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Central Valley Math Bridge kickoff May 18

May 24, 2023

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.

https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MathBridgeKickoff051823tu-6728e-scaled.jpg 991 2560 Tom Uribes https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVHEC_logo_315.png Tom Uribes2023-05-24 11:46:112023-05-26 12:49:15Central Valley Math Bridge kickoff May 18

CVHEC to lead California delegation at CCA Day on the Hill May 16- 17

April 20, 2023

Dr. Benjamin Duran, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, will join Complete College America for its CCA Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C.  May 16- 17 where “a network of higher education experts share strategies and lessons for the implementation of higher ed strategies at scale.”

Complete College America, a national non-profit organization founded in 2009 to raise postsecondary attainment in the United States, is a national alliance of state and higher education leaders .

Alliance partners collaborate to introduce bold initiatives that help states and institutions confront inequities, close institutional performance gaps and increase college completion rates, especially for marginalized and historically excluded students.

At the CCA Day on the Hill event, Alliance members directly engage in the federal legislative process with their federal representatives and share best practices in states and regions that can be translated into federal policy while advancing CCA’s legislative agenda at the federal level, said Charles Ansell, CCA vice president for Research.

“As Congress looks to reauthorize the Higher Education Act next year, CCA Alliance members who participate in this opportunity will bolster the organizations’ efforts to make a lasting federal policy impact to support students seeking to complete college,” Ansell said.

The event starts on Tuesday, May 16 when Alliance members will attend an in-person training for the Day on the Hill with CCA’s federal lobbyists, Arnold & Porter (A&P). A&P will set up all member meetings while in DC and will provide a schedule for their Hill visits, which will take place between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17.

Dr. Duran is the Alliance lead for California’s central region, serving as the go-to resource as members work to advance student success.

Dr. Brandon Protas, assistant vice president for Alliance Engagement, said CCA recognizes CVHEC — made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the Central California’s nine-county region with the presidents and chancellors of each member institution serving on its board of directors — as the convener and facilitator of education, community and legislative representatives as well as technical support experts as needed by members in carrying out the CVHEC board’s key policy objective:  to increase the Central Valley’s degree attainment.

The consortium works with legislative leaders as an advocate of the higher education policy positions of its board, he noted, fortifying the Central Valley as an “educational powerhouse.”

“We are thrilled that Executive Director Durán is partnering with CCA leveraging his visionary leadership and commitment to equitable degree attainment to influence federal policy that ensures higher education accessibility for all,” Dr. Protas said.

“This strategic collaboration not only strengthens the Central Valley community but empowers its diverse student population to see policy work that helps them to achieve their fullest potential, thereby promoting the Central Valley as an educational powerhouse for generations to come.”

Duran said the CCA, which CVHEC joined in 2016, shares many of the consortium objectives.

“CCA is a valuable partner because it provides a network of higher education experts who share strategies and lessons for the implementation of higher ed strategies at scale,” Duran said.  “The CCA alliance advocated for work in corequisite support and math pathways projects, working with multiple states to create the conditions for change required to implement the strategies at scale.”

For more information, visit www.completecollege.org.

https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVHEC_logo_315.png 0 0 Tom Uribes https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVHEC_logo_315.png Tom Uribes2023-04-20 13:49:162023-04-20 14:31:19CVHEC to lead California delegation at CCA Day on the Hill May 16- 17

CVHEC Director’s Message (July 2022): Summer ‘recharge’ and a renewed appreciation

July 13, 2022

Greetings and welcome to our July CVHEC e-newsletter,

This month we share a brief issue and greeting as we find ourselves in the first summer since 2020 where the pandemic is not ruling our lives.

I hope you all enjoyed fabulous live commencement exercises on your campuses.  We know students, family, professors, and staff have been looking forward coming together again to celebrate the accomplishments of our students in the Central Valley.

I’m sure many of you agree that one take-away from the pandemic experience – with life seemingly coming to halt the past two years amid shutdowns and event cancellations  –  is the renewed appreciation we find in everyday routines like pulling into the campus parking lot, crossing the beautiful landscapes of our 30 campuses across the valley, walking into classrooms and seeing those eager faces, reconvening with colleagues in the office and most significantly, sitting in an arena, stadium or any venue to bask in the joy of our students walking across the stage to receive their diploma, a celebration with their friends and families of the hard work and success by all in academia.

This summer we will continue to work on our regional initiatives like dual enrollment, creating a Central Valley transfer model and working on developing math pathways between our K12 partners and our CVHEC member institutions.  

Until we usher in the fall 2022 semester together, I hope you will find some time to rest, recharge, enjoy time with your loved ones and maybe even a do little travel once again.  We look forward to regrouping in August and kicking-off another impactful year.

Have a great summer!!!

 

 

https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Blog5-Tn.jpg 495 800 Tom Uribes https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVHEC_logo_315.png Tom Uribes2022-07-13 00:20:062022-08-02 12:17:57CVHEC Director’s Message (July 2022): Summer ‘recharge’ and a renewed appreciation

CVHEC Member News: CLP Guidance Pathways

February 17, 2022

Four CVHEC Members Highlighted in Career Ladders Project
Look at Guided Pathways Redesign Challenges

The Career Ladders Project recently highlighted four CVHEC member organizations in stories illustrating how 15 California community colleges are redesigning their Guided Pathways programs and structures prompting college leaders across the state to share the stories to help clarify opportunities, spur conversation and motivate Guided Pathways redesign teams.

Founded by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors in 2002, Career Ladders Project is a nonprofit that operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

The project promotes equity-minded community college redesign by collaborating with colleges and their partners to discover, develop, and disseminate effective practices. CLP policy work, research, and direct efforts with colleges lead to system change—and enable more students to attain certificates, degrees, transfers, and career advancement.

The Guided Pathways stories are presented in one-page narratives — grouped into topics — produced by Career Ladders Project with funding from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

The four CVHEC members highlighted are:

Bakersfield College

• Integrating Student Supports in Guided Pathways Redesign

• Aligning Redesign Across Campus

• Using Data in Guided Pathways Redesign

Madera Community College

• Centering Students in GP Design

West Hills College Lemoore

• Aligning Redesign Across Campus

• Supporting Students from a Distance

Reedley College

Managing Guided Pathways redesign and Engaging the College

 

See the CLP Redesign stories overview.

0 0 Pablo https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVHEC_logo_315.png Pablo2022-02-17 23:49:152022-02-17 23:49:15CVHEC Member News: CLP Guidance Pathways

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Latest News

  • CVHEC Summit 2023 features CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian keynote Oct. 20September 7, 2023 - 12:48 pm
  • Open Educational Resources movement launched with $580,180 K-16 grant to CVHEC membersSeptember 7, 2023 - 12:46 pm
  • CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (September 2023)September 7, 2023 - 12:40 pm
  • MEMBER NEWS: Tachi Yokut Tribe donates $3M to West Hills College LemooreSeptember 7, 2023 - 12:23 pm
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