{"id":351,"date":"2026-03-04T17:55:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T01:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/?p=351"},"modified":"2026-03-04T18:46:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T02:46:16","slug":"superintendent-president-blog-for-february-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/2026\/03\/04\/superintendent-president-blog-for-february-march\/","title":{"rendered":"Superintendent\/President Blog for February-March"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Taft<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to your monthly newsletter for
February-March<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Save the Date! Presidential Finalist Candidates March 23<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, March 23, we will welcome the finalists for the Taft College presidential search to campus. Stay tuned to email for details on the time and location for each finalist’s forum. We hope you can attend and meet them! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Board of Trustees approves the SERP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At their February 11, meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the Supplemental Employee Retirement Program. Those who are participating have been notified. A total of 16 of our colleagues will be leaving us this spring. We wish everyone the best in their next chapter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Me too! Announcing Interim Supt.\/Pres. Minor’s Retirement <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can’t believe it’s been seven years<\/em> since I joined Taft College! Seems like last week. The cat is officially out of the bag: I’ll be retiring in June. But I may still see you around town!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Taft College Reads Across America<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Read Across America is the nation’s largest year-round literacy initiative, launched by the National Education Association in 1998 to motivate children to read. Celebrated annually on March 2, Dr. Seuss\u2019s birthday, it encourages reading through events, book recommendations, and resources for educators and families. Many of our staff and students volunteered to read to local elementary school students. Thank you! (What book did the M&O\/Facilities staff read? The Three Little Pigs, of course! It\u2019s about facilities!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Upcoming Events: Athletics and ASO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For news and schedules on athletic events, link to: https:\/\/athletics.taftcollege.edu\/landing\/index<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For upcoming ASO events and general information about all things ASO, link to: https:\/\/www.taftcollege.edu\/student-campus-life\/clubs-organizations\/aso\/index.php<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming dates to know: First day of spring is March 20. First day of spring break is March 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Community Conversation: Calling All Adult Learners!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On\u00a0Tuesday, April 8th<\/strong>, and\u00a0Tuesday, April 15th<\/strong>, we will be hosting an\u00a0Adult Learners\u00a0Roundtable<\/strong>\u00a0open to community members, featuring speakers and storytellers. Topics:<\/strong>\u00a0TC Certificates & Degrees, CARE & CalWORKs, Non-Credit Adult Education. These events aim to raise awareness of what TC has to offer while also gathering valuable community feedback on desired certificate programs. We also hope our speakers will inspire adult learners to return to school and achieve their higher education goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Event Details:<\/strong> April 8th | 6:00 PM \u2013 7:30 PM<\/strong>, Taft City Recreation Center, Community Center Room<\/strong>\u00a0(English session)<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 15th | 6:00 PM \u2013 7:30 PM<\/strong>, Taft College Student Center<\/strong>\u00a0(Bilingual session)<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Programs are Growing!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Growth of the Welding program includes the addition of two sections of Pipe Welding classes during the Summer 2026 session.\u00a0 To facilitate these classes, the welding facility has been expanded and two C-train storage containers, concrete pad, and additional lighting and electrical connections have been installed. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Associate in Science in Disability Services will have online course offerings beginning Fall of 2026.\u00a0 There will also be non-credit versions of the same courses soon to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s another number for you: FTES is at 994 today, compared with 895 last spring semester, and 1,005 in fall semester. We’re getting there! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Facilities Master Plan Input<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you were unable to attend the listening sessions with AP Architects in creating our new Facilities Master Plan, please contact Justin with any comments, questions, or ideas (x7768, jmadding@taftcollege.edu). Your\u00a0contributions\u00a0and\u00a0participation\u00a0in these discussions are\u00a0valuable\u00a0to the development of the Facilities Master Plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Accreditation Updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We are beginning work on our ACCJC Institutional Self-Evaluation Report and are seeking faculty and staff volunteers. Subcommittees are aligned with four standards:
I \u2013 Mission & Effectiveness (Xiaohong\/Rashitta)<\/em>, II \u2013 Student Success (Greg\/Rashitta),<\/em> III \u2013 Resources (Mike G\/Heather),<\/em> IV \u2013 Governance (Leslie)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your participation is vital to a successful self-study\u2014thank you for your commitment and support! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Please contact the subcommittee chair directly for the standard you are interested in, to volunteer to help gather evidence for the ISER. Let’s make this truly a collaborative college effort. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Cybersecurity Quiz Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    We are pleased to share that 76 employees successfully completed the recent cybersecurity quiz, demonstrating strong campus participation. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to maintaining a safe and secure workplace. Your engagement plays an essential role in strengthening our college\u2019s cybersecurity awareness and overall protection efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Website Implementation <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Website Implementation: Progress continues on the new website implementation. Meetings have been held with all departments to review content and determine what needs to be cleaned up and migrated to the new content management system (CMS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      <\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      VAR: Vision Aligned Reporting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The college sent a team to participate in the two-year VAR Academy, sponsored by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and The RP (Research and Planning) Group. Through cross-departmental collaboration, the team is identifying strategic ways to leverage funding to support student success. View the team\u2019s poster (below) highlighting key findings presented at the VAR Academy convening. More updates on VAR will be shared soon! Contact Xiaohong for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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      Save the Date! Presidential Finalist Candidates March 23 On Monday, March 23, we will welcome the finalists for the Taft College …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ct-prod-wp.taftcollege.edu\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}