Merritt College Open House

As part of the ongoing efforts to establish Merritt as the “Community’s College,” we are excited to host a Career Education Open House on Friday, April 29, 2022. In partnership with Oakland Unified School District and our other K-12 feeder Districts, we expect to welcome over 150 prospective Merritt students (high school juniors and seniors) to tour our campus throughout the day.

 They will have an opportunity to explore and learn about our exciting and innovative career education programs, such as Nursing, Medical Assisting, Fire Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, Histotech and Genomics, Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, and Early Childhood Development and so much more. The event will run from 8:30am to 12:30pm, so to be a part of this amazing day please connect with Marie Amboy, Dean of Allied Health, or Maria Spencer, our Outreach Coordinator.

Merritt College Enrollment Data

While the final figures are not yet available for the 2021-22 academic year, there is some encouraging enrollment data to share, which has been gleaned from the work of the Director of Research Nathan Pellegrin. The evidence shows that despite the many difficulties caused by the pandemic, several of our programs experienced significant growth during the 2019-20 academic term. Enrollment in our Physics department increased by 50 percent. The number of students in our Environmental Studies and Fire Science courses grew by 57 percent in each area, and the enrollment in our Economics classes swelled by 71 percent. The three areas where the enrollment spiked the most are Health Professions and Occupations (98 percent), Library Information Studies (173 percent), and Educational Technology (251 percent). As these figures demonstrate, it is absolutely possible to attract new students to programs despite the challenges of the pandemic.

Merritt Employee Appreciation Barbeque

On April 27 Merritt College will host the Classified Employee Appreciation BBQ at the Landscape Horticulture Gardens. At Merritt College, we are very fortunate to have the professional staff members that we do, and this event is meant to convey our gratitude. One individual who represents the dedication, resourcefulness, and compassion of our classified professionals is Ms. Denise Woodward.

Here are some kind words about her: Dean Chriss Foster described her best when she said that Ms. Woodward “shows a sincere interest in the students, staff, and faculty that she works with and because of this, she is known as a great listener, a powerful speaker, and a talented and skilled staff assistant.” She went on to say that Ms. Woodward “willingly shares her knowledge and expertise by training others across divisions...and she should be recognized for her ability to assist wherever she is needed.” So, thank you Denise (and all of the other classified staff members that we appreciate) for everything you do for Merritt.

This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. David M. Johnson, Merritt College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. To view as a pdf, click here.