborah LeBlanc was also appointed to review nominations for membership on the California Community Colleges Trustees Board.

Final Thoughts

In the President/CEO Message - October 29, 2020, I shared my involvement in the University of California, Davis, Wheelhouse Institutes. I want to share with you two new reports published by Wheelhouse last week:

Although no Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs) were recorded for Compton College before 2019, the issue was fixed, and in the 2019-2020 year, 143 ADTs were awarded. Compton College's focus on dual enrollment is paying off, and we will continue to see an increase in the number of students who are awarded an ADT. When you have a moment, please review the two new Wheelhouse reports.

Finally, please be safe and have a wonderful week. Hopefully, you don't have too many Zoom meetings. Today, I only had four, which was very nice.

Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College