MEMBER NEWS: SCCCD Trustee Ikeda Honored with ACCT Ensign Award

November 16, 2022

Deborah Ikeda, vice president of the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees and retired founding president of Clovis Community College, was honored recently by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT).

Ms. Ikeda also serves as chair and trustee of the California Health Science University Board of Trustees, also a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium member with along with SCCCD.

Trustee Ikeda, who served on the CVHEC Board of Directors during her CCC presidency , was presented ACCT’s M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award recognizing outstanding community college trustees, equity programs, chief executive officers, faculty members and professional board staff members from throughout the nation.

Presented Oct. 28 at its 2022 ACCT Association Awards, ACCT’s awards recognize the tremendous contributions made by community colleges and their leaders to meet the needs of their communities.

“Community colleges are uniquely committed to making high-quality higher education accessible to all people, serving as gateways to meaningful careers and even higher education for many,” said James Cooksey, 2021-22 ACCT Chair and Moberly Area Community College Trustee. “This year’s regional awardees represent the most outstanding people and programs across this great nation.”

See:

• The full ACCT press release.

• Trustee Ikeda bio.

• CHSU press release.

CV-HEC VLOG – August 2022: Dr. Mike Farr, CHSU Alumnus

August 12, 2022

This month’s “What The CV-HEC Is Happening” Blog features a guest vlog with Dr. Mike Farr, an alumnus of CVHEC-member California Health Science University when he was featured on GVWire’s “Unfiltered” weekly virtual talk show May 24 hosted by Darius Assemi, president of Granville Homes in Fresno.

Dr. Farr shared his experience as one of the first medical students in the CHSU leading to his career in two positions presently: as a retail pharmacist for Walgreen’s and as a clinical pharmacist for Integrated Prescription Management. He served as CSHU student body president and was conferred the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree with 62 graduates at CHSU’s first Graduation Ceremony May 19, 2018. Dr. Farr touts the value of having a medical school in the Central Valley.

(Note: the show was the second part that followed a debate featuring two Fresno County sheriff candidates in the June election).

Presenting our renovated CVHEC Website: Meet our Board of Directors

August 12, 2022

The chancellors, presidents and superintendents of 30 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley nine-county region from Stockton to Bakersfield sit on the CVHEC Board of Directors. They meet quarterly in pursuit of CVHEC’s core mission to increase valley college-going rates and degree/certification attainment, providing a unified voice for their more than 250,000 students served jointly. See the board of directors section in our newly renovated website: https://cvhec.org/about-cvhec/

This fall, we unveil phase one of our renovated Central Valley Higher Education Consortium website which we hope will be easier to navigate as we showcase the work of the Consortium throughout the valley.

We will be featuring a different piece of our website as we continue to build it out in hopes of showcasing it as a resource for our members, colleagues and partners.

This month, we feature the professionals and experts who are carrying out the CVHEC mission. On the “About CVHEC” page, you can meet our CVHEC Board of Directors – the presidents and chancellors of our 30 members of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region from Stockton to Bakersfield as well as the core staff that includes several former educational leaders who now served as CVHEC regional coordinators/liasions,

Also, see our CVHEC News web page that is being finalized this fall featuring our newsletter stories and press releases where news media can connect with us as well as the members of our CVHEC PIO/Communicators Committee, consisting of the communications professionals handling media relations at each of the 30 campuses.

Our new calendar will keep you up-to-date on CVHEC and other higher education events on our radar. For considerations and modifications to our calendar please email centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

CVHEC MEMBER NEWS: CHSU Sim Center

February 17, 2022

A valley first: CHSU Simulation Center granted provisional accreditation

California Health Sciences University (CHSU) announced its state-of-the-art Simulation Center is the first in the Central Valley to receive provisional accreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, the largest healthcare simulation accrediting body in the world with over 100 accredited programs in 10 countries.

At CHSU’s Simulation Center, located at their College of Osteopathic Medicine, students learn with high-fidelity manikins, patient trainers and standardized patients in specialized labs, including in-patient hospital environments and out-patient clinic or doctor’s offices.

The center will be eligible to apply for full accreditation in 2024.

