CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (September 2023)

An ambitious fall 2023 semester!

 

Greetings Colleagues and Friends of CVHEC,

Welcome to the fall 2024 semester and the September edition of the CVHEC e-Newsletter. We hope the summer provided you with an opportunity to enjoy some personal time to recharge, reconnect with family and perhaps finally get some long-planned travel in.

WITH THIS EDITION of our newsletter, we announce phase one of the CVHEC Open Educational Resources  Improvement Project  introduced previously: the awarding to member West Hills Community College District of a $580,180 mini-grant from the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative.

 This funding will expand on West Hills College-Lemoore’s pioneer work with faculty and instructional administrators  developing OER/ZTC textbooks, courses and pathways that serve area institutions and their feeder high schools in a collaboration of CVHEC members in the WHCCD and State Center Community College District (Fresno, Madera, Clovis, Reedley colleges) leading to a full ZTC degree pathway in Elementary Education shared with project stakeholders that immediately serves the Fresno-Madera areas. CVHEC’s OER/ZTC efforts will be scaled throughout across the Central Valley.

AS NOTED IN previous newsletters, we are delighted by the appointment of our own Dr. Sonya Christian, former chancellor of the Kern Community College District, as the new leader of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the start of her tenure June 1.  Now, we are further delighted to announce that Chancellor Christian will join us as the keynote speaker to open our annual CVHEC Summit scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20.  See the save-the-date and registration information in this issue.  We hope you are planning on joining us for the summit.

AND FINALLY, WE are pleased to present in this issue’s “What in the CVHEC is Happening” blog  a special back-to-school message also by Dr. Spevak. He shares an email he received from a former student who attributes his success today to teachers like John, a former English teacher and vice-president emeritus of Merced College. It’s a timely message as so many educators return to the classroom for the fall semester and that ever-gratifying sense of making a difference in students’ lives. Cheers to teachers everywhere!

Enjoy our newsletter and may you all get off to a great start this fall.

MEMBER NEWS: Tachi Yokut Tribe donates $3M to West Hills College Lemoore

Robert Jeff (left), vice chairman of the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Tribe, and West Hills College Lemoore President James Preston discuss the local tribe’s 3 million gift.

Tachi Yokut Tribe will establish Native American Studies Program

The Tachi Yokut Tribe has donated $3 million to the West Hills Community College Foundation that will establish a comprehensive Native American studies program at West Hills College Lemoore, a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium.

This “monumental and historic partnership” endowment signifies a commitment to education, cultural preservation and community enrichment, demonstrating the power of collaboration between the Tachi Yokut Tribe and West Hills College Lemoore, the college said in its announcement of the gift Aug 17.

The groundbreaking Native American studies program will delve into the rich history, traditions, and contemporary issues of Native American communities.

West Hills College Lemoore President James Preston said this program will provide students with an invaluable opportunity to engage deeply with the region’s cultural heritage, fostering understanding, respect and awareness.

“We are elated to embark on this journey to create a Native American studies program that not only celebrates the heritage of the Tachi Yokut Tribe but also enriches the lives of all our students,” President Preston said. “This endowment reinforces our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and we are excited to build bridges between our college and the Native American communities we serve.”

Rojelio Morales, director of Marketing at Tachi Palace, said the Tachi Yokut Tribe is honored to contribute to establishing the Native American studies program at the nearby college.

“We believe that education is a powerful tool for cultural preservation and dialogue,” Morales said. “This initiative aligns with our values of community, heritage and progress. By investing in this program, we hope to inspire future generations and facilitate meaningful exchanges between cultures.”

The Native American Studies program will engage students in academic exploration and extend its reach to the wider community through events, seminars and cultural activities, the college said in its announcement.

“West Hills College Lemoore looks forward to collaborating with the Tachi Yokut Tribe and other stakeholders to ensure the success and growth of this transformative endeavor,” the announcement said.

 

Media inquiries: Amber Myrick, district director of Marketing, Communications, and Public Information for the West Hills Community College District at  ambermyrick@whccd.edu  (559.934.2132).

 

See the WHCCD press release.

CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (Summer 2023): Affirmative Action challenge!

Supreme Court ruling is not the death of Affirmative Action but

rather a challenge to renew and reinforce its spirit and outcomes

 

NOTE: See the June 24, 2023  Fresno Bee Op-Ed version of this message: https://bit.ly/CVHECoped-RenewAffirmativeActionSpirit.

