Interim state chancellor leads final student press conference of tenure
Interim California Community College Chancellor Daisy Gonzales shared resources, answered questions
San Diego City College Vice President of Instruction Tillie Chavez, wearing red, talks to Interim California Community College Chancellor Daisy Gonzales, right, at the NEXTUP Birthday Bash on Dec. 8, 2022. San Diego City College on Flickr
April 25, 2023
Interim California Community College Chancellor Daisy Gonzales led her final student media press conference, centering around the selection of the new chancellor and the topics of student enrollment and success.
Gonzales said during the April 19 event on Zoom that the selection of Sonya Christian for the chancellor role came after a 7-month national search.
“She is the first woman and the first person of South Asian heritage to permanently have the position,” said Gonzales about Christian.
Christian is wrapping up her tenure as the chancellor of the Kern Community College District and begins her state-level position on June 1.
During the press conference, Gonzales shared prepared comments about a wide range of topics but also fielded questions from student journalists from around the state.
When Ashley Halenan, a student at San Joaquin Delta College, asked about state legislation pertaining to food insecurity, Gonzales said there are no laws that make food accessible and affordable to college students.
“If you were hungry in K-12, and you didn’t have enough resources, that situation most likely persists when you join a community college,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales added that issues of basic needs are federally regulated, but the California Chancellor’s office is continuing the conversation around basic needs affordability.
Megan Silva, also of San Joaquin Delta College, asked about the insufficient counselor-to-student ratio at her school, which Gonzales answered is a local union issue.
However, she also said that, as part of the Guided Pathways program, the chancellor’s office is discussing ways that education path counseling can be implemented in the classroom and beyond the counselor’s office.
Gonzales mentioned a 2.4% increase in student enrollment across California community colleges from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022, with over a 5% increase in Latino, Native American and Black students.
Gonzales also used the press conference as an opportunity to promote the icangotocollege.com site and Black Student Success Week from April 24-28.
