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MEMBER NEWS (May 2024): Medical training throughout CVHEC membership

This special edition of the Central Valley Higher Education e-newsletter featuring medical education in the Central Valley focuses on the medical school programs of two CVHEC members that confer medical doctor degrees (University of California San Francisco Fresno and California Health Sciences University) or partner directly (University of California Merced’s SJV Prime+ Program). Other valuable medical-related training is offered at nearly all the consortium member institutions, such as nursing and physical therapy at the 15 community colleges and three California State University campuses. At Fresno State, doctoral degrees are conferred in nursing and physical therapy.  In addition to our monthly board and member news, here are just a few highlights of what other CVHEC members have undertaken in recent years:

CSUB receives $1 million to build
Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

Kern Health Systems (KHS) has announced a $1 million grant toward the establishment of a Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at California State University, Bakersfield, part of a $20 million package of support made by Kern County’s largest health plan to expand access to health care, educate more primary-care professionals and narrow health equity gaps in one of the most medically underserved regions of the state.  [MORE]

University of Pacific receives nearly $1M to support future health care providers

University of the Pacific’s School of Health Sciences has been awarded nearly $1 million in state grants to further its mission of educating students who can fill the urgent need for health care providers in underserved areas. Pacific received a $2.5 million grant in 2022 to expand underrepresented students’ access to health professions and a $1.7 million grant earlier this year to increase the number of behavioral health care workers in California. [MORE]

• Nursing Pathway Program expands at the CSU [MORE]

• California Community Colleges Nursing Educational Programs Legislative Report 2020-2022 [MORE]

• Stan State: nursing program ranked among Top 4 in affordability by BestColleges.com [MORE]

• Fresno City College/Fresno State: federal funding to help address nursing shortage [MORE]

• UCSF School of Medicine, UCSF Fresno and Upstream USA expand access to patient-centered contraceptive care for Fresno County [MORE]

• San Joaquin Valley has a therapist shortage. Here’s how a university hopes to change that [MORE]

• Fresno State: Physical Therapy Program helps people across their lifespan [MORE]

• CSUB nursing alumni fundraiser event celebrates 50th graduating class milestone [MORE]

• UCSF Fresno Doctors Academy Programs Celebrate Graduating Students [MORE]

CHSU President Flo Dunn conferred honorary doctorate 

California Health Sciences University Founding President Florence Dunn was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of her leadership, dedication and service to the university.

Presenting the award at the university’s inaugural Commencement May 19 in Fresno were Dr. Kristin Clark and Dr. John Welty, vice chair and founding chair of the CHSU Board of Trustees, respectively. President Dunn and Chancellor Clark are current members of the CVHEC Board of Directors and President-emeritus Welty (Fresno State) is the founding chair of the CVHEC board.  [MORE]

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MEMBER NEWS: UOP tackles therapist shortage in North Valley

UOP’s Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology opens to students in fall 2024 and will help addres healthcare shortage in North Valley.

 

UOP: Marriage and family counseling focus

of Benerd’s new master’s program

 

University of the Pacific’s Benerd College has created a master’s degree program that will focus on marriage and family counseling, an area with a severe shortage of services in San Joaquin County.

The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology major will open with a cohort of approximately 15 to 20 students in fall 2024.

“My sense is this will be a popular degree,” said Justin Low, program lead and associate professor. “Mental health practitioners are scarce compared to the overall population, and that certainly is the case with marriage and family counseling. The shortage is very serious in San Joaquin County.”

CalMatters detailed the reasons for shortages of mental health providers, such as counselors, in a 2022 report. They include workload and burnout, pay level and California’s cost of living.

Low said graduates of the new program can likely earn salaries starting around $90,000. Benerd College has worked to align the major with state licensing requirements.

The degree will lead to work counseling married couples and individuals as well as entire families.

“There are advantages for students with an undergraduate degree in psychology. They know the language and some of the background,” Low said. “But by the time they go through programs such as this, those who came from the workforce and different vocations fit right in. Both paths work.

“Those entering this field tend to be self-reflective. They look at their skill set and see where they want to improve. They tend to think ‘what can I do better next time?’”

The program requires 60 units—high for a master’s program, but in line for psychology-related programs, according to Low—and 280 hours of experiential work with patients. Pacific has identified agencies and adjunct professors who will work with students.