 

Greetings Colleagues and Friends of CVHEC,

As I was preparing to write the introduction for this special summer edition of our e-newsletter, the much anticipated, but still devastating, decision by the United States Supreme Court to strike down Affirmative Action burst into the national scene June 29 sending my phone into non-stop notifications from family and higher ed colleagues beset with disappointment and anger.

And, as the country was reeling from that monumental decision, SCOTUS took further action to declare unconstitutional President Biden’s efforts to bring some relief to those holding student loans.

In one week — after decades of progress — equity, diversity and access in higher education were simultaneously under attack.

However, I offer that this Supreme Court ruling is not the death of Affirmative Action but rather a challenge to renew and reinforce its spirit and outcomes.

Upon hearing the news and fielding those phone calls, I thought back to 1996 when California voters passed Proposition 209, effectively ending Affirmative Action in California; and even back to the University of California vs Bakke case in 1976.  Having spent decades in higher education first as a student and mostly as a professional educator, I reflected on and contemplated how California dealt with those landmark decisions.

I recalled that, despite the initial impacts from those decisions that have cost countless students of color the chance to earn a higher education, advocates and colleagues here in California have nonetheless long embraced the quest for equity in pursuit of student populations that reflect the rich diversity of our state despite legislation and court action to the contrary.

Following that elimination of Affirmative Action in our state 27 years ago, educators in our four segments of higher education — the University of California, the California State University System, the California Community College System and the Independent Colleges and Universities — initiated new strategies and initiatives to attract and enroll students from underrepresented groups that had been targeted by Proposition 209 and the Bakke case.

Yes we made some gains in the face of anti-Affirmative Action adversity here in California but there is still more work to do, especially as evidenced by these new Supreme Court rulings.

If we truly believe that all means all and everybody means everybody, it is appropriate that the impact of race, economic status and a person’s life experiences are all factors that should be considered as students pursue the dream and promise of a higher education.

Today, now more than ever, the equity efforts long in play here in California are essential nationwide. We must not let up in our quest to strive and reach goals that have not yet been met but are being pursued relentlessly by countless higher education professionals, policy makers, legislators, students and community supporters throughout our state and in other states similarly affected.

Locally, the work of Central Valley Higher Education Consortium members – made up of 28 colleges in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern – under our equity umbrella aligns very well with reinforcing and renewing efforts to address the spirit and outcomes of Affirmative Action as it was intended when first conceptualized, not as it has been characterized lately.

I am confident that our Central Valley colleges and universities will continue to make their institutions open to all because it is the right thing to do, not because it is legislated.

So I invite and encourage my esteemed colleagues serving students throughout the Central Valley and beyond to once again rise to this new challenge, as we have always done, with a renewed vigor in continuing the good work you have done for our students.

Let us use the anger and disappointment we felt initially and get on with the work ahead of us. We must assure that the spirit of Affirmative Action, as it was originally intended, thrives for the good of our entire community.

Now, please do enjoy the rest of this historic summer!

WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING GUEST BLOG (May 2023): Enrollment Growth and Pathways: A Strategy Session

This month’s “What the CV-hec is Happening” guest blog is by Dr. Jessica Grimes, regional chair and interim associate vice chancellor of career education and workforce development for the Central Valley/Mother Lode Regional Consortium based at the Kern Community College District in Bakersfield.  She reflects on CVML’s recent “Enrollment Growth and Pathways: A Strategy Session” held in Bakersfield that addressed pandemic recovery and bolstering enrollment with emphasis on increasing dual enrollment as an equity strategy. Several community organizations and agencies gathered for the day-long event including the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium.

The way forward is together …

 

BY DR. JESSICA GRIMES

 

It is no secret that the pandemic resulted in seismic changes in higher education, most notably in the warp-speed transition to online learning and other hybrid modes of delivery for hard-to-convert career education courses.

The pandemic also revealed opportunity gaps among students experiencing a host of besetting challenges, such as homelessness, food insecurity and limited broadband.

The Central Valley/Mother Lode‘s  15 colleges responded admirably by reimagining and redesigning programs with more flexibility and supports. It was in that innovative spirit of converting challenges to opportunities that the idea of the “Enrollment Growth and Pathways: A Strategy Session” was born.

