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)

Counselors FOCI Series 6 and Spring 2021 Workshops

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The Charles A. Dana Center of the University of Texas at Austin will facilitate its Focused Online Collaborative Interactions (FOCI) Series 6 for counselors and advisors focusing on guiding students into Math Pathways.

This no-cost FOCI series consists of six highly interactive sessions that inform and guide counselors and counseling departments to scale math pathways toward increased equitable access and outcomes in transfer level mathematics courses aligned to students’ academic and career goals.

The FOCI Series 6 will provide a Central Valley cohort of only 25 a learning opportunity with the tools and support to carry on in their counseling practice.

For more information on this FOCI Series please view the FLYER.

REGISTER HERE for FOCI Series 6
Registration Deadline: Jan. 27, 2021 at 12:00 pm PT

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SPRING 2021 Professional
Development Opportunities

Registration is OPEN and filling up! These are no-cost opportunities.

FOCI Series 5 on equity: “Driving Equitable Student Outcomes, Implementing Equity-Minded Teaching and Learning” (FLYER)

Registration for the Focused Online Collaborative Interactions (FOCI) Series 5 on equity from Feb. 4 – April 15 is open until 2 p.m. PT Jan. 28.  
REGISTER HERE 

This six-part series will give Central Valley region faculty the opportunity to engage with the research-based ideas and strategies that are most compelling for addressing equity gaps while meeting the needs of college students from diverse backgrounds and preparation.

Dates & Times: Thursdays, 2-4 p.m. PT

• Feb. 4, Feb. 18,
• March 4, March 18,
• April 1 and April 15

Pedagogy Virtual Convening (FLYER)
Feb. 23-25, 2021 (2-4 p.m. PT)
These workshops are designed to help support faculty in implementing student success strategies in their online courses. Topics include:

• Helping Students Transition to Learners (REGISTER) 

• Introduction to Psychosocial Factors: Belonging (REGISTER) 

• Differentiated Instruction Online (REGISTER)

Continuous Improvement of Corequisite Supports Virtual Convening (FLYER)
March 9-11, 2021

Participants will explore a continuous improvement framework for identifying, implementing and evaluating incremental changes to increase the efficacy of the corequisite models at their institution.

• Tuesday, March 9 (2-4 p.m. PT): Promoting Continuous Improvement (REGISTER) 

• Wednesday, March 10 (1-4 p.m. PT): Introduction to Quality Improvement (REGISTER)

• Thursday, March 11 (2-4 p.m. PT): Continuous Improvement Planning (REGISTER)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Wrapping up a historic and challenging 2020

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

As our Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) member institutions approach the end of a historic and challenging 2020, we are delighted to report that faculty, staff, administrators and leaders have pulled together to continue to deliver a high-quality higher education experience to our Central Valley students.

In the midst of this historic pandemic, we can confidently say that there were, and are, heroes on our campuses who stepped up to serve our students.

First, speaking of heroes and in observance of Veteran’s Day, we extend a very special thank you to the many men and women who served and are currently serving in our United States Armed Forces, especially any veterans on our board, faculty, staff and students at our member institutions.

As we come to the end of the fall semester, the CVHEC Board of Directors join together in wishing our own Dr. Joseph Castro, president of Fresno State and the new Chancellor-select of the California State University System, the very best as he prepares to assume his new role Jan. 4 as leader of the largest four-year public university system in the United States. We in the Central Valley have much to be proud of as we see one of our own rise to this prestigious and important post.

Dr. Castro, your friends and colleagues in the CVHEC wish you success and good luck as you assume your new role. Know that we will always see you as an esteemed Central Valley colleague whose support and contributions to higher education in our region are immeasurable. We are forever grateful!

And as we say goodbye to our longtime partner, we welcome two new colleagues and friends to the CVHEC Board of Directors: Dr. Sean C. Hancock and Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval.

Dr. Hancock was appointed president of Cerro Coso College by Kern Community College District Chancellor Thomas Burke this summer, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Dr. Jill Board.  Dr. Hancock most recently served as vice chancellor for Student and Institutional Success at Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District in El Cajon and brings more than 20 years of experience in community college administration to his new role.  President Hancock, welcome to the Central Valley.

