5 Things to Know Weekly Update

October 27, 2025

photograph of meridith randall leaning against a railing and wearing eyeglasses

Dear Colleagues:

It’s a relief to be back in California, after leaving New Orleans yesterday in a combination thunderstorm/tornado warning (which didn’t seem to faze anyone). I have not attended many national community college conferences over the years; one takeaway is that many states are ahead of us in certain ways, like allowing community colleges to offer any bachelor degrees they want if workforce demand justifies them. Imagine! In addition to presenting with Trustee Parker and Dean Sosenko on our nursing pathways from five high schools, I attended a session about support for student-parents at LBCC and will be following up on some ideas. Overall, though, so happy to be back at GWC.

Meridith

I’ll be mentioning RSI (regular substantive interaction) in online courses often over the next few months as we make sure that students are having the best experience possible online. More than 70% of our students take at least one online course, and as an excellent college, we all should be interested in having those courses be excellent as well.

For those of you teaching online, some more guidance will be out this week along with conversations in various venues to make sure we are clear about expectations – not just for accreditation, but for our students. More to come.

I missed the opening last week for “Self/Not Selfie” at the Art Gallery – it looks fantastic and very topical. Many thanks to Amy Runyen and the Art Department for putting together the show. It would be a great excursion during lunchtime…

Poster for Golden West College Art Gallery exhibition titled Self/not Selfie. The background features a blurred grayscale portrait of a person with curly hair and a pink hue overlay. Text in the center reads: “October 22 to November 14, 2025. Golden West College Art Gallery, Fine Arts Building, Room 108, 15751 Gothard Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Gallery open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 10 am to 2 pm.” Large bold text near the bottom highlights the title Self/not Selfie. Below it, smaller text announces: “Opening reception: Thursday, October 23, 4–6 pm.”

We also have our Dia de los Muertos event coming up on Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the Student Union, coordinated by Puente and Raíces. There will be music, food, and colorful altars honoring loved ones who have passed. It’s always a warm, welcoming, and deeply meaningful event, so make sure to stop by if you can!

Colorful event poster for Golden West College’s Día de los Muertos celebration. The design features bright floral patterns, sugar skulls, and decorative borders in purple, pink, blue, and orange. Text reads: “Celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Tuesday, October 28, 2025, in the Student Union at 11 a.m. Open to students, faculty, and staff. Free food for the first 100 guests who participate in the event.” Logos for Puente, Golden West College, and Raíces appear at the bottom.

Groups will be meeting this week to move forward on two important projects for the campus: foodservice selection and the 60th anniversary celebration plans. For foodservice, we have narrowed down the candidates from an RFP and will be conducting interviews. And for the 60th anniversary of GWC, we have some ideas about monthly events starting in January – including a look back at some history.

As always after being away, I’ll be catching up this week and will be on campus all week except for the Orange County economic forecast on Thursday. Hope to see many of you!

GWC Mission Statement

Golden West College provides culturally affirming educational opportunities for our students and community to achieve upward mobility. Our academic excellence, exceptional student services, and community partnerships empower students to achieve personal and academic goals and contribute toward an inclusive and equitable society.