Andra Zastrow has worked in marriage and family counseling for the past 22 years in Stockton and is an adjunct faculty member at Pacific. She views the new program as a boost for a troubled system.

“This is a very important step for getting access to care because we have such a lack of resources in Stockton,” Zastrow said. “Getting an appointment can take up to a month. Beyond that, nobody is taking insurance. Many people must pay out of pocket.

“I am so excited that Pacific has approved this program. This is a positive change in a rewarding field.”

The program is part of Benerd College’s strategic move into areas of social education.

“Leadership, education and behavioral and mental health are three areas of focus within our degree programs,” said Patricia Campbell, dean of Benerd College. “We are really expanding.”

 

See:

• UOP press release

• San Joaquin Valley has a therapist shortage. Here’s how a university hopes to change that – Recordnet (Jan. 10. 2024)

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MEMBER NEWS: UOP tackles healthcare shortage in North Valley

 

Pacific receives nearly $1M to support future health care providers

 

(APR 14, 2024) — University of the Pacific’s School of Health Sciences has been awarded nearly $1 million in state grants to further its mission of educating students who can fill the urgent need for health care providers in underserved areas.

Pacific will receive $540,000 for its Entry Level Master of Nursing program and more than $430,000 to create post-undergraduate fellowships for students in any health care discipline.

“We are grateful that the state is investing in our students,” said School of Health Sciences Dean Nicoleta Bugnariu. “Many are from the Central Valley and are committed to returning to their communities to provide the care that is so needed. This funding will help us enhance their education and attract more students.”

 

Nursing grant to expand training opportunities

The Song-Brown grant, provided by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, will allow the nursing program to create new training opportunities in places where there is a shortage of registered nurses.

Students currently conduct clinical training in several dozen sites throughout the Central Valley with more than half of them designated as shortage areas.

The funding also will allow the nursing program to expand simulation experiences to better prepare students for real-world scenarios.

The nursing program currently has a 1,650-square feet simulation space, which includes a lab, clinical skills area, simulators, control room and debriefing rooms. Simulation-based learning is incorporated in all clinical courses in the program.

“Human patient simulators are tremendously beneficial for student learning. They provide a safe environment for students to master the skills they have been taught,” said Nursing Chair and Program Director Ann Stoltz. “With this support from the state, we will be able to create even more practice opportunities for skill acquisition and clinical judgement to better prepare our future nurses.”

Pacific’s Entry Level Master of Science in nursing was launched in 2022 due to high demand for bedside nurses in the region. The first cohort will graduate in April 2024.

 

Supporting underrepresented students

A second grant will create paid fellowships for underrepresented students who are interested in pursuing a graduate health science degree.

“We are so grateful to have this opportunity at Pacific,” said Associate Professor and Chair of Speech-Language Pathology Derek Isetti. “This fellowship will greatly assist students from underrepresented backgrounds as they participate in clinical experiences that will help them to be successful in graduate health science programs.”

Five fellows per year will receive $15,000 each to help their transition through teaching, research, health career workshops, mentorship and other areas.

This is the third grant Pacific has received from the state’s Health Professions Pathways Program. The program is intended to support underrepresented students pursuing health care careers to create a more diverse workforce that better reflects the communities it serves.

Pacific received a $2.5 million grant in 2022 to expand underrepresented students’ access to health professions and a $1.7 million grant earlier this year to increase the number of behavioral health care workers in California.

 

 See also:

UOP Press release

UOP receives nearly $1M to support students to help fill the need for health care workers – BayCityNews Foundation

 

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HIGHER ED NEWS (MAY 2024): Student Mental Health


College Futures Foundation commissions

report on student mental health

Commissioned by College Futures Foundation, the report “Degrees of Distress” examines through a racial equity lens how higher education institutions hurt and help student mental health, with the goal of informing policy, practice and narrative for a national movement toward students thriving and succeeding in postsecondary and beyond.

Authored by acclaimed researchers and professors Dr. Sam Museus and Dr. Lindsay Pérez Huber, the report addresses how, with rising public concern around mental health, serious stressors are taking a toll on the well-being of college students across the country — and that students of color and those with significant financial barriers shoulder an even greater burden than their peers. “Many larger forces are hurting student mental health — including hostile political rhetoric, violence, wealth disparities and the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

But the research is clear: colleges and universities themselves are directly impacting how their students feel and fare.”

