Dr. Jamillah Moore|President

Los Angeles City College

Dear Members of the Los Angeles City College Community:

As we celebrate the end to a successful fall semester and we prepare for the holiday season, I want to take this opportunity to thank the students, faculty and staff of the institution.  This past year has been very productive and as we close out 2010, I am so proud of what we have accomplished.  Here are examples of some of those accomplishments:

·  Reaffirmation of the college's accreditation

·  Through our shared governance process, we

      were able to balance a $7.5 million deficit

·  Commencement Keynote by the Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis

·  Number one ranked Math team

·  Re-achieved our status as an Hispanic Serving Institution

·  Awarded a Title V Grant of over $4 million over a five year period 

·  Awarded the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Grant

·  Hosted the U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of Health and   

     Human Services

·  Dental Tech Graduates ranked number one in the Nation

·  LACC Foundation raised over $400,000 in scholarship funds

     with the 80th Anniversary Celebration Gala

·  Completing Fall 2010 on target with FTES

·  Hired 14 new faculty members 

In appreciation of all that you do I have started a new tradition at LACC known as the President's Annual Appreciation Breakfast, in support of the campus personnel and the students we serve.  Listed below is the timeline and the location for the event.                                                                                                                                          
  

·  Faculty Appreciation Breakfast: December 9th in the Faculty and

      Staff Center at 7:30am Thank you to those who attended this very            

      successful kick-off!

·  Classified Appreciation Breakfast: (January 11^th or 13th) in  

      the Faculty and Staff Center at 7:30 am

·   ASO Student Appreciation Breakfast: (February date TBA) in the

      Faculty and Staff Center at 7:30 am

·  Management Team Appreciation Breakfast: (March date TBA) in

      the Faculty and Staff Center at 7:30am 

I have no doubt that spring will be just as exciting.  I invite you to check out the Colleges website at:  www.lacitycollege.edu for all upcoming events.  I am happy to announce that the college will be holding a Winter session, scheduled to begin January 3, 2011.  I would like to say a special thank you to our students.  Thank you for your loyalty and commitment to the institution.  While we have encountered budgetary challenges that reduced course offerings and many changes in the implementation of our bond program you have remained with us through all the changes, limited resources, and tough decisions.  Please note that the students of LACC are our number one priority and on behalf of the faculty, staff, and administration we commend you.  As we get ready to celebrate the Holidays, I would like to share with you that I am thankful for the many blessings and accomplishments we all enjoy as a part of the LACC community.  Thank you for all you do to support the excellence of the college.  As the president of Los Angeles City College I commit to you that I will continue to work hard and in the best interest of the institution to sustain quality educational programs.   
 

Los Angeles City College Sits down with Councilman LaBonge
 
 City Councilman Tom LaBonge an alumnus and long-time supporter of Los Angeles City College recently sat down with representatives from the college to discuss athletics and facilities.  ASO President, Jay Cortez, AFT President, Mattie Moon, Teamsters' President, Allison Jones, Student Services Vice President, Dr. Lawrence Bradford, Dr. Moore and Academic Senate President, Ken Sherwood all met with the Councilman.  The meeting focused on the College's decision not to change its facilities master plan to eliminate the planned Student Union in favor of building a second athletic field on the site of the golf driving range.
 
 The councilman's office received several inquiries regarding the athletics program at LACC which, has been "temporarily suspended," as a result of the college's continuing deficit.  The representatives articulated to the councilman that the college still has a thriving physical education department.  Councilman LaBonge had requested that the LACCD Board of Trustees consider altering the college's master plan to include an additional field.  Associated Students President Cortez explained that the ASO unanimously supports the existing master plan because it will serve the largest number of students possible and shared that the ASO Senate had passed a resolution to this effect. The rest of the delegation took turns laying out the important facts that led to the planning decisions currently in place including the following planned and under-construction facilities.                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

·         A new Health, Fitness, P.E. Building-complete with a new gymnasium, locker room, multi-purpose rooms, fitness center and new outdoor pool that will be breaking ground this fall

·         The modernization of the South Gym

·         The six new tennis courts in the area in question
 

We were happy to inform the councilman that upon completion of construction projects, Physical Education and Athletics will have a significant number of new facilities and additional space.  It was important for us to articulate to the councilman that this is a community college, designed to support the needs of the entire community, not just athletics/physical education.  All facilities decisions are made through a formal and well-established shared governance process on campus so it is not the decision of the college president but, that of a committee comprised of representatives from all the major stake holders on campus. This was insightful to councilman LaBonge and helped us to build a bridge of understanding regarding the needs and demands of the college and the reality of limited resources to meet that challenge.  Councilman LaBonge was excited to hear that our ASO and Office of Student Life are working closely with the Physical Education Department to roll out a new Intramural Sports program at LACC, which should be up and running this spring semester.  This will provide opportunities for the students of LACC to participate in athletics without draining college resources.  We closed out the meeting with a brief overview by Dr. Moore on her work with individuals from the community on fundraising for the Athletics program.  Currently, Dr. Moore is working with alumni Duke Russell and former LACC coach Phil Pote on funds to re-establish baseball at the college.  Councilman LaBonge was thrilled to hear that in the midst of the state's fiscal crisis, LACC is working to provide athletic opportunities for our students.

Dr. Kim Perry|Vice President

Academic Affairs 

Paul Carlson|Vice President

Administrative Services

Dr. Lawrence L. Bradford|VicePresident

Student Services

In my fall flex speech to the faculty on October 26, 2010, I spoke of the optimism I felt, in light of the huge fiscal challenge the Division of Student Services faced with the reductions in the categorical program funding and the fact that we were in the process of undertaking some initiatives aimed at improving student success.

