Recruitment of community college mentors for HS teachers in Kern MA Upskilling Project is underway — applications available

The Kern Master’s Upskilling Project is now recruiting community college professors to serve as mentors for high school teachers enrolled in the project to earn master’s degrees in Math or English qualifying them to teach dual enrollment courses.

Tom Burke, Kern MA Upskilling Lead, said that with the naming last month of two faculty mentor coordinators, Dr. Liz Rozell and Dr. Vikash Lakhani, the project welcomes community college professors in the South Valley to serve as mentors to the participating high school teachers.

The mentors  will provide support as the mentees set up curriculum and pedagogy Burke said. They will be paid two stipends of $1,000 each during their mentorship period.

As faculty mentor coordinators, Rozell and Lakhani are working with Burke to recruit, assign and coordinate professors from community colleges as mentors.

The Kern Master’s Upskill Program is a partnership between the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative and the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium that was launched in 2022 as part of an $18 million statewide competitive grant awarded to the collaborative to improve student progress from high school to postsecondary education and ultimately into the workforce.

Dual enrollment is one pathway the K-16 state grant will achieve its objectives with the upskill program providing 100 South Valley high school teachers the opportunity to earn a master’s degree that achieves state qualifications for teaching community college dual enrollment English and math courses at local high schools.

A key component of the program is the pairing of the participating high school teachers with community college professors who will serve as mentors.

The first cohorts of 21 math students and 25 English students in the Kern Master’s Upskill Program began courses in January through Fresno Pacific University and National University respectively. (The current cohorts will be assigned mentors this summer).

Burke said this mentorship will advance intersegmental collaborations in several ways:

  • Instructors from high schools and colleges will get to know each other better, sharing curricula, pedagogy, and andragogy;
  • Mentors will share their experience of teaching college courses, while the high school teachers will share their knowledge of motivating high school students;
  • Opportunities in the future can include high school teachers with master’s degrees teaching on the college campus and college instructors teaching on the high school campus, as both increase their knowledge and understanding of the cultures of each institution;
  • Mentors and mentees in the region may form a collegial group that will come together during and after the project to compare notes and create a network of intersegmental instructors in the area.

For more information,  contact the mentor coordinators: (Math) – lizrozell@gmail.com;  (English) – vikashlakhani@hotmail.com.

The Central Valley Math Bridge Kick-off set for May 18 in Fresno 

Rural high schools signing up for groundbreaking project that is ‘a model

for meaningful dual enrollment pathways that can be replicated statewide’

 

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

 

(MARCH 19, 2023) — The movement to promote equity and college-readiness in mathematics via dual enrollment courses for underprepared students at rural Central Valley high schools next fall will formally launch May 18 with the Central Valley Math Bridge Kick-off in downtown Fresno presented by co-hosts College Bridge, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and the Rand Corporation.

The project, funded initially by a $4 million five-year Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program federal grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to College Bridge in late December, targets six  small CVHEC-member institutions partnering with 21  rural valley high schools in the colleges’ respective service areas.

The recruitment and onboarding of the Central Valley rural high schools is in full swing, said Dr. Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge, announcing this week that 12 are presently confirmed.

The participating high schools to-date are: Amador (Sutter Creek), Argonot (Jackson), Boron, Clovis East, Clovis, Firebaugh, Orosi, Riverdale, Sanger, Sanger West, Tranquility and Taft.

The participating CVHEC colleges are: Cerro Coso, Clovis, Columbia, Madera, Reedley, Taft,West Hills College Coalinga and West Hills College Lemoore.

Eventually, a parallel project funded by the state in February through the Central San Joaquin K-16 Partnership — made up of the Fresno/Madera and the Tulare/Kings K-16 Collaboratives — will serve an additional two colleges and seven high schools in the region (details to come).

“A total of 32 high schools will participate and there is still room for seven more,” Cevallos said. “Any high school within the participating colleges’ service areas that serve low-income, minority or rural students and is interested in an innovative, proven math intervention should apply.”

Cevallos describes the DE Math Bridge as an innovative high school intervention that will close equity and attainment gaps in college math and college completion at the participating Central Valley rural high schools.

She noted that while the project’s target audience is nearly 8,000 low-income, Black or Latino, or rural 11th or 12th grade students who lack access to rigorous math courses, it will be open to all eligible students.

