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Good Afternoon, Berkeley City College Community.
I have had the opportunity this past week to be in several governance meetings from College Roundtable to the Institutional Planning Committee, and hearing of the good work that our newly formed Integrated Planning & Allocation of Resources Committee has been doing related to fiscal planning and budget development. Like many of you, I enjoyed November 11, 2020 in observance of Veteran’s Day, and this year spent time learning of the ways in which diverse communities have served this country throughout the years. I was especially grateful as one of my great nephews is serving proudly as a Marine and his journey in the military has brought this day observance a little closer to home. I hope that you and your loved ones who have served this country feel honored not just on Veteran’s Day, but in all days. Thank you for your service.
I want to take a moment to provide a brief update related to the College’s Accreditation efforts. More specifically, I want to inform the College community on the completion of the November Special Report and the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER).
Special Report
The College was asked to submit a Special Report in response to the January 27, 2020 letter that Berkeley City College received from ACCJC, which stated that earlier efforts on the part of the College and the District did not persuade the Commission that there was sufficient evidence to verify the degree to which fiscal deficiencies had been resolved, addressed, or corrected. Although some of the deficiencies fell under the purview of District operations, the Commission placed the College, along with all of the colleges in the District, on probation and required the institution to submit a follow-up Special Report by November 1, 2020.
I am pleased to share that Berkeley City College completed and successfully submitted the Special Report to ACCJC by the deadline. The preparation of the report was done in consultation and in participatory governance spaces, led by the College Roundtable for Planning & Budgeting. The final report was reviewed by The Board of Trustees at their October 27th meeting. Several of the trustees congratulated the correction and work that the College included in the report, in response to the ACCJC letter. The College is scheduled to have a follow-up visit to this Special Report within the upcoming weeks. We are scheduled to have our follow-up consultation with the Commission in the next several weeks.
My sincerest appreciation goes out to all of the contributors and colleagues in the governance meetings that provided input, revisions, and support to our final report.
ISER: Know it! Show It!
The Accreditation Steering Committee has been working diligently and judiciously to finalize the College’s Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER). From across every part of the College, faculty, classified professionals, administration, students, and colleagues at the District Office, the ISER is representation of the collective effort to tell the BCC Story of academic excellence. Our colleagues on the Accreditation Steering Committee have been instrumental in keeping the work moving forward, and I am especially grateful for our Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO), VPI Kuni Hay, and Faculty ALO, Charlotte Lee for their leadership and steadfast commitment to keep us on track.
We recently had our second Accreditation Day, where over 40 participants engaged in an ISER trivia, testing their knowledge. Thank you to all who contributed to providing a fun, interactive, and memorable way to engage our ISER knowledge.
The Accreditation Team leads are working to finalize the ISER this weekend before it undergoes final copyediting review. The final ISER will be submitted to the District by December 1st for consideration and approval at the December 8th Board meeting. The final submission to ACCJC is scheduled for Friday, December 18, 2020 and well ahead of the deadline. Our ACCJC virtual visit will take place in March 2021.
Closing Reflections
Our community, our country has experienced deep emotional tidal waves over these past weeks. Much about the fabric of our democracy rests on our right to vote, to signal to elected officials, the kind of leadership and society we want. A long standing tradition has been this country’s commitment and value to a peaceful transition of power in the Office of the President of the United States, as it places the good of the ‘whole’ over the benefit of ‘a few.’ These are the times in which students, and our community are living. And I am grateful to each of you for how you show up and provide safe teaching and learning spaces for students.
On this rainy afternoon, I hope you will have the warmth of a cup of tea, a cozy blanket, or the comfort of a loved one to remind you just how valuable you are to our community.
Have a great weekend,
Angélica
Dr. Angélica Garcia (she| her| ella)
President
Berkeley City College
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