Educators from peer institutions across the Western Association of Schools and Colleges conducted virtual site visits of the Peralta Community College District and the four colleges last week, March 1-4. These peer reviews were conducted on behalf of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and were part of an accreditation process that included the Special Reports we submitted last November and the Institutional Self Evaluation Reports (ISERs) submitted in December 2020.  The visits went well. We’re writing to share with you some preliminary good news that we received during the accreditation site visits last week.  

On February 18, 2021, an announcement from Interim Chancellor Dr. Carla Walter was sent to the Peralta Community including students and employees. Here is the email message from Dr. Walter.

Earlier this week, the Peralta Community College District completed Phase One of our technology upgrade of Oracle’s PeopleSoft system. This has been an all consuming project.  Together, we did it.

Dear Peralta Community,

Yesterday, our nation witnessed a disgraceful display of vandalism, violence, and insurrection at the United States Capitol, during the long held tradition of validating the will of the people. Many political and educational leaders across the country have rightfully condemned the misguided actions of those rioters who breached the Capitol, and the Peralta Community College District denounces their lawless actions as well.

ALAMEDA, CA – Today, the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) unveiled its latest accomplishment under an ambitious, multimillion-dollar capital improvement plan: completion of the New Center for Liberal Arts (Building H) at the College of Alameda. The nearly 54,000 square foot, building offers specialized facilities for programming in the divisions of Liberal Studies and Language Arts, and Career and Workforce Education, and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math with classroom space in a variety of academic disciplines. This success was preceded by a successful bond refinance earlier this year that saved taxpayers $5 million and earned the District a higher credit rating from Moody’s.

Peralta TV, which celebrated its 40th Anniversary earlier this year (see Peralta Gems #9), continues to broadcast educational and Peralta community content 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Peralta TV is available on Comcast (Channel 27 in Alameda and Berkeley, and Channel 28 in Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont) and on AT&T U-Verse (Channel 99). Here are some upcoming program highlights in September. 

Welcome students and educators to the Fall 2020 Semester at the Peralta Community College District! 

At their regular meeting on July 28, 2020, the Board of Trustees confirmed the appointment of Dr. Carla Walter as Acting Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District until an Interim Chancellor is hired. Dr. Walter, previously the Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration at the District, assumed the role of Acting Chancellor on July 18, 2020 per the Board Policy on Chancellor succession.  

On July 28, 2020, the Board of Trustees of the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) approved the appointment of Mark Johnson as Executive Director of Public Information, Communication & Media. He will continue to manage the Department of Marketing, Communication and Public Relations (MCPR) for the District. Mr. Johnson had been in the interim role for the past year. 

The 12th Annual African & African American Graduation was held July 25, 2020, celebrating graduates from Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College and Merritt College.

On July 21, 2020, a community forum was held via Zoom giving Peralta employees including faculty, classified professionals and administrators the opportunity to hear about several exciting projects impacting the district.

Presenting were Dr. Leigh Sata (Vice Chancellor of General Services), Amy Marshall (Facilities Director, Laney College) and Keith Kajiya (Vice President, AECOM, the Peralta bond program manager). Mark Johnson (Marketing, Communication & Public Relations) moderated a Question and Answer period following the presentations.