President's Update
Dear community,
Once again, I want to thank everyone who came to the Susan Dodd Crossing Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Click here to view the video prepared by Jeronimo Garcia and Shawn Mulcare. Well done!
As I noted in my speech at the Susan Dodd Crossing ceremony, the renovation of our bridge is the first of many facilities projects to come. This week, we interviewed three groups of architects and construction firms selected as finalists for our new Library and Student Resource Center (LSRC) design and construction. With a tentative completion date of fall 2025, the LSRC will provide a welcoming space for new and continuing students and a hub of library and student support services with easy-to-navigate spaces. This two-story building will be visible from Highway 101 and serve as a beacon of Gavilan college’s presence in our community. Thanks to Carina Cisneros, Renee Craig-Marius, Jeff Gopp, Aleah Kropholler, Cherise Mantia, Tara Myers, and Jennifer Nari for being part of our LSRC designer and construction selection workgroup.
To learn more about the Library and Student Resource Center (LSRC) project, click here for presentation.
To learn more about our Measure X projects, please visit the Measure X website.
(Graphical map of Gilroy campus showing the new Library and Student Resource Center)
Gavilan College Educational Foundation
We hosted our first Educational Foundation meeting of the semester. The board officially accepted the Medinnus Trust donation of $167,782, which will go toward student scholarships for financially disadvantaged students. Our Financial Aid Director, Marina Martinez, updated the board on the Student Emergency Fund that was established by our Foundation to support students throughout COVID. We also discussed hiring a full-time Foundation Director who can lead our foundation and connect with donors to build and grow our Foundation’s endowment fund to increase support for our students and our institution.
Women’s and Men’s Soccer Coming Soon
On Wednesday, at President’s Council, we approved a request from our Kinesiology/Athletics program to reinstate women’s and men’s soccer. The vote was unanimous from the leadership of our constituents (students, the academic senate, CSEA, management, and confidential employees). The request includes one-time funding for uniforms and equipment and ongoing funding to hire two part-time coaches. Our Interim Athletic Director, Jamie Adams, will begin the interview and hiring process of the coaches and will notify the state athletic commission that we intend to participate in the fall 2023 season. She noted that the two programs would enroll approximately 50-60 full-time students with high completion and transfer rates. It will also create a lot of excitement and engagement with our service area communities. Thanks to Susan Dodd, Jamie Adams, Nikki Dequin, and Albert Marques for their advocacy and coordination of this request through our shared governance process. I’m very excited for our local student-athletes and our community!
(Gavilan College 2018 Men’s Soccer Team)
Enrollment Management Academy
Lastly, I want to thank our faculty, classified and confidential employees, and managers who attended Friday’s Enrollment Management Academy. The academy was led by enrollment management experts Pam Deegan and Carlos Lopez. They are community college practitioners with many years of experience assisting community colleges in identifying solutions to their enrollment management challenges. Friday’s session was engaging, humorous, and very informative. As an institution, we learned that we have work to do in cleaning up our data, establishing clear enrollment targets, and improving our class scheduling process. Our next Enrollment Management Academy session will take place on Friday, October 14, via Zoom with a focus on student services, fiscal, and other areas of our institution related to enrollment management.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Pedro Avila
Superintendent/President
5055 Santa Teresa Boulevard | Gilroy, CA 95020
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