From the President
College Opening Day and Welcome Day
Sept. 2, 2025
Dear De Anza College Community,
Hopefully you are having a great summer, had a restful Labor Day holiday and are looking forward to the start of fall quarter. Whether you had time away from campus or continued to work during the summer, it's always exhilarating to prepare for a new academic year. Excitement is building for our district and college Opening Days on Sept. 17-18 and Welcome Day on Sept. 19 — events that promise to energize and inspire our entire community.
Professional Development Takes Center Stage
This year brings two groundbreaking professional development opportunities that will transform how we approach learning and growth. The afternoon of College Opening Day features instructional technologist and designer Trudi Radtke presenting "AI Literacy, Equity and the Future of Higher Education: A Call to Action." This couldn't be more timely — artificial intelligence is reshaping education before our very eyes. Trudi's thoughtful, innovative presentations consistently impress audiences, and this session will undoubtedly spark meaningful conversations across campus.
Welcome Day afternoon spotlights our classified professional colleagues with a dedicated development session led by the exceptional program coordinator Claudia Guzman and a team of presenters. Claudia's leadership deserves tremendous recognition. Many classified professionals may choose to attend part of their division and department meetings that day as well.
Celebrating Excellence and Innovation
College Opening Day will showcase the remarkable accomplishments from last academic year — achievements that demonstrate De Anza's commitment to excellence. The excitement continues with previews of game-changing new opportunities and offerings, including the bachelor's degree in Automotive Technology Management and the innovative Senior Guided Pathways program designed for older adults in our local community.
Strategic Vision for the Future
The draft Strategic Plan for 2027-2030 makes its debut with an opportunity for you to provide feedback. Fall quarter brings multiple opportunities to shape this vital document through the plan webpage form, shared governance processes, open office hours and engaging town hall meetings. This Strategic Plan will drive the Educational Master Plan — a collaborative collegewide project launching this winter and spring.
Building Excellence Through Partnerships
Several transformative initiatives continue throughout fall quarter: participation in the statewide Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Academy, the Vision-Aligned Reporting (VAR) Academy, and the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative Partnership Resource Team (IEPI-PRT). The work plans developed by our college on the SEM Academy, the VAR Academy and the IEPI-PRT represent thoughtful approaches that should help enhance our processes and provide additional tools to help boost student success rates as we look to the future.
Welcome Day Magic Awaits
The anticipation for Welcome Day is absolutely electric. Picture our campus buzzing with energy as new students discover their academic home. This year's employee lunch on the Campus Center Patio adds an extra festive touch to the Friday festivities. In fact, within hours of the first email invitation over a week ago, 300 students had already RSVP'd — an enthusiastic response that signals hundreds more will join before the event.
Heartfelt gratitude goes to everyone participating in the tents on the Main Quad, in the Village Centers, and in crucial areas like Admissions and Records. This personal connection — the chance for students to meet faculty and staff members and discover essential services — creates transformative first impressions for our newest community members.
Ready to Launch
The complete schedule for Sept. 18-19 awaits, with details now linked in your Outlook invitations. District Opening Day information has also been sent from the Office of the Chancellor. Together, we're poised for an absolutely wonderful start to the 2025-2026 academic year!
With excitement and gratitude,
Omar
Omar Torres, Ed.D.
President, De Anza College