From Interim President Espinosa-Pieb
Much Good News – and Many Thanks
Oct. 8, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
We are now past an incredibly busy beginning of fall quarter — district and college Opening Day, Welcome Day for students, the first days of classes, and an accreditation site visit.
There is much good news from each of these events, including the six hours of Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) training completed by faculty, administators and classified professionals during Opening Days. On College Opening Day, we also heard the update on De Anza's strategic planning implementation and its alignment with Chancellor Lambert's priorities and Vision 2030. Almost 2,000 students attended Welcome Day, with all of you there to support them, and kicking off the second straight year of an enrollment increase for fall quarter. And last week, we received very positive feedback from the accreditation visiting team members.
While the team's report will require approval by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College (ACCJC), I am very pleased that they plan to include a commendation for our use of disaggregated data in tracking student success and equity goals. They will recommend continuing our efforts on RSI training, and continued work by the district on the board policy review and revision process. Importantly, the team complimented De Anza's cross-college collaboration and commitment to equity, while citing our Learning Communities and Guided Pathways Villages as examples of supporting student success.
The through-line of all of this good news is: you. Each of you contributes toward these shared successes, which culminate in teaching and serving our students in the very best ways we can, improving all the time. Thank you for all that you do for our students. I am honored to work alongside you every day.
If this were another time, I would want to end this message with that heartfelt acknowledgement. There is, however, one more point that I need to make today. There is less than a month before the presidential election — certainly the most critical race in our lifetimes. Everyone who is eligible must vote; we must encourage our students to register and vote. So very much is at stake. And as crucial as marking the top of the ticket is, don't forget to learn about the races and issues down-ballot as well. See deanza.edu/vote for links to nonpartisan voter information — and vote.
Kindly,
Christina
Christina G. Espinosa-Pieb
My Pronouns: She/Her/Ella and why they matter
Interim President
