CVHEC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (March 2025)

With the spring 2025 semester now in full swing, welcome to our March newsletter.  We are excited about all that is going on in the Central Valley region beginning with our annual CVHEC Higher Education Summit set for May 9, 2025.

Registration is now available as we continue preparing for the summit. We welcome and encourage your participation this year.

In this issue, please read about some of the summit topics we will be covering.  Among those topics will be the work that the CVHEC Math Task Force has been undertaking to deal with the changing math requirements in higher education throughout the state mandated through Assembly Bill 1705. They will be holding a follow-up convening March 28 that will include a presentation by two valley community college math professors who traveled to Atlanta for a national math conference where they shared the “Central Valley Way” underlying the task force’s work the past two years.

Also, this issue we are excited to feature the recent California Dual Enrollment Equity Conference in Sacramento where I led a delegation of team members and high school educators for a panel we were invited to present, “Using Dual Enrollment as a tool for Math Alignment and Increasing Instructor Capacity in the Central Valley.”

Speaking before a very interested audience of educators from throughout the state on Feb. 24, we discussed how our Master’s Upskilling Program — generously funded by our partners: the Fresno/Madera K16 Collaborative, the Kern K16 Collaborative and the We Wil K16 Collaborative – is providing  approximately 225 high school teachers from throughout the Central Valley with the opportunity to earn Master’s degrees in English or mathematics making them eligible to teach dual enrollment courses. In addition to the upskilling program, we were joined by College Bridge and two valley educators to discuss how our Math Bridge program is working collaboratively and creatively with secondary and post-secondary educators to  systemically align college and high school math programs, creating a seamless transition for students.

Also, enjoy this month’s “What the CV-HEC is Happening” Blog from our guest contributor, valley native, Dr. Iliana Perez. She is the executive director of Immigrants Rising, an advocacy group based in San Francisco that has been assisting member colleges of the consortium, as well as throughout the state, with information regarding the current status of undocumented students in higher education and resources available to them.  Once a dreamer student herself at CVHEC-member Fresno State, Iliana presents a remarkable academic journey that now has her giving back to her community in a significant manner in support of vulnerable students.

We are also happy to welcome Dr.  Kristin Clark, chancellor-emeritus of West Hills Community College District, who joins our CVHEC Team as dual enrollment lead, just in time for Dual Enrollment Week March 10-14.  Welcome Kristin!

May your spring semester be fruitful and enjoyable and what better way than to join us at our higher education summit May 9?