May 15, 2024
Dear SRJC Community,

I am pleased to share with you the District updates that were provided to the Board of Trustees at the May meeting last night. 

As a reminder, you will receive these updates from me following the monthly Board of Trustees meeting to celebrate the accomplishments and successes of our colleagues across the District for the previous month. These updates are a chance for you to learn more about the excellent programs, services, initiatives, events, and work we undertake in support of our students. You will find all District Monthly Updates on our News site at https://news.santarosa.edu/. 
 

 

Office of the President  

• Gave a presentation to Rotary Club of Santa Rosa East/West 

• Shadowed by a master’s degree candidate to learn more about women in leadership

• Hosted a visit and a tour of Lindley Center for STEM Education for Congressman Jared Huffman

• Hosted a College Forum to focus on the importance of continuous dialogue on IDEAA

• Presented at the Leadership Academy for Sonoma County Winegrowers 

• Provided welcome remarks at Expanding Your Horizons, an event to encourage middle school aged girls to pursue STEM pathways

• Attended the following events:

  • Exhibition of artwork of SRJC’s Classified Professionals

  • A reception welcoming me organized by Chandi Hospitality Group

  • Classified Appreciation Reception hosted by the President’s Office

  • Butter and Eggs Parade in Petaluma

  • Week of the Young Child at the Children’s Center

  • Classified Professionals Recognition Dinner organized by the Classified Senate

  • Ribbon cutting of John Edwards classroom at Shone Farm

  • Soup Fest hosted by Academic Senate

  • Brook Tauzer naming in Doyle Library

  • Corrections Graduation at PSTC

  • Cultivating an Ecosystem of Belonging welcome reception

  • Multiple athletic events

• The Office of Marketing & Communications was honored at the California Community Colleges Public Relations Organization (CCPRO) conference recently with the following awards for 2023: 

  • First Place: Radio/Streaming Music Platform 

  • First Place: Banner/Outdoor Media 

  • Third Place: Print Advertising 

  • Third Place: Video: Promotional, Long Format 

 

• Miles Levin a graduate of Santa Rosa Junior College’s Digital Filmmaking Program is currently directing a feature film he wrote about a boy with epilepsy. The production is filming at locations in and around Santa Rosa.  https://eedition.pressdemocrat.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=c84d4869-7127-4ebb-9a91-9b7fb7b0ad6b&share=true 
• The SRJC Career Hub and the Industrial & Trade Technologies Department hosted a Job Fair on Wednesday, April 24th. This Job Fair demonstrated the huge demand for skilled tradespeople in the local economy and employers’ confidence in the quality of SRJC Career Education programs. 
• Highlights from ITT Job Fair: 
  • 30 Employers from Automotive, Diesel, Advanced Manufacturing, and Welding 
  • 148 Students attended 
  • 45 Community Members including high school students 
  • Interviews were offered to 15 students ( not all data is in) 
  • Job Offers to 3 students (not all data is in)  
• Thanks to the work of SRJC’s Intercultural Museum Supervisor/Curator Rachel Minor, the process of repatriating funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony under the NAGPRA (federal) and CALNAGPRA (state) process has begun. In  March of 2023, three items which had been held in the SRJC collections, began the journey home to the Santa Ynez Chumash Tribe. This process entailed Rachel working with the tribal representatives, posting on the Federal Register for 30 days, to the last steps returning them to their origins. This is the FIRST repatriation by SRJC but will not be the last as Rachel has contacted tribes throughout the country to begin the process. 

 
 

• The College to Career (C2C) at SRJC is one of nine like programs in California. It is a collaborative program with the Department of Rehabilitation and the SRJC. For four consecutive years, our C2C program has been ranked number one in employment, recruitment, and retention out of all other programs. We have exceeded our contract goals by 150% in the support provided to students while having the smallest staff (4) compared to the other programs. Our program coordinator, Lindsay Lerro, and employment services advisor, Noah Morris, have repeatedly been asked to speak with other C2C programs at statewide meetings to educate them on our proven success model. We have just applied for additional categorical funding that will allow us to continue to grow and expand C2C at the SRJC. 
• SRJC is one of twenty-seven California Community Colleges selected by the Chancellor’s Office to participate in a five-year pilot program to provide support for homeless students. The Homeless and Housing Insecurity Program (HHIP) funds provide services and resources to students identified as homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Services include academic support, housing identification and placement services, rent and move-in assistance, and case management services. Since receiving the HHIP funds, SRJC has entered an MOU with Interfaith Shelter Network (IFSN). We have onboarded two social workers, and in the recruitment process for two Student Support Specialists. Using the Rapid Rehousing model, IFSN has secured a lease agreement for a house near the Santa Rosa Campus that will provide four short-term beds. IFSN will work with students by referral from the SRJC HHIP Team to place eligible students into supported housing options. This spring and summer will be used to work out our referrals and placement practices. A formal announcement about the program will be made in the fall with more information about it. 
• Student Services Events and Retreat: This month, Student Services was excited to host several events, such as the MENNA Fest and a screening of "My Name is Siri" - a documentary about a current SRJC student with autism who is flourishing in her personal and academic life.  Additionally, Student Services held an in-person retreat/training for all student services employees and student employees focused on de-escalation with cultural humility, and centering joy and justice. 

