Good morning, Merritt Community.

I am writing with great news to share! I am pleased to announce that Mr. Jorge Murillo is our new Director of Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (HSI Director). Now that he has had a few days to settle in, I encourage you to reach out and/or stop by his office to give him a warm Merritt College welcome! We are working with the District to create his email address, but in the meantime, he can be reached at aspira.merritt@peralta.edu. His office is R-113G.

Berkeley City College (BCC) announced that it has been awarded a highly-competitive nearly $3 million Developing Hispanic Serving Institution grant from the Department of Education to expand supportive services for Latinx and marginalized students. This is the College’s first grant since being named a Developing Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by the US Department of Education in 2020. As a population that has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, these additional academic and student support services come at a critical time.