Dr. Keith Curry likes to walk the campus of Compton College, the two-year school that he has led for the last 13 years — two as interim president and chief executive officer (CEO) and 11 as its permanent leader.
On this January day, Curry — who grew up just a short distance from the college — greets the groundworkers and buttonholes administrative staff about the latest developments taking place across campus.
There is much to celebrate. Construction crews are sprawled out across the 83-acre campus just 15 miles south of Los Angeles. There’s been more than $118 million in renovations and new building construction projects. Additionally, Curry has secured millions of dollars for student success initiatives. It’s a testament that the college is thriving, thanks in large part to Curry, who has been the school’s most vocal cheerleader.
Dr. Keith CurryEddie Ruvalcaba Photography
All the while, Curry has kept his focus on expanding equity for his students, with his sights specifically on food and housing insecurity, an issue that impacts many of his students.
In collaboration with the Los Angeles County Food Bank, Compton College offers a mobile food pantry. It launched a popular Farmer’s Market on campus last year, providing each student with $20 a week to access fresh foods and vegetables. The market regularly draws more than 700 students and plans are underway to build student housing on campus. He says he also wants to build a 24-hour urgent care facility on campus.
“Students are staying in classes because of the food resources,” says Curry, who is working with other community college leaders across the nation on replicating Compton’s successful model. “If I have students living on campus in housing and they get sick, what are we going to do, say ‘go in the morning?’”
