Week of October 14

Good afternoon, all. It's been a busy couple of weeks!

Clovis Community Collaborations

I was pleased to attend both CUSD Superintendent's breakfast as well as the Clovis Mayor's Leadership Round Table in the first part of the month. These were excellent opportunities to hear updates from both and to represent our college in external community events.

Speaking Opportunities

On October 2, I had the privilege of meeting with second year graduate students at Fresno State's Kremen School of Education and Human Development to discuss my experiences in the community colleges. I worked as a Classified Professional, as part-time faculty, and as full-time faculty before transitioning into administration, experiences which taught me a few lessons, which I was happy to share with others beginning their journey in higher education.

I was also able to address the Classified Professionals' Leadership class at the District Office on October 4. This was a co-presentation with Dr. Buckley from Reedley College. I was happy to see Erin Vang, who represented Clovis well at this convening! I'm also grateful for Bonnie Boonthavongkham and Katrina Sheets who, as graduates of the 2022-2023 program, served as co-coordinators for the 2023-24 program and are currently helping organize and support this year's program.

Guest Speakers on Campus

Thank you to faculty for their efforts in providing opportunities for our students and campus community to engage with others.

Local author, Mark Arax, presented to over 80 community members, students, staff and faculty on October 3. The event was sponsored by the Fresno Association of Realtors and the Investors Exchange Club and hosted by our own Scott Phillips. The author shared his works regarding the Central Valley and its impact on the water and agriculture in California. I was unable to attend but spoke with Scott immediately after as students lingered to speak with the author. Thank you, Scott, for this amazing opportunity for our students!

On October 8, I had the pleasure of attending one of Ann Brandon's English classes as she hosted When We Walk By co-author, Kevin Adler. He shared stories, statistics, and experiences writing the book. He engaged the students in conversation on the topic of homelessness and answered questions. He's developing a workbook centered on the book; maybe some of the ideas discussed in the class will make its way into the workbook! Thank you, Ann, for creating this opportunity for our students and for the invitation for me to attend!

Events on Campus

We've hosted a few events on campus that have allowed us to showcase our beautiful facilities, the talents of our team members, and the kindness exhibited by every person on our campus, which has been called out by guests. The Chancellor's Circle and the Applied Technology (AC3) building ribbon cutting were beautiful! I'm grateful to IT, Custodial, Public Information Office, the Music Department, ASG, Student Activities, the Outreach Office, Student Ambassadors, Crush Café, faculty participating in AC3 tours, Maya Davis, Erin Kent, Diana Salas, Roseanne Susoeff, and Bonnie Boonthavongkham for all their efforts in ensuring flawless and beautiful events that welcomed the external community to our campus.

Sincerely,

Monica Chahal, Ed.D. (she/her)