Homecoming Weekend and Looking Forward to Spring!
We celebrated our Homecoming weekend with a convincing win against West Hills College on Saturday October 16th! To add to the excitement, several members of the 1980s football team including John Rade, NFL Atlanta Falcons linebacker from 1983 to 1991 were present to celebrate our Homecoming weekend! We relived the historic moment from 41 years ago when the Pirates went on to Rose Bowl to win the championship undefeated! When the members of the undefeated team introduced themselves at half time, the Pirates Pride was at its best! The celebrations were complete with an enthusiastic Petey and Penelope making their rounds at the stadium, and the cheerleaders performing every time the Pirates scored a touchdown!
Now that we have reached the mid-point of Fall semester, many of you are already planning for Spring 2022. In the upcoming Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, October 20th, a resolution to require testing for those who want to attend face to face classes on campus in Spring is under consideration. An ability to test everyone physically coming to the campus will help improve operational efficiency. We look forward to getting clarity on the issue of the testing requirement after the Board Meeting.
As of now we are planning over 40% of the class sections to be held in the face-to-face format during Spring. To improve enrollment in Spring, we have taken multiple measures: Spring semester will be free for all students. Additionally, those willing to share their proof of vaccination will receive $250 towards cost of books in the form of a bookstore voucher. Students sharing their vaccination record and enrolling in six units or more will receive an additional $250 cash towards cost of attendance. We are expecting the free college and additional incentives will encourage students to enroll.
We are also partnering with Modesto City Schools to increase our course offerings under the umbrella of Dual Enrollment. Apart from increasing the number of courses offered, we are planning several registration camps in partnership with the local high schools where we will help their students enroll in MJC classes. I am optimistic that our partnership will continue to strengthen and pave the path for many of the local high school students to continue their academic journey at MJC.
Several of you have expressed interest to participate in the strategic planning process for the period 2021-2026. In these times of significant change, it is important that we come together as an institution and collectively determine our strategic priorities. I am particularly pleased with the participation of several community members and students in the strategic planning process. There will be two 4-hour sessions in November when the workgroup will meet to develop our strategic priorities and measurable goals and objectives. The plan will be finalized in Spring 2022 and implemented immediately after adoption.
We are also launching our inaugural Applied Creativity and Community Transformation (ACCT) initiative, reorganizing divisions to schools, and re-energizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities this semester. I truly appreciate your enthusiasm to pursue a number of forward-looking initiatives during a semester fraught with multiple uncertainties. You truly demonstrate our commitment to the community in our centennial year. WE are MJC, the community’s college!
Go Pirates!