Subject: [All Staff] Reinstating retirement match & year-end update
From: Presidents Office <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2021 09:10:37 -0700
List-Id: <allstaff.cca.edu>

Dear Colleagues,

As the 2020-21 fiscal year draws to a close, I’m writing to share some
information with you about CCA’s 2021-22 budget—including our phased plan
to reinstate the staff/faculty retirement match—as well as recent updates
on enrollment, unification, and DEIB efforts.

Budget

I am pleased to share that the budget proposal for FY22 (July 1, 2021–June
30, 2022) has been approved. Thanks to the thoughtful and diligent efforts
of many of you and leadership across CCA, we have achieved a budget that
supports educational excellence and our core activities while maintaining
the financial discipline that will be necessary to continue our long-term
recovery from the effects of the pandemic.

I am especially pleased to share that the approved FY22 budget includes our
plan for a phased restoration of the employer match to the TIAA 403(b)
retirement plan. CCA intends to restore the employer match up to 2.5% beginning
with the mid-July paychecks. Future restoration of the full 5% match
remains a priority for the college as we continue our pandemic recovery,
and we plan to reach out to our staff and adjunct unions to discuss these
priorities.

CCA has maintained a balanced budget for decades, and this fiscal
responsibility and stability enabled us to build a modest reserve to help
us through unexpected financial challenges (such as the pandemic). Thanks
to a combination of careful budget management across the college, generous
contributions from our donors, federal Cares Act and pandemic-relief
funding, and responsible use of reserves, we will end the current year with
a balanced budget. Our FY22 proposal again includes using reserves to
achieve a balanced budget for the coming academic year. Consistently
achieving balanced budgets and maintaining an operating reserve are
foundational sound business practices, and CCA is committed to rebuilding
our reserves as soon as it is responsible to do so.

Enrollment

Enrollments across higher education declined during the pandemic as
colleges and universities delivered courses online. As you know, remote
learning is particularly challenging for art and design schools; however,
CCA fared relatively well, with moderate enrollment declines of 12.4% in
fall 2020 and 16% this spring. I commend our staff and faculty for their
personalized approach that supported our students during this difficult
time.

Our energy is now squarely focused on the coming academic year. For fall
2021, we project a total enrollment of 1,735 students (1,651 FTE). This
reflects a year-over-year increase of about 100 students, but is still
short of our 2019 pre-pandemic enrollment of 1,860 (1,812 FTE). Deposits
are strong, but the effects of the pandemic—particularly on international
students—continue to create challenges for CCA and many colleges throughout
the U.S. We will have a better sense of enrollment for the coming year as
the start of the fall semester nears, and I will continue to keep you
updated as we learn more. Recovery of the pandemic’s effects on enrollment
and housing will be a multi-year process, but I am encouraged by the
positive direction thus far.

Unification

Although the timeline and plans for the start of construction on Double
Ground were disrupted by the pandemic, we are confident that a unified San
Francisco campus will provide the most innovative and sustainable
living/learning environment for our students. We are currently reviewing
various factors that will help us refine our unification plan and determine
the appropriate start date of construction on Double Ground. We will
continue to work internally and with the Board to develop a revised plan
and timeline by this fall.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

CCA is a community defined by our shared values. During the past year, CCA
has redoubled our ongoing commitment to address structural inequities and
promote anti-racism, equity, inclusion, and belonging through ongoing,
substantive change in our curriculum, in the classroom, and throughout our
college.

Provost Carland and I continue to meet regularly with the President’s
Diversity Steering Group (PDSG), student groups, and others across campus
to further these efforts. We will soon share additional details about the
establishment of a new, cabinet-level position in support of diversity,
equity, inclusion, and belonging at CCA as we launch the search for this
critical role.

Promoting DEIB has also been a central focus for CCA’s board. This year the
Board has elected five new trustees, three from diverse, underrepresented
backgrounds, as well as reviewing and revising board practices and policies
to actively promote values consistent with CCA’s commitment to these
values. You may find ongoing updates on the Action & Accountability
<https://www.cca.edu/about/action-accountability/> page on CCA’s
website.

Closing Thoughts

Throughout this tumultuous pandemic year, we have been guided by three
overarching goals:

   -

   Supporting students’ academic success and progress toward their degrees
   while

protecting the health, safety, and well-being of our community

   -

   Preserving the long-term financial security of the college
   -

   Resuming campus unification when it is responsible to do so

I am humbled and proud of what this community accomplished this year under
such challenging circumstances. As vaccination rates increase and
California, the Bay Area, and our campuses open up, I look forward to
joining with you to welcome our students back to CCA in the fall.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this long-awaited summer, and that you
find time for activities that restore you and bring you joy.

Sincerely,

Steve