Sept 5, 2023
Dear Santa Rosa Junior College Community,

As we wrap up our first month of Fall semester, I wanted to share with you how much joy I have found within the Santa Rosa Junior College community. I plan to send out an end of month reflection to provide you with more communication and information about the successes and challenges we experienced together in our work.
 

I have been fortunate to attend the Welcome Day events at the Santa Rosa Campus, SRJC Petaluma Campus, and Shone Farm, which provided students with access to resources and programs. SRJC Roseland and the Public Safety Training Center will have their Welcome days in early September. I also attended the powerfully moving HEP graduation, met Health Sciences students and supporters at their Open House, participated in my first SRJC Board of Trustees meeting, welcomed students and employees back for the first day of Fall semester, attended some athletic events, and so much more. It has been a month focused on community building, learning, and listening, especially during the SRJC Voices listening sessions with departments and programs. Thank you to those who have imparted such rich knowledge, wisdom, and experiences and I look forward to the future sessions to come. 

Student Housing Grant Program Update

I have also spent much of my time these past two weeks collaborating with our partners in the Chancellor’s Office to advocate to the state about the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program. As you may remember, SRJC secured $15 million in state funding through this program in 2022 to subsidize 70 of the 352 beds in Polly O’Meara Doyle Hall, lowering the rent costs up to $215 per month, an incredible benefit to our low-income students. A recent revision in the grant program jeopardizes the viability of affordable student housing projects across the state, including our own Polly Hall. I have been working with our local legislators, other community college advocates, and the Chancellor’s Office to address this revision. I believe affordable housing can be a powerful tool to dismantle barriers to higher education and empower students to reach their educational goals and I am committed to finding solutions with the state to retain our grant funds. We will be joined by local and statewide partners in celebrating our ribbon cutting ceremony for Polly Hall this Friday, September 8th at 3:00pm. 

Community Grieving

We also have experienced loss this month and I want to acknowledge the grief some of our community may be experiencing and provide them with the space to work through those emotions. Some of our students and employees lost family members, homes, or other loved ones in the Maui fires. Others are watching the same devastation unfold with the Smith River complex fire, other local and national disasters, and unrelenting school shootings.

District Communications

You also have been receiving more communications from me regarding incidents that are occurring on campus. I believe in transparency to the best of our ability, and I know these situations and communications can trigger anxiety and stress, especially because they may lack details. While I know you may wish for more information, I want to assure you the appropriate resources and actions are taken to manage each situation carefully and effectively to keep our community safe. I share what information we legally and ethically can to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. Your safety, and the safety of our students, is one of my top priorities.

Closing Reflections 

We have had an eventful start to our academic year, including a growth in student enrollment (+ 8.5% headcount and + 11% enrollments) than fall 2022. This is testament to the collective work in scheduling, outreach, and the resources made available to students. We are still working to get to pre-pandemic levels and have great strategies identified in the Strategic Enrollment Management Plan and grounded in the District Strategic Plan. While we will have ongoing opportunities to embrace this work together, I invite each of you to think of every student interaction as the opportunity for them to feel valued, seen, and heard. Now begins our work to retain students through to a successful completion of the fall semester and successful transition to spring 2024, with a meaningful educational experience. 
 

My 8-year-old daughter joined me in the office yesterday to drop off some items and decorated my white board with an illustration of "Love." She drew a multi-color/rainbow heart with a message that said, "Mama, love you," followed by a list of names in our immediate family. She expressed that the board was not big enough to put the names of all the people in our family and community who are proud of the work I do. This made me think about how each of our students should have a whole whiteboard of SRJC faculty, classified professionals, administrators, and community members who are rooting for their success. I am grateful to be in community with each of you and wish you an impactful fall semester!

In community,

Angélica Garcia, Ed.D.
Superintendent/President
707-527-4431, angelicagarcia@santarosa.edu