Reports to the Board of Trustees
Each month, President Torres gives a report on college activities, honors and achievements during the regular meeting of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees.
For previous reports, please see the board reports archive.
Board Meeting of May 11, 2026
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Student Success |
Sports Report |
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Honors and Recognitions |
Community Connections |
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Around Campus |
Student Success
Students Advance in Innovation Challenge
Students Mia Lin and Van Hoc Nguyen advanced to the finals of the national Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) after pitching their micro-buoy project, which would use AI to locate people in bodies of water. Mehrdad Khosravi, dean of Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, serves as their adviser.
The challenge is hosted by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CCIC is a national competition where community college student teams, working with a faculty or administrator team mentor, use science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to innovate solutions to real-world problems.
Ours is one of 12 finalist teams that will advance to the next phase of the challenge — an Innovation Boot Camp in June where they’ll share their ideas with experts and practitioners in the field and compete for cash prizes.
Congratulations to these incredible students, and we’re wishing you the best of luck in the next phase!
Excellent Showing at Business Leadership Conference
De Anza students placed first in six categories at the Future Business Leaders of America State Business Leadership Conference, which took place March 27-29. Students also earned eight second-place finishes, two
third-place finishes and six fourth-place finishes, for a total of 22 placements.
Bravo to these enterprising students!
Honors and Recognitions
Auto Tech Drives into the Limelight in Mini-Doc
The Automotive Technology Department was featured in a great mini-documentary as part of the California Career Training Showcase organized by Workforce Innovation Labs. The video was funded by the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC) and produced by a video
production team from Mission College.
Titled Driving the Future: Automotive Technology at De Anza College, the mini-doc was unveiled at the Bay Area Community College Consortium Presidents’ Summit in April.
Grade to Grad: De Anza “Operates in a Different League”
An April 3 blog post from Grade to Grad, a website that uses data to compare 6,000+ colleges, community colleges and trade
schools, spoke highly of De Anza, saying “De Anza College in Cupertino sits at the center of the world's most valuable
tech ecosystem. Here's why it's one of the best community colleges in the country
— and how to make the most of it.”
The post titled, De Anza College: The Silicon Valley CC That Sends Students to Apple, Google, and UC Berkeley, went on to say, “Most community colleges are in the business of general education. De Anza College — located in Cupertino, California, one block from Apple's headquarters — operates in a different league.”
The article noted that De Anza’s proximity to the Bay Area tech environment gives students access to internships, networking and industry partnerships that most four-year students never encounter until after graduation.
TechGuide: Computer Science Program Ranks High
The De Anza Computer Science Program was ranked #13 in educational platform TechGuide’s 2026 Best Associate in Computer Science Programs, a reflection of the program’s excellence and impact in preparing students for success
in computer science careers.
The rankings are based on official IPEDS data (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), reported annually by U.S. colleges and universities to the Department of Education. Using this data, TechGuide evaluates metrics including admissions selectivity, class size and faculty support, financial aid availability, graduation outcomes and total enrollment to form its analysis.
Around Campus
Spring Open House Welcomes Hundreds of Prospective Students
Our annual Spring Open House on May 9 was a successful and fun event, with hundreds of prospective students and their families, as well as community members, visiting campus to explore, enroll and have fun.
Many staff, faculty and students volunteered to welcome attendees, provide information and show off the beautiful De Anza campus. Chancellor Lee Lambert attended, as did alumnus Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, who gave an inspiring impromptu talk at the welcome session. Even the weather cooperated, with sunny skies and warm temperatures.
Attendees could discover De Anza’s academic programs, student support services and campus life. This year, for the first time, we also provided hands-on enrollment help for students preparing to start classes this summer or fall.
The day included application, financial aid, counseling and registration support, along with orientations for students and Q&As for parents and families. Attendees also explored De Anza’s Villages and connected with faculty, staff and current students from across the college.
In addition to enrollment and academic activities, visitors enjoyed campus tours, Planetarium shows, the annual Auto Tech car show, food trucks and other activities.
