Opened in 2007, the Los Banos campus ‘has served

thousands of students providing an education that would lead to a better life’

Merced College President Chris Vitelli delivered the 11th Annual State of the College address from the heart of the Westside April 7 at the college’s Los Baños Campus.

He also presented the President’s Medallion to Larry and Georgeann Anderson of Anderson Homes, whose 2001 donation of 125 acres paved the way for a permanent Los Baños Campus to be constructed.

The family was introduced by Dr. John Spevak, former Los Baños Campus dean and vice president-emeritus who is now a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium project lead. Their land donation was coordinated by then -Merced College President Benjamín Durán who is now CVHEC executive director.

Vitelli, a CVHEC board member, addressed a crowd of hundreds in the Los Banos Campus quad on April 7, sharing highlights from the past year with a focus on academic innovation, student support, community partnerships and employee well-being.

“As we reflect on the remarkable progress Merced College has made this year, it’s clear that we are on a path of extraordinary growth and innovation,” Vitelli said. “Our success is not only a result of the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty, staff, and community partners, but also a testament to the enduring value of a community college education.”

The event’s Los Banos setting was fitting, given the sweeping investments underway on the campus.

Opened in 2007, the campus has since grown to serve thousands of students and is now preparing for even more growth thanks to a $46 million bond measure passed by local voters in 2024.

Recent additions include a new Child Development Center and Blue Devil’s Brew café, while plans for the Measure P bond funds call for a new Career Technical Education complex, expanded programs and services, and campus beautification projects.

The campus has also seen increased demand, now serving more than 4,100 students.

“The Anderson Family has continued to be among the campus’s most loyal supporters,” said Dr. Spevak. “Their donation was critical. … The campus was completed in 2007, on time and on budget, and has served thousands of students since that time, providing them with an education that would lead to a better life.”

Throughout his address, President Vitelli highlighted significant institutional achievements from the past year, including the reaffirmation of the college’s accreditation, strong enrollment growth, and strategic planning initiatives shaping the college’s next chapter.

Academic innovation stood at the forefront. Merced College has made headlines with its immersive virtual reality teaching environment, powered by Dreamscape Learn, and in its revolutionary approach agriculture education, which is helping students prepare for high-tech ag careers that serve the Valley and beyond.

Vitelli emphasized the college’s continued commitment to student well-being and success, from the new MESA Center to the expansion of the Career and Transfer Center, and resources like the food pantry and TimelyCare for mental health support. He also spotlighted initiatives to support faculty and staff, including expanded professional development, employee wellness programs, and a growing culture of gratitude.

The president closed by reflecting on the bright future ahead for the college and the communities it serves.

“Looking forward, we are more committed than ever to providing access to high-quality education, driving workforce innovation, and fostering student success at every level,” Vitelli said. “To this community, on behalf of the Board of Trustees and our entire workforce, we thank you for your continued support and belief in the transformative power of education. Together, we will continue to build a stronger, more vibrant Merced College—one that serves our students, community, and future generations.”

See Merced College press release

View the 2024 Annual Report

See this month’s Blue Devil’s Advocate for more on the Los Banos Campus

UOP: Hearst Foundation supports

physician assistant program with new grant

 

University of the Pacific’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies program is receiving $200,000 from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to provide scholarships for students from underserved areas with the aim of increasing the health care workforce in these areas.

“We are grateful for the support from The William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Hearst Foundations’ Executive Director Dino Dinovitz,” said Pacific President Christopher Callahan, who previously served as chair of the Hearst Awards Steering Committee. “The foundation’s generosity has helped so many of our programs and initiatives. This grant will allow our students to focus on their academics as they train to become health care providers, filling an urgent need in the community.”

The Hearst Foundation has a history of supporting Pacific and its programs since 1968.

“We are proud to partner with leading institutions like University of the Pacific to help ensure people of all backgrounds have an opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspired lives,” Dinovitz said. “The Foundations are pleased to provide scholarships for students in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program to address the shortage of health care professionals in California.”

California’s Central Valley, with a focus on San Joaquin County and neighboring counties, will be the priority area for recruiting from and returning graduates for added service, said Nicoleta Bugnariu, founding dean of Pacific’s School of Health Sciences.

“Physician assistants are well positioned to work as primary care providers,”  Bugnariu said. “The Central Valley is one of the most underserved health care areas in California, and it is a geographic target area for the School of Health Sciences.”

U.S. News and World Report ranks physician assistant as No. 2 in a report of the best health care jobs. Employment growth for physician assistants is expected to increase more than 28% between 2023 and 2033, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Physician assistants work in a variety of health care settings, from outpatient care to operating rooms.

Pacific opened a new building for the physician assistant program on the Sacramento Campus earlier this year.

Physician assistant students have 15 months of classroom work and 12 months of clinical rotations. Professor and Program Director Tracey DelNero said there were 2,400 applicants vying for 75 spots for the spring 2025 cohort.

