San Diego Community College District

Special Report to the Public: 

Geysil Arroyo

Trustee Geysil Arroyo welcomed the new student trustees. She said that she attended the Classified Professionals Award ceremonies at the colleges; saw the unveiling of the new mural featuring Chancellor Constance M. Carroll at City College; and saw some of the commencement programs and congratulated those who graduated. Trustee Arroyo also attended her first in-person event as a Board member for the June 3 grand opening of the City College Child Development Center, which was the 43rd and last new building from the Propositions S and N program, and she said it was a pleasure to meet people in person. She also thanked Chancellor Constance M. Carroll for her service and said it was a pleasure to work with her, even for a short time.

Mary Graham

Trustee Mary Graham said that she watched the virtual National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), May 31 through June 4, and thought of Academic Senate President Manuel Velez and his message for the inclusion of ethnic study requirements in the college curriculum. She also welcomed the new student trustees, and said she looks forward to meeting them in person. Trustee Graham requested a call for advocacy in relation to SANDAG’s San Diego Forward transportation plan and asked that people express support to raise the youth-pass age limit from 18- to 24-years of age. Trustee Graham thanked Chancellor Carroll for her service to the District.

Craig Milgrim

Trustee Craig Milgrim welcomed the new Student Trustees, and said that he has already worked with Student Trustee Edward Borek and is looking forward to working with others over the next year. He said that he attended the Classified Professional Awards ceremonies and commented that his 26 years teaching at Grossmont College were only possible with the help of classified employees and that he has a great appreciation for their contributions. Trustee Milgrim, who had the Pride flag displayed as his Zoom background, shared that it is Pride Month, and he said he is happy that a new Pride flag has been adopted to include Queer people, people of color, and the trans community. He said that he echoed comments from Academic Senate President Manuel Velez for the inclusion of an ethnic studies graduation requirement, and that he hoped those lessons could be infused into other areas of study, as well. Trustee Milgrim thanked Chancellor Carroll and said that one of the reasons he decided to run for his position on the Board was because he wanted an opportunity to work with her, and said that he couldn’t express enough gratitude for what she’s achieved during her tenure.

Bernie Rhinerson

Trustee Bernie Rhinerson congratulated and welcomed the new Student Trustees. He said that he will miss Chancellor Carroll, and said that his eight years on the board have been some of the best in his life for enriching his understanding of public and higher education. He said that he looks forward to interacting with Chancellor Carroll in the future, especially in her work with the California Community College Baccalaureate Association, but also said he hoped she will enjoy some fun and relaxation, too.

Dr. Maria Nieto Senour

Trustee Maria Nieto Senour requested an informal discussion on when to start having Board Meetings in person again. Consensus was that the District should plan to make this transition at the September 9 Board meeting. Trustee Senour pointed out that all of the Board Members were wearing shirts that depicted the new City College mural that was unveiled on May 26 and paid tribute to Chancellor Carroll, who served the district for 28 years, including 11 years as Mesa College President and 17 years as Chancellor. She said that she respects Chancellor Carroll and will miss her ability to be calm and measured while dealing with the complexities of the system. TrusteeSenour and the other Board Members presented Chancellor Carroll with a plaque in honor of her leadership.

Dr. Constance Carroll

Chancellor Constance Carroll reported that three bills sponsored by the San Diego Community College District have passed out of the California Assembly and will soon be heard in the Senate, beginning next week with the Senate Education Committee. The bills are: AB 927 (Medina) to expand community college baccalaureate programs; AB 421 (Ward) to use the Census Date for certain noncredit courses; and AB 576 (Maienschein) to allow community colleges to collect apportionment funding for courses taught on military bases. The District is also closely monitoring the progress of the state budget negotiations and is continuing to provide advocacy to include funding for full-time faculty positions and adjunct faculty support, more funding for the base budget, and other priorities. The Chancellor reported that the College Police Review Task Forcehas completed its work, with a report and recommendations that will shortly be disseminated to the entire districtwide community. The Chancellor shared her report with Miramar College President Wes Lundburg who introduced the college’s new Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Michael Odu. Dr. Carroll ended her report by noting that this is her last Board meeting before retirement and that she has greatly enjoyed her work with the Board of Trustees, the administrators, the faculty and classified professionals, and the student leaders throughout the District. She said that the District has a bright future and that she will continue to support the District and Colleges in her new role as President and CEO of the California Community College Baccalaureate Association.

Natalia Trinh

Student Trustee Natalia Trinh expressed, along with Miramar College Student Trustee Edward Borek, gratitude for being elected as Associated Student Government President and Student Trustee at their respective colleges, and both are looking forward to transitioning back to in-person classes soon. She reported on various student activities districtwide, including that Miramar College held multiple graduation celebrations, including “carmencement” graduation ceremonies, virtual commencement, and a lavender graduation for LGBTQ+ students hosted by Club Spectrum. At City College, she reported that the ASG is in the process of sending out gift cards to students who bought ASG memberships; and thanked Vice President of Student Services Denise Whisenhunt for her dedication and support of the ASG. She reported that the San Diego College of Continuing Education had successful drive-thru and virtual commencement celebrations, and the ASG thanked President Carlos O. Turner Cortez for his leadership and support of students at the college ahead of taking on his new role as Chancellor of the District. At Mesa College, she said while students have faced many challenges this past year, they also have endured and persevered, which was on display during the college’s June 4 graduation car parade. She said the Mesa College ASG has a resolution in progress to support Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA), and has been collaborating with the Mesa 2030 task force to increase more support and have a more environmentally sustainable campus. The ASG is also working with President Pam Luster on a campus reopening event, and working with faculty on ways to decrease textbook costs.

