Long Beach City College held a student reception on Tuesday that allowed students and faculty to mingle and get more familiar with the new Superintendent-President Dr. Mike Munoz, who officially began his new role on March 4.
“The idea of the student reception was to be a community event for the campus, an opportunity for us to come together, have some food, listen to some music, play some games, and just connect for one another,” Munoz said.
“When you think about it, we’ve been separated for more than two years now, so it was an opportunity for me to reintroduce myself to students on campus,” Munoz added.
Although Munoz was officially appointed as permanent superintendent-president this month, he has served on a temporary basis since March 2021. Prior, in 2018 he started at LBCC as vice president of student services.
The event kicked off with brief speeches made by student trustee Richard Blackmon and Munoz, who succeeded in stirring the crowd and setting the mood for the festivities.
Blackmon’s speech explained what Munoz’s presidency means from a student’s perspective. Blackmon said, “I think it’s important to have somebody that understands with the students and really connects with us.”
“My first real encounter was at a meeting in Fall 2020, and he came and shared his story with us, and it was like I knew him at that point. I was like ‘damn! That’s my boy.’ He seemed so relatable,” Blackmon said, recalling his first time meeting Munoz.
Blackmon also adds that he believes the reception goes beyond allowing LBCC to interact with Munoz, it’s a chance for the campus to show up for him and show their support.
Attendees lined up to receive free tacos, then proceeded to join in on games like football, soccer, basketball, shooting stands and cornhole.
The live DJ blasted music out onto the field for the entirety of the event, with some pauses so that attendees could participate in trivia questions for prizes.
Munoz could be seen throughout the event dancing, playing games, reminding everybody he saw to grab a free t-shirt, and hanging out with anyone who decided to attend.
Looking forward, Munoz explained what he hoped to accomplish on campus for the remainder of the year. “Number one is for folks to really be able to transition back to the campus in a way they feel supported, where they feel validated, and where they feel uplifted.”
“I think for me it’s really about anchoring ourselves back into finding our groove, right? Of what it means to connect back out of this pandemic and into our academic lives and being successful. Ultimately, we want our students to find success,” Munoz said.
Many academic leaders share the same goal, but Munoz has taken steps here on campus to help increase the chances of success for LBCC students.
“We have a very robust student aid program. Prior to the pandemic it was kind of difficult for students to find additional forms of support. Now we’ve created a one-stop, the application lives in canvas where students can identify themselves if they need additional support with housing, food, or technology,” Munoz said.
Students this semester also have the added assistance of the new transit program, Strong Beach Bus Program, to support them if they face difficulty in finding a way to school.
“We’re just doing our best to make sure students know that we are here for them,” Munoz added to his list of goals he wishes to achieve on campus this year.