CHANCELLOR’S C-DIRECTAugust 10, 2016

Dear Colleagues:

District Flex Day August 17 at Laney CollegeSubmitted by Miriam Zamora-Kantor, Staff Development Officer

This year’s District Flex Day will include something for everyone: Are you interested in the Tiny House movement or in the competitive “Wedge” that Laney College is building? We’ll have a presentation that will include a regional and national movement to address homelessness, state of art teaching skills that students can learn and apply, and a presentation pertaining to sustainable and drought tolerant gardening. 

Judge Trina Thompson will make opening remarks and Pat James, Executive Director of the California Community Colleges’ Online Education Initiative, will provide the keynote on creative and engaging distance learning. This past year, especially given that we have taken seriously the accreditation and evaluation process, faculty overwhelmingly requested more information on incorporating technology into the classroom.

In the afternoon, amongst many options, we’ll have the opportunity to hear from and interact with Vice Chancellors Ikharo, Largent, Little, and Orkin and to learn about Peralta benefits available to us all. For those who stay into the afternoon, a special treat will await you! For more information, please contact Miriam Zamora-Kantor at mzamorakantor@peralta.edu.

Enrollment Management ReportSubmitted by Tamika M. Brown, Interim Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Enrollment Management

It has been a very productive summer for our new District unit dedicated to Enrollment Management. We are working collaboratively throughout the District to increase student access to a quality college education and pursuing an aggressive outreach campaign for the 2016-17 academic year. With the help of Institutional Research and Public Information, this summer e-communications went out to more than 21,000

students welcoming them to pursue their educational goals at Peralta Colleges. In collaboration with our College campuses, we are attending outreach events including:

St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, June 12, 2016 Boys & Men of Color Career Summit, Oakland, July 21, 2016 The Oakland Black Expo, Oakland, July 23, 2016 City of Berkeley, national night out block party, August 2, 2016 Town hall meeting- Trustee Brown, Youth Uprising, August 9, 2016 Fairyland STEM – August 18, 2016 Chinatown Street Fest – August 27 & 28 EBMUD – August 24, 2016

In addition, each College is making efforts to increase outreach within their service areas. Thank you College Presidents and Vice-Presidents for making this a priority at each campus. Pictured at the BMOC Career Summit are Maria Spencer, Myeisha Jones (Merritt), Ashley Flores, Denise Burgara(COA), Ying Liu (Laney) and Tamika Brown.

In an effort to support enrollment management at each campus, on August 1, 2016, the College Vice-Presidents and I convened an enrollment management meeting (to be held monthly). Our guests included VC Little and our District

Admissions & Records staff. Discussion included the 2016-17 College FTES target goals, enrollment management at the Colleges (i.e. scheduling, productivity, census dates, grade submissions etc.). Additionally, we are working on eliminating barriers to student enrollment. Please look for more updates in the fall on re-engineering our enrollment services to improve and increase student enrollment.

We are hosting an Oakland Promise Preview Day on August 20, 2016 at the District, for our fall inaugural class of Oakland Promise students. The Oakland Promise is a cradle-to-career initiative that aims to triple the number of college graduates from Oakland within the next decade.

Everyone who is employed at Peralta has a unique opportunity to support our enrollment efforts by:

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Supporting our colleagues in the Offices of Admission and Records (i.e. offering “triage support” during peak registration periods)

Welcoming students, helping them register and/or add classes in a timely manner Directing our students around campus to ensure that they can locate classes, offices Informing students of essential campus support services that meet their individual needs When possible, adding waitlisted and walk-in students to classes Completing all class rosters on time, including no-shows and class census Participating in on campus and community outreach events Ensuring the cleanliness and safety of our facilities

I am excited about serving in my new role to help us improve and increase student access and retention. I welcome any suggestions/feedback on enhancing the experiences of students in enrollment related activities. Please feel free to contact me at: tmbrown@peralta.edu, or office phone 510 587-7875

Accreditation Report Submitted by Dr. Annette Dambrosio

All 8 District responses to the ACCJC (draft copy) have been published, but we have “miles to go”…

Take a look at our draft responses to our 8 District Recommendations. All four Colleges have posted their respective drafts, to include District responses. Remember that each of our Colleges must do ACCJC Follow-Up Reports; the District does not submit a separate Report.

