August 13, 2025

Welcome to the 2026-2027 academic year! I am pleased to share with you the District updates presented to the Board of Trustees at the August meeting. You will receive these updates from me following the monthly Board of Trustees meeting to share more about the excellent programs, services, initiatives, events, and work we undertake in support of SRJC students. 

We have days filled with information, support, and fun in our Welcome Days and Saturday Services. Faculty, staff, and administrators throughout the college are hosting tables to share about the programs and services offered. You can find more information about the schedule of events here. Thank you to all who participate in these days to provide a warm Bear Cub welcome to new and returning students.  

President’s Report 

As of this morning (Thursday, August 13), we have 20,194 students accounting for 43,314 enrollments. We have 11,107 part-time students; 4,644 full-time students; and 4,644 students enrolled in non-credit courses.  Of the 20,194, 13,455 are continuing students, which is great news for student success and goal completion.  2,911 are first-time first-year students joining the SRJC community for the first time, and we have 1,354 dual-enrollment students.  I encourage everyone to engage and connect with students and one another, so that we can support student success and completion. Let's help all enrolled students successfully complete the fall semester!  

The data can be found at datahub.santarosa.edu, located on the Institutional Effectiveness, Research, & Planning web page. The IERP team has been working hard this past year to create these data dashboards to provide information in a more public and accessible format. I am grateful for their expertise, work, and creativity. 

We are experiencing significant challenges in implementing a new student information system, Banner SaaS, an Ellucian product. On August 4th, I sent a communication to the college community providing an overview and timeline of this project that began in the 2017-18 year, and restarted in the 2020-21 year, with implementation commencing in March 2023.  

SRJC leadership across key areas met with Ellucian executives who oversee Banner on August 5th to review the challenges we are experiencing at SRJC, discuss solutions, and begin an action plan for next steps. A follow-up meeting is scheduled to review the action plan to address gaps and issues in the current implementation.  We take every concern seriously to drive continuous improvement.  It is not working at an optimal level, and every instance or ticket reporting an issue is being considered to inform systemic adjustments.  

I want to take a moment to give my gratitude to all my colleagues who have been working long hours, troubleshooting implementation challenges, and ensuring that students and employees alike receive support. At the risk of leaving out some departments, I want to take a moment to lift up the work of the IT team, the Student Services teams in the Welcome and Connect Center, Admissions & Records, Counseling, and the Distance Education team for their commitment and focus to support students and employees through the challenges they experienced with Banner.  

It has certainly been a huge transition, and we will continue to work with the Ellucian team and SRJC colleagues to address outstanding issues and challenges. For more information, training, and support, please visit sis.santarosa.edu, or visit the Welcome & Connect Center at the Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Roseland sites. Faculty can receive additional support in the Distance Education department, located in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) in the Doyle Library.  

 Office of the President – Selected Event Highlights in July 

• Attended the Farm Bureau’s annual Love of the Land event with colleagues, students, and trustees representing SRJC 
• Attended Sonoma Stompers - Women in Sports Night with SRJC athletic teams 
• Interviewed by Rafael Vásquez Guzmán for his KBBF Radio Show- Yo Soy SRJC. Trustee Martinez, Marlyn Garcia, and Dean Julio Flores joined me in sharing about SRJC and the offerings available to the broader Latine community. 
• Attended Latine CEO Convening  
• Attended Exchange Bank deck party for the construction industry  
• Hosted Assemblymember Connolly at Shone Farm to tour and learn about our agriculture and natural resources programs 
• Hosted SRJC Foundation donors at Shone Farm to tour and learn about our agriculture and natural resources programs 
• Attended Congressman Huffman and Thompson’s Ask Anything Town Hall at SRJC Petaluma 
• Joined students and staff for the Third Annual Polly Hall Softball Game. Even though the students won 14-12, it was fun to be in community with so many student leaders in our Student Government Assembly.  

July District Highlights 

• Human Resources has launched an EEO data project with an EEO compliance and data analysis consultant to improve NEOED configuration, disposition coding, documentation, data entry, and reporting. This work will support longitudinal data requirements and strengthen the District’s ability to evaluate diversity throughout the hiring process, alongside ongoing review of employee demographic reporting practices.  
• The incredible Facilities Operations teams worked over the summer to advance accessibility and sustainability projects across the District, including sidewalk repairs to improve safe campus access and the installation of water bottle filling stations to reduce single-use plastics and support environmental stewardship.  
• The SRJC Foundation ended the fiscal year with $10.6 million, including the state grant for the fire tower, and exceeded our fiscal year goal of $10 million raised for SRJC. 
• Congratulations to the HEP Class of 2026! This year, 38 students graduated from the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) with the graduation ceremony on July 29th, 2026. Entering its 15th year, SRJC HEP has provided a pathway to education and improved employment for over 1,200 migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Sonoma County. This year’s keynote speaker was a past SRJC HEP graduate and Culinary School alumnus and the successful owner of Xie’s Sushi Rolls. 
• SRJC student Arina Yefimova was selected for a highly competitive summer internship with the Port of Oakland's Technology and Innovation Department, earning one of only 30 interview opportunities from more than 500 applicants nationwide. A Computer Science major transferring to UC Berkeley this fall, Arina credits SRJC's MESA program for supporting her throughout the application process. Her success highlights the value of SRJC's internship opportunities and student support programs in preparing students for transfer and career success. 

Written Updates 

Each month, the Board of Trustees receives written updates on various programs and departments. Below are the reports from August. 

• Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Fundamentals Program Update 

BP/AP Approved   

At the August Board of Trustees meeting, the Board approved the following new policies. Employees are encouraged to review the policies and familiarize themselves with the changes.  

• BP 3600 Auxiliary Organizations
• BP 3820 Gifts and Donations
• BP 5150 Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) 

Thank you for all the you do to make SRJC a community that welcomes students and members from diverse communities.  I wish you all a great fall semester and am excited to do the work necessary to fulfill the mission of SRJC.

In Community,

Dr. Garcia