CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (December 2024): Happy Holidays!

Best wishes for 2025 from the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium team: (FRONT) Dr. Liz Rozell,
Priscilla Arellano and Elaine Cash. (BACK) Tom Uribes, Tom Burke, Stan Carrizosa,
Dr. Benjamín Durán, Dr. John Spevak, Dr. Vikash Lakhani and Ángel Ramírez.

Revisiting an eventful year and strategies

for student success the Central Valley Way

Greetings CVHEC friends and colleagues …

Welcome to the end of the fall 2024 semester and the beginning of the well-deserved winter break!

I hope you enjoy the final edition of this year’s CVHEC e-newsletter.  You will have the opportunity to join us in revisiting the highlights of this eventful year and the strategies our colleges and universities have engaged to improve the pathways to retention and timely completion for our Central Valley students. On that note, a hearty congratulations to those who completed their academic journey this month.  And congrats as well to the faculty, staff and administrators who provided the academic guidance to support your success. All the best to you Class of Winter 2024 graduates!

Among the many successes of this past year is the historic mission to address implementation of Assembly Bill 1705 with our Math Task Force convening community college math education professionals from throughout our 10-county region to communicate and collaborate for strategies that benefit valley college students. We have also seen great advancement of our Transfer Project which completes its first year as a California Community Colleges Demonstration Project.

These CVHEC initiatives have established what we call “the Central Valley Way,” a movement that his gained recognition in higher education circles beyond our region.  We have had the opportunity to share this great work with audiences at the state and national levels at such convenings as the Complete College America Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana along with California convenings like the Community College League of California and the California Economic Summit.

It has been an honor and a delight to shine the light on the region and our member institutions and we especially commend our Math Task Force members and Transfer Project team for their diligence this past year.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our funding partners who make it possible for us to do our work.  Thanks to the College Futures Foundation, Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative, the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative, the We Will! K-16 Educational Collaborative, College Bridge, and the CVHEC membership.  These colleagues have been instrumental in transforming the region socially, economically and educationally.

As you enjoy our final newsletter of the year, we wish you a joyful holiday season and a wonderful New Year!!

What the CV-HEC is Happening Blog – December 2024: Year-In-Review

Read more

CVHEC ‘Dual Enrollment Convening – the Central Valley Way’ Feb. 3

CVDEEP Task Force convening for

educators in 10-county region to look at

strategic planning, policy changes, student success and equity

 

REGISTER HERE

 

The Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force Convening will be held Feb. 3, 2025 in Fresno where educators will resume discussions of challenges and barriers to dual enrollment success in the valley’s 10-county region.

Registration is now available for the free event presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Fresno. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants.New this year will be a pre-conference session from 9-10 a.m. that will provide information for high schools and colleges new to dual enrollment.

The event, postponed from November, will focus on creating a strategic plan for dual enrollment in the Central Valley, policy changes, support, student success and equity, said Dr. Benjamin Durán, CVHEC executive director.

“The dual enrollment opportunity provides a timely gateway to meaningful careers with sufficient earnings to support a quality of life for themselves and their families,” said Durán, who also is president-emeritus of Merced College.

Through dual enrollment, high school students earn college credits while earning their high school diploma which increases their chances of earning credentials, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees as expeditiously as possible. Since 2019, the region has reported the highest share of community college students simultaneously enrolled in K-12 schools of any region in the state.

Durán said at this convening, college and university professionals will highlight their work delivering college level courses to high school students from rural high schools using an online dual enrollment strategy as a vehicle to reach populations that do not typically have the opportunity to benefit from taking college level courses while still in high school.

“This is a great way to infuse equity and inclusion into our partner institutions for those students who will benefit from getting a jump-start on gateway college courses that are essential for the successful completion of their degrees and certificates,” Durán said.

CVHEC created the  CVDEEP Task Force — made up of community college and K-12 educational leaders — in July 2019 at the request of community college administrators so Central Valley colleges and K-12 partner districts could purposefully and strategically engage on a regional basis to deliver dual enrollment in a more equitable way.

The first two CVDEEP Task Force convenings in 2020 and 2022  set the stage for educators in the valley to collaborate leading to such gains as improving the CCCApply application process to the California Community College system and getting more high school teachers qualified to teach dual enrollment college courses.