The May launch, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Fresno, will convene the DE Math Bridge partners for the first of what will be an annual event where the partners will come together for intersegmental collaboration, Cevallos said.

She calls the convening a “getting-to-know-you” and a “roll-up-your-sleeves-and-go-to-work” session.

“This will allow all the DE Math Bridge partners in the Central Valley to connect as a group, building a unified project plan,” Cevallos said.

In the morning session, the college and secondary professionals will create a regional, intersegmental alignment of their student success goals, she explained. In the early afternoon, they will collaborate in a job-aligned “community of practice” to lay the foundational work for the project.

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said the sessions will be designed around four communities of practice: leadership (administrators); student recruitment (counselors and advisors); curriculum and assessment (college and high school math teachers); and institutional research (IR and data staff).

“We are excited to shine a light on the great work that can come out of small colleges in the Central Valley and that we will share with the rest of the state and nationally,” said Duran, who also is president-emeritus of Merced College serving as CVHEC’s executive director since 2016.

“The DE Math Bridge Project, which will prepare and guide students as they transition to college or university equipped with math credits and confidence,” Duran said. “It creates a model for meaningful dual enrollment pathways and expansion that can be replicated in other regions of California serving underprepared students. This also supports CVHEC’s mission to increase the degree attainment rates.”

The consortium, made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region, is assisting the Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project by using its role as a regional convener to bring the participating higher education and K-16 representatives together with College Bridge, a California non-profit based in Los Angeles County dedicated to forging a path towards both college access and success for underrepresented students.

Valley high schools interested in participating may contact Nicole Korgie at nicole.korgie@college-bridge.org.

For more information about the kick-off, contact Angel Ramirez, CVHEC operations manager at 559.292.0576 (centralvalleyhec@gmail.com).

 

UPDATES

Historic CVHEC Transfer Project/Program Mapper Featured at CSSO

CVHEC Executive Director Ben Duran took his The Central Valley Transfer Project team to the 2023 Chief Student Services Officers Association (CSSO) Annual Spring Conference  for a presentation of the historic endeavor: Tom Burke, Stan Carrizosa and James Zimmerman.

Student Services Practitioners spring meet: ‘Liberation Now, Radical Actions for Today’ 

The historic Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Transfer Project and its Pathways Program Mapper that continues to break ground across the state for transfer reform was in the spotlight at another statewide convening with a presentation by CVHEC representatives during the 2023 Chief Student Services Officers Association (CSSO) Annual Spring Conference in Los Angeles.

During the CVHEC panel, “The Central Valley #TransferProject: The Breakthrough We’ve Been Waiting For!” March 15 at the Hyatt Regency LAX, California community college student services professionals learned about the consortium’s pilot project — launched last year by UC Merced, Merced College and Bakersfield College — that provides new strategies to increase transfers.

The session addressed how the Pathways Program Mapper, a public internet-based software application, presents students with pre-approved course sequences aligning the community college Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) with the upper division requirements, by major, for successful degree completion.

Participants heard about the groundbreaking collaboration of faculty and administrators to build this model and how it has been refined and replicated for implementation by several more Central Valley community colleges, said Stan A. Carrizosa Sr., president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias who currently serves as CVHEC southern regional coordinator and Transfer Project lead.

He was joined by some of his Central Valley Transfer Project team made up of three colleagues with expertise in transfer issues: Dr. James Zimmerman, UC Merced associate vice provost; and Tom Burke, chancellor-emeritus of KCCD. (Burke also was recently appointed KCCD interim chancellor during the search for a new CEO after the appointment of Dr. Sonya Christian as chancellor of the California Community College System).   Dr. Craig Hayward, Bakersfield College dean of Institutional Effectiveness also serves on the team.

Carrizosa said the reception to the team’s Transfer Project presentation at CSSO, similar to previous presentations at statewide convenings in the past year, was overall positive and he understands and respects the natural hesitancy to embrace new and innovative endeavors.

The project has been featured at several statewide conferences and workshops including the Lumina Foundation State Policy Retreat 2022, the Association of Chief Business Officials and the annual convention of the  Community College League of California.

