President's Update
Dear Community,
As I begin my fourth month as your Superintendent/President, I am very proud of what we've accomplished in such a short period: 1) balancing our budget; 2) increasing our college fiscal reserves; 3) growing enrollments; 4) and receiving approval for the state's Emergency Conditions Allowance (ECA), which will increase our funding, allowing us to hire six new full-time faculty members.
We are also moving our Measure X projects forward with the soon-to-begin construction of our Hollister Campus. We will soon begin designing our future Library and Student Resource Center (LSRC).
These past few months have been the most fulfilling of my 20-year career in the community college system. THANK YOU for your support and confidence in my leadership!
During the past three months, I have spent time listening and gathering input from our college community. Through these conversations, I have identified the following five priorities (with an equity lens):
- Enrollment Management
- Fiscal Stability
- Technology Improvements
- Institutional Effectiveness (Includes shared governance, research and planning, and student success)
- Measure X Construction Projects
As we move our college forward, I want to ensure we are appropriately structured to create the conditions to succeed with our future initiatives, particularly our institutional efforts on enrollment management.
With this in mind, I have communicated with our faculty and CSEA leadership my intent to restructure the Executive Vice President position. I believe the current amount of responsibility placed under this position is unsustainable. Furthermore, I have serious concerns about our ability to move our college forward under a structure that will limit our ability to be agile and responsive to the needs of our students, faculty, and staff.
Ongoing conversations with our college community taught me the issues and concerns regarding the previous reorganization and the negative sentiments around "reorganizations." The easy path for me would be to ignore this issue and hope for the best, but I would not be leading you with integrity. I ask that you work with me as we move forward to explore a new structure for a separate Vice President of Student Services and a Vice President of Academic Affairs. This will ensure we avoid mistakes from the past. In return, I want you to know that you have my commitment to providing an inclusive and transparent process. I'm currently working with your leaders, Diana Seelie, Cherise Mantia, and Rob Overson, to develop a process that will be transparent and inclusive of all constituents. We will let you know once we have a set process in place.
Announcements and Updates
I want to begin by congratulating Enna Trevathan, our Nursing Department, and our RN students for achieving a 100% first-time National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (RN) pass rate. This impressive achievement reflects our faculty's dedication to preparing students to succeed. Congratulations!
Additionally, the Christopher Ranch Foundation has signed an agreement with us for the production of the Little Mermaid for the summer of 2023. In conjunction with our theater department, the Christopher Foundation will fund and provide theatrical services, internships, student scholarships, and a donation to our Theater Arts program. This will give our students a unique opportunity to participate in a high-end production alongside experienced performers and also help us promote the arts within the communities we serve. Thanks to John Lawtonhael, who helped coordinate this partnership and develop the agreement between our college and the Christopher Ranch Foundation.
Thanks to Gilbert Martinez for inviting me to learn about the Cosmetology program. I appreciated learning about the program's history and his long-term commitment to Gavilan and our students.
(Upper picture: Gilbert Martinez with female student. Picture of student washing head mannequin; third picture of two head mannequins)
We had a visit from Dr. Patrick Marshall, Inmate Rehabilitation Manager, and Lieutenant Gill Gurpreet. They met with our team to invite us to participate in their College Collaborative program, which provides classes to inmates and previously incarcerated community members.
(Pictured: Dr. Marshall, Lieutenant Gill of Santa Clara Sheriff's Office, Annette Gutierrez, Dr. Avila, Dean Susan Sweeney, Dean Noah Lystrop, Dean Julian West)
Our Dual Enrollment and Outreach team, Susan Sweeny, Stacy Porteur, and Lelannie Mann, joined me on a visit to Hollister High School to meet with Principal Adrian Ramirez and his team to discuss dual enrollment opportunities. Hollister High School is currently at 3,500 students and will continue to grow as the City of Hollister expands housing. We were very impressed by their facilities—lots of possibilities here to establish a solid dual enrollment partnership.
(Pictured: Dr. Avila, Haybalers Football Player #53, and Principal Ramirez)
I attended the Annual Cal-SOAP Orientation on Saturday, where they offered college readiness, financial aid planning, and career exploration workshops for parents and students. Thanks to our dedicated team that was tabling and sharing information with parents and prospective students.
(Pictured: Gavilan College EOPS table with 3 attendees)
Kind Regards,
Dr. Pedro Avila
Superintendent/President
5055 Santa Teresa Boulevard | Gilroy, CA 95020
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