WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING BLOG (March 2023): CCC Chancellor-Select Sonya Christian

The role of higher education in the Central Valley is increasingly recognized by our state’s elected officials and the public at large. So it carries a particular significance that on Feb. 23, the California Community College Board of Governors appointed Dr. Sonya Christian, chancellor of the Kern Community College District, as the incoming chancellor of the state’s community college system. Dr. Christian is a proven champion of the under-represented populations served by the community colleges in the San Joaquin Valley. For this month’s “What The CV-HEC Is Happening”  blog, CVHEC’s Executive Director Benjamin Duran connected with Dr. Christian to capture her thoughts about her work in the Central Valley, and the California Community College system as a whole, before she formally steps into her new role this June.

Higher Ed in the Central Valley

A look at a tenure of accomplishments by KCCD Chancellor chosen to lead the CCC System – Part 1

 

Benjamin Duran: Thank you, Sonya, for taking the time to speak with us here at CVHEC, and congratulations again on your appointment to the state Chancellor’s office. We are elated to have an administrator from the Central Valley representing higher education in such an important office. What are your thoughts on the work being done in the valley, and how that ongoing work will inform your work statewide?

 

Sonya Christian: Thank you for inviting me, Ben. My focus will be to continue to advance student success and student access with equity … without distractions.  This has been my work as president of Bakersfield College (BC), as chancellor of the Kern Community College District (Kern CCD), and it will continue to be my focus as the statewide chancellor.

The critical challenges we face in the Central Valley are emblematic of the challenges and opportunities we face in California – e.g. the enrollment decline during the pandemic and the basic needs of our students. The challenges are magnified in the Central Valley’s populations with higher levels of poverty, lower educational attainment levels, larger proportions of first-generation college students… and I believe the work we have been doing and will continue to do in the Central Valley should serve as a model for advancing student success with equity in the rest of the state.

Let me take a moment to brag about the innovation that has happened in the Central Valley, and acknowledge the leadership role that CVHEC has had in this work.

Dual Enrollment and Early College

I see Dual Enrollment and Early College as being essential. High school students need to know that they are on the path to college and can succeed on that path. This is all the more important for our first-gen students.

I believe that all our work should be supported by the data. Let me share with you some of the data for the Dual Enrollment/Early College sections in the Central Valley.

  • Total special admit enrollments increased by 25% in 2021-2022; from 74,629 enrollments in 2020-2021 to 93,248 enrollments 2021-2022 (CA state growth was 5%)
  • 21% (93,248 out of 441,691) of all special admit enrollments in California in 2021-2022 were from the Central Valley Region
  • 5 out of the 9 high schools that received the CDE’s California Dual Enrollment Exemplary Award were from the Central Valley Region
    • Arvin High School- Bakersfield College
    • Delano High School- Bakersfield College & Cerro Coso Community College
    • Robert F. Kennedy High School- Bakersfield College & Cerro Coso Community College
    • McFarland High School- Bakersfield College
    • Avenal High School- West Hills College, Coalinga

Transfer

The Central Valley has done remarkable work supporting the detailed institutional clarification and creation of transfer pathways, including the implementation of Program Pathways Mapper.  E.g., about two years after UC Merced, Merced College and Bakersfield College began collaborating on clarifying transfer pathways as part of a Learning Lab grant, enrolling transfer students took a big jump relative to the overall UC system.  In fall 2021 they enrolled 19% more transfers, and in fall 2022 it was 14% more.

In all, UC Merced has published 27 vetted transfer pathways with Merced College and another 29 with Bakersfield College. UC Merced has also been engaging all Central Valley community colleges in linking their program maps to UC Merced to establish a network of transfer pathways for the region.

CSU Bakersfield has also been a leader in transfer pathways mapping with 39 transfer program maps currently linked to Bakersfield College programs.

And CSU Stanislaus has just begun onboarding onto the Program Pathways Mapper, adding more transfer momentum to the region’s guided pathways efforts.