“We continue to have tremendous success as more colleges sign on every month,” Carrizosa said. “For some, though, the biggest challenge to overcome is the institutional inertia right now and resistance from colleges to add anything more to their to-do lists.

“However, we have found that once they get enough information to realize the simplicity of this project, they are really excited to get it done!”

Dr. Benjamín T. Durán Ed.D., executive director of Central Valley Higher Education Consortium  and president-emeritus of Merced College also attended the CSSO conference and said that the viability and value of a movement like the CVHEC Transfer Project is underscored by recent reports of “a decline in transfers between community colleges and four-year institutions” – referencing the “Transfer and Progress” Report released March 9 by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

“This report highlights the importance of the hard work being done by both the transfer teams at our member community colleges and our four-year institutions. Instituting tools like the Pathways Program Mapper simplifies the transfer process for students,” Duran said.

“The rest of the state is now looking at this endeavor as a way to increase the transfer rate.”

The team also discussed a recent survey compiled for the project’s two pilot colleges – consortium members Bakersfield College and Merced College – showing a direct correlation between students using the Program Mapper and important student success metrics, Carrizosa said.

“Our Transfer Project Team now convenes representatives from CVHEC, the UC and CSU creating an intersegmental collaborative group that is indeed the first of its kind,” he added.  “In most districts where we are engaging in this work, we are also reaching out to include local K-12/high school districts with their effort as they support students’ transition to college.”

The CSSO Association is a non-profit organization committed to “Ensuring Opportunities for Success for Every Student” in California’s Community College system. The CSSO Association’s Executive Board is composed of dedicated student services professionals who utilize their professional expertise to foster a professional learning community for student service leaders within the core values of equity, social justice, leadership and community.

The 2023 CSSO Annual Spring Conference March 13-15 is the association’s premiere event designed to present student services practitioners with the unique opportunity to create innovative ideas and receive valuable professional development that will enhance the success of the 1.8 million students in the California community college system.

This year’s conference, the first in-person in two years, established new concepts with the theme “Liberation Now, Radical Actions for Today.”

Presenters shared evidence-based, action-oriented practices that relate to the conference theme as well as promote educational equity, social justice and liberatory actions within the Student Services framework for California Community Colleges.

“We welcomed the opportunity to share this historic mission for transfer reform,” Carrizosa said. “This was in line with one of the underlying principles of the conference call-for-proposals: to present current practices that disrupt inequitable outcomes for community college students.”

 

For media inquiries about CVHEC projects, contact Tom Uribes at tom@uribes.com or text 559.348.3278.

 

Related links:

 

ABOUT CVHEC

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium is made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern Counties (five four-year public universities, four independent universities, 11 community colleges in eight multi-campus community college districts). The presidents and chancellors of each member institution serve on the CVHEC Board of Directors which meets quarterly. The primary goal of the consortium is to increase the Central Valley’s certificate and degree attainment rates. CVHEC also serves as a regional convener on post-secondary equitable work that speaks in a single voice on higher education policy issues affecting our region such as but not limited to dual enrollment, transfer reform and open educational resources/zero textbook cost.

 

NEWS RELEASE: Historic CVHEC Transfer Project/Program Mapper Featured at CSSO March 15

 

 

CVHEC’s Central Valley Transfer Project panel at the the 2023 Chief Student Services Officers Association (CSSO) Annual Spring Conference March 15 in Los Angeles will be presented by Stan A. Carrizosa Sr. (left), president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias who currently serves as CVHEC southern regional coordinator and Transfer Project lead, and Tom Burke (right), chancellor-emeritus of KCCD along with Dr. James Zimmerman, UC Merced associate vice provost.

Student Services Practitioners Spring Conference 

Fosters ‘Liberation Now, Radical Actions for Today’

 

The historic Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Transfer Project and its Pathways Program Mapper that continues to break ground across the state for transfer reform is in the spotlight at another statewide convening with a presentation by CVHEC representatives during the 2023 Chief Student Services Officers Association (CSSO) Annual Spring Conference underway in Los Angeles this week.

The CVHEC panel, “The Central Valley #TransferProject: The Breakthrough We’ve Been Waiting For!” will be presented at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15 at the Hyatt Regency LAX where California community college student services professionals will learn about the consortium’s pilot project — launched last year by UC Merced, Merced College and Bakersfield College — that provides new strategies to increase transfers.

