We Carry the Mission Forward

A message from the Vice President of Instruction.

As we look toward the future, we do so from a place of shared strength and renewed purpose, an idea that draws me to something I recently read by Adrienne Maree Brown in Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds: “How we live and grow and stay purposeful in the face of constant change actually does determine both the quality of our lives and the impact that we can have when we move into action together.”  I had to sit with those words for a while to let them sink in: The impact that we can have… when we move into action…together. 

This truth is reflected in what we recently accomplished as a college. On Wednesday, April 1, after reviewing another random sample of 50 online courses, the ACCJC Peer Review Team determined Modesto Junior College is compliant.  Our accreditation by ACCJC is not just a procedural success—it is a reaffirmation of our collective commitment to excellence. It demonstrates that when we collaborate and when we choose to lead with purpose, we rise to challenges. This accomplishment is meaningful because it validates the integrity of our work and strengthens the foundation upon which we will build the next era of MJC.

Likewise, our recent gains in Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in online education are more than a metric—they are a testament to our dedication to creating high-quality, human-centered learning experiences for students, regardless of the modality. We chose not just to meet expectations but to elevate them. And by doing so, we made online learning more engaging, and students feel more connected.

Meaningful work turns compliance into progress. Now, our focus will be on strengthening the systems and practices that support this progress and continuing to align our institutional work with accreditation standards in ways that make our operations clearer and more sustainable. We will use our recent accomplishments not as endpoints but as guideposts, helping us prioritize where to invest and streamline with the goal of ever-improving teaching and learning.  We carry the mission forward.

As we approach the end of another year, let this time be a reminder that every person here contributes to something larger than any one of us. Thank you for all you do—and may the months ahead fill you with purpose and energy for the community we build together.

Onward!