The 8 ACCJC District Recommendations are as follows:

Fiscal Management

District Recommendation 1. In order to meet the Standard, the team recommends that the District follow the 2014 audit recommendations and develop an action plan to fund its Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liabilities, including the associated debt service (III.D.1.c, III.D.3.c, III.D.1.c).

District Recommendation 2. In order to meet the Standard, the team recommends that the District resolve, comprehensively and in a timely manner, the ongoing deficiencies identified in the 2013 and 2014 external audit findings (III.D.2.b, III.D.1.h).

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Global Planning

District Recommendation 3. In order to meet the Standards, the team recommends that District General Services (DGS) work with College personnel to implement a plan to address total cost of ownership for new facilities and equipment, including undertaking critical deferred maintenance and preventive maintenance needs at the Colleges, in order to assure safe and sufficient physical resources for students, faculty and staff (III.B.1, III.B.1.a, III.B.2.a). Institutional Effectiveness

District Recommendation 4. In order to meet the Standards, the District should clearly identify the structures, roles, responsibilities and document the processes used to integrate human, facilities, technology planning, and fiscal planning in support of student learning and achievement and regularly evaluate the process in order to fairly allocate resources to support the planning priorities (III.A.6, III.B.2, III.C.2, III.D.4, IV.B.3.g)

District Recommendation 5. In order to meet the Standards, the team recommends that the District ensure retention of key leadership positions and that adequate staffing capacity is available to address the demands of three critical areas reflected in the accreditation standards: institutional effectiveness and leadership, institutional research, and financial accountability and management (III.A.2, III.A.6). Governance

District Recommendation 6. In order to meet the Standard, the team recommends that the District clearly delineate and communicate the operational responsibilities and functions of the District from those of the Colleges and consistently adheres to this delineation in practice; and regularly assesses and evaluates District role delineation and governance and decision-making structures and processes to assure their integrity and effectiveness in assisting the colleges in meeting educational goals (IV.B.3).

District Recommendation 7. In order to meet the Standards, the team recommends the Governing Board adhere to its appropriate role. The Board must allow the Chancellor to take full responsibility and authority for the areas assigned to district oversight (IV.B.1, IV.B.1a, IV.B.1.e, IV.B.1.j).

District Recommendation 8. In order to meet the Standards, the team recommends that the District systematically evaluate the equitable distribution of resources and the sufficiency and effectiveness of District-provided services in supporting effective operations of the Colleges (IV.B.3.b, IV.B.3.c, III.D.1.a, III.D.1.b, III.D.1.h).

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The following are some highlights of the 8 District responses to the Recommendations:

Recommendation 1 In January, a District OPEB Finance Team was formed and developed a conservative bond structure that provided the District the lowest interest rates possible at the time. A long-term OPEC Action plan, to include Cash Flow Planning, was put together and endorsed by the PCCD Governing Board at the July 2016 meeting. As well, District Board policy and Administrative procedures with respect to Debt Management were revised and approved.

Overall, the District followed the 2014 audit recommendations and developed an Action Plan to fund its Other Post-Employment Audit Recommendations (OPEB), to include associated debt service. Furthermore, PCCD received an AAA rating in May 2016, the highest credit rating possible on general obligation bonds—the first community college district in the state to receive this high rating.

Recommendation 2PCCD has resolved all ongoing deficiencies identified in the 2013 and 2014 external audit findings. The District established an Audit Resolution Work Team and other cross-functional groups such as the Grants Administration Team. The District Office of Finance and Administration has reworked its organizational structure to include a Senior Accountant and a Payroll Manager. The District maintains a Corrective Action Matrix to monitor audit findings.