“Our alumni are poised to provide care across all medical and surgical specialties and receive advanced procedural skills training,” DelNero said. “We recruit and train students in California’s Central Valley. Nearly 50% of the alumni remaining in California provide care in these same medically underserved areas.”

The Hearst Foundation also has provided student scholarships and supported COVID pandemic relief, pediatric oral health care and much more at Pacific over the years.

See UOP press release (Dec. 11, 2024).

 

 

All-time high for first-year student enrollment and steady overall growth reported,

despite FAFSA challenges, including at three CVHEC member CSU campuses  

 

For the second consecutive year, the California State University (CSU) welcomed an all-time high number of first-time, first-year students for fall 2024—more than 68,500 new students across its 23 universities, including at the three CSU members of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium: Bakersfield, Fresno and Stanislaus.

Preliminary data the university reported in October also show an overall enrollment increase of 2% from the previous year to more than 461,000 students, as well as a similar percentage growth in the number of California residents enrolled. CSU’s enrollment for 2024 is also reflective of California’s dynamically diverse demographics, with more than half of first-year students from historically underserved groups (Latinx, Black, Native American).

This week, the three CSU members of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium provided these campus breakdowns for the fall 2024 semester:

• CSU Bakersfield’s total campus enrollment of 10,770 represents 6% growth including a 7% increase in First-time First-year students, a 34% increase in new transfer students, a 7% increase in Latinx students (69% of all students are Latinx) and a 5% increase in African American students
• Fresno State welcomed a record-setting number of new undergraduate students and transfer students (6,541) this fall: 3,676 freshmen and 2,865 transfer students. Total enrollment for the university’s 114th academic year is 24,310. 57% of its students come from Fresno County while 82% come from the broader six-county region (Fresno, Madera, Kings, Tulare, Merced and Mariposa counties).
• Stanislaus State’s total fall enrollment of 9,295 included an increase in new undergraduate students with 8,243. This was fueled by a 6% increase in new first-time transfer students from 1,241 to 1,316.

“This promising upward momentum demonstrates the confidence that Californians have in the extraordinary power of a CSU degree to transform lives, particularly for America’s new majority, comprised of first-generation students, students of color, low-income students and adults seeking new opportunities,” said Chancellor Mildred García.

“Our world-class faculty and staff look forward to supporting our new scholars’ success as the CSU continues to advance our multi-year, holistic enrollment growth strategy, focusing on recruitment, retention and strengthening pathways for community college transfer students.”

The CSU’s increased enrollment numbers for fall 2024 are also a testament to the monumental efforts of financial aid staff across the 23 universities to ensure that admitted students and their families had additional time to receive and consider financial aid offers that were delayed as a result of the difficulties in the rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA—the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the CSU report said.

“University financial aid teams worked tirelessly to meet urgent needs, including quickly reaching out to students with incomplete FAFSAs, offering care and reassurance to concerned students and parents, and rapidly processing thousands of provisional aid offers once federal data was received,” the report said.

The CSU also joined the University of California to extend its intent to register deadline for new students to allow more time for students to consider financial aid packages.

The report said that while many states saw double-digit declines in FAFSA applications this year, thanks in large part to the CSU’s efforts, as of August, California is among the top 15 states with the highest 2024-25 FAFSA completion rates.

“What’s more, federal Pell Grant awards for CSU students increased systemwide and at most campuses for fall 2024,” the report said. “Increases in federal Pell awards improve access and affordability and minimize debt for CSU’s diverse students.”

Although fall 2024 overall systemwide enrollment is not expected to exceed pre-pandemic numbers, the preliminary data signals additional growth in the coming years. In addition to a record-breaking first-time, first-year student headcount, the CSU saw growth over 2023 enrollment among transfer students (7%), continuing undergraduate students (1%) and graduate students (2%).

 

​​​Preliminary CSU Systemwide Enrollment for Fall 2024

• 461,439 total students (2% growth)
  • 408,151 undergraduates
  • 68,525 first-year students (on par with 2023 all-time high)
  • 52,261 transfer students (7% growth)
  • 53,288 graduate and post baccalaureate students (2% growth)
• 96% of California first-year applicants were admitted
• 7% increase in California Community College transfers
• 58% of first-year students are from historically underserved groups (Black, Native American, Latinx). (54% of all undergraduates are from historically underserved groups)
  • ​ 54% of first-year students are Latinx (50% of all undergraduates are Latinx)
  • 4% of first-year students are Black (4% of all undergraduates are Black)
• 52% of first-year students are from low-income families (50% of all undergraduates are from low-income families)

 

See the original CSU press release (Oct. 8 , 2024)

 

Media contact for each campus:

CSU Bakersfield: Jennifer Self – jself@csub.edu or (661) 319-8778

CSU Stanislaus: Rosalee Billingslea Rush – rbrush@csustan.edu or 209-664-6780.

Fresno State: Lisa Bell –  lbell@csufresno.edu or 559.278.5366

 

About the Califo​rnia State University

The California State University is the nation’s largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and more than one-quarter of undergraduates are first-generation college students. Because the CSU’s 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom. ​