For more information about the convening, contact Ángel Ramírez, director of operations and finance, at angelr@csufresno.edu or 559.278.0576.

CVHEC media contact: Tom Uribes • cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu • 559.348.3278 (text message)

 

Press release available at https://cvhec.org/cvdeep-task-force-sets-dual-enrollment-convening-nov-14-for-educators-in-10-county-region/

 

BACKGROUND: CVHEC Dual Enrollment White Paper sets the stage

In 2016, a new dual enrollment option was introduced through Assembly Bill (AB) 288, amending Education Code (EC) 76004, and creating the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP). This legislation enabled more high school students to take college courses taught by college professors on their high school campuses.  California AB 30, signed by Governor Newsom in October 2019, expanded and protected dual enrollment through 2027.

In June 2020, CVHEC released a 16-page report, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley, Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity;”   by former CVHEC Strategies Lead Virginia Madrid Salazar, Esq., that highlights this work and provides a blueprint to strengthen dual enrollment delivery in the Central Valley. (See her February 2022 CVHEC newsletter blog).

The task force’s first planning meeting July 22, 2018 brought together about 60 front-line educators who deliver dual enrollment services valley-wide to join forces  establish a regional consensus  that provided the direction for a full conference March 5, 2019.

At that first full convening in 2019, attendees representing 52 school districts, 12 community colleges and two education organizations/agencies spent the day in two panels and three breakout sessions discussing their experiences and ways to navigate forward.

John Spevak, a CVHEC regional coordinator, at the time commended the educators for their efforts in developing dual enrollment programs, telling his audience, “I’m just impressed with the amount of work that we have to do to make this successful. It just doesn’t happen by itself. This is one of the most intensive activities I have ever seen take place between high schools and colleges.

The second convening March 17, 2022,  with the theme “Establishing Dual Enrollment Pathways in the Central Valley,” attracted more than 150 secondary and postsecondary educators to discuss and recommend action that has come into fruition as a result of their efforts :

  • Improvements in the CCCApplyapplication process to the California Community College system.

 

MEMBER NEWS: Cerro Coso’s new Tehachapi campus

Cerro Coso Community College administrators and staff in front of property in Tehachapi recently purchased to provide a local campus. From left Chad Houck, Alec Griffin, Peter Fulks, Michael Chiang, Lisa Stephens, Anna Carlson, Karee Hamilton and Frederick Wheeler. (Photo courtesy of Cerro Coso Community College).

Cerro Coso Community College announces new campus

Land acquired for relocation expanding access to higher education in Tehachapi 

Cerro Coso Community College, a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium member institution, will expand its educational opportunities in the Tehachapi area with the acquisition of land for the home of a new campus there.

Sean Hancock, President – Cerro Coso Comm. College

Dr. Sean Hancock, Cerro Coso president and member of the CVHEC Board of Directors, announced the purchase and relocation Nov. 1 saying it marks a transformative step forward for Cerro Coso’s commitment to providing accessible, high-quality education to meet the growing needs of students and the broader community.

He expressed appreciation for the support from the Tehachapi Unified School District which has been leasing space to Cerro Coso for the current location saying that their partnership has enabled the college to establish a strong foundation in the community.

The new campus will further this partnership by offering a dedicated space to help more students achieve their academic and career goals, the president said.

“This expansion not only strengthens Cerro Coso’s presence in the region but also aligns with the college’s mission to empower individuals through education and serve as a community hub for growth and opportunity,” President Hancock said.

“We are thrilled to be moving forward with this project and look forward to what this means for our students and the future of our college.”

The Cerro Coso Tehachapi campus relocation will support the college’s goal of meeting the needs of a rapidly expanding student body in an area with a strong demand for skilled professionals.

Lisa Stephens, Cerro Coso Director of East Kern Center & Campuses, shared her excitement, stating, “I am thrilled about this new chapter for our college and the exciting opportunities it brings for our students and community. Our Tehachapi team looks forward to continuing to connect and strengthen our partnerships in Tehachapi.”

Updates on the project will be shared as progress continues, and the college eagerly anticipates the positive impact the new campus will bring to Tehachapi.

For more information about Cerro Coso Community College please visit www.cerrocoso.edu.

See Tehachapi press release

Contact Us

  • cvhecinfo@mail.fresnostate.edu

  • 559.278.0576

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