Chancellor's News Brief

When all three of our colleges achieve something significant at the same time, it speaks to our unwavering focus on student success. As previewed in last week's message, Coastline College, Golden West College, and Orange Coast College have each received highly competitive Strengthening Institutions Program grants from the U.S. Department of Education in the same funding cycle. The awards bring $9 million to our colleges to better connect students with internships, career opportunities, and support services that help them reach their goals. These grants are a vote of confidence in the innovative ideas our colleges are pursuing to better serve our students.

Coastline College will use this grant in a collegewide effort to better connect with its students, from the day they enroll to the day they graduate. Part of that work is making academic support available whenever students need it. For many Coastline students, including active-duty military personnel and working adults, around-the-clock assistance is not simply convenient; it is essential to staying on track and reaching their educational goals. Once implemented, the initiative will allow a service member stationed overseas, for example, to receive help from an AI tutor regardless of the time in California. Along the way, the college will keep track of what’s working so it can build on it and make sure no student has to go it alone. It’s a goal that goes back to how Coastline began, as a college without walls.

Connecting students to careers is the focus of Golden West College's Career Mobility Ecosystem initiative. The grant will create more work-based learning opportunities for students. GWC already has a successful example of this approach through its Honda PACT program, where students learn to diagnose and repair Honda vehicles in class before applying those skills in internships at Honda dealerships. The goal is to give more students the opportunity to learn by doing and expand these opportunities to a wider range of disciplines.

Orange Coast College will use the grant to strengthen its workforce programs. A student can walk into OCC with the goal of becoming a pilot, welder, or speech-language pathologist assistant. OCC will build seven robust pathways to help that student turn their career goal into reality by bridging the gap between education and employment. A new Center for Innovation and Workforce Development will serve as a one-stop hub where students can explore internships, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning experiences. Finally, the grant will support longer-term efforts to help faculty redesign programs so students graduate with job-ready skills.

This is a moment worth celebrating. These awards reflect more than successful grant applications. They reflect a culture that puts students first, seeks out innovative solutions, and invests in ideas that help students achieve their goals. Thanks to the efforts of many talented people across Coast, these grants will open doors for our students and strengthen the communities we serve.

With gratitude,

Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.

Walktober is a fall-themed walking campaign and employee wellness challenge held during the month of October to encourage physical activity, build workplace community, and improve health.

• Learn more at the Wellness Committee's Coast Navigator page.
• Sign up for Walktober on the Coast Thrives App.
• For help with the Coast Thrives App.
  
  

Hello Coast Colleagues,

We are excited to reconnect the Coast Community College District LGBTQ+ Affinity Group and invite employees from Coastline College, Orange Coast College, Golden West College, and the District Office to join us!

An Affinity Group, similar to an Employee Resource Group (ERG), is an employee-led space where colleagues with shared identities, experiences, and interests can connect, build community, and support one another.

Our LGBTQ+ Affinity Group welcomes LGBTQ+ employees and allies and aims to:

• Build connections across our colleges and District
• Share resources and professional development opportunities
• Create opportunities for community and collaboration
• Strengthen support for our LGBTQ+ employees and students

Interested? Complete our short interest form below. Whether you want to help organize, attend when you can, or simply receive updates, there is a place for you.

🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ Affinity Group Interest Form

We look forward to building a stronger Coast community together!

Warmly,

CCCD LGBTQ+ Affinity Group

Check out our first "Coast Colleges in a Minute," featuring Trustee Elizabeth Dorn Parker, and learn about the gremlins that still hang around Orange Coast College.

Watch, like, and subscribe!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoastCCD

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coastccd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coastccd

We are moving to a new governance management software for our Board of Trustees meetings, as well as many of our campus committees. This change is necessary because our current software, BoardDocs, is being phased out by its developer and replaced with a new platform, Diligent Community.

BoardDocs will no longer be accessible starting on July 15, 2026. All information previously available on BoardDocs will be migrated to Diligent Community by July 15 and be accessible there going forward.

The following meeting groups will be affected by this change:

• Audit & Budget Committee (Board Committee)
• CCC Academic Senate
• CCC Curriculum Committee
• CCC Foundation
• CCC Program & Department Review
• District Foundation
• District Student Council
• Enterprise Corporation
• GWC ASG
• GWC Foundation
• Legislative Affairs Committee (Board Committee)
• Main Governing Board (Board of Trustees)
• Naming Committee (Board Committee)
• OCC Academic Senate

Access Diligent Community here:
https://cccd.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal

Visit https://cccd.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal/Subscribe.aspx to select the meetings you want to receive notifications about. Diligent will automatically send you an email when the agendas for those meetings are available.