See: CHSU Sim Center press release

The Business Journal story about the CHSU Sim Center

MEMBER NEWS: CCO honors 8 CVHEC members with ‘Champions’ Awards

December 16, 2021

Campaign for College Opportunity honors

8 CVHEC members with ‘Champions’ Awards

Eight CVHEC member institutions were honored as 2021 Champions of Higher Education and Equity Champions for Excellence in Transfer by the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Honored at CCO’s annual Champions of Higher Education for Excellence in Transfer virtual awards ceremony Nov. 16 were Bakersfield College; Clovis Community College; California State University, Bakersfield; College of the Sequoias; Fresno City College; Fresno State; Modesto Junior College; and Reedley College.

These colleges and universities are leading the state in: conferring the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT); enrolling ADT earners on guaranteed pathways to a bachelor’s degree; and intentionally working to support Latinx and Black students on their path to a degree, said Michele Siqueiros, CCO president.

For a breakdown of specific awards, see the CCO announcement and video.

(CVHEC members are encouraged to submit items for this column: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com).

Mini-Grant Success Story: CHSU Pre-Med Pathway Bootcamp

December 15, 2021

Pre-Med Bootcamp Helps Local Students
with CHSU-COM Med School Applications

NOTE: For the past three years, CVHEC Mini-Grants have been awarded to member institutions in support of CVHEC’s mission to increase degree attainment rates. We are highlighting how our member institutions’ innovative uses for the grants are positively impacting students.

A Pre-Med Pathway Bootcamp helped 25 local students prepare to apply to California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) thanks to funding from Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s Mini-Grant project.

CVHEC’s $6,000 mini-grant offset course fees for students so they only had to pay $25 to reserve their seats. The grant also provided all MCAT prep supplies and instruction, T-shirts, certificates of completion and a catered lunch for the attendees.

“Our local pre-med students greatly benefited from only having to pay $25 for this in-depth Pre-Med Pathway Bootcamp,” said Dr. Kevin Steed, assistant professor of Biomedical Education who served as program director with Samuel Kadavakollu, PhD, chair of the Biomedical Education Department and associate professor at CHSU-COM.

“We appreciate CHSU’s and CVHEC’s commitment to keeping this program affordable for local students, many of whom would not have been able to participate if they had to pay thousands for a program of this caliber,” Dr. Steed said.

CHSU’s four-weekend bootcamp held in October was divided into three main categories with sessions that provided the aspiring pre-medical students an opportunity to prepare for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), learn about the medical school application process and experience the medical school environment.

In addition to classroom learning, pre-med students experienced HoloAnatomy using the Microsoft HoloLens; participated in a culinary workshop in the CHSU-COM Teaching Kitchen where they practiced cooking healthy recipes; and stepped into the shoes of a current medical student by participating in medical simulation scenarios in the CHSU Simulation Center with manikins and real Standardized Patients.

Graduates of the bootcamp were presented with certificates by John Graneto, DO, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Lisa Chun, DO, associate dean of Osteopathic Clinical Education and Simulation.

CHSU is now planning for its next Pre-Med Pathway Bootcamp in spring 2022.

The CVHEC Mini-Grants project, currently funded by the College Futures Foundation, provides awards up to $10,000 each which faculty from consortium member institutions have creatively used for individual projects that help achieve CVHEC’s strategy of increasing degree attainment rates.

Previous mini-grants have supported assistance and professional learning associated with Guided Pathways, Math Pathways, implementation of Corequisite English and math, course development and advancement of Pathways for Associate Degrees for Transfer.

The 2021 funding cycle also sought to additionally incentivize basic needs and equity, race and social justice work. Details about applications for the 2022 funding cycle will be announced in January.

For more information about CVHEC Mini-Grants, contact Angel Ramirez at angelr@mail.fresnostate.edu.

See CHSU press release.

Students prepared to apply to California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) at the Pre-Med Pathway Bootcamp with funding from the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Mini-Grant project.

Boot camp students participated in a culinary workshop in the CHSU-COM Teaching Kitchen where they practiced cooking healthy recipes.

Historic CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine White Coat Ceremonies

October 21, 2021

California Health Science University recorded institutional history when the CVHEC-member campus held White Coat Ceremonies for its 199 medical students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine Classes of 2024 and 2025 Oct. 2.

