These five CVHEC community college members were recently recognized as 2025 Pathway Champions by the Campaign for College Opportunity. All are actively involved in the consortium’s Central Valley Transfer Project.
Campaign for College Opportunity celebrates 40 colleges statewide for
their work to increase transfer pathways and student success in California
(NOV. 12, 2025) — The Campaign for College Opportunity recently honored 40 California Community Colleges and California State Universities (CSU) – including five Central Valley Higher Education Consortium members – as 2025 Pathway Champions for their work paving pathways to college and economic opportunity for thousands of California students by strengthening the transfer process.
The CVHEC-member California Community Colleges and California State Universities honored in a virtual awards presentation Oct. 23 as part of National Transfer Student Week (Oct. 20-24) for their work implementing equitable placement and Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) policies were: Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College, Coalinga College, Clovis Community College and Porterville College. (See category breakdown below).
According to CCO’s website press release, the 40 higher education institutions selected statewide were awarded for their efforts in implementing two landmark policies:
- equitable placement (AB 705 and 1705, Irwin), which maximizes student success in transfer-level courses at California Community Colleges; and
- implementation of Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), which has simplified transfer between community colleges and CSUs.
These five, along with CVHEC’s 10 other community college members, have been working through the consortium’s Central Valley Transfer Project to create a clear path to transition between community college and the 10-county regions’s four-year institutions, said Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC associate director.
“Strengthening transfer pathways for valley students has been a goal of CVHEC since the launch of our CV transfer project in 2021 ,” Ramírez said.
This year, there were four categories (Pathway Champion of Placement, Pathway Champion of Placement Equity, Pathway Champion of Transfer, Pathway Champion of Transfer Equity) recognizing achievement and equity in placement and transfer outcomes.
The CCO website press release provided additional details:
“These reforms have been pivotal as students are increasingly being supported to succeed in courses that count towards their transfer goals and placed on an expedited, guaranteed path to a four-year degree, particularly Latinx and Black Californians, who have long faced disproportionate obstacles in completing their degrees.
“Supporting higher education is vital to the future of California, especially community colleges, where nearly two-thirds of California’s college students begin their higher education journey.
“Historically, transferring from community college to a four-year university has been filled with systemic barriers, with only seven percent of transfer-intending students being able to transfer within two years, prior to 2015. In the decade since, thanks to the implementation of ADT and placement policies, more students are transferring faster, with ten percent of current community college students transferring within two years and 19 percent after four years.
“While there is room for improvement, this growth showcases the vital importance of the work that this year’s Pathway Champions are doing and presents a major solution to the looming economic challenges that California faces.
Jessie Ryan, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, said, “Our multiracial democracy and economy require us to support the growing majority of diverse students to complete college and earn a degree. At a time when students are increasingly questioning their place in higher education due to mounting attacks on their ability to thrive, we applaud the colleges that are courageously meeting the moment to implement the policies and practices we know transform student success and strengthen transfer in California.”
See:
Valley’s higher ed CEOs to convene at CVHEC Summit 2025 Complete College America will provide national perspective; summit topics announced BY TOM URIBES CVHEC Communications Coordinator As educators across […]
Executive Director Benjamín Durán (third from left) led the CVHEC delegation at the Strategic Transfer Summit with Transfer Project Lead Stan Carrizosa, Jennifer Johnson of California Community Colleges Foundation and Dr. James Zimmerman of UC Merced. (Photo below): The California Economic Summit in October was attended by Ángel Ramírez, Elaine Cash, Tom Uribes (back), Priscilla Arrellano posing with Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula.
Strategic Transfer Summit provides showcase for
CVHEC’s Transfer Project as reps make the rounds
Central Valley Higher Education Consortium delegations are making the rounds this fall at several state and national conferences including the recent Strategic Transfer Summit presented by the California Community Colleges Nov. 8 at UC Merced.
Other destinations include the Complete College America National Conference in Indianapolis Nov. 18-20; the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) in Atlanta Nov. 14-17 through the Dana Center with CVHEC Math Task Force members Jeremy Brandl of Fresno City College and Shelley Getty of Taft College; and the Community Colleges League of California Nov. 22 in Sacramento.
CVHEC also attended the California Economic Summit held Oct. 8-10 in Sacramento.
At the recent Transfer Summit, CVHEC’s Transfer Project team presented an update on its progress in partnering with the consortium’s 15 community college members using the Program Pathway Mapper software for a smoother transfer process for students. Leading the CVHEC delegation at the UC Merced event was Executive Director Benjamín Durán and Transfer Lead Stan Carrizosa along with James Zimmerman vice chancellor of UC Merced and Jennifer Johnson California Community Colleges Foundation.
Carrizosa said the summit, attended by the chief executive officers of the state’s three public higher ed segments – the University of California, the California State University and the California Community Colleges – provided a prime opportunity to showcase the consortium’s Transfer Project.
“The participation of the statewide CEOs of CCC, CSU & UC — coupled with powerful student testimony — makes this event an inflection point that sets our Transfer Project on its next upward trajectory,” Carrizosa said.
CVHEC’s Transfer Project has been designated as a California Community Colleges Demonstration Project by Chancellor Sonya Christian to serve as a model systemwide.
This month, Duran will also attend the CLCC in Sacramento as well as lead the CVHC delegation to the CAC national conference in Indiana. Attending the CAC with him will be Angel Ramirez, operations/finance director; Elaine Cash, grants coordinator; and Tom Uribes, communications/media coordinator.
For the CA Economic Summit in October, Ramirez, Cash and Uribes were joined by Priscilla Arrellano, administrative specialist.