We’ve updated our Public Records Request webpage with a newly redesigned portal that makes it easier for the public to learn about the records request process and submit a request.

Help spotlight the incredible work happening across our campuses by submitting examples of persistent innovation, moments when an idea grew into an achievement through dedication, creativity, and follow‑through. Large or small, recent or ongoing, every example helps highlight the meaningful progress being made. Let's celebrate these successes together!

Coastline College joined VA Long Beach Healthcare System and CalVet to host the 2026 Veterans Resource and Education Fair at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center. Nearly 400 people attended and met with more than 40 providers at one event.

Veterans spoke directly with representatives from 15 VA departments and more than 25 community organizations about the VA and CalVet benefits they have earned, and they received help with enrollment on site.

Following a debrief with event partners, VA Long Beach Healthcare System plans to make the fair one of its annual events, with the next fair set for Sept. 2027.

Tom Boscamp, veteran services coordinator at Coastline College, presented higher education opportunities for veterans and active-duty service members. The Coastline College Veteran Resource Center serves approximately 450 veterans each academic year.

Watch the video from the event: VA Veterans Resource and Education Fair video.

Golden West College will welcome representatives from more than 40 universities to campus on Wednesday, Oct. 14, for its annual Fall University Transfer Fair. The event, taking place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Services Center Quad, will give students an opportunity to explore transfer options and connect directly with representatives from UC, CSU, private and out-of-state universities. The fair is part of GWC's Transfer Week, Oct. 12–16, which also includes university information sessions, transfer workshops, application assistance and a campus tour of Cal State Long Beach.

Also on Oct. 14, GWC will host Huntington Beach Union High School District's annual College Night from 5–8 p.m. The event will welcome local high school students and their families to campus to meet representatives from more than 50 colleges and universities, explore a resource fair and attend college readiness workshops.

As one of GWC’s largest feeder districts, HBUHSD is an important partner in helping local students plan their educational futures. Hosting College Night at GWC gives high school students and their families an opportunity to explore a wide range of colleges and universities, learn more about admissions and transfer pathways, and discover how GWC can be a starting point toward earning a four-year degree.

Orange Coast College student filmmakers will see their work displayed on the big screen as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Triangle Square Cinemas in Costa Mesa.

The annual showcase, known as "OCC Shorts," features short films produced entirely by OCC film and television students. This marks the 23rd year that OCC has participated in the Newport Beach Film Festival, where it was the first college to present films. OCC is one of seven colleges and universities represented this year.

“We are extremely excited and proud of our student selections this year,” says Film and TV Professor Erik Forssell. “We’ll be celebrating fifteen unique short films created over the past year — a fun and diverse mix. It’s truly special and a real thrill to see student work showcased for an enthusiastic public audience.”

The Film and TV Department supports students’ creative endeavors by providing access to state-of-the-art equipment, including 6K cameras, studio spaces, a TV studio, as well as lighting, sound gear, and editing labs and suites.

Fifteen short films created by OCC student filmmakers were selected to be part of OCC Shorts. The entries were chosen by a committee of film instructors, who narrowed down the finalists among dozens of hopefuls looking to snag the highly coveted spots.

The student films, ranging from 2 to 15 minutes in length, include titles such as “Alpha Calf,” “1980 WHO: Toy Making Magic,” “Shoot Your Shot,” “Okay, Die.,” “Interviewing a Star,” “King of the Court,” “OC Punk Shit,” “Flower Street,” “Playing With Fire,” “Así Somos,” “Moneyshot,” “Mr. Sticks is Back in Town!,” “Santa Claus Gives You A Million Dollars In Heaven” and “Prisms and Light.” The directors of these films are John Prichard, Steve Metz, Amir Esteban Toumi, Ashley Paola Celaya, Deni Silva, Marissa Van Malderen, Isaak Askenaze, Morgan Ramos, Vanessa Yvette Reyes, Asher Twardowski, Isa Gallegos, Jordan Pieter Bourges, Kai Bixby, Stuart Scranton, Tanner Lee Shelton, Chelsea Emery and Peter Wada.

“The Film & TV Department greatly appreciates the Festival for its continued support of our filmmakers,” says Forssell. “Thank you to our Collegiate Programmer, Laura Weinreich, and to NBFF! See you at the movies!”

Learn more about OCC Shorts on the Newport Beach Film Festival website.

Chancellor, Week of October 12

Chancellor Yamamura is in the District all week.