President/CEO Message
JuLY 29, 2021
Happy Thursday! The weekend is nearly upon us. I don't know about you, but I begin to look forward to the weekend on Wednesday afternoon. We had a lot going on this week, including monitoring enrollment, making safe return to campus decisions, and preparing for fall 2021 Professional Development activities. Next week, we will release the agendas for Professional Development Days and the other events that are scheduled for that week. The President/CEO Message - July 29, 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 2,454 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County as of 6:00 p.m. on July 28, 2021. The county now has a total of 1,290,226 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 3:30 p.m. to discuss the Safe Return to Campus. 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. 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.
Fall 2021 Enrollment Update
As of today, July 29, 2021, Compton College has generated 757 FTES for the Fall 2021 term. Our fill rate is currently 29%, and our seats filled is 4,839. 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 students to apply and register as soon as possible as some sections are already full.
FREE Resources Available for Summer and Fall Students
It is not too late to apply for free resources for the summer term. Laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, calculators, meals and food vouchers, housing referrals, headsets, and financial assistance are available to currently enrolled students via the Student Resources Form, available here. Edquity emergency grants are available to summer 2021 students who have experienced financial hardship and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information and to apply for a grant or free resources, go to www.compton.edu/studentservices/student-equity-program/student-resources. Questions? Send an email to tartarsupport@compton.edu. Fall 2021 students may apply now to access the free resources.
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. via Zoom. 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 next Compton CCD Board of Trustees 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.
President/CEO Closing the Loop
This week, I have a few updates to provide to the campus community.
- As originally noted in the President/CEO Message - October 29, 2020, and again in the President/CEO Message - February 1, 2021, based on the recommendation from the Academic Senate, our goal is to implement Open Educational Resources (OER) in 85-100% of Compton College courses and degree programs by 2035. We have partnered with the Michelson 20MM Foundation to implement the campuswide initiative. The foundation's work to promote OER and lower the cost of instructional materials for students has expanded, as described in a recent announcement of four Michelson 20MM OER Spark Grantees, including Compton College. Read more here.
- As a follow-up on my decision outlined in President/CEO Message - July 22, 2021 to utilize an outside agency to increase our engagement and provide video content on the Compton College social media channels, I will ratify our current agreement with Graduate Communications to include social media content (writing, graphics, video, and student spotlights). Graduate Communications will also manage Compton College social media accounts to increase followers and engagement, and utilize a budget for social media advertising. Due to the cost of creating video content regularly, we will continue to explore options such as TikTok.
- In the President/CEO Message - April 8, 2021, I shared with you that Compton College had received the federally recognized Hispanic Serving Institution designation, making the college eligible for new funding. I am very excited to share with you that Compton College has now been granted $625,716 in funding as a Hispanic Serving Institution under the American Rescue Plan Act. We are still learning how we may spend this allocation to serve our students, and we will develop a plan to allocate these funds in the coming weeks. I want to extend thanks to Lauren Sosenko for leading the application process for this funding and the Hispanic Serving Institution designation. In addition, we had various partners working with Compton College to obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Education, including Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Community College Trustees.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - January 7, 2021, and President/CEO Message - May 20, 2021, Compton College has a data-sharing agreement with the Los Angeles County Department
of Public Social Services (DPSS) related to CalFresh food assistance. Yesterday, we
meet with the staff from DPSS to discuss the next steps in the implementation of the
agreement. The Los Angeles County DPSS provided us with a link to a CalFresh toolkit to assist us with CalFresh outreach. The 13-page catalog includes various tools including
print materials (posters, flyers and brochures), a CalFresh Program Fact Sheet, and
a guide for social media campaigns.
The Center for Organizational Responsibility and Advancement (CORA), African American Male Education Network & Development (A2MEND), and the #EquityAvengers are hosting a free webinar, Sounding the Alarm: Addressing
the Declining Representation of Black Students in California's Community Colleges.
The webinar will address the declining enrollment of Black students that has been
significantly impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leading scholars, practitioners,
and policy advocates, including myself, will discuss what needs to be done to address
this pressing concern. This webinar will take place on Wednesday, September 1, 2021,
from noon to 2:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time). Click this link to Register for FREE.
Please be safe and enjoy your second-to-last three-day weekend.
Sincerely,
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
