The President’s Monthly Report to the Board of Trustees, Campus & Community | August 2014

CHABOT-LAS POSITAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

Chabot-Las Positas

Community College District

Board of Trustees

Hal G. Gin, Ed.D., President

Marshall Mitzman, Ph.D., Secretary

Arnulfo Cedillo, Ed.D.

Isobel F. Dvorsky

Donald L. “Dobie” Gelles

Barbara F. Mertes, Ph.D.

Carlo Vecchiarelli

Jannett N. Jackson, Ph.D.,

Chancellor

CHABOT-LAS POSITAS

COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

7600 Dublin Blvd., 3rd Floor

Dublin, CA 94568

(925) 485-5208

www.clpccd.org

THE CHANCELLOR’S UPDATE is published by the CLPCCD Office of the Chancellor. It provides the latest news about CLPCCD for our district family,

community, friends, and constituents. Issues are posted online at www.clpccd.org/newsroom.

CLPCCD was founded in 1961 and serves the San Francisco East Bay Area, particularly southern Alameda County, through its two colleges: Chabot College in Hayward and Las Positas College in Livermore. CLPCCD is governed by a

seven-member board of trustees which is responsible for all policy decisions. Board members are elected from trustee areas by the registered voters of nine communities: Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, San

Leandro, San Lorenzo, Sunol, and Union City.

District Mission Statement

The Chabot-Las Positas Community College District (CLPCCD)

prepares students to succeed in a global society by challenging

them to think critically, to engage socially, and to acquire

workplace knowledge and educational skills.

In Memoriam: Dr. Reed L. Buffington

District news from Chancellor Jannett N. Jackson, Ph.D. | September 2014

The Chabot-Las Positas Community College

District (CLPCCD) held its annual Convocation on

August 14th at Las Positas College. Following are

some Convocation highlights from the day,

clockwise from top left. 1. Chabot Astronomy and

Physics Instructor Scott Hildreth accepts the

prestigious Buffington Award for excellence in

teaching. 2. At the dedication of LPC’s basketball

court in honor of the late Coach Tony Costello, are,

from left: Tony Costello’s parents; Trustee Isobel F.

Dvorsky; Board President and Trustee Hal G. Gin,

Ed.D.; Trustee Barbara F. Mertes, Ph.D.; Trustee

Carlo Vecchiarelli; Board Secretary and Trustee

Marshall Mitzman, Ph.D.; Trustee Donald L.

“Dobie” Gelles; CLPCCD Chancellor Jannett N.

Jackson, Ph.D.; LPC Faculty Emeritus Sophie

Rheinheimer; LPC President Barry A. Russell,

Ph.D.; Chabot College President Susan Sperling,

Ph.D.; and the LPC Hawk. 3. The awesome Rawk

Hawks, all LPC English instructors, drum up some

district spirit. 4. This image symbolizes the

Chancellor’s new Unity Award presented to the

Student Services Offices at both colleges.

5. Employees get together at the Ice Cream Social.

Convocation Welcomes District Family to 2014-15 Year

Our district family mourns the loss of Chabot

College’s founding President Reed L. Buffington,

Ed.D. He passed away June 9th at his Santa Rosa

home at the age of 94.

Dr. Buffington was named superintendent of the

South County Community College District and

founding president of Chabot College, a position he

held for 20 years until his retirement in 1981. When

asked by a newspaper reporter to name his chief

objective for the new college that opened its doors

on September 11th, 1961, Dr. Buffington replied,

“Quality! ... quality in everything we do.”

The district community continues to benefit from his

legacy and from his eponymous awards for alumni,

students, and faculty. Upon his retirement, Dr.

Buffington created an endowment for the annual

Buffington Award for excellence in teaching,

regarded as the district’s most prestigious faculty

honor. He began his own career in education as a

political science instructor. He earned A.B. and M.A.

degrees in political science from the University of

Chicago and an Ed.D. degree from Stanford

University. He served in the Army in World War II.

During his tenure at Chabot College, Dr. Buffington

made innumerable contributions to higher education

in California and to local civic organizations. A

passage from the book, Chabot College: The First

Twenty Years, aptly reflects Dr. Buffington’s

enduring legacy of excellence and service to Chabot

College and the community: “From the very

beginning, this has been Reed Buffington's college,

dedicated in its every thought, deed and act to the

fulfillment of the educational and cultural needs,

hopes and desires of the people of South County.”

Dr. Buffington continued to be a positive presence at

the college even after retirement. He was the first

person named to the Chabot College Athletics Hall

of Fame in 2000, honoring his strong support of

athletics at the college. In 2010, Chabot’s

performing arts center was renamed the Reed L.

