"SRJC Today and Tomorrow" by Dr. Frank Chong, President, SRJC
Our Guest Speaker for Thursday, October 28, 2021, was Dr. Frank Chong, the Superintendent and President of Santa Rosa Junior College. Dr. Chong last spoke to us in September 2020 and we invited him back because he is an amazing speaker and dynamic leader. His topic was “SRJC Today & Tomorrow.” Dr. Chong is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard and a doctorate in Educational Administrative Leadership and Technology from Dowling College in New York.
SRJC’s Fall 2021 enrollment included 19,160 students in 2,423 sections, with 783 sections in-person. The in-person sections included career, technical, science, public health and safety, and related classes, but any section requested by a faculty member was accommodated, either by in-person or hybrid classes. SRJC has implemented mandatory vaccinations starting in the Spring of 2022 for nearly all persons coming onto the SRJC campus. In a recent survey, 78% of respondents who left SRJC before the end of the spring 2020 semester or did not return in the fall of 2020 reported that the pandemic had negative impacts on their enrollment. These negative impacts were consistently prominent with students of color, first generation students, and students with financial need. SRJC has worked to support students with centers and programs, and with local direct grants, federal and state aid, and expanded Doyle scholarships. It also helped create the Sawubona Black Student Scholarship, now with over $85,000 in its fund. SRJC also provides food items, grocery cards through a partnership with Redwood Empire Food Bank. SRJC loaned students more than 700 laptops and nearly 500 hotspots in Spring 2021!
A record number of 632 SRJC students were admitted into Sonoma State University, the highest number of students admitted to SSU in the history of SRJC. Career education completion rates are also strong, with hand-on training and an active Career Hub connecting students to local employers. Dr. Chong also highlighted several students who successfully turned their lives around at SRJC, some after incarceration. SRJC currently provides classes to 150 students in county jails! It has a Second Chance Club serving nearly 100 students.
Dr. Chong also updated us on the school’s new and planned construction, including football and soccer fields, pool, auditorium, Kunde Hall (math and engineering), theater arts auditorium, Lindley Hall (STEM), new SRJC Foundation building, Petaluma Welcome Center, Chemistry and Biology Center in Petaluma, and Public Safety Center. Dr. Chong is also immensely proud of the officially under construction residence hall, which will house 355 beds. The residence will be built entirely from private funds. SRJC is also a leader in sustainability and is working its way toward a goal of being net energy 0 by 2040! Dr. Chong is also clearly very proud of SRJC’s Shone farm and its recent double gold winning pinot noir! SRJC is actively leveraging community and grant support for its programs and construction projects.
Dr. Chong reminded us of SRJC’s emphasis on diversity and belonging, noting that SRJC is a place where children of farm owners go to school with children of farm workers. He thinks SRJC is the best Community College in the country!
Thank you, Dr. Chong, for showing us how truly dynamic SRJC is! Well done and keep up the good work.
Click HERE to view Dr. Chong's presentation. The recording will be available for the next week.
