President/CEO Message

February 4, 2021

Campus Community,

Today, I tried to limit the number of Zoom Meetings. However, I was double booked at least three times today, and my internet kept going in and out. I had to reboot my computer multiple times and triple check my Wi-Fi. I understand the frustration you and our students are having with technology. The President/CEO Message - February 4, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.

Compton College COVID-19 Update

Los Angeles County's current risk level is Tier 1 (widespread), according to California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." On February 3, 2021, there were 5,189 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,129,503 reported cases (including cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena Health Departments). For more information, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/index. According to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan, Compton College continues to operate at Level Four - Severe Infection Rate.

Spring 2021 Enrollment Update

As of today, February 4, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,113 FTES for the Spring 2021 semester; the fill rate is currently 44%, and our seats filled is 7,332. The Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. Spring classes begin on February 16, 2021. Please encourage any interested students to enroll as soon as possible. Sections with nine or fewer students enrolled will be reviewed for consolidation/cancellation on February 9, 2021.

Virtual Job Fair - Friday, February 5, 2021

The virtual Compton College Job Fair will be held via Zoom from 10:00 a.m. to Noon tomorrow, February 5, 2021. The Job Fair is free and open to the public. It will provide individuals with an opportunity to explore employment opportunities and learn more about Compton College, as well as meet with Compton College administrators and deans. Free resume writing and employment application workshops will be available online. For information on the specific qualifications required for each position and to apply online, visit the Compton CCD Human Resources webpage www.compton.edu/district/administration/human-resources. For more information about the Compton College Job Fair, click here.

Spring 2021 Student Resources Available

It's not too late to apply for free resources for the spring semester. Laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, food, housing referrals, and financial assistance are available to currently enrolled students via the Student Resources Form, available here. CARES Act emergency grants are available to those students who have experienced financial hardship and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information and to apply for a grant, visit the CARES Act Grant Program webpage www.compton.edu/studentservices/financialaid/ComptonCollegeCARESActProgram.

This semester, we have added headphones as an available resource for students. If you have any suggestions on additional resources we should provide to students, please forward them to Dr. Cesar Jimenez, Acting Vice President, Student Services, at cjimenez@compton.edu.

Spring 2021 Professional Development Days

We will begin the spring 2021 semester with two Professional Development Days on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 (optional), and Thursday, February 11, 2021 (mandatory), via Zoom Meeting. The agendas, including Zoom Meeting information, are available on the Professional Development webpage: www.compton.edu/facultystaff/professional-development/. The agendas, including Zoom Meeting information, are available on the Professional Development webpage: www.compton.edu/facultystaff/professional-development/.

Lunch will be provided for all full-time faculty, Classified staff, and managers/supervisors for Professional Development Day 2 (mandatory) on Thursday, February 11, 2021. Through the utilization of UberEats, employees can have food delivered from their favorite local restaurants. Vouchers for $20 will be provided and can be redeemed via the Uber app or ubereats.com. Managers/supervisors will email individual vouchers to their full-time employees on Tuesday, February 9, 2021. For more information on how to use UberEats, click here.

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 CCD Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Futuris Public Entity Investment Trust

In my President/CEO - January 4, 2021, I provide an update on Compton CCD Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Futuris Public Entity Investment Trust. This year, according to the OPEB Funding Schedule, we are scheduled to make a payment into the OPEB Futuris Public Entity Investment Trust of $1,134,035. $250,000 has already been paid, and at the February 16, 2021, Board of Trustees meeting, I will request the Compton CCD Board of Trustees to approve a resolution for transfers/augmentations for the fiscal year 2020-2021 to transfer $884,035 from the ending balance to make the additional payment to the OPEB Futuris Public Entity Investment Trust. The Planning and Budget Committee reviewed this recommendation and supported it. Their letter regarding their recommendation is available here.

Finally, this spring, I will be making a recommendation to the Compton CCD Board of Trustees to have our OPEB liability fully funded by June 30, 2026, instead of during the 2030-2031 year. More information on the Compton CCD Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Futuris Public Entity Investment Trust will be provided in future President/CEO Messages.

2019-2020 Compton Community College District Financial Audit Report

In compliance with Board Policy 6400 - Audits and Administrative Regulation 6400 - Audits, the Compton CCD Audit reports for the preceding fiscal year must be submitted to the state Chancellor's Office by December 31. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office has extended the audits' deadline to February 28, 2021. I submitted a request to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office this morning to extend our deadline to submit our annual audit report to April 15, 2021. We are currently gathering additional information from our auditing firm EideBailly LLP, and they will need extra time to prepare the report.

The prior year's Compton CCD Final Audit Reports are available here.

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting

The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, 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.

Final Thoughts

Tomorrow is the last day of the winter 2021 term, and I would like to thank all the faculty who are teaching this session. After each term/semester, I am reminded that we have ended another term/semester online. We are a month shy of completing an entire year online.

I talk to two colleagues every day, San Diego Mesa College President, Dr. Pamela Luster, who is also the co-founder of the #EquityAvengers; and Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, President and Founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, professor of Sociology & Medicine at Temple University. Over the last two weeks, Dr. Goldrick-Rab has provided me free advice on the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) and recommendations on how community colleges can offer students emergency aid. Furthermore, we have been talking a lot about the following two publications:

Hopefully, you have time to read these publications. Once again, Compton CCD is in the process of developing our HEERF II budget. If you have creative input regarding the HEERF II funds usage, please forward them to me at kcurry@compton.edu.

In closing, I will be in Zoom Meeting most of the day tomorrow. However, I will be using my Cranium Cafe card, and District employees, students, and the community can virtually connect with me. My Cranium Cafe card is available here. I have connected with seven people so far via Cranium Cafe. The 24th person to communicate with me through Cranium Cafe will receive a special prize during February 11, 2021, Professional Development Day.

Please be safe, and once again, stay home if you feel sick, even if your symptoms are mild. Tomorrow is Friday!

Sincerely,

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