I am thrilled and honored to serve as your Interim Chancellor! Over the last three years as the President of Skyline College, I got to know the people of Skyline College and the surrounding community very well, and now I am looking forward to getting to know all of you. It is my nature to ask for feedback and connect with with people. If you have ideas on how I can improve the District’s function or perception, please let me know. I am excited to share with you a new monthly (or so) blog as Interim Chancellor. My goal with this new blog, The Three Rings, is to bring more openness and transparency in communication, and to demystify the work we do at the District Office (“the DO”) and District wide.
What is the significance of The Three Rings to you?
Our logo with three interlocking rings often prompts jokes – from the Olympics to Audi, from circuses to Lord of the Rings. But joking aside, the three rings represent meaningful things to me, and I hope you take a minute to consider more seriously what they mean to you. For me, our logo is a daily reminder that the District Office serves our three great colleges: Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College. The interlocking rings represent that the colleges are connected and united in their service of our students in all of the communities in our County. And the role of the District is to support the three colleges and help us be connected and coordinated in so many ways – from providing IT structure and support, Facilities, Public Safety, Fiscal, Payroll, Purchasing, HR, and programmatic support. Finally, the three rings prompt me to think about who I am as a values-based leader – and consider my top three values. I plan to write more about that next time. Please share with me what the three rings mean to you!
Official Message from the Interim Chancellor
COVID-19 Emergency Has Officially Ended
5/5/23
Dear Employees,
There have been some questions as to whether we are continuing some practices we followed during the COVID-19 Emergency. On February 28, 2023, Governor Newsom officially terminated the State’s COVID-19 State of Emergency. It appears that the nationwide state of emergency has ended early. In addition, all MOUs negotiated with the bargaining units relating to COVID-19 have expired. As such, we will use our existing Board Policies and the terms of our bargaining unit contracts as guideposts in our decision-making. Specifically, there have been questions about class cancellations and telework. During our May 10 Study Session, we will be discussing a draft Telework policy that applies to classified employees and managers. Since the AFT contract specifically addresses on-site expectations for instructional and non-instructional faculty, we expect the terms of their contract to apply. Also, the current Board Policy 6.04 Minimum Class Size Guidelines prevails. I just received a draft revision of this policy on my desk from DPGC, and I (alongside staff) will be taking a recommendation to the Board on this item at the regular Board meeting in June.
Thank you,
Melissa
Melissa Moreno, J.D., Interim Chancellor
Students First Values
If you have ever visited the boardroom, you would have seen pictures of our facilities and campuses in the lobby area. Before our first board meeting, we replaced those pictures with student faces. Our DO dwellers were excited to see student faces and remind us all why we are here. I hope you come visit and see for yourself!
Board Highlights
At the April 26, 2023 Board Meeting we received a “stretch” goal from the Board for enrollment growth across the District of 15 percent. Dr. Aaron McVean and his team at the DO will work with the Presidents and Deans of Planning and Research to support the colleges in reaching this goal for Fall.
I am so pleased to announce that the Board also approved a new temporary Chief Diversity Officer & Ombuds position. This position is sponsored in part by the Equity Forward program and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. As we move forward to fill this position, we will be keeping you informed about the role which is both that of a CDO and Ombuds. It is our plan that the CDO will provide support and coordination of our colleges and District efforts that advance antiracism and equity. And, the Ombuds effort is meant to help resolve disputes early from a neutral, independent viewpoint. More on this as we move forward.
Out & About
