Board Reports

Foothill College's 2026 Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) project has been selected by a committee of SEM Core Team members as a SEM Promising Practice to be added to the inventory currently listed on the Chancellor’s Office Vision Resource Center Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Community of Practice. The selection committee highlighted Foothill's comprehensive approach to various areas of the SEM framework, the outcomes that Foothill was able to achieve during the project year, and the steps we have taken to integrate and sustain the project over time. As a result, Foothill College's project will be featured as a resource for institutions across California seeking effective and innovative strategies to support student success, enrollment management, and institutional effectiveness. The Chancellor's Office has prepared a draft Promising Practice profile based on Foothill College's Final Project Narrative and presentation materials. The college has been invited to review the draft, provide any final edits, and grant approval for publication on the Vision Resource Center. This reflects Foothill's innovative leadership in strategic enrollment management and highlights the institution's dedication to implementing sustainable, data-informed practices that advance student access, persistence, and completion.

Footsie isn't just a mascot; it's part of Foothill College's history. In 1958, students voted to choose the college mascot. The owl won by just 14 votes, narrowly defeating the ram and the condor. Over the years, Footsie became a beloved campus icon, even surviving a few student "kidnappings." Today, Footsie begins a new chapter as Foothill College's AI assistant, welcoming students with the same spirit of wisdom, curiosity, and community that inspired the original mascot.

This summer, 12 graduates from the Radiologic Technology program Class of 2026 continued their education in a 5-week clinical course to gain essential skills in mammography and prepare for the state licensure exam. The fellowship started immediately after 23 months in the Rad Tech program and successfully passing their National Radiography Board exams. This was the second year the course has been offered, doubling the participants from 7 in the 2025 pilot course to 12 participants this year. The course was updated via Foothill’s curriculum process to be offered as non-credit and the students were provided loaner textbooks as well as access to earn their tomosynthesis certification. All of this was possible because of the commitment of our amazing clinical partners: Stanford Healthcare, El Camino Health, Kaiser, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, who provided the outstanding hands-on education. Several of our fellows will be starting full time in mammography once they pass their mammography licensure exam. It is exciting to see how such a short support course can create so many new opportunities for our graduates. We look forward to continuing to evolve this fellowship as we move to the new Sunnyvale center where a brand-new state of the art Siemen’s digital tomosynthesis mammography machine will be integrated into the curriculum. This aligns with our Blue Print for success in optimizing the Sunnyvale Center as a future-focused, workforce innovation center for the District.

Dean Allen was invited to highlight how California community colleges are creating stronger educational and career pathways for apprentices and to feature Foothill College’s work aligning its baccalaureate degree program with registered apprenticeship, including how the baccalaureate degree pathway aligns with apprenticeship training and supports advancement opportunities for apprentices and journey-level workers. The overall presentation is anticipated to be approximately 20 minutes and will include: Gary, WEDD Dean: Opening remarks (3 minutes) focused on connecting California apprentices to employment opportunities Earl Buford, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) CEO: Overview of public-sector apprenticeships and bachelor’s degree pathways (5–7 minutes) Adele Burnes, DAS Chief: Labor Agency partnerships and workforce strategies with community colleges (5 minutes) Chris Allen, Foothill College: Alignment of the Building Trades Management baccalaureate degree program with registered apprenticeship (3–5 minutes) Student success video: ~1-2 minutes The State Chancellor's Office invitation noted, "We believe Foothill College’s program provides an excellent example of how apprenticeship and baccalaureate pathways can be intentionally aligned to create opportunities for career advancement and degree attainment."

Foothill welcomed 160 returning and 335 new students to campus for Kickstart: Your Path to Success, Priority Registration Days. During the event, students received personalized assistance with every step of the enrollment process, from submitting an application to registering for classes. By connecting students with essential resources, academic planning support, and enrollment services, Kickstart equips participants with the tools, guidance, and information needed to begin the quarter with confidence and a strong foundation for success. 

Twenty-three Foothill College students are completing their summer internships through the MESA/Science Learning Institute (SLI) Summer Internship Program. The experience will culminate with final presentations, giving students an opportunity to showcase their work, share what they learned, and celebrate their accomplishments.

The presentations highlight the valuable experiential learning opportunities MESA/SLI provides to help students connect their academic studies with future educational and career pathways.

List of FLI-SLI Summer Interns

Anysia Alvarez
Marisol Arreola Jurado
Dustin Ayala
Annie Bento
Elia Byrd
Alexander Cabrera
Alfonso Coronado
Karen Dao
Jesus Garcia
Hillary Gutierrez
Emely Guzman Salguero
Semra Hidic
Maddison Kahn
Leon Li
Natalia Lopez Rodriguez
Thandar Nyunt
Francisco Plans
Natalia Rodriguez Giraldo
Moses Sanchez
Cristian Vasquez
Manuel Vazquez
Allison Villeda
Yuritzia Zaragoza