President/CEO Message

April 1, 2021

Campus Community,

It is April 1 (April Fool's Day), and I'm thinking I chose the wrong day to share my decision regarding fall 2021. First, I want to thank everyone who has provided input related to fall 2021 and/or courses offering and support services.

And now, the announcement you have all been waiting for. For the Fall 2021 term, we will be offering up to 30% of our courses in-person on the Compton College campus, with the remaining courses (approximately 70%) offered online. We are also planning to offer career and technical education, physical education/athletics, nursing courses, and some science labs on the Compton College campus in fall 2021. We will work with faculty in other areas (e.g., art, communication, commercial music, dance, music, and film/video) to provide opportunities for on-campus instruction (e.g., scheduling specific days on campus for a project, presentation, or hands-on activities), during fall 2021. We will continue to have conversations with the faculty, division chairs, and the instructional deans regarding additional opportunities for on-campus instruction for fall 2021.

As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - March 25, 2021, the Abel B. Sykes Jr. Child Development Center (CDC) will reopen to Compton Community College District employees and Compton College students on Monday, April 19, 2021. The reopening plan includes a limited capacity schedule based on California and Los Angeles County health and safety guidelines for childcare/child education facilities. In the President/CEO Message - March 22, 2021, I shared that non-essential managers/supervisors are now required to be on campus at least two days per week, beginning the week of Monday, April 19, 2021. The goal of the next phase will be a safe reopening of enrollment services on campus to assist Compton College students beginning Monday, May 3, 2021.

Some employees may be wondering when they will return to campus. We still need to make decisions regarding the daily capacity for offices, shared spaces, and restrooms. More time is needed to develop our plans and allow for the collection of input from our constituent groups. We must plan for a safe return to campus while supporting student success.

The President/CEO Message - April 1, 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 31, 2021, there were 648 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,219,562 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. Due to a recently confirmed COVID-19 case on campus, Compton College is operating at Level 4 - Severe Infection Rate according to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan.

2021 Immediate Action Budget Package

The State of California 2021 Immediate Action Budget Package (Senate Bill 85) includes the following components. The amount Compton College will receive for each component is noted below.

Emergency financial assistance to low-income community college students - $410,983
CalFresh outreach - $30,343
Student retention and enrollment outreach - $179,354

I have requested the entire Emergency Financial Assistance allocation to be provided to Compton College students this spring semester. Regarding the Student Retention and Enrollment Outreach funding, we will be utilizing those funds to support the Compton Call Center's implementation, which I mentioned in the President/CEO Message - March 1, 2021. The Compton College Call Center will be housed on campus under the direction of Dr. Cesar Jimenez, Dean of Counseling and Guided Pathways, and will be staffed by Student Services Advisors and Student Ambassadors. The Student Ambassadors will contact students and refer them to their Guided Pathway Division's Student Services Advisor or a counselor for assistance. We have allocated $130,343 for the Compton College Call Center to provide services from April 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. The Compton College CalFresh Outreach funding will also be used to support the Compton College Call Center. Finally, we have an additional $79,354 allocated for marketing and outreach for summer/fall 2021. I have asked Heather Parnock, Director of Community Relations, and Dr. Nelly Alvarado, Director of Educational Partnerships, to develop a plan for the funds and to discuss their proposed plan with the Enrollment Management Committee and the Consultative Council.

If you have any recommendations regarding the Compton College Call Center or suggestions for marketing and outreach activities for summer/fall 2021, please send your suggestions to hparnock@compton.edu or nalvarado@compton.edu.

Final Thoughts

Today, I had the opportunity to participate in the Pandemic Coordinators Open Meeting. Thank you to the Pandemic Coordinators and to Compton College employees who participated in today's meeting. I thought the participants had some excellent questions and provided critical feedback regarding the Safe Return to Campus. The link to the recording from the Pandemic Coordinators meeting will be sent in a separate email by Heather Parnock.

I want to thank our essential employees who have been working on campus every day since March 2020. More information on the crucial decisions regarding the Safe Return to Campus will be made over the next couple of weeks and months. Thank you to everyone who has participated in the discussions and planning process as we continue to prepare for the future of Compton College.

Also, today, I participated in another partnership meeting with California State University, Dominguez Hills. Today, we finalized our new data-sharing agreement during the meeting, which will be presented to the Compton Community College District Board of Trustees at their Tuesday, April 20, 2021, board meeting. The next steps for our partnership include establishing a collaborative workgroup that will include faculty and staff from Compton College and CSU Dominguez Hills to review existing partnership activities and explore new interventions or activities that can be developed for students between our two organizations. The collaborative workgroup will hold its first meeting in July 2021.

In closing, as I mentioned in the President/CEO Message - March 15, 2021, and President/CEO Message - March 18, 2021, please hold 1-2 p.m. open on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. During our quarterly Tartar Talks, we will host a "Compton College Zoom Picture Day." Beginning next week, full-time faculty, Classified staff, and managers/supervisors will receive a Compton College t-shirt in the mail to wear during the virtual Picture Day.

Please be safe and have a wonderful Friday.

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