Week of September 15, 2025

Hi Fam,

I hope everyone had time to spend with family and loved ones. I asked a few of you what you had planned for this weekend, and the resounding response was to take it easy and no plans. Although, it’s only two months into the Fall semester, we are all tired. Now while most, hopefully, were able to rejuvenate, I know most were not, having to catch up on things outside of work and family obligations.

A couple of you that had an exciting weekend. One of you, Nathan, was engaged in pool competitions. So, I can’t wait to hear if you’re going to the next level and all the way to the national championships. I was cheering you on all weekend. And another has a son (Brent) who had a wrestling match and needed to lose 3 pounds to stay in the weight class. Will I come by your office to see how he did, I was cheering him on and hoping that he lost the 3 pounds. I know that Carla is taking dance classes, and I am so looking forward to joining her sometimes.

Here at Clovis, while we take a holistic approach to how we interact with our students, we also take time to check on each other. We will be looking at ways that we can take care of each other more this year. In addition to the institution making an investment taking care of you too, I will also be reminding you that we have EAP services available, free of charge, if you are finding yourselves needing additional resources to deal with the challenges of being tired, burned out, overloaded and all other family and daily stressors.

Now what did I do this week. I started my week at Herndon. Monday morning, I decided to work from there prior to my Chancellor’s Cabinet. I only got a chance to visit with a few people as several people were off campus at meetings. In Chancellor’s Cabinet we reviewed the October Board Agenda, reviewed the KPI presentation on Completion and Workforce. We talked about ARs and BPs.

I finished Chancellor’s Cabinet and had the esteem honor of welcoming and hearing the icon Delores Huerta who came to speak at our opening of the Hispanic Heritage Month event. I had the honor of sitting with her daughter and her god daughter Trustee Gomez. This 95-year young incredible icon was a refreshing reminder of grace, courage, determination, and persistence. Dr. Briones did a fabulous job serving as the ‘Oprah’ in interviewing her and the students and community were engaged and asked so many questions that we had to stop. The Delores stayed for a couple of hours signing pictured autographs. There was a reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres and music provided by Tony and his students. It was an elegant event. I have a new idol. I want to be like Delores Huerta when I turn 95. She was full of energy and passion. It was a great evening, and our police officers did a great job in being present while engaging with our guests.

On Tuesday, we had President’s Cabinet where I reviewed with the team what happened in Chancellor’s Cabinet. Later in the day, I had the joy of welcoming our LGBTQIA+ students to campus during their welcoming event. I felt honored to have been invited. To see the number of students who came and the number of faculty and classified professionals who attended reinforced them that they are supported and cared for. After, I attended the women’s soccer game where we tie Lemoore College. The team looks really good again this year.

On Wednesday, I interviewed people for the AgTec Student Success Coordinator position. The finalists looked good . I hope to make a selection in time for October Board approval. The committee did a great job in sending highly qualified people forward. Later in the day, I provided the welcome to the BAASE Welcome Black event. We had three generations of people in attendance. Parents, Aunts and Uncles along with grandparents came to support their students. I was again encouraged by not only seeing the number of students who came but also the number of classified professionals and faculty who came out to show support to these students. I ended my day by having my President’s Latinx Community Advisory group meet for the first time since my return. This small group of Latinx community members was small but provided the names of other Latinx community leaders who may be interested in joining my group.

On Thursday, we had our DO General Council join us for what we called a fireside chat with the General Counsel. We asked questions about Brown Act governing requirements, Robert’s Rules, and requirements for Classified Professionals and ASG. How do they record and keep minutes. And why these groups, in addition to Academic Senate, must follow the Brown Act- these groups provide advice or recommendations via College Council and/or Communication Council. We also had a robust conversation about ICE, the training that the DO will be providing starting Monday with Chancellor’s Cabinet and on Friday with the VP group. We asked very specific questions about what to do if ICE comes on campus, if ICE comes on campus during a soccer game and want one of our visiting teams students, if ICE approaches our students while on a field trip or at an away game (off campus while on a college sanctioned trip), they asked about rights to defend oneself if ICE or someone poses as ICE attempts to take you. We were provided with no answers at that time, but General Counsel will research and will have answers for the trainings starting Monday. These real-life scenarios will be research and will be incorporated into the trainings. Again, I was proud that people asked questions that they truly wanted to know answers to versus not engaging. As I reflected on that situation, I was reminded of our students who don’t want to ask questions for fear of not sounding smart, when in fact they may be asking a question that many want to ask but may not feel empowered to ask. Well not here at Clovis. I was proud of your voice. You asked questions that I know all the other colleges will also want to know and because of you, the training has the opportunity to get to answers wanted and needed by many.