Workforce Development

The 15 colleges in the Central Valley/Mother Lode (CVML) Regional Consortium have been advancing equity and access for students in many areas:

  • Increased the number of students who earned a degree, certificate, or apprenticeship by 5%
  • Decreased the average number of units accumulated by First-Time Associate Degree Earners by 4%
  • Developed over 120 programs in high-priority industry sectors to address skills gaps in the workforce

Here are some examples of great work from our colleges:

  • Fresno City College and its sister institutions, Clovis, Madera, and Reedley, are pioneering an apprenticeship program called the California Tribal Environmental and Cultural Equitable Vocational Training to close equity gaps for indigenous residents in two programs: Environmental Science and Protection Technician and Cultural Protection Technician/Monitor. This project is a collaboration with the California Tribal Emergency Response and Relief Agency (CTUAC) and the California Tribal Unilateral Apprenticeship Committee (CTUAC). The purpose of the project is to recruit 25 apprentices from tribal communities.
  • Bakersfield College hosted the first CVML Apprenticeship Forum in December 2022 to provide best practice strategies in meeting Governor Newsom’s equity goal of having 500,000 apprenticeships by 2029. Additionally, it received the California Apprenticeship Initiative: New & Innovative grant to develop apprenticeship programs in Information and Communication Technology as well as Perioperative Nursing for underrepresented students.
  • West Hills College Lemoore is leading a regional project called Jumpstart for rising seniors to learn about Industrial Automation and gain work experience in an accelerated summer bridge program with Reedley College, College of the Sequoias, and Porterville College.
  • Recently, 9 of the CVML colleges (Columbia, Fresno, Bakersfield, Cerro Coso, West Hills College Lemoore, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin Delta, Modesto, College of the Sequoias, Porterville, and Taft) received the second largest award for the Regional Equity and Recovery Partnership (RERP) grant, a partnership among the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), and the California Community College Regional Consortia via the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. These colleges are coordinating a regional effort to improve job quality and access for women and underrepresented populations to help meet economic, social, and environmental needs of the community.
  • Bakersfield College, Fresno City College, Merced College, Modesto College, San Joaquin Delta College and West Hills College Coalinga are part of the Rising Scholars Network, a CCCCO DEI initiative, that serves justice-involved and formerly involved students earn certificates and degrees to either transfer or to attain a mid- to high-wage job.
  • Fresno City College and Modesto Junior College are two of 14 California community colleges participating in the 3-year College Homeless Housing Insecure Pilot Program to address the 19% of unhoused students.

These selected initiatives make visible the scope of committed work in the Central Valley to support access with equity, and success with equity.

 

Ben: Whoa, that is a lot of data!  I guess that is what you get when you have a conversation with a former math faculty.  Now, Early College and Dual Enrollment has a lot of potential in the Central Valley, and Kern CCD has been one of the leaders in that space for several years. How has your work in this area as President of Bakersfield College and Chancellor of Kern CCD prepared you for this new role?

 

Sonya: It has been the greatest pleasure of my career to be able to give back to the district where I started in higher education as a math instructor. I came to USC as a foreign graduate student and was first hired as a math faculty at BC.  The President at that time, Rick Wright, and the Chancellor Jim Young, sponsored me for my green card.  And now I am a citizen of this amazing country.

The 25,000 sq miles of Kern’s Service area includes rural communities with lower economic and educational attainment levels, and includes a range of strong industries like agriculture, energy, defense and aerospace, healthcare and logistics. The work done by the three colleges in the Kern district – Porterville College, Cerro Coso College, and Bakersfield College – has focused on advancing equity in access to a college education, equity in completing a degree or certificate, and equity in placement in good jobs.  Various initiatives that were started as innovative projects have been institutionalized and are now a part of how we do our work.

The Early College efforts started with our rural communities of McFarland, Delano, Wasco, Shafter and Arvin/Lamont.  Kern has also see

n rapid growth in our health care programs and we are working closely with industry and community-based organizations to move our energy-

related work.

