Monday, April 27, 2020

Greetings Peralta Community!  Welcome to issue #14 of Peralta Gems. We have been sheltering-in-place for 6 weeks now and it is working to "flatten the curve" and slow the spread of COVID-19. Here in the District, teaching and learning continues. Student services and counseling remain available online. What I am seeing across the Peralta Community is: You Got This. Students are adapting. Faculty are adapting. Staff and administrators are adapting. These times call on our best selves to be engaged, creative and to show up boldly for the community and we are all doing just that.  We Got This - Together. #PeraltaStrong. --Mark Johnson

Summer and Fall 2020 Enrollment Now Open

Summer and Fall 2020 Schedules of Classes are posted here. When you are ready to enroll, visit Passport at https://passport.peralta.edu/.

Safe Peralta Website Launched for COVID-19 & Emergency Situation Updates

Safe Peralta is a new website created to provide information and facilitate communication during emergency situations such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The site, created in-house by the District department of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations (MCPR), provides a status summary on the home page plus additional resources for students and employees. Students should visit https://safe.peralta.edu/covid19-student-resources for contact info for services that are now available online. An FAQ for students including support for online learning is available here: https://safe.peralta.edu/faq-for-students. Grade options are available here: https://safe.peralta.edu/grades. Faculty and Staff resources are available here with an employee FAQ here. Community resources about COVID-19 are available here.

The launch of the site was announced at the Student Town Hall meeting on April 1, 2020 (more on that event below). Mark Johnson, Interim Executive Director, MCPR, commented, "Thanks to community feedback, we realized that we needed a more robust website for communications about COVID-19 and other emergency situations we've had recently like the PG&E power shutdowns. Safe Peralta was built to be mobile-friendly and ADA compliant so that it's easy to read on a phone, tablet, or with an audio reader.  My thanks especially to Aaron Harbour, Interim Web Content Developer, for doing the bulk of the work to get this site launched." The site is still very much a work in progress and we welcome your suggestions and feedback. Please send suggestions to Mark Johnson at markjohnson@peralta.edu. Thank you!

Please Welcome Dr. Angélica Garcia as next BCC President

Dr. Maria (Angélica) Garcia will join the District as President of Berkeley City College (BCC) effective May 7, 2020. Dr. Garcia will be the ninth president, and the first Chicana, to lead Berkeley City College. Please join me in giving an enthusiastic Peralta Welcome to Dr. Garcia!

Dr. Garcia is widely recognized as an effective and collaborative higher education leader with an emphasis on innovation, social justice, and equity while promoting academic excellence. 

Dr Regina Stanback Stroud, Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District said, “I am thrilled that Dr. Angélica Garcia is joining the Peralta District to lead Berkeley City College. I am thrilled for the administrators, faculty and staff who will benefit from her collaborative spirit and her relentless pursuit of excellence. And I am particularly thrilled for the current and future students at BCC. Her experience as a first-generation college student, and student of color, informs her teaching and leadership, always putting students first. I have seen her move mountains to assure student success at Skyline College and I have no doubt that will continue at Berkeley City College.”

Dr. Garcia is an East Bay resident with family that includes her wife and two young daughters. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University where she received a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She also holds a Master’s in Social Work from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Liberal and Civic Studies from St. Mary’s College.

Read the full press release at https://web.peralta.edu/blog/peralta-community-college-district-announces-dr-angelica-garcia-as-next-berkeley-city-college-president/. 

Dr. Stacey Shears is Acting President at BCC until Dr. Garcia Starts on May 7

From Chancellor Regina Stanback Stroud: Dr. Stacey Shears will serve as the Acting President of Berkeley City College April 11 - May 6, 2020. She is currently the Vice President of Student Services at Berkeley City College, and has previously worked as a Counselor in Disability Resources, Director of Resource Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, and Administrator for Disability and Support Programs. Additionally, she has extensive experience ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations: Title IX, CA Title 5, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Dr. Shears has a BA in Latin American and Area studies from City College of New York, MS in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Rhode Island, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University. She considers herself a student equity practitioner, applying research on best practices to underserved populations across institutions. Dr. Shears has over 20 years of experience in higher educations, with over 17 years working in the California Community College system (Berkeley City College, De Anza College and Diablo Valley College). Please help us give Dr. Shears a warm welcome in her new role.

