President/CEO Message
February 1, 2021
Campus Community,
Today was such a long day! I had too many Zoom meetings, and as usual, Kamilo Ali Curry interrupted repeatedly.
The February 8 and February 9, 2021, on-campus appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine will be rescheduled. We are rescheduling the on-campus appointments because the tiers in Los Angeles County has not opened up yet for all frontline and essential workers. We are hopeful we will be able to reschedule on-campus COVID-19 vaccine appointments within the next 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, all Compton Community College District employees and Compton College students are advised to follow prevention guidelines provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to reduce their risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The guidance is available online here.
The President/CEO Message - February 1, 2021, 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 January 31, 2021, there were 5,925 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,116,892 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.
Spring 2021 Enrollment Update
As of today, January 28, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,045 FTES for the Spring 2021 semester; the fill rate is currently 42%, and our seats filled is 6,949. The Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. Spring classes begin on February 16, 2021. Please encourage any interested students to enroll as soon as possible. Sections with nine or fewer students enrolled will be reviewed for consolidation/cancellation on February 9, 2021.
Virtual Job Fair - Friday, February 5, 2021
The virtual Compton College Job Fair will be held via Zoom from 10:00 a.m. to Noon this Friday, February 5, 2021. The Job Fair is free and open to the public. It will provide individuals with an opportunity to explore employment opportunities and learn more about Compton College, as well as meet with Compton College administrators and deans. Free resume writing and employment application workshops will be available online. For information on the specific qualifications required for each position and to apply online, visit the Compton CCD Human Resources webpage www.compton.edu/district/administration/human-resources. For more information about the Compton College Job Fair, click here.
Spring 2021 Professional Development Days
We will begin the spring 2021 semester with two Professional Development Days on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 (optional), and Thursday, February 11, 2021 (mandatory), via Zoom Meeting. The agendas, including Zoom Meeting information, are available on the Professional Development webpage: www.compton.edu/facultystaff/professional-development/. The agendas, including Zoom Meeting information, are available on the Professional Development webpage: www.compton.edu/facultystaff/professional-development/.
Achieving the Dream Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool
The deadline to complete the Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool is this Thursday, February 4, 2021. The Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. The results will help guide the College in our work with Achieving the Dream over the next three years. I sent a reminder and the link to the survey to all Compton College employees on January 26, 2021.
Compton College 2024 Technology Plan Update
The Information Technology Services Department will be scheduling on-campus appointments for full-time faculty to receive new laptop computers beginning this week. Faculty should be on the lookout for an email from the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Sheri Berger, that will provide additional information, including how faculty will make their appointments to come to campus. The distribution of new laptops is part of the Compton College 2024 Technology Plan. As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - January 25, 2021, Classified staff and managers/supervisors' computers will also be replaced this semester.
California Community Colleges Chancellor's Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI)
In the President/CEO Message - August 31, 2020, President/CEO Message - November 19, 2020, President/CEO Message - November 30, 2020, and the President/CEO Message - December 17, 2020, I discussed the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI). Earlier last month, our mini-Partnership Resource Team (PRT) Institutional Innovation and Effectiveness Plan was finalized and approved. A copy of the plan can be viewed here. We will continue to provide updates on the Compton College mini-PRT in future President/CEO Messages.
Collaborative Governance Decision-Making Reminders
As I stated in the President/CEO Message - January 11, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Compton College will continue to telecommute until further notice. A decision has not been made regarding summer 2021 or fall 2021 course offerings. I intend to make the final decision regarding summer 2021 by Thursday, February 11, 2021, and the fall 2021 decision sometime after that. As noted in the President/CEO Message - November 23, 2020, the College has until February 26, 2021, to opt-in or opt-out of the Spring II Sports season, which includes baseball, softball, men's and women's track and field, and badminton. I am still concerned about our students' and employees' health and safety if we offer in-person intercollegiate athletics. The presidents of the 12 South Coast Conference colleges will meet on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, to discuss Spring II sports. I will provide another update on Compton College Athletics in a future President/CEO Message.
Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting
The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, 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.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - January 14, 2021, and the President/CEO Message - January 25, 2021, Compton Community College District is projected to receive $6,356,599 from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II). The HEERF II was authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, and signed into law on December 27, 2020. More information on the allocation of these funds is available here (see page 98). If you have creative input regarding the HEERF II funds usage, please forward them to me at kcurry@compton.edu.
In thePresident/CEO Message - October 29, 2020, I recommended we fully implement Open Educational Resources (OER) in all Compton College courses and degree programs by fall 2035. I have asked the Academic Senate, working with the OER Committee, to develop a campuswide plan. After I met with the OER committee last fall, I have been focused on securing external funds to assist Compton College toward this ambitious goal. During my Professional Development Day – Opening Remarks Presentation on Thursday, February 11, 2021, I will provide more information on this goal.
In closing, in the President/CEO Message - August 6, 2020, I mentioned that I was serving on the California Higher Education Recovery with Equity Taskforce, which is a taskforce of Governor Gavin Newsom's Council for Post-Secondary Education. On January 29, 2021, we held our final meeting of the task force and anticipated our final report to be published online within the next couple of weeks. For more information on the task force and to access the final report when available, visit the California Governor's Council for Post-Secondary Education website here.
Sincerely,
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