With the Governor’s ambitious climate agenda, I see community colleges as providing the necessary infrastructure and engagement for all of our communities, offering educational attainment with equity, and creating economic mobility with equity. Kern has established a satellite presence of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory called the California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL).

And I have to mention the deep work that Kern has done using the Guided Pathways framework, work that has resulted in significant improvements in student success outcomes with equity.

This work was done to meet the needs of students of the colleges of the Kern Community College District (KernCCD)and the Central Valley. But of course the fundamental needs are in common to students at colleges across the state. In that regard meeting the needs of the populations we serve at the Kern CCD and the Central Valley has prepared me well for the work ahead.

 

Ben: Throughout your career as an administrator, you’ve demonstrated a forward-thinking, outside-the-box approach. What are some of your other big priorities as you step into your new role as state chancellor this June?

 

Sonya: At the February 23rd, Board of Governors meeting where I was appointed, I made the following comment:

The Board of Governors is tasking the 11th Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to be both implementer and visionary, all at once, to further advance the next frontier of student success with equity.  Our work then is twofold:  (1) Implement the Vision for Success with equity, fidelity, at scale, using the identified metrics, and (2) expand the canopy of community college learners , to accelerate the socio-economic mobility for our most marginalized communities through partnerships that will reach working adults, disconnected youth and others left behind.

Let me call out a few specific pieces of work:

One of my first priorities will be to work alongside the Cal State and UC systems to improve intersegmental transfer from the community colleges into four-year institutions. We’ve talked previously about implementing the Vision for Success and the Governor’s Roadmap with equity and at scale, and that includes the community college transfer students moving to a four-year university and completing their bachelor’s degree.

Workforce Development has been on the top of my mind the last few years.  Systematically providing opportunities for working adults, disconnected youth and other learners who previously have been bypassed, is the next wave of our Guided Pathways work.  Our work today is creating the future of learning where there are many more flexible onramps to educational pathways that lead to quality jobs.

The Governor’s Roadmap calls out four priority sectors – healthcare, climate action, education and early education. Community colleges – together with our partners – must lead the way to meet these goals.

At Kern, I have been working on the Climate Action agenda specifically in the areas of Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Clean Transportation, and Grid Resilience.  I believe that Community Colleges are essential in advancing the state and federal goals for decarbonization and climate action, and it will be especially important to support the clean energy transition in the Central Valley.

Last and certainly not least, supporting our students with their basic needs by providing customized support for the diverse students we serve.  This includes the work we have started with mental health support, affordable student housing and the Cal Grant Reform.

 

Ben: Sonya, I am glad you mentioned transfer.  You know that CVHEC has identified this as a priority and has done great work on transfer pathways.  How do you see this playing out at the state level?

 

Sonya: Increasing baccalaureate attainment has always been a priority for me, ever since I started as President of BC.  Many of the underserved rural communities in Kern’s service have low educational attainment levels – this is why we launched, with urgency, the Rural Initiative as an equity imperative to advance educational attainment levels with the goal of advancing the socio-economic standing of these communities.  In this work, we specifically focused on: (i) increasing baccalaureate completion by creating transfer pathways from high schools through the community college to a four-year university as well as (ii) bringing bachelor’s degrees closer to home by developing local Community College Baccalaureate programs that lead to high-wage jobs.

The transfer legislation SB 1440 and the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) helped Kern increase completion rates of the transfer degree.  The graph shows the number of ADTs awarded at Kern increased from just over 1,000 five years ago in 2017-2018 to just over 2,500 in 2021-22; that is an increase of 146%.

And for California Community Colleges as a whole, the five-year increase from 36,101 ADTs conferred in 2016-17 to 62,934 in 2020-21 represents a 74% increase.

As more and more students complete the ADT, we need to ensure that the number of applications to our transfer institutions is increasing, as well. This will be a priority for me as I transition to my new role.

