On Monday, December 8, Berkeley City College was officially designated as a Black-Serving Institution (BSI) by the California BSI Governing Board.
“This designation recognizes your leadership and longstanding commitment to advancing Black student success, equity, and belonging within higher education,” said BJ Snowden, Ed.D., Interim Executive Director of the CSU Central Office for Advancement of Black Student Success. “Your institution’s work has helped to shape a more just and responsive educational landscape for Black students across California, and we are deeply appreciative of your ongoing efforts.”
BCC submitted its application in June 2025, which included a 5-year strategic plan to support Black and African American Student Success. The plan’s initiative focuses on four tent-pole strategies to achieve its goal: community-rooted outreach and enrollment efforts, scaling academic and wraparound support services, strategic resource allocation for sustainable impact, and professional learning and institutional culture change.
In alignment with the 5-year strategic plan to support Black and African American Student Success, BCC is proud to welcome the A2Mend Program to the Society of Scholars Learning Communities this Fall. The addition of the A2Mend program, along with the thriving Umoja Community at BCC, aligns with the strategic goal to scale up academic and wraparound services, offering dedicated embedded counseling, book support, identity-affirming events, leadership development, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Embedded tutoring will exist within courses to promote success in gateway subjects.
“I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to all of our faculty, classified staff, and administrators. Your daily dedication and collaborative efforts have made this recognition possible. A special thank-you goes to Dean Raniyah Johnson and VPSS Stacey Shears. Your contributions and support during the application process were invaluable,” said President Denise Richardson.
Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) efforts led by co-coordinators Heather Dodge, Charlotte Lee, and Jenny Yap presented an update at the December 8 College Roundtable meeting of the ongoing work to provide no-cost instructional materials at BCC. In 2021, BCC received a $640,000 apportionment from the statewide ZTC program to support burden-free instructional materials across the California Community Colleges.
Survey data collected in Spring 2025 underscored the significance of this work: 62% of student respondents reported that the cost of course materials influenced their enrollment decisions, and many indicated that high textbook prices contributed to not purchasing required materials, dropping classes, taking fewer courses, or receiving lower grades.
The college has made measurable progress toward expanding ZTC offerings. In Fall 2025, 40% of BCC lecture and lab sections were designated ZTC, with an additional 11% identified as low-cost.
The collective result of the work on behalf of the Affordable Education Committee, along with the Chairs Council and the Curriculum Commitee has completed ZTC conversions for 17 degrees across multiple disciplines, including Anthropology, Art, Biology, History, Biology, Communication, Mathematics, and Psychology. At the course-level, completed ZTC conversions include disciplines in French 1A, Math 1 & 13, Psychology 6 & 21, and Chemistry 1B, and more. In progress course-level ZTC conversions include Humanities1 & 30B, Business 10, Sociology 1, and more.
The work completed so far is of tremendous value to BCC students, and we cannot be more thankful for the collective work of faculty and administrators committed to removing barriers to enrollment and course completion at BCC. We look forward to continuing to advocate for ZTC courses at BCC!
Berkeley City College hosted a Community Art Social on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. The BCC Conference room was filled with students, staff, and members of the community to celebrate the end of the semester with music, food, and color.
Adult Education students Fatima Ashour, Lila Kardar, and Parivash Canani created stencils of paintings depicting puzzle painting, portrait art, and a magic carpet for the community collaborate and fill with vibrant colors. Each table had dozens of people working to fill out their creative work.
Music played throughout the event, and attendees had the opportunity to connect with others while working on their projects. Thank you to the students and organizers for hosting this fun event!
On Wednesday, December 3, the BCC community celebrated the retirement of its beloved library technician, Allison Greene. Students and alumni returned to campus to celebrate Allison, share pizza and cake, and perform one of Allison’s favorite hobbies: karaoke! Recognized as the heart of the BCC library, Allison is known for her warmth and attentiveness to “her babies,” i.e., BCC students. She would regularly be seen dancing and singing with students at BCC events and giving loving advice and hugs to students in need. She is also a lover of crafts, often holding button-making workshops at the library to help spread BCC spirit and coming to work wearing homemade fashions and outfits to celebrate the seasons.
“I’m grateful to work and share my skills and crafts with the students to make them feel welcome and want to come back to BCC, because I love BCC!” said Greene. “I want to thank my library family for allowing me the opportunity to work here.”
Allison has served at BCC for 11 years. She is looking forward to moving to Georgia to become a full-time grandmother for her grandson. Her last day will be in mid-January before the Spring semester begins. Allison has left a mark on everyone at BCC and is truly irreplaceable. We wish her well on her next chapter!
The BCC Wellness Center invited therapy dogs @jojothepembrokecorgie, @rex_the_pug_14, Charlie, and Stryder to campus to help relieve stress for finals. Students were able to pet, hold, and hang out with each other to take a moment away from the busy finals season. The dogs were on campus on December 3 and will visit again on December 4. Thank you to the Wellness Center, Peer 2 Peer Mental Health students, and the volunteers for bringing their cute pets to BCC!
Berkeley City College recently celebrated the creative artistry of its Multimedia Arts students at the Fall Showcase on Wednesday, December 3. The event brought together student artists, faculty, and community members for an inspiring afternoon of visual storytelling and digital innovation.
Guests explored a wide range of student work, including 3D and 2D animated shorts, photography, virtual reality experiences, motion graphics, and more. Attendees also had the chance to meet the artists behind the projects, learn about their creative processes, and enjoy light refreshments while supporting local talent.
Video Game design students Tiannia Duncan, Min Lee, and Khazir demoed their game “9 Lives,” which follows a character named Jude who wakes up one morning to their cat having escaped their apartment. Jude then scours the East Bay, dodging enemies to find his cat. The game was developed in Unreal Engine and features all original 3D modeling, including virtual representations of the BCC building and the North Berkeley BART station.
Thank you to all the students and faculty who participated, especially MMart Chairs Mary Clarke-Miller, Rachel Mercy Simpson, and Michel Bohbot.
On Tuesday, November 18th, the BCC Basic Needs Center collaborated with our Undocumented Community Resource Center to bring a live cooking demo to our students. Two of the BNC’s Student Employees, Kya and Kei, compiled various Microwave-friendly recipes using ingredients from the weekly Food Pantry and demonstrated how to make each dish, hosted at the UCRC!
Kya, the Lead Food Pantry and Food Security Student Assistant, walked the students through making dishes like Baked Potato, Mac and Cheese, and Persimmon Oatmeal, all in the UCRC microwave! Students were encouraged to ask questions as the demonstration went on, and even shared their own personal tips and tricks for accessible meals.
The UCRC Student Assistants worked with the BNC Student Assistants to ensure the environment was welcoming and open, engaging with students and sparking new conversations when needed.
The Assistants were delighted that the students enjoyed the dishes and the opportunity to interact and connect with everyone in a more intimate setting. Chatting back and forth, they were able to learn more about the students they serve and gain knowledge from their lived experiences to bring back to their work in the Basic Needs Center, Undocumented Community Resource Center, and the Berkeley City College community!
This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Denise Richardson, Berkeley City College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. To view it as a PDF, click here.