Recommendation 3The District and the Colleges held a series of meetings to determine total cost of ownership (TCO) needs with regard to new and modernization of facilities projects, critical deferred maintenance needs, and other projects. In October, a TCO District Team Committee was formed and began to implement TCO Guidelines, while—at the same time—attending to deferred maintenance needs and to prioritizing new facility requests. To date, the draft TCO Guidelines (to be posted online on the Accreditation Web page after August 17) has been approved by the DFC and PBC. DFC will be discussing them once again in early fall semester and we hope to elicit comments from all of you at Flex.

Recommendation 4Here the District documented the PBIM structure and addressed projects that were designed to refine the existing PBIM, e.g., revising Program Review, designing and implementing a Customer Satisfaction Survey to assess how the District is serving the Colleges, and assessing PBIM--all done with an eye to improving PCCD shared governance processes.

Recommendation 5As Recommendation 5 addressed our plans for retaining key leadership positions, the response narrative addressed the District Reorganization Plan and detailed various new

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positions that have been established and the realignment of existing positions to better serve PCCD. Our Recommendation 5 response also documents that the completion of part time evaluations are in better shape than in previous years and that the District now has a new Staffing Plan, to include recommendations from PBC’s Ad Hoc Staff Resource Committee, to better handle staffing requests.

Recommendation 6The delineation of functions (District vs. Colleges) has been more clearly articulated with the addition of a revised Delineation of Functions Matrix (posted online on the Accreditation Web page) and the addition of the Interactive Functions’ Map (also online). As a means to assess the District’s service to the Colleges, a Customer Satisfaction Survey was conducted and a summary of the results published. Responses to Recommendation 6 also note that the Management Leadership District Academy Peralta (MLDAP) was established to strengthen leadership across the District.

Recommendation 7Making clear the role of the Governing Board, and accordingly, to more clearly specify the Chancellor’s responsibilities for District oversight, was the primary focus here. Our response details renewed collaboration between the PCCD Governing Board and the Chancellor beginning with setting goals and periodic evaluations of performances. To date, two Board retreats have been held, clear lines of communication established, and a renewed commitment between the Governing Board and the Chancellor to strengthen leadership aimed at enhancing student success is being documented.

Recommendation 8Efforts to evaluate the equitable distribution of resources and the sufficiency and effectiveness of District-provided services to the Colleges provide the basis for the response to Recommendation 8. For example, revising BAM, providing IT with new leadership, addressing funding resources integral to the TCO Guidelines, and implementing the new Staffing Plan are documented as specific ways in which the District is working to more equitably distribute resources and improve service to the Colleges.

Please read the District responses: We welcome your critical comments, your questions, and your suggestions as to what might be added and subtracted from the District Report. The current draft is too lengthy and I continue to edit, in consultation with the Team “leads” and will issue a revised version toward the end of August. So while we have a strong draft published right now, we have miles to go before we sleep... If you would like your own copy of the District draft responses, send me an email.

Three PCCD Women Dedicated to the Cause: Although countless PCCD folks have worked diligently to provide information, locate evidence,

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or make time to be interviewed by “yours truly,” three women in particular have really pitched in to work on the District Accreditation responses. Please thank Rosemary Vasquez, Brenda Martinez and Socorro Taylor (pictured) for all their hard work to date. I will echo the “thank you” with fair warning to roll up your sleeves, women, as we are just getting going (again, who needs sleep?)!

Get Involved in the Dialogue: Mark your Calendars for the District Flex, August 17

To further expand dialogue on some of the work that the District has been engaged in, we want to invite everyone to participate in discussions pertaining to the following topics during Flex next week (August 17):

BAM Revision Revisions and Recommendations: V.C. LittleReview of the Delineation of Functions, District and Colleges: V.C. OrkinImplementing the PCCD Human Resources Staffing Plan: V.C. LargentReview of the draft TCO Guidelines: V.C. Ikharo

Thanks again to these Vice Chancellors who have served as “leads” for the Accreditation responses.

