17³Ô¹Ï

April 23, 2025

(1) Learning Outcomes – Strong Leadership Brings Renewed Focus

The ACCJC accreditation report for 17³Ô¹Ï has reminded us that meaningful assessment strengthens our teaching, programs, and institutional effectiveness. The Academic Senate has shared with me the steps they have taken to lead a renewed focus on SLOs in response to the ACCJC report.

17³Ô¹Ï leadership fully supports this renewed focus on Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) assessment as a vital part of our commitment to student success and academic excellence. While the Academic Senate provides primary direction for student learning outcomes assessment, they invite all faculty, classified professionals, and administrators to join in this important effort. I encourage you to do so! Together, we can ensure our outcomes work reflects the care and dedication we bring to every student’s learning experience and that 17³Ô¹Ï maintains its record of full accreditation into the future.

Our Learning Outcomes revitalization begins this spring by shining a spotlight on our course learning outcomes. Departments will have the opportunity to review and revise course level SLOs this spring without triggering a re-articulation review. Keep an eye out for more information from your department or program chair or dean on this process in the coming week.

(2) Student Services Conference, May 1, 2025: Remember. Resist. Rise.

The Lower Level of the Campus Center will host a bold collection of workshops on May 1st–May Day– a very appropriate day to take action. In a recent email to the Student Services Division, Laurie Scolari noted, “Across the country, we’re witnessing attempts to silence culture, restrict care, and roll back the progress our communities have fought so hard to achieve. But here at 17³Ô¹Ï, we are choosing a different path.

We are remembering our roots.
Resisting systems of harm.
And rising to rewrite the rules.

This day-long conference will explore how we can decolonize our approach to student services—across counseling, wellness, and beyond. Through workshops, creative reflection, and ancestral practice, we’ll envision new ways of serving our students with heart, justice, and joy."
Workshops are at 11:15 & 1:15 (repeated in each time block):

• We Were Never Meant to Heal Alone: Community Approaches to Student Wellness
• Stories in Stone: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Student Services
• Decolonizing Counseling in a Structured System
• Beading New Pathways: Restorative Justice as Resistance and Heart Work
• Mosaic of Liberation: Disability in Every Life: From Imposed Barriers to Collective Care, our shared experiences create a new picture of belonging

The workshops are prioritizing student services professionals. If a workshop is of interest to colleagues outside the student services division, reach out to Chris Custer as seats may be available in each workshop.

(3) Reminder: Your VOICE Matters - contribute to 17³Ô¹Ï 2030: Vision for Success.

Our next step in the creation of 17³Ô¹Ï 2030: Vision for Success is to solidify our goals and objectives through a series of drop in sessions. To ensure these goals reflect the perspectives of the whole college, we need your active voice. Drop by Admin 1901 on Tues 4/29 or Wed 4/30 anytime from 11 am- 1 pm. There will be an interactive exercise that will take about 20 minutes. (And of course there will be food!). If you can't make it in person, there will also be a version happening at the same times: 

Meeting ID: 865 8729 5236
Passcode: 463055

(4) Student Housing Update

Hopefully you saw the on our new student housing project. A cross-district team meets weekly to solidify the application and policies for housing. Common questions and the latest news are posted on the .

(5) 10K-A-Day Challenge

I’m out walking everyday on the FHDA 10K-A-Day Challenge but I can’t seem to gain ground on the leaderboard with a strong showing from Chris Chavez, Mike Murphy, and Laurie Bertani. Go 17³Ô¹Ï! As the Tanzanian proverb wisely reminds us:

Little by little, a little becomes a lot. – Tanzanian proverb

Yours in service,
Kristina

Dr. Kristina Whalen​
President