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Dear Berkeley City College Community,
We are approaching the midsemester for fall 2020 and students continue to do their best to show up for their classes and support spaces. Faculty are teaching in new environments and I see how so many of you are working to create safe, inclusive, and compassionate spaces to promote academic excellence. I see our classified professional colleagues supporting students, faculty, and the community to know that they are here to support the College. It takes every single one of us to support student success and completion. If you learn that students are looking for resources such as Chromebooks, food resources, enrollment and registration support, and financial aid assistance, please refer them to the Online Student Support Resources web page. Additional academic support is available to students on the Learning Resources Center web page.
COVID-19
As of October 8, 2020, there are 834,800 positive cases and 16,361 deaths in California. For more information, please go to CA Department of Public Health. Berkeley City College is following the state and Alameda County shelter-in-place orders and PCCD communication by Chancellor Walter, extending campus closures through May 29, 2021. I know that you may have questions about the impact of this extension and I welcome your questions or attendance at the upcoming Cafécito with the President (Friday, October 23rd 12:30 – 1:30 pm) to discuss your thoughts and concerns. Please continue to do your part and practice social distancing and wear a mask when out in public. Please remember to complete the Building Access Form for campus access on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 – 2:00 pm.
Enrollment Update
As of today, a total of 6,575 students are enrolled in 12,544 classes at Berkeley City College. The enrollment has generated 1,355 resident full-time equivalent students (FTES) and 145 non- resident FTES, totaling 1,500 FTES. The resident FTES rate is 93% of our fall 2020 FTES target. We are offering a total of 415 classes and the average productivity is 15.1 (17.5 is our goal).
President’s Task Force on Equity & Racial Justice
As a follow up to our College Opening Flex Day, “Building Community, Advancing Equity & Racial Justice” and the work of the College Roundtable for Planning & Budgeting during the 2019-2020 academic year, the President’s Task Force on Equity and Racial Justice will inform our work moving forward. Thank you to colleagues who communicated via your respective constituency group leadership to participate on this Task Force. I am in final discussions with securing expert scholar practitioners to serve as a resource and facilitator for the Task Force. I look forward to sharing the membership and action plan within the next week. For reference and review of statewide equity efforts, please see the CCCCO Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Report.
African American Male Education Network Development (A2MEND) Anti-Racism National Dialogue
On Saturday, October 24, 2020, the African American Male Education Network Development (A2MEND) organization will be hosting a national discussion titled, “Compounded Oppression: Sister Circle.” The panel includes Tamika Mallory, Ijeoma Olou, and Dr. Tricia Rose. If you are interested in participating in this national discussion, please email me (angelicagarcia@peralta.edu) so that I may support your registration.
Accreditation
The ISER is making its way through the governance process and has recently been reviewed and endorsed by the Academic Senate, the Integrated Planning Committee, and is on the agenda for the College Roundtable for Planning & Budgeting on Monday, October 12, 2020. There is much work underway and in collaboration with our District colleagues to ensure that the College’s ISER is reflective of the great work at Berkeley City College.
The ACCJC November Special Report has been discussed throughout the past three College Roundtable meetings, where the report highlights the actions Berkeley City College has taken to address the deficiencies noted in the January 27, 2020 letter by the commission. The committee had a first read of the Special Report during its September 28, 2020 meeting and provided great insight and input for revisions. Additionally, I presented to the Board of Trustees during the September 29, 2020 meeting, where we received commendations for actions such as the newly formed Integrated Planning & Allocation of Resources Committee, which was proposed and endorsed through the governance process. The College Roundtable will have a second review and take action for endorsement at the October 12, 2020 meeting. The Special Report will be reviewed during both October meetings, for endorsement and submission by the November 1, 2020 deadline.
Final Thoughts
I have had the opportunity to engage with faculty, classified professionals, and student leaders throughout the past weeks. I have listened to your ideas, innovations, challenges, and suggestions for how we can continue to better serve students, our community, and one another. To this end, I would like to acknowledge that work as we know it is simply not the same. We are stressed by the change in learning, teaching, and serving modalities, by the impact of COVID-19, by the impact of historical and institutional racism, and all while trying to be educators, family members, and community members. This virtual environment makes it far too easy to be accessible at all times. As we go into this weekend, I know there is always more work to do, pressing deadlines to meet, and students to serve. However, I hope you will take time for yourself to rejuvenate and be in the space that fills your cup, for we cannot serve from an empty cup.
In Community,
Angélica Garcia, Ed.D. (Preferred Pronouns: she | her | hers | ella)
President
Berkeley City College