To: All Faculty and Staff
Date: June 24, 2009
The celebration of student accomplishments by so many departments and programs these past few weeks is always a highlight of the academic year. It also is a tribute to the work all of you have done through the years to help these students to achieve their dreams. The commencement ceremonies Friday at Foothill and Saturday at De Anza will once again be filled with thousands of proud graduates, family and friends. Each of you contributed to the accomplishments of those students walking across the stage to receive their diplomas. Thank you.
The end of the year also is filled with recognition ceremonies for those staff members who are retiring. I am struck by the common theme of dedication to students that comes up in every ceremony. Many of these staff members have been with us for more than 30 years and we owe them our deep appreciation for their unwavering commitment to students.
Last Wednesday we celebrated Martha Kanter for the legacy of leadership she developed within our college district, community and state. Now she is setting out to do the same for the nation. She has left us with many lessons about leadership, innovation and dedication to students that we will continue to incorporate into our district. I am very honored to be following such a prominent leader and good friend to all of us. Her focus on students will guide me each day as I assume the interim chancellor role for these next few months. The search for a permanent chancellor has started in earnest. I believe we will attract a nationally recognized field of candidates and will be able to find a new leader to serve our district.
There is no question we will have our budget challenges next year as California adjusts to lower tax revenues, leaving our state without adequate funds to support vital education, health and social programs. I cannot say at this time exactly how much we will need to adjust our budget next year because the California Legislature has not yet amended the state budget to reflect the revenue declines, but we are preparing for further reductions. I will be posting updates on the district's budget update web page (<http://business.fhda.edu/budget/budget_update>http://business.fhda.edu/budget/budget_update)
to keep you informed of the most recent state budget developments and any district decisions we need to make on the budget during the summer months. (You can also find a link to budget updates on the district home page at <http://www.fhda.edu>www.fhda.edu.)
I want to thank in advance all the governance leaders who will work with us through the summer to advise on budget decisions so we can implement the recommendations as soon as we know the depth and scope of budget reductions. We should be able to share more details with you on the morning of Sept. 17 at the district opening day.
We continue to look for new sources of funding and to strongly advocate for our needs in Sacramento. While much energy will be devoted to balancing our budget, our main focus must continue to be on the students. We need to provide each of our students with as many classes and as much support as we can deliver.
I hope all of you have an enjoyable summer. I look forward to working with you.
Mike Brandy
Interim Chancellor
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