Hosted by Fresno City College April 25, EGP was designed to address one of the most pressing challenges from the pandemic: recovering and bolstering enrollment. Given that the community colleges have always been integral in offering pathways out of poverty through career technical education (CTE) programs and work-based learning opportunities, the EGP strategy session explored ways to increase dual enrollment as an equity strategy, an idea developed by Dr. Sonya Christian, incoming California Community Colleges chancellor who served as keynote speaker.

Dr. Robert Pimentel, FCC president, welcomed over 100 people from the CVML Regional Consortium and beyond. The one-day planning session started with setting the context around equity and dual enrollment where Dr. Christian spoke about “Ninth Grade to Baccalaureate: The Critical Eight Years” and  howthe convergence of Guided Pathways, Vision for Success, the Governor’s Roadmap, the Student Centered Funding Formula and Completion Metrics have made it possible to accelerate student access and equity, aided by policy reform and system reform.

I poke about reimagining the student journey as one that reflects the myriad educational policies that have progressively included more students from diverse backgrounds — suggesting that, just as the Vocational Education Act imagined Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society,” the Strong Workforce Program also imagines more students having access to careers regardless of background.

Michelle Stricker from the Foundation of Community Colleges spoke on the ecosystem that supports dual enrollment, i.e. Guided Pathways and the support that regional coordinators provide to ensure that dual enrollment students benefit from pathways that lead to good, quality careers. Stricker touched on the Guided Pathways Toolkit as a resource for developing pathways rather than “random acts of dual enrollment.”

Angel Ramirez and Elaine Cash of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium — made up of 28 colleges from Stockton to Bakersfield and a statewide leader in dual enrollment advocacy with several initiatives — spoke on consortium progress accomplished through its Central Valley Dual Enrollment Equity & Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force, regional coordinators and communications team.  Strategic planning involves convening K-12 partners and community colleges to collaborate on creating pathways for students as well as communications outreach with a video, media features and student involvement.

They also discussed CVHEC’s Master’s Upskilling initiative to address one of the challenges of expanding dual enrollment: meeting minimum teaching qualifications. CVHEC is piloting this MA program with 112 teachers from Fresno County (56 in math and 56 in English) and 100 in Kern County (50 in math and 50 in English).

Following the CVHEC session, Dr. Craig Hayward provided data decks on the 15 colleges in the CVML and explained the correlation between students who are dual enrolled and those students attending community colleges: “Overall, college attendance increases with the number of dual enrollment units earned; moreover, four-year college attendance increases significantly with the number of dual enrollment units earned and, conversely, two-year college attendance decreases as the number of dual enrollment units increases.”

The last session, co-presented by Dr. Naomi Castro (Career Ladders Project) and Kylie Campbell (Kern Community College District), was an interactive session that honed in on dual enrollment expansion in the CVML.

Beginning with legislation that made dual enrollment possible, Castro and Campbell defined the types of dual enrollment that can be offered – early college and middle college (offered at the college), CCAP and non-CCAP offered at the high school and concurrent enrollment offered at the college. Then they circled back to Dr. Christian’s presentation on the eight-year journey for ninth graders and asked participants who were organized in different college teams to present .

Campbell asked participants to strategize DE pathways through three activities: (1) planning an educational pathway for all ninth graders based on the incoming headcount and from the data decks that Dr. Hayward provided; (2) using a pathway mapping tool, outline course and pathway offerings that would increase student access; and (3) set short-term goals for 2023-2024 and long-term goals for the next three years using the previous two activities.

I began this post about our “Enrollment Growth and Pathways: A Strategy Session” with a reflection on the pandemic being a mixed bag of blessings for education. Also, I noted how the CVML region rose to the challenge and is continuing to do so locally, sub-regionally and regionally as exemplified in the Enrollment Growth and Pathways. While this convening isn’t unique for the region — we come together annually to plan projects in June — it was the first of its kind for us in spearheading a planning session around a singular goal: increasing equity and access via dual enrollment.

This also serves another purpose: increasing enrollment.

The CVML mission focuses on decreasing equity gaps that perpetuate generational poverty. The way to bring about more opportunities for prosperity for all is to co-construct strategies together and to dismantle what isn’t working so that pathways to prosperity become more and more accessible for students living in rural as well as urban or suburban areas.

The way forward is together. While that might sound like a pithy sentiment, it’s true.

