Welcome Back!
I'm pleased to welcome back to campus returning faculty members and nine-month employees. I believe that the 2002-03 academic year will be one of the best ever for the College. As of August 16, overall enrollment increased 9.4%. with headcount at 17,391 and FTSE at 8,966.

Convocation Highlights
Convocation, held earlier today, is the one time each year that the entire GCC family gathers as a group. It was great to see so many of you and hear about your summer adventures. Over 350 employees attended the morning session and 46 attended in the afternoon, with all employee groups well represented. Following GCC tradition, new hires were introduced and honored. I was especially pleased that Governing Board members Gene Eastin, Linda Rosenthal, and Nancy Stein attended, as did Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources, Dr. Jose Leyba.

In my presentation, I outlined how the District-wide Strategic Initiatives, the HLC/NCA challenges, and the Futures Committee's recommendations converge, and how they will guide GCC's assessment, strategic planning, and budget development processes. A summary brochure has been created that will serve as a helpful reference for planning activities at many levels throughout the College. If you need a copy of this brochure, please contact my office at 5-3012.

Finally, many thanks to the hard-working people behind the scenes who coordinated the details. Our newly formed Convocation Committee, led by Chuck Jeffery and George Martinez, pulled together to make the event a success. Convocation Committee members are Judy Blake, Deborah Dee, Jeff Glemba, Linda Hawbaker, Roxie Helbert, Scott Kozak, Joe Ranus, Suzanne Smelser, and Trish Vogel.

It's Official!
As promised in previous President's Newsletters, I have another NCA update for you. Today I received a letter from the Higher Learning Commission/North Central Association giving us the formal, official notification of GCC's continuing accreditation with the Commission. We should feel very proud of our ten-year accreditation that takes us through 2011-12. We do have three reports due to the Commission in the next few years: a five-year strategic plan progress report, due June 1, 2004; a College climate progress report, due June 1, 2005; and a student outcomes assessment monitoring report, due Dec. 1, 2005. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of everyone who helped in the accreditation process.

Construction Updates
Sidewalk replacement and fire lane construction continue throughout campus. Please keep in mind that this work is necessary to comply with established fire codes, and with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and that most of the concrete being replaced is more than 35 years old.

The contractor and Al Gonzales' crew in Facilities are working well together and doing a great job. Beginning Monday, August 26, some construction will take place from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. to eliminate disruptions and improve safety. The end results will be well worth the temporary inconvenience.

Construction Coordination
I am committed to improved communication with all of you about ongoing construction. To that end, I have asked Associate Dean of Instruction, Chuck Jeffery to serve as the construction liaison for the instructional community and participate in weekly meetings with Facilities staff and the contractor. He and others will be developing a system whereby regular weekly construction updates are available on the GCC Web. Look for additional information on a future Web site -- You can use this site to see the areas that will be be affected by construction, as well as work that has been completed.

Steve Helfgot to Visit GCC on August 28
The District's new Vice Chancellor of Student Development and Community Affairs, Dr. Steven Helfgot, will tour the campus on August 28 to meet with a variety of people as part of the "learning curve" in his new position. He started with MCCCD on August 5, and comes to us from Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, where he was Vice President of Public Affairs. If you see Dr. Helfgot, please join me in extending a warm GCC welcome. We're pleased he's taking the time to learn about GCC and what makes us special.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Meeting the Candidates
On August 17, I attended a forum at Midwestern University where I had a chance to talk with many candidates for office in the U.S. and state legislative districts representing GCC's service area. As we look ahead to the Fall elections, we want to ensure that MCCCD and GCC interests and positions are well known and understood. I encourage all of you to get to know the issues important to you so that you can fully participate as an informed voter. My thanks to Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs and Midwestern President Kathleen Goeppinger for co-hosting a fine event.

Dr. Phillip Randolph
President
Glendale Community College