Interim Presidents Named at Bakersfield College, Columbia, West Hills Lemoore

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5751,5790,5789″ img_size=”240×300″][vc_column_text]Congratulations to three interim presidents appointed recently and joining the CVHEC Board of Directors:

• Bakersfield College – Dr. Zav Dadabhoy was named to replace Dr. Sonya Christian who is now the chancellor of the Kern Community College District.

• Columbia College – Dr. G.H. Javaheripour, effective  July 1, to replace Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay, who is now president of Modesto Jr. College.

• West Hills College Lemoore – Dr. James Preston, effective July 1, following current President Kristin Clark’s selection as West Hills Community College District Chancellor.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay Named Modesto Junior College President

Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay, named president of Modesto Junior College effective June 1, said growing enrollment and forging meaningful alliances with regional employers are among his immediate goals.

The Yosemite Community College District Board of Trustees selected Bandyopadhyay, who was serving as interim president since January at its May 12 meeting. Previously, Bandyopadhyay had served as president of Columbia College in Tuolumne County, YCCD’s other  institution, since July 2018 when also he joined the CVHEC Board of Directors.

Marking its centennial anniversary this fall, MJC serves about 22,000 students at MJC’s East and West campuses in Modesto.

President Bandyopadhyay takes over at a critical moment for California’s 16th-oldest community college as it focuses during its centennial on reconnecting with students after a year of mostly online learning forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My short-term priority is to re-open the campus — paying particular attention to equity — build the enrollments we have lost during the pandemic, develop centers of excellence to cater to the need of our  local businesses and ensure long-term fiscal stability,” he said.

“The effect of the pandemic was most severe on students who need us the most — therefore, an equity-focused recovery is critical for long- term economic growth of the region. Developing a deep connection with local businesses and partnering with them to understand and satisfy their needs in innovative ways continues to remain our priority.”

Bandyopadhyay has more than 23 years of experience in higher education.  He was first the director of institutional research and planning and then as executive vice president  Cypress College in Orange County.  He also served at Zane State College in Ohio and Ohio University and taught computer science at theNational Institute of Information Technology.

In addition to his college administrative and teaching experience, Bandyopadhyay has been involved innational initiatives such as Achieving the Dream, Foundations of Excellence and Survey of Entering StudentEngagement.

Bandyopadhyay earned a doctorate in higher education from Ohio University, an M.B.A. from Ohio   University and a bachelor of science in physics from Kolkata University in India.

See Modesto Junior College announcement.

Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval is First Immigrant to Head Fresno State

Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Ph.D., became Fresno State’s ninth president May 19 when the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees announced his selection to succeed Joseph I. Castro who was named Chancellor last fall.

“It is an honor to be chosen to lead this premier university, which opens doors of opportunities for our talented students and improves the quality of life for everyone in the Valley,” said Jiménez-Sandoval. “I look forward to working together with our dynamic faculty, committed staff, talented students and innovative community partners to increase the life-changing opportunities that a Fresno State education provides.”

Jiménez-Sandoval, who was serving as interim president joining the CVHEC board of directors in January, is the first immigrant to lead Fresno State. Born in Mexico, President Jiménez-Sandoval’s family moved to the Central Valley and he grew up on the family farm in Fowler, just south of Fresno.

Jiménez-Sandoval graduated cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and History from the University of California, Irvine, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese literatures. In addition, he has professional certificates in critical theory from Cornell University, in Spanish art history from Escuela de Arte y Antigüedades de Madrid (Spain), and in Portuguese language and culture from Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal).

He first joined Fresno State faculty in 2000 as professor of Spanish and Portuguese. His two decades of service also included coordinator of the Spanish master of arts degree, chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, and provost.

“Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval has an exciting vision for the future of the university while having gained immeasurable institutional knowledge and developed outstanding relationships throughout the campus and community over his many years of service to Fresno State,” said CSU Trustee Jane Carney, chair of the Fresno State search committee.

He and his wife, Dr. Mariana Anagnostopoulos, a member of the Fresno State Philosophy Department faculty, have two sons, Arion and Leo.

See California State University announcement.