The Community College Baccalaureate is important to me.  I remember the excitement that rippled through California’s Community Colleges in 2015 when SB 805 passed that launched the 15-college baccalaureate pilot program.  And later in 2021 with AB 927 institutionalizing the pilot.  In the Central Valley, Bakersfield College is providing high-wage, workforce-focused baccalaureate degrees and has two baccalaureate degree programs: Industrial Automation and Research Laboratory Technician. Also, Modesto Junior College offers a Respiratory Care B.S. degree, and other Central Valley colleges are developing baccalaureate degree programs.  The Community College Baccalaureate will be a priority as I transition to my new role.

 

Ben: As always, it looks like you have an ambitious agenda, and I’m excited to see how the community colleges evolve to support students with equity under your leadership. The Central Valley stands ready to support you in your new role.  Thank you again for speaking with us. I know you’ll continue to make the Central Valley proud!

CVHEC IN THE NEWS: College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project

The College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project, in partnership with CVHEC, was featured in several media outlets the past month including live interviews with Fresno (KSEE24-NBC) by Dr. Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge. She was joined by Reedley College Math professor Jim Gilmore, who worked with high school teachers for College Bridge’s Math Pipeline Readiness Project (M-PReP).

WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING GUEST BLOG (February 2023): College Bridge and Dinuba HS

This month’s “What The CV-HEC Is Happening” guest blog is presented by Agustina Sanchez, a counselor at Dinuba High School in Tulare County who has participated in the College Bridge Math Pipeline Readiness Project (M-PReP) since it was implemented in 2013.  During the three-year project in concert with CVHEC-member Reedley College, Dinuba students not only acquired the necessary skills to become college-ready, but also passed college-level math classes through M-PReP, all in the span of their senior year. Mrs. Sanchez, who earned a bachelor’s degree at Fresno State in 2001 and master’s and PPS Credential in 2003, has been counseling for 19 years. Here she shares her experience with College Bridge and how its life-changing strategies helped high school students through initiatives such as M-PReP and its new Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project announced last month. 

Hard Pass? No more!

A rural Central Valley high school teams with College Bridge and

a CVHEC member for student math success through dual enrollment

 

BY AGUSTINA “AUGGIE” SANCHEZ
Dinuba High School – Dinuba CA (Tulare County)

Hard Pass! This was the typical response I received when registering high school juniors for a senior year math experience.

AP Calculus?  AP Statistics?   Pre-Calculus? No. No Way. Hard Pass!

As a high school counselor, I knew that our college-bound students were going to see math again (and, most likely, again and again). I did everything in my power to get college-bound students to take a math course, and while some took my advice, many did not because they “didn’t want a hard senior year,” or they would “just wait and take their next math in college.”

In fall 2018, I was introduced to a new partnership for Dinuba High School (DHS) with College Bridge. The goal of this partnership was to increase the number of students in a senior math experience, namely Dual Enrollment (DE) Math.

The concept was actually quite simple.

DHS partnered with a local community college to offer Dual Enrollment (DE) math courses to our seniors in areas of statistics, college algebra, college trigonometry and calculus.  College Bridge literally created a bridge between DHS and Reedley College to ensure our students’ success in this area. Our senior students enrolled and successfully completed these DE math courses with a C or better, many of them finishing their general education math for their bachelor’s degree while still high school students.

To build a foundation for student success, College Bridge created a system of support in all areas —  administrative, instruction, counseling and student learning:

  • To train in course curriculums, from statistics to calculus, DHS teachers received professional development in cohort with Reedley College professors.
  • Reedley College faculty not only came to mentor our teachers, but they were also released from the college to come and teach weekly at DHS while our teachers observed.
  • Reedley College faculty members then observed our teachers in action and guided them throughout the semester until our instructors demonstrated comfort in, and a comprehensive understanding of, curricular content and methodology.
  • To engage students,  a counseling mentor was provided to help promote, market, entice and enroll students into courses.
  • Parent nights were held, classroom presentations were conducted in Math 3 classes,  and College Bridge helped interested students complete the necessary steps to apply to Reedley College.
  • Our DHS math instructors taught the Reedley College content three days a week, offered tutorials the other two days, and additional after-school assistance was available three times per week.
  • Students were monitored and interventions applied early to ensure positive student learning outcomes.

