Over 100 BCC faculty, staff, and administrators came together for a day of professional learning centered around “Building Community and Advancing Equity and Racial Justice.” The event took place on August 21, 2020 and began with community-building activities first thing in the morning, followed by a greeting from the shared governance leads. Lasana Hotep, anti-racist educator and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at the University of California, Berkeley, delivered a rousing and informative keynote presentation on the subject, “Antiracism is a Marathon, Not a Sprint: Core Competencies for Equity Advancing Educators.”
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In an effort to have greater outreach to our student community and expand its bandwidth, the Laney Student Employment Services Center has partnered with several Community Based organizations and the City of Oakland to provide employment and career readiness services. Specifically, in partnership with the Oakland Housing Authority, the Employment Services Center is hosting a weekly hiring event spotlighting a different employer each week. As a result, approximately 17 participants have received employment! Additionally, as part of the Oakland Workforce Collaborative led by the City of Oakland, the Employment Services Center hosts a monthly hiring event for students and other Oakland residents. The first hiring event focused on Essential Worker jobs, and had 80 job seekers registered, with approximately 13 Laney Students, and 15 employers presenting their open positions.
On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at their regular governance meeting, the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Carla Stalling Walter to serve as the District’s Interim Chancellor effective October 1, 2020 and continuing through February 2021 or until a permanent chancellor is hired. The Board approved the contract including an annualized salary of $314,943. Interim Chancellor Walter previously served as the District’s Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration and started serving as Acting Chancellor for the District this past July. She brings more than 20 years of successful experience in financial administration and in higher education, including leadership posts at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District and State Center Community College District.
Responding to a statewide shortage of certified nursing assistants, College of Alameda is planning to offer a no-cost Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program starting with the Spring 2021 Semester. Demand is growing for CNAs. According to labor market information in California, the number of Nursing Assistants is expected to grow faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. Nursing assistant jobs are expected to increase by about 15 percent, or 15,800 jobs by 2026.
Back on the afternoon of August 18th, 2020, the Berkeley City College Society of Scholars (SoS) team welcomed over 100 in-coming students, through an engaging and entertaining Virtual Orientation. The SoS Orientation was designed and led by the BCC SoS Student Staff team, and supported by SoS Counselors and campus Administrators. The Virtual Orientation included a warm, enthusiastic and thoughtful “Welcome” by BCC President, Dr. Angelica Garcia, followed by inspirational words from Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Stacey Shears, and a positive and upbeat message from Associate Dean of Educational Success, Martin de Mucha Flores.
We are excited to announce that the the Certificate of Achievement in Urban Agroecology program at Merritt College has earned an 100,000 U.S.Department of Agriculture grant to train students to become urban farmers using sustainable agricultural practices during the summer session.
Curbside Pickup is available for Fall 2020 at the CoA Library. Chromebooks, calculators, and books from the circulating collection are available through the COA Library Curbside Pickup/Returns service (limited hours and by appointment only). The library also is offering a number of innovate online services including:
Merritt College is proud to be one of the founding partners of East Side Oakland Ventures (ESO Ventures). Formerly known as the East Oakland Entrepreneur Initiative, ESO Ventures provides pathways, support, and funding sources for entrepreneurs from historically disadvantaged communities. To address long-standing patterns of economic inequity, Merritt College and ESO Ventures are focused on bolstering entrepreneurial development and growing the self-employment sector by ensuring that black and brown businesses have greater access to funding capital. Toward that end, Merritt will also leverage our existing Level UP partnership program with Facebook to offer co-branded Digital Marketing Certificates for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. As always, we remain committed to collaborating with Oaklanders to build community-wealth and ensure that our people are thriving.
From the ESO Ventures Website:
ESO Ventures is an initiative to grow community wealth and rebuild East Oakland through entrepreneurship. We are a collaborative of entrepreneurs with deep roots in Oakland and business incubation, who have come together to support the development of an entrepreneurial pipeline along the Eastmont Corridor. This project has grown out of District 6 Council Member Loren Taylor and his partnership with California Community Colleges, specifically Merritt College and the Peralta Colleges Foundation, to create opportunities for the young people and residents of District 6 who want to start a business to have the resources they need to be successful.
We welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about this initiative to visit: https://www.eso- ventures.com/ or reach out to Dean Marie Amboy or Dean Jason Holloway.
Oakland, CA -- The Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, and today is announcing their decision to begin contract negotiations with Dr. Carla Walter to become Interim Chancellor. The goal will be to place the contract for public review and approval at their regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2020.