The day reflected our continued commitment to making college accessible, welcoming
and student-centered, focusing on providing concrete next steps toward enrollment, transfer, career training and lifelong learning. We’re already
looking forward to next year’s Open House!
Top: Open House attendees pack the welcome session in the Hinson Campus Center's Conference
Rooms A and B (photo by Duc Nguyen); above left: Attendees gather to embark on one of many campus tours; above right: Attendees visit student services tents in the Main Quad.
Student Art and Poetry Spotlight
The arts are thriving at De Anza!
A couple of great spring quarter art events to highlight:
Expanding the Story of Belonging: The California History Center is hosting a spring quarter exhibit called Expanding the Story of Belonging. The exhibit opened at the center’s annual A Taste of History fundraising event on March 21, and it will be up through week 11 of spring quarter.
The exhibit showcases art by student artists and poets, who were recognized with a reception at the center on April 28.
De Anza Student Art Show: The De Anza Student Art Show opened on May 5 at the Euphrat Museum of Art and will run through June 6, with an opening reception May 20.
The show features drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, digital art and sculpture by De Anza students.
2026 Queer and Now
The Pride Center held its annual LGBTQ+ conference, Queer and Now, on April 21, with a theme of “Queer Lineages to Liberation: Understanding our Queer
History to Build a Queer Future.”
The conference, which focuses on the larger and local LGBTQ+ community, student success, equity, intersectionality and social justice concerns, included lunch, a keynote, a two-spirit drum circle, an art workshop, a DJ and a drag show.
Earth Day Celebration
The Kirsch Center celebrated Earth Day on April 22, inviting the campus community to enjoy activities, connect with colleagues
and recognize the center’s commitment to sustainability and our environment.
It was a great opportunity to learn, share and have some fun together.
Sports Report
Badminton Brilliance
The De Anza badminton team recently roared across the court like true Mountain Lions!
By defeating San Diego Mesa College 11-6 in the state finals on May 7, the Lions secured their sixth state championship in program history.
Not only is this our fourth title in the last five years, but it also marks the third time our team has successfully pulled off "back-to-back" wins to keep the trophy at home.
Congratulations to our talented badminton team and Coach Landefeld on this historic run!
Read the full recap on the De Anza Athletics site. And if you haven’t already, check out the great video our multimedia team produced about this impressive team last year — always a fun
watch!
Awarding a Champion — On and Off the Field
De Anza football student-athlete Jadhari Young was honored by the Community College Counselors & Advisors Academic Association for Athletics (3C4A) as the male recipient of its 2025-26 Achievement Award on April 1 in Burbank.
This is a tremendous honor, considering the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) — for which 3C4A serves as an academic support and advisory group — reports 28,000 student-athletes.
The award was presented by De Anza athletics counselor Louise Ortiz at the Celebration of Scholar Athletes luncheon in front of several hundred 3C2A Convention attendees.
Jadhari shared his path to an All-American career at De Anza College, which included overcoming hardships as a youth and tragically losing both parents. His inspirational speech moved the audience to a standing ovation and was a highlight of the convention week.
He received a $1,000 scholarship, which will go toward his four-year university tuition. Jadhari completed his A.A. degree (with a 3.5 GPA) in March, and is considering several Division 1 scholarship opportunities.
Congratulations, Jadhari, on this outstanding achievement! We can't wait to see where you go next.
Retired Coach in NACDA Hall of Fame
Kulwant Singh, former De Anza athletics director and coach, will be inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 2026 Hall of Fame class.
Singh currently serves as commissioner of the Central Valley Conference after retiring from a 17-year-long career at De Anza. Among his career highlights, Singh led the women’s and men’s soccer teams to win the 1994 state championships on the same day.
Community Connections
County Mobile Health Clinic Begins Service
Santa Clara Valley Healthcare’s Mobile Health Center began offering affordable, walk-in primary care at De Anza on May 6. The mobile clinic, which sets up in Lot J Wednesdays 9 a.m.–3:30
p.m., provides services for students and adult community members, including vaccines,
screenings, exams and minor illness care.