See the CFF report.

CFF: who is responsible for college student mental health?

In the latest episode of “Opportunity Forum with College Futures,” Dr. Lindsay Pérez Huber and Dr. Tiffany Herbert, associate vice president for health and well-being at California State University, Dominguez Hills, discuss “Taking Responsibility for College Student Mental Health” with guest host Dr. April Yee, College Futures’ holistic student support and mental health lead.

The show is a conversation space presented by the College Futures Foundation for innovators and influencers to discuss emerging issues and equity solutions in and around public higher education. Eloy Ortiz Oakley, president & CEO of College Futures Foundation, hosts. See the CFF episode.

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CVHEC commemorates TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK (May 5-11, 2024)

Dr. John Spevak (at right), vice president-emeritus of Merced College and currently a regional coordinator for CVHEC, was an English teacher early in his career and now coordinates the English and Math Task Forces for the consortium working directly with community college teachers in the valley’s nine-county region. Here he facilitates the Math Task Force convening in Fresno January 26. For Teacher Appreciation Week, CVHEC reposts this column Dr. Spevak wrote for the Westside Express recently. This occasion is a special time to honor the men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children. It’s a chance for parents, caregivers, and community members to celebrate the hard work and dedication of teachers and school staff throughout the year. 

Teaching English In A Community College:

Today Versus Yesterday

 

BY DR. JOHN SPEVAK
CVHEC Regional Coordinator
Vice President-Emeritus – Merced College

 

The other day I had a conversation with college professors who teach English to community college students (as I taught English at the Los Baños college campus many years ago).

I came away from that conversation thanking my lucky stars I taught in the 1970s and 80s — and not today.

When I taught my first English class at the Los Baños Campus of Merced College in 1971, life was good, and so was teaching. I enjoyed sharing my love of reading and writing with the students gathered in my classroom.

I appreciated the many times when the students, young and old, expressed their increased enjoyment of reading and writing as a result of being in my class. There were many lively, interpersonal interactions.

When I gave writing assignments, I knew my students were responding with their own thoughts and ideas, which often were the result of questions they asked in class. I appreciated the growth I saw as students became more proficient writers, as well as more thoughtful readers.

And I enjoyed it when students came into my office and engaged in thoughtful conversations, with questions that enabled them to explore ideas in more depth.

Today, however, for all professors in community colleges but especially those who teach English, teaching has become much harder and less interpersonal.

Today’s community college English professors have to navigate and endure six challenges I never had to face: “bot students,” having to teach online, the lingering consequences of COVID, two new state regulations and (most recently) artificial intelligence.

I don’t know how they do it. But listening to them, I realize they persist while keeping their love for English and their passion for helping students succeed.

“Bot students” was a term that was new to me. My colleagues explained these are fraudulent or fake students, names and student ID numbers of nonexistent people that show up on class lists. Bot students are the work of sophisticated cyber-scammers trying to illegally collect financial aid.

One English professor told me he noticed 30 names on his first class roll sheet, only to find that just five of them were real.

College technology administrators are doing everything they can to distinguish real students from bot or fake students, but scammers keep finding new ways for bot students to appear on class roles, especially for online classes.

This brings up another current challenge for community college professors—teaching online. Currently about 50 percent of community college students prefer taking courses online instead of in person. For a professor to keep her or his job, this almost always results in being required to teach one or more classes online.

Teaching online, something I never had to do as an English instructor, is much different from teaching in person, especially after two years of COVID, during which the only classes were online.

Good online teachers really have to work to get interactions between themselves and their students. And they have to make sure the students’ work is truly their own.

COVID also created another challenge. During the pandemic, most high schools were reluctant to give Fs to students because many students had insurmountable challenges to online access. In many cases students passed courses just by virtually showing up.

After COVID, a lingering challenge for community college professors is the “COVID” approach many students have about passing the course. They ask their professors, “You mean I have to do the work?”

For California community college English teachers there is still another challenge. A few years ago, the state legislature passed regulations which essentially eliminated remedial English classes. Overall, it was a good idea, because too many students gave up when they had to keep taking remedial courses.