For me, the Enrollment Growth and Pathways session is a template to continue addressing other challenges that we face in education, so I look forward to expanding partnerships and bringing together thought partners from K-16, adult education consortia,  industry, economic development corporations, workforce development boards, chambers of commerce, nonprofits and community-based organizations, centers of excellence and the like to keep moving forward toward our shared goals.

Central Valley Math Bridge kickoff May 18

Read more

CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (May 2023): Extraordinary times!

Winding down an extraordinary

academic year in the Central Valley 

Greetings colleagues,

As we welcome you to the May issue of our newsletter, we take this opportunity to thank, congratulate and salute all the CVHEC educators who have dedicated themselves to sending off another group of Central Valley students into the next phase of their academic and or professional lives.  This annual commencement season is truly a magical time of the year and reminds us all why we chose careers in higher education.

In this issue we present more about Math Bridge, the math pathways initiative launched May 18 by bringing together representatives of six regional community colleges and their partner feeder high schools. At this kickoff held in downtown Fresno, these dedicated and determined professionals began the process to jointly create college level dual enrollment math courses targeted at underrepresented student populations that will allow them to complete a college math course before graduating from high school.  This innovative project is unique because of the intersegmental collaboration between high school and community college math faculty members working together to ensure their students’ success.

You will also have an opportunity to visit the CVHEC board meeting held May 11 in Fresno.  Board members heard a joint presentation by Dr. James Zimmerman, senior associate vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Education at UC Merced, and Dr.  Lynn Cevallos, president and founder of College Bridge.  They addressed the evolution and overlap of two CVHEC endeavors, the Central Valley Transfer Project and the Math Bridge initiative, that helps clear pathways for students getting into and through community college and onto the university of their choice.

We also bid farewell to two dear colleagues although one will remain well in sight, Dr. Sonya Christian who served on our board as chancellor of the Kern Community College District but now moves up to chancellor of the California Community College system. And joining us one last time at the meeting was the esteemed Dr. Ellen Junn, Stanislaus State president whose retirement is effective next month. We know you join the board in thanking them for their service to higher education in general and the consortium in particular. And you may read about our newest board additions in the story and photo gallery about the board meeting.

Please enjoy this issue as well as the conclusion of this extraordinary semester.

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

UPDATES

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

 

WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING GUEST BLOG (April 2023): Kern Math Master’s Upskilling/Dr. Manjula Joseph

With the first cohorts of the Kern Master’s Upskilling Program underway, this guest blog is by Dr. Manjula Joseph, associate professor and program director for math education at Fresno Pacific University, a CVHEC member institution.  She reflects on the experiences of the math cohort offered by FPU with 21 current practicing high school teachers enrolled in the program designed to empower them to create classrooms that foster a love for math with specific sights set on eventually teaching dual enrollment courses at their respective high schools. This first Kern math cohort completes in July 2024. (An English master’s cohort offered by CVHEC member National University is also currently in session).

Transforming Practicing Teachers into Innovative Math Educators

Embracing the shift in math education for the Kern Master’s Upskilling Program: Fresno Pacific University’s MA in Mathematics Education  

 

By Dr. Manjula Joseph

Program Director, Math Education – Fresno Pacific University

 

I enter the (zoom) room and observe a class in session.

The students in the first cohort of our Kern Master’s Upskilling Program for practicing high school math teachers are sharing celebrations and challenges about life events – school, family, health, etc. Some of them request prayer.

After this brief time of sharing, they are presented with a graph of an intertwined circle and parabola with a red-shaded area and asked to respond to the prompts “What do you notice? What do you wonder?” on a Google Jamboard. Their two-dozen responses range from noticing symmetry to wondering what the center of the circle might be. Then, moving to breakout rooms to discuss how they might solve the problem at hand, they write their thoughts on the Jamboard.

The complex problem involves differential and integral calculus, trigonometry and intricate algebraic manipulation. Not initially finding answers only seems to push them further to learn unfamiliar concepts, expand prior knowledge and reach a solution.

Professor Alice Keeler, the instructor, and I silently observe this activity unfold and marvel. What I have just observed firsthand is a genuine “community of learners” engaged in supporting and strengthening each other’s content and pedagogical knowledge.

Student Kim Halbrook also observes: “The program is designed to build ‘a community of educators’ willing to support and help each other be the best teachers they can be.”

 

So, what makes FPU’s program unique?