Accreditation Work is Meaningful WorkAlthough we have worked very hard in the last several months to respond to the 8 Recommendations imposed by ACCJC, we must recognize that this work is truly useful and meaningful to the District and the Colleges. Our efforts should be extended not merely to get us off sanctions. Immersing ourselves in the questions posed by the Commission should encourage us to examine what we do and to perfect our educational performances. Again, while there is much work ahead of us; in the end, PCCD will be more effective and our students better served as a result of our efforts to meet the Standards.

As always, I invite anyone to contact me at adambrosio@peralta.edu with questions, huzzahs, or criticisms pertaining to Accreditation.

Management Leadership Development Academy at Peralta Reports

Retention Team: The Retention Team is looking at best practices for retention as it relates to future and sustained enrollment, by evaluating special programs in our

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district that use a variety of means for retaining students. We are examining the retention and completion rates for EOPS, Umoja, Care, etc., and conducting student surveys and focus groups that will result in a proposal to the district about using these practices for all students, not just those in special programs.

The 3-Step Process: The 3-Step Process is designed to enhance the overall experience of students. We want to create a transformative e-process for documents that are currently only available in paper format. Imagine completing a grade change form electronically, or students filing graduation petitions online! Our project will initially focus on processes that directly impact our students. This fall we will be working with key stakeholders to launch a pilot phase of the 3-step process with “smart search" technology. The goal is to place the following documents online: student parking pass, and course substitution form. The internal steps signatures/approval process may take more steps. However, our students will have less to do! Additionally, the 3-step process will offer greater accountability and ease within the process because we will have the capability to track the status of the form in “real time.” Look for more updates as we move forward this fall!

Maintenance & Operations: 30 Day Project Update

LANEY COLLEGE

LibraryPainting of interior spaces, including most offices on the ground floor and all doors and doorframes, was completed on Thursday, August 4, 2016.Carpet deep cleaning & gum residue removal, vinyl flooring buffing and waxing among other cleaning related work are scheduled for Wednesday, August 10, 2016 and will be completed within 4 days. In addition, interior/exterior cleaning of the windows is underway and will be completed the week of August 8th.Anderson Carpet Company was awarded a contract to replace carpets on the grand stairs with a rubberized anti-slid materials. The replacement material is an order item that requires 3 weeks lead-time – installation is anticipated for completion in the first week of September 2016.

Chemistry/Biology Labs

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Deep cleaning of floors/sinks and window washing in all Chemistry and Biology laboratories was completed the week of August 1st. Plumbing-related repairs, including sink drains and faucets in Room A-235, were completed by RG Plumbing, Inc. during the waning days of July 2016. Furthermore, an in-house crew worked both weekend days of August 6th and 7th to pull down, hose and clean air filters in all the labs. We are happy to report that the labs are much cleaner than they have been hitherto – perhaps in years.

CosmetologyElectrical and plumbing repairs in the laboratories by in-house staff and outside vendors are on going, and will be completed prior to the start of fall semester. Painting of the interior spaces by an outside contractor started as scheduled on Monday, 8/8/2016. Orders have been placed for new countertop-mounted retractable mirrors, and will be installed by an outside contractor upon arrival. Meanwhile, more of the broken retractable mirrors are now operational – thanks to repairs completed the week of August 1st by an outside vendor (Seifert & Festus Engineering, Inc.).

Quad, Breezeways & Access PathwaysFollowing the completion of initial work in the quad and Fallon Street axis, pressure washing the entire campus-- including but not limited to-- all the ramps, stairwells, breezeways and Pathways is currently underway and scheduled for completion on 8/14/2016.

