(Santa Ana, Calif.) – Two teams from Santa Ana College (SAC) have been selected to participate in the
Leading from the Middle (LFM) Academy. This is the first time SAC will participate in the program, which focuses on developing and strengthening middle leadership capacity to create positive change on community college campuses.
The LFM Academy, in partnership with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, provides a unique opportunity for cross-functional teams of tenured and adjunct faculty, administrators, classified professionals and researchers to have a dedicated space to cultivate leadership skills and knowledge, gain new mindsets, and learn from one another.
Only 12 spots are allocated for community colleges at LFM Academy each year, and SAC secured two of the spots.
“We are proud to have two teams representing SAC in the Leading from the Middle Academy," said Dr. Annebelle Nery, president of SAC. “Through this program, we are confident that our dedicated faculty and staff members will use their skills and knowledge to lead innovative system-changing practices and bridge the equity gap to ensure student success."
Nery said SAC's two participating teams are a classified-led (administrative) team and a faculty-led team, each selected for the project they will undertake during their year in the LFM Academy. “It is rare for not only a classified-led team to be selected, but also for two teams from the same college to be selected," she added.
Classified-Led Team Will Focus on First-Year Math Success
SAC's classified-led team will focus on access to support services on campus to help students in first-year math courses and to prevent dropouts. The team will focus on implementing best practices to improve success for male students of color, who make up 57 percent of the student body and underutilize support services. The project will involve extensive research to identify effective strategies to equip students with tools necessary to achieve academic success. Team members include Candice Lehman, instructional center specialist; Tanisha L. Burrus, student services coordinator for the Center of Teacher Education; and Guadalupe Merino, adjunct faculty and alumna.
Faculty-Led Team Will Help Increase Capacity for DEI Initiatives
SAC's faculty-led team will use its year to develop the college's capacity to implement diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles and practices for the campus community. The team will begin with a review of the hiring experience of new faculty to ultimately broaden awareness and cultural responsiveness to underrepresented and underserved students. This effort to build an inclusive campus community culture includes revising processes and practices of new faculty recruitment from job announcements and applications to hiring practices. Additionally, the team will revise and develop recommendations to infuse best DEI practices campus-wide in a leadership series in the Professional Development program for existing faculty and staff, as well as the New Faculty Institute, a year-long college district program. Lastly, the team will share learnings. Team members include
Chantal Lamourelle, Child Development and Education Studies faculty and Student Equity coordinator;
Dr. Merari Weber, Continuing Education associate professor and ESL coordinator;
Dr. Osiel Madrigal, Workforce Development coordinator, Vocational Business associate professor and Education Department chair; Dr. Anushi Seneviratne, Child Development and Education Studies adjunct faculty;
Jasmin Hudson, People and Culture Title IX specialist; and
Emelyne Camacho, People and Culture faculty coordinator.
For more information about the LFM Academy, visit
https://rpgroup.org/Leading-from-the-Middle. To learn more about Santa Ana College, please visit
www.sac.edu – classes start every eight weeks.
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About Santa Ana College:
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015,
serves about 54,696 students yearly. At SAC, students can work toward completing an associate degree, university transfer, career/workforce training or a bachelor's degree in occupational studies. As part of Santa Ana College, the School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center offers FREE classes throughout the community for adults of all ages and academic backgrounds. Santa Ana College is an award-winning college and was recently ranked as one of the nation's top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students and named one of the best community colleges in California by Intelligent.com. The college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and medical personnel. Santa Ana College is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the
Rancho Santiago Community College District.
