CHANCELLOR’S C-DIRECT
June 8, 2016
Dear Colleagues:
The week, though shorter by one day, was filled with many rewarding activities. In
particular, it was most fulfilling to launch the PCCD Management Leadership Academy. I
was also part of several celebrations of high school students tied to Peralta or our
community-based organizations. The week was exhausting, but brimming with
excellent opportunities.
Management Leadership Development Academy of Peralta (MLDAP):
I spent three days last week working with a number of our faculty, staff and
administrators in Peralta’s new Academy. If you recall, it the Management Leadership
Development Academy was something I promised I would initiate at the District. Those
chosen (almost everybody who applied was accepted, except for those with schedule
conflicts) were as excited as I was to come together to strengthen our collective abilities
to lead the District. Though Dr. Crawford and I had some challenges putting the
Academy together, the efforts were well worth it. My initial thought was to simply
replicate the Solano Community College Academy that I initiated. However, after
looking at the complexity of our organization, I decided that a more hands-on Academy
was in order. Melvinia King, who will lead our Workforce Development and Continuing
Education unit, stepped up as a facilitator for us and helped us to build a much stronger
Academy than we had at Solano College. Here are some features of the PCCD Academy:
 Hands-on and practical.
 Project-based. The participants have chosen to develop, implement and deliver
three transformational projects to help improve the District. They will share the
concepts with you at the next Board meeting.
 Year-long and active programs versus workshops and one-shot-only events.
 Individual activities to help Academy participants either prepare for a new
assignment or deepen their knowledge of their current work.
The Academy allowed our faculty, staff and administrators to create a strong bond as
colleagues, as they were afforded the opportunity to work in teams. As a result of our
work, we are now developing a cohesive team of leaders that has lasting potential. The
following is a list of our Management Leadership graduates:
Name
Melvinia King
Antoine Mehouelley
Fong Tran
Liliana Rojas
Fred Bourgoin
Brenda Lewis
Jackie Graves
Dave Nguyen
Karen Croley
Chandevy Eng
Nicole Kelly
Joseph Koroma
Charles Neal
Sharon Millman
MORNING GROUP
Title
Associate Vice Chancellor, WDCE
Director of Information Technology
Director of Student Activities
Staff Assistant
Math Instructor
Secretary
English Department Co-Chair
Financial Aid
Curriculum and Systems Analyst
Facilities Project Coordinator
Co-Coordinator, ATLAS Program
Instructor
Director of Green Technology
Facilities Project Manager
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College
District
District
COA
District
Laney
COA
Laney
District
District
District
COA
COA
District
District
Name
Sui Song
Chanelle Whittaker
Lilia Chavez
Lisa Cook
Maria Spencer
Drew Gephart
Lisa Gwyn-Laigo
Thomas Torres-Gil
Siri Brown
Tamika Brown
Jennifer Seibert
Iolani Sodhy-Gereben
Chioma Ndubuisi
Chriss Foster
Keiko James
Andre Singleton
Kevin Wade
Mary Denise Jackson
Francisco Gamez
Laurence Van Hook
AFTERNOON GROUP
Title
Finance and Administration
Director, Employee Relations
Interim Director
Dean
Support Specialist
International Services
Manager
Staff Assistant to VP
International Services
Instructor
Instructor
Benefits Manager
Academic Support Specialist
Project Manager IT
Instructor
Program Manager
Director of Student Activities
Director of Student Activities
Adjunct Instructor
Incoming Dean
Program Manager
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College
District
District
Merritt
BCC
Merritt
District
BCC
BCC
Merritt
Laney
District
Laney
District
Merritt
Foundation
BCC
Laney
Merritt
BCC
COA
Teacher Pipeline with Holy Names University:
Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and Kitty Epstein visited with me last week to discuss our
interest in a pipeline program for future teachers. There is a grant we would be a part of
that would encourage and support students who want to explore education and gain
some experience early on, before transferring to Holy Names University or their
favorite four-year institution. The funding for this proposed program is part of the
Governor’s budget. The meeting with Dr. Mayfield and Ms. Epstein was in anticipation
of funding becoming available.