This created a new challenge for English professors. How do they help students who have had limited success in writing become proficient writers in one semester? Good college English teachers have found ways, but it requires much more time and energy than I spent teaching to make this happen.

Meanwhile, recent state legislation also makes it easier for community colleges to offer college classes to high school students on their high school campuses. This was another good idea, enabling more and more students to get a head start on college.

At schools where there are few if any high school teachers with master’s degrees in English, many community college English professors needed to travel to the high schools to teach those college courses.

Finally, here comes artificial intelligence (AI), which makes it much easier for real community college students to cheat by submitting essays generated by a computer and not by their own minds.

Today’s professors, especially in English courses, have to find ways to determine whether a student’s writing is truly his or her own. This is especially challenging when teaching online courses.

Whew, I’m exhausted just listing the challenges today’s community college English professors face that I didn’t 40 years ago.

All of this makes me appreciative and proud of my current English teaching colleagues. The community college English professors I know are determined to meet all these challenges even though it takes much more time and effort to teach English today than “in my day.”

I salute my current English colleagues who continue to do such an important job, making college students better readers and writers and giving them greater opportunities to succeed in college, in careers and in life.

 

See the original Westside Express version (March 29, 2024 )

CVHEC blogs by Dr. John Spevak :

WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING BLOG (September 2023): Teachers

WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING BLOG (December 2023): The gift of math

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CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (April 2024): The math mission!

A mission of math continues in the Central Valley

 

Greetings CVHEC friends and colleagues!

Welcome to our April newsletter as we are a month or so to closing out another academic year in the Central Valley. We are particularly pleased to shine a spotlight on our community college board members for National Community College Month. Our Central Valley community college leaders are dedicated to serving our students with great pride.

You will note that this issue focuses on mathematics education activity in the Central Valley.  Our CVHEC partners — College Bridge and the Charles A. Dana Center from the University of Texas at Austin — have been working with our regional partner community colleges and high schools to build pathways and eliminate barriers for our students looking to navigate the challenge of completing their gateway courses in college math.

You will get a glimpse of the work that the Central Valley Math Task Force members will be undertaking at their April 19 convening.  Also, an update by Dr. Nicole Korgie highlights the progress College Bridge has made with implementing the Math Bridge project to enroll high school students in college level dual enrollment classes.

But our big news on the math mission front is the awarding of two grants to CVHEC from the Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Programs by the WE Will! K-16 Collaborative that will expand our Math Bridge and Master’s Upskilling projects into the north valley. Congrats CVHEC-members: University of California, Merced (WE Will’s lead agency); Merced College; Modesto Junior College; San Joaquin Delta College; and California State University, Stanislaus for your leadership.

And in our News section, we welcome new presidents to two of our CVHEC member institutions:

  • Britt Rios-Ellis was named by the California State University Board of Trustees as the new president at CSU Stanislaus effective July 1.
  • Dr. Rafe E. Trickey will begin his tenure as superintendent/president of Taft College May 3 after his appointment by the West Kern Community College District.

We look forward to having President-select Rios-Ellis and President-select Trickey join us on the CVHEC Board of Directors.

Thank you all, I hope you enjoy this April issue.

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MATH BRIDGE UPDATE- April 2024

The road to Orosi, California typifies the rich rural areas of Central California where CVHEC and College Bridge are reaching
out to provide Math Bridge services that help prepare high school students for college. (Tom Uribes photo)

Math Bridge campaign identifies nearly

1,000 students for college-level math courses

 

BY DR. NICOLE KORGIE
Vice President of Operations – College Bridge

The Central Valley Math Bridge project is off and running as 13 committed high school partners with College Bridge and the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium are completing a student recruitment campaign that has identified nearly 1,000 students ready to take on college math and nearly half of those indicating their interest to participate.

The impact Math Bridge is having on education in the region is seen in one general characteristic of these students: they were likely NOT to have taken an advanced math course, or even math at all, in their senior year.

Now, as more high school students graduate with solid/advanced math skills though Math Bridge, more students will find success in college and career, filling vital local workforce needs.

