City College of San Francisco - California Competes

THEME VI
I. Overview
Demonstrating integrity and honesty to all stakeholders is a cornerstone of the College’s system of governance
and permeates all College activities. It is the strengthening trust the stakeholders have had in the
institution that has enabled the College to persevere during the fiscally poor situation of the state. The
College is focused on improving its services to better serve its students. In this essay we will examine
several case studies that exemplify the following: the College’s continual assessment of the appropriateness
and usefulness of our policies, practices, and procedures; the College’s continual assessment of internal
and external relations and the inclusion of all constituencies of the College in major assessment and
decision-making processes; the College’s commitment to clarity, accessibility, and appropriateness in
its communications with the community; and the College’s commitment to diversity.
II. Institutional Context
City College of San Francisco is a vital and integral part of the communities of San Francisco, in the
truest sense, a college of the people. We have the ability and the responsibility to do what the local
four-year colleges and universities cannot do—to reach out directly into the neighborhood communities
to provide residents of San Francisco and surrounding communities with relevant, high-quality educational
programs and services that address their diverse educational needs. The scale and reach of our
operations demonstrate our commitment to bringing education to the people. CCSF serves over 98,000
students at 12 main campus locations and nearly 200 neighborhood sites (including churches,
middle school campuses, senior centers, converted military facilities, and a San Francisco airport facility)
that reflect the multicultural diversity of the city. CCSF offers over 140 programs of study in 75 academic
and vocational fields. Each year, the College offers 7,000 sections of credit courses (over 100 of which are
offered online), and over 3,000 sections of noncredit courses that meet the specific needs of a student
population not currently pursuing college credit coursework, such as new immigrants, older adults, or
students finishing their high school education. In addition, CCSF has offered over 500 contract education
classes designed for workers seeking professional development and continuing education classes for
students in pursuit of personal enrichment. Over 750 full-time and 1,200 part-time faculty provide
instruction and services to students with the support of a classified staff comprising over 600 full-time
and 300 part-time employees, and approximately 40 administrators, along with a number of classified
managers, who provide oversight and leadership to ensure the College meets its operational objectives.
With the size and complexity of our operations comes the challenge of ensuring the integrity with which
the College provides for and interacts with its students, as well as with its faculty, staff, administration,
and public. While the College continually monitors the efficiency and accuracy with which all segments
of the institution—the employees, departments, credit and noncredit programs and services, schools,
and campuses—conduct their operations, the College community looks to the institution’s system of
governance to be trusting and inclusive of all constituencies in the major assessment and decision-making
processes. This system of checks and balances, demonstrating the College’s shared commitment to
maintaining a strong, high-quality institution, is described in this essay.
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO
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