Health Advocate Program Discussion:
In her first act as Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Continuing
Education (WDCE), Dr. Melvinia King and I met with Dr. Brenda Spriggs and Dr. Glenda
Newell-Harris (both physicians) to discuss the potential of having a health advocate
program at Merritt College. Doctors Spriggs and Newell-Harris have been in discussions
with Merritt on and off for six years regarding this proposed project. We assured them
that it would not take six more years before we make the decision to move forward and,
to that end, Dr. King has already drafted an MOU. The primary encouragement for the
program came from Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Her interest in establishing a health
advocate program was one of the initial issues she brought to my attention, when I met
her for the first time as Chancellor. I am pleased we are moving forward with what I see
as a much-needed program.
Distance Education Support Discussions:
I have shared, before, my discussions with the Distance Education Committee and have
stated that the District has not invested in its Distance Education infrastructure as it
should. The faculty have done their best to put things in place, even without strong
support from the District Office. But now there is a resolution that came to the Planning
and Budgeting Council, encouraging the District to provide proper support and
oversight for Distance Education. Inger Stark is the District DE Chair, and we have met
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to discuss proposals the Committee has made; I agreed that it is time for the District to
step up. Our lack of strong support for DE has caused us to:
 Fail to be a serious player in statewide discussions about Distance Education;
 Deprive our faculty and students of support for establishing good standards for
Distance Education;
 Have a lower than normal number of courses to be taught;
 Experience lower student achievement;
 Have no ties between District IT and Distance Education.
The need for support is urgent, for it has gone too long without remedy. The Committee
agreed to provide some support this summer, in order to start kicking the program into
gear, including a work session with a DE expert to assign administrative oversight for
the Program.
I am grateful to the faculty for bringing up these issues. This is where a Vice Chancellor
for Academic Affairs will serve as a facilitator for appropriate faculty support at the
District level.
College Bound Brotherhood:
I was pleased to attend the College Bound Brotherhood graduation on Wednesday.
Almost 100 African-American young men received scholarships to go to a variety of
colleges and universities. Several will be attending our four Colleges. I have not had
much interaction with the program yet, but I have now met the leaders and agreed to
work with them to make sure that these students get acquainted with Peralta’s UMOJA
programs, so they can continue that brotherhood camaraderie. The College Bound
Brotherhood graduation was a spectacular event, and one in which Peralta should play
a larger role.
BOSS Rising Star Program:
Building Opportunities For Self Sufficiency (BOSS) selected me as its keynote speaker
for its end-of-the-year program. I was happy to be a part of this group in recognizing
student achievement. Some of the students from the area have overcome great
difficulties. Several have experienced some great hardships in life, including loss of
parents through murder and homelessness. A sibling of one of the awardees is
attending BCC. He approached me after my remarks to let me know that he knew I used
to work at Truckee Meadow Community College, and he was wondering if his credits
would transfer there. His family is now homeless and moving to Reno … so many heart5
wrenching stories and some of the students have little trust in promises of help. I
wanted to help these students in order to restore their trust in people, so I conducted
an activity where I asked them to trust those who promise to help them. I then
challenged the students to put my advice into practice by saying, “I am giving a
scholarship to attend one of the Peralta Colleges to the first student who comes to the
podium and claims it.” I usually need to do that a couple of times before one volunteers
to accept it. After three tries, a young woman of Haitian descent came up and claimed
the prize. Later, two more individuals in the audience were promised a similar
scholarship to attend PCCD. It was not until the third scholarship offer that the students
started to trust the promise. I am pleased that we have a mutually beneficial
partnership with BOSS to support our youth.
East Bay Foundation and Oakland Promise Scholarships Extravaganza:
Drs. Blake and Ambriz-Galaviz and I attended this impressive event that featured 300
Oakland students who received scholarships to attend UCs, CSUs, private and out-ofstate institutions and community colleges. One hundred of these students will attend
our institutions in the District. The Reverend Jesse Jackson was there to praise the
students, but also to challenge them to succeed. I had the opportunity to share a few
words alongside two of the students who will attend Merritt. From this year’s college
graduating class, 80% of the scholars finished their education. The East Bay Foundation
and the Oakland Promise will continue to provide support for students throughout their
studies.
