Week of March 18, 2024

Hi Clovis Fam,

Hi everyone I am still out of town but wanted to touch base with you to let you know what I have been up to while I was away.

Last week, I was at the CCLC CEO Symposium conference. We had the opportunity to have discussions and to work on a joint paper to provide to the CCC and Governors office regarding the 50% law. We were tasked with coming up with several points that we could all agree upon so that there could be a strong, unified voice on this topic. We had Dr. Sonya Christen, California Community College Chancellor, who talked to us about the California 2030 Plan and how equity was at the center of the plan. We had several people to discuss the State’s budget and the continuing difference in the State’s deficit and the Legislative Analyst’s Office deficit number. There continues to be a large discrepancy in the number. The Governor’s number has no cuts to the community colleges and several other programs which is why the deficit is higher. We then had discussions on how to prepare for difficult financial climates as there are strategies to use that maintain reserves yet reduce the need for any reductions. I have started conversations with Lorrie to see if any of the proposed strategies are applicable to Clovis. We talked about the importance of being responsible for making sure that we as a system, district, and college take responsibility for telling our story about our contributions to the economic landscape of our areas as well as our contribution to the social and economic growth of our students and community members.

I returned to Fresno from the conference on Sunday night.

Then on Monday, I briefly came to the office and attended the Chancellor’s Cabinet where we discussed enrollment trends, and the importance of the upcoming Ag Tech meetings with all SCCCD colleges and the District Office (DO) as we move forward. We also discussed the upcoming DO Managers meeting and topics of importance regarding dealing with difficult times.

On Tuesday, I left Fresno and went to LA where, as Vice Chair of the ACCJC Peer Review team we finalized our draft report for the College we were reaffirming. I found this process extremely valuable, as we prepare for our upcoming reaffirmation. It was nice to be on this side of the process so that I could best address concerns and request more information when asked during our process.

After finishing the ACCJC reaffirmation peer review all-day meeting, I left the hotel and headed to the LA Union Station to catch a train to San Diego for the Guided Pathway Institute #6. I have not been on a train in over a decade. I was into the architecture of the station. The intricate wall carving on the molding; the tile and the size of the station. I was amazed at the sheer size and amount of traffic going through the station on a Wednesday. I people watched and they had live piano music. At first, I thought that there was a hired pianist; but I soon realized that random people came up and played. They were all very good! I also had the best tacos in my life from a tiny restaurant in the train station. While I was waiting for my train, I worked on a presentation that I had coming up in April, listened to people singing to the piano music, and continued to people-watch. It was a nice way to wait for my train. Now, I did have to wait about 3 hours for my train due to them having to reroute trains due to the mudslides outside of Irvine. Once on the train, I was able to see some of the damage due to the mudslides and I also got to see the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Before I arrived at the Downtown San Diego Train Station, the Conductor gave us very specific instructions on how to exit the train, get to the terminal, and where to go for lift, rider, taxis, etc. He also told us to look both ways as we would be crossing tracks with approaching trains. Well, this was important information to have taken seriously. Several of us crossed one track (including me), and I saw a train to my right coming. A train employee came running over to us to make us stop. You see we thought it was safe to cross, but it wasn’t because another train was coming from my left! This is why we were taught to look both ways as a child lol. There were several of us screaming and cussing and telling people on their phones that they almost got hit by a train. We were all laughing and sighing in relief. It's amazing how a near-death experience can bring strangers together. I then came out of the station and had an old-fashioned opportunity to “hail a cab.” I loved the urban experience. I got to my hotel at about 9 pm.

On Thursday morning, I joined our Guided Pathways team: Monica, Alicia, Teresa, and Michelle, and they did a fabulous job of presenting the college's report and sustainability needs. We continued to get information from several other colleges on their concerns and successes with Guided Pathways. There was a lot of valuable team time where we worked specifically on our needs and concerns to continue with our investment in this student-centered framework. They had a panel session on the importance of Classified professionals in this work that was quite valuable and impactful. Several colleges talked about how being a part of Achieving the Dream helped to continue and expand the Guided Pathways work as the frameworks are complimentary and supportive. I returned home to Fresno on Friday evening.

I am looking forward to being back on campus next week. For those of you on Spring Break, please enjoy and take the time for rest and relaxation and just to love on family and friends. I wish you a safe and wonderful break. To those of you not off next week, I hope you have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Take care and thank you for being there for our students.

In service,

Kim E. Armstrong, Ph.D.