The Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 for a very efficient and productive meeting. The full meeting was divided into three parts: a brief public session, a closed session, then the regular public meeting.
President Besikof Meets With API Community Leaders
On September 22, 2021, President Besikof conducted a virtual meeting with Asian Pacific Islander (API) community leaders from the East Bay. The meeting was a forum to provide leaders in the API community to speak directly to the President about ways Laney College can be an effective partner and better serve the community.
The goal of the meeting was to identify ways that Laney College can be more responsive to API community needs, including career services and job training programs to help students establish careers that will contribute to the East Bay economy.
Attending the meeting were leaders from the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Lao Family Community Development, East Bay Asian Youth Center, and the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation. President Besikof invited attendees to establish and ongoing dialogue with the college, and announced future opportunities for more in-depth discussions.
Mam Group Performs at Warriors Kick-off Game
On Oct. 6, Laney's Mam group performed at the first Warriors game of the season. Henry Sales and Tessa Scott have been holding Mam workshops at Laney College sponsored by the Latinx Cultural Center for almost two years, offering a Certificate of Achievement in Mam Language and Culture as well as 3 courses (for Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced students).
They will also be performing at the Chase Center, November 11th and December 6th!
Laney College Awarded $125,000 in CAI & HRTP Grants
As announced by the State Chancellor’s Office on Sept. 16, Laney College is one of four colleges across the state that were awarded a $125,000 California Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI) High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) Planning Grant. The goal of Laney College’s grant is to create a detailed pre-apprenticeship/bridge curriculum that will help guide and prepare students for careers in the manufacturing, automotive, and water/wastewater sectors.
On July 1st, 2021, the Laney College team welcomed the new Vice President of Instruction Dr. Becky Opsata. Before joining Laney, Dr Opsata served as Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation at Diablo Valley College for 15 years, and before that at California State University Northridge as faculty member in Communication Studies for 6 years. Dr. Opsata comes to Laney bringing impressive work experience and big plans for the college. On July 7th, one week after being appointed Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Becky Opsata was already engaged in some of her projects for the next year, getting students back to campus.
Laney CTE Summer Institute
Laney College is proud to have concluded another successful Career and Technical Education (CTE) Summer Institute last week, which hosted 144 high school students from districts within our service area. The six-week program was designed to give prospective students a look into Laney’s CTE programs and campus resources that will help them achieve their goals.
Laney College Partners with Schnitzer Steel Industries
Laney is excited to announce that the college has formed a partnership with Schnitzer Steel Industries, a metal recycling firm based in Oakland. During the three-year partnership, Schnitzer Steel guarantees an annual financial sponsorship dedicated to support Laney College’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. O
Laney College mechanical engineering student Gabriela Manrique has been selected by NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) to attend the NCAS Virtual Experience during the spring and summer sessions. Congratulations Gabriela!
The Peralta Community College District Children's Centers (located at Laney College & Merritt College) are currently recruiting and enrolling new families with children ages 3 to 5 years. The centers provide free, low-cost, and full-fee childcare. Visit our website at https://web.peralta.edu/childcare/ to apply.