The session will address how Program Mapper, a public internet-based software application, presents students with pre-approved course sequences aligning the community college Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) with the upper division requirements, by major, for successful degree completion.

Participants will hear about the groundbreaking collaboration of faculty and administrators to build this model and how it has been refined and replicated for implementation by several more Central Valley community colleges, said Stan A. Carrizosa Sr., president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias who currently serves as CVHEC southern regional coordinator and Transfer Project lead.

He will be joined by some of his Central Valley Transfer Project team made up of three colleagues with expertise in transfer issues: Dr. James Zimmerman, UC Merced associate vice provost; and Tom Burke, chancellor-emeritus of KCCD. (Burke also was recently appointed KCCD interim chancellor during the search for a new CEO after the appointment of Dr. Sonya Christian as chancellor of the California Community College System).   Dr. Craig Hayward, Bakersfield College dean of Institutional Effectiveness also serves on the team.

Dr. Benjamín T. Durán Ed.D., executive director of Central Valley Higher Education Consortium  and president-emeritus of Merced College will also be at the CSSO conference.

At the CSSO panel, they also will discuss a recent survey compiled for the project’s two pilot colleges – consortium members Bakersfield College and Merced College – showing a direct correlation between students using the Program Mapper and important student success metrics, Carrizosa said.

“Our Transfer Project Team now convenes representatives from CVHEC, the UC and CSU creating an intersegmental collaborative group that is indeed the first of its kind,” he added.  “In most districts where we are engaging in this work, we are also reaching out to include local K-12/high school districts with their effort as they support students’ transition to college.”

He noted that CVHEC’s innovative Transfer Project has been featured at several statewide conferences and workshops including the Lumina Foundation State Policy Retreat 2022, the Association of Chief Business Officials and the annual convention of the  Community College League of California.

The CSSO Association is a non-profit organization committed to “Ensuring Opportunities for Success for Every Student” in California’s Community College system. The CSSO Association’s Executive Board is composed of dedicated student services professionals who utilize their professional expertise to foster a professional learning community for student service leaders within the core values of equity, social justice, leadership and community.

The 2023 CSSO Annual Spring Conference March 13-15 is the association’s premiere event designed to present student services practitioners with the unique opportunity to create innovative ideas and receive valuable professional development that will enhance the success of the 1.8 million students in the California community college system.

This year’s conference, the first in-person in two years, seeks to establish new concepts with the theme “Liberation Now, Radical Actions for Today.”

Presenters are sharing evidence-based, action-oriented practices that relate to the conference theme as well as promote educational equity, social justice and liberatory actions within the Student Services framework for California Community Colleges.

“We welcome the opportunity to share this historic mission for transfer reform,” Carrizosa said. “This is in line with one of the underlying principles of the conference call-for-proposals: to present current practices that disrupt inequitable outcomes for community college students.”

For media inquiries about CVHEC projects, contact Tom Uribes at tom@uribes.com or text 559.348.3278.

Related links:

 

ABOUT CVHEC

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium is made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern Counties (two Universities of California, three California State Universities, four independent universities, 15 community colleges and 4 multi-college community college districts). The presidents and chancellors of each member institution serve on the CVHEC Board of Directors which meets quarterly. The primary goal of the consortium is to increase the Central Valley’s certificate and degree attainment rates. CVHEC also serves as a regional convener on post-secondary equitable work that speaks in a single voice on higher education policy issues affecting our region such as but not limited to dual enrollment, transfer reform and open educational resources/zero textbook cost.

CVHEC Board Member Dr. Christian Makes History as CCC’s First Woman, Asian-American Named Chancellor

A post-announcement selfie statement with Interim Chancellor Dr. Daisy Gonzales, Board member Pamela Haynes (standing), Board of Governors President Amy M. Costa, Chancellor-Select Dr. Sonya Christian, and Board of Governors Vice President Hildegarde B. Aguinaldo.

Congratulations to Dr. Sonya Christian, CVHEC board member, on her historic appointment Feb. 23 as chancellor of the California Community Colleges System, the largest and most diverse system of public higher education in the nation.

Chancellor-select Christian is the first Asian-American and the first woman to serve as chancellor for the CCC as well as a first-generation college graduate.

