President/CEO Message
April 19, 2021
Welcome to the spring 2021 second eight-week session. We officially have eight more weeks remaining in the 2020-2021 academic year. Time is flying, and a lot is happening at Compton College. I am genuinely amazed at the progress we are making as an institution, from implementing Guided Pathways and Tartar Success Teams, responding to COVID-19, and addressing initiatives supporting student success.
In the President/CEO Message - April 15, 2021, I mentioned that Compton College presented at the California Community Colleges' Courageous Leadership webinar. I wanted to share The Sketch Effect visual from our diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, presentation, which is available here.
Today, I had the opportunity to participate in the Open Educational Resources Committee meeting. We invited the Michelson 20MM Foundation to discuss potential partnerships related to free online educational resources for students. We are working to secure funding from Michelson 20MM Foundation to support our Online Educational Resources goals, which was included in the President/CEO Message - October 29, 2020. Today was a great meeting, and I would like to thank the faculty who are participating in the Online Educational Resources Committee.
The President/CEO Message - April 19, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.
Compton College COVID-19 Update
Los Angeles County's current risk level is Orange Tier (moderate), according to California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." On April 18, 2021, there were 466 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,228,997 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. Compton College is operating at Level 3 - Moderate Infection Rate according to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan.
Entry to Campus Protocol Reminder
All employees and students are required to follow the Entry to Campus Protocol including the completion of the online Wellness Questionnaire via MyCompton, within 12 hours of their scheduled arrival time. Upon entry to campus, everyone is subject to a temperature screening. Employees and students then proceed to Lot A, where Entry to Campus Support Staff checks to make sure the individual is approved to be on campus based on the daily Entry to Campus Report and has completed the survey. Please be sure to follow the protocol as it is a requirement of the Compton College Safe Return to Campus plan.
Safe Return to Campus
As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - April 15, 2021, many employees have expressed their concerns regarding ventilation in some areas on campus. The Maintenance and Operations Department has been focused on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems on campus. This afternoon, I shared the template we are developing for the HVAC report with the Consultative Council. Based on that discussion, we will be adding additional information to the template, including the vendor responsible for the HVAC system and the maintenance schedule for all areas in use (i.e., currently and in the future). My goal is for the HVAC report to be shared with the Health, Safety, and Parking Committee at their meeting on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, and then posted on the Compton College COVID-19 webpage Thursday, April 22, 2021.
Spring 2021 Enrollment Update
As of today, April 19, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,395 FTES for the Spring 2021 semester; the fill rate is currently 54%, and our seats filled is 8,032. The Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. Please note, the Spring 2021 FTES calculations were revised on March 18, 2021, to more closely reflect the apportionment formula for Non-Resident FTES, which equals 32.55.
The spring 2021 second eight-week session classes began today. A few of the midterm classes are still available for in-person registration. Click here for a list. Please encourage interested students to check the registration system and contact the instructor to request an add code today.
Tartar Talks/Photo Day - Tomorrow, April 20, 2021
As mentioned in the recent President/CEO Messages, we will host a "Compton College Zoom Picture Day" during tomorrow's Tartar Talks from 1-2 p.m. Full-time faculty, Classified staff, and managers/supervisors should wear their Compton College t-shirt. I sent an email to the campus community this afternoon with the Zoom meeting information.
Compton College Virtual Backgrounds Available for Download
Virtual backgrounds with photos of Compton College and the college logo are available for download here. Employees and students may download the jpegs for use on Zoom and other virtual platforms. Backgrounds for each of the five Guided Pathway Divisions are also available.
Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting
The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, April 20, 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. I want to encourage you to review the Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting Agendas. Each month, the information section of the board agenda includes the Board of Trustees Goals, updates on programs and services, District financial reports, and information on the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee. The current and previous board agendas are available online at https://www.boarddocs.com/ca/compton/Board.nsf; click 'Enter Public Site.'
Final Thoughts
As we start to finalize the College Plan for the 2021-2022 fiscal/academic year, some questions arise about sustainability and the fiscal health of Compton College. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you the draft 2021-2022 Compton CCD Tentative Budget Assumptions, which are available here.
As we begin developing the 2021-2022 Compton CCD Tentative Budget and incorporating the creative input from the various voices across campus through our collaborative governance process, the planning cycle has identified 171 recommendations for funding, including 41 new staffing positions and a total of $3,197,080 in requests. This year, we will have budget with our hold harmless status and the influx of federal stimulus resources to support some of the funding requests. However, as we develop the 2021-2022 Compton CCD Tentative Budget and discuss what to fund for the upcoming year, I ask the following questions of the campus community:
- How do we, as an institution with declining enrollment, strategically invest across our campus?
- What safeguards do we put in place to ensure the long-term fiscal stability for our campus?
- How do we learn what works and what doesn't work and pivot to re-purpose resources rather than always asking for more
- Should we treat enhancements (ongoing) and augmentations (one-time) requests the same?
- How could we strengthen our planning process to be more driven by demonstrated need and evidence of effectiveness?
I will ask the Compton College Planning and Budget Committee to start thinking about these questions and make recommendations to strengthen our planning and budgeting processes.
I usually do not address "rumors" in the President/CEO Message, however, I was informed that members of the campus community had questions or concerns regarding the Oliver W. Conner Estate and what is happening with the properties the District now owns. Please note that we provide frequent updates to the Compton CCD Board of Trustees on the Oliver W. Conner Estate, and the last report was provided to the Compton CCD Board of Trustees at their March 16, 2021 Board meeting and is available here for review. I am not going to discuss the comments in detail. However, I found it disturbing that although regular updates have been made available to the public via the Board of Trustees' meeting agendas, individuals are questioning the management of the estate. If anyone has an issue or concern regarding the Oliver W. Conner Estate, please bring them forward through the appropriate channels, and I will be happy to respond and provide additional information as requested.
In closing, last week, I co-authored a report for the California Community Colleges titled "Top 10 Student-Centered Uses of Federal Stimulus Resources," which was published in the Vision in Action No. 29.
Please be safe and enjoy your week.
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
