CHANCELLOR’S C-DIRECT

June 8, 2016

Dear Colleagues:

The week, though shorter by one day, was filled with many rewarding activities. In particular, it was most fulfilling to launch the PCCD Management Leadership Academy. I was also part of several celebrations of high school students tied to Peralta or our community-based organizations. The week was exhausting, but brimming with excellent opportunities.

Management Leadership Development Academy of Peralta (MLDAP): I spent three days last week working with a number of our faculty, staff and administrators in Peralta’s new Academy. If you recall, it the Management Leadership Development Academy was something I promised I would initiate at the District. Those chosen (almost everybody who applied was accepted, except for those with schedule conflicts) were as excited as I was to come together to strengthen our collective abilities to lead the District. Though Dr. Crawford and I had some challenges putting the Academy together, the efforts were well worth it. My initial thought was to simply replicate the Solano Community College Academy that I initiated. However, after looking at the complexity of our organization, I decided that a more hands-on Academy was in order. Melvinia King, who will lead our Workforce Development and Continuing Education unit, stepped up as a facilitator for us and helped us to build a much stronger Academy than we had at Solano College. Here are some features of the PCCD Academy:

Hands-on and practical. Project-based. The participants have chosen to develop, implement and deliver

three transformational projects to help improve the District. They will share the concepts with you at the next Board meeting.

Year-long and active programs versus workshops and one-shot-only events. Individual activities to help Academy participants either prepare for a new

assignment or deepen their knowledge of their current work.The Academy allowed our faculty, staff and administrators to create a strong bond as colleagues, as they were afforded the opportunity to work in teams. As a result of our work, we are now developing a cohesive team of leaders that has lasting potential. The following is a list of our Management Leadership graduates:

MORNING GROUPName Title College

Melvinia King Associate Vice Chancellor, WDCE DistrictAntoine Mehouelley Director of Information Technology DistrictFong Tran Director of Student Activities COALiliana Rojas Staff Assistant DistrictFred Bourgoin Math Instructor LaneyBrenda Lewis Secretary COAJackie Graves English Department Co-Chair LaneyDave Nguyen Financial Aid DistrictKaren Croley Curriculum and Systems Analyst DistrictChandevy Eng Facilities Project Coordinator DistrictNicole Kelly Co-Coordinator, ATLAS Program COAJoseph Koroma Instructor COACharles Neal Director of Green Technology DistrictSharon Millman Facilities Project Manager District

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AFTERNOON GROUP

Name Title CollegeSui Song Finance and Administration DistrictChanelle Whittaker Director, Employee Relations DistrictLilia Chavez Interim Director MerrittLisa Cook Dean BCCMaria Spencer Support Specialist Merritt

Drew GephartInternational Services Manager District

Lisa Gwyn-Laigo Staff Assistant to VP BCCThomas Torres-Gil International Services BCCSiri Brown Instructor MerrittTamika Brown Instructor LaneyJennifer Seibert Benefits Manager DistrictIolani Sodhy-Gereben Academic Support Specialist LaneyChioma Ndubuisi Project Manager IT DistrictChriss Foster Instructor MerrittKeiko James Program Manager FoundationAndre Singleton Director of Student Activities BCCKevin Wade Director of Student Activities LaneyMary Denise Jackson Adjunct Instructor MerrittFrancisco Gamez Incoming Dean BCCLaurence Van Hook Program Manager COA

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Teacher Pipeline with Holy Names University: Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and Kitty Epstein visited with me last week to discuss our interest in a pipeline program for future teachers. There is a grant we would be a part of that would encourage and support students who want to explore education and gain some experience early on, before transferring to Holy Names University or their favorite four-year institution. The funding for this proposed program is part of the Governor’s budget. The meeting with Dr. Mayfield and Ms. Epstein was in anticipation of funding becoming available.