As current chancellor of the Kern Community College District, and previously as president of KCCD’s Bakersfield College (2013- 2021), Dr. Christian serves on the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors.

“I am honored to be selected as chancellor, and I am grateful for the leadership and collective work that has created the largest and best community college system in the nation,” said Chancellor-Select Christian. “I do feel a sense of urgency and moral obligation to the job at hand.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “Dr. Christian is one of our nation’s most dynamic college leaders, with a demonstrated record of collaboration and results in the Central Valley. She understands what is needed to deliver on record levels of higher education investment to make real improvements to the lived reality of our students. I look forward to continuing to partner with Dr. Christian to ensure our community colleges are engines of equity and opportunity.”

Her appointment to head the state CC system drew praise from her colleagues on the CVHEC board, which is made up of the presidents and chancellors of 28 member institutions of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern Counties including 15 community colleges and four multi-campus community college districts.

“It will be wonderful to have a leader in the system office that understands the unique complexities of leading institutions in rural communities,” said Dr. Kristin Clark, chancellor of WHCCD who serves as chair of the CVHEC board.

Dr. Benjamin T. Duran, CVHEC executive director, said “The CCC Board of Governors made a wise choice by selecting a leader who has proven she understands California’s community colleges and will advocate on their behalf at the state and national level.

“Chancellor-select Christian’s CVHEC colleagues in the nine-county Central Valley are delighted because, as the new chancellor, she understands the needs and challenges of community colleges in the rural areas of California and the students and communities they serve,” he said in a statement Feb 23 upon the announcement.

“They join me in conveying the region’s pride in the selection of a talented and dedicated Central Valley woman as the chancellor of the California Community Colleges,” added Dr. Duran who also is president-emeritus of Merced College.

Chancellor-select Christian will begin her duties June , 2023 filling the position vacated by Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley in August when he stepped down after leading the community college system for nearly six years. Dr. Daisy Gonzales will continue to serve as interim chancellor until Christian takes office.

See the CVHEC statements.
See the CCC press release. 

See CVHEC blogs: PART 1 • PART 2

See media coverage of CCC Chancellor-Select Christian:
• Los Angeles Times   • San Francisco Chronicle    • EdSource   • LAist   • Cal Matters   • Diverse Issues HE  • Bakersfield Californian   • Inside Higher Ed    • The Renegade Rip   • KGET (NBC)   • KBAK (CBS)    • KERO (ABC)   • Community College Daily

MEDIA ADVISORY: CCC Chancellor-select Christian /CVHEC Statements

APPOINTMENT OF DR. SONYA CHRISTIAN
as Chancellor of the California Community Colleges System

Statements from the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium,
on behalf of the CVHEC Board of Directors

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

 

Dr. Sonya Christian Named Eleventh Permanent

Chancellor of the California Community Colleges

 

Sonya Chistian SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Community Colleges Board of Governors today announced the unanimous selection of Kern Community College Chancellor Sonya Christian as the next permanent chancellor to lead the largest and most diverse system of public higher education in the nation.

The announcement comes following an extensive and nationwide search over the past seven months. Christian is an historic choice, becoming the first woman and the first person of South Asian heritage to be appointed as permanent chancellor.

“Dr. Christian is one of our nation’s most dynamic college leaders, with a demonstrated record of collaboration and results in the Central Valley,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “She understands what is needed to deliver on record levels of higher education investment to make real improvements to the lived reality of our students. I look forward to continuing to partner with Dr. Christian to ensure our community colleges are engines of equity and opportunity.”

See CCC press release

See CVHEC story

 

As chancellor of the Kern Community College District, and previously as president of Bakersfield College, Dr. Christian serves on the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors. Statements from the executive director and board chair:

 

Benjamín T. Durán Ed.D.

Executive Director – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium

 As executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC), it is my pleasure to convey  congratulations to Dr. Sonya Christian named today as the new chancellor of the California Community Colleges System.

The CCC Board of Governors made a wise choice by selecting a leader who has proven she understands California’s community colleges and will advocate on their behalf at the state and national level.   Chancellor-select Christian’s CVHEC colleagues in the nine-county Central Valley are delighted because, as the new chancellor, she understands the needs and challenges of community colleges in the rural areas of California and the students and communities they serve.  They join me in conveying the region’s pride in the selection of a talented and dedicated Central Valley woman as the chancellor of the California Community Colleges. 

