MEMBER NEWS: West Hills Coalinga Dedicates New Firebaugh Center

‘Firebaugh Center is a true game-changer for our community

… new opportunities for community members to pursue big dreams.’

West Hills Community College District and West Hills College Coalinga held a historic Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the newly constructed Firebaugh Center on Sept. 27.

“Firebaugh Center is a true game-changer for our community,” said Dr. Kristin Clark, West Hills Community College District chancellor. “With it brings new opportunities for community members to pursue big dreams.”

The new 41,263 square-foot center Firebaugh Center features new classrooms, labs, a library, office space and a new Fresno County library and field office for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The facility replaces the previous 11,764 square-foot center.

“West Hills College Coalinga aims to provide educational access within its service area, and the new Firebaugh Center will allow its learners to recognize their potential and achieve their goals through the delivery of high-quality academic instruction, programs, and support services,” said Carla Tweed, president of the Coalinga campus.

“The new center has indoor and outdoor classrooms and will allow students access to state-of-the-art technology, labs, and high-speed internet,” said Bethany Matos, dean of Firebaugh Center. “We are planning to offer medical and agricultural programs to students that will help prepare them for in-demand jobs that offer living wages.”

West Hills College Coalinga Firebaugh Center hopes to update classroom technology, improve energy efficiency and water conservation, install campus security and communication systems, install solar panels and battery storage, and update computers and devices through the help of Measure K included on this November’s ballot.

MEMBER NEWS: FCC Pres. Pimentel Delivers His First State-of-the-Campus Address  

Fresno City College President Robert Pimentel, who in July became the first Latino president of the state’s oldest community college, delivered his first State-of-the-Campus Address at the FCC President’s Breakfast Sept. 30.

Dr. Pimentel, a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors, outlined his college goals and strategic initiatives for the coming year.

Other CVHEC members reporting President’s Breakfasts in October are:

  • Madera Community College on Oct. 21 when President Ángel Reyna delivers the first State-of-the-Campus address for the state’s newest community college;
  • The Clovis Community College President’s Breakfast Oct. 25 when President Lori Bennet will present her final State-of-the-Campus address before she retires in January after nearly seven years at the college’s helm and nearly 30 years in higher education.

CVHEC NEWS: Lumina Policy Retreat Presentation

CVHEC’s national role in transforming

transfer and college affordability, equity

Dr. Benjamín Durán, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC), presented the CVHEC Transfer Project at the Lumina Foundation State Policy Retreat 2022 last month in Indianapolis.

In his session, Dr. Durán convened with national higher education equity leaders to examine how they are transforming transfer and college affordability.

With the theme “Better Together: Increasing Participation, Success, and Employment Alignment,” the policy retreat provided an opportunity for state teams – composed of cross-sector leaders working across higher education, workforce/talent development, public policy, advocacy, employers, etc. – to come together for learning, reflection, and action planning.

Throughout the retreat held Sept. 28-30, participants collaborated with their state teams and with peers across the country and participated in sessions that uplift state case studies and national best practices.

Joining Dr. Durán as part of his break out session, “Transformational Transfer Initiatives,” were Ellen Green, legislative director for California Assemblymember Marc Berman; and Jessie Ryan, executive vice president of the Campaign for College Opportunity.

The session examined an overview of the strategic policy advocacy, development of a winning coalition, and shifting the narrative around student success that has been essential in these transformational student-centered transfer initiatives.

“California envisioned a higher education system accessible to all, with California community colleges acting as the lynchpin to higher education access through their role as open access institutions,” the session synopsis presented.

“That vision, catalyzed by the California Master Plan for Higher Education of 1960, was re-energized by historic transfer reform over ten years ago with the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). Students earning ADTs graduate with fewer excess credits, and ADT earners who transfer to the California State University system complete their bachelor’s degrees more quickly.”

Kern Master’s Upskilling Program – Now Recruiting!

The Kern Masters Upskilling team met in Bakersfield recently to announce start up of the recruitment phase at a Kern County Superintendents meeting: Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC; Jessica Gladney, National University; Nathan Lynes, Fresno Pacific University; Dr. Manjula Joseph, Fresno Pacific University; and Dr. Gary Gramenz, Fresno Pacific University.

