Why are we reimagining Foothill-De Anza?
As the country began to emerge from the pandemic in summer 2021, the district recognized
the need to anticipate and plan for a new normal. The pandemic had permanently altered
the environment in which we do our work and changed student expectations; demographic
shifts and a declining high school population in Silicon Valley were having a profound
effect on enrollment; and racial reckonings had redoubled the district's commitment
to removing systemic inequities and redesigning budgets to ensure dollars are strategically
spent to close equity gaps and ensure student success.
Have a great idea for how Foothill-De Anza can increase enrollment and retention,
better support student success, or improve the experience for both students and employees
throughout our district? Click the suggestion box button to share it with us.
Priority areas
- Budget Allocation Model
- District Enrollment Management Committee
- Business Processes Alignment
Where are we now?
March 2024 update
Reimagining the employee experience
One of the priorities of the Reimagining Initiative is to improve the employee experience
by finding opportunities to invest more in our employees and their professional growth.
To help us in this area, the Chancellor's Office applied for a grant opportunity with
the statewide Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI). By engaging in the IEPI process, the district has the opportunity to receive
seed money to launch activities that promote engagement and transformation across
our district.
In February, classified, faculty, and administrative representatives met with members
of a Partnership Resource Team, peers from across the state who provide colleges and
districts with technical assistance in the IEPI process. The meetings allowed the
visiting team to hear employee perspectives on needs, requirements, and opportunities
key to developing districtwide professional development in areas of engagement, leadership,
and transformation.
Thank you to those that made the time to meet with the team members in this first
phase. The Partnership Resource Team will soon provide the initial assessment and
recommendations on the types of projects and opportunities that best meet professional
growth needs across our different employee groups. In spring quarter, we plan to communicate
the information from the team’s report and seek out further information from our employee
groups on possible next steps.
June 2023 update
Click HERE to view the June 12, 2023, slideshow presentation to the Board of Trustees
Focus Areas for Academic Year 2023-2024
- Budget & Resource Allocation
- Enrollment Management
- Business & Services Operations
- Shared Governance and Labor Relations
- Campus Services Alignment
April 2023 update
The District Enrollment Management Committee (DEMC) has met several times to review
a planning framework that addresses full-time equivalent students (FTES) generation
and budget allocations more consistently and equitably districtwide. In preparation
for the 2025-26 academic year, when the district will move from hold harmless funding
to the Student Centered Funding Formula, DEMC is collaborating with the district fiscal
services team to develop a new way to allocate FTEF/1320 resources as we make more
accurate FTES projections and set FTES targets. DEMC is also working on developing
strategic recommendations and guiding principles regarding FTES growth across the
district.
Discovery, identification, and documentation of business processes or operating procedures/policies
was identified as a priority to improve the work environment and morale of employees.
This documentation is essential to ensure that institutional knowledge is retained
even when employees leave the district.
Currently, work to map processes is underway in areas related to Human Resources and
Educational Technology Services as well as in a few student services and administrative
services areas at both campuses.
February 2023 update
An update on the Reimagining Initiative, which explained the progress based on districtwide
conversations, discovery, and resulting identification of priorities and projects,
was presented to the Board of Trustees in December 2022,
The long-awaited (and asked for) District Enrollment Management Committee (DEMC) kicked
off its inaugural meeting with a core group of instructional leaders who will be working
on developing a planning framework that addresses full-time equivalent students (FTES)
generation and budget allocations more consistently and equitably districtwide. DEMC
will include more leaders and representatives from across the district in future meetings
as the committee delves deeper into developing this planning framework and tackles
other districtwide enrollment management issues.
Efforts toward improving business processes in certain district/college functions
as identified through districtwide conversations are also ongoing in a few areas in
central services and at the colleges via input gathered from employees in those areas.
December 2022 update
Click HERE to view the Dec. 12, 2022, slideshow presentation to the Board of Trustees
Background
Recognizing that making comprehensive changes to our complex organization would involve
much research and analysis and consultation with stakeholders throughout the district,
Chancellor's Cabinet enlisted consultant Phil Hill in the summer of 2021 to help develop
a framework for reimagining what the colleges might look like in the future. While
the district's mission remained unchanged, the strategies for carrying out the mission
(i.e. long-range goals and objectives) and the priorities we use to ensure that our
time, effort, and other resources (e.g., budgets) are aligned with those strategies
needed to be reenvisioned.
At an informational session held September 15, 2021, Chancellor Miner and then-Board President Peter Landsberger
invited the Foothill-De Anza community to help envision the colleges of the future.
Dr. Anu Khanna joined the effort at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. As senior
advisor to the chancellor for reimagining Foothill-De Anza, she was charged with facilitating strategic goals including the development of a new budget allocation
model, the establishment of a district-wide enrollment management committee, and the
development of an action plan for a reimagined Foothill-De Anza. In late spring 2022,
she embarked on a series of listening sessions to collect ideas for improving the student
and employee experience.
Themes that emerged during the listening sessions and initial priorities were shared
during District Opening Day on September 21, 2022.