Student Town Hall Meetings Now On YouTube

Thanks to all the students who joined our Town Hall event on April 1, 2020 and our follow up Town Hall Q&A event on April 23, 2020. A special thank you to Spencer Staggers-Elmore (ASMC President), Ysrael Quezon (ASCOA President), and Max Frincke (ASBCC President) for asking questions on behalf of students at the April 23 session, as well as Dr. Siri Brown, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Student Success, for providing most of the answers. Much appreciated! 

If you weren't able to attend, both of these Town Hall sessions are available on the Peralta YouTube channel. The slides presented at the April 1 Town Hall are available here. We've been updating the Student FAQ at Safe Peralta with answers to the questions that came in via Zoom and YouTube. If you still have questions, you can submit them at https://safe.peralta.edu/ask. We will continue to update the FAQ with answers to your questions. Thank you!

College of Alameda ACCESO & PUENTE Program Update

Congratulations to College of Alameda, recipient of an Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) grant. The HSI grant is funding the Adelante con Comunidad, Excelencia, Sabiduría y Oportunidad (ACCESO) Program, and is expected to demonstrate impact on student success by being responsive to the needs of Latinx and low-income students. Under ACCESO, the PUENTE Program will provide a learning community with enhanced support for students pursuing transfer to four-year institutions. The PUENTE Program welcomes ALL students, so please refer students to the PUENTE Website for information on how to apply.

Two key staff members were hired at COA to lead the efforts of the ACCESSO and PUENTE Programs. In keeping with the shelter-in-place requirements, here is a virtual introduction of Director Horacio Corona Lira and Student Services Specialist Mayra Arévalo-Agyapong. Please welcome them to the College of Alameda and Peralta family.

Mr. Horacio Corona Lira, Director Email: hcorona@peralta.edu Horacio Corona Lira comes to College of Alameda with over 10 years of professional experience in student affairs, student equity, and leadership in higher education. He is passionate about working with students and creating a profound impact in his community. He was born in Las Tortugas, Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Lindsay, California. He is the first in his family to attend and graduate from college, receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in education and Chicano studies from the University of California at Berkeley. He attributes much of his success to the work ethic instilled in him by his parents and his campesino upbringing.  Horacio is completing a master’s degree in public policy and administration at California State University, Sacramento. His master’s thesis focuses on academic probation, student retention, and equity outcomes.

Ms. Mayra Arévalo-Agyapong, Student Services Specialist Email: marevalo@peralta.edu Mayra Arévalo-Agyapong has more than 10 years of experience working in a community college setting, in student services areas such as Puente, EOPS, TRiO and  Gateway to College, as well as 5 years of administrative experience in the office of instruction. She was born and raised in El Salvador and emigrated to the Unites States as a teenager. Following her time at Laney Community College as an ESL student, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley.  As an immigrant and a first generation college student, Mayra is motivated to support community college students in their pursuit of higher education.

Welcome New Administrators at Merritt College

From Dr. David Johnson, Acting President at Merritt College:

Please join me in welcoming several new administrators who have joined us at Merritt College this year, including Nathan Pellegrin (Director of Research and Planning); Marie Amboy (Dean of Allied Health and Public Safety); Doris Hankins (Director of Student Activities and Campus Life); and Denise Richardson (Acting Vice President of Instruction). I have attached the bios they provided and their smiling faces appear below.

Nathan Pellegrin: Nathan was named Director of Research and Planning in January, 2020.  Prior to joining Merritt, he worked with community colleges in the region on supporting organization change, including student equity planning, evaluation of in-class student supports, student-centered scheduling, and students right to transfer level classes in math and English (AB 705), and served as Director of Institutional Research for the Peralta Community College District from 2014 to 2016. He is committed to enabling cycles of inquiry that reach across the campus community to bring together faculty, students and staff.

Marie Amboy: Marie comes to Merritt College from the Peralta District Office, where she served as the Director of Strong Workforce and Career Education Programs for Peralta since 2017, providing leadership and guidance in the planning, implementation, and success of the Strong Workforce Program at the four Peralta Colleges. Prior to coming to the Peralta Community College District, she was at Chabot College managing the development and strategic implementation of the Hayward Promise Neighborhood grant for several years before stepping into a CTE Manager role. Marie’s past work experience includes serving as the WorkAbility IV Program Director for CSU East Bay as well as Case Manager for the NUMMI Reemployment Center and San Jose One-Stop.

