MEMBER NEWS: Fresno City College West Campus Open House set Aug. 4-5

Take a look inside  the ‘project of love’ – Fresno Bee

Fresno City College’s new west campus sets open houses Aug. 4 and 5

Fresno City College’s West Fresno Center will open its doors to students for the start of classes Aug. 7 with staff moving into the facility beginning July 31 and two open houses planned for Aug. 4 and 5.

The Friday open house is 4 – 6 p.m. and on Saturday  from 9 a.m. – noon at 600 E. Church Avenue in West Fresno.

The new 40-acre campus, an $86.5 million project funded mainly through bond measures and a Transformative Climate Communities grant from the state, was deliberately planned for Fresno’s westside, Fresno Bee reporter Julianna Morano wrote in a recent Bee Education Lab feature.

“A lack of educational investments and high poverty rates plaguing the area have stymied graduation rates and pathways to college for southwest Fresno students,” she wrote.

The state-of-the-art academic and career technical satellite campus located at Church and Walnut avenues will provide the West Fresno community with a complete college center offering diverse educational opportunities, from career technology courses to transferable college credits.

The West Fresno Campus will include facilities for:

  • Associate Degrees for Transfer in Social Justice and Public Health
  • General education classes including pre-requisites for nursing and allied health programs including Medical Assisting
  • Advanced Transportation
    • Automotive Technology
    • Automotive Collision
  • Warehouse Distribution
  • Student Services, Library and Tutoring

The project is funded by $70 million coming from facilities bonds and $16.5 million from the Transformative Climate Community (TCC) program.

The City of Fresno received a total of $66.5 million in TCC funding to provide disadvantaged communities with neighborhood projects that provide local economic, environmental and health benefits while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the City of Fresno is providing $11 million in off-site improvements, $4.5 million toward the construction of a new neighborhood park, improved public transportation services to the new campus with its all electric transit buses.

FCC press release

FCC media contacts:

]Kathy Bonilla, Public Information Officer  – (559) 753-3293 

 Cris Monahan Bremer, director of Marketing and Communications  – (559) 307-5019

See: Bee story

 

FCC WEST CAMPUS – NEWS ARCHIVE:

Construction Projects | Fresno City College

West Fresno Campus Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony | Fresno …

Future Health Care Professionals Program at West Fresno Campus …

2020-10-07 West Fresno Campus site | Fresno City College

MEMBER NEWS: Merced College dual enrollment success story

Merced College dad to graduate with twin sons whose dual enrollment courses earned an early AA

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) — The chairs are lined up and the stage is set for two graduation ceremonies in Merced County.

Merced College, a CVHEC member, is ready to celebrate the achievements of more than 3,000 students.

Three of the students set to receive their diplomas at the Merced campus share a special bond.

A father went back to school, and his twin sons also earned associate degrees through the college’s dual enrollment program.

Now, all three are transferring to Fresno State, also a CVHEC member.

Here are two stories from KFSN30-ABC on Carl Schwesinger and his sons Jacob and Jeremiah.

Action News photojournalist Alex Ruiz shares how the trio has overcome challenges to turn their tassles together.

BOARD NEWS: Susan E. Borrego appointed interim president of Stanislaus State

California State University (CSU) Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester has appointed Dr. Susan E. Borrego to serve as interim president of California State University, Stanislaus. Borrego’s term will begin August 2, 2023, and she will serve as interim president for approximately one year while the CSU Board of Trustees conducts a national search for the next regularly appointed president.

Dr. Borrego will also assume the Stanislaus State seat on the CVHC Board of Directors at that time replacing Dr. Ellen N. Junn, who retires August 1, 2023 after serving as the University’s 11th president since 2016. (She will be honored at  Warrior Tribute for President Junn June 9).

The interim appointment marks a return to the CSU for Borrego, who previously held senior administrative roles at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). Borrego most recently served as chancellor at the University of Michigan-Flint (UM-Flint), from 2014 to 2019. She currently is a consultant project director and special assistant to the president for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

“Dr. Borrego is a principled, visionary and compassionate leader, guided by an unwavering commitment to inclusive excellence and student success,” said Koester. “She has a proven track record of enhancing the student experience, supporting faculty excellence and engaging the broader community. Further, her recent work at the national level to advance authentic access and educational equity will serve Stanislaus State and the CSU well.”

“Working with first-generation students at regional comprehensive universities has been a primary focus in my career, and that is what makes me excited to join such an inclusive university,” said Borrego. “I am drawn to the university’s close-knit community and its collective drive to better not only the lives of its students, but also to elevate the region and broader society it serves. I am honored to have the opportunity to continue the progress and momentum so capably built by President Ellen Junn.”

Among her accomplishments as chancellor at UM-Flint, Borrego launched 12 new academic programs, enhanced the student experience, increased retention and led successful philanthropic efforts, which included the largest successful capital campaign in university history. Borrego’s leadership during the Flint water crisis demonstrated her ability to be part of a multidisciplinary conversation related to public health. She served as a trusted communicator to both university and community members. After stepping down from the role, Borrego maintained an academic appointment as a professor in UM Flint’s School of Education and Human Services until 2022.

Borrego’s previous leadership roles include vice president for Enrollment Management, Planning and Student Affairs at CSUDH (2008-14), vice president of Student Affairs at CSUMB (2005-08), and associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs and dean of students for the University of Arkansas, as well as several administrative roles at the California Institute of Technology.Borrego earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and communication from Northwest Nazarene College, a master’s degree in social science at Azusa Pacific University and a doctorate in education from Claremont Graduate School.

CVHEC IN THE NEWS: Complete College America Day on the Hill

Dr. Dhanfu Elston, senior vice president and chief of staff for Complete College America and Congressman Jim Costa hosted CVHEC Executive Director Dr. Benjamin Duran for CCA On The Hill Day in Washington DC May 16.

CVHEC among national higher education leaders

at Complete College America Day on the Hill

 

(WASHINGTON, May 17, 2023 – PRNewswire) — Dr. Benjamin T. Duran, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, joined national higher education leaders at the Complete College America (CCA) for  its inaugural “CCA Day on the Hill” May 16.

Billed as a federal advocacy visit, the event brought leaders from state systems of higher education, colleges and other state and local organizations to Washington, D.C. to advocate for policies designed to help more students chart pathways to college access and completion.

“Despite the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic and a fast-changing economy and workforce, states have made incredible progress toward closing gaps in college access and completion over the past decade,” said Steven Gentile, chief policy officer at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. “We need continued partnership from national leaders to help sustain that progress given the range of challenges facing students today. This is about sharing examples of how states are leading the way on higher education reform and finding common ground solutions to build a system of higher education that is more accessible—and also produces high-quality results for every student.”

The visit coincided with the first-ever national College Completion Day, a day of digital action celebrating college completion and retention. During a day of meetings, leaders discussed priorities for the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which has not been renewed or changed for nearly 15 years. Representatives from the coalition also raised awareness around Complete College America’s shared federal policy principles, which include saving students time and money by creating clearer pathways to a degree, meeting today’s students where they are, and removing unnecessary barriers to college completion.

Duran and Jessie Ryan, executive vice president for the Campaign for College Opportunity were the California reps. They met with Congressman, Jim Costa and Dr. Dhanfu Elston, Sr. Vice President and Chief of Staff at Complete College