 

 

Kristin Clark, Ed.D.

Chancellor – West Hills Community College District
Chair – Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors

It will be wonderful to have a leader in the system office that understands the unique complexities of leading institutions in rural communities.

 

 

 

 

 

MEDIA AVAIL:

(Zoom or phone)

 

 • Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director (president-emeritus Merced College)
CONTACT: Tom Uribes:  text 559.348.3278 (tom@uribes.com) • Dr. Kristin Clark, chancellor of WHCCD and chair of the CVHEC Board of Directors
CONTACT: Amber Myrick:  559-934-2132 (ambermyrick@whccd.edu)
ONLINE: https://www.cccco.edu/

https://bit.ly/CCCChancellorSelectChristian-cvhecNL0223
ABOUT CVHEC The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium is made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the Central Valley’s nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern Counties including 15 community colleges and four multi-campus community college districts. The presidents and chancellors of each institution serve on the CVHEC Board of Directors.  A goal of the consortium is to increase Central Valley’s certificate and degree attainment rates. CVHEC is a regional convener on post-secondary equitable work that speaks in a single voice on higher education policy issues affecting our region.

 

Drs. Rozell, Lakhani Named CVHEC’s Kern Faculty Mentor Coordinators

MA Upskilling Project Will Seek Community College Professors to Mentor HS Teachers

Two veteran Kern County educators have been named faculty mentor coordinators for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s Kern Master’s Upskilling Project that was launched last year to help high school teachers earn master’s degrees in Math or English so they can teach dual enrollment courses on their campus.

Dr. Vikash Lahkani

Dr. Liz Rozell

Dr. Liz Rozell and Dr. Vikash Lakhani will coordinate the Kern program, announced Tom Burke, the Kern MA Upskilling lead for CVHEC.

The Kern Master’s Upskill Program is a partnership between the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative and the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium that was launched in 2022 as part of an $18 million statewide competitive grant awarded to the collaborative to improve student progress from high school to postsecondary education and ultimately into the workforce.

Dual enrollment is one pathway the K-16 state grant will achieve its objectives with the upskill program providing 100 South Valley high school teachers the opportunity to earn a master’s degree that achieves state qualifications for teaching community college dual enrollment English and math courses at local high schools. The participating high school teachers will be paired with community college professors who will serve as mentors.

The first cohorts of 21 math students and 25 English students in the Kern Master’s Upskill Program began courses last month through Fresno Pacific University and National University respectively.

With the faculty mentor coordinators now in place, Burke said the project will begin planning to launch its mentor recruiting campaign this summer. Community college professors who serve as mentors will be paid two stipends of $1,000 each during their mentorship period.  Details about the application process will be available in the March issue of the CVHEC newsletter, Burke added.

As faculty mentor coordinators, Rozell and Lakhani will work cooperatively with Burke to recruit, assign and coordinate professors from community colleges as mentors for high school teachers participating in the Kern MA Upskilling Project.

“I look forward to working with Liz and Vikash over the next couple of years on this very important project to increase Kern County’s capacity to deliver dual enrollment courses at our local high schools,” Burke added.

Dr. Lakhani, who will serve as the English faculty mentor coordinator, has over 20 years in higher education administration.

Most recently, he was the vice president for Student Services at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA  serving as: the chief Student Services officer providing direct oversight to Enrollment Services; Counseling, Equity and Student Success; College Health Services including Behavioral Health; Student Life and Leadership and Athletics. Previously he was the assistant vice president for Student Success/Student Affairs at California State University, Bakersfield and the associate vice president for Enrollment Management at Humboldt State University.

Dr. Lakhani holds a BSc. in Information Technology from United States International University-Kenya, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from CSU, Bakersfield and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) from Fresno State (the latter two are CVHEC member institutions). He is currently working on establishing a center that provides a globally known math and reading enrichment program in the Bakersfield area.

Burke said that during his tenure at CSUB, Dr. Lakhani provided leadership to numerous initiatives and programs that advanced the campus in meeting its student success goals.

