LOS ANGELES, CA—The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) today officially launched its Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs. The inaugural convening took place at Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC). Trustee Mike Eng, originator and co-convenor of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs, recruited a stellar group of local community leaders, policymakers, higher education advocates, student leaders, and key LACCD personnel to serve on this new committee.
The group aims to better understand the needs of the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community in order to better serve the students with improved educational outcomes and access across all groups.
“Although Asian American and Pacific Islanders comprise the most rapidly growing segment of many U.S. universities and colleges, Pacific Islanders are historically under-enrolled and have significant drop out rates and have alarmingly low rates of student success,” said Trustee Mike Eng. “It is my hope that our district’s first ever Advisory Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs will focus on ways to improve recruitment and retention and boost faculty, administrators, and staff recruitment from the Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, and other Pacific Island communities and Pilipino, and other Southeast Asian communities.”
“I am proud to work with Trustee Mike Eng on this important first for our district,” said Scott Svonkin, President of the LACCD Board of Trustees. “As Vice President of our Board, Trustee Eng led this effort to convene an API Advisory Committee. I am proud to be his partner on this critical work to better reach and serve our API students and the greater community.”
Members of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs include:
Sefa Aina – Associate Dean & Director of the Asian American Resource Center
Pomona College
Dr. Mitchell Chang – Professor of Education
Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA
Richard (Calvin) Chang – Director of Policy
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Florante Peter Ibanez – Library Computer Services
Loyola Law School
Dr. Lois Takahashi – Interim Dean Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA
Dr. Robert Teranishi – Professor of Education Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA
Dr. David Yoo – Director and Professor Asian American Studies Center, UCLA
Alisi Tulua – Chief Operating Officer Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Kawen Young – President Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Alliance
Representatives from LACCD:
Mike Eng – Trustee
LACCD Board of Trustees
Francisco Rodriguez, Ph.D. – Chancellor
Los Angeles Community College District
Mary-Jo Apigo – Dean
West Los Angeles College
Ryan Cornner – Vice Chancellor
Educational Programs & Institutional Effectiveness
Ann H. Gee – Faculty
Valley College
Moon Ko – Research Analyst
LACCD
Otto Lee – President
Los Angeles Harbor College
Dale Shimasaki, Ph.D. – Chief Executive Officer
Strategic Education Services
Robert Sprague – Vice President
West Los Angeles College
Alexa Victoriano – Student Trustee
LACCD Board of Trustees
About the Los Angeles Community College District
The Los Angeles Community College District, the nation’s largest community college district, serves one-quarter million students a year in more than 36 cities in Los Angeles County at its nine colleges. The District covers nearly 900 square miles and has educated and trained the region’s diverse workforce since 1969.
Members of the Board
Scott J. Svonkin, President | Sydney Kamlager, First Vice President | Mike Fong, Second Vice President | Mike Eng | Andra Hoffman | Ernest H. Moreno | Nancy Pearlman | Alexa Victoriano, Student Member
