Chancellor's Weekly Note: October 26

Dear CCSF Community, 
 
Last week, the City College Board of Trustees met and discussed a variety of important topics, including the 2020-2021 fiscal year budget. If you are interested in learning more about what took place at this meeting, I encourage you to visit the board website. There will also be an opportunity to ask any remaining questions at my upcoming Open Forum Wednesday, October 28 at 2:00pm via zoom and phone.  Join us online at https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/94281752779 or via telephone at 415-762-9988 or 669-900-6833.  
 
And I have more good news to share! Over the weekend, the CCSF Computer Networking and Information Technology (CNIT) Cybersecurity Team took home first place in the Western Regional Collegiate PenTesting Competition (CPTC), a competition that provides student cybersecurity teams with the opportunity to discover, triage, and mitigate critical security vulnerabilities to improve the security position of a fictitious organization. Under the leadership of CCSF faculty coaches Sam Bowne, Elizabeth Biddlecome, and Richard Wu, CCSF students came out ahead of all other teams, including teams from Stanford, CalPoly, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego, and are now headed to a national competition next month. Congratulations to the students and faculty in our CNIT Department, who continually demonstrate excellence in the Cybersecurity space. 
         
Fresh off the heels of launching the first Cannabis Associate of Art Degree in the nation, the City Extension Cannabis program is launching a brand-new industry-specific program that could set the bar for state and national industry standards. Through the City Extension program, the College is now enrolling students in three not-for-credit courses open to students across the country:  Introduction to Cannabis; Cannabis and Social Equity; and METRC - Compliance and the Cannabis Industry. And beginning this spring, the College will offer cannabis classes taught by an all-star cast of culinary professionals, including: Netflix-featured Chef Amanda Jackson; Chef Mennlay Aggrey, who literally wrote the book on Weed Butter; and the James Beard-nominated Chef Miguel Trinidad. I encourage everyone to learn more about the classes by visiting the CityCannabis website.
 
And finally, I hope everyone who has the ability to vote in the upcoming election will make sure your voice is heard! Take the time to make your voting plan, and return your ballot early if you can. 
 
Thank you for all you continue to do for our community. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Rajen Vurdien, Ph.D. 
Interim Chancellor