West Hills College Newsletter: Chancellor Dr. Stuart Van Horn reflects on the times

It has been an extraordinary time of daunting challenges but has also provided opportunities for us to establish West Hills as a pillar to our communities. Whether it has been expanding access to fast, reliable internet, connecting generations online, stitching fabric into masks, donating personal protective equipment, turning buildings and rodeo grounds into shelters for firefighters and animals, distributing food and supplies to local communities, providing aid to vulnerable populations, mixing and preparing hand sanitizer, creating web trackers to pinpoint community resources, supporting students with financial relief, or assuming significant social activism roles, our district has experienced an extraordinary summer, one that some are calling our ‘Dunkirk moment for our country.’ As a district, we are focusing on the present state in order to maintain a strong sense of well-being.

As you know, in addition to the COVID- 19 pandemic, our country is undergoing sea changes on racial attitudes. For me, the urgent issue is to address racial equity in educational outcomes as a matter of institutional accountability and responsibility. Diversity without equity brings only symbolic benefits for colleges and universities, giving no substantive benefits to minoritized students. As an organization, we have resolved to focus on changing this—by changing the practices and minds of educators and leaders.

Specifically, we commit to the following:

• Use our voice more explicitly in calling out racism in all its forms with prioritized attention to anti-Black racism.
• An investment of resources and energy in strengthening the capacity of grassroots, activist, and advocacy organizations and their leaders to drive systemic changes resulting in health and racial equity
• Substantially increase our commitment to Black-and-Brown-organizing, advocacy, and movement-building organizations and institutions
• Internal to our organization, improved tracking, reporting, and transparency of our funding to communities of Black and Brown-led organizations
• An explicit strategy to utilize impact investing tools – such as mission-related and program-related investments – to contribute to Black economic development and entrepreneurism to advance health and wellness in communities.

But simply put, we stand with our community partners, and recognize that as postsecondary educational institutions, we can do more to advance racial justice.
We appreciate your continued support of West Hills. We believe that what we do matters and uniquely differentiates us from other districts. We look forward to communicating further how we continue to meet students’ needs monthly through this newsletter. I do hope you are all doing well, staying healthy and safe.

Dr. Stuart Van Horn is the West Hills College District Chancellor