Child Care CenterPressure washing and deep cleaning of both the exterior and interior of the Childcare Center will begin the week of 8/8/2016. Tree pruning the grounds as part of District-wide efforts will occur at the CDCs the week of 8/8/16. A search to establish a vendor to re-seed the infant play yard is underway, and the process will be completed the week of August 8th.

Outdoor ElectricalWork to replace all existing 12 watt LED exterior lighting with 62-watt fixtures in the campus core was completed on Saturday, July 30th. A discernable difference in lighting in the campus core will become obvious during late summer night hours.

Theater Flooring & CounterweightsThe Contract for the renovation of the stage flooring and retreading of curtain counterweights was awarded earlier in the year but work was deferred until the end of

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spring semester. Construction was completed in the prior week and the punch list walk done thereafter, resulting in the much needed rectification of defective work identified during the process. On-going efforts by our in-house crew of Facilities’ engineers to get all the restrooms, auxiliary rooms and climate control in the Theater in topnotch condition (prior to the commencement of Flex-day ceremonies) is still at feverish levels. Work done thus far is commendable. A shout out to our dedicated team. Really loud!!

RestroomsAll 84 restrooms at the College are undergoing renovation (toilet, mirrors, sinks, painting, dispensers, graffiti removal) by a 4-person crew of facility engineers; all restrooms are expected to be completed and functional upon commencement of the Fall 2016 semester.

CafeteriaThe Cafeteria modernization and renovation project is still ongoing, and is progressing at top speed, with expected completion of the project slated for the opening of fall semester. The work entails replacement of existing ceiling, flooring, plumbing improvement, air balancing, fire suppression and equipment upgrades.

Broken Glass WindowsHistorically, the Colleges witness an ongoing problem of glass window vandalism involving huge sums in replacement costs. Currently, affected buildings are the Theater, Tower building and the Forum. The District has contracted with ACR Glass for the replacement of broken glass windows in the Theater and Tower buildings. The fire & safety rated glass panes have been ordered, and installation is anticipated to occur prior to fall semester. As a corollary, cleaning of unaffected glass apertures in the quad area is currently underway. We expect visual ambience of the quad plaza to improve when work is complete.

MERRITT COLLEGEParking LotsStriping of stalls, curbs, and directional signage in all parking lots including the Horticulture lot is now completed. A new vendor has been engaged to paint all cross walks, speed bumps and curbs in the entire campus including special areas such as the compactor zone in building A and the loading docks in building P –that work is expected to be done prior to August 21st.

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Pressure WashThe pressure washing of all walkways, breezeways and sidewalks in the entire campus and the courtyard of building A was completed on August 7th.

General CleaningFloors, sinks, countertops, cabinets and equipment in the new Science & Allied Health Building are rescheduled for both deep and general cleaning beginning the week of August 8th.

Outdoor ElectricalUWA Electrical completed the replacement of LED drivers (ballasts) in 74 lighting pole fixtures and abutting the bus stop area on August 6th & 7th. Enhanced lighting in the identified areas should be visible during nighttime hours. It was noticed that some of the light poles have missing light fixtures. A new project to identify each light pole on campus with a marker will be executed –this is intended to make it much easier to identify faulty lighting locations.

BERKELEY CITY COLLEGEElevatorNew flooring for all four (4)-passenger elevators was installed earlier in July 2016.

PaintingN.S Construction & Painting has been contracted to paint the Atrium space on the 4th and 5th floors, the Student lounge and about half a dozen classrooms. This work began on schedule on August 8 and will be completed within 4 days.

Outdoor CleaningLewis & Taylor Building Services is contracted to power wash the entire span of public sidewalk fronting the College –work is scheduled to be completed the week of August 8th.

COLLEGE OF ALAMEDACOA AviationElectrical work, including the replacement of exterior lighting fixtures, is rescheduled to begin the week of August 8th.