In the afternoon, we had College Council and had a thoughtful discussion about the goals for 25/26. It was determined that the goals would not change from last year as they continue to be important this year. The goals for College Council are 1.) Secure ongoing funding for the ASG and increase support, 2.) Review the college plans in accordance with the six-year planning cycle, 3.) Develop college plans as per the six-year planning cycle, 4.) Begin implementation of ACMM report finding, and 5.) Track, review, and evaluate DEIA efforts implemented in 2025-2026.

Also, in College Council, we did a second read of the CCC Student Equity Plan and with non-substantive changes approved the College Council moved to approve the Plan and provide it to the Board for approval at the October Board meeting.

I hosted the CCC President’s Advisory group and discussed with them the general counsel answers to the ICE questions during the Full Council meeting earlier. We talked about the morale on campus as well as strategies to improve morale such as having listening circles (conducted by an outside facilitator), we talked about bringing in speakers and a Smithsonian Exhibit to help people identify micro aggressions, biases, and privileges.

I left my President’s Advisory group and went to the Due Process vs Deportation- Does the Constitution Still Matter event held by the Clovis Law Society and brought to us by Charlotte Samuel. It was an outstanding workshop and the auditorium was full. This session was so thorough and provided actual tools and communication strategies to use if approached by ICE or if you witness someone being approached by ICE or someone impersonating ICE. I talked to the presenter (who is a lawyer) and asked if he would be willing to come back and talk with faulty and classified professionals in a lunch and learn type setting and then to do another Pizza with the Pres type session with our students and he indicated that he would love to come back.

On Friday, I did my ICAT survey, finished all of my Classified Surveys, had a discussion about where we were with AgTec since I went to the meeting in Merced. Also, we talked about the next steps with the architect to start the planning process for the new Kinesiology building.

On Saturday, we hosted the Economic Summit Youth Conference. This was an event led by the Fresno Housing Authority. We had approximately 250 youth and presenters on our campus. It was a wonderful conference. Several people had never been on our campus before Saturday. They talked about how beautiful is was, how clean it was and how nice and welcoming everyone was. I want to give a special thank you to all of our grounds crew, custodial professionals, IT team, Student Ambassadors, and SCCCD Police for making the conference a success. I welcomed them to CRUSH COUNTRY!!!! This was a group of youth from 8 ^th-12 ^thgraders. You should have seen them going to their sessions. It was a sight to be seen to see young people feeling like college students. Several of the seniors and non-traditional potential students said they were going to register to come to Clovis in the Spring. When you get to feel the Clovis Spirit for yourself you want to come here. Congratulations, Gurdeep, Emilee, Maricarmen, Maya and everyone else for telling Clovis Shine. The young people had sessions on financial literacy and special funding for college of single parents as well as other ways to pay for college. EECU and US Bank were here as were food trucks.

Later Saturday night I attended the Fresno County Office of Education Honors Gala. The honorees were: For academics - Lupita Lomeli, host of Univision morning show Despierta Valle Central; for agriculture - Mark Thompson who served for 50 years as a chattel appraiser at Fresno Madera Farm Credit and Arthur Dyson, a practicing architecture and environmental designer; and for Athletics - Diego Quintana Sr, a former freestyle State wrestling Champion. Our General Counsel, Kristen Corey, brought a bag of women’s business suits to the Gala with her. She knew about our wonderful Clothing Closet and wanted to give them to our students. So, after the event, we loaded my SUV, and I brought the lawyer suits home. The next morning before church, I swung by Herndon, unlocked the door, set off the alarm again and placed the bag of suis on the donation rack.

It was a very full week and Clovis shined, represented, hosted several major events on campus and used your voices when it counted. I will continue to empower you to do so while at the same time taking care of yourselves, physically, intellectually, and emotionally. You give your all to our students, each other and to this college. Please know that I see you, hear you and I am listening with a heart committed to the work and to each of you.

Thank you for simply being you and giving of your authentic selves to our students.

Proud to serve you.

In service,

Kim E. Armstrong, Ph.D.