The participating high schools stretching across the Valley’s nine-county region from Taft to Stockton are partnering with six community college members of CVHEC to offer the math dual enrollment courses at their respective campuses beginning next fall (student breakdown in parenthesis.  The community colleges and their participating feeder schools are::

DELTA COLLEGE: Stagg High School, Weber Academy;

MERCED COLLEGE: Atwater High, Buhach Colony High School, Golden Valley High School, Livingston High School, Mariposa High School;

REEDLEY COLLEGE: Dinuba High School, Orosi High School, Sanger High School, Sanger West High School;

TAFT COLLEGE: Taft High School;

WEST HILLS COLLEGE LEMOORE: Riverdale High School.

 

The campaign: no longer running from math!

The nearly 1,000 Central Valley students from these high schools identified as great prospects to participate in Math Bridge have solid academic GPA’s — between 2.3 – 3.4 — but have struggled in high school math.

Beginning at Taft High School in January, the prospective students were presented with information about Math Bridge and the benefits of participating such as allowing these students to complete a college level math course before they graduate from high school.

While you may think that many if not all students who fear or dislike math would run screaming if presented with the opportunity to take a college level math course, you may now re-think that: of the nearly 1,000 students identified, NEARLY HALF completed a form AFFIRMING their interest in participating in Math Bridge. They expressed a desire to take on the challenge of college level math that the Math Bridge project provides the high school including extensive support to help students pass the course.

For the upcoming academic year, all Math Bridge partner sites will offer a statistics course though their local community college. Math Bridge will be working with the college faculty and high school math teacher at each site to ensure that appropriate support services are provided to the students in the course.

We are currently following up with the 500 students who completed the interest form in the recruitment sessions to ensure that they meet with their school counselor to confirm that Math Bridge is the correct option for them for senior year and their post-secondary goals.

To date, 230 students have signed up. And we’re not done yet as Dinuba and Stagg have yet to begin their student recruitment process so even more students will be given this opportunity by the time we provide a final enrollment number in a future update.

 

Prepping participant high schools for Math Bridge

As this student recruitment campaign wraps up this spring, we now move into the support phase for the educators from the high school participants with a special event May 3 in Fresno to help prepare teachers for the Math Bridge project’s launch in the fall semester.

On that day, College Bridge will host our Math Bridge Instructional Planning Meeting where college and high school math instructors and their support teams (math coaches, chairs, supporting faculty) will collaborate with our project team around the who, how, when, where and what for the Math Bridge courses to be taught in Academic Year 2024-2025.

Activities for the day will include reviewing curriculum, assessments and commonalities between college courses and any necessary local differences. We will also review the requirements for instructors to earn the project stipend as well as calendaring all future planning and collaboration times per college service area.

It is understandable that some feel the slight mention of math is enough to squash any conversation but the groundbreaking role these Central Valley high schools and their community college partners are taking on with College Bridge and CVHEC is a new level of excitement for educators seeking to arm their students for a successful higher education experience.

 

BACKGROUND:  College Bridge’s mission is to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent underrepresented students from progressing to and through college specifically focusing on Black, Latino, low-income and rural students. One of its two objectives is to expand strategic dual enrollment partnerships to serve low-income, rural and Latino students in California’s Central Valley. In December 2022, College Bridge was awarded a five-year $4 million US Department of Education grant for the Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project so six CVHEC community colleges could provide college-level math classes that will improve and support college readiness for underprepared students in the colleges’ respective service areas. In April 2023, the project received a $1,075,340 award from the California Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program through two Central Valley K-16 programs – the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative and the Tulare-Kings College & Career Collaborative. Then in December 2023,  a $2,196,928 federal grant was awarded for expansion of the College Transition Bridge project that, among other features, will advance collaboration with CVHEC’s Central Valley Transfer Project and its college course-planning software, Program Pathway Mapper, as well as with consortium member colleges.

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CVHEC BOARD NEWS: Dr. Rafe E. Trickey named Taft College president

The West Kern Community College District (WKCCD) Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Rafe Edward Trickey, Jr. to become the next superintendent/president of Taft College.

He will replace Superintendent/President Brock McMurray who is retiring after 23-plus years with the district. McMurray has served as superintendent/president since July 2022.

Dr. Rafe E. Trickey, Jr.

The board intends to approve an employment agreement at the next regular meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, 2024, with a start date to follow on June 3, 2024 when he will also become a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors made up of the heads of 28 institutions of higher education in the nine-county region.

The selection was made following a nationwide search, coordinated by Community College Search Services, that produced a strong pool of well-qualified applicants for the position.

