Jan. 19, 2021 Courier

January 2021

BOARD REPORTS

Board Vice President Linda Cartwright wished everyone a happy new year and said she hoped 2021 will be a better year. She noted that January is School Board Recognition Month, recognizing the contributions made by school board members. She said she was glad to hear that Cuyamaca College is being considered as a vaccination site. Cartwright noted that she is optimistic about the Governor’s proposed budget, which includes a 1.5% cost of living adjustment and one-time funding that will address student food and housing insecurities, zero textbook costs, and other initiatives.

Board Clerk Debbie Justeson congratulated San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten for her appointment as deputy secretary of education. She said she hoped the inauguration would be safe and successful following the insurrection on January 6. Justeson said the District is continuing its work promoting anti-racism and added that it is important to work together so our democracy can move forward.

Board Member Elena Adams said she is looking forward to the college convocations and wished Grossmont College Interim President Marsha Gable good luck in holding her first convocation.

Board Member Julie Schorr said she is happy that the District is being careful about reopening considering the pandemic. She said she is hoping for positive changes for the nation and that it is a time of healing.

Cuyamaca College Student Trustee Robert McClain said he is looking forward to a year filled with change and growth, and hopes to transfer to San Diego State University. He said he has learned much by being on the Governing Board.

Grossmont College Student Trustee Benjamin Blevins said he attended the 33rd Annual All People’s event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He praised Grossmont College Counselor Natalie Ray for sending an email to students that contained useful information about navigating the college.

Board President Brad Monroe said he attended the All People’s event, which struck a hopeful note for the nation. Monroe noted that although Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget is encouraging, he is waiting until the revised budget is issued in May because changes could occur. He said he is looking forward to the college convocations and the Feb. 4 groundbreaking of the Student Services building at Cuyamaca College.

GCCCD

Governing Board

Linda Cartwright

Debbie Justeson

Elena Adams

Julie Schorr

Brad Monroe

Student Trustees:

Benjamin Blevins

Robert McClain

Chancellor

Lynn Ceresino Neault, Ed.D.

Grossmont College

Interim President

Marsha Gable, Ed.D.

Cuyamaca College President

Julianna Barnes, Ed.D.

Vice Chancellors

Tim Corcoran, Human Resources

Sahar Abushaban, Business Services, Interim

Next Meeting

The Governing Board's next regular meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 16. The open session will begin at 4:15 p.m., with closed session to follow.

Meeting agendas are posted on the District website 72 hours before and 24 hours before special meetings.

Site Reports

Grossmont College

Cuyamaca College

Facilities Status Report

8800 Grossmont College Drive

El Cajon, CA 92020

(619) 644-7010

www.gcccd.edu

BOARD ACTIONS

At the January 19, 2021 meeting, the Governing Board:

Approved the reduced retention to 2.5% for the Cuyamaca College chiller expansion based on the contractor’s performance and near completion of work.
Ratified awarding a contract to Blue Pacific Engineering for Phase 2 of Cuyamaca College campus renovation and repairs.
Approved personnel actions.
As part of the board’s commitment to Monitoring What Matters, heard a presentation on the Impact of COVID-19 on Student Success and Equity During the Fall 2020 Term. The presentation was given by Brianna Hays, Cuyamaca College Senior Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Success, and Equity; Joan Ahrens, Grossmont College Senior Dean of College Planning and Institutional Effectiveness; and Sam Ballard, District Services Research and Planning Supervisor. The presentation highlighted the impact of the pandemic on students and outlined steps that both colleges are taking to assist and support students, particularly those who are struggling because of the pandemic.

CHANCELLOR'S REPORT

Chancellor Lynn Neault said she looks forward to 2021 being a year of hope. She noted that the proposed state budget includes a 1.5% cost of living adjustment, which means about $1.7 million for the District. The budget also calls for buying down about $1.1 billion of the $1.5 billion in deferrals that were included in the 2020-2021 budget, meaning reduced borrowing costs for the District. The District is also anticipating more than $20 million in the next round of federal stimulus funds, which can be used for the District’s costs related to the pandemic and for student aid.

Neault said enrollment is down 9%, similar to other community colleges in the region. She said the District leadership will be intentionally focusing on enrollment management planning in the months ahead to build enrollment back to our funded level.

She noted that Cuyamaca College is being considered as a COVID-19 vaccination site. Grossmont College has also volunteered to be a vaccination site in response to a request from the State Chancellor’s office.

Neault said the District recently received the findings from an economic impact report. The study found that the District has a $1.1 billion annual economic impact – equating to over 14,000 jobs – as the result of District, student and alumni spending. The report findings will be used in community outreach and lobbying elected officials.

Cuyamaca College President Julianna Barnes said the college’s convocation will feature a student panel. She said Cuyamaca College is taking numerous actions to promote enrollment, including a social media campaign, emails to students, and phone calls to students who have applied but did not enroll or are under-enrolled. The college has a hotline so that a person can answer students’ questions, along with a virtual help center. Barnes also said that Cuyamaca College has partnered with National University to offer a bachelor’s degree for students in the Center for Water Studies program.

Grossmont College Interim President Marsha Gable said the college’s convocation will focus on building a culture of anti-racism. She said that Grossmont College is focused on many of the same actions to promote enrollment as Cuyamaca College. She also noted that Grossmont College was recognized by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education as a top 100 associate degree-awarding college for minorities. The college was ranked 69 for awarding degrees to students who identify as minority, 70 for Hispanic/Latinx students, and 58 to Asian American students. Grossmont College held a virtual open house for adult re-entry students that had more than 100 participants.