President/CEO Message

March 4, 2021

Campus Community,

Is it Friday yet? I am so ready for the weekend. However, tomorrow I have several Zoom meetings scheduled, including a meeting with the Math Faculty regarding Compton College's implementation of AB-705 Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012: Matriculation: Assessment Implementation. As I mentioned in the President/CEO Message - March 1, 2021, I served as the chair for the Berkeley City College accreditation visit this week. I learned a lot about Berkeley City College and the Peralta Community College District. Over the past couple of months, I have reviewed the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges' (ACCJC) Accreditation Standards and our Compton College 2024 Action Plan as we begin preparing for our accreditation visit spring 2024. I highly encourage you to review the ACCJC's Accreditation Standards and the Compton College 2024 Action Plan, including our responses to the recommendations from the last accreditation visit. The President/CEO Message - March 4, 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 March 3, 2021, there were 1,759 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,95,913 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. 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

Safety is our top priority, and the decision to reopen the College will be in the best interest of Compton College students, employees, visitors, and community members. It will align with best practices and requirements set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and local, state, and national health and government agencies. Once these agencies and authorities deem it safe to operate on campus, Compton College will reopen following the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health's "Protocols for Institutes of Higher Education." This checklist includes five key areas that must be addressed in our Eventual Return to Campus Plan.

We are continuing to plan for the gradual return to campus in phases beginning with the second 8-week spring session, summer/fall 2021 registration in May and June, and then summer 2021. The focus is on student services, and how we can help current and future students navigate the enrollment process. Cabinet members are collecting information and plans to ensure that we provide the services in a safe environment for all employees and our students. We will continue to have campuswide discussions and will provide updates on the Eventual Return to Campus in future Presidents/CEO Messages.

Spring 2021 Enrollment Update

As of today, March 4, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,266 FTES for the Spring 2021 semester; the fill rate is currently 55%, and our seats filled is 8,371. The Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. Late start classes are still available. Click here for a list. Please encourage interested students to enroll as soon as possible.

A postcard will be mailed to all district residents encouraging them to register for the second 8-week session, which begins Monday, April 19, 2021. The postcard will include a St. John's Well Child and Family Center phone number for COVID-19 vaccine information. View the postcard here.

Compton College Accreditation Mid-Term Report

As mentioned in a President/CEO Message - October 26, 2020, President/CEO Message - October 29, 2020, the Compton College Mid-Term Report is due to the ACCJC by March 15, 2021. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been seeking signatures from our constituent groups on the document, and we are prepared to submit it early next week. I want to thank the Accreditation Steering Committee, Core Planning Team, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, the Academic Senate, the Consultative Council, and the Compton CCD Board of Trustees for their review and approval of the Compton College Accreditation Mid-Term Report. Please note, the Compton CCD Board of Trustees reviewed the Compton College Accreditation Mid-Term Report at their December 8, 2020 meeting, January 19, 2021 meeting, and it was approved at their February 16, 2021 meeting. The ACCJC Commission will review the Compton College Accreditation Mid-Term Report at their June 2021 meeting.

The finalized Compton College Accreditation Mid-Term Report, including the signature page and the outcome from the June 2021 ACCJC Commission meeting, will be included in future President/CEO Messages.

Professional Development Needs Assessment

The faculty and staff Professional Development Needs Assessment is an annual survey to inform professional development at Compton College. The surveys are due Friday, March 19, 2021. We will provide summary findings by Guided Pathway Divisions to support faculty as they develop their Compton College 2024 Teaching and Learning Action Plans in collaboration with Achieving the Dream. Please check your @compton.edu email for the faculty and staff/manager links to the online survey.

Questions about the Professional Development Needs Assessment should be sent to the Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Lauren Sosenko, at lsosenko@compton.edu.

National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates

This year Compton College is participating in the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates (NACCC) in collaboration with the Race and Equity Center at the University of Southern California (USC). The survey is described as "a quantitative survey administered annually at hundreds of colleges and universities. It provides data about students' appraisals of institutional commitment to equity and inclusion, the extent to which they interact meaningfully with diverse others, where and what they learn about race and their feelings of readiness for participation in a racially diverse democracy." The NACCC is a vital resource to help Compton College evaluate its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and follow through on our Response to the Call to Action to the California Community College Chancellor's Office. This year will provide baseline information about the student experience at Compton College.

All students will receive the NACCC in their email starting on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. If any employees or students have a question about the NACCC, please contact Lauren Sosenko at lsosenko@compton.edu.

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting

The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 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.

President/CEO Spring 2021 Reading

Each semester, I share books I am reading via a President/CEO Message. This spring semester, I am reading the following books:

"Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain " by Zaretta Hammond
"The Campus Color Line" by Eddie R. Cole
"Caste" by Isabel Wilkerson
"Revolutionary School Culture" by Dr. Amen Rahh

Final Thoughts

This afternoon, I read the report "A Portrait of Student Parents in the California Community Colleges: A New Analysis of Financial Aid Seekers with Dependent Children" from the University of California, Davis, Wheelhouse, which is available here. There is a lot of data in this study to unpack as it relates to community college students with dependent children, and I would be interested in knowing your thoughts after reading this policy brief.

In closing, I want to share with you update photos of our current construction projects. Please click on this link to see the progress of Compton College construction projects. I am excited about the new Student Services Building and can't for that building to open for our current students and potential students.

Please be safe, and tomorrow is Friday!

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