Over 70 leaders from the Peralta Community College District gathered in the Atrium on Friday, September 5th, for the Fall 2025 Shared Governance Summit. The Summit marked the formal launch of the District’s strategic planning to create a unified, equity-centered institution that prioritizes student success.

The diverse attendance included faculty, classified professionals, administrators, and students from Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College, as well as employees from the District Service Center. Breakfast burritos were served. Peralta t-shirts were distributed. Enthusiasm was abundant!

Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson acknowledged the strong presence of students, commenting during the Chancellor's Report of the September 9th Board meeting that she was “especially proud that so many student leaders attended including Student Trustees Ahyan Malik and Leo Migliaccio. My thanks to them for reaching out to Associated Students leaders from the colleges to make sure students are represented.” 

A New Strategic Approach

The Summit introduced participants to the new shared governance framework and the use of “Appreciative Inquiry” and "Gradients of Agreement" decision making as tools for guiding Peralta’s transformation. Chancellor Gilkerson highlighted the core necessity of the upcoming work: preparing to redirect resources from duplicated or underutilized programs to areas with high student demand.

Dr. Gilkerson framed this crucial balancing act in simple terms, stating, “I see this approach as a way to 'prune to grow,' with the goal of nurturing new opportunities, particularly around course and program assessment, evening and weekend instruction and support, distance education, dual enrollment, and concurrent enrollment.”

Task Forces and Next Steps

The energy and commitment from the Summit immediately translated into actionable items. 

To execute the strategic priorities identified at the Summit, the District established new mechanisms for investigation and recommendation:

• The existing Student Success & Enrollment Management Committee will lead the investigation into the concepts of Course & Program Assessment and an Evening and Weekend college.
• Three new special Task Forces have been created, reporting directly into the Planning and Budget Committee, to investigate and make recommendations for Distance Education, Dual & Concurrent Enrollment, and Unification.

Chancellor Gilkerson thanked Dr. Leslie Blackie, the District Academic Senate President, and Ms. Tachetta Henry, the Peralta Classified Senate President, for their significant help in planning the successful day.

Chancellor Gilkerson concluded, “It’s going to be a very busy Fall semester, but our work is intentional and full of purpose.” All committees and task forces will report their findings and recommendations at the next Shared Governance Summit, planned for February 27, 2025, at Merritt College. 

More photos from the Shared Governance Summit are available on Peralta's SmugMug account here.