 
 

 

 

• District has created a process for posting Brown Act agendas to ensure adherence to the Brown Act posting requirements, as well as consistency across all district sites. There will be eight new dedicated bulletin boards installed across the next few weeks, including at: 
  • Santa Rosa: 
    • Bailey Hall (east side) 
    • Bertolini Hall (west side)  
    • Foundation Office (north side)  
    • Pedroncelli Center (west side)  
  • Petaluma:  
    •  Student Center (west side)  
  • Shone Farm: 
    • Ag Pavilion (north side)  
  • Roseland:  
    • Heritage Hall (west side)  
    • Administration Building (south side)   
• The North Bay Construction and Trades Employment Training Facility Construction Project on the Petaluma Campus is nearing completion. This was a project funded through a FEMA grant (and matching funds) to expand the workforce needed to rebuild in Sonoma County after the 2017 wildfires. Construction on the building is almost complete and the team is working with US Economic Development Administration on the equipment procurement for the building. Here is a time lapse of the construction of the building, please watch for future communications on the ribbon cutting for this new addition. 
• Emeritus Roof and HVAC project will kick off on May 28, 2024. The building will be unavailable for access through the summer to allow the contractor to complete the project before the fall 2024 semester begins. A huge thank you to the building occupants for their flexibility during this project. 
• C Parking Lot will be partially closed from May 28, 2024, through August 16, 2024, for sidewalk improvements, additional ADA parking spots and new lighting. From May 28, 2024, through approximately July 31, 2024, the north section of C Parking Lot will be closed. Once the renovation work at the north section is complete, the fence will be moved to the south section from approximately August 1 - 16, 2024.  

 

 

 

• The final session for the 2023/24 cohort of the Courageous Leaders Academy was held on April 26th and the graduation ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 17th. Graduates will share their progress on their IDEAA-oriented academy action projects and celebrate their accomplishments. Look for the call for applications for the 24/25 Courageous Leaders Academy coming out soon!  
• Human Resources staff members have worked with District representatives on hiring and onboarding over 21 individuals in March.    
• SRJC is a recipient of the Equal Employment Opportunity Innovative Best Practices Grant offered by the State Chancellor’s Office to fund a new initiative to implement the Cultivating an Ecosystem of Belonging (CEB) Program to address faculty of color retention challenges. Through this grant, SRJC and the grant consultants from Rooted in Love will engage with new faculty of color and key stakeholders at SRJC to create a strong sense of belonging, support network, and a climate that fosters their engagement. A CEB Call to Action Reception was held on April 30, 2024 as an opportunity for stakeholders to find out more about this program and to get involved. 

 
Foundation 
 

• The Foundation Executive Committee has approved a preliminary $1.4 million operating budget for FY25. The Nominating Committee has been busy recruiting new Board members. Three new Board members will be elected at the May 16th Board meeting. Two Directors will be leaving the Board on June 30th – Bill Traverso and Kerry Rego. The Investment Committee met recently and the Foundation’s $71 million investment portfolio is up 9.02% for the current fiscal year. 
• The Chandi Hospitality Group hosted a reception for Dr. Garcia on April 11th to introduce her to the downtown business community. We are grateful to Sonu Chandi and his family for their support of college access programs for first-generation and low-income families.  
• The Foundation Grants Committee recently approved $36,500 in grants to fund eight cultural events and programs. Funds will be coming from the Randolph Newman Cultural Enrichment Endowment and the Opportunity Fund to support programs taking place in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025. Grants were made to Second Chance, MENAA, MESA, Fire Technology, DRD, Agrella Gallery, English Department, and LFSA. 

In community,

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