From the President
Exciting New Opportunities Beginning Fall 2025
April 28, 2025
Dear De Anza College Community,
As I near the conclusion of my 100 Days of Listening tour, I am thrilled to announce that our college has been accepted into three statewide programs – each with a competitive selection process – that offer significant opportunities to enhance institutional effectiveness and student success at De Anza. Please join me in celebrating our selection for these programs:
- Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Academy
- Vision-Aligned Reporting (VAR) Academy
- Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative Partnership Resource Team (IEPI PRT)
These programs, offered through the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, directly align with our own strategic planning work that will begin in 2025-26. We will develop focused action plans for each initiative while receiving technical assistance from colleagues across the state, supporting our work to implement our own integrated planning across the college and district, in alignment with both the statewide Vision 2030 goals and our regional workforce needs. In addition, the IEPI PRT award includes $250,000 to help fund our work across the campus to meet the stated goals.
Strategic Enrollment Management Academy
The SEM Academy will enhance our enrollment efforts through:
Early Engagement with Middle and High Schools
- Creating pathways from middle school to college
- Expanding summer bridge programs and dual enrollment
- Developing targeted marketing with our Communications Office
- Building partnerships based on students' interests and majors
Outreach to Underserved Communities
- Collaborating with groups such as Men of Color Community, Latinx Empowerment at De Anza (LEAD), Puente, Umoja, IMPACT AAPI and the Pride Learning Community
- Extending high school visits to areas with low college-going rates
- Providing comprehensive support services including basic needs assistance
Adult Education and Growth Areas
- Expanding noncredit programs and certificates
- Creating short-term courses for busy schedules
- Strengthening partnerships for formerly incarcerated populations
Vision-Aligned Reporting Academy
The VAR Academy will establish:
Communities of Practice for Data-Informed Change
- Building on regular examination of data to close equity gaps
- Bringing together stakeholders to share best practices
- Expanding data coaching across campus
Integrated Success Initiatives
- Aligning our systems with statewide goals and Vision 2030
- Focusing on our 10 institutional goals to narrow equity gaps
- Connecting our equity plan, program review and strategic planning
IEPI Partnership Resource Team
The IEPI PRT will provide:
Noncredit and Contract Education Development
- Guidance on continuing and contract education programs
- Resources for workforce partnerships and grant opportunities
- Tools to track student and employee outcomes
In turn, this initiative will help us
- Respond quickly to regional workforce priorities
- Provide just-in-time training opportunities
- Create accessible entry points for adult learners
For more details on each of these programs, you can view the applications submitted by our college here:
I want to congratulate our entire college community on its willingness to embrace and tackle these opportunities. The dedication of our faculty, staff, student and administrator teams in support of this work will be essential as we integrate these initiatives into the fabric of our strategic planning efforts moving forward.
Together, with a can-do attitude and commitment to accountability, we will create new pathways for student success and institutional excellence while meeting the evolving needs of our ever-changing workforce.
In service,
Omar
Omar Torres, Ed.D.
President, De Anza College