Superintendent/President Greg Schulz was on his way to the first in-person open forum between the community and himself since he took the position 11 months ago. Yet, as Schulz walked to the event, he took the time to stop for conversation with a student in the quad outside the Hayden Memorial Library.
This interaction typified a goal of availability that Schulz has emphasized since he has taken the reins of leadership at Citrus College.
“A commitment to openness, open communication, transparency, those are the things that I think help the college and promote a healthy campus climate,” Schulz said.
The hour-long in-person event on June 3 was also broadcast over Zoom. The forum afforded Schulz the platform to discuss the positives and issues of the college during a prepared presentation and then answer questions from the Citrus community.
Schulz said COVID-19 testing would continue into the summer semester for students taking in-person classes.
The college will continue to stay in lockstep with the county’s COVID-19 protocols, including the potential for the return of required indoor masking, Schulz said.
“We trust L.A. County Public Health… if they require something, you can be certain we will require it here,” Schulz said.
Student enrollment continues to be a challenge at the college and around the state, Schulz said. Enrollment numbers provided at the meeting showed on June 3 more students were enrolled for the summer semester than the fall at 4,174 students to 3,990.
The summer semester has never had more students enrolled than the subsequent fall semester since enrollment data began being tracked in the summer of 1992, according to data from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.
Faculty and administration will continue to attempt to shift class type based on student preference and style of program, Schulz said.
Schulz said within the end of the month, the college will introduce a mental health supervisor.
A candidate for the new position has been identified, but remains in the hiring process, Schulz said
The mental health supervisor will be responsible for providing direct mental health services for students, including crisis intervention, according to the job description for the position.
Schulz announced in the fall 2022 semester, Citrus College will open the “Pride Center” at the Campus Center.
In previous years, an administrative open forum was not part of the normal practice, Schulz said.
After the hour-long open forum, Schulz said as long as it was not just himself and his assistants at the event, he would continue to conduct similar meetings.
