Greetings, Valley College!

It has been an exciting month of July.  Just last week, I participated in the CEO Leadership Academy and the Rialto Unified School District Unity Summit.  Yesterday, we hosted an extremely engaging Coffee with the Cabinet and a recognition BBQ for our football team.  We will be recognizing all of our athletics teams this year as they represent us across the state this centennial year.

Here are this week’s highlights: 

1. SBVC REPRESENTS AT THE CEO LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the CEO Leadership Academy hosted at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside. Our Chancellor, Dr. Diana Z. Rodriguez, served as a facilitator at the Leadership Academy and participated throughout the event.  It was an enriching space to exchange ideas with fellow community college leaders from across the state on innovation, equity, and student-centered leadership. The Leadership Academy provided time and space for reflection—I am so grateful to work alongside all of you and I am so proud of the incredible work we are doing together as we approach our centennial year.

2. UNITY IN ACTION WITH RIALTO USD

On Friday, I was honored to attend the Rialto USD Unity Summit: an uplifting and high-energy event filled with student voices, powerful messages, and community vision. The purpose of the event was to unite the community following a terrible incident last Spring that went viral.  I was inspired by the work done by Interim Superintendent Dr. Judy White and the numerous community leaders coming together to advance an agenda of unity.  I shared our 100-year history of educating and serving the community and our guiding principle of Advancing CommUNITY as part of the Valley Up Initiative, 2025-30.  I look forward to ongoing collaborations with the Rialto Unified School District.

3. COFFEE WITH THE EXECUTIVE CABINET AT KVCR YESTERDAY

Thank you KVCR, Executive Director Connie Leyva, Vanessa Wiarco, and the entire KVCR team.  The pan dulce was delicious.  The conversation was very engaging.  I want to thank the cabinet (VPAS Keith Bacon, VPSS Yvonne Gutierrez-Sandoval, and VPI Leticia Hector) for participating in this extremely important communication effort to listen and share with the College and the community.  I also want to thank Chief Blake Bonnet who has provided key insight at each Coffee with the Cabinet.  During the opening, we shared a preview of Opening Day and plans for the 100 events celebrating 100 years.  Jeff Huynh started with a very engaging question for the Vice Presidents around goals for the coming year.  We also fielded questions about parking, signage, “how can I help you” buttons, more hydration stations, Aeronautics events, branding, info booths, more visibility by police on campus, ID cards, services for evening students, and College progress on reaching our goal of full staffing.  We look forward to many more Coffee with the Cabinet session throughout the school year.  Our next Coffee with the Cabinet will be in September and more information will be available soon.

4. CELEBRATING OUR STUDENT ATHLETES

Thank you, Athletic Director David Rubio and Interim Dean of Kinesiology, Health, and Athletics David Grossman for celebrating our sports teams during our centennial year.  Yesterday, managers, classified professionals, and faculty leadership joined the football team during the recognition BBQ.   I reminded the football team about how they represent our College everywhere they compete in the classroom and across the state.  A special thank you to the managers and classified professionals who joined us for lunch on the football field to support our student athletes. Your presence and encouragement mean the world, especially as we prepare for a milestone centennial athletics season.  We look forward to joining all of our teams in the coming weeks.

5. STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS: BLU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

VPSS Yvonne Gutierrez-Sandoval and I met last week with the BLU Educational Foundation to discuss deeper collaboration opportunities and frequently hosts college prep and readiness events on our campus. This Inland Empire-based organization is a key partner in our shared work to advance equity and college readiness. We shared ways to strengthen collaboration between BLU and Valley College, such as including them in the Wolverine Weekly, Summer Scoop, and the Student Services Leadership Team meetings.  BLU asked for more information about our BSI efforts and how the community can be more involved.  We also explored more ways for Valley College to embrace our role as a regional leader with GIA.  Finally, we requested to host the Black Education Congress this upcoming year at Valley College and to include it as one of our 100 events celebrating 100 years.

6. CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Heads up! The skyline of our campus will be transforming very soon. A crane will be installed in late August in the area where the Liberal Arts Building once stood to support construction of the new Student Services Building. The crane will remain on site for approximately one year. Thank you for your patience as we continue transforming our campus for future generations.

Today, the President’s Executive Cabinet (PEC) worked collaboratively with Academic Senate Leadership exploring faculty reassignments, committee structure, reorganization concepts, and the Valley Up initiative.  Additionally, this afternoon, PEC met with the Superintendents from Rialto Unified School District, San Bernardino City Unified School District, and Colton Joint Unified School District to explore a Valley College Collaborative.

Please enjoy the remaining days of summer!  It is going to be an epic year in San Bernardino Valley College history!

A blue and white logo

Gil