Central Valley Math Bridge kickoff May 18

Representatives of the first cohort of 13 Valley high schools in the new Central Valley Math Bridge Program convened with nine community college members of the  Central Valley Higher Education Consortium May 18 in Fresno to formally launch the program and plan for its implementation.

The event, presented by co-hosts College Bridge, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and the Rand Corporation, drew 95 participants to kickoff the project that promotes equity and college-readiness in mathematics via dual enrollment courses for underprepared students at rural high schools in the region next fall. (See list of high schools below).

In a stirring keynote, “The State of Mathematics in California,” Dr. Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge, presented the dire reality of academic disjuncture which has culminated in a pending crisis that could see “the doors to STEM careers closing for our students.

“Fortunately, the Math Bridge project is designed to keep those pathways open,” she said.

In the morning session following the keynote, “Collaborating Towards a Common Goal: Dinuba Success Story,” attendees heard first-hand accounts of how the project’s implementation can yield success from an exuberant team at Dinuba High School and Reedley College who had participated in a previous College Bridge program — the Math Pipeline Readiness Project (M-PReP) — that provided the foundation for the current project.

“It seems like a lot of work to start, and it is, but coming together and planning with everyone is an awesome process,” recounted  Augustina Sanchez, Dinuba High School counselor who also wrote about the experience in a “What Is the CV-hec Happening” blog in February. “And it works, [College Bridge] really is there with you every step of the way.”

Presenting with Sanchez were DHS Principal Andrew Popp; Christine Johnson, secondary math coach, Dinuba Unified School District; and Jim Gilmore, Math professor at Reedley College which was the DHS community college partner.

In afternoon breakout sessions, math instructors across the valley responded to the warnings from Dr. Cevallos’ keynote by diving right into the work of collaborating across their respective sectors.

“In a moment of amazing partnership, instructors jointly set the focus their work as whole content teams, regardless of college or high school,” Dr. Cevallos noted.

“It’s an amazing idea to have everyone from all of these colleges and high schools to want and decide to work together as huge content teams. That’s a lot of very smart and very dedicated educators coming together for the benefit of all their students.”

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, delivered closing remarks.

“The DE Math Bridge Project will prepare and guide students as they transition to college or university equipped with math credits and confidence,” said Durán, president-emeritus of Merced College who became CVHEC’s executive director in 2016.  “It creates a model for meaningful dual enrollment pathways and expansion that can be replicated in other regions of California serving underprepared students. This also supports CVHEC’s mission to increase degree attainment rates.”

The Central Valley Math Bridge project was initially funded by a $4 million five-year Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program federal grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to College Bridge in late December.

College Bridge recently completed an extensive four-month recruitment campaign to secure eligible high schools for the first of two cohorts. Recruitment of the second cohort will begin this summer, Cevallos said.

The first cohort of high schools to-date and their respective community college partners are (with three additional pending*):

Cerro Coso College: Lone Pine, Tehachapi;

Columbia College: Bret Harte*, Calaveras*;

Madera College: Liberty, Madera, Madera South, Matilda Torres, Yosemite;

Reedley College: Dinuba, Orosi, Parlier, Reedley*

Taft College: Taft High School

West Hills Coalinga College: Firebaugh, Tranquillity.

High schools and community colleges interested in participating in the second cohort may contact Nicole Korgie at nicole.korgie@college-bridge.org.

Media inquiries:  Tom Uribes at 559.348.3278.

 

NOTE: A parallel project funded by the state in February through the Central San Joaquin K-16 Partnership — made up of the Fresno/Madera and the Tulare/Kings K-16 Collaboratives — will serve an additional two colleges and seven high schools in the region (see https://bit.ly/CVHEC-DualEnrollmentMathBridge).

See background stories

https://bit.ly/CB-DualEnrollmentMathBridgeAnnounced

https://bit.ly/MathBridgeDualEnrollmentKickoff

ABOUT CVHEC and COLLEGE BRIDGE

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium based in Fresno, made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region, is assisting the Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project by using its role as a regional convener to bring the participating higher education and K-16 representatives together with College Bridge, a California non- profit based in Los Angeles County dedicated to creating a seamless K-16 pathway for students.

