President/CEO Message
May 27, 2021
Since this is a holiday weekend, I wanted to release the President/CEO Message a little earlier than normal. The countdown continues to the Compton College Commencement Ceremony, which is now 16 days away.
On May 25, 2021, I received notification from Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) that the Compton College Substantive Change Application to offer Distance Education was approved. The approval letter is available here. The application requested approval to provide Compton College programs of study 50% or more online. This proposal was approved by the Compton Community College District Board of Trustees at their April 20, 2021 meeting. Thank you all for your assistance with the development and completion of our Substantive Change Application.
In other Accreditation news, we are preparing for our upcoming accreditation visit in 2024. Our review will be conducted through the new Formative/Summative Comprehensive Review Process. The Compton College Accreditation Steering Committee is already developing our Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) timeline, which will be finalized in the next couple of weeks. However, I wanted to make sure you are aware of the following milestones based on the Formative/Summative Comprehensive Review Process. Our ISER report will be due to ACCJC sometime in fall 2023, the Team ISER Review will take place in spring 2024, and our Focused Site Visit will occur in fall 2024. And yesterday, I agreed to chair another Accreditation Site team for ACCJC in fall 2022. By chairing a team, I will have a better understanding of this new process. In the coming weeks, I will be encouraging others Compton College employees to serve on ACCJC teams before spring 2023.
The President/CEO Message - May 27, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.
Compton College COVID-19 Update
Los Angeles County's current risk level is Yellow Tier (minimal), according to California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." On May 26, 2021, there were 205 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,239,280 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.
Safe Return to Campus
In the President/CEO Message - May 20, 2021, I included the updated Compton College Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Report, which includes the days and times that areas on campus are occupied and the maintenance schedule and vendor assigned to the HVAC system. The Compton College HVAC Report has been updated to include offices and classrooms that will be occupied during the summer 2021 term, including the in-person Enrollment Services and Library-Student Success Center locations and schedules. The report is available here.
Yesterday, May 26, 2021, I approved the Maintenance and Operations Department to move forward with a contract with a vendor to upgrade the ventilation systems in the Gymnasium, which includes installing new MERV-13 filter racks and filters. The proposed contract will be on the June 15, 2021, Compton CCD Board of Trustees Agenda, with a recommendation for approval.
Summer 2021 Enrollment Update
Summer 2021 registration is continuing to proceed slightly ahead of last year's pace. As of today, May 27, 2021, Compton College has generated 290 FTES for the summer 2021 term; the fill rate is currently 42%, and our seats filled is 2,122. The Summer 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. A variety of 8-week and 6-week classes are available for registration, including some 6-week classes that start on July 6. Please encourage interested students to sign up as soon as possible as the first set of low enrolled classes will be reviewed for possible cancellation on Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
In-Person Enrollment Services
New and current students may make an appointment for in-person enrollment services. More information including a link to make an appointment is available at www.compton.edu/studentservices/.
I have asked the Vice President of Student Services, Elizabeth Martinez, to work with the Pandemic Coordinators to develop a plan for Compton College to accept walk-in students for In-Person Enrollment Services. The goal is to have a plan and process in place by Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
Multi-factor Authentication for Microsoft Office 365
In my President/ CEO Message - May 13, 2020, and the President/CEO Message - June 29, 2020, I mentioned the security improvements for all Compton College Microsoft 365 accounts and that the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department will be enabling multi-factor authentication (also called two-step verification) for all @compton.edu user accounts. Our schedule has been delayed due to other ITS requests and needs over the past year. However, this week I approved the revised timeline for implementation of the multi-factor authentication. The multi-factor authentication has already been implemented for managers/supervisors. The multi-factor authentication process will be implemented in June 2021 for Classified staff and August/September 2021 for faculty accounts. The goal is for all employees to be utilizing multi-factor authentication by September 30, 2021. After that is completed, we will begin the process for students to begin using the multi-factor authentication by November 1, 2021. The Zoom training dates for the Multi-factor Authentication for Microsoft Office 365 will be provided in future President/CEO Messages.
Deadline for #classof2021 Videos and Photos
Reminder to all Compton College Grads: videos/photos for the virtual ceremony are due by Monday, May 31, 2021. Please check your @compton.edu email for additional information about the virtual commencement ceremony, how to purchase grad packs, and #classof2021 lawn signs.
Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting
The Compton CCD Board of Trustees' next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15, 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
I wanted to share my thoughts on Compton College enrollment. In the President/CEO Message - March 1, 2021, I shared Compton College Enrollment Information, which included our enrollment numbers compared to the neighboring community colleges. I stated that our college had been impacted the most in Los Angeles County due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week I was a guest on the Inside the Issues with Alex Cohen to talk about our enrollment, and the impact COVID-19 has had on our community. For summer 2021, the number of seats filled is up by 21.2%,our section fill rate is up by 11.6%, and the number of Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES) is up by14.1% compared to last year at this time. This is excellent news; however, there is much more work to be done related to summer/fall 2021 enrollment and overall enrollment management. And at the same time, as a college, we must continue to focus on our employees' and students' health and safety.
In the President/CEO Message - May 20, 2021, I mentioned outreach and recruitment strategies Compton College will be implementing for the 2021-2022 year. To assist us with tracking the progress of these strategies, we have developed an action plan to monitor and communicate to the campus community the status of each outreach and recruitment strategy. We will provide timely status reports in future President/CEO Messages. The link to the 2021-2022 Outreach and Recruitment Strategies is available here.
As it relates to the first strategy, which allocates funding from the Compton College Recovery Fund for strategic recruitment with an outside firm to College Promise eligible students and working adults, this morning, we had a meeting with Swim Digital Group who is interested in partnering with Compton College on this strategy to recruit students from within our community. A copy of their presentation is here. If you have any feedback on this strategy, please send me an email at kcurry@compton.edu.
In the President/CEO Message - December 17, 2020, I mentioned following up on the timeline for opening the Compton College Cafeteria. I am pleased to announce Everytable is scheduled to open the cafeteria by Monday, June 21, 2021. Repairs to our cafeteria are in progress, and I am excited that the cafeteria will be opening very soon to serve employees and students on campus.
Just a friendly reminder, Friday, June 4, 2021, is our Zoom Free Day. Please do not schedule any Zoom meetings, including any meetings with me. Classes will still be held on Friday, June 4, 2021, as it is still a work/instructional day.
Please be safe and enjoy your three-day weekend.
Sincerely,
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
