President/CEO Message
January 11, 2021
Campus Community,
We are entering the second week of the winter 2021 term, and we are less than five weeks from the beginning of the spring 2021 semester. Like many of you, I am closely monitoring the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases in California. And due to the rising number of positive cases within Los Angeles County, I ask all students and employees to follow California and Los Angeles County public health executive orders and safety protocols at all times, while at work and home, to help prevent and control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Communications outlining the required entry to campus protocol will be sent to Essential Employees and additional faculty and Classified staff who are scheduled to work on campus, including a reminder of how and when to submit COVID-19 test results and a link to the wellness questionnaire (available via MyCompton) which must be completed online within 12 hours of their arrival on campus. Students who are scheduled to be on campus for in-person instruction and training for spring 2021 will be sent a separate email communication that will provide directions on how to submit COVID-19 test results before their scheduled days/times on campus and how to access the wellness questionnaire via MyCompton.
And before I get asked again, 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. The President/CEO Message - January 11, 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 10, 2021, there were 14,482 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 920,177 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.
Employee COVID-19 Testing Protocols
All essential employees and Career and Technical Education faculty, Classified staff, managers/supervisors working on campus are required to be tested for COVID-19 at least once per month until further notice. The Office of Human Resources will continue to schedule testing via the St. John's Health Center on campus, or individuals can utilize other off-campus testing options. All employee test results must be emailed to the Vice President of Human Resources at rsasser@compton.edu by the end of the month in which the test was completed.
Temporary Use of Office Furniture
The Compton CCD allows employees to request the temporary use of chairs and monitors for telecommuting purposes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With supervisor approval, employees may request the temporary use of 'office furniture' for telework for use at their residence. This includes monitors and chairs. No other equipment or supplies may be requested. The telecommuting policy statement and procedures are available online here. If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Purchasing & Auxiliary Services, Reuben James, at rjames@compton.edu.
Essential Employees Work Schedule
The Essential Employees Work Schedule will continue to be updated weekly and made available in the Thursday President/CEO Messages through January 2021. After that, the list of essential employees will only be maintained and available for communication and internal tracking purposes. This month, the Student Services Division will be facilitating the creation and use of Cranium Cafe Cards for all full-time employees as a method to communicate with co-workers while Compton College remains a telecommuting campus.
Winter 2021 and Spring 2021 Enrollment Update
As of today, January 11, 2021, Compton College has generated 210 FTES for the Winter 2021 term; the fill rate is currently 67%, and our seats filled is 1,718; Compton College has generated 728 FTES as of today, January 11, 2021, for the Spring 2021 semester, with a fill rate of 28% and seats filled is 4,835. The Winter 2021/Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. Spring classes begin Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
Winter 2021 Student Resources Still Available
Please encourage your students to apply for Winter 2021 Student Resources, including laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, food resources, financial resources, and housing grants. Compton College students need to complete the Compton College Resources Form, which is available here. All resources and services are available on a first-come-first-served basis to students currently enrolled in winter 2021 classes at Compton College.
Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting
The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 19, 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
In fall 2019, Compton CCD Board of Trustees adopted the Compton College's Statement of Civility and Mutual Respect, which states the manner in which we interact with one another is critical to cultivating and maintaining a meaningful and effective intellectual environment. During the spring 2020 Professional Development Day, Dr. Leah Hollis, Associate Professor, Morgan State University, served as our keynote speaker and provided a presentation titled "Civility Champion - Building a Happy workplace." After that presentation, Compton CCD established the Civility Champion Award to honor outstanding Compton CCD members, whose contributions demonstrate a commitment to self-reflection, care, empathy, and respect while acknowledging the culture and humanity of others. This spring, we will be presenting the Civility Champion Awards for the second year, and each recipient (faculty, Classified staff, and manager/supervisor) will receive $100 and be recognized by the Compton CCD Board of Trustees at their Tuesday, June 15, 2021, Board Meeting. I hope we all can set an example for each other by creating a civil and respectful environment for all.
Per the Compton CCD Board of Trustees' request, over the past couple of weeks, I have been developing a non-emergency succession plan based on the Compton College 2024 Human Resources Staffing Plan. The draft plan is centered on two over-arching strategies: 1) a focus on developing key leadership and the knowledgebase among internal faculty, Classified staff, and administration; and 2) an analysis of the key skills and traits of identified leadership positions that can be deployed as needed. Included in the draft plan is the internal recruitment process for interim administrative positions; exit interviews for employees when they leave the organization; exit memos for employees when they leave the organization, outlining their key projects, concerns, and important dates; each vice president and the president/CEO having a succession file on the server with essential documents; and finally, the implementation of the #Real114 Leadership Academy. If you have any suggestions or recommendations for the Compton College Succession Plan, please send them to me at kcurry@compton.edu.
In closing, as mentioned in the President/CEO Message - January 4, 2021, and the President/CEO Message - January 7, 2021, we are working with St. John's Well Child & Family Center to offer the COVID-19 vaccine on our campus beginning the first week of February 2021. More information on the Compton College COVID-19 vaccination plan will be available in the coming week.
Please be safe and take care of yourself and your family members.
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
