President/CEO Message

March 22, 2021

Campus Community,

Compton College is honored to announce that the 2021 Commencement Ceremony keynote speaker will be Ava DuVernay, award-winning filmmaker and founder of ARRAY, which is an independent film distribution and resource collective comprised of arts advocacy organizations. Her feature directorial work includes the Oscar-winning civil rights drama Selma!

Compton College will hold its 2021 Virtual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, June 11, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. The commencement ceremony will be streamed via the college’s YouTube channel and accessed via its website at www.compton.edu. The virtual ceremony, which will be a pre-recorded commencement ceremony, will include keynote speeches, 10-15 second videos from each graduate, 10-15 second videos from faculty, video messages from the Compton CCD Board of Trustees, and brief videos or pictures submitted by graduates. To learn more about Ava DuVernay and the 2021 Commencement Ceremony, click here.

The President/CEO Message - March 22, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.

Compton College COVID-19 Update

Los Angeles County's current risk level is Red Tier (substantial), according to California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." On March 21, 2021, there were 423 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,214,178 reported cases (including cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena Health Departments). For more information, go to http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/index.htm. Compton College is operating at Level 3 - Moderate Infection Rate according to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan.

Spring 2021 Enrollment Update

As of today, March 22, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,211 FTES for the spring 2021 semester; the fill rate is currently 54%, and our seats filled is 8,202. The Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here.

Please note, this will be the last update until the beginning of the second eight-week session, which begins on Saturday, April 17, 2021.

Achieving the Dream

Our partnership with Achieving the Dream (AtD) has helped to provide a comprehensive and systematic approach to bolstering student success at Compton College. Aligning with the Compton College 2024 Comprehensive Master Plan and the Tartar Completion by Design Framework, AtD offers tools for transformative change. As a member of AtD, Compton College administrated the Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool (ICAT) for all stakeholders at Compton College last month. The ICAT is a survey designed by AtD, focusing on seven broad capacity areas contributing to student success. The ICAT provides a comprehensive survey to highlight Compton College's strengths and opportunities for improvement through the assessment of the following key dimensions encompassed in the Institutional Capacity Framework:

Leadership & Vision
Data & Technology
Equity
Teaching & Learning
Engagement & Communication
Strategy & Planning
Policies & Practices

On March 19, 2021, many faculty, staff, and managers/supervisors participated in the AtD Capacity Cafe. The Capacity Cafe was a large group dialogue using the Institutional Capacity Framework and discussion prompts to celebrate strengths, prioritize areas for improvement, and identify concrete actions for building capacity to support student success efforts. The participants focused on three of the key dimensions from the ICAT Framework, including Teaching and Learning, Data & Technology, and Engagement & Communication.

More information about the ICAT is available here. Below are the two findings reports from the ICAT:

The Result Summary provides aggregate ratings and results across the seven dimensions by employee groups;
The Response Distribution Report provides more detailed information about responses within the seven dimensions.

We will continue these conversations with our AtD Coaches and with several Campus Committees in the coming weeks. When you have a moment, please review the Result Summary and the Response Distribution Report. In closing, I have asked Pilar Huffman, Professional Development Manager, to create a Compton College AtD webpage to store all our AtD documents; and for managers/supervisors to share the ICAT information during departmental and division meetings.

FREE Resources Available for Spring 2021 Students

It is not too late to apply for free resources for the spring semester. Laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, calculators, meals & food vouchers, housing referrals, headsets, and financial assistance are available to currently enrolled students via the Student Resources Form, available here. Edquity emergency grants are available to those students who have experienced financial hardship and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information and to apply for a grant or free resources, go to www.compton.edu/studentservices/student-equity-program/student-resources. Questions? Send an email to tartarsupport@compton.edu.

Final Thoughts

Over the past couple of days, I have heard many concerns from students and employees regarding the level of customer service we provide to students. Many feel we are unresponsive to students and community members due to delayed responses via Canvas, email, telephone, and Cranium Cafe. I am hopeful we can begin having conversations about how we actively engage students and meet their needs in the absence of in-person services.

To assist with student engagement, we have contracted with BlackBelt Help to provide after-hours and overflow assistance for Information Technology Services (ITS) helpdesk and student services offices. BlackBelt Help will enable the college to enhance its student engagement by providing round-the-clock ITS Helpdesk support to students, Classified staff, and faculty. The system will launch later this semester and will be accessible on the Compton College website and MyCompton Portal. In the coming weeks, in the President/CEO Messages, you will hear more about BlackBelt Help.

In the President/CEO Message - September 10, 2020, and the President/CEO Message - December 21, 2020, I discussed the $10,000 provided to each of the Tartar Success Teams to support student success activities. In Thursday's President/CEO Message, I will provide an update on submitted proposals by the Guided Pathway Division, both approved and pending approval. I want to thank all the Tartar Success Teams for their work on these proposals for the 2020-2021 year.

As you are aware, we are continuing to discuss the Eventual Return to Campus. Please note, all managers/supervisors received an email on March 19, 2021, regarding their schedules. They are now required to be on campus at least two days per week, beginning the week of Monday, April 19, 2021. Other important decisions regarding the Eventual Return to Campus will be made over the next couple of weeks and months. We will continue to utilize guidance from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department and the input from our various constituent groups as we make decisions.

Thank you, and please be safe.

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