Laney Employees, Students, Childcare Staff Make Halloween Special

On October 31, 2022, student government members (ASLC) and College employees hosted a Halloween event for children in the Laney Childcare Center. Roughly 70 kids participated in the parade and games that were held at the Laney Bistro. There were decorated tables with treats supported by different Laney & District departments.

Eddie the Eagle (Laney’s Mascot) joined staff and Laney students dressed in kid-friendly costumes as they greeted the children and entertained them with fun, games, and treats. May thanks to Laney colleagues Kinetta Barnett, Acting Director Rashada, Evelyn Moreno, and Erica Harrell for organizing and coordinating this event along with our student leaders.

Laney Receives Environmental Control Technology (ECT) Grant

Laney College has received a $100,000 grant as part of the Johnson Controls Community College Partnership program. This new funding will be used to support the outreach and retention efforts of Laney’s Environmental Control Technology (ECT) program, offering $1000 scholarships as well as $500 emergency grants to students struggling with basic needs. The initiative also aims to equip students with in-demand knowledge and skills that will support employment and a pathway for life-long careers upon graduation.

Johnson Controls, a leading company in building efficiency, provided the grant to increase the number of Laney students who will eventually earn associate degrees and certificates that will qualify them to work in the industries of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), fire and security, and digital building automation systems. The timing of this initiative is excellent, as they are all areas identified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor as having a high demand for labor in the coming years.

Laney is grateful for the assistance of the Peralta Foundation Team, especially Executive Director LaNiece Jones, Dr. Melvin Musick, and Riki White, in making all of this happen for Laney's ECT students.

To learn more about the Laney College & Johnson Controls Community Scholarship please visit https://laney.edu/ect/scholarships/

Día de los Muertos Celebration at Laney

In collaboration with the Black Student Union & the Latinx/Puente Club, Laney College
celebrated Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Tuesday, November 1. In addition to a room in that was designated for altars that honored the memories of friends, colleagues, and family members, there was a space for music and a delicious lunch that was served as part of the festivities, along with workshops to teach altar-building and sugar skull decorating. Many thanks to the colleagues and students who put immense time, preparation, and effort into the celebration.

Laney Biology Professor Makes Presentation at National Conference

Biology faculty member Emily Quach represented the College in grand fashion with her presentation at the recent National Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education (NSF-ATE) conference in Washington DC. Her contribution was a poster presentation with Dr. Nick Kapp of Skyline College about their Bioscope initiative, a supply chain project initiated to make needed supplies for high school biotech classes. Community college students participating in the production of these supplies gained valuable experience, as the activity not only provided valuable class experience but actual workforce training. Dr. Leslie Blackie of Laney was also involved as one of the Principal Investigators, along with Dr. Nick Kapp of Skyline College and Dr. Ying-tsu Loh of Bay Area Bioscience Education Community (BABEC). The College congratulates Professors Quach and Blackie on this innovative collaboration.

Laney Collaborates with Innova to Enhance Promotion of CTE Programs

The College is excited about the support it will receive through its enlisting of Innova Management Services. Innova will be providing Laney College with focused outreach services in the form of marketing and events management. This will include the updating of all Laney CTE websites and brochures, as well as limited management of Laney CTE's social media pages and advertising on other platforms. In terms of events management, Innova will be coordinating major events for CTE that include its Welcome Day in January; Open House in April, and the 2023 Laney CTE Summer Institute. Innova also represents Laney at several outreach events such as One Stop Saturdays, Oakland Manufacturing Days, and Women in Trades, along with supporting our high school partnerships toward support of career pathways for high school students to Laney. A college’s success with industry does not happen without partners such as Innova!

College Commemorates Colleague Rene Rivas

On November 1, Laney College honored our late colleague Rene Rivas with a ceremony that officially named the 6th floor Classified Employee Lounge after him. Family, friends, and colleagues gathered for a reception, lunch, and ceremony, first in the Tower lobby and culminating on the 6th floor with a ribbon cutting and sharing of mementos that will remain in a space that henceforth will carry his name.

The College commends the Classified Senate, led by President Hope Lane and Vice President Joseph Koroma for its initiative, perseverance, and leadership in seeing this effort to fruition. During the November 10 Charrette event at Laney, Chancellor Jackson visited the space along with President Lane, as both she and President Besikof wholeheartedly supported the renaming. Mr. Rivas’ dedication to students, support of colleagues, and friendship with our community all live on!

Theater Arts Puts on a Great Show, Promotes Excellence

The Laney Theater Arts Department put on four performances of “Art is Useless When Being Mauled by a Bear” in November. The play was directed by Laney Professor Michael Torres and written by Alisa Tangredi, who was present for all the productions and praised all involved at Laney. Also, following the performance, cast member and first-semester student Jackson Nguyen was subsequently cast in another production off campus.

Mr. Nguyen was not the only student actor to prosper. Juliann Lathung – a recent scholarship winner – has also been employed by the San Francisco Playhouse and central works Theatre (Berkeley), with the money earned from the performances sufficient to cover college costs. Her future is bright, as she has also earned a full-ride scholarship to SFSU and will have received a baccalaureate degree with training that will position her to apply to top grad schools as a Theatre major.

Professor Torres’ collaboration and leadership are also paying dividends. Local playwright and one of the bay area’s favorite pro artists Jeffrey Lo has given Laney Theater a play to produce, and there are also collaborations between Laney and Cal Shakes, The Aurora, The Oakland Theater project, and The Shotgun players. Most recently, the San Francisco Playhouse named Chair Michael Torres the head of its 29-member Board, and part of his leadership will involve a project that will eventually lead to a pathway for students that begins in high school, continues through Laney, and culminates in performance opportunities with the San Francisco Playhouse. Laney congratulates its student thespians, theater technician extraordinaire Alejandro Acosta, and Professor Torres for their outstanding achievement.

This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Rudy Besikof, Laney College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. To view it as a PDF, click here.