A diverse search committee of campus and community members narrowed the list of applicants down to five finalists who presented at public forums on March 21 and interviewed with the Board of Trustees on March 22.

Taft College Board President Billy White stated, “On behalf of the Taft College Board of Trustees, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Rafe Edward Trickey, Jr. as our next Taft College superintendent/president. Dr. Trickey brings certain depth and breadth of experience and knowledge to the college in a time of transition and great opportunity.

We sincerely thank the search committee and Taft community members for their valuable time and input during this process. Please join the Taft College Board of Trustees in congratulating Dr. Trickey on his new role!”

About Dr. Trickey

Dr. Rafe Edward Trickey, Jr. currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the North San Diego County Promise, a San Diego County inclusive collective-impact partnership that is united by a shared vision of all youth and adults reaching their fullest potential in grade school, college, career and life. The North San Diego County Promise strategically and efficiently aligns programs, services and resources to improve the social, emotional, academic and life success of service community members. The North San Diego County Promise’s intentionally collaborative, equity-focused, and data-informed work is concentrated on inclusionary systems change and ensuring marginalized communities have equitable access to educational, economic, and life opportunities.

Dr. Trickey is an experienced, empowering, courageous, visionary, equity-minded, and success-focused leader, who has enjoyed an extensive career in education, public-benefit corporations, and public service. He maintains that creating success pathways, empowering people, and expanding equitable access are very important. For over four decades, he has championed the maxim that when some among us are not succeeding, none of us is really succeeding. He has served as President of Comanche Nation College, an open-access, community/tribal college in Oklahoma, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sisseton Wahpeton College, an open-access, community/tribal college in South Dakota, as Vice President of Student Services and Vice President of Planning and Institutional Development at the College of the Marshall Islands, an open-access, public community college in the Marshall Islands, as Executive Director of Development and External Relations at Citrus College, a California Community College, as President and Chief Executive Officer of the California-wide CHP 11-99 Foundation, and as City Treasurer in the City of Oceanside, California. Among multiple community member success supporting volunteer leadership tenures, Dr. Trickey has served as a Housing Commissioner in the City of Oceanside, as a Co-chair of the Alliance for Regional Solutions’ Racial Justice Committee, as Board of Directors Treasurer with Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence, as a Leadership Mentor and Advisor with Operation HOPE-North County, and as Board of Directors Treasurer with the Oceanside Promise.

Over the course of his leadership career, Dr. Trickey has cultivated a robust record specializing in student success, innovation, and mobilizing resources to improve educational outcomes and life opportunities. During his leadership tenures, the institutions he has served have secured new resources and realized measurable improvements in service population success. He maintains particular research and service commitments on utilizing a collective impact framework to guide collaboration focused on systems change, promoting and mentoring more women into top leadership positions (including superintendent positions, chancellorships, presidencies, executive directorships and public office), and the impacts evaluator attitudes, the role congruity biases many people consciously and unconsciously maintain, and evaluation practices have on perceptions of leader efficacy and leader success and persistence. Dr. Trickey is also committed to closing opportunity gaps for students and creating and delivering success-support pathways to individuals experiencing housing and food insecurity, as well as developing and implementing programs that uplift indigenous and other underrepresented and disproportionately impacted students.

Dr. Trickey was the first in his family line to attend and graduate college. He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership degree from the University of California, San Diego, a Master of Science in Education degree from the University of Southern California, a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University in the City of New York, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an Associate of Arts degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences from Modesto Junior College, a Certificate in Fund Raising with a Specialization in the Institutional Development Process from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a California Community College Instructor Credential in Government, valid for life.

Upon accepting his new position, Dr. Trickey shared, “As a product of the Great Central Valley and a California Community College alumnus, I’m beyond delighted to begin service as Taft College’s next Superintendent/President!

I’m very eager to start engaging with colleagues and building impactful and enduring relationships with local businesses, industry, and school districts throughout Taft College’s expansive service community. I’m committed to work collaboratively for the benefit of the entire West Side, assure Taft College continues to provide state-of-the-art educational opportunities and world-class career training services, and maintain Taft College’s place as the jewel in the crown of this region.

