Welcome to the 2025-2026 academic year!
Dear Campus Community,
Welcome to the 2025-2026 academic year!
I hope you had a restful summer and are reenergized for the fall semester ahead. I am excited to experience the vibrant energy of our new and returning students as they discover and rediscover their Chaffey campus. This fall I am thrilled to welcome 14 new faculty, 10 new classified professionals and two managers to our Chaffey family!
Each one of you plays a vital role in shaping our students’ futures. You are the architects of tomorrow’s professionals and a driving force behind our region’s growth and prosperity. I appreciate all that you do to serve our students, to uplift them and improve their lives.
At the same time, I recognize the climate in which we are currently living. This is a time when our students need us more than ever, especially as our most vulnerable students are targeted and negatively impacted by evolving policy and public rhetoric. At 51ÂÜŔň, we will continue to be their anchor adapting to our students’ needs to keep them firmly on course toward reaching their educational goals. Chaffey College remains a place of resilience, belonging, innovation and care as we look toward a brighter future for our students and our community members.
Instructional and Institutional Effectiveness Updates
It is an exciting time to be at 51ÂÜŔň as we start another fall semester
with record-breaking success. Our increased enrollment is a testament to the dedication
of our talented faculty and staff who make students feel welcome and supported! Thank
you for all the work you do to expand access for our students.
As we look toward growing instructional support and improved efficiencies, I am pleased
to welcome Dr. Melissa Sakoonphong and Bradley Franklin to their new roles as Administrators,
Instructional Systems and Pathway Innovations. Through their expertise they will enhance
and support key initiatives including outcomes assessment, program mapping, Credit
for Prior Learning, digital credentials and zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) programs.
Dual Enrollment Continues to Grow
A key driver behind our remarkable enrollment growth has been the success of our Dual Enrollment program, which returns to Instruction this fall. This initiative has continued to flourish year after year, achieving an impressive 12% increase in the last academic year alone. We remain committed to expanding opportunities for high school students to get a head start on their college journey through Dual Enrollment. To support this growth, we have recently added two new positions—a program assistant and an AAII—dedicated to strengthening and enhancing the program’s reach.
Student Services Updates
Financial Aid
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) reports that changes are coming to eligibility requirements for Pell Grants and federal loans in July 2026. Until then, there will be no impact on students for the 2025-26 academic year. Students can meet with financial aid in person or remotely to get their questions answered about how next year’s changes may impact them.
Students in Disability Programs and Services now qualify for state grants that they previously could not receive if they were taking fewer than 12 units per semester. Thanks to Assembly Bill 1885, DPS students taking nine or more units will now qualify for the grants.
Support for Undocumented Students
Recent federal immigration enforcement actions have created fear and instability in some students’ lives, affecting their academic success, financial stability, and personal well-being. The need to support and extend compassion to our undocumented students has never been more important than at the present time. To help meet immediate needs, Chaffey will provide Instacart vouchers and grocery store gift cards to students who demonstrate need. Students can access this resource by submitting an application online.
Our commitment to supporting our undocumented community and their pursuit to higher education remains steadfast. This fall the college will continue to partner with TODEC to host new “Know Your Rights” workshops for students and trainings for faculty and staff to ensure we are prepared, should there be any ICE activity on our campuses. I encourage all faculty and staff to participate in one of these upcoming trainings led by Chief Legal Officer, Ryan Church. Please visit our Undocumented Student Resources webpage for more information.
Support for LGBTQIA+ Students
This fall, we are launching a Canvas resource shell for faculty and staff equipped with tools, educational materials, and resources for supporting LGBTQIA+ students. Following this, we plan to host a series of listening and feedback sessions in collaboration with research scholar Dr. Alison Cerezo, who conducted our LGBTQIA+ student climate survey last year, to ensure our efforts are guided by student voices and are representative of our students’ needs.
Social Wellness and Behavioral Support
Social Wellness and Behavioral Support will offer special training in a program called SafeTALK for faculty, management and classified professionals. This program will be offered in partnership with San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health. This hands-on workshop will help participants recognize and respond to warning signs of suicidal ideation in students. The training, open to 40 people, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 20 in CAA-211. Sign up .
Construction Updates
Our campuses are transforming! Thanks to taxpayer support of Measure P, this spring we saw the opening of the Aquatic Center and soon we will have the grand opening of the new Chino Instructional Building, taking place September 23. Looking ahead in the coming winter and spring seasons we are anticipating the opening of the new Library Learning Commons and the new MACC Center. Many thanks for your support and patience during what has been a major construction season on our campuses! I am looking forward to welcoming students to all these new facilities.
Upcoming Dates to Save
- Know Your Rights – With TODEC – Aug. 20
- Artist Talk with Samuel Dunson (Juneteenth Art Commission Update) - Aug. 28
- Radical Geographies: possibilities of the imaged landscape (Wignall Museum) Sept. 2 – Nov 8.
- Chino Instructional Building Grand Opening – Sept. 23
- 4th annual Black and Brown Minds & Mattering Conference – Oct. 24
- Report to the Community – Nov. 5
We cannot achieve our mission without the dedication of our faculty and staff, and I thank you for your unwavering commitment and dedication to our students.
Have an excellent 2025-2026 academic year.
Go Panthers!
Sincerely,
Henry D. Shannon, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President