PRESS RELEASE: Central Valley Math Bridge kickoff May 18 in Fresno

ADVISORY: For media coverage of the Central Valley Math Bridge Kickoff on Thursday, May 18 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.), or for spokesperson availability, please text Tom Uribes at 559.348.3278. LOCATION: The Doubletree by Hilton Hotel/Fresno Convention Center (2233 Ventura St. – Fresno).  See Agenda.

(UPDATE May 26, 2023) – See Math Bridge coverage.

 

Central Valley Math Bridge: keeping the doors to STEM careers open for our students


13 rural high schools, six community colleges to convene for program kickoff May 18 in Fresno

(May 16, 2023) — The first cohort of 13 Valley high schools has been secured for the Central Valley Math Bridge Program that will promote equity and college-readiness in mathematics via dual enrollment courses for underprepared students at rural high schools in the region next fall (see list of high schools below).

The participating educators will convene this week with six community college members of the  Central Valley Higher Education Consortium in Fresno to formally launch the program and plan for its implementation at the Central Valley Math Bridge Kickoff from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center.

The launch is presented by co-hosts College Bridge, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and the Rand Corporation.

Dr. Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge, will deliver keynote remarks, “The State of Mathematics in California,” an analysis of intersegmental mathematics policies and practices statewide over the last 20 years that highlights a pending crisis now facing Valley students.

“The doors to STEM careers are closing for our students,” Cevallos warned. “The Math Bridge project is designed to keep those pathways open.”

In one morning session, “Collaborating Towards a Common Goal: Dinuba Success Story,” officials from Dinuba High School will share their experience with a previous College Bridge program — the Math Pipeline Readiness Project (M-PReP) — that provided the foundation for the current project.

Presenting will be DHS Principal Andrew Popp, Counselor Auggie Sanchez and Jim Gilmore, Math professor at Reedley College which was the DHS community college partner.

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, will deliver closing remarks along with Cevallos.

“The DE Math Bridge Project will prepare and guide students as they transition to college or university equipped with math credits and confidence,” said Durán, president-emeritus of Merced College who became CVHEC’s executive director in 2016.  “It creates a model for meaningful dual enrollment pathways and expansion that can be replicated in other regions of California serving underprepared students. This also supports CVHEC’s mission to increase degree attainment rates.”

The Central Valley Math Bridge project was initially funded by a $4 million five-year Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program federal grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to College Bridge in late December.

College Bridge recently completed an extensive four-month recruitment campaign to secure eligible high schools for the first of two cohorts. Recruitment of the second cohort will begin this summer, Cevallos said.

The first cohort of high schools to-date and their respective community college partners are (with three additional pending*):

Cerro Coso College: Lone Pine, Tehachapi;

Columbia College: Bret Harte*, Calaveras*;

Madera College: Liberty, Madera, Madera South, Matilda Torres, Yosemite;

Reedley College: Dinuba, Orosi, Parlier, Reedley*

Taft College: Taft High School

West Hills Coalinga College: Firebaugh, Tranquillity.

High schools and community colleges interested in participating in the second cohort may contact Nicole Korgie at nicole.korgie@college-bridge.org.

For more information about the  May 18 event, contact Angel Ramirez, CVHEC operations manager at 559.292.0576 (centralvalleyhec@gmail.com). Media inquiries:  Tom Uribes at 559.348.3278.

 

NOTE: A parallel project funded by the state in February through the Central San Joaquin K-16 Partnership — made up of the Fresno/Madera and the Tulare/Kings K-16 Collaboratives — will serve an additional two colleges and seven high schools in the region (see https://bit.ly/CVHEC-DualEnrollmentMathBridge).

 

See background stories

https://bit.ly/CB-DualEnrollmentMathBridgeAnnounced

https://bit.ly/MathBridgeDualEnrollmentKickoff

 

ABOUT CVHEC and COLLEGE BRIDGE

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium based in Fresno, made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region, is assisting the Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project by using its role as a regional convener to bring the participating higher education and K-16 representatives together with College Bridge, a California non- profit based in Los Angeles County dedicated to creating a seamless K-16 pathway for students.

