President's Office

From the desk of Bernadine Chuck Fong

To: Foothill College

From: Bernadine Chuck Fong

Re: Comunique #1

Date: November 8, 2021

We are about to embark on a challenging but exciting journey. I want to reassure you that together, we will begin the healing process as well as secure the search for leadership that will expand Foothill College to its rightful place as an inclusive, collaborative and distinctive institution. I begin by referring to the Core Values we established during my tenure as President and expanded by my successor, Judy Miner. Those were not idol words and are meant to support the foundation of a fully functioning and healthy organization. At the Town Hall, I said that that is what is primary for now, and I asked you to review them; they are on our website. The first five were mine: honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and forgiveness and Judy added the last two: transparency and sustainability. And how did the initial values come about? When I was in the Open Forum as a candidate for my original presidential position, clearly everyone already knew my history at the college and what I did or did not accomplish. I decided that the college, which was then recovering from the district’s worst financial crisis, needed to learn more about me as a person and my own core values. One of the most important ones was Trust. Given the financial crisis was self‐inflicted, why would the colleges trust their administrators? I knew then the core values of an institution need to be mirrored in its leaders day to day. Foothill, at that time, had not put to paper specific values, so when I became president, I professed those that I live by: Honesty, Integrity, Trust, Openness, and Forgiveness. I added the last one because it was incredibly important for people to forgive so we could get past the remnants of the district’s financial crisis. I would say that we have the same need for forgiveness at this time, as well. Also, if one acts with integrity, openness, and honesty, that should earn trust and the opportunity for forgiveness, if warranted. These core values were printed on the back of every business card so we could remind each other what we should strive for each and every day. Equity is not missing because it is implicit in “integrity” and the concept behind equity has had different names in different generations, starting with multiculturalism, diversity, and currently, equity. To this end, I invite you to join me and fully engage and renew commitment to the values of our college and what they mean to you personally, as well as professionally. Why this is important, is because values are the basis for people working together, respecting one another, and moving together. I also ask those of you who were here during my previous tenure to help me foster these values and share how they have helped us move forward then and how they can now. It is with both hope and anticipation that I look forward to Foothill’s continuation as an academic leader known for its vision and innovation and because of the strength of the faculty, the staff, and the students. I had three goals and they were the same every year of my presidency. They were: 1) instill and maintain trust; 2) energize and stimulate creativity and innovation; and 3) “keep the pot stirred” to produce sufficient positive tension or energy to promote change. Team building was heavily emphasized because we all had to work together as a team to be effective in carrying out Foothill's mission. When I became president in 1994, my son said I had enough energy to light up a small village – so beware, I haven’t changed!

Best regards,
Bernadine

Bernadine Chuck Fong, Ph.D.
Interim President, Foothill College
Senior Scholar and Director of Leadership Initatves, Stanford University