Doris Hankins: Doris is a Merritt College alumnus. She has completed an Associates of Art degree in Liberal Arts (2002) and an Associates of Science degree in Social and Behavioral Science and a Certificate of Achievement in Child Development (2006) from Merritt and served as the Phi Theta Kappa (Beta Theta Lamda Chapter) President for 3 years (2001-2003). She’s received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management from Ashford University and a Master of Arts Degree in Business Communications from Jones International University. In addition, Doris has worked at Merritt College for almost 20 years. Her positions at Merritt have included being a Sr. Clerical Assistant to the President; a Staff Assistant to the Vice President of Instruction; an Interim Curriculum Specialist; an Interim Program Manager for Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support; an Employment Services Manager; a Program Manager for Basic Skills Student Outcomes and Transformation; a Project Manager for Guided Pathways; and Program Manager for Next Up (formally CAFYES). Effective March 2, 2020, she will begin her new role as Director of Student Activities and Campus Life.

Denise Richardson: Welcome Denise Richardson as Acting Vice President of Instruction at Merritt College.  She comes to Merritt from Laney College where she has served as the Dean of Math and Sciences since August, 2013. In addition to her role as dean, Denise was the Accreditation Liaison Officer for Laney College for two years, leading the report-writing efforts for two follow-up reports and the 2018 Midterm Report.  Denise began her career at PCCD in January 2001 through participation in the Faculty Diversity Internship Program.  In the Fall of 2001, she began teaching political science part-time at College of Alameda and Laney College before being hired as a full-time instructor at Laney in the fall of 2004.  Denise is currently completing the last year of her Educational Leadership Ed.D. Program at Mills College in Oakland, CA.   She holds a M.A. Degree in Educational Leadership, also from Mills, a M.A. Degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. Degree in Communications from Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL.

Communication, Collaboration, and Community Tools Update

The Merritt College Academic Senate Recognizes 5 Faculty

From Thomas Renbarger, Merritt College Faculty Senate President:

The Merritt College Academic Senate voted recently to recognize five faculty for their efforts in recent weeks that have helped to sustain us as an institution of higher education:

Monica Ambalal – For her work as Distance Education coordinator, where she has been front and center in all our efforts to make the transition to a fully remote-instruction environment.

Jennifer Briffa – For her work as Career Education coordinator, in which she has led the way in the ongoing effort to come up with solutions for those particularly challenging CE courses to convert to the remote instruction format.

Maria Suarez – For her work as Professional Development Committee chair, in which she was “executive producer” for a fully online mid-semester Flex Day on extremely short notice.

Isela Santana – For her work as Director of the Learning Center, in which she has coordinated the Learning Center’s tutors to provide online tutoring in a variety of essential subjects.

Lowell Bennett – For his work on keeping the Merritt College student body informed of rapidly occurring developments in this trying time.

These faculty awardees will receive a Merritt College Faculty Leader pin at the August College Flex Day. In the meantime, please join the Merritt College Academic Senate in appreciation of and gratitude for the great work they have done.

BCC 2020 PRESIDENT’S AWARD RECIPIENTS

Congratulations to the 2020 President's Award Recipients!

Board of Trustees Meeting April 21, 2020

The Chancellor's Report from the April 21, 2020 Board of Trustees meeting is available on YouTube here (11 min 38 seconds). Chancellor Stanback Stroud asked each of the four college presidents, Dr. Tim Karas at College of Alameda, Dr. Stacey Shears at Berkeley City College, Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson at Laney College, and Dr. David Johnson at Merritt College, to provide updates about the distribution of emergency resources to help students deal with the COVID-19 situation, from food services, emergency grants, and the distribution of the first batches of chrome books to facilitate remote participation in classes.  The full recording of the Board of Trustees meeting is available here (4 hours 8 min).

Bond Measures Oversight Committee Meeting from April 8, 2020

The citizen's Bond Measures Oversight Committee met via Zoom on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. A recording of the meeting is available on Youtube here. The meeting agenda included presentations on the 2018-2019 bond audit completed on time before March 31, 2020; a presentation on bond program management by Keith Kajiya of AECOM, an update on current bond projects by Vice Chancellor Dr. Leigh Sata and Keith Kajiya, and a sneak preview of the beautiful new bond website called Build Peralta that is coming soon. 

Peralta Purr-sonnel

Rosie is helping Mark Johnson keep Safe Peralta up to date

The shelter-in-place directive to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus means people throughout the Bay Area, California, and across the nation are spending more time working from home. While the shift to working, teaching and learning remotely has been challenging, one benefit of staying home is that many of us are able to spend more time with our furry family members.