January 29, 2025
Dear Colleagues:
As the first month of the year speeds to an end, I want to update you on several important issues.
Accreditation
You may have seen the messages from De Anza President Omar Torres and Foothill President Kristina Whalen last week, but I want to be sure that everyone is aware of the exciting news that
the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) recently reaffirmed the accreditation of both of our colleges.
In letters received from the ACCJC, the college presidents were advised that after
reviewing the colleges’ self-evaluation reports and the reports of the peer review teams that visited the colleges in late September/early
October, the Commission took the following actions:
Reaffirmed accreditation for seven years and commended the college for “the use of disaggregated data to guide funding, programmatic, and strategic decisions that have led to increased access and success for disproportionately impacted student populations.” (Standard I.B.6).
The Peer Review Team Report for De Anza also included the following recommendation:
“In order to increase effectiveness, the team recommends the College continue to strengthen
its efforts to ensure that regular and substantive interaction takes place in distance education courses. (Policy on Distance
Education and on Correspondence Education, Standard II.A.7).”
Reaffirmed accreditation for 18 months with a Follow-Up Report due March 1, 2026, which will be followed by
a visit from a peer review team. The college will need to demonstrate compliance with
“Standards I.B.2, II.A.3 (College Requirement 1): In order to meet the Standards,
the Commission requires the college implement a procedure to regularly assess learning
outcomes for all its courses, programs, certificates and degrees.”
I know that our colleges are well on their way to resolving the recommendations.
The peer review team reports for both colleges also included the following districtwide
recommendation:
“In order to increase effectiveness, the team recommends the District build on existing
efforts to develop a policy review process that meets both District participatory
governance expectations, while addressing the need to expedite a comprehensive review
of District policies. (Standard IV.C.7).”
I look forward to continuing our work to update all of the district’s board policies and administrative procedures, leveraging the knowledge of subject matter experts across
the district and working through the shared governance process to ensure a thorough, yet expedited,
review.
ACCJC’s actions to reaffirm the accreditation of our colleges are the result of countless hours of work spanning several years by
people across the district, and I am sincerely grateful to everyone who contributed to this effort. These actions
reflect the commitment to excellence that each of you put into your jobs on a daily
basis.
Applications Now Being Accepted for 231 Grant Affordable Staff/Faculty Housing Project
I am happy to share that applications for the long-awaited 231 Grant educator workforce housing project in Palo Alto are now being accepted. Foothill-De Anza has 12 units of affordable housing available in the project, which is now officially known as The Acacia.
Interested employees can submit their applications electronically online through the Doorway Housing Portal. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
If you missed the recent information sessions that covered the application process,
eligibility requirements and timeline, you can view a recording of one of the sessions and the slideshow presentation on the project website.
Federal Orders and Directives
Finally, as you are no doubt aware, the Trump administration has issued a flurry of
executive orders and directives since the inauguration, some of which have implications for higher education, our
colleges, and our students and employees. Interpretation of these orders and directives is happening in real time. Please know that we are in close contact with the California
Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, our attorneys, and advocacy organizations, and we will continue to share more information when we have guidance to provide.
Things are changing rapidly, but we all must be patient in making adjustments or assumptions
before receiving guidance. Just this morning, the Trump administration’s Office of
Management and Budget rescinded its call for a “Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance,” which was issued Monday and had been temporarily blocked by a judge last night.
I know that many of you are concerned about how the new administration’s executive
orders and directives may affect some of our most vulnerable students. The Board of Trustees, executive
leadership team and I share your concerns. Several of us are just back from advocacy meetings with state
legislators, which included a request for block grant funding that would give us the
flexibility to quickly deploy resources where they are most needed. We have plans
to meet with federal legislators in February and will continue pushing for legislation and funding that will benefit and protect our students.
Also, as noted in the January issue of the Chancellor’s Office newsletter and in recent messages from presidents Torres and Whalen, the district’s governing board unanimously voted on January 9 to reaffirm support of undocumented students and the privacy of student records. I want to take this opportunity to remind all employees of the district’s protocols:
If an immigration officer seeks your consent to enter a classroom or office, or requests
information or documents from you about a student or employee, please refer the officer
to your President’s Office or the Chancellor’s Office if you report to Central Services.
This process is detailed in administrative procedure 3415 Immigration Enforcement Activities.
It is important during this time of rapid change and uncertainty that we continue to work together and maintain focus on our mission. Please reassure all of our students that they are welcome and that they belong at our colleges. Encourage students to take advantage of the wealth
of expertise and resources we have available for them, including:
Foothill College
Dreamers & Undocually resources
De Anza College
Change and uncertainty are challenging for all of us, and I encourage you to recognize the toll it can have on your own mental health. Please
make use of the free resources available through the district’s Employee Assistance Program, and ground yourself in the knowledge that the important work we do at Foothill-De Anza
will endure. Your executive leadership team and governing board will continue to stand up for our values and advocate for all our students. We know we can count on all of you to do so, too.
Sincerely,
Lee D. Lambert, J.D.
Chancellor