I remain optimistic, although for the second consecutive year, State categorically funded programs such as CalWorks, the Child Development Center, OSS, EOP&S/CARE, Credit and Non-Credit Matriculation face the same funding dilemma presented in the past fiscal year as the preliminary allocations for these programs reflect funding at the 2009-2010 levels.

In a report to the Shared Governance Committee on December 6, 2010, I made the college aware that the categorically funded programs in Students Services would be hard pressed to get by with only $ 300,000 dollars of relief from the general fund; to be pooled among these programs. The categorical program with the greatest need is the OSS Program, as this program received a funding cut in excess of $250,000. Given these funding reductions, we have no choice but to reduce services, in order to maintain the programs.

The upside of the Student Services operating budget is that the Deans, Directors/Coordinators, and the Chair of Counseling have been able to manage with less, and have a lot to show for it. Some of the programs, activities, and outcomes we are proud of that occurred in the fall are:

·     We hired three outstanding counselors (two in General Counseling and another in OSS), a Learning Disability Specialist, and a Child Development Director. All five of these new faculty will make a significant contribution in the future success of our students.

·     We're proud to say that we are in the second year of serving hot meals to our kids in the Child Development Center.

·     The Veteran Success Institute (VSI) at LACC has been a lifeline for our veterans retuning home after tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.  The VSI has hosted many activities and workshops for these veterans, and veterans from Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War, along with academic and social activities to promote student engagement, retention, and fellowship. 

·     The Freshman Year Experience Program has been a resounding success. So much so, that it will be expanded to serve a larger student population. 

·     We are very proud of the success of the Foster and Kinship Program and the Guardian Scholars Program because both programs are not only serving the needs of a special student population, but training parents as well.  

There are so many more programs, activities, and outcomes we are proud of, that were achieved by, and continues to be achieved every day, by the hardworking Student Service Staff. Admissions, the Career Center, Counseling, Financial, EOP&S, OSS, the Transfer Center, Student Life, just to name few programs, serve students continuously. But I'd like to offer special recognition to the classified staff in the Student Services Division. The classified staff is on the frontline... ....everyday. And they have done a fantastic job in this fiscal environment!

LACC continues to prepare for the implementation of SB 1440 through multiple participatory avenues. Faculty have been encouraged to participate through the C-ID project (www.C-ID.net). The Statewide Academic Senate and the State Chancellor's office are asking faculty to represent their disciplines at meetings across the state to develop more Transfer Model Curricula (TMC) which will make more transfer degrees available to students by the Fall 2011 semester. Meanwhile, plans continue to bring SB 1440 author, Senator Alex Padilla and State Chancellor, Jack Scott to LACC for a Q&A on 1440 implementation.

SB 1440, commonly known as "The Transfer Bill", is the most significant piece of legislation to affect California Community Colleges in may years. It represents a great step forward in assisting students to transfer from community colleges to colleges in the California State University system. However, many questions remain regarding the implementation of this historic legislation and faculty participation is essential in making sure these degrees are designed in a manner that will truly benefit our students. Please continue to check your email for messages from the C-ID project, the ASCCC, and the LACCD for ways in which you can participate in this process.

Vocational Healthcare Bridge Program

The Hollywood WorkSource Center and Los Angeles City College have partnered on an Healthcare Vocational Bridge Program to assist unemployed job seekers in entering Career Ladder Healthcare Occupations. Many of these unemployed workers have a strong work ethic, and want to enter the Healthcare Industry, but lack the necessary prerequisites to start training for these occupations. On December 17, 2010, the Healthcare Vocational Bridge Program at LACC graduated its first 100 students.

These students were supported by the Koreatown Senior Multipurpose Center, and overcame language barriers to successfully complete their program. They now have the necessary skills and education to start healthcare career training. Also, they all now have an In-Home Support Services credential, which allows them to start providing patient care. The graduation was inspiring, with kind encouragement from LACC President Dr. Jamillah Moore, and their instructors, as well Dr. Phil Starr, Executive Director of the Hollywood WorkSource Center, the students were visibly moved as they realized just how much they have accomplished.

This program continues with another 100 community members, with training also preparing them for Healthcare Careers. A cohort of 60 graduates from this program will start the CNA training at LACC in January, 2011. This project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as administered by Community Development Department of the City of Los Angeles. This program's success is a model for assisting unemployed adults in entering the Healthcare Industry.

A very special "Thank You" goes out to the Workforce Readiness Academy: Nelines Colon-Paladini, Meredith Corso, Mireya Infante, Starr Shishikyan, Isabelle Barros, Lucy Bezyan, Margarit Keshishyan, Liz Watier, Fibi Soliman, and a host of others.

Dr. Tammy Robinson|Chair

English Department 

The English/ESL Department is proud to acknowledge that we had our holiday party at the Rockwell, Thursday, December 9, 2010. We celebrated the end of our semester together with cheer. We also welcomed our newest member, Jack Raidon Nishimura. He is the son of Jeffrey Nishimura, English faculty. Jack is our newest superstar.
The department was awarded $25,000.00 for student tutors for the 2010-2011 academic year. We thank the ASO for their help and it will really help our Writing Centers. Additionally, we were awarded another $26,000 in Basic Skills money for our ESL tutors. We thank the committee for their help with that. The department is working very hard to continue to serve the students by providing much needed support to the students of LACC.

We also welcome two new faculty members to our line up, Daniel Ruiz, English and Dr. Lane Igoudin, ESL. They are excellent additions and we welcome them to our department and the LACC family. Have a great holiday season all and a wonderful new decade!