We want to update you on the progress we are making on new safety and security services at Peralta Community College District campuses and offices.

Dear Peralta Community,

Yesterday, our nation witnessed a disgraceful display of vandalism, violence, and insurrection at the United States Capitol, during the long held tradition of validating the will of the people. Many political and educational leaders across the country have rightfully condemned the misguided actions of those rioters who breached the Capitol, and the Peralta Community College District denounces their lawless actions as well.

New year, new shows -  our Peralta Colleges station, Peralta TV, has great programming to broaden your perspectives. Here are a selection of highlights from January.

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is visiting (virtually) the Peralta Community College District on December 16 and 17 to follow up on our Colleges’ accreditation submittals, specifically the Special Reports submitted on November 1, 2020.   

While the Colleges remain fully accredited during a probationary period announced by ACCJC in January 2020, we are pleased to report that the District and Colleges are making progress on removing that probationary status.   
 
As you may recall, the probationary status was not about academics or education, but solely about finances and organizational matters.  

The ACCJC required the Colleges to provide additional evidence of financial improvement. That is exactly what College of Alameda, Berkeley City, Laney and Merritt Colleges have done, and we believe the reported results are excellent.   
 
We are confident the colleges have addressed the ACCJC concerns and have demonstrated each campus meets the requirements to be removed from probationary status.  
 
Each of the four Colleges reported growing enrollments and services to students through online winter and spring intersession offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the campuses successfully conducted marketing and outreach campaigns to potential students seeking online instruction in California State University and University of California-transferable courses.   
 
All of the four Colleges noted increases in their individual “Dual Enrollment Programs,” which offers high school students an early start on their career technical education and opportunities to earn units toward their college degree.
 
The Colleges partner with high schools in Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda to promote educational equity by offering empowering, transformative educational experiences to local high school students.  
 
By increasing the Colleges’ offerings to high schools these new enrollments hopefully mean these students will have already begun their college experience by the time they graduate high school, giving them both a head start in college as well as saving them money.  

The Laney Biomanufacturing BIOSCOPE program has developed from a pilot project funded with Strong Workforce Program funds into a National Science Foundation - Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) grant awarded summer 2020 for 3 years. The supply chain project is a partnership between Laney College, Skyline College and BABEC ( a bioscience non profit organization that works to increase access and equity in science education) and local high schools. Laney students make supplies (pouring agar plates used in biotechnology experiments - pictured) that are then sent to local high schools for their biology classes to learn some biotechnology techniques.  You can learn more about the BABEC project here.

The Peralta Community College District (PCCD) is on the frontier of providing unarmed safety and support for our students, faculty, staff, and community members.   

The upbeat online celebration of CoA’s 50th Anniversary took place on December 1, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. It opened with a cheerful greeting from the College’s Cougar mascot, thanks to Joshua Sanders, Student Athlete/Men’s Basketball team member, who donned the costume for the occasion. CoA President Dr. Nathaniel Jones III, gave the official welcome. Over 170 students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members attended he gala, which featured heartwarming student testimonials and special guest presentations by Representative Barbara Lee, Assemblymember Rob Bonta, Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Interim PCCD Chancellor Dr. Carla Walter, PCCD Trustee Bill Withrow, and Chief Executive Officer of Alameda Alliance for Health Scott Coffin, among others.

We are all going to be home a ton in the following weeks of December and January, and we'll all be likely spending a decent amount of time watching television. Our Peralta Colleges station, Peralta TV, has a great selection of programming to keep us learning about the world. Here are a selection of highlights from December and early January on the station.