President/CEO Message

August 5, 2021

This is the last week of the 4/10 workweek schedule. Every summer, I have a list of goals (personal and professional) I want to complete before the beginning of the fall semester. Without a doubt, I did not get through all my items. However, I still have two more weeks until the fall semester begins.

As we prepare for the fall semester, I continue to monitor the COVID-19 cases throughout Los Angeles County, like many of you. As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - April 29, 2021, President/CEO Message - June 21, 2021, and the President/CEO Message - July 26, 2021, to allow employees the time to plan and make necessary arrangements, all managers/supervisors will work on campus at least three days per week, beginning Monday, August 9, 2021. Then on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, Classified staff, who have been working remotely, will be returning to campus for a minimum of two days per week. All part-time Classified employees will be assigned to work on campus at least 60% of their regular schedule. These decisions should not be perceived as if we are not concerned about the health and safety of our employees and our students. These decisions were made in support of student success.

As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - June 7, 2021, President/CEO Message - July 1, 2021, President/CEO Message - July 22, 2021, and the President/CEO Message - July 26, 2021, regarding Discharging Compton College Students' Unpaid Enrollment Fees from Spring 2020 through Spring 2021, I am excited to share that Business Services is discharging the unpaid fees this week. And next week, we will also be contacting these students regarding fall 2021 enrollment.

The President/CEO Message - August 5, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.

Compton College COVID-19 Update

Los Angeles County's Daily COVID-19 Data webpage reports 3.734 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County as of 6:00 p.m. on August 4, 2021. The county now has a total of 1,311,356 reported cases (including cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena health departments). For more information, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/. Compton College is operating at Level 4 - Severe Infection Rate according to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan.

August 12, 2021 Open Pandemic Coordinator Meeting

We invite you to join the Pandemic Coordinators on Thursday, August 12, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. to discuss the Safe Return to Campus. The Open Pandemic Coordinator Meeting will focus on the timeline for the gradual return of employees to on-campus work and the modified entry to campus protocol for fall 2021. If you are interested in participating in the meeting, please email Heather Parnock, Director of Community Relations, at hparnock@compton.edu to receive the Zoom meeting information.

Fall 2021 Enrollment Update

As of today, August 5, 2021, Compton College has generated 844 FTES for the Fall 2021 term. Our fill rate is currently 33%, and our seats filled is 5,443. Click here to view today's enrollment snapshot.

The fall semester begins Saturday, August 21, 2021, with weekday classes beginning on Monday, August 23, 2021. Please encourage interested students to enroll today as some sections are already full, and those with low enrollment will be reviewed for cancellation next week.

2021-2022 Outreach and Recruitment Update

As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - June 3, 2021, we have a partnership with Swim Digital Group (Swim) to execute acquisition and recruitment strategies for recruiting Oliver W. Conner College Promise-eligible students (and their parents) and working adults; I wanted to provide you all with an update on the progress that has been made. Swim has developed a strategy that will use targeted digital advertising, email campaigns, text messages, and outbound calls, which is poised to reach more than 15,000 prospective students within these audiences.

The recruitment messaging for Oliver W. Conner Promise Program-related audiences focuses on the benefits of the Promise Program, and student support. The messaging for adult learners focuses on the flexibility, student resources, career advancement, and the academic programs offered by Compton College.

Swim has been working closely with the Office of Community Relations to finalize all aspects of the strategy, and we have officially launched the full campaign this week. To ensure that we can convert the new leads from this campaign, all prospect data will be captured on the campaign landing page and provided to the Enrollment Services team for additional follow-up. Now that the campaign has officially launched, I will keep you all updated on the the campaign's success in future President/CEO Messages.

Paid advertising will continue this month. Through National TV & Radio Time, we have booked bus shelter ads in 10 locations within our district, and radio ads on NOU-FM, WAVE and KJLH, to run August 9-28, 2021.