DHS now had a new approach and convincing talking points to encourage students to enroll in a senior math experience:

  1. Do you want to complete your math for your bachelor’s degree here at DHS?
  2. This is your chance to complete your first year of calculus at DHS with the support of our teachers.
  3. Why wait until you get to Reedley College or Fresno State; this is your chance to finish your math here at DHS with your teacher’s support and interventions.

Needless to say, senior math enrollment increased.

In our first year of implementation, DHS just focused on Math 11 (Statistics).   College Bridge took things a step further, deeply investing efforts in the “striving math student.”  A pre-Statistics course was offered in the fall and then the magical Math 11 (statistics) DE in the spring, thus preparing students for a full semester before enrolling them into the DE course.

Our more advanced students took the Math 11 DE in the fall term, and a Quantitative Reasoning course in the spring (non DE). DHS senior students achieved their goal and entered college “math done” for their degrees.  Over the next three years,  DHS added algebra, trigonometry and calculus to DE math course offerings.

Now, nine years after the first implementation of College Bridge, dual enrollment math is still strong.

We have two full-time teachers who teach DE courses for a total of 10 sections and are currently registering current 11th graders for next year. Our student math conversations are not difficult; many students have already made a DE math choice, and compelling arguments and evidence — including the pros and cons of dual enrollment math — typically convince those students who are hesitant to choose the path to college credit.

The senior math experience “hard pass” era is no longer viable. Instead, our current students will “hardly pass” up this amazing opportunity to excel. 

 

(UPDATE May 26, 2023) – See Math Bridge Kickoff May 18 coverage.

CVHEC Board of Directors News

NOVEMBER 2022

SCCCD Selects Dr. Kim E. Armstrong For Clovis Community College Presidency

Dr. Kim E. Armstrong was named president of Clovis Community College by the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Board of Trustees Nov. 1.

President-select Armstrong will take office Jan. 3, 2023 when she will also join the CVHEC Board of Directors , which is made up the presidents and chancellors of its 30 higher education institution members. She will replace President Lori Bennett, whose retirement is effective Jan. 4.

Dr. Armstrong currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student, Equity, and Community Affairs at Arkansas State University Three Rivers.

She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Howard University in Physiological/Neuropsychology and has Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization certifications.

See the CCC press release.

CCC media contact:  Stephanie Babb at stephanie.babb@cloviscollege.edu.  

JULY 2022

Taft College President Daniels announces retirement this month

Congratulations to Dr. Debra Daniels who will retire as president of Taft College this month, she announced at the West Kern Community College District Board of Trustees meeting July 13. Brock McMurray, the executive vice president for Administrative Services will serve as interim superintendent/president while WKCCD conducts a search.

“We are grateful for President Daniels exemplary career in higher education and for her service to West Kern students as well as her service on our CVHEC Board of Directors,” said Dr. Benjamin Duran, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium. “We wish her all the best in her well-deserved retirement.”

MAY 2022

Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson chosen to lead Delta College – first Latina

Congratulations to Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson who was named San Joaquin Delta College’s 12th superintendent/president. She will be the first Latina and the first woman of color to serve in that role.

A former English professor with nearly three decades of community college experience, Dr. Aguilera Lawrenson has been serving as Delta’s acting superintendent/president since September 2021 when she also joined the CVHEC Board of Directors, which is made up the presidents and chancellors of its 30 higher education institution members.

See the San Joaquin Delta College press release.

Dr. André Stephens selected as the next president of Fresno Pacific University

 Congratulations to Dr. André Stephens who will assume the Fresno Pacific University presidency on July 1. He will join the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors, succeeding Dr. Joseph Jones, who completes five years of Pacific service upon retirement July 1 and also served on the CVHEC board’s executive committee.

Described as a leader with a long commitment to Christian higher education and expertise in student services and enrollment, Dr. Stephens brings 30 years of experience in Christian higher education in California, most recently as vice president for student development at Biola University since 2016.

See Fresno Pacific press release.