I’m also energized about working with the dedicated members of the West Kern Community College District Board of Trustees and Taft College’s amazing faculty, staff, and fellow administrators to create success pathways, empower people, and expand equitable access. Doing so is important to me, because I believe we’re all in this together; when some among us are not succeeding, none of us is really succeeding.”

To learn more about the West Kern CCD and Taft College go to https://www.taftcollege.edu/.

 

About Taft College

Established in 1922, Taft College is one of the oldest California Community Colleges. Located in Western Kern County, Taft College provides continuous learning opportunities for over 6,000 students through more than 50 vocational and professional degrees, transfer programs, and certificates. These innovative programs are made available at a fraction of the cost of state and private colleges. Proud to transform the lives of highly diverse students and adult learners, Taft College delivers vital pathways to advanced education and enhanced employment. In 2022, Taft College proudly celebrated its centennial year of student success.

 

See:

Taft College press release

KERO TV story

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CVHEC BOARD NEWS: Britt Rios-Ellis appointed Stanislaus State president

The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has appointed Britt Rios-Ellis to serve as president of California State University, Stanislaus July 1, 2024 when she will also become a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors made up of the heads of 28 institutions of higher education in the nine-county region.

Britt Rios-Ellis

Rios-Ellis currently serves as provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs at Oakland University (OU), a public research university in Rochester, Michigan.

“I am both honored and humbled to serve this outstanding University alongside the talented faculty, staff, administrators and students at Stanislaus State, and to be the first new president selected under the leadership of Chancellor Mildred García,” said Rios-Ellis.

“I am eager to get to know the Turlock and Stockton communities and work together to ensure that the positive impact of our students’ and the University’s overall success is felt profoundly throughout the region.”

Rios-Ellis will be the University’s 13th leader, succeeding Interim President Susan E. Borrego who has served in the role since the retirement of President Emerita Ellen Junn in summer 2023.

“On behalf of the Stan state community, I welcome Dr. Rios-Ellis,” Interim President Borrego said. “She will join a community of committed faculty, staff and students who are proud to be a part of such an amazing University.”

“Dr. Rios-Ellis is an inspirational, compassionate and mission-driven leader, guided by a commitment to inclusive excellence and student success,” said CSU Trustee Yammilette Rodriguez, chair of the Stanislaus State Presidential Search Committee. “Her wide-ranging experience, student-centered approach and commitment to broader community engagement make her the ideal candidate to lead Stanislaus State in its next exciting chapter.”

Since joining the Oakland University leadership team in 2021, Rios-Ellis has focused on student and faculty success efforts with a focus on equity, resulting in an 8% increase in retention of underrepresented students, as well as decreasing equity gaps in bottleneck courses, and time to graduation. At Oakland University, she has worked with faculty to increase research activity, with the OU Senate to strengthen shared governance, and with deans and faculty to establish new and needed academic programs. She also coordinated successful fundraising and budget realignment efforts for the university and led an initiative to secure OU’s Carnegie elective classification for Community Engagement.

In all, Rios-Ellis has led more than $59 million in student- and community-strengthening health and education-related efforts funded by the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Education among other agencies, as well as in collaboration with industry partners to reinforce workforce pipelines.

This marks a return to the CSU system for Rios-Ellis. Prior to joining OU, she served as founding dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at California State University, Monterey Bay (2014 to 2020), where she led fundraising and strategic planning efforts and co-founded the Master of Science Physician Assistant Program — the first of its kind in the CSU.

From 1994 to 2014, Rios-Ellis served as a faculty member in the Department of Health Science at California State University, Long Beach. During that time, she also served as founding director of CSULB’s Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training (2005 to 2015) in alliance with UnidosUS, where she worked to promote and advocate for the health, culture and well-being of diverse communities. She was recognized with a CSULB Outstanding Professor Award in 2013 for her significant impact on Latinx health research and education, and she was named Woman of the Year by the National Hispanic Business Women’s Association in 2010 and the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2009. Additionally, in 2008, she received the Sol Award from the Los Angeles County Office of HIV/AIDS Planning Prevention.

Rios-Ellis earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish, a master’s degree in health and fitness management and a Ph.D. in community health — all from the University of Oregon.

 

 

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Rosalee Rush 209.664.6780 or rbrush@csustan.edu

See:

CSU Stanislaus press release

Britt Rios-Ellis appointed as next Stan State president

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