 

 

 

CVHEC In The News – Broadband Disparity Video

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]KSEE-24 Central Valley Today host Emily Erwin interviews CVHEC Director Ben Duran via Zoom. 

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium‘s recent video, “Pursuing the Last Mile: Broadband in the Central Valley,” was featured in several media stories shortly after it was launched in our May 6 newsletter: 

• Pursuing the Last Mile: Addressing internet disparities in the Central Valley – KSEE24 Central Valley Today (May 6, 2021).
• Nonprofit advocating for broadband equality for all Valley students – ABC30 Action News (May 11, 2021).
• Reedley College graduate fighting for broadband equity for students – ABC30 Action News (May 25, 2021).

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ABC30 Action News reporter Elisa Navarro delivered two reports about CVHEC’s broadband disparity video interviewing Fresno Pacific University student Veronica Mendez, Reedley College student Stephen Kodur and Dr. Ben Duran, CVHEC executive director.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

End of academic year brings high hopes for brighter days

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D. CVHEC Executive Director

Greetings Colleagues and Friends of CVHEC,

We are delighted to present the June, 2021 CVHEC Newsletter as we welcome a much anticipated culmination of the 2020/21 Academic Year.  This is our 10th issue since we began publishing a year ago.

It was a delight to see commencement exercises in various forms on CVHEC member college and university campuses throughout the region where students and families once again celebrated degree attainments during this magical and life-changing time of the year.

And we are happy to report that due to the efforts of dedicated faculty, staff and administrators across the Central Valley, degree attainment numbers are on the rise.

In this issue we welcome some new members to the CVHEC Board of Directors and say goodbye to those who are leaving us for other opportunities.

We also are happy to announce that as the world strives to return to normalcy, we too will present our annual CVHEC Higher Education Legislative and Policy Summit live, in-person Dec. 2 and 3.  Be on the lookout for a save–the-date notice for the event followed by additional communications with specifics for registration and other pertinent details.

Our newsletter will be on summer hiatus for July but watch for our next issue in August as we usher in the fall 2021 semester with a new hope and optimism for a more sane and open post-pandemic world.

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D.
Executive Director – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)

Mini-Grant Success Stories – MJC’s Faculty Mentor Plan Supports AB705

Adjunct Faculty Embedded Into Accelerated/Co-Requisite English, Math 

Modesto Junior College recently used its Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Mini-Grant to support compliance with California Assembly Bill 705 by funding a faculty mentor program that embedded adjunct faculty into accelerated/co-requisite English and math courses during the Spring 2021 semester, addressing the key elements of persistence; time to degree; and decreasing equity gap.

“Modesto Junior College’s use of the grant funds is the epitome of the benefits we seek when distributing the mini-grants,” said Dr. Ben Durán, CVHEC executive director. “The grants are intended to spur up creative approaches to institutionalizing equitable systems. Modesto College has done just that.”

Now in its third year, the CVHEC Mini-Grants program, currently funded by the College Futures Foundation, provides awards with a maximum $7,500 each which faculty from member institutions have creatively used for individual projects that help achieve the consortium strategy of increasing degree attainment rates.

Last year, the grants awarded for projects in various amounts provided assistance and professional learning associated with Guided Pathways, Math Pathways, implementation Corequisite English and math course development, and advancement of Pathways for Associate Degrees for Transfer. The 2021 funding cycle also sought to additionally incentivize basic needs and equity, race and social justice work.

With its $7,500 grant, Modesto Junior College eyed a plan to enhance its approach to AB705. The goal of MJC’s project was to expand the courses in highest demand — English 100 (transfer level English) and Math 34 (statistics) — by mentoring adjunct faculty in the pedagogy and andragogy used in the co-requisite and accelerated courses. While being mentored, the adjunct faculty were embedded with an experienced mentor, a faculty member who teaches accelerated and co-requisite courses.

At MJC, changes were made to both English and math using best practices from the California Acceleration Project leading to significant gains in transfer-level completers, and throughput for both departments, reported Dr. Laura Maki, dean of Science, Math and Engineering.

Comparing 1-year throughputs in fall 2017 to fall 2019, English 1 year throughput increased from 45.2 percent to 51.9 and math 1 year throughput more than tripled from 10.7 percent to 34.2, Dr. Maki said in MJC’s final mini-grant report.