Fresno City College appoints Dr. Robert Pimentel to lead the state’s first community college

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Pimentel who was appointed president of Fresno City College Tuesday by State Center Community College District trustees effective July 1, replacing former President Carole Goldsmith who became chancellor for the district in January.  Dr. Marlon Hall was serving as interim president (see Goldsmith and Hall stories below).

Dr. Pimentel is vice president of Educational Services and Institutional Effectiveness at Fresno City College where he has been serving since 2018.  Before beginning his work at Fresno City College in 2018, he worked in leadership positions at West Hills for 11 years and as a classified staff member for more than six years.

He is a first-generation college student and a product of three CVHEC member institutions. He transferred from West Hills College Coalinga to Fresno State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social work. He earned a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis on mental health at California State University, Bakersfield, and a doctorate in educational leadership, higher education, at Fresno State.

APRIL 2022

Dr. Jones nearing retirement as Fresno Pacific University president  

Congratulations to Dr. Joseph Jones, who will be retiring as president of Fresno Pacific University this  summer after nearly five years of faithful service.

FPU Board of Trustees Chair Joshua Wilson, J.D., announced the retirement last fall saying, “On behalf of the FPU Board of Trustees I want to thank Joe and Yvette for their faithful service to the university and to the communities the university serves. We wish them all the best in their future journey and pray for God’s blessing on them.”

A search for a new president is now underway. See the retirement announcement. See President Jones bio.

Dr. Bennett announces retirement as Clovis Community College president  

Congratulations to Dr. Lori Bennett, who informed the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors earlier this month that she will retire as president of Clovis Community College effective January 2023.

President Bennett was appointed to serve as the second president of Clovis Community College in July, 2016.

Dr. Marlon Hall Named Interim President Of Fresno City College

Congratulations to Dr. Marlon Hall on his appointment to serve as interim president of Fresno City College by State CenterCommunity College District Chancellor Carole Goldsmith in January.

He replaces  Dr. Goldsmith who was appointed SCCCD chancellor in December. A search for the next FCC president is currently underway.

DECEMBER 2021

Goldsmith Named SCCCD Chancellor

Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who was named the 11th chancellor of the State Center Community College District last month, was confirmed by the SCCCD Board of Trustees Dec. 14 and begins her new position on Jan. 1. She fills the position vacated when Dr. Paul Parnell retired on July 6.

Dr. Goldsmith was serving as the president of Fresno City College at the time of her appointment and in that capacity was a member of the CVHEC Board of Directors, which is made up of the presidents and chancellors of its 29-member institutions in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties. She will remain on the board now as SCCCD chancellor. Dr. Goldsmith has also previously served as president of West Hills College Coalinga.

Dr. Goldsmith earned a bachelor of arts degree in history at Fresno State, a master of science in educational administration from National University (both CVHEC member institutions) and a doctorate in educational administration from the Joint Doctorate program offered by Fresno State and University of California, Davis.

In addition to Fresno City College , the district’s campuses are Reedley College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College, Madera Community College at Oakhurst and the Career & Technology Center.

SCCCD Board President Annalisa Perea said, “With more than 20 years of experience in a variety of educational leadership roles along with her knowledge of this district and the community, she is the right choice for this significant position.”

West Hills College Coalinga Names Tweed President

Dr. Carla Tweed, a Central Valley native, will lead her alma mater as the 6th president of West Hills College Coalinga effective January 14, 2022 when she also becomes a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium board of directors.

Preston Selected to lead West Hills College Lemoore

Mr. James Preston, former vice president of Educational Services who was serving as interim president of West Hills College Lemoore, was selected earlier this month to serve as the college’s 4th president effective January 1, 2022.

Thank you Sonia for your service to the CVHEC Board

Congratulations to Sonia Gutierrez-Mendoza, director of UMass Global’s Visalia Campus, (formerly Brandman) on her appointment as assistant vice chancellor for Admission Operations of the independent university. The appointment was effective Nov. 29 when Sonia moved to her new office in the Irvine central office. She participated in her final CVHEC Board meeting during the recent quarterly Zoom call Dec. 2.  Gutierrez-Mendoza joined UMass Global in 2009 and the CVHEC board in 2018.  She has led multiple university campuses in the Central Valley since 2012 and in 2018-2019 she spearheaded the initiative for a new campus location established in Visalia.

