Office of the President

WELCOME BACK!

Excitement is in the air, it’s the first day of the academic year!  It’s been a fun summer and I hope that all of you took the time to relax and recharge as we usher in the start of a New Year and new semester. Our students need us to lead them to success.

I am motivated and honoured to be part of the Fresno City College team of dedicated faculty and staff who continue to shine in and out of the classroom. You are all amazing. This was most evident by the number of faculty and staff who joined over 1,500 new students this Saturday for Ram READY!  Thank you for making that event extra special for our students.

Let me also thank those who turned out for Thursday’s Convocation Program. I truly felt it was an incredible and thoughtful program. For those of you who were unable to attend, I’ll provide you a snap shot of what took place. We introduced several new faces and interims and heard inspiring words of wisdom from Bruce Hill, Academic Senate President and Susie Nitzel, Academic Senate President. Our Accreditation Liaison Officer Cyndie Luna provided a report on our Self Study. The visiting team will be here in March, and we still have some work to do and together we will be ready to shine!

Vice President Don Lopez shared an update on instructional initiatives that will help us realize our vision, “As educational leaders in the community, FCC faculty, staff and students will engage in a partnership to transform lives through education.”

The State of College theme was “Together We Can Build A Better Tomorrow” and through that lens I reminded those in attendance of the proud history of Fresno City College and shared the vision for our future. The state budget outlook is good. Thanks to passage of Measure C we will be building new facilities that will take us well into the next 50 years. We are working with the City and others to eliminate barriers, most notably – new FAX Buss Pass Program and expanded Ram Pantry efforts.

I want to thank Dr. Bryce W. Harris who was our keynote speaker. As a former State Chancellor and president of our college, Dr. Harris delivered an inspiring message that’ll help us move forward, paving the way for our college to be a gateway not only to higher education but rewarding careers.

We had an incredible summer! Launching the free FAX bus pass to our students definitely was the highlight. Students now have reliable transportation to our college. It will help ease parking on campus, and good for the environment.

Let’s keep the momentum going. Have fun and know that you are making a difference.

As a friendly reminder, there were lapel pins provided at convocation and in mailboxes. If you have not received your lapel pin, please stop by the public information and wear it with pride!

Thank you again for your endless work.

Sincerely,

Dr. Carole Goldsmith, President