2021-2022 Compton Community College District Budget

In the President/CEO Message - April 26, 2021, President/CEO Message - May 24, 2021, President/CEO Message - June 3, 2021, and the President/CEO Message - June 24, 2021, I provided an update on the 2020-2021 Compton CCD Budget. Over the past couple of weeks, we developed the 2021-2022 Compton CCD Final Budget Assumptions, which the Planning and Budget Committee supported at their meeting on July 27, 2021. The Planning and Budget Committee had a question/concern with the one-time augmentation for future Compton College Fire Academy equipment of $350,000. This item has been reserved in our ending balance for several years. During the 2021-2022 year we need to have conversations with the City of Compton regarding the feasibility of offering this program and decide if this should be continued as a future expenditure in the 2022-2023 year. Thank you to the Planning and Budget Committee for your creative feedback, especially your concerns about the Fire Academy equipment.

Virtual "Back to School" Town Hall Meeting

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Member Dr. Deborah Leblanc will host a virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Community members, parents, students, and employees will have the opportunity to discuss topics such as enrollment, ongoing construction, the safe reopening of the Compton College campus, and more. Click here for the Zoom Meeting information.

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting

The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 17, 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.

Virtual New Student Welcome Day - Wednesday, August 18, 2021

A virtual New Student Welcome Day is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18, 2021, via Zoom, from 8:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The annual event will provide an opportunity for new students to connect with the Compton College community, and:

Meet Compton College President/CEO, Dr. Keith Curry, and Associated Student Government President, Stephanie Leonor Del Cid.
Learn about the campus from faculty, counselors, Classified professionals, and students.
Connect with the Tartar Success Team that will help them succeed in their educational journey.
Participate in workshops about transferring, selecting majors and careers, tools for success, and Career and Technical Education.

New Student Welcome Day is open to all students; click here to RSVP. Zoom meeting links will be provided in the confirmation email, along with additional event information.

EAB Partnership

As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - May 13, 2020, President/CEO Message - December 7, 2020, and the President/CEO Message - June 3, 2021, Compton College has partnered with EAB Global, Inc. to provide research, insight, and actionable advice for student success. EAB is a research and technology company that helps schools support students from enrollment to graduation and beyond. Working closely with Compton College, EAB’s research is helping to inform decisions and contribute to the execution of Compton College 2024 - Comprehensive Master Plan. Also, all faculty, staff, and managers/supervisors across campus have access to EAB's website and can utilize any practice, tool, or webinar. I am hopeful everyone takes the opportunity to explore this site.

Instructions for how to register for the EAB Global, Inc. website are available here. Please contact our Professional Development Manager, Pilar Huffman, at phuffman@compton.edu for any questions regarding EAB. During the 2021-2022 year, our goal is to increase the number of Compton College faculty, staff, and managers/supervisors who utilize the EAB website.

President/CEO Closing the Loop

For 2021-2022, the California Community Colleges has received $511,014,000 for the Physical Plant and Instructional Support program for the California Community Colleges. Compton College will receive $2,552,692 from this allocation. We will designate $1,000,000 for Instructional Support and $1,552,692 for the Physical Plant. The Physical Plant funds can be used for scheduled maintenance and special repairs, architectural barrier removal, hazardous substances abatement, seismic retrofit, and water conservation. Instructional Support funds can be used for instructional equipment and library materials. Assembly 132 - Postsecondary Education Trailer Bill dictates that the Physical Plant and Instructional Support program has an encumbrance, or expenditure date of June 30, 2023. Linda Owens, chief facilities officer, will have administrative oversight for the Physical Plant funds, and Sheri Berger, vice president of Academic Affairs, will oversee the Instructional Support funds. Future President/CEO Messages will include more information on how the funds will be allocated to programs and departments.

Final Thoughts

As many of you know, for the past 16 years I have closely monitored our student enrollment. As I finish this President/CEO Message, all I can think about is fall 2021 enrollment. I did not anticipate such a dramatic shift in enrollment three weeks before the beginning of the semester. I have written about and publicly spoken about our enrollment decline due to the conclusion of the partnership with El Camino Community College District and now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I know this is a setback for our campus, and I can't stop analyzing the numbers and questioning how we increase enrollment of new students and how we improve our current students' persistence rates.

After the initial shock, I have decided to stay focused on the positive things that are happening at Compton College, including the implementation of the Compton College 2024 Comprehensive Master Plan, Tartar Completion by Design, Guided Pathways, our many facilities/construction projects, and how we responded to COVID-19 pandemic. Looking forward, we all must maintain our focus and do our part to support enrollment at Compton College.

Please be safe and enjoy your weekend.

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