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President's Office

President's 12345 Message from Kristina Whalen

October 15, 2025

(1) Government Shutdown Impacts Deepen in Education Sector

The federal government has now been in a partial shutdown for 15 days. All non-essential federal personnel have been furloughed. While federal student aid administration should continue as usual due to mandatory funding, institutional grant administration, technical assistance, and support functions are disrupted. On Friday, the White House began permanently terminating furloughed government workers, including more than 450 additional employees at the Department of Education. According to an American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) webinar this morning, the hardest-hit areas are the Office of Postsecondary Education, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

(2) Board Approves The Blueprint for Success

A major moment for our college—at the October 6th Board of Trustees meeting, Foothill’s Blueprint for Success was formally and unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees. The trustees praised the commitments to student equity, instructional innovation, and institutional stewardship over the next five years. Deep gratitude to everyone who contributed countless hours to create, review, and refine this visionary roadmap. You may review my presentation and my Leadership Report to the Board.

(3) Budget Town Hall October 16th at 1 PM

The Budget Town Hall, scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. in Room 8338 and online, will offer an in-depth look at the district’s fiscal outlook for 2025–26. Key topics include our status as a basic aid (community-supported) district, updates on property tax revenues, enrollment trends—including continuing challenges with international student enrollment—and the structural and categorical budget details that shape our planning. Participants will also hear about anticipated impacts of state policy, next steps for the Resource Allocation Model, and recent trends in student Full-Time Equivalent (FTES) calculations and funding. The presentation will close with an update on employee and student housing initiatives. It’s a content-rich power hour!

(4) Mission Informed Planning Council – Friday, October 17 at 1 PM

The second meeting of the Mission Informed Planning Council (MIPC) will take place this Friday, October 17th, 2025, in Room 1901 or online. All are welcome! The agenda includes:

  • President’s report on the Bookstore Task Force recommendations.
  • Discussion on Building an AI Framework at the College, including a draft AI Fellows Program proposal.
  • Review of the Google Gemini and Notebook LM implementation—Foothill is among the first five CCCs piloting this closed-data AI platform.
  • Presentation of Opening Day/FLEX Day survey results.
  • Standing reports from various committees.

(5) Empowering Students Through Access – Laptop Giveaway

Community connections matter! I’ll be attending the AT&T Learning Connect Laptop Distribution Event at the Sunken Gardens (California History Center) on Saturday, October 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. AT&T California President Susan Santana, Assemblymember Ahrens, and district leaders will participate. Together with community partners—Sunnyvale Community Services, Bill Wilson Center, De Anza APALI Program, and the Foothill-De Anza Foundation—250 laptops will be distributed to those in need. 100 of the laptops will be distributed to FHDA students that have been identified through our EOPS offices.

Yours in service,
Kristina Whalen

Dr. Kristina Whalen
President, Foothill College

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