President/CEO Message

October 26, 2020

Campus Community,

This past weekend, I took time off. Yes, I took time off to relax, and it felt good. However, I am now behind schedule this week, and it's only Monday. This weekend, I thought about the annual Taste of Thanksgiving Holiday Celebration and the Ice Cream Social. Those events allowed us the opportunity to socialize with co-workers in a festive setting. I will miss the raffles and seeing all the employees at these events. I am hopeful that we will be able to see each other soon, but as you already know, we are telecommuting until further notice.

To protect our community and slow the spread of COVID-19, all essential employees and individuals scheduled to be on campus must wear a face covering over their mouth and nose while at Compton College. Individuals on campus must also practice social (physical) distancing whenever possible, keeping a safe space between themselves and others, in addition to frequent handwashing. Stay at least six feet (about two arms' length) from other people in both indoor and outdoor spaces as much as possible. When physical distancing is difficult to maintain, individuals must follow the COVID19.CA.GOV guidelines for wearing a mask or face covering (https://covid19.ca.gov/masks-and-ppe/), including when you are sharing transportation, taking a break, or going for a walk on-campus with co-workers.

The President/CEO Message - October 26, 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." As of October 25, 2020, there were 830 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 299,760 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.

Telecommuting Policy Statement - District Office Furniture
As the policy statement and procedures for the temporary use of District monitors and chairs are finalized, all District employees are required to complete the Keenan & Associates - SafeColleges online training: lifting/back safety training. The online Request for Temporary Use of Office Furniture form will be available on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. The policy statement and procedures will be made available on the Compton College Policy Statement webpage tomorrow, October 27, 2020. Additional information regarding the training will be provided via email to all District employees by the Office of Human Resources later this week.

Enrollment Update

As of today, October 23, 2020, Compton College has generated 1,3448 Full-Time Equivalent Students for fall 2020. Our fill rate is at 55%, and our seats filled is 9,186. Click here for the current fall 2020 Enrollment Snapshot.

Winter 2021 Schedule of Classes

Registration for winter 2021 begins on Tuesday, November 17, 2020; classes begin Tuesday, January 5, 2021. The Winter 2021 Class Schedule PDF and the online searchable schedule are available here. Students should refer to the new legend at the bottom of pages 9 and 10 in the PDF version of the schedule to understand the different types of instructional methods.

Lec: Students must log in to Canvas at a specified day/time noted for the class for instruction through Zoom.
Lab: Students must log in to Canvas at a specified day/time noted for the class for instruction through Zoom.
Hybrid: These classes are a combination of real-time and self-paced instruction.
Online: Students may log in to Canvas any day or time they choose but will need to log in for the first time during the first week of class to avoid being dropped.

Authors at Compton

Tomorrow, October 27, 2020, the Authors at Compton event, which is sponsored by the Compton College Author Committee, will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. via Zoom Meeting. The committee has invited Quincy Troupe as the speaker. More information on Quincy Troupe is available here. The Zoom meeting link for the Authors at Compton event is available here, and the password for the event is 700327.

The 2020-2021 Compton Community College Budget included $3,750 for Authors at Compton and $4,850 for the Voices of Compton. Due to the continuation of telecommuting and the possibility that we won't print the Voices of Compton magazine this year, I have instructed the Dean of Student Success, Dr. Rebekah Blonshine, and the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Sheri Berger, to work with the Authors of Compton Committee to increase their budget to include additional virtual events and speaking engagements. We will decrease the budget for the Voice of Compton for the 2020-2021 year to fund additional Authors at Compton events.

Fall 2020 President/CEO Virtual Student Forums

Compton College students are invited to meet with me virtually via Zoom Meeting to discuss matters affecting them personally or the College community at large. Virtual forums are scheduled for October 29, 2020, and December 3, 2020, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Click here for the Zoom Meeting link.

Compton College Accreditation Midterm Report to Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)

We have a busy month regarding the Midterm Report to ACCJC. The Compton College Midterm Report is due by March 15, 2021, to ACCJC. This week, we will be hosting a Virtual Town Hall on Thursday, October 29, 2020, from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m., via Zoom meeting. You may access a copy of the Midterm Report draft on the Compton College Accreditation webpage, and below is the link to the Virtual Town Hall:

Zoom Meeting ID: 984 3272 5652
https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/98432725652
1-669-900-6833, 98432725652

This Town Hall is an opportunity for any campus stakeholder to learn about our Midterm Report and provide feedback about the draft report's content before it is finalized and submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval and then to the ACCJC.

Los Angeles County Vote Center

Working with the Los Angeles County Register-Recorder's Office, the Compton College Gymnasium serves as a Vote Center. Voting will be held on campus seven days a week through November 2, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. A Vote by Mail DropBox is located in the Gymnasium.

Final Thoughts

This past year, we spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) school site visit. Each month, during the Compton CCD Board of Trustees meetings, the Board of Trustees has received updates on the Compton College Nursing Program and our upcoming school site visit. The school site visit is for the continuing approval of the Compton College Nursing program and will be conducted on Monday and Tuesday, November 9 and 10, 2020. The site visit will be wrapped up with stakeholder meetings on Thursday, November 12, 2020. The entire three-day BRN November 2020 site visit will be virtual. Sometime this week, we will be submitting the self-study report for this visit.

I want to thank Dr. Shirley Thomas, Interim Associate Dean of Nursing, and the Nursing Faculty (Full-time and Adjunct) for their work on the Compton College self-study report.

Finally, as mentioned in the President/CEO Message - October 19, 2020, I have a Cranium Cafe card so District employees, students, and the community can reach out to me through this online service, which is available here. Please feel free to knock on my door when I am online.

Please be safe, and have a wonderful week.

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