President’s Office
Dr. Susan Sperling
President’s Report – February 17, 2015
Black History Month
On February 3rd, Chabot kicked-off Black History Month with the African tradition of Libation, a ritual
using water to honor ancestors and to ask that the Black History Month program be blessed by them.
Also, in the African Griot tradition of dance and storytelling, there was a performance by a Senegalese
dance troop. And, highlighting the event was keynote speaker Ms. Elaine Brown, former leader of the
Black Panther Party and author of A Taste of Power which has been optioned by HBO and is slated for
production this year.
The month continues with various celebrations and events.
Chabot College
Susan Sperling, Ph.D., President
President’s Report – February 2015
Page 2 of 2
Shared Governance Retreats
Last semester, three shared governance planning retreats produced a number of significant
recommendations in updating our processes, including combining committees with similar planning
functions, moving from consensus decision making to voting, and forming a better nexus between
strategic planning and budget allocations.
President Sperling presented the next steps at FLEX Day last week, which includes the working
documents being given to the Classified, Faculty and Student Senates, Planning Review and Budget
Council (PRBC), and Administrators. Each group will gather feedback and make recommendations to
College Council.