Board Actions

At its regular meeting of May 13, 2021, which was conducted in a virtual format, the Board of Trustees:

- Announced the following actions from Closed Session: unanimously approved the revised contract for Chancellor-designate Carlos O. Turner Cortez to include a provision providing for executive coaching during the term of contract; and adopted the 2020-2023 Resource Allocation Formula Tentative Agreement (RAF) for the AFT Guild College & Continuing Education Faculty and AFT Guild Classified Units, the AFT Guild Non-Academic Non Classified Employees Unit, the Police Officers Association, the Management Association Unit, the Supervisory & Professional Administrators Association, the Association of Confidential Employees Unit, and the Executive Management Unit.

- Heard public comment from Michael Stewart who expressed concern for the cost of TV commercials and advertisements promoting the upcoming fundraising gala being held in honor of Chancellor Carroll in September, and in response Chancellor Carroll assured the Board that this program was being held at no cost to taxpayers and that all funds raised will go directly to students in the San Diego Promise Program; and City College student Ruby Martinez who expressed concern for the SDCCD’s annual police budget and said she believed there are other ways to protect students, including mental health services, and recommended the money be reallocated to student scholarships, public transportation vouchers, and other student support programs. Mesa College Academic Senate (AS) President Manuel Velez shared that this is his last meeting as AS President and expressed his appreciation to the Board of Trustees including Trustee Mary Graham, with whom he served on the Chancellor Search subcommittee, vice chancellors and others at the District. Professor Velez also urged establishment of an ethnic studies requirement which is gaining momentum on a statewide basis and also at Mesa College where the AS recently passed a resolution in support. He said it is also important for the District to provide resources needed for ethnic studies including the hiring of faculty, who are now in high demand across the state. Professor Velez ended his report saying he is looking forward to seeing what the Board and new chancellor will do in the future.

- Administered the Oath of Office to Student Trustees: Natalia Trinh (Mesa College) and Edward Borek (Miramar College), noting that the City College Student Trustee would be selected in the fall.

- Adopted resolutions: the first to name the Arts and Humanities Building at San Diego City College in honor of Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D., at the recommendation of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, lead by Executive Vice Chancellor Bonnie Dowd and City College President Ricky Shabazz, and the City College Governance Council; and the second honoring Chancellor Carroll as the longest-serving Chancellor in the history of the San Diego Community College District and for her many achievements by conferring her with the title “Chancellor Emerita.”

- Following remarks by Chancellor Carroll and an in-depth report by Executive Vice Chancellor Bonnie Dowd, approved the Tentative Budget for 2021-2022.  The total District Budget of $878,671,851 includes income, appropriations, and expenses for all District funds. The budget had been reviewed by the Board’s Budget Study and Audit Subcommittee (Trustees Bernie Rhinerson and Craig Milgrim). 

- Approved the appointment of Dr. Michael Odu as Vice President of Instructional Services at Miramar College.

- Adopted revisions to Chapter 5 – Student Services Board Policies (first reading), including edits to BP 3000 Admission of College Students, BP 3102 Student Publications, BP 3301 Nonresident Tuition, and BP 5035 Withholding of Student Records, following comments by Vice Chancellor of Educational Services Susan Topham with approval to proceed to the next step of review and approval.

- Heard a report on the Districtwide Honors Program 2020-2021 with comments by Vice Chancellor of Educational Services Susan Topham, Dean Shelly Hess, and Miramar College English Professor Carmen Carrasquillo Jay.

- Authorized an amendment to a Compensation Agreement in accordance with the City of San Diego’s desire to move forward with the disposition of a Future Development site property, commonly referred to as Valencia Business Park.

- Approved new or revised courses and programs following comments by Vice Chancellor of Educational Services Susan Topham.

- Authorized agreements with health care agencies for use of clinical facilities by students enrolled in District health occupations programs.

- Authorized travel of students from City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, and the College of Continuing Education for purposes of intercollegiate team competition, tournaments, approved out of season competition, student leadership, academic program competition, and related activities from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022; sabbatical leaves for the 2021-2022 academic year; and applications for participation in the Reduced Workload/Early Retirement Program.

- Entered into a subgrant agreement with Growth Sector for STEM Core at Mesa College.

- Entered into a subcontract agreement with San Diego State University, Department of Education – Office of Postsecondary Education for Developing Effective Bilingual Educators with Resources (DEBER) project at Mesa College to facilitate teacher education for bilingual students pursuing an elementary or high school teaching credential.

- Accepted grants from the U.S. Department of Education for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; and from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for the State Emergency Financial Assistance program at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, and the College of Continuing Education.

- Awarded contracts to Clearwing Systems Integration and DCJ Theatrical Lighting Inc. for the purchase of upgraded theatre lighting and fixtures for the Saville Theatre at City College; and to Kelly Paper for the purchase of reprographic specialty paper products Districtwide; and authorized the amendment of existing contract with J.E. Moore to add sustainability services relating to the Propositions S and N program.

- Approved purchase orders completed during the month of April 2021; and various personnel actions including the certification of short-term personnel service effective on or after June 11, 2021.