Bynum: ‘Stronger, better together’
Interim superintendent-president praises LBCC students and staff for their efforts over the past year
Long Beach City College — like so many other institutions — has faced one of the most challenging years in its history amid the coronavirus pandemic. But officials expect the college to emerge from the crisis stronger than ever.
That was the message outgoing Interim Superintendent-President Lou Anne Bynum gave during her virtual “State of the College” address on Thursday.
“My first day on the job (last year) was Saturday when I was appointed interim superintendent-president by the board,” she said. “I met with the vice presidents on Sunday, and on Monday, I was closing our campuses due to the pandemic.
“We hoped then that the closure wouldn’t last long, but here we are, a year later,” Bynum added. “We are teaching and learning online, which we will continue at least through the spring semester.”
While Bynum praised the flexibility students, faculty and staff showed last year in quickly shifting to a remote working and learning environment, she also said Long Beach City College had its fair share of hurdles in ensuring equitable access to education for all its students.
“Even with all the thoughtful planning, the pandemic revealed our biggest learning challenge: The massive digital divide that exists within our campus community, the communities we serve,” she said, “and, frankly, within the majority of our educational system.”
Bynum said that 62% of LBCC students re
ceive financial aid. A survey showed that 52% of students suffered a loss of income during the pandemic, and some — particularly students of color — lost housing or access to sufficient food. But even some students who didn’t lose basic necessities still had difficulty moving to online courses, Bynum said; about 10% of students used smartphones to log into class and do homework, she said, and others didn’t even have a smartphone.
Over the last year, the college has tried to address all of its students’ newfound needs. Officials have distributed more than 1,000 Chromebooks and laptops and about 500 WiFi hotspots since the beginning of the pandemic, Bynum said. And the Long Beach City College Foundation has received more than $1.8 million, about $800,000 of which has gone to scholarships and $500,000 of which has gone toward emergency basic needs like technology, food and housing, she added.
Long Beach City College has also worked to improve the student experience by investing in new initiatives and infrastructure. The college, like the City of Long Beach, adopted a Framework for Reconciliation over the summer to commit to creating a more racially equitable institution.
“This is a long-term process and won’t happen overnight,” Bynum said, “but know this: Our commitment is clear. No matter who is president, this college will not go back to business as usual when it comes to racism and racial equity.”
And while the campus has been closed, the college’s students, faculty and staff have largely been replaced by construction workers.
In September, the college held a virtual ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of a new Labor Center, and three months later, officials marked the completion of an upgraded auditorium on its Liberal Arts Campus and a new parking structure on its Pacific Coast Campus. Work continues on other projects, like new kinesiology labs and an aquatic center scheduled for completion this fall, and a three-story multidisciplinary building, opening next year, that will house language arts, foreign languages, computer and office studies.
“Long Beach City College and all of us have faced, head-on, a global pandemic,” Bynum said. “We’ve made huge adjustments and have developed innovations.
“We’ve learned we can change for the better for our students,” she added,” and we’ve realized we are stronger and better together.”
Looking ahead, more changes are afoot for the college. Bynum’s contract — which was approved shortly after the college’s board voted last year to fire superintendent-president Reagan Romali — ends Saturday.
LBCC and Bynum “could not come to a mutual agreement regarding the extension of her current contract,” the college announced earlier this month, so the board has instead tapped current vice president of Student Services, Mike Muñoz, to take over the interim role starting Sunday.
The board, meanwhile, has suspended its search for a permanent superintendent-president until next year “to ensure the District has ample time to conduct a search for a final candidate,” an LBCC statement said.
While most of Thursday’s address was focused on the past year under Bynum, Muñoz closed out the speech by listing his priorities for the year ahead.
His four key areas of focus, he said, will be implementing the college’s Framework for Reconciliation, updating LBCC’s strategic plan through 2028, beginning work on the re-accreditation process ahead of a scheduled visit from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges next spring, and working on a balanced budget for the college — despite the coronavirus-induced recession.
“I’m convinced we will get through this,” he said, “while still ensuring students are achieving their educational goals during a pandemic.
“Additionally, we are starting to plan for that day in the future when we safely reopen Long Beach City College,” Muñoz added. “I invite you on this exciting journey with me. I seek your support and welcome your wisdom as we continue our great Viking traditions and foster a revolution of equity here at Long Beach City College.”
“This is a long-term process and won’t happen overnight, but know this: Our commitment is clear. No matter who is president, this college will not go back to business as usual when it comes to racism and racial equity.”
— Lou Anne Bynum, Long Beach Community College District Interim Superintendent-President