Like many campuses, the CHSU inaugural class of 2024 ceremony last year was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our first and second-year medical students participated in a time-honored tradition of receiving their short white coat signifying the beginning of their medical education journey,” reported CHSU spokesperson Richelle Kleiser. “Students invited fully COVID-vaccinated family and friends to attend in-person on a limited basis; all other guests could view the ceremonies via online live stream.”

See full story and videos.

CVHEC In The News – Broadband Disparity Video

June 7, 2021

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]KSEE-24 Central Valley Today host Emily Erwin interviews CVHEC Director Ben Duran via Zoom.

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium‘s recent video, “Pursuing the Last Mile: Broadband in the Central Valley,” was featured in several media stories shortly after it was launched in our May 6 newsletter:

• Pursuing the Last Mile: Addressing internet disparities in the Central Valley – KSEE24 Central Valley Today (May 6, 2021).
• Nonprofit advocating for broadband equality for all Valley students – ABC30 Action News (May 11, 2021).
• Reedley College graduate fighting for broadband equity for students – ABC30 Action News (May 25, 2021).

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ABC30 Action News reporter Elisa Navarro delivered two reports about CVHEC’s broadband disparity video interviewing Fresno Pacific University student Veronica Mendez, Reedley College student Stephen Kodur and Dr. Ben Duran, CVHEC executive director.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

UPDATE: CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine kicks off first week

August 4, 2020

Following last month’s successful ribbon-cutting, California Health Sciences University welcomed students to orientation July 21-23 and posted this video.

Dr. John Graneto, D.O., M.Ed., dean of the CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, told the inaugural cohort of student doctors: “I am proud to know each of you and thank you for making this a memorable and historic event!” Classes began July 27.

Central Valley’s new medical school opens July 21 with 75 students

June 28, 2020

Central Valley’s new medical school opens July 21 with 75 students

CHSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine granted pre-accreditation; virtual ribbon-cutting June 30

With its new pre-accreditation status in order, California Health Sciences University announced its grand opening for the Central Valley’s new medical school, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM), will be July 21 when instruction begins for its inaugural class of 75 medical students.

As the university finalizes preparations to open its new state-of-the-art, three-story medical school building located at 2500 Alluvial Avenue in Clovis, a virtual ribbon-cutting video will post at 11 a.m. June 30 and can be seen on CHSU’s social media platforms after that.

The university also announced recently that the college has met all standards and requirements for Pre-Accreditation status by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

“Pre-Accreditation is a milestone achievement and the highest level awarded to COMs that have not yet graduated their first class,” said Dr. John Graneto, COM dean, in his accreditation announcement June 10. “We are encouraged by the diversity of the initial cohort and the representation by Central Valley students.”

Founded in 2012 and envisioned by the Assemi family, CHSU is addressing the shortage of healthcare providers in the Valley amidst statewide projections showing that California will need 8,800 more physicians by 2030 to serve healthcare needs.

“It’s gratifying to see California Health Sciences University fast-tracking its growth and trajectory toward becoming a nationally recognized institution and to help remedy this long-standing problem,” said Dr. John Welty, President Emeritus of Fresno State and chair of the CHSU Board of Trustees, when he wrote about the valley’s new medical school in several local newspapers recently.

Dr. Welty is also a founding member of CVHEC.

Dr. Graneto said 75 percent of the inaugural 2020 cohort are from California and 28 percent are local students from the Central Valley.

“Sixteen different languages are spoken by this diverse group of students, which is critical to help bridge the language barrier that many underserved populations experience when seeking health care,” Dr. Graneto said. “35 percent of the class speaks Spanish.”

In January, the CHSU-COM leadership, faculty and staff moved into the new facility following an expedited 18-month campus expansion project that was prepped and ready for students before the COVID-19 shelter in place orders were enacted.

CHSU opened the first pharmacy school in the Central Valley in 2014. Dr. Graneto also added that recruitment is now underway for the second cohort that will begin in fall 2021.

See video of the CHSU virtual ribbon-cutting June 30 at 11 a.m. on the university’s social media platforms.

The new College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) building on the California Health Sciences University campus at 2500 Alluvial Avenue in Clovis, CA.

The emergency/intensive care unit in the in-patient wing of the new CHSU Simulation Center on the CHSU campus.

The first floor main lobby of the new College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM). The second floor showcases some of the student rooms and areas for CHSU-COM medical students.