Page 5 - De Anza College Annual Report 2024

A Personal Message From
President Torres
Dear De Anza College Community Member,
I’m honored to join your community
as president of De Anza College. Before
taking this position, I knew about De Anza’s
excellent reputation for academics, career
training and university transfers. Since
arriving, I’ve been further impressed by
the energy, resiliency and enthusiasm on
campus. Similarly, I’ve been touched by the goodwill of residents who feel
a bond with our college and have enthusiastically supported the Foothill-
De Anza Community College District over the years.
De Anza is an extraordinary community, with much to celebrate. We
highlight some of the reasons in this annual report – from innovative
programs and partnerships to an array of awards, achievements and
exciting activities that make our campus a vibrant and welcoming place
for our students, employees and residents of this region.
This report also describes how we’re addressing critical needs. I am
deeply grateful to district residents for supporting Measure G, which
is funding essential capital improvements on our campus. I am also
thankful to everyone who donated to the Foothill-De Anza Foundation’s
Hope Initiative, supporting the basic needs of students who struggle with
Silicon Valley’s high cost of living.
Finally, on page 23, you’ll see some of my goals for enhancing De Anza’s
value to our students and community. These include expanding career
training programs and partnerships; creating new opportunities through
dual enrollment and noncredit classes; and refining our strategic planning
to better identify long-term needs – for the college and region – and to
develop creative strategies for addressing them through the innovative
and entrepreneurial mindset of our incredibly talented students, faculty,
staff and administrators.
I look forward to working with you on these efforts.
Sincerely,
Omar Torres, Ed.D.
President, De Anza College
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