Humanitarian Week: March 23, 2020

Good morning,

Today will prove to be a busy one for all of us as we navigate our new remote reality moving from crisis mode to triage.  The speed at which we are forced to adapt, due to COVID-19, presents an incredible task ahead of us all. 

I’m glad we are calling this week our “Humanitarian Week” as it will allow us time to continue our work and check in on each other, help one another with new tools to help us communicate and learn.  We must remind ourselves that the collective “we” is stronger and smarter than we know.  Please continue to be patient with us and with each other as we learn together and help one another.

This weekend we created new webpages that are designed to help you navigate our remote reality and offers a more functional approach to provide the information you need. While we are dealing with a great deal of uncertainty, many of your questions will be answered there.  It is important that you check your email, MyPortal, canvas and the FCC webpages daily. This will now be part of your new routine. Also, remember to get your news from trusted sources like the CDC and California Department of Public Health.

This weekend I took my own advice and found a little down time, away from FCC work and the news.  I found that nature and poetry may have something valuable to teach us that I want to share with you a quote from poet Mark Nepo, “Birds learn how to fly, never knowing where flight will take them.” There is something humbling in that truth and also very comforting as we set out on the unknown this week...together.

Know this in your core, collectively we have the intelligence, compassion and the technology tools to be successful.  As Governor Newsom shared “we will meet this moment.”  While the news reports are telling us, it will get worse, I know in time,  it will also get better.

I am deeply moved by how much you are doing to help each other, students and staff alike, as well as our community.  You all have accomplished a great deal to feel proud of in a short amount of time.  We all have moved to a remote environment— from less than 400 classes to over 2,000 ready for online, we are offering a host of student services remotely to students, we deployed laptops to teachers and this week we are set to loan over 1,000 devices and WiFi hot spots to students.  Plus, under the guidance of Sean Henderson and Ernie Martinez and with the help of community partners, the Fresno City College Associated Student Government gave out over 2,000 bags of food.

We are meeting the moment.

#FresnoCityProud

Dr. Carole Goldsmith
President