In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, our Master of Mathematics Education program at Fresno Pacific University (FPU) stands out as a beacon for change.

Focused on a humanized, student-centered approach, we transform practicing teachers into innovative math educators who embrace the shift from traditional instruction towards a more engaging and holistic learning experience without compromising rigor.

 

Propelling the Shift in Humanizing Mathematics

We see mathematics as a deeply humanizing activity emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration — a fundamental shift from viewing it as cold and abstract, and emphasizing speed and competition.

Mathematics affords us the space to explore the mysteries of the universe and appreciate the beauty and order that underlies it. Mathematics also allows us to think logically and critically about the challenges and inequities that plague society, empowering us to contribute to the advancement of human knowledge, social justice and progress.

Our program helps teachers embrace this shift, enabling them to foster a love for mathematics, a joy for exploration and a passion for problem-solving in their own classrooms.

“Fresno Pacific University has provided more content-specific advancements in my career as an educator than the entirety of my Teacher Preparation Program,” says student Brandon Butler.

 

Believing Engagement is More Than Just Fun

Our program recognizes that engagement is not synonymous with fun. We believe that true engagement comes from feeling rewarded for one’s efforts and that students would rather work on challenging tasks (absorption) than boring, easy tasks (compliance).

We prioritize student engagement through personal connections, using collaborative tools and interactive activities. Our approach models compassion and grace, encouraging teachers to create classroom environments where mathematics is seen as a means for thinking and engaging, rather than as a competition.

Student Edna Cruz affirms: “I have learned so much about integrating technology in a way that encourages students to think and engage in productive struggle. All this in a course that unites a group of people who genuinely love math and the advancement of education, to better serve the students of our community. We are all taking what we are learning and implementing it in our own classrooms.”

 

Balancing Commitment with Life

Our program acknowledges the challenges faced by teachers who must balance their commitment to earning a master’s degree with their existing teaching responsibilities and family life.

With this in mind, we designed a student-centered program that cares for students not just as learners but as individuals with unique personal and professional lives. This philosophy influences assignments, discussions, and interactions. We view students (both ours and their students in turn) as whole persons, cultivating an environment where teachers can develop their skills while maintaining a strong connection to their own values and personal lives.

 

 

A Passion for Reimagining Math Education

In conclusion, the Master of Mathematics Education program at Fresno Pacific University offers a transformative experience for practicing teachers passionate about reimagining math education.

Focusing on humanizing mathematics, emphasizing human-centered approaches, and embracing a balanced approach, our program empowers teachers to create classrooms that foster the love for mathematics and nurture the critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in finding solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

 

 

 

CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (April 2023): Blurring the lines!

‘Committed to the deeper work — blurring the line between high school and college

Greetings colleagues,

This April edition of our CVHEC e-newsletter ushers in the final month of a busy spring semester for many of our CVHEC member colleges and universities not to mention our own relentless team.

In spite of wrestling with all the challenges in just the second year of a post-pandemic world, faculty, staff and CVHEC partners have been working diligently on regional strategies that will shed light on the good work our Central Valley colleges and universities are doing collectively for the well-being of our students.

First, we alert you that the 2023 CVHEC Annual Summit originally set for May is being rescheduled to October.

This will give us the opportunity to deliver a more impactful and compressive summit that, in addition to bringing higher education leaders and policy-makers together, showcases the great work being done in the region.  Please be on the lookout for updates.

One of the things we continue to express is that passing the college math gateway courses can make the difference for a student between college completion or not.  In this month’s newsletter, please read about some of efforts going on throughout the region that aim to eliminate this barrier.

Specifically, we are pleased to announce our new state-funded Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Program in collaboration with the Central San Joaquin Valley K-16 Partnership.  This comes on the heels of our first venture with College Bridge announced in January that is in full swing with the recruitment of high schools and that was featured in valley news media (see related story in this issue).  CVHEC and its partners are committed to undertake this deeper work that can effectively blur the lines between high schools and its colleges in the Central Valley

In this issue’s What the CV-HEC is Happening Blog, Dr. Manjula Joseph from Fresno Pacific University speaks about some of the experiences these high school teachers are having while earning a Master’s degree that will not only qualify them to teach dual enrollment math courses at their high schools, but also make them even better teachers by humanizing mathematics.

Thanks again for taking some of your valuable time to peruse our e-newsletter.

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:
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