MEMBER NEWS: KCCD honored with ACCT Pacific Region Equity Award 

Association of Community College Trustees lauds KCCD for

dual enrollment and equity work to increase access and success for all students

 

The Kern Community College District was awarded the 2023 Pacific Region Equity Award from the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) at ACCT’s annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada last month. ACCT is an organization representing more than 6,500 community college trustees throughout the United States.

Kern CCD is home to the fastest growing dual enrollment program in the state of California. Under the leadership of the Kern CCD Board of Trustees, Interim Chancellor Tom Burke, and former Chancellor Dr. Sonya Christian the college district has prioritized college access for all students beginning as early as the 9th grade and is fiercely committed to removing the barriers that underrepresented and rural students traditionally face when attempting to access post-secondary education.

Through intentional outreach efforts in rural communities, strong partnerships with local high school districts, and support services that range from the fields to the classroom, Kern CCD is rapidly and effectively moving the dial on college attendance and completion rates in some of California’s most impoverished communities. According to ACCT, “The dual enrollment and early college work in Kern Community College District provides an exceptional example of the equity work that must be done to increase access and success for all students.”

“This award recognizes the commitment of the Board of Trustees and the entire Kern Community College District to providing affordable, quality, education to students in all corners of our community who desire to improve their quality of life through higher education, or workforce development training,” said Kern CCD Board President Romeo Agbalog.

Accepting the award in Las Vegas Oct. 18 on behalf of Kern CCD were Trustees Nan Gomez-Heitzberg, Yovani Jimenez, and Christina Scrivner including Interim Chancellor Tom Burke, a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium board member.

The mission of ACCT is to foster the principles and practices of exemplary governance while promoting high quality and affordable higher education, cutting edge workforce and development training, student success, and the opportunity for all individuals to achieve economic self-sufficiency and security.

Reprinted from the Kern Valley Sun (Oct 18, 2023)