General Cleaning

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Consolidated Cleaning Services, Inc. has been engaged for general cleaning in all the buildings at COA Main. They are scheduled to begin work the week of August 8th.

DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE CENTERA&R BuildingAn in-house crew did deep cleaning of the carpets in all the interior spaces on August 4th. A Contract for renovation of both men & women restroom has been awarded to N.S. Construction. The renovation work is expected to start within a week –facilities staff will coordinate with A&R to work out construction logistics in order to minimize any negative impact.

DAC MainA Contract for the renovation of the women’s restroom in the Educational Services/Finance offices has been awarded to N.S Construction and work will commence as soon as flooring samples have been reviewed and approved by interested/authorizing parties.

DGS WarehouseA Contract has been awarded for the renovation of the men’s restroom in the Warehouse area. The work entails the installation of bathroom stalls to separate toilet and shower activities from urinal in order to improve space utilization –three (3) activities is anticipated to happen simultaneously upon completion. In addition, the toilet will be upgraded to low-flow hands-free model; also, flooring and LED lighting upgrades will be implemented as part of the renovation.

District-wide LandscapingElite Tree Services won a Contract to prune all the trees in all three (3) large acreage campuses and the DAC; work at Merritt College started on August 6th and continues for a few days, then moving to Laney and ending at COA during the week of August 15th. Also in tandem, is weed abatement work by the in-house Grounds-keeping crew – 80% of total weed work is at Merritt campus; work at Merritt by a large crew started on August 6th and will be ongoing for the following week. An in-house crew work begins at Laney the week of August 15th for a week and the exercise continues at COA the week of August 22nd.

An Email from Brock Drazen

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Many of us received an email from Brock Drazen, Head Coach of Track & Field/XC, at Merritt College. We wanted to pay tribute to him and his outstanding work over the years and for his commitment to the future. Here are some excerpts from his email:

The good news is that I’m not going far. I’ll be working with our same or quite similar student population over at Laney as the full time track and field head coach in the Kinesiology Department there. It has been quite ironic that after 12 years of patiently grinding with the goal of achieving a full time position, I finally

received 2 full time offers at once this summer at Peralta.

I never thought I would leave Merritt … [and] I am deeply saddened to leave this place and all the people that make Merritt so special…I have been extremely, incredibly fortunate to work here and with our students.

For the past 6 weeks I have been training Kemarley Brown, our 2014 state champion who set a national community college record in the 100m (9.93) that year, becoming the only community college track athlete in history to break the 10 second barrier with a wind legal time. It was a surprise when he asked me just that few weeks ago if I could help him get back to form but it has been an exciting, unexpected 2nd chapter. Kemarley is competing at the Rio Olympics in the 100m beginning on August 13 and I'll be there as his coach.  When I first started at Merritt, I worked with the great 1972 Olympian sprinter and relay gold medalist Eddie Hart who assisted Nate Slaughter here at Merritt. We stay in touch. I also see Eugene Swift, 1996 Olympian and Merritt hurdles state champion, yearly during track season. So, I'm thrilled to bring Merritt back to the Olympics with Kemarley!  Maybe it's some kind of way to deal with the cognitive dissonance created by leaving while still here but I just have a feeling maybe I'll always have ties here that may bring us back together someday, someway. In the meantime, I thank you all for your contributions to this community and for helping me grow in ways obvious and subtle. I'm stronger, more independent, outgoing, determined and caring because of my experiences here. All the best to all of you!

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JowelJowel C. Laguerre, Ph.D.

Chancellor

Here are some quotes in honor of our exceptional female Olympians:

True champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts. - Mia Hamm, soccer player, two time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women's World

Cup winner.

When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing it.- Lindsey Vonn, skier who won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics,

the first ever in the event for an American woman.  

Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.- Wilma Rudolph, the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field

during a single Olympic Games, 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. 

Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind. - Jackie Joyner Kersee, won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in

track and field events at four different Olympic Games. 

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