It has been two years since Chinese for Affirmative Action initiated Move City College Forward to keep City College of San Francisco open.

It was at that time — not long after we had helped launch the new campus in Chinatown — when an out-of-control accreditation commission sought to close City College.

With the educational futures of 80,000 mostly students of color at stake, the debate about City College was fundamentally about educational equity.

Today, we are glad to report that today City College is in a better place:

• City College is now in “Restoration Status,” meaning the college stays open as faculty and staff work on administrative, financial, and other improvements.
• Susan Lamb has been appointed Interim Chancellor and is working well with a wide range of stakeholders to strengthen City College. Chancellor Lamb joined CAA at our membership meeting last year when she was Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
• The locally-elected Board of Trustees has had its governance powers restored, which should provide more transparent and accountable decision-making at City College into the future.

This progress is a partially a result of many activities undertaken by our campaign since 2013. Some highlights include:

• 10,000 online and paper petition supporters pressing elected officials — from representatives in Congress to the Board of Supervisors — to do their part to keep City College open.
• Supporting litigation by City Attorney Dennis Herrera that ultimately exposed improper actions by the Accreditation Commission and protected the due process rights of City College.
• Partnering with State Senator Mark Leno to pass State stabilization funds for City College to weather the enrollment crisis caused by the Accreditation Commission.

It remains critical for all San Franciscans — adult learners, immigrants, youth, members of working class families — to have equal access to the educational opportunities they need to succeed. Though more work is ahead for City College, the community should be proud of everything that has occurred to keep City College open against the odds.

At CAA we will continue to be engaged and keep you apprised, even as our formal Move City College Forward activities begin to wind down.

We are grateful for your ongoing support.