AGENDA-MathBridgeKO(051823)media

 

CVHEC IN THE NEWS: College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project featured on KERO23

The College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project, in partnership with the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium , was featured by KERO23-ABC in Bakersfield with reporter/anchor Ava Kershner interviewing  Dr. Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge, and Armin Rashvand, the Taft College dean of instruction.
Related links:

CVHEC IN THE NEWS: College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project

The College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project, in partnership with CVHEC, was featured in several media outlets the past month including live interviews with Fresno (KSEE24-NBC) by Dr. Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge. She was joined by Reedley College Math professor Jim Gilmore, who worked with high school teachers for College Bridge’s Math Pipeline Readiness Project (M-PReP).

Presenting our renovated CVHEC Website: Meet our Board of Directors

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.

End of academic year brings high hopes for brighter days

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D. CVHEC Executive Director

Greetings Colleagues and Friends of CVHEC,

We are delighted to present the June, 2021 CVHEC Newsletter as we welcome a much anticipated culmination of the 2020/21 Academic Year.  This is our 10th issue since we began publishing a year ago.

It was a delight to see commencement exercises in various forms on CVHEC member college and university campuses throughout the region where students and families once again celebrated degree attainments during this magical and life-changing time of the year.

And we are happy to report that due to the efforts of dedicated faculty, staff and administrators across the Central Valley, degree attainment numbers are on the rise.

In this issue we welcome some new members to the CVHEC Board of Directors and say goodbye to those who are leaving us for other opportunities.

We also are happy to announce that as the world strives to return to normalcy, we too will present our annual CVHEC Higher Education Legislative and Policy Summit live, in-person Dec. 2 and 3.  Be on the lookout for a save–the-date notice for the event followed by additional communications with specifics for registration and other pertinent details.

Our newsletter will be on summer hiatus for July but watch for our next issue in August as we usher in the fall 2021 semester with a new hope and optimism for a more sane and open post-pandemic world.

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D.
Executive Director – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)

Spring – a renewal of our resiliency and celebrations

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D. CVHEC Executive Director

Greetings Colleagues and Friends of CVHEC,

There is plenty to celebrate this Spring. As the celebration is underway, Central Valley’s resiliency during this pandemic is on full display. We are delighted to highlight some of those efforts in this month’s issue of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s newsletter.

Please join us in congratulating two CVHEC board members who have been selected to serve their districts as chancellor. Dr. Kristin Clark has been selected as the third West Hills Community College District Chancellor and Dr. Sonya Christian was selected as Kern Community College District Chancellor. Congratulations!

University officials and family party-planners alike have been busy preparing for Spring commencements. Although the pandemic is impacting traditional commencement celebrations, our region is bustling to honor student success. With fewer restrictions than last year, creativity abounds as campuses are finding new ways to commemorate student success. We are highlighting the variations and look forward to a joyous commencement season. Congratulations graduates and everyone who helped them get to that next step in their lives.

Finally, in this issue, we look at how our member campuses have stepped up to support vaccine distribution to help our economy come back, and eventually, assist in face-to-face learning on campuses. Our Central Valley campuses are serving as strong partners.

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D.
Executive Director – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)

Innovative Central Valley academic leaders help overcome a year of pandemic

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D. CVHEC Executive Director

Greetings Colleagues and Friends of CVHEC,

We are delighted to invite you to this issue of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)  e-newsletter.

As we hopefully begin to emerge from the year-long pandemic and welcome the spring flowers to the valley, we share some of CVHEC’s highlights since our last issue including a glimpse at how our academic leaders and community collaborate to lead our students forward.

First, we want to re-welcome our newest member, the University of the Pacific (UOP) located in Stockton. We are happy to invite our north valley colleagues back into the Consortium after some time away.  Founded in 1851 in Santa Clara, UOP is our most senior institution and has been serving the northern valley since 1923 when the campus was moved to Stockton.

Another of our independent members, Brandman University is also featured in this issue.  We take pleasure in sharing with you a heartwarming story of the university assisting students impacted by the pandemic.  The innovative use of CVHEC Mini-Grant funds by Brandman leadership to bring some relief to students suffering financially during the COVID19 shutdown is highlighted.  We think you will agree that these sorts of uplifting stories are what we need in times like these.

You will also read about the work that Central Valley colleges are doing around the equity, race and social justice agendas our institutions are pursuing. In particular, we extend our gratitude to the professionals who make up our CVHEC Equity, Race and Social Justice Taskforce announced in this issue. The expertise, talent and experience these dedicated scholars from our member institutions contribute to this valley-wide undertaking is a tribute in itself to our higher education community here in Central California.