Master’s Applications Available for Kern County Math/English HS Teachers

(This article was updated Nov. 4 with additional info session dates. Also see Fresno Pacific press release).

A recruitment campaign is underway for Kern high school math and English teachers to enroll in a new program leading to a Master’s degree that qualifies them to teach dual enrollment courses. Information sessions are underway in October and November.

The Kern Dual Enrollment Teacher Up-skilling Pathway for English and Mathematics – a partnership of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative — is part of an $18 million statewide competitive grant awarded to the Kern Collaborative in June to improve student progress from high school to postsecondary education and ultimately into the workforce.

The Kern Teacher Up-skilling component, which CVHEC first implemented in Fresno County last year with similar state funding, received $1,738,975 to produce, over three years, up to 100 qualified dual enrollment teachers to teach English and Math. The grad degree also qualifies teachers to work as adjunct instructors in a community college.

Fresno Pacific University will offer a master’s degree in Mathematics education while National University offers a Master’s degree program in English. Each cohort student may also be paired with a math or English professor mentor from a local community college district.

The next virtual information session for the FPU math component is set for Oct. 25 at 4:30 p.m. Additional sessions will be held Nov. 1, 8, 15, and 29. Register for the Math Education Information Meeting Zoom link at: https://bit.ly/3PSPesc.

The virtual NU English information sessions are set for Oct. 27, Nov. 10 and Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. with registration available at www.tinyurl.com/MAENGLISHNU.

The program will help provide more opportunities for Kern high school students to enroll in dual enrollment courses – college courses for high school students — on their respective campuses that in turn increases college success rates, said Dr. Benjamín T. Durán, CVHEC executive director.

“Dual enrollment continues to increase in the region but one of the deterrents of dual enrollment opportunities is the lack of high school teachers who have a Master’s degree to teach these gateway English and Math courses,” Durán said.

“Schools in the Kern K-16 Collaborative service area deserve to have the capacity to partner with their local community colleges so their students can use dual enrollment classes as one strategy for completion of their degrees in a timely manner,” he added. “This Master’s Upskilling Program is a major step in equipping our hard-working secondary teachers with this great academic opportunity that ultimately benefits their students.”

 

For the Fresno Pacific University math program, two cohorts of 20 to 25 teachers each will begin in the spring and fall 2023 semesters. Courses will run five semesters total with two 3-unit courses per semester. Synchronous class meetings will be held on Tuesdays from 5:15-9 p.m. with two hours of asynchronous reading and assignments per class.

They will cover a range of mathematics topics such as advanced algebra, geometry and calculus. The program includes courses like Teaching Math for Social Justice and Data Science. Students will read the research in math education and complete a series of three comprehensive exam papers embedded in the coursework.

“The majority of tuition costs are covered by the generous funding from Kern’s Regional K16 Education Collaborative,  CVHEC and the AIMS Education Foundation,” said Dr. Manjula Joseph, FPU’s program director. “Rich and rigorous content, equity and technology training will better prepare you to serve your students.”

The math application deadline is Dec. 9, 2022.

 

 

Select to download.

The National University program is for English Single Subject credential holders who are interested in pursuing a Master’s degree in English with a specialization in Rhetoric.

The program will take 12-months or less to complete with classes beginning January, March and June 2023: ten courses; (45 quarter units); fully online, asynchronous instruction; one course per month format; cohort-based model with 16 students per cohort.

English cohort students receive a $14,000 each from Kern’s Regional K16 Education Collaborative and CVHEC and a 15 percent ($2,990) employee tuition reduction per student from the Small School Districts’ Association (SSDA) partnership with National University.

The English application deadline is Dec. 12, 2022.

 

For more information about the English cohort and information sessions, contact Program Coordinator Jessica Gladney at jgladney@nu.edu.

For more information about the math cohort and information sessions, contact Dr. Manjula Joseph at manjula.joseph@fresno.edu or 559.453.2096; or Nathan Lyness,

Graduate Outreach and Recruit Rep, Customer Care Coordinator at nathan.lyness@fresno.edu or 559.453.7183.

