President/CEO Message

September 16, 2021

On Thursday, September 9, 2021, the California State Legislature passed Senate Bill 169 - Postsecondary education trailer bill. SB 169 establishes a program of one-time grants for the construction of student housing. SB 169 and the associated funding set aside in the 2021-2022 State Budget is intended to provide affordable, low-cost housing options for students enrolled in postsecondary education in California. It also encourages colleges to acquire and renovate commercial properties for student housing. The bill will move forward to Governor Gavin Newson for his action. Senate Bill 169 allocates 50% of the available funds over the three-year program to community colleges. Please click here for more information on the new $2 billion Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program.

Compton Community College District will prepare our funding proposals for our future Student Housing Project in the coming weeks. This is very exciting, and I want to thank the Tartar Support Network and our Compton College Student Residential Housing Implementation Team, which includes various external stakeholders, for their work over the past couple of years on the Compton College Student Housing Project. Below are the following documents related to the Compton College Student Housing Project:

In the coming weeks, we will enter into a contract with Gensler who will work with the District to prepare our funding proposals. On a side note, on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, I will be accepting an award on behalf of Compton College and the Compton CCD from the Los Angeles Headquarters Association. We are receiving the Education Award for our focused work on Student Housing at the 59th Annual Awards Luncheon.

The President/CEO Message - September 16, 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 1,930 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County as of 6:00 p.m. on September 15, 2021. For more information, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/. As of September 13, 2021, 75.7% of Los Angeles County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; and 67% are fully vaccinated. For detailed vaccine information, including individual city data, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/vaccine/vaccine-dashboard. Compton College is operating at Level 4 – Severe Infection Rate according to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan.

Fall 2021 Enrollment Update

As of today, September 16, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,247 FTES for the fall 2021 term. We continue to see an increase in the number of seats filled for the fall 2021 semester, from 7,619 on August 23, 2021 to 8,709 today. And we are 2.2% above our fall 2020 fill rate, reaching 58% today. Click here to view today's enrollment snapshot.

Once again, please encourage interested students to check the Searchable Class Schedule, which can be found online at http://www.compton.edu/studentservices/admissionandrecords/ClassSchedule.aspx, for the most up to date information on open sections. A variety of eight-week classes that offer the same credit as a full-semester section are scheduled to begin in mid-October. Click here to view a list of newly added second eight-week classes.

One More Class - You've Got This! Campaign

Over 2,000 Fall 2021 students, who are enrolled in fewer than 10 units, received an email yesterday, September 15, 2021, with information about mid-term classes and in-person enrollment services. Students have until 11:59 p.m. on the day before the first scheduled class meeting to register for second eight-week classes. Click here to read the email. Emails sent to currently enrolled students are available on the Student Information and Communications webpage.

Six Compton College Faculty Members Achieve Tenure

Just a friendly reminder, on September 23, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom, Compton College will recognize the following faculty members who achieved tenure:

Domenic Capozzolo, B.A., M.A.
Donald Mason, B.S., M.S., Ed.D.
Janette Morales, B.S., M.S.
Jasmine Phillips, B.A., M.S.
Evan Skorka, B.S., M.S.
Sophia Tse, A.D.N., B.S.N., M.S.N.

Attaining tenure reflects the excellence of an organization, and it creates a path for faculty to influence and shape the institution. The contributions of these faculty members are essential to Compton College's mission of offering a welcoming environment where the diversity of our students is supported and essential as they pursue and attain academic and professional excellence.

If you plan to attend this wonderful event, RSVP by 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, to sbarakat@compton.edu to receive the Zoom Meeting information.

Compton College Virtual Tartar Talks

I will host a special virtual Tartar Talks on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom Meeting. The focus will be on enrollment and recruitment; accreditation, and COVID-19. To participate, please use this link to register in advance: September 21, 2021 Tartar Talks Online Registration.

Upcoming Community Meetings

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees members, Ms. Barbara Calhoun and Dr. Deborah LeBlanc, are hosting community meetings in September and October. The meetings are open to the public and will provide an update on facilities, enrollment, and the College's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More information, including Zoom Meeting links, is available below.

September 30, 2021 Community Meeting hosted by Ms. Barbara Calhoun: 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Little Theater (on-campus) and virtually via Zoom Meeting
October 20, 2021, Town Hall Meeting hosted by Dr. Deborah LeBlanc: 5:00-6:30 p.m. via Zoom Meeting

President/CEO Closing the Loop

As noted in the President/CEO Message - September 9, 2021, the 2021-2022 Catalog is available online as a PDF. The catalog has been reorganized with a focus on the student enrollment process and includes new and revised curriculum. Printed copies will be available at the Bookstore for purchase later this semester. In the coming weeks, copies of the catalog will be available for employees on campus in their division offices. Click here to access the catalog.
In the President/CEO Message - September 2, 2021, I discussed Compton College's Hispanic Serving Institution designation and how we could utilize our grant funds to support our students, particularly those interested in transferring to a four-year college or university. I also mentioned how I have been thinking about collaborating with a couple of University of California campuses, a California State University campus, and an out-of-state college (maybe Arizona State University) to offer summer residential programs for our students in summer 2022. Yesterday, this was discussed further with the Guided Pathways Committee. During the meeting, it was asked if we could add a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to the list of schools. I support this idea and recommended utilizing funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) or the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) II. The good news is, the Department of Education has approved us to use federal funds (i.e., HSI, ARP, and HEERF II) to support summer residential programs. In the coming weeks, the summer residential programs will be flushed out with more details. If you have any creative input regarding summer residential programs for our students at four-year colleges or universities, please email me at kcurry@compton.edu.
This afternoon, I received a request from the Classified Development Committee to establish their own book club. I support the recommendation and will fund their book purchase from my departmental budget for the 2021-2022 year. Going forward, the Classified Development Committee will have to request funds through the Compton CCD 2022-2023 budget cycle.
Yesterday I submitted a request to the Academic Senate asking for guidance on new instructional programs they are considering that are linked to Compton College 2024 Comprehensive Master Plan. This information will be helpful as we have received recent feedback about new instructional programs, such as building and construction trades programs. Please note, as mentioned in the President/CEO Message - July 8, 2021, the New Certified Nursing Assistant Program will begin in October 2021

Final Thoughts

This morning, I read another Inside HigherEd article titled "Not Coming, Not Staying," regarding the decline in enrollment and retention in higher education, particularly at public community colleges, which experienced a 15% decline in Fall 2020. As I have mentioned in previous President/CEO Messages, I am always concerned about the recruitment and retention of students. However, over the past month, we have increased the number of seats filled by 14%, which is great. We just need to stay the course and continue to promote the College in our community and especially at local feeder schools, and we need to ensure our current students complete their degree or certificate programs. In early October 2021, we will mail a message from the Compton CCD Board of Trustees to all District residents encouraging them to support Compton College's future enrollment. If you have any creative input regarding additional Outreach and Recruitment Strategies, please email me at kcurry@compton.edu.

Early next week, we will announce funding opportunities through Student Equity and Achievement to support retention programs and services. Hopefully, you consider submitting a proposal for your program, department, or division. More information will be available in the President/CEO Message - September 20, 2021.

In closing, tomorrow is Friday, and I only have three Zoom Meetings. That means I will have time to send follow-up emails from my previous twenty-five Zoom Meetings.

Sincerely,

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