In English and in math, two adjunct faculty were embedded into the accelerated composition course (English 100), and into the statistics co-requisite courses (Math 34) respectively in Spring 2021, she reported.

During the semester, each mentee received hands-on experience in the activities and lessons being used in the course, with the goal of increasing their understanding of the acceleration pedagogy and andragogy.

In math, faculty also discussed and reviewed the impact of AB705, equity gaps and disproportionate impact with their mentor adjunct faculty. Adjunct participants were provided with a stipend and FLEX credit during Spring 2021.

In fall 2021, with Modesto Junior College’s high demand for the co-requisite statistics courses, both adjunct faculty mentees will teach a section of Math 34, a 28 percent increase in the number of sections offered.

The co-requisite mentor program has given the instructors the confidence and preparation needed to independently teach the co-requisite statistics course emphasizing the ability to identify equity gaps and provide support for students with a variety of academic and social backgrounds, Dr. Maki reported.

Save the Date — CVHEC Higher Education Legislative and Policy Summit May 6, 2022

UPDATE – the CVHEC Legislative and Policy Summit 2022 has been rescheduled to May 6.  Additional details will be available in future issues of the CVHEC e-newsletter. See Announcement.

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Legislative and Policy Summit 2022 will be held May 6, 2022, with the theme “Recovering with Equity and Inclusion in the Central Valley in a Post Pandemic World” at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno – Convention Center (2233 Ventura St.) in Fresno.

Dr. Benjamin Duran, executive director of CVHEC, announced this week the return of the regional event – which was on pandemic hiatus in 2020 – on behalf of the presidents and chancellors of the consortium’s 29 member colleges and universities.

The summit will feature conversations on:

  • Looking at Recovery Through a Lens of Equity and Inclusion
  • Dual Enrollment as an Equity Strategy to Level the Playing Field for Valley High School Students
  • Creating the Central Valley Transfer Model – A Pathway for Valley Students
  • Broadband for All Legislative Panel – Taking Broadband to the Final Mile in the Central Valley

Sponsored by the College Futures Foundation, the summit draws between 250-300 higher education officials and educators, legislators, and partner representatives.   Register here.

See: PRESS RELEASE 

CCA Podcast features CVHEC Equity, Race and Social Justice Taskforce June 22

 

A new podcast series by Complete College America, “CCA On the Air,” will feature Virginia Madrid-Salazar, strategies lead for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, discussing “Committing to Systemic Equitable Change” June 22.

Streaming on all platforms since February, the podcast’s short episodes feature candid conversations with higher education leaders on a variety   of topics related to student success, college completion and advancing CCA’s mission, said Brandon Protas, Ed. D., who is the  strategy director for Complete College America.

For the June 22 edition, Virginia will be joined by Lais Martinez, assistant  commissioner for EDI, Utah System of Higher Education as she talks about CVHEC’s Equity, Race, and Social Justice Taskforce and its regional approach to the equity work.

“The work of the Equity, Race and Social Justice Taskforce is very unique in that it not only represents intersegmental collaboration, but it’s a regional approach,” said Madrid-Salazar. “Our approach is definitely of interest to our national partners. Our region continues to lead the way and this attention only serves to elevate the importance of the work.”

Launched in November 2020, CVHEC’s 17-member, intersegmental taskforce is examining practices, barriers and policies that impede education with equity in the nine-county region of California’s Central Valley. This effort includes a three-pronged workgroup strategy to assess and recommend action for its member institutions – 29 colleges and universities from Stockton to Bakersfield. The first phase of the taskforce’s work will be shared with the CVHEC Board in August and to all CVHEC partners at the CVHEC Higher Education Legislative and Policy Summit planned for December 2021.

Established in 2009, Complete College America advocates nationally for dramatically increasing college completion rates and closing equity gaps by working with states, systems, institutions and partners to scale highly effective structural reforms and promote policies that improve student success.

As a CCA Alliance Team member, CVHEC has access to technical assistance on its strategy efforts including 15 to Finish and Corequisite Support.

See the podcast June 22 here. 

 

 

 

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