A New Educational Master Plan: Charting the Course of CoA’s Future

On May 5, 2022, College of Alameda held a college-wide forum to embark on the exciting and important work of creating the College’s next Educational Master Plan (EMP). CoA’s 2022-2027 EMP will articulate a long-term, data-driven vision for the College that will include: supporting the College’s Guided Pathways initiative; improving student equity, inclusion, and accessibility; crafting a framework to inform critical decision-making; providing fiscal stewardship; and aligning with the District’s planning themes.

The District/College has contracted with the consulting firm West Ed to facilitate the EMP process. The initial May 5 forum was guided by CoA’s EMP Leadership Team, including Director of College Research and Planning Dominique Benavides, Acting Vice President of Instruction Dr. Diana Bajrami, Vice President of Administrative Services Augustine Gill, Vice President of Student Services Dr. Tina Vasconcellos, and President Dr. Nathaniel Jones III.

The forum reviewed data and provided analysis of national, state, and regional education, social, and economic trends; technological and political trends; population data; and labor market information, including the fastest-growing occupations in Alameda County. Participants took this opportunity to discuss how successfully the College is meeting regional education needs, what new programs might be developed, and what changes may be needed in order to adapt to the shifting cultural, economic, political, and workforce landscapes.

Going forward, the College will form an Educational Master Plan Steering Committee comprised of three faculty, three staff, three administrators, and three students, tasked to oversee additional work teams formed to review the College’s mission, vision, values, strategic themes, goals, structures, and processes.

A special EMP website has been developed as a communications tool and document repository for the College’s 2022-2027 Educational Master Plan project. This website will chart the progress of the planning effort and provide a platform for information dissemination as well as input from campus and community members alike. Once the planning process is completed, the site will serve as a storehouse for related documents and progress updates.

CoA Kicks Off APIA Heritage Month with a Delicious Feast

On Tuesday, April 26, CoA hosted an outdoor, on-campus event to kick off Asian/Pacific Islander American (APIA) Heritage Month. Over 75 students and staff members attended and enjoyed a free lunch, fresh Sugar Cane drinks from SugarMama Sugarcane (a CoA student alumni-owned small business), a hands-on creative art station facilitated by Art instructor Drew Burgess, and a ‘make-your-own spring roll’ activity. The special APIA cultural activities were paid for by student equity funds.

Advancing Guided Pathways at CoA

Classified Senate President Kawanna Rollins, Acting Vice President of Instruction Dr. Diana Bajrani, and President Jones attended the California Guided Pathways (GP) 2.0 Institute #2: Connecting Students to Programs of Study, held from April 27 through April 29, 2022, at the Hilton Hotel, in Costa Mesa, California. This GP Institute focused on reframing the student onboarding process from a general orientation to program-specific onboarding and identifying and addressing barriers to onboarding students of color, low-income, and other underserved students. Specific topic areas included: Building Structures to Connect Students to Programs and Careers – A Whole College Responsibility; Aligning Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Workforce within the California Community College Chancellor’s Office: Implications for California Community Colleges; Maximizing the High School to College Transition – Connecting Students to Programs Of Study Through Dual Enrollment And Other High School Partnerships; and Reimagining the Program Onboarding Experience, among others.

On May 4, 2022, CoA's GP Team Members, Julie Saechao, Marissa Nakano, and Maurice Jones, presented a progress report to CoA’s Executive Cabinet members titled “Guided Pathways is not a project, it’s a movement.” The presentation included a short review of data collected in spring 2022 from a series of student and employee brown bag focus group sessions.

Student groups overall said that the College is doing a great job and that the online, asynchronous class options, and robust student services are helping students achieve their goals. Additionally, they indicated that resources like Puente, Financial Aid, Work-Study, and Grants have a positive impact on student success. Students also offered suggestions for improvement, including developing class schedules that meet students’ needs in today’s changing environment, creating meaningful cohorts and communities for students at the beginning of their college journey, and providing individualized support services.

Based on the information received from both student and employee groups, CoA’s future GP goals include:

• Creating part-time student maps;
• Establishing a formal process for updating current GP maps on a regular basis in line with the catalog committee deadlines;
• Establishing one central "hub" of information for student services, events, and programs;
• Creating an early alert intervention process;
• Launching a cohort model for counseling; and
• Piloting various models of an online orientation and a virtual tour of the campus.

Outreach and Mobile CoA Are Going Strong!

In April 2022, Mobile CoA provided application, counseling, and registration support to students at eight local high schools, including Castlemont, Fremont High School, Oakland International High School, Encinal Presentation, Oakland Tech, Rudsdale Newcomer Continuation High School, Oakland High School, and Alameda High School. Outreach representatives Natalie Barraza and Juan Lopez helped over 60 students complete applications, meet with counselors to complete their Student Education Plans, and register for classes. Thanks also are due to the following faculty and staff members who have supported Mobile CoA efforts: Julie Saechao, Cynthia Haro, Cynthia Lopez and Fathia Mohamed (Counseling), Dean Shalamon Duke, Dean Amy Lee, Marissa Nakano (EOPS), HSI Director Horacio Corona-Lira, Danna Chavez (HSI Programs), Marcean Bryant (Admissions and Records).

Family Night Provides an Introduction to a Wide Array of Programs

CoA’s Family Night, held on May 4, 2022, provided prospective students and their families an opportunity to learn more about CoA’s programs and services. Over 25 Bay Area families attended the event. Outreach representative Natalie Barraza hosted the event, where families learned about CoA’s Promise Program, cross-enrollment opportunities, financial aid, and transfer guarantees. Career and Technical Education (CTE) Dean Eva Jennings presented information about CTE programs and career opportunities. Families also attended various breakout sessions to learn more about Puente, ACCESO, Umoja, Student Accessibility Services (SAS), EOPS, Care, NextUp, CalWorks, and MESA.

This article is an excerpt from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Nathaniel Jones III, College of Alameda President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. To view as a pdf, click here.