The following article is written by Brock Drazen, Athletic Director at Merritt College and Head Coach of the Merritt College Track & Field team, and is used by permission from an announcement sent to all Peralta employees on May 16, 2022

Merritt College Welcomes the Return of S.O.U.L.

I am pleased to report that Merritt S.O.U.L. has returned to campus. What is S.O.U.L. you may ask? Well, the acronym stands for Sustaining Oakland Urban Lives, and represents an effort on the part of the college to engage and support our students and the greater community. Led by Doris Hankins, the Director of Student Activities and Campus Life, and working in concert with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, our Natural History and Sustainability Department, our EOPS Program, and the Associated Students of Merritt College, we did a “soft launch” on Thursday, April 28.

Laney College Hosts 100 Black Men Career Expo Event

On Saturday, April 30, the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area organization held its first Career Expo Event at Laney College. The day began with welcoming and keynote remarks from Joseph Frank of Wells Fargo, Julius Robinson of Union Bank, Dorian Giles (Personal Brand Agent for Professional Athletes), and Laney College President Rudy Besikof. 

College of Alameda Named a 2022 Champion for Excelling in Equitable Course Placement in Black English Throughput

The Campaign for College of Opportunity President Michele Siqueiros publicly announced on April 22, 2022, that College of Alameda successfully supported at least 70% of Black students in completing a transfer-level English course within one year of their initial enrollment. In addition, the College supported Black students in succeeding at rates overall equivalent to or exceeding those of its student body as a whole.

Multimedia Art & Film Showcase at BCC

Berkeley City College’s Multimedia Film & Art Department hosted a showcase of student works Wednesday, May 5. It was the first in-person showcase in two years with students and faculty gathering to appreciate the artwork created by students. Photo projects, paintings, and even motion capture technology were on display.

Pamela Samuels, a student at Merritt College in Oakland is one of 15 Phi Theta Kappa members selected as a 2022 Guistwhite Scholar and will receive a $5,000 scholarship for baccalaureate studies.

OAKLAND, Calif., May 6, 2022 – As the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) plans for the next fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2022, we want to provide an update on our current financial status. 

On Thursday, April 7, the Peralta District and its four colleges were notified that they would each receive $2,000 ($10,000 total) under the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) Grant Program to develop a Professional Development & Learning Center (PDLC). The building would serve to aid in the onboarding of staff and students, as well as help other ongoing professional development opportunities.

Chancellor Jackson, along with several cabinet members and the BuildPeralta Bond team, recently met with the Downtown Berkeley Association to present their plans for expanding Berkeley City College with the construction of a new building. The project would add a new six-story building on a site at the corner of Milvia and Center Streets to expand the number of classrooms, add art studios, increase learning resource facilities, and expand student and faculty support areas for BCC.

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Peralta TV is here with a selection of programs that showcase AAPI art & culture and address the societal hardships that Asians and Asian Americans have faced in the past and still do today.