BOARD NEWS: Clovis Community College President’s Breakfast/State-of-the-College

President Bennett: Finishing Touches on a 30-Year Career

The Clovis Community College President’s Breakfast on Oct. 25 featured President Lori Bennett’s final State-of-the-College Address before her retirement Jan. 4 culminating nearly 30 years in higher education with the last seven as the head of CCC.  She is also a CVHEC board member.

During President Bennett’s tenure, Clovis Community College introduced 70 new degrees and certificates and a competitive athletics program.

Student retention and completion rates have improved and the college has been honored for the high rate of student transfers to four-year colleges including the Campaign for College Opportunity formally recognizing the college four years in a row for its work in increasing the number of students receiving associate degrees for transfer that guarantees transfer to a California State University.

Among the highlights was a presentation on the PODER Program (Title V grant) and a video presenting its successes in increasing the number of  Latino and low-income students in the Central Valley who have access to and complete degrees or certificates in STEM disciplines through guided pathways and partnerships that support increased transfer into four-year university STEM programs.

The campus is now preparing for the 6th Annual “Giving Tuesday” Nov.29.

Related stories

Clovis Community College Holds President’s Breakfast

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MEMBER NEWS: Madera Community College First President’s Breakfast

California’s Newest Community College Makes History

With First President’s Breakfast/State-Of-The-College Address

Two Central Valley Higher Education Consortium members held milestone events this fall with the resumption of their pandemic-delayed President’s Breakfast and State-of-the-College Address: Madera Community College and Clovis Community College Oct. 25.

Madera Community College made campus history Oct. 21 with its first President’s Breakfast since gaining full college status in July 2020 when it became the 116th and newest campus in the California Community College system. The event was kept on the drawing board during the corona virus pandemic until this fall.

Additionally, President Angel Reyna delivered his first State-of-the-College Address during the breakfast held at the Madera County Superintendent of Schools Office where among the many highlights was the screening of an award-winning video, “Sentido de Pertenencia” – a sense of belonging – that won the nationwide “Million Dollar Community College Challenge” sponsored by the Lumina Foundation.

Chosen from among ten finalists announced in August, Madera earned A $1 million grant from Lumina for the winning video that was created by student ambassador Jennifer Hernandez and featured recent alumna Marisela Maciel, an immigrant and mother of three children. The MCC video was also featured in a Forbes article.

The president said the $1 million grant will support several projects such as murals reflecting the community (Chicano art and migrant farmworkers), a multicultural center, web site re-design and initiatives to support students age 25+ as well as identify gaps affecting underserved students.

President Reyna, who was appointed by the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees effective May 20, 2019, reported that Madera Community College will open its 35,000 square-foot Academic Village later this year.

He also announced he is partnering with Dr. Robert Pimentel, Fresno City College president and fellow CVHEC board member, to present a Men of Color Summit set for April 23, 2023 at FCC.

Related stories:

ABC30 Coverage of the MCC President’s Breakfast

Reyna Begins Tenure as MCCC President

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MEMBER NEWS: SCCCD Trustee Ikeda Honored with ACCT Ensign Award  

Deborah Ikeda, vice president of the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees and retired founding president of Clovis Community College, was honored recently by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT).

Ms. Ikeda also serves as chair and trustee of the California Health Science University Board of Trustees, also a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium member with along with SCCCD.

Trustee Ikeda, who served on the CVHEC Board of Directors during her CCC presidency , was presented ACCT’s M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award recognizing outstanding community college trustees, equity programs, chief executive officers, faculty members and professional board staff members from throughout the nation.

Presented Oct. 28 at its 2022 ACCT Association Awards, ACCT’s awards recognize the tremendous contributions made by community colleges and their leaders to meet the needs of their communities.

