I’d like to start my weekly note by congratulating City College of San Francisco’s Department of Behavioral Sciences for last week’s Cannabis Studies Open House, marking the official launch of the first Cannabis Associate of Arts Degree in the country. Nearly 200 people attended the virtual event, and I’d like to acknowledge Department Chair Dawgert-Carlin, Vice President Tom Temprano, and all who have contributed to make this new degree possible. You can learn more about the program here, and through the coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and on KCBS Radio.
Last week was another busy week at City Hall. I had the opportunity to meet with several members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, including Board President Norman Yee and Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Catherine Stefani, Matt Haney and Gordon Mar. On Friday, during the Joint City, School District, and City College Select Committee, we discussed how the City, the School District, and City College can continue to partner to ensure we meet all of our students’ needs throughout the pandemic. This monthly Joint Select Committee will now meet every other week – along with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) - to address issues related to online learning, food insecurity, digital connectivity and mental health during this unprecedented time. At City College, we’re pleased that nearly 825 faculty members have been trained to optimize the continued delivery of online learning this Fall. By working together, I am confident we can provide our students with the support they need to successfully continue their education.
We also continue to make progress on some exciting initiatives, including an expansion to our cyber security program – a growing employment field even more important due to the increasing global dependence on digital communication – and the strengthening of our partnerships with San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and San Francisco State University (SFUSD) to recruit even more high school graduates to San Francisco’s institutions of higher learning.
I look forward to meeting with you and answering questions at my first monthly Open Forum this coming Wednesday, July 29 at 2pm via zoom at https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/94281752779 or telephone at 415-762-9988 or 669-900-6833.
The forum will be followed by the monthly Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, July 30 at 4:00pm during which the Board of Trustees will vote to approve the College’s FY 2020-2021 budget and administrative reorganization.
Yours sincerely,
Rajen Vurdien, Ph.D.
Interim Chancellor
City College of San Francisco