 

See program details

 

For media inquiries, contact:

CVHEC – Tom Uribes at 559.348.3278 (tom@uribes.com)

FPU – Wayne Steffen at 559.453.3677 (wayne.steffen@fresno.edu)

NU – David Hicks at 619-481-7802 (dhicks2@nu.edu).

 

MINI GRANT SUCCESS STORY: CHSU ‘Pre-Med Bootcamp’ Recognized

Read more

CVHEC NEWS: Elaine Cash Named CVHEC Grants & Program Coordinator

New position supports the growth and sustainability of CVHEC and its work

Educator Elaine C. Cash, retired superintendent of Riverdale Joint Unified School District and a K-12 liaison for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium since 2017, has been named to a full-time position as CVHEC’s Grants & Programs coordinator.

In her new capacity effective October 1, Elaine is responsible for grant writing, management and reporting of grants and sponsored programs, announced Dr. Benjamín Durán, CHVEC executive director.

“This new position for CVHEC will help support the growth and sustainability of the consortium and our work,” Durán said.

Elaine first joined CVHEC in 2016 and, as a liaison, she served as a connection and resource to consortium K-12 partners for strategies such as the valley-wide adoption of the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI), increasing FAFSA completion numbers in Fresno County and dual enrollment.

“Elaine provided understanding about the K-12 system that CVHEC, with our focus on higher education, was not articulate in,” said Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC Operations and Finance manager who supervises staff positions.

Elaine also is the executive director of her own education consultant company, ECC Education Group LLC and currently works as the facilitator for the FAFSA Completion Work Group with the Fresno Compact. She also serves on the Fresno State College Readiness Advisory Board and as a management trustee for California’s Valued Trust.

As a consultant, Elaine has worked with school districts throughout the Central Valley, largely focusing on student transition from high school to college.

She retired as Riverdale Joint Unified School District superintendent in 2010, capping, at the time, a 27-year career in education that included experience as a classroom teacher, elementary and high school principal and assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

During Elaine’s nine years as superintendent, all Riverdale schools earned the California Distinguished Schools recognition and Riverdale High School received the College Board National Inspiration Award.

Her article, “A Change in Beliefs Leads to A Change in Behavior and Student Achievement,” was published in the National Staff Development Council’s Journal of Staff Development in June 2010.

Elaine earned her BA at the University of California, Berkeley, and an MA in Educational Leadership and Administration at Fresno State.

CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (October 2022)

Kern High School Teachers: Join Us!

Hello CVHEC Friends and Colleagues,

Welcome to our October e-newsletter with news in higher education around the Central Valley.

In this edition, we announce the launch of the cohort recruitment campaign for our new Kern Master’s Degree Upskilling Project funded by the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative.  The project mirrors the Upskilling Project that CVHEC undertook in Fresno and Madera counties two years ago as a pilot project with funding from the Fresno K-16 Collaborative

National University and Fresno Pacific University will deliver Master’s degrees, subsidized by the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative, in English and mathematics to high school teachers in Kern County holding BA degrees in the two subject areas and interested in teaching college level dual enrollment classes on their high school campuses.  They are now accepting applications to reach our goal of 100 high school teachers earning Master’s degrees in Kern County by 2025.  Please pass the word if you know of high school teachers who might be interested.

Also, we “introduce” Elaine Cash, who as of Oct. 1, has taken on the role as CVHEC’s Grants & Programs coordinator.  Many of you know Elaine not just as a longtime, dedicated and accomplished educator in our region, but also in her service the past few years as a CVHEC K-12 Liaison who brought her years of experience and expertise in K-12 education to work with our higher education leaders.

The strategies of the Consortium benefit greatly by bringing in our K-12 partners to improve the student success pathways for our region’s students so we are delighted that Elaine will expand her role on our team in this new capacity to support the growth and sustainability of the consortium and our work.

This issue’s “What the CV-HEC Blog” provides commentary on Assembly Bill 1705, a piece of legislation aimed at ensuring the final elimination of developmental education in community colleges and developing corequisite support courses to replace them.

You will also read about one example of a successful CVHEC mini-grant and how a member-institution, the California Health Science University, earned recognition for a program in which the mini-grant helped students gain the opportunity to begin pursuing careers in health and medicine.

Enjoy the newsletter and please share it with friends and colleagues.

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