“Some of his noted career accomplishments include his leadership on K-12 partnership programs such as the launch of the University Promise at CSUB, partnerships developed with Bakersfield College where he provided leadership for the Finish in 4 Program and the Program Pathways Mapper — and his success in securing funding from external agencies,” said Burke, who also is chancellor-emeritus of Kern Community College District.

Dr. Rozell, who will serve as Math faculty mentor coordinator,  currently serves as the senior adviser to the Kern Community College District chancellor in the areas of Baccalaureate Degrees and Energy.

Dr. Rozell retired in 2019 after 30 years at Bakersfield College serving in various roles including mathematics and engineering faculty, faculty chair, dean of Instruction and vice president of Instruction.

One of the highlights of her administrative career was leading the college in the development of its first baccalaureate degree in Industrial Automation.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Physics from Houston Christian University, a Master’s of Engineering degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M, and doctoral studies in Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University and Colorado State University.

For more information and a mentorship application,  contact the mentor coordinators:

(Math) – lizrozell@gmail.com;    (English) – vikashlakhani@hotmail.com.   

 

See Related Links:

 

CVHEC SUMMIT 2023 NEWS: SAVE THE DATE OCT. 20

CVHEC’s  Higher Education Legislative and Policy Summit Set for Oct.20, 2023 

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Legislative and Policy Summit 2023 will be held Oct. 20 at the Fresno Convention Center in Fresno.

Dr. Benjamin Duran, CVHEC executive director, announced the date on behalf of the presidents and chancellors of the consortium’s 28 member colleges and universities as the CVHEC’s 2023 calendar of events takes shape.

Sponsored by the College Futures Foundation, the summit draws between 150-200 higher education officials and educators, legislators and partner representatives.

The summit will feature conversations on:

  • Dual Enrollment
  • Central Valley Transfer Model
  • Math Pathways & more

Other coming events will address core issues of dual enrollment, the CVHEC Transfer Project, the Math Task Force and Equity Task Force, said Dr. Duran.

Also on the calendar this spring is the Math Bridge/EIR Kick Off convening May18. This event is in concert with College Bridge, which received a $4 million federal Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant  for dual enrollment.

Additionally, the first CVHEC Board of Directors meeting this year is set for May 11. The board will again meet the day before the summit, Oct.19.

For registration and event details for both the summit and the Math Bridge convening, keep up-to-date with our CVHEC Summit 2023 page or our news page.

 

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

 

 

CVHEC BOARD NEWS: Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn to Retire

CVHEC Board Member is First Korean American Woman to Lead a U.S. Four-Year Public Institution of Higher Education

Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn announced Jan. 18 she will retire at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year capping 39 years of service in higher education – 37 years with the California State University and the last seven at the helm of CSUS.

Pres. Junn, who as a result will also vacate her seat on the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors, shared the news in a video message and letter to campus and community members.

“It is with mixed emotions of anticipatory joy, and the bittersweet sadness of farewells to wonderful campus friends and colleagues, that I share with you the decision that I will retire at the end of this academic year,” Dr. Junn said. “After more than a year of discussions with my family and much planning and preparation, this is now the right time.

“It has been the greatest privilege and honor of my life to serve this remarkable institution of higher learning and to get to know our phenomenal students, dedicated faculty, caring staff and administrators and talented alumni who are the heart and soul of our University.”

Dr. Junn became Stanislaus State’s 11th president on July 1, 2016 when she also joined the CVHEC board.

She is the first Korean-American woman in the United States appointed to lead a four-year public institution of higher education and is the second woman to serve the University as its president.

Prior to joining Stan State, Pres. Junn held high-level administrative roles at five other CSU campuses: Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, San José State and CSU Dominguez Hills.

“I join the CVHEC family in thanking Dr. Ellen Junn for her contribution to improving the well being and future of students in the Central Valley,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.  “We wish her the best as she prepares for retirement and enters the next phase of her life.”

See the CSUS press release full story.

See Turlock Journal story.

‘First of its Kind’ CVHEC Transfer Project Gaining Statewide Interest

Survey of 5,000 Frosh Shows Direct Correlation

Between Program Pathways Mapper and Student Success

A recent survey shows very positive student success outcomes for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s Transfer Project and Program Pathways Mapper as the consortium continues to lead a concentrated effort to increase the number and success of community college transfers from the nine-county region to four-year colleges and universities.

