May 9 summit also features legislative update

from the region’s five Congressional reps

REGISTER

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Communications/Media Coordinator

Representatives from California’s four systems of higher education will tackle pressing issues facing colleges across the nation in the keynote panel for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Summit 2025  next month in Fresno under the theme “Navigating Higher Education in a New Era – The Central Valley Way.”

Panelists – including a conversation with legislative members from the US House of Representatives, senate and state assembly – have been announced for the summit set for Friday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel (2233 Cesar Chavez Blvd.).

At the summit, the chancellors, presidents and campus directors of 28 valley universities and colleges making up the consortium membership will convene with the higher education system representatives and Congressional representatives as well as other legislators, educators, partner representatives and policy makers to address pressing issues as well as hear from a student panel.

The keynote panel, “Stronger Together: Aligning Systems for Equitable Outcomes,” from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., will feature key representatives of the state’s four higher education systems: California Community Colleges, California State University, University of California and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.

For the legislators update panel “The Path Forward: Higher Ed Policy and the New Administration” at 1:15 p.m., panelists will address issues surrounding abrupt changes and imperiled federal funding, said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

He said this year’s event will have a different focus than previous years.

“With the dismantling of the Department of Education and wholesale severance of federal funds, higher education now faces perhaps its biggest challenge in the nation’s history,” Durán said.

“Now, as massive ongoing policy and program changes hit, we find it imperative that our region’s university and college leaders deliberate critically but thoughtfully with legislators, policy makers and other educators in general to share our perspectives in search of concrete solutions for the benefit of our student populations. We must act judiciously. Our 2025 summit, with leaders from the state’s higher ed systems and our Congressional representatives  sets the stage for this interaction.”

About 150 participants are expected to attend the summit that is open to the public with free registration compliments of the College Futures Foundation, event sponsor. Breakfast and lunch are included with the registration.

The quarterly meeting of the CVHEC Board of Directors – the chancellors, presidents and campus directors of the consortium’s 28 member colleges and universities in the ten-county region from San Joaquin to Kern – will precede the summit the day before along with a networking reception from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Area student musician groups will perform including the Fresno State Latin Jazz Ensemble at the reception Thursday night.

The summit features five 45-minute sessions. Members of the CVHEC Board will provide panel introductions and serve as moderators.

Dr. Juan Muñoz, UC Merced chancellor and chair of the CVHEC Board of Directors, will open the summit at 9 a.m. with a board welcome followed by Durán reviewing the summit agenda.

The keynote panel, “Stronger Together: Aligning Systems for Equitable Outcomes,” from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., will be moderated by State Center Community College District Chancellor Carole Goldsmith after CSU Stanislaus President Britt Rios-Ellis introduces the panel:

• Rowena M. Tomaneng, California Community Colleges deputy chancellor;
• Nathan Dietrich, California State University assistant vice chancellor of University Relations and Advancement;
• Yvette Gullatt, University of California vice president for Graduate and Undergraduate Affairs, vice provost for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and chief diversity officer;
• Alex Graves, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities vice president for Government Relations.

“This year’s CVHEC summit will give our systems panelists, as well as all the panelists, the opportunity to share their thoughts on these tumultuous times and help lay foundation to unite for formidable action,” said Durán, who is superintendent/president-emeritus of Merced College, serving on the CVHEC Board during that tenure from 1998-2012. He became the consortium executive director in 2015.

A panel featuring student testimony, “In Their Words: Real Students Talking about Central Valley Strategies,” follows from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. facilitated by Lemoore College President James Preston. Columbia College President Lena Tran will introduce the student panelists.

The third panel, “Data at Every Level: Sharing National, State, and Local Insights,” will be moderated by Merced College President Chris Vitelli.  Kern Community College District Chancellor Steven Bloomberg will introduce the panelists:

• Brandon Protas, assistant vice president for Alliance Engagement for the national higher education advocacy organization, Complete College America;
• Hans Johnson, senior fellow for the Public Policy Institute of California;
• Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz, principal investigator of the UC Merced Advancing Educational Opportunity in the Central Valley Project;
• Orquidea Largo, interim associate vice chancellor – UC Merced Center for Educational Partnerships.

After lunch, the legislative update panel, “The Path Forward: Higher Ed Policy and the New Administration,” from 1 – 1:45 p.m. will be moderated by Chancellor Muñoz after West Hills Community College District Chancellor Robert Pimentel introduces the panelists serving in the United States Congress and the State Legislature.

The final panel before the closing session, “What the CVHEC is Happening in the Central Valley,” from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. will be moderated by Durán after Fresno Pacific University President André Stephens introduces the panelists:

• James Zimmerman, UC Merced, will discuss the Central Valley Transfer Project with an update since its designation as a California Community Colleges Demonstration Project was announced at the 2023 CVHEC Summit.
• Kristin Clark, CVHEC Dual Enrollment lead, will discuss dual enrollment models; data showing how the Central Valley leads the state; and the CVHEC Master’s Upskilling Project’s collaboration with K-16 partners and how 250 high school teachers are projected by 2026 to earn the graduate degree required to teach dual enrollment courses at their respective campuses.
• Lynn Cevallos, president/founder of College Bridge, will discuss the Central Valley Math Bridge project in partnership with CVHEC community college members and K-16 partners.

For the summit’s Closing Comments session, “Where Do We Go from Here?” from 2:30 to 3 p.m., Durán will discuss plans for a regional data project and a campaign to support former students seeking to complete degree requirements, the Central Valley Reconnect Project.

“This year’s CVHEC summit attendees will leave with a good understanding of the work Central Valley higher education institutions have been doing,” Duran said.  “They will also be introduced to some new initiatives like the Reconnect Project, which will reach out to those students who left their studies before completing their degrees and certificates.  This project alone will go a long way in lifting the economic and educational wellbeing of the Central Valley.”

 [Panelist bios to come]

 

• Event questions: contact Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC operations and finance manager, at angelr@csufresno.edu or 278.0576.
• Media inquiries:Tom Uribes, CVHEC communications lead text 559.348.3278 or cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu 
• For event updates: see the Summit event page,subscribe to the free CVHEC monthly e-newsletter or visit CVHEC social media platforms.

 

 

ABOUT CVHEC

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) is a California non-profit made up of 28-instutitions of higher education in the ten-county region from San Joaquin to Kern that is the size of some states. Through CVHEC, higher education professionals and academicians in the Central Valley address difficult and complex initiatives, scaling them up across the region for mutual effectiveness to serve our students and communities.