Again, thank you for joining us in enjoying this issue.

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D.
Executive Director – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)

Heartening optimism for a rewarding 2021

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D. CVHEC Executive Director

Greetings Colleagues and Friends of CVHEC,

Welcome to the first issue of the CVHEC E-Newsletter of the new year. We are enthusiastically optimistic for 2021 and all it promises to bring after experiencing one of the most challenging and troubled years in our nation’s history.

We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday break and were able to stay safe and healthy as you spent time with your families.   It is heartening that optimism also lies ahead on the pandemic front with the new national strategy for vaccines and other measures to overcome COVID-19.

In this issue we update you on the continuing work of our member colleges and universities.  We are excited to share with you the work we are doing with the Fresno K-16 Collaborative to increase the number of high school teachers holding MA degrees in English and mathematics to enhance the region’s ability to deliver dual enrollment courses on their local campuses to give students a jumpstart on their college careers.

You will also learn about the ongoing virtual professional learning opportunities for faculty and staff in our nine-county region. Our Charles A. Dana Center FOCI workshops have been a great success, filling to capacity. Thank you to all who have registered and are taking advantage of these opportunities to improve student-centered outcomes.

Finally, please be sure you see the uplifting account of Miguel Contreras, a courageous student from the College of the Sequoias, a CVHEC member institution, who was featured in a national photojournalism publication of the Lumina Foundation included.  He did a wonderful job of representing the Central Valley to the rest of the country and the ongoing challenges our students navigate.

Thank you all for your continued support of students like Miguel who make up our regional higher education institutions and for the professionals at those campuses and all they do to lift the social and economic well-being of the Great Central Valley.

Let’s make 2021 a banner year!!

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D.
Executive Director – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)

Weathering the storm … a time for inspiration

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D. CVHEC Executive Director

Seasons Greetings to all!

The holiday season always brings not only the sense of joy and warmth of family, great friends and colleagues, but serves to bestow wonder to what lies ahead in the new year.

But this year feels “different.”

Yes, many of us can still aspire to that same holiday cheerfulness, but clearly the year 2020 has wrought a new world that, while we feel somewhat subdued, reinforces gratitude for what we have accomplished and fortifies a renewed commitment and motivation to face any challenge.

As we collectively look back on the last nine-months, CVHEC takes pride in that we all stepped up in a meaningful way and are meeting these challenges together.

That collective pride was aptly displayed at our board meeting this week when we personally bid farewell to one of our ardent leaders, Dr. Joseph I. Castro, as he departs his position as Fresno State president to become chancellor of the California State University system in January. It was befitting of the season to hear so many heartfelt expressions of appreciation for Joe’s contributions as a CVHEC board member and of support for his new quest — enough to light up any holiday celebration! We look forward to continuing to rely on Joe in his new post as we move through this time of transition.

So many we serve in our region have faced extraordinarily trying times this year and for them, life may never be the same. We know higher education is evolving to better meet our student’s needs and new paths for higher education delivery are continuously being forged. Although this is an ongoing challenge, we will be adamant in doing our part.

As we look ahead, we have our sights set on many endeavors, most notably our upcoming CVHEC Virtual Summit Series which is a spin on our annual live Higher Education Legislative Policy Summit (usually held in October). In the Spring, we will take on some of those challenges presented to us this year: Broadband in the Central Valley – focusing in on Education, Ag and Telemedicine needs; calling for action through the CVHEC Equity and Racial and Social Justice Ad Hoc Committee; and yes, exploring the future of Higher Education in the Central Valley.

This season of giving also provides cause for pause to acknowledge our many partners, funders, and friends. Thank you for continuing to support the work CVHEC is doing for our students in the valley, thank you for the flexibility and creativity that this year has made us all tap into, and thank you for being ready to take on 2021 with us. You make the work we do at CVHEC possible.

I’ll leave you this issue with the final words that Chancellor-select Castro expressed to the board this month as he departed our Zoom session: “The best is yet to come, both here at Fresno State and across the Central Valley. Keep being bold!”

May you and your family find continued happiness during this “different” holiday season.

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D.
Executive Director – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)

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