CVHEC coordinators Stan Carrizosa and Tom Burke present the Transfer Project and its Program Pathway Mapper to the consortium board of directors at its quarterly convening Dec. 8 in Clovis.

This successful effort is also being recognized widely as the Transfer Project team delivers presentations statewide about the project that began in 2019 — in response to grave concerns for the low number of Central Valley community college transfers to the valley’s University of California campus in Merced – and has grown to nine community colleges and three four-year institutions (see breakdown below) with others inquiring from throughout the state.

In the first round of results being compiled for the project’s two pilot colleges – consortium members Bakersfield College and Merced College – the data in a sample of over 5,000 incoming Bakersfield freshmen shows a direct correlation between students using the Program Mapper and important student success metrics, reports Stan Carrizosa, the consortium’s southern regional coordinator who is the CVHEC Transfer Project lead.

“This includes a significant increase in the number of ‘on-path’ courses successfully completed each semester, elimination of the achievement gap for underrepresented students in their on-path completion rates and a sharp reduction in the total number of units-to-degree completion for all students using Program Mapper,” said Carrizosa who presented an update at the CVHEC Board of Directors winter meeting Dec. 8 along with Tom Burke, CVHEC’s Transfer Project coordinator.

The project’s Pathways Program Mapper is a public internet-based software application that presents students with pre-approved course sequences aligning the community college Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) with the upper division requirements by major, for successful degree completion.

Now, what started as a pilot project to increase transfers to UC Merced has grown beyond the Central Valley to regions statewide, the pair reported to the board, with invitations last fall for CVHEC’s Transfer Project team to present at conferences and workshops including the Lumina Foundation State Policy Retreat 2022, the Association of Chief Business Officials and the annual convention of the  Community College League of California.

“We have also been working with representatives from the California State University Chancellor’s Office to come together and combine our respective efforts in this area, further streamlining and strengthening our transfer pathways model,” said Carrizosa, who is also president-emeritus of College of Sequoias.

“Our Transfer Project Team now convenes representatives from CVHEC, the UC and CSU creating an intersegmental collaborative group that is indeed the first of its kind,” he reported. “In most districts where we are engaging in this work, we are also reaching out to include local K-12/high school districts to align with their efforts as well.”

Burke added that, in addition to the two trailblazers  Bakersfield and Merced, five fellow CVHEC members are scheduled to go live this semester:  Porterville College, Reedley College, Clovis Community College, West Hills Lemoore College and Madera College. Taft College and West Hills Coalinga College will begin the onboarding process this semester.

Four-year partners who are fully up and live are the University of California, Merced and CSU Bakersfield with Stanislaus State beginning the onboarding process this semester. All are CVHEC members as well. And many others are in communication.

“Most recently we have received encouraging feedback from CSU Monterey Bay, UC Irvine and private colleges including Fresno Pacific and National University,” said Burke, who is also chancellor-emeritus of the Kern Community College District.

Burke also reported that the team’s efforts are now being incorporated into the state-funded K-16 Regional Collaboratives including most recently the Kern County collaborative.   

“These efforts have led to specific state funding for the Transfer Project through line-item support to implement the Program Pathways Mapper, the software vehicle that brings the intersegmental pathways together in a user-friendly, internet-based application,” Burke said.

Now that the first round of results is showing very positive outcomes and state legislation such as Senate Bill 928 for transfer reform providing solid ground support, the interest in CVHEC’s Transfer Project is high and the team stands ready to present.

“As the SB 928 begins to get legs with the formation of a statewide task force to study how to increase transfers, we would welcome an opportunity to share our work,” Burke said. “We have a model including protocols/processes to create intersegmental transfer pathways and proven solutions to the challenges they are still trying to define.”

For information about the project or to arrange a presentation, contact Carrizosa at scarrizosa44@gmail.com.

 

Related articles:

• Pilot CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project improves process for students  

• Charting Better Maps to Degrees

• CVHEC BLOG: ‘WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING’ (Dec. 2021)

• CV-HEC BLOG: UC Enrollment Push Supported by CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project and New Mapper Software

• CVHEC NEWS: Lumina Policy Retreat Presentation

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