Dr Jiménez-Sandoval, Fresno State’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, was appointed by California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White in October as interim president to guide the University when current Fresno State president Dr. Joseph I. Castro begins his new role as chancellor of the CSU Jan. 4, 2021. We look forward to these two talented leaders joining our CVHEC board at our next quarterly meeting, Dec. 7.

In this issue, we highlight some of the activities and strategies we are planning for the rest of the fall semester and the 2021 spring semester.  CVHEC, with the Charles A. Dana Center of the University of Texas at Austin and other partners, will continue to bring professional development opportunities to Central Valley faculty and staff to better serve students in our region.

Also, to further opportunities that serve students, we are pleased to again offer our CVHEC mini-grants to partner institutions. The mini-grants, up to $7,500 each, provide opportunities for faculty and administrators to engage in innovative approaches that lead to student success in a virtual environment given rise by the pandemic.

Finally, since the Consortium was unable to hold its annual Legislative and Policy Summit, the board of directors will offer a series of mini-summits that will address salient topics currently being discussed such as, “The Impact of the Pandemic on Our Students” and “Addressing Equity and Racial and Social Justice in Central Valley Colleges and Universities.”

And, in observance of Veteran’s Day Nov. 11, we extend a very special thank you to the many men and women who served us in our United States Armed Forces, especially any veterans on our board, on faculty and staff working at our member institutions and our student veterans.

Please enjoy the latest issue of our newsletter and thank you for being a supporter of higher education in the great Central Valley.

 

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

Equity FOCI Spring 2021 Series and Workshops – Registration

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Equity FOCI Series 5: ‘Driving Equitable Student Outcomes:
Implementing Equity-Minded Teaching and Learning’ Feb. 4 – April 15

The Dana Center Charles A. Dana Center of the University of Texas at Austin will facilitate its Focused Online Collaborative Interactions (FOCI) Series 5 on equity, “Driving Equitable Student Outcomes, Implementing Equity-Minded Teaching and Learning,” Feb. 4 – April 15.

This six-part series, in partnership with the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, will provide faculty in the nine-county region the opportunity to engage with the research-based ideas and strategies that are most compelling for addressing equity gaps while meeting the needs of college students from diverse backgrounds.

Participants will experience collaborative activities, relevant readings, videos and research summaries. They will personalize their learning by planning for and enacting modest changes in their classrooms (including remote settings) and professional learning communities that have the potential for transformative change in learning environments and student outcomes.

Early registration is encouraged as the cohort is limited to 25.
REGISTER HERE (closes 2 p.m. PT Jan. 28, 2021). Dates & Times: Thursdays, 2-4 p.m. PT

• Feb. 4, Feb. 18,
• March 4, March 18,
• April 1 and April 15
For more information: (FLYERS)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]SAVE THE DATE 
… for these additional Professional Development Opportunities facilitated by the Charles A. Dana Center scheduled for Spring 2021:

Counselor FOCI Series 6 – Supporting Academic Advisors to Scale Math Pathways: Guiding students’ math journey to and through math pathways (FLYERS) 

CVHEC Cohort Dates & Times:
Wednesdays (1-3 p.m. PT)
• Feb 3, Feb 17
• March 3, March 17, March 31
• April 14

REGISTER HERE for FOCI Series 6
(Registration Deadline: Jan. 27, 2021 at 12:00 pm PT)

 

Pedagogy Virtual Convening (FLYER) 
Feb. 23-25, 2021 (2-4 p.m. PT)
Topics include:

• Helping Students Transition to
Learners REGISTER
• Introduction to Psychosocial Factors:
Belonging REGISTER
• Differentiated Instruction Online REGISTER

 

Continuous Improvement of Corequisite Supports Virtual Convening (FLYER) 
March 9-11, 2021

• Tuesday, March 9 (2-4 p.m. PT): Promoting Continuous Improvement REGISTER

• Wednesday, March 10 (1-4 p.m. PT): Introduction to Quality Improvement REGISTER

• Thursday, March 11 (2-4 p.m. PT): Continuous Improvement Planning REGISTER

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Equity FOCI 5 Spring 2021 Flyer (3 pages)

FOCI – Continuous Improvement of Corequisites Sp2021 Flyer

CVHEC Hosts Dual Enrollment Convening for Educators in Nine County Region

CVHEC Hosts Dual Enrollment Convening for Educators in Nine County Region

(March 5, 2020) — More than 150 secondary and postsecondary educators gathered today when they convened for the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Convening at the DoubleTree Inn in downtown Fresno to address challenges and barriers to dual enrollment success.

Presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, the convening was the latest of several gatherings held since a CVHEC task force — made up of community college and K-12 educational leaders — was created in July 2019 at the request of community college administrators so Central Valley colleges and K-12 partner districts could purposefully and strategically engage on a regional basis to deliver dual enrollment in a more equitable way.

Through dual enrollment, high school students earn college credits while earning their high school diploma.  In the nine-county region served by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, an intersegmental higher education organization of 27 accredited public and independent community college and university partners from San Joaquin to Kern counties, over 15,000 Central Valley high school students participated in a dual enrollment program in 2019.

“CVHEC believes the dual enrollment opportunity significantly increases high school students’ chances of earning credentials, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees as expeditiously as possible, providing a timely gateway to meaningful careers with sufficient earnings to support a quality of life for themselves and their families,” said Dr. Benjamin Durán, CVHEC executive director.

Last year, CVHEC convened a task force of about 60 front line educators who deliver dual enrollment services valley-wide to join forces beginning with an inaugural meeting July 22 where they established a regional consensus that provided the direction for the March 5 conference.

At that March convening, the attendees representing 52 school districts, 12 community colleges and two educations organizations/agencies spent the day in two panels and three breakout sessions discussing their experiences and ways to navigate forward.

The two opening sessions covered “Dual Enrollment, A Partnership Perspective – What We Wish We knew When We Started” and “Successes and Challenges with Dual Enrollment – A student Perspective.”

The latter panel featured six dual enrollment students from Central Valley high schools: Brianna Hernandez of Selma; Emely Rivera of Roosevelt; Bernice Lozada and Nandini Karyampudi of Mountain House; and Nerin Delgado and Raul Espinoza of McFarland who indicated one of the positive experiences for them was being introduced to a syllabus and its importance to academic success.

“I’m so grateful I got that experience (with a syllabus) before I start college, that was super positive,” said Nerin, a senior who started dual enrollment in her freshman year. “I can go into a college class and now I can understand how responsible you actually have to be to keep up with your schoolwork, and your readings that you have to do before the actual lecture. It definitely keeps you accountable, it keeps you responsible.”

The breakout sessions covered the topics “Faculty Focus,” “Essential Elements of Student Services” and “Dual Enrollment Pathways: Partnerships for Pathway Development.”

Discussion entailed numerous issues ranging from “face-to-face golden moments” with students to faculty recruitment and support to the challenges of scheduling courses with high schools.

In the panel subtitled “What We Wish We Knew When We Started,” Dale Van Dam, Vice President of Instruction at Reedley College, noted that when dual enrollment began at his campus five years ago, the rush to get started did not allow for basic “foundation-building” with high school partners, or dialogues about how best to bridge the two bureaucracies to structure programs for the benefit of students and think through best practices.

Noting that the program has grown to 19 high school partners with 5,500-plus students and over 200 sections, Van Dam said, “We’ve realized you have to be very intentional about communication. It has to be at regular intervals, it can’t be by-the-by, it can’t be when you’re in a crisis. There needs to be regular cards-on-the-table type meetings about what’s going right and what’s going wrong.”

Panel moderator John Spevak, a CVHEC Regional Coordinator, commended the educators for their efforts in developing dual enrollment programs, telling his audience, “I’m just impressed with the amount of work that we have to do to make this successful. It just doesn’t happen by itself. This is one of the most intensive activities I have ever seen take place between high schools and colleges.”

(UPDATE: See CVHEC report, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley, Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity” and press release).

CVHEC media contact: Tom Uribes • tom@uribes.com • 559.348.3278

 

BACKGROUND

In 2016, a new dual enrollment option was introduced through Assembly Bill (AB) 288, amending Education Code (EC) 76004, and creating the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP). This legislation enabled more high school students to take college courses taught by college professors on their high school campuses.  California AB 30, signed by Governor Newsom in October 2019, expands and protects dual enrollment through 2027.

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