President's Update: April 21, 2025

Dear Shasta College community,

I hope you all had a wonderful spring break. Another four weeks and the 2024-25 school year will be a wrap! I'm excited about Commencement on May 16 and especially that we have seen a tremendous increase in the number of graduates this year versus last year. According to our colleagues in Student Services, the total number of graduates was 1,085 in Spring 2024, and that number for this spring has risen to 1,260 - an almost 14% increase! 

Please note, in addition to Commencement there are quite a few other end-of-year events going on. It's hard to keep track of them all, so here's a little cheat sheet:

Tuesday, April 29 – 2:00 PM – 75th Anniversary Time Capsule Interment – North side of Gym
Wednesday, April 30 – 11:00 AM – Employee Recognition Awards – Theatre
Thursday, May 1st – 5:00 PM – Art Student Award Exhibition – 300 Building
Thursday, May 1st - 5:30 PM – Tenure Celebration – Gaia Hotel, Anderson
Tuesday, May 6th –  5:00 PM – Veterans Graduation –Student Center Stage
Thursday, May 8th – 1:00 PM – UMOJA Graduation – on the Quad. (Theatre if it’s raining.)
Thursday, May 8th – 6:00 PM – STEP-UP Graduation – Gaia Hotel, Anderson
Wednesday, May 14th - 5:00 PM – Associate Degree for Nursing (ADN) Pinning – Theatre
Thursday, May 15th - 5:00 PM – Vocational Nursing (LVN) Pinning – Theatre
Friday, May 16th  – 7:00 PM – Redding Campus 
Saturday, May 17th - 12:00 noon – 72nd Fire Academy Graduation  – Theatre
Thursday, May 22nd – 6:30 PM – California Adult Education Graduation – Theatre
Friday, May 23rd - 7:00 PM – College Connection Graduation – Theatre
Friday, May 30th – 4:00 PM – Gateway to College Graduation  – Theatre

I know there are many more beside this, so apologies for any omissions. I strongly encourage you all to attend the Employee Recognition Awards in the Theatre on April 30 to see some of our amazing classified staff be recognized for their good work, as well as our Excellent Educators and Administrator of the Year.

Federal actions continue to be a big topic of discussion at every meeting I attend. To be honest, it's been a whirlwind and there's a lot of watching and waiting in all corners. The League of California Community Colleges held a webinar last week that included members from the Chancellor's Office, and they directed participants to this resource from EducationCounsel. It gives you a sense of the sheer number of executive orders, directives, etc., that we are all trying to understand in the context of our operations. As you can see, it's a lot! Leaders from the Chancellor's Office are urging us to just keep what we are doing and to keep a steady course. Despite the uncertainty we’re all witnessing, one encouraging truth seems to be that community colleges are well liked and held in high regard on both sides of the aisle. There's a recognition both by our state and federal leaders that our good work is a vehicle for economic prosperity as well as social mobility. That puts us in a strong place to keep doing what we do best—serving students and strengthening our region.

Related to federal actions, I have heard concerns about unsolicited requests for student information. As I indicated early, we are under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits us from sharing any student information unless a valid signed warrant for this information is presented. Even then, we have a designated process, outlined in Administrative Procedure 3415, to ensure compliance.  If you are approached by anyone asking for information about students, please follow these steps:

1.    Maintain a professional and courteous approach with any individuals making such requests.
2.    Don't provide any student information, regardless of the person’s credentials or documentation.
3.    Contact Campus Safety at 530-242-7910 so they can address the requests in accordance with our legal guidelines.

If you need more information on student rights and available support services, I encourage you to visit the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Undocumented Students Support Services page. If you have additional questions, you may also contact Student Services at 530-242-7659. Meantime, we remain committed to the success of all of our students, and our mission stays the same.

I wish you all well as we finish the semester and hope to see you at Commencement if not before.

Best, 

Frank