Reports to the Board of Trustees
Each month, President Torres gives a report on college activities, honors and achievements during the regular meeting of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees.
For previous reports, please see the board reports archive.
Board Meeting of May 5, 2025
Exciting Opportunities: De Anza's On the Move!
I am thrilled to announce that our college has been accepted into three statewide programs – each with a competitive selection process – that offer significant opportunities to enhance institutional effectiveness and student success at De Anza.
- Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Academy
- Vision-Aligned Reporting (VAR) Academy
- Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative Partnership Resource Team (IEPI PRT)
These programs, offered through the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, directly align with our own strategic planning work that will begin in 2025-26. We will develop focused action plans for each initiative while receiving technical assistance from colleagues across the state, supporting our work to implement our own integrated planning across the college and district, in alignment with both the statewide Vision 2030 goals and our regional workforce needs. In addition, the IEPI PRT award includes $250,000 to help fund our work across the campus to meet the stated goals.
Strategic Enrollment Management Academy
The SEM Academy will enhance our enrollment efforts through:
- Early engagement with middle and high schools
- Outreach to underserved communities
- Adult education and growth areas
Vision-Aligned Reporting Academy
The VAR Academy will establish:
- Communities of practice for data-informed change, including expanded data coaching across campus
- Integrated success initiatives – aligning our systems with statewide goals and connecting our equity plan, program review and strategic planning
IEPI Partnership Resource Team
The IEPI PRT will provide noncredit and contract education development, including resources for workforce partnerships and grant opportunities, and tools to track student and employee outcomes. In turn, this will help us respond quickly to regional workforce priorities, provide just-in-time training opportunities, and create accessible entry points for adult learners
I want to congratulate our entire college community on its willingness to embrace and tackle these opportunities. Together, we will create new pathways for student success and institutional excellence while meeting the evolving needs of our ever-changing workforce.
Joining the CEOCCC Board
I'm also pleased to share the news that I will be joining the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges (CEOCCC) board for the Community College League of California. The board consists of 15 members who are elected by fellow community college CEOs in their region. The board takes positions and formulates education policy on issues that come before the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, the Legislature and other boards and commissions.
Events on Campus
Open House, Car Show and A Taste of History
We had a great turnout for our annual Open House on Saturday, April 26, with more than 1,100 future students, family members and community residents submitting RSVPs to attend. The event included academic showcases, campus tours, Planetarium shows, parent Q&A sessions and numerous opportunities for our students to speak with instuctors and counselors, as well as experts in our Admissions and Records and Financial Aid offices.
The Open House was held simultaneously with the Auto Tech program's annual car show, which drew even more participants. And on Saturday evening, the California History Center hosted its annual A Taste of History fundraiser, with a panel discussion, student performances and compelling exhibitions that embodied our commitment to making history relevant and accessible.
I'd like to thank everyone who made these events turn out so well – especially our Guided Pathways teams, the Office of Outreach, College Operations, Community Education, the Office of Communications and all of our volunteers. You can view a gallery of photos from the day at deanza.edu/open-house.
Additional Events on Campus
We've had a number of other exciting events on campus in recent weeks, including
- Our Paralegal Studies program held a Career Fair and Networking Event on May 22, which drew representatives from a variety of law firms, government agencies and recruiting agencies to meet with our students.
- The Rising Scholars program hosted a series of events in connection with Second Chance Month, including a film screening, art workshop and an expungement clinic that provided information for individuals who are eligible to clear their records for past arrests or convictions.
- Our Muslim Students Association and Office of Equity co-sponsored several talks and workshops to celebrate Muslim Heritage Month.
Spring Career Fair
Finally, our Career Technical Education Division is hosting a collegewide Career Fair this Wednesday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Main Quad. Students will be able to meet and network with representatives from dozens of employers. The division also sponsored several workshops to help students prepare for the Career Fair, on topics including networking tips, professional etiquette and building LinkedIn profiles.
Honors for Student-Athletes
Football Player Named Scholar-Athlete of the Year
One of our student-athletes, Jason Schwartz, has been selected as Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA). The award is given to one male and one female athlete each year, in recognition of outstanding leadership, athletic achievements and academic success.
Schwartz, a defensive lineman on the Mountain Lions football team, is a Business major with a cumulative GPA of 3.77. He was team captain for two years and led the team to an undefeated season last fall – the first in college history since 1979. He's also been First Team All-PAC 7, Second Team All-Northern California, two-time Academic All-American and Academic All-State selection and a six-time dean’s scholar at De Anza. He is on track to graduate this spring and will transfer to California Lutheran University.
Three Teams Win Conference Championships
Our student-athletes have had a great spring overall, winning Coast Conference championships for women's Track and Field, men's Swimming and Diving, and women's Badminton.
Also in Track and Field, our men's team was the runner-up for their conference championship. The men's and women's teams will compete in state championships this week.
In swimming:
- Aquatics Head Coach Danielle Altman was voted the conference Men's Co-Coach of the Year.
- Men's team member Taesu Yim was named Male Co-Swimmer of the Year for the conference, while women's team member Joyce Lin won Female Swimmer of the Year.
- This past weekend, Joyce won two gold medals – in the 100 Backstroke and 100 Individual Medley – and a silver medal in the 100 Breaststroke at the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) state championships.
Our Badminton team will bring an undefeated 14-0 record to the statewide team championship this week against Pasadena City College. You may recall that, under Coach Mark Landefeld, the Mountain Lions won state championships in 2022 and 2023.
More Student Achievements
First Place in Math Competition
De Anza students have won first place in this year's Student Mathematics League competition sponsored by the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges. This is the second year in a row the college has placed first in the competition, which is held in two rounds: 34 of our students took the competitive test last fall and 16 took the test this spring. Congratulations to all the students who participated, and to their adviser, Math instructor Kejian Shi.
Nursing Scores Another 100% Pass Rate
Results are in for the latest state Nursing licensing exams, and De Anza's Nursing program had another 100% pass rate. All 12 De Anza students who took the Board of Registered Nursing NCLEX exam during the first quarter of 2025 had passing scores. Students must wait 45 days after graduating before taking the exam.
Student Elected to Journalism Association Board
De Anza student Gordon Yang has been elected as Northern California student representative to the board of directors for the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC). Yang, who is also social media editor for the La Voz student newspaper, says he wants to strengthen community college journalism programs and provide more opportunities for student journalists to connect and grow. He was elected to the JACC position by a vote of member colleges.