Welcome to your monthly newsletter for November!
Halloween Re-cap
Halloween was loads of fun for our Children’s Center kids! Watch our trick-or-treating in action.
Veterans Resource Center
The Veterans Resource Center is now open in their new location in G-1. The Center recently received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congressman Vince Fong, U.S. House of Representatives (20th Congressional District of California) to acknowledge the quality work they do. Stop by the Center in their new location and find out about the valuable resources and support the Center staff provides to our veterans, active-duty service members, and their families here at Taft College.
Join the Veterans Resource Center staff and Taft Kern County Library in the TC Student Center, Nov. 4-6, 12:00-2:00, for a card-making event to provide veterans and active-duty military personnel .
All current TC veterans and active-duty service members are invited to pick up a free meal voucher as a thank you for Veterans Day. Pick these up at the Student Center, Nov. 4-5, 12:00-2:00.
Veterans Day
The college will be closed on Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day. No classes will be held that day.
All are welcome to celebrate the day with food, music, and fun, sponsored by the City of Taft on Tues., Nov. 11, 10:00, at Veterans Memorial Park at 217 E. Kern Street in Taft. TC Veterans Resource Center staff will be on hand to celebrate with you. City of Taft Veterans Day celebration information flyer.
Enrollment Update
Enrollment has stabilized for the fall semester with late-start and second-half courses now in session, and census reports submitted. Student enrollment is still about 6% above last year at this time, but still well below pre-covid numbers of 2018. Spring enrollment has begun! We are a little above where we were last year at this time. Let’s keep the momentum going! We all play a part in working toward student success.
“I got a 2.39% Raise!”
Yes, you did! On October 8, 2025, the Board of Trustees approved a 2.39% salary schedule increase for all constituent groups, effective retroactively from July 1, 2025. The new pay rates are reflected on the October end of month payroll, with retroactive payments processing for the November 15 payroll. You may wonder why the district instituted raises during a challenging budget time. The faculty collective bargaining agreement (CBA) outlines an annual salary comparison process that resulted this year in the increase, and the Board decided that in the interest of retaining good employees, the salary increase would apply to all groups.
TC Safety App: Taft College Safe
If you have not yet done so, please consider an “opt in” to Taft College Safe so that you can be notified of emergencies, share your location, access campus emergency plans, find support resources, report tips, and more. Find the app on your app store (iPhone app store, or Google play).
Happenings with ASO and Athletics, and a New Student Club
Keep up to date on ASO activities with the Calendar of Events for November.
Athletics! Is there a competition today? Let’s find out. Link to the TC Athletics calendar.
Missed a competition and want to know what happened? Catch up with TC Athletics news stories.
In the posted articles you will also see features on the “Community Connections” the Athletics Dept. is making right here. So far, connections partnerships have included Kiwanis, TIL, and Lincoln Junior High Volleyball team. Contact Athletics if you would like your organization or service club to connect.
Circle K International is a new student club at Taft College, part of the Kiwanis organization. Students can build leadership skills and make new connections while serving the community through local and global projects. Co-advisors are Dr. Xiaohong Li and Susan Groveman. Contact either Xiaohong or Susan for more information: xli@taftcollege.edu or sgroveman@taftcollege.edu.
Hall of Fame!
The 10th annual Hall of Fame event this past weekend, Nov. 1 and 2, honored Donny Harrel (Distinguished Alumnus), LaNell Howell (Distinguished Classified), Mike McDougal (Outstanding Athlete), Jason Phillips (Outstanding Athlete), Debra Wooley (Distinguished Confidential), and the 1977 California State Championship Football Team (Outstanding Team Achievement). The event weekend included the “Blast from the Past” reception on Saturday night, a campus tour on Sunday, and dinner with induction awards on Sunday. It was a great event and a great way to celebrate our colleagues and former students who helped make Taft College such a special place. We were fortunate to have guests and inductees able to attend the event from the community, from greater Kern County, and also from out of state. The food was fantastic, and the Student Center sparkled. Many thanks to our Hall of Fame Committee and to the Foundation for making it possible.
Who’s New
We are excited to announce Seth Rowland has joined Taft College as the new Distance Education and Instructional Design Coordinator. Seth brings to TC over a decade of experience in public education, both in-person and online. Seth has a strong background in LMS design and management, and online course development. Outside of work Seth enjoys spending time with his sons age 20 and 14, watching the Dodgers, and creating different pieces of art out of pure silver.
Welcome also to adjunct instructors Karina Navarro and Luai Qubain.
Power BI Training
Making informed decisions is at the heart of supporting our students’ success. The Office of Institutional Research (IR) is offering a Power BI training to help our campus community turn data into actionable insights.
Power BI is an interactive data visualization tool that allows us to explore trends, monitor progress, and make evidence-based decisions with confidence. By learning how to use Power BI, faculty and staff can better understand student needs, strengthen program planning, and allocate resources more effectively—all with the shared goal of improving student outcomes. This training is a great opportunity to build data literacy across our college, empowering every department to use information in meaningful ways that drive student success.
The IR Office will host a Power BI training on November 17 at 9 a.m. in T-14. If you’re interested in attending but haven’t yet responded to the Power BI training survey previously, please email ir@taftcollege.edu to reserve your spot.
A New College Website on the Way
Our current website contract will end in May, and based on feedback and suggestions from the campus community, we will be moving to a new website platform. The new site will offer more features, be easier to manage, and result in more than 30% annual cost savings.
This transition reflects our commitment to improving usability, ensuring better access to information, and using resources wisely to support student success.
ACCJC Workshop
Last Thursday, Taft College hosted our first ACCJC Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) Workshop, led by ACCJC representative Kevin Bontenbal. The session was very successful and well-attended by faculty and staff. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and engage in the accreditation process.
The ACCJC standards have changed since our last ISER, and this workshop provided valuable insights as we begin preparations for our next accreditation cycle. Although our next ACCJC visit is scheduled for 2028, the important work of evidence gathering and report writing will take place primarily in 2026 and 2027.
If you missed the workshop, please visit the College Accreditation website here or reach out to ir@taftcollege.edu to review materials and access the workshop handout.
WebAIM Accessible Documents Training Available
Are you interested in learning how to make your materials accessible, that is, creating content that can be easily read, understood, and navigated by all people, including those with disabilities? Registration is open for WebAIM Accessible Document Trainings, sponsored by the California Community Colleges (CCC) Accessibility Center. This training program is designed to equip participants with the skills to create, evaluate, and optimize accessible documents in Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF. Participants also have access to a bonus module focusing on Excel accessibility. Participation is free and the training is online, self-paced. Participants who successfully complete the self-paced course and assessments will be awarded a Certificate of Completion. Register Here for one of the upcoming cohorts: November 3, 2025 – February 2, 2026; or December 1, 2025 – April 13, 2026.
Report on CCC – CSU – UC Transfers
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has released a report entitled “Improving Transfer from Community College to the California State University.” The report examines how well the California Community Colleges (CCC) and California State University (CSU) systems are facilitating student transfer. Highlights: Most CCC students intend to transfer, only one in five will do so within four years. Most transfer to a CSU. About 2/3 of admitted students actually enroll, but most who enroll graduate within four years. Strengthening the transfer pipeline is critical for the state to reach degree attainment goals.
Watch your email for information and SAVE THE DATE for our annual Thanksgiving potluck, Nov. 20!
