Good morning, Merritt Community.

I am pleased to welcome Lisa Cook to the Merritt College family, as she formally begins her tenure as our Acting Vice President of Instruction. This morning marks her first day in the role, and we are grateful to have her. Lisa comes to us from Berkeley City College, where she has served as the Dean of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences since 2016. Her time in the Peralta District as an experienced leader and educator, however, spans more than 25 years.

Oakland, June 29, 2023

Dear Peralta Community,

Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the admissions systems used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill illegally violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, effectively overturning Affirmative Action programs. This is an unfortunate decision.

Merritt College Participates in Peralta Summer Institute

As part of the Peralta Summer Institute, Merritt is offering four career pathways for high school students to explore:

• iCare: EMT & Medical Skills
• iDeal: Business & Digital Marketing
• iGrow: The Business of Urban Agriculture
• iServe: Administration of Justice

KTVU - Oakland Has New Interim Fire Chief

Merritt College Partners with Cultural Curators

Merritt College is partnering with two cultural curators to expand our reach into the community and attract students to our programs. The first collaboration is with Rod Campbell of Dope Only Marketing and will begin on July 1, 2023. This collaboration will enable us to recruit and retain a cohort of underserved, motivated high school students who are interested in beginning a Pre-Med/STEM pathway at the College.

Merritt College is very proud to share another success story from the ranks of our classified professional staff. Ms. Maria Valencia currently works in the Office of Instruction as the assistant to the VPI. She describes herself as a first-generation student from a very impoverished background, but also as someone who always had a strong desire to earn a college degree.

The Peralta Association of African American Affairs (PAAAA) hosted a lovely event in honor of seven outstanding students on May 4th, 2023, at the Peralta Community College District headquarters in Oakland.  Dr. Lawrence VanHook (PAAAA President) led attendees through the program that included Libations by Dr. Marlon Hall (Laney College Vice President of Student Services) and a thrilling performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by Laney College student Alison Fletcher. 

The following article is written by Brock Drazen, Athletic Director at Merritt College and Head Coach of the Merritt College Track & Field team, and is used by permission from an announcement sent to all Peralta employees on May 22, 2022.

Our season has come to an end with 2 more state champions this past Saturday at Modesto Junior College. Isela Ochoa won in the 400 hurdles making that 2 for 2 in 2022 and 2023 and Kwaku Owusu won in the 400m for his first state championship.