Dear SJCC Community,

Congratulations again to San José City College’s Graduating Class of 2020! This year, 700 students petitioned to graduate from SJCC with over 1,320 degrees and certificates conferred. Our students are transferring to CSU Eastbay, San Francisco State, San Jose State, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Los Angeles, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Clara University, Bowie State, Clark Atlanta University, and others.

I want to extend my thanks to our graduation committee and volunteers, under the leadership of Hilario “Juan Garcia” and Director Blake Balajadia, for their contribution to making our virtual graduation meaningful. A shout out to Business and Workforce, Kinesiology, Umoja, and the Latino Educational Association for their coordination of special virtual celebrations and graduations, honoring our career education, African American, and Latinx students, and our scholar athletes. Our students’ achievements are a result of a collective effort and I am inspired by your contributions to their success.

I am proud of the collaborative work we have been able to foster this past spring 2020 to increase engagement in our participatory governance committees, continue progress on ACCJC’s recommendations for improvement, update SJCC’s Educational Master Plan and Facilities Master Plan, and improve integrated planning and resource allocation.

We have also leveraged our local and regional community partners to reaffirm our commitment to student equity and student success, including our participation in the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and partnerships with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and the Bill Wilson Center, San Jose.

Equally importantly, I am proud of how our community has come together during this unprecedented time of global crisis, with many communities experiencing the negative and harmful impacts of the COVID-19–increase in xenophobia against Asians, disproportionate mortality rates among African Americans, Latinx, and Native Americans, economic unemployment, and access to education. In the last few months, the coronavirus pandemic has changed our personal and professional lives in many ways.

We’ve been forced to adjust to limitations such as social distancing, Zoom video, Google Hangout, and Facetime as ways to continue to operate SJCC and feel close to family and friends. Despite these conditions, Academic Affairs, Career Education, and Student Affairs worked heroically to transition face-to-face instruction and student services to an online modality.

Likewise, Administrative Services stepped up to meet this challenge–cleaning and disinfecting campus facilities and grounds, placing orders for and prepping technology and other equipment for distribution to students and employees. I know this work is ongoing and I thank you for your continued support of our college and students!

During this time, it is our collective responsibility to create a safe and welcoming space, physically and virtually, for our students that is academically challenging, affirming, and healing.

I look forward to our continued collaboration so that we can fulfill our mission to transform lives and “to serve our students by offering high quality instruction in an environment where student achievement and social justice are highly valued.”

I hope that the summer recess provides all of you rest and rejuvenation.

#StayBrilliant #GoJagsGo #SJECCDTogether

In Community Spirit, Rowena