January 15, 2025

Dear SRJC Community,

Welcome to the Spring 2025 semester. Is it invigorating to see students back on campus, their energy and enthusiasm inspiring us all as we work together to support their success. In lieu of monthly updates from each component area, I would like to highlight several key topics that I shared with the Board of Trustees during our January meeting held yesterday.

 

Los Angeles Wildfires

Our community understands the devastating impact of wildfires, having faced the Tubbs and Kincade fires that destroyed land, homes and deeply affected the lives of so many. During those times of hardship, we witness remarkable resilience and generosity as SRJC and the broader Sonoma County community came together to support those in need.

The Los Angeles fires have caused similar devastation, and our California college community is uniting to assist students and employees at Pasadena City College. I’ve shared SRJC’s post-fire recovery strategies with fellow college presidents – ranging from communication approaches to student aid and partnerships with local organizations – to help accelerate their path to recovery.

Our hearts go out to all those impacted by this tragic event, including the more than 30 SRJC students with home address in Los Angeles and past SRJC employees who have been impacted.

If you are so inclined, please consider donating to SRJC’s Crisis Response Fund, which was established to support students impacted by wildfires and other crises. (Select ‘Crisis Response Fund’ from the drop-down menu when donating.) You can also directly support the California Community Foundation (which serves the LA area) at https://www.calfund.org/ or Pasadena Community Foundation at https://pasadenacf.org/. 

 

Campus Safety

The safety and security of the SRJC community is our highest priority. During emergencies or crises, we are committed to transparency and keeping the community informed and safe. When the District sends messages about a situation, the message is based on thorough assessments from multiple sources. While every situation involves some degree of uncertainty, our goal is to provide accurate and timely information and guidance. We will continue monitoring and sharing updates until the situation is resolved. Later this week, we will provide a more detailed update regarding our emergency preparedness communications. To learn more about our emergency messaging protocols, visit safety.santarosa.edu.

I also want to address the 9-1-1 call routing compliance issue raised in December 2024. In March 2024, the District modified the call routing system to direct 9-1-1 calls from on-campus phones to District Police dispatch. While this change improved response times, it unintentionally bypassed the legal requirements under Ray Baum’s Act and Kari’s Law, which mandate calls route through a primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). To address this, we began the evaluation process in August 2024 for SRJC District Police to become a primary PSAP, ensuring both compliance and prompt response. However, by November 2024, it became clear that more time and information were needed. We reverted to a compliant configuration while continuing to explore what is required to meet these standards long term.

As a result, the District was noncompliant for nine months and nine days. During that period, four 9-1-1 calls – all of which were non-emergencies – were routed directly to SRJC District Police instead of a primary PSAP. While this expedited response, it did not meet legal requirements. Moving forward, we are committed to balancing compliance with response efficiency to prioritize the safety of our community. We will continue to evaluate our options and update you on next steps.

 

Student Enrollment

Fall 2024 enrollment figures show a 6.43% increase compared to Fall 2023, with 6,618 full-time equivalent students (FTES) recorded.  This growth reflects targeted efforts from the District’s Strategic Enrollment Management Plan (SEMP), particularly under Strategy 4: Enrollment Recovery and Growth Areas. The SEMP Implementation Workgroup will hold its first meeting of the new semester on Monday, February 3, 2025, to advance these initiatives. Sustaining 6% growth this academic year, as outlined in the SEMP, would bring total enrollment for 2024/25 to nearly 15,000 FTES. This milestone would represent significant progress toward the five-year goal of recovering from 12,500 FTES in 2021/22, back to 17,500 FTES in 2027/28. 

 

Enrollment Recovery and Growth Areas
	Fall 2021 (FTES	Fall 2022 (FTES)	Fall 2023 (FTES)	Fall 2024 (FTES)	Percent Change (2023 to 2024) (FTES)
Dual Enrollment	163	196	232	269	15.94%
Work Experience	560	597	614	679	10.58%
Instructional Service Agreements	631	625	618	656	6.15%
Lifelong Learning (Older Adults)	55	68	53	56	5.66%
Noncredit CDCP	802	885	929	1014	9.15%
Kinesiology, Athletics, Dance	135	159	168	170	1.19%
Career Education	2112	2161	2281	2448	7.32%

 

 

Professional Development Activity (PDA) Day

On February 13, 2025, we will host the Spring Professional Development Activity (PDA) Day. I value these opportunities where we have the chance to engage and learn with and from one another, reconnect with our mission and reflect on how we can continue to uphold our vision and values in the work we do each day. The spring PDA Day highlights the expertise and research of an identified faculty member as part of the Tauzer lecture.  Professor of Chemistry and Physics, Dr. K Frindell Teuscher, is providing this year’s lecture. More information about the event can be found here: PDA Day.

 

Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative for IDEAA and HSI

In November 2024, SRJC submitted a request to the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) for a Partnership Resource Team (PRT). The focus of the requested PRT was to develop organizational infrastructure, strategic alignment, and institutional capacity to optimize IDEAA and Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) initiatives at every level and within the fabric of Santa Rosa Junior College for the benefit of not only Latine students and communities, but for the diverse community we serve. The infrastructure would support the District’s broader Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-racism, and Accessibility efforts underway in support of achieving equitable student success and completion. The request has been approved with a Peer Resource Team first visit scheduled for late February.

 

Farewell to Theresa Richmond

And finally, I want to take the moment to thank and wish a fond farewell to Interim Vice President of Human Resources, Theresa Richmond whose last day is January 17, 2025. I want to express my deepest gratitude for her leadership during this transitional year. Her guidance provided much-needed stability and support for our District during a period of significant change and her collegial approach and sense of humor will be missed. As a reminder, Kate Jolley will serve as Interim Vice President of Human Resources while we continue our search for a permanent hire this semester.

 

Thank you for your continued focus and dedication. Together, we are making a meaningful difference in the lives of our students and the broader SRJC community.

In Community,

Dr. Garcia