“Community colleges are uniquely committed to making high-quality higher education accessible to all people, serving as gateways to meaningful careers and even higher education for many,” said James Cooksey, 2021-22 ACCT Chair and Moberly Area Community College Trustee. “This year’s regional awardees represent the most outstanding people and programs across this great nation.”

 See:

• The full ACCT press release.

•  Trustee Ikeda bio.

• CHSU press release.

Dr. Kim E. Armstrong Named Clovis Community College President

Dr. Kim E. Armstrong was named president of Clovis Community College by the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Board of Trustees Nov. 1.

President-select Armstrong will take office Jan. 3, 2023 when she will also join the CVHEC Board of Directors. She replaces the President Lori Bennett, whose retirement is effective Jan. 4.

“The Board of Trustees are grateful to the search committee whose commitment to the District’s values of academic excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion was evident throughout the process,” said Board President Nasreen Johnson.

SCCCD Chancellor Dr. Carole Goldsmith said, “Dr. Armstrong is widely regarded as an effective and collaborative higher education leader, and I look forward to working with her in this new role as the third President of Clovis Community College. I am confident she will continue to accelerate the college’s mission to Create Opportunities – One Student at a Time.”

The presidential search began earlier this year when the current President, Dr. Lori Bennett, announced her retirement effective January 4, 2023.

Dr. Armstrong currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student, Equity, and Community Affairs at Arkansas State University Three Rivers.

She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Howard University in Physiological/Neuropsychology and has Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization certifications.

The Arkansas Community College Student Success Center and Achieving the Dream selected her to be one of only 50 nationally certified Student Success/Guided Pathways Coaches and one of only 8 selected to serve as an Arkansas Holistic Student Support Coach.

Dr. Armstrong serves on the Arkansas Community Colleges Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Taskforce. Her DEI initiatives received several state and regional recognitions.

She serves on two Arkansas United Way Boards. In Illinois, she served as Co-Campaign Chair for the United Way where she led efforts to raise $8.4M.

Under her leadership, both Black Hawk College and Arkansas State University Three Rivers were cited by regional accreditors for their student success, inclusion, and community engagement culture.

Clovis Community College enrolls approximately 13,000 students annually and offers curriculum for students seeking transfer to a four-year college or university, short-term Career Technical Education, or basic skills education. Clovis Community College is a college of the State Center Community College District.

 

See the CCC press release.

CCC media contact:  Stephanie Babb at stephanie.babb@cloviscollege.edu.  

Presenting our renovated CVHEC Website: Meet our Board of Directors

The chancellors, presidents and superintendents of 30 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley nine-county region from Stockton to Bakersfield sit on the CVHEC Board of Directors. They meet quarterly in pursuit of CVHEC’s core mission to increase valley college-going rates and degree/certification attainment, providing a unified voice for their more than 250,000 students served jointly. See the board of directors section in our newly renovated website: https://cvhec.org/about-cvhec/ 

 

This fall, we unveil phase one of our renovated Central Valley Higher Education Consortium website which we hope will be easier to navigate as we showcase the work of the Consortium throughout the valley.

We will be featuring a different piece of our website as we continue to build it out in hopes of showcasing it as a resource for our members, colleagues and partners.

This month, we feature the professionals and experts who are carrying out the CVHEC mission. On the “About CVHEC” page, you can meet our CVHEC Board of Directors – the presidents and chancellors of our 30 members of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region from Stockton to Bakersfield as well as the core staff that includes several former educational leaders who  now served as CVHEC regional coordinators/liasions,

Also, see our CVHEC News web page that is being finalized this fall featuring our newsletter stories and press releases where news media can connect with us as well as the members of our CVHEC PIO/Communicators Committee, consisting of the communications professionals handling media relations at each of the 30 campuses.

Our new calendar will keep you up-to-date on CVHEC and other higher education events on our radar. For considerations and modifications to our calendar please email centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

CVHEC Member News: CLP Guidance Pathways

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.

Contact Us

  • cvhecinfo@mail.fresnostate.edu

  • 559.278.0576

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