SYNOPSIS:

A report from Superintendent/President Karas is presented as information.

Since the previous Board meeting, the college has prepared and began the new academic year. The first two weeks are devoted to welcoming our students to campus. Many managers, staff, and faculty volunteer their time at welcome tables, distribute food, and work departmental info booths during this time. Some people even volunteered to be in the dunk tank.
On August 28th a group from Mendocino College (Faculty, Staff, Managers) received a tour of the new California Conservation Corp Campus in Willits. This new campus will replace the existing site on Talmage in Ukiah. There are approximately 130 beds, recreational center, dining facilities, educational center, and much more. There will be a general public opening later this fall. It is a remarkable facility and there are many connection points between our institutions related to culinary art, construction, fire science, career pathways, and much more. We look forward to strengthening our existing relationship with the corp.

We received good news from our recent graduating cohort of registered nurses. Again, this year our NCLEX pass rate for the Class of 2025 RN Program graduates was 100%. The Mendocino College Foundation raises funds to cover the NCLEX exam fees for students.

Enrollments

Building on our strong summer enrollments, Fall 2025 is higher than previous years. All of our locations (Ukiah, Lakeport, Willits, Fort Bragg, Online) have seen increased enrollments.

SEMESTER | ACTIVE | ACTIVE | FULL | PART | TOTAL
SEMESTER: ENROLLMENTS, ACTIVE: STUDENTS, ACTIVE: TIME, FULL: TIME, PART: FTES
SEMESTER: FALL 2025, ACTIVE: 13042, ACTIVE: 5919, FULL: 780, PART: 5139, TOTAL: 1438.08
SEMESTER: FALL 2024, ACTIVE: 10965, ACTIVE: 5022, FULL: 710, PART: 4312, TOTAL: 1165.36
SEMESTER: FALL 2023, ACTIVE: 9571, ACTIVE: 4450, FULL: 557, PART: 1574, TOTAL: 904.84
SEMESTER: FALL 2019, ACTIVE: 10948, ACTIVE: 4294, FULL: 995, PART: 3299, TOTAL: 1056.35

Student Athlete Welcome Event

Mendocino College soared into the fall semester with a vibrant welcome event for its student athletes on Thursday, August 21, 2025. President Karas kicked things off with uplifting words of encouragement, setting the stage for a semester of growth and achievement. Athletic Director Matt Gordon followed with a spirited introduction of the coaching staff, emphasizing their role as a strong support system for every Eagle athlete. Student Services staff added a dynamic touch with a round-robin overview of campus resources, fostering meaningful connections with each student. The event wrapped up with a lively taco dinner, fueling the wings of Mendocino’s Eagles as they prepare to take flight this season.
Health and Wellness

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness month. Health & Wellness will be tabling on Wednesdays to promote awareness and services. Looking forward, Health & Wellness will be embedded in both the Veterans Resource Center and the Athletics program on Tuesday afternoons. Planning continues for the September Blue Zones National Team site visit. Additionally, drop-in hours have been established via Eagle Connect on Wednesday mornings.

Veterans Resource Center

The Veterans Resource Center is staffed Monday-Thursday 9am-1pm. We are currently refreshing the technology and reorganizing the space. We will be offering weekly Mental Health and Wellness time as well as Monthly visits from EDD to share resources with students.

Counseling

During August, the Counseling Department prioritized expanding student access to counseling services. To ensure greater coverage during high-demand periods, counseling faculty strategically incorporated additional contract days into their annual schedules. This allowed the department to offer three-day-per-week drop-in "express" appointments, with counselors present on campus for each shift to maximize student choice in service modality—face-to-face, Zoom, or phone. These express sessions supported students with last-minute enrollment needs and schedule adjustments, while also improving departmental efficiency. Counselors further engaged in outreach by tabling at the Week of Welcome activities and hosting a dedicated Fall Student Welcome ev ent to connect new and returning students with foundational resources for academic success. Additionally, the department launched Year 2 of the Eagle Connect platform, enhancing our ability to support students through early alerts, referrals, and positive recognition of attendance and performance. Looking ahead to September, our Transfer Counselor is leading a new workshop series, “Tag You’re In Tuesdays,” designed to guide students through the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) process and provide timely, hands-on support for transfer planning.

Upcoming Events

August 15, 2025 to October 26, 2025: Art Gallery- Urban Introversion, Master Works by Yu Ji

September 25, 2025: California Indian Heritage Celebration

September 26-27, 2025: Fall Plant Sale

September 26, 2025: Ceramics Sale

Details can be viewed on the Events page, https://www.mendocino.edu/events, or the Athletics page, https://www.mendoeagles.com. The monthly student newsletter https://www.mendocino.edu/newsletters, The Eagle, provides a listing of upcoming events and campus news too.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AGENDA - REGULAR MEETING

Meeting Information

Supporting Documents