MLK Freedom Center:
The MLK Freedom Center was started by former PCCD Chancellor Elihu Harris and
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and is housed at Merritt. The Program leaders work with
students in the area to help them to develop their leadership skills as well as
themselves. The group is very diverse and engages in a lot of activities. The students
have great manners and speak very well publicly. This was my first time addressing
them. I shared a lot of my personal and professional stories with them. I tried to bring
them on a journey with me from my illiterate parents, to no schools in my village, to my
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being sent away to school and the hardships that come with that. I took them through
my studies and my professional life as a lifetime educator. They had great questions for
me. Participating in this event resulted in one of the best Saturday mornings I have
experienced, because I was in the company of some of the brightest and most dedicated
minds. I congratulate Roy Wilson and Royl Roberts for their leadership of this Program.
Accreditation News:
Submitted by Dr. Annette Dambrosio
I was impressed by the vibe that swept the District and the Colleges during the week of
May 23 through May 27! In the midst of graduation celebrations, final examinations,
and all that goes with the closing of an academic year, I was truly heartened that some
of you took the time to attend Accreditation “Brown Bag” luncheon events. During that
week, I hosted those “brown bags” – beginning with Berkeley City College, then College
of Alameda (and earlier Merritt), and last, but not least, Laney College. Although the
turnout was small at each College, the folks who did not attend had good questions at
the ready and suggestions regarding the work done to date on the District ACCJC
Recommendations. I wish to thank V.C. Orkin and V.C. Ikharo for joining me and lending
their expertise. Finally, I want to commend V.C. Little for hosting a most informative
Budget Allocation Model Workshop at Laney College that same week; here the room
was packed and, no doubt, all of us left the workshop with a better understanding of
BAM and how the proposed revisions and ongoing deliberations will enhance PCCD’s
ability to more equitably allocate resources.
In addition to Accreditation “Brown Bags,” the Accreditation Leads met and continued
discussing how we will work together throughout the summer to refine our responses
to the various ACCJC Recommendations in preparation for all of you to review the
report at August Flex. Finally, the last meeting of PBC presented an opportunity to
debut some of the major Accreditation documents that are being drafted by the District,
particularly, another version of the Delineations of Functions matrix, the Total Cost of
Ownership Guidelines, and – for the first time ever – a District wide Staffing Plan.
I wish to say just a bit about the District wide Staffing Plan: Note that the Staffing Plan
(please see attached copy of report) is in draft form as the lead author, V.C. Largent,
wants to ensure that broad dialogue will provide a foundation for continuing work in
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order to perfect the Plan. In May, V. C. Largent took the Plan to the Chancellor’s Cabinet
and to PBC for a first review. She will also be sending the Plan to the Resource
Allocation Task Force for Classified Staffing, asking that group for their feedback.
Finally, everyone will have an opportunity to discuss the Staffing Plan at the District
Flex Day in August. Much work has gone into the construction of this document; the
PCCD Staffing Plan is a good one. Please thank Dr. Largent for getting this project off of
the ground.
Accreditation work continues… As always, I invite anyone to contact me with questions,
huzzahs or criticisms pertaining to Accreditation. My email: [email protected].
ASTI Graduation:
Although I did not have enough time to see the whole Alameda Science and Technology
Institute (ASTI) graduation, I was so pleased to be able to see some of it. The student
speaker was Mit Lepcha, who is a member of the Freedom Center. She shared her
experience with the Freedom Center and the joy of learning at the College of Alameda.
Additionally, Dr. Blake made great remarks on behalf of the District.
Four-Ten Days Starting This Week:
Peralta employees will start working ten-hour days this week to be off on Fridays. All
offices will be closed on Fridays until the first week of August.
Jowel C. Laguerre, Ph.D.
Chancellor
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In memory of the one many claim to be the greatest ever, Muhammad Ali:
Quotes from Ali. RIP, Champ!
“Go to College, Stay in school. If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure
make something out of you.”
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
“I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast. I can't possibly be beat.”
“Don’t count the days; make the days count.”
“It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.”
“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
“If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize.”
“Braggin' is when a person says something and can’t do it. I do what I say.”
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”
“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his
soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the
world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is
not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is
potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
“A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of
your life as a champion.'”
“At home I am a nice guy: but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people, I’ve found,
don’t get very far.”
“A man who has no imagination has no wings.”
“He’s (Sonny Liston) too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty
like me!”
“I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of
my own.”
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“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And
throw thunder in jail.”
“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the
hating. It's just plain wrong.”
“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”
“I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren't no satellites when
Jesus and Moses were around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about them.”
“It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”
“I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest.”
“Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right.”
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