Buffington Visual and Performing Arts Center. In

2012, Dr. Buffington presented the Keynote

Commencement Address.

Dr. Buffington is survived by his four children. His

wife Elaine passed away in 2010. A Memorial

Service and Celebration of Life was held for him on

June 29th in Santa Rosa and a local service will be

held at Chabot College in the fall.

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2 | THE CHANCELLOR’S UPDATE September 2014 THE CHANCELLOR’S UPDATE September 2014 | 3

The new academic year is in

full swing. Students are

studying in our libraries,

learning in our new state-of-

the-art laboratories, and

meeting up with friends in our cafeterias and

outside on our beautiful campuses.

This year, both Chabot and Las Positas colleges

are able to offer more classes to more students,

thanks to voter approval of Proposition 30. Our

students also are benefiting from our continued

focus on student success—a goal reflected in our

mission statements, our strategic planning, and

our actions.

As you will see in the page 3 article about student

success, the colleges provide a wealth of

resources to support our richly diverse student

population. But, ultimately, it is up to each student

to create his or her own success. We are their

committed partners in that process.

A concept that holds particular meaning for me

about student success is “learning reconsidered,”

adapted from the College Student Educators

International:

Learning Reconsidered is an argument for the

integrated use of all of higher education’s

resources in the education and preparation of the

whole student… supporting learning and

development as intertwined, inseparable elements

of the student experience. It advocates for

transformative education—a holistic process of

learning that places the student at the center of

the learning experience.

Our shared district vision does, indeed, place the

student at the center of the college experience.

We take purposeful actions to provide an

experience that captures students’ imaginations

and opens their eyes to options and opportunities

they might never before have imagined. We seek

to instill in students a sense of connectedness to

our colleges and our communities, our valued

partners in student success. Through this

experience, students become engaged; this is

when they truly learn and become successful.

Sincerely,

Jannett N. Jackson, Ph.D.

CLPCCD Chancellor

Chancellor’s Message: A Shared Vision for Student Success When a student walks onto one of our campuses,

that student is not alone in navigating steps for

success. From registering for their first class to

celebrating graduation day, students are

surrounded by a multi-faceted, integrated network

of support from our district, our colleges, and our

community.

This network of student support is driven by data

that has helped us determine the most effective

paths and programs toward success—whether

that success is measured by acquiring new

workplace skills or basic skills, earning a

certificate or degree, or transferring to a four-year

college or university.

Equal Opportunity for Success

Equity for all student populations to support their

achievement and success is a priority at both

colleges. Our students come to us from diverse

backgrounds and with varying skill levels.

Our research shows that one factor in particular is

critical to student success: preparedness.

Students are consistently more successful if they

are more prepared for college. We help them by

providing services to get them started on the right

path, monitoring their progress, and supporting

their completion.

Student Success and Support Program Services

One opportunity students can find at Chabot and

Las Positas colleges is the new Student Success

and Support Program Services, initiated by

Senate Bill 1456. The services guide students as

they embark on their college careers and help

them stay on track toward completion.

Students begin college with an orientation,

assessment of their skills, and an education plan

developed with a counselor. After completing

these three core services, students can earn

priority registration, ensuring they get the classes

they need to complete their educational goals on

time. Following are some of the many additional

programs the colleges provide: financial aid

counseling, academic counseling, California Work

Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids

(CalWORKs), Disabled Student Program and

Services (DSPS), Extended Opportunity Program

and Services (EOPS), The Puente Program,

Umoja, and other mentoring and tutoring

programs too numerous to mention here.

Additionally, each college has created unique

programs to serve their communities. Following

are two examples. The Chabot College First Year

Experience is designed to help incoming students

make the most of their first year of college by

getting to know the campus, faculty, and other

students, and gaining a better understanding of

their areas of interest. The Las Positas College

Middle College success initiative seeks to provide

an opportunity for students to complete high

school graduation requirements while dually

enrolled in college-level courses, improving both

high school and college graduation rates.

All of these programs meet students where they

are, helping them complete their academic goals

and succeed in a global society. Our students’

successes are not only vital to them and their

families, but to the economic growth and quality

of life in our communities as well.

Working Together to Increase Equity, Access, and Success Greetings to Our

District Family, Friends,

and Community,

Colleges Welcome and Engage Students from Day One Chabot and Las Positas

colleges kicked off the new

academic year with events and

services to engage students,

support their success, and

even help them find their

classes. The colleges were

ready to greet students with

information tables,

orientations, club events,

academic and financial aid

counseling, and more.