Two Peralta Community College District Administrators, Dr. Siri Brown (Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Student Success) and Dr. David M. Johnson (President of Merritt College) have recently received recognition for their community service from local non-profit organizations. 

Given Merritt’s history and cultural significance, and the fact that half-way into February, here are some thoughts about Black History Month. Carter G. Woodson—the second African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard, and the founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History—was the driving force behind the creation of Black History Month. 

To guarantee a strong start to the semester for Laney students, faculty and staff members joined together to create two virtual One-Stop Saturday Enrollment Events, January 23rd and 30th, as well as several Ask Me sessions, which took place during Welcome Week. This effort was led by Vicki Ferguson, Vice President of Student Services, and was made possible by our innovative and dedicated staff members.

The event took place via Zoom, where Laney representatives answered general questions, offered one-on-one support, and referred students out to specific Zoom rooms, hosted by each department. This event was supported with a Google ad, Facebook events, and posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, as well as a student-wide text message, generating over 4,200 impressions.

The events received advertising support from the District marketing office, with Google ad search helping drive prospective students to the virtual events. 

At the beginning of the fall 2020 semester, Berkeley City College President Dr. Angélica Garcia called for a President’s Task Force on Equity & Racial Justice in response to community input on the need for BCC to be responsive and supportive to fostering an inclusive community that values diversity. Berkeley City College is committed to state Chancellor Dr. Eloy Ortiz Oakley’s Call to Action and the guide to engage in practices that promote open dialogue and address campus climate, create inclusive classrooms and anti-racist curriculum, review and update the College’s Equity Plan, and fully implement the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Integration Plan.

According to the independent web-based research site, Intelligent.com, College of Alameda has been ranked in the top 50 nationally for the Best Associate in Psychology Degree Programs. Their comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 2,277 accredited colleges and universities. Programs are evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment. The College’s Psychology for Transfer AA-T Degree also was ranked as the best in the area of mindfulness training.

Jasminh Au is a current senior student for the Gateway to College Program at Laney College and has been announced as the program’s 2021 DREAM Scholar. She is an aspiring Oceanography major and is planning to directly transfer from Gateway to the Hawaii Pacific University at Honolulu. She is a resilient, confident and great student leader in the program.

William Ochoa, Director of Gateway to College says, “to my understanding she is breaking down barriers as to what a dually enrolled student can obtain through her tenure here at our program.” Each DREAM Scholar received a Phi Theta Kappa scholarship in recognition of their success. 

The Peralta Community College District is looking to hire a permanent Chancellor.

At a Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees on January 12, 2021, the Board selected AGB Search as the search firm to assist the District in conducting a nationwide search for a new Chancellor. Search Consultants Dr. Kim Bobby and Dr. Richard Wueste will be heading the search.