Health Advocate Program Discussion:In her first act as Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Continuing Education (WDCE), Dr. Melvinia King and I met with Dr. Brenda Spriggs and Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris (both physicians) to discuss the potential of having a health advocate program at Merritt College. Doctors Spriggs and Newell-Harris have been in discussions with Merritt on and off for six years regarding this proposed project. We assured them that it would not take six more years before we make the decision to move forward and, to that end, Dr. King has already drafted an MOU. The primary encouragement for the program came from Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Her interest in establishing a health advocate program was one of the initial issues she brought to my attention, when I met her for the first time as Chancellor. I am pleased we are moving forward with what I see as a much-needed program.

Distance Education Support Discussions:I have shared, before, my discussions with the Distance Education Committee and have stated that the District has not invested in its Distance Education infrastructure as it should. The faculty have done their best to put things in place, even without strong support from the District Office. But now there is a resolution that came to the Planning and Budgeting Council, encouraging the District to provide proper support and oversight for Distance Education. Inger Stark is the District DE Chair, and we have met

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to discuss proposals the Committee has made; I agreed that it is time for the District to step up. Our lack of strong support for DE has caused us to:

Fail to be a serious player in statewide discussions about Distance Education; Deprive our faculty and students of support for establishing good standards for

Distance Education; Have a lower than normal number of courses to be taught; Experience lower student achievement; Have no ties between District IT and Distance Education.

The need for support is urgent, for it has gone too long without remedy. The Committee agreed to provide some support this summer, in order to start kicking the program into gear, including a work session with a DE expert to assign administrative oversight for the Program.

I am grateful to the faculty for bringing up these issues. This is where a Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will serve as a facilitator for appropriate faculty support at the District level.

College Bound Brotherhood: I was pleased to attend the College Bound Brotherhood graduation on Wednesday. Almost 100 African-American young men received scholarships to go to a variety of colleges and universities. Several will be attending our four Colleges. I have not had much interaction with the program yet, but I have now met the leaders and agreed to work with them to make sure that these students get acquainted with Peralta’s UMOJA programs, so they can continue that brotherhood camaraderie. The College Bound Brotherhood graduation was a spectacular event, and one in which Peralta should play a larger role.

BOSS Rising Star Program:Building Opportunities For Self Sufficiency (BOSS) selected me as its keynote speaker for its end-of-the-year program. I was happy to be a part of this group in recognizing student achievement. Some of the students from the area have overcome great difficulties. Several have experienced some great hardships in life, including loss of parents through murder and homelessness. A sibling of one of the awardees is attending BCC. He approached me after my remarks to let me know that he knew I used to work at Truckee Meadow Community College, and he was wondering if his credits would transfer there. His family is now homeless and moving to Reno … so many heart-

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wrenching stories and some of the students have little trust in promises of help. I wanted to help these students in order to restore their trust in people, so I conducted an activity where I asked them to trust those who promise to help them. I then challenged the students to put my advice into practice by saying, “I am giving a scholarship to attend one of the Peralta Colleges to the first student who comes to the podium and claims it.” I usually need to do that a couple of times before one volunteers to accept it. After three tries, a young woman of Haitian descent came up and claimed the prize. Later, two more individuals in the audience were promised a similar scholarship to attend PCCD. It was not until the third scholarship offer that the students started to trust the promise. I am pleased that we have a mutually beneficial partnership with BOSS to support our youth.

East Bay Foundation and Oakland Promise Scholarships Extravaganza: Drs. Blake and Ambriz-Galaviz and I attended this impressive event that featured 300 Oakland students who received scholarships to attend UCs, CSUs, private and out-of-state institutions and community colleges. One hundred of these students will attend our institutions in the District. The Reverend Jesse Jackson was there to praise the students, but also to challenge them to succeed. I had the opportunity to share a few words alongside two of the students who will attend Merritt. From this year’s college graduating class, 80% of the scholars finished their education. The East Bay Foundation and the Oakland Promise will continue to provide support for students throughout their studies.

MLK Freedom Center: The MLK Freedom Center was started by former PCCD Chancellor Elihu Harris and Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and is housed at Merritt. The Program leaders work with students in the area to help them to develop their leadership skills as well as themselves. The group is very diverse and engages in a lot of activities. The students have great manners and speak very well publicly. This was my first time addressing them. I shared a lot of my personal and professional stories with them. I tried to bring them on a journey with me from my illiterate parents, to no schools in my village, to my

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being sent away to school and the hardships that come with that. I took them through my studies and my professional life as a lifetime educator. They had great questions for me. Participating in this event resulted in one of the best Saturday mornings I have experienced, because I was in the company of some of the brightest and most dedicated minds. I congratulate Roy Wilson and Royl Roberts for their leadership of this Program.

Accreditation News:Submitted by Dr. Annette DambrosioI was impressed by the vibe that swept the District and the Colleges during the week of May 23 through May 27! In the midst of graduation celebrations, final examinations, and all that goes with the closing of an academic year, I was truly heartened that some of you took the time to attend Accreditation “Brown Bag” luncheon events. During that week, I hosted those “brown bags” – beginning with Berkeley City College, then College of Alameda (and earlier Merritt), and last, but not least, Laney College. Although the turnout was small at each College, the folks who did not attend had good questions at the ready and suggestions regarding the work done to date on the District ACCJC Recommendations. I wish to thank V.C. Orkin and V.C. Ikharo for joining me and lending their expertise. Finally, I want to commend V.C. Little for hosting a most informative Budget Allocation Model Workshop at Laney College that same week; here the room was packed and, no doubt, all of us left the workshop with a better understanding of BAM and how the proposed revisions and ongoing deliberations will enhance PCCD’s ability to more equitably allocate resources.

In addition to Accreditation “Brown Bags,” the Accreditation Leads met and continued discussing how we will work together throughout the summer to refine our responses to the various ACCJC Recommendations in preparation for all of you to review the report at August Flex. Finally, the last meeting of PBC presented an opportunity to debut some of the major Accreditation documents that are being drafted by the District, particularly, another version of the Delineations of Functions matrix, the Total Cost of Ownership Guidelines, and – for the first time ever – a District wide Staffing Plan.

I wish to say just a bit about the District wide Staffing Plan: Note that the Staffing Plan (please see attached copy of report) is in draft form as the lead author, V.C. Largent, wants to ensure that broad dialogue will provide a foundation for continuing work in

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order to perfect the Plan. In May, V. C. Largent took the Plan to the Chancellor’s Cabinet and to PBC for a first review. She will also be sending the Plan to the Resource Allocation Task Force for Classified Staffing, asking that group for their feedback. Finally, everyone will have an opportunity to discuss the Staffing Plan at the District Flex Day in August. Much work has gone into the construction of this document; the PCCD Staffing Plan is a good one. Please thank Dr. Largent for getting this project off of the ground.

Accreditation work continues… As always, I invite anyone to contact me with questions, huzzahs or criticisms pertaining to Accreditation. My email: adambrosio@peralta.edu.

ASTI Graduation: Although I did not have enough time to see the whole Alameda Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) graduation, I was so pleased to be able to see some of it. The student speaker was Mit Lepcha, who is a member of the Freedom Center. She shared her experience with the Freedom Center and the joy of learning at the College of Alameda. Additionally, Dr. Blake made great remarks on behalf of the District.

Four-Ten Days Starting This Week:Peralta employees will start working ten-hour days this week to be off on Fridays. All offices will be closed on Fridays until the first week of August.

Jowel C. Laguerre, Ph.D.Chancellor

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In memory of the one many claim to be the greatest ever, Muhammad Ali:

Quotes from Ali. RIP, Champ!

“Go to College, Stay in school. If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

“I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast. I can't possibly be beat.”

“Don’t count the days; make the days count.”

“It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.”

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

“If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize.”

“Braggin' is when a person says something and can’t do it. I do what I say.”

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

“A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”

“At home I am a nice guy: but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people, I’ve found, don’t get very far.”

“A man who has no imagination has no wings.”

“He’s (Sonny Liston) too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty like me!”

“I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of my own.”

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“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail.”

“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.”

“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”

“I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren't no satellites when Jesus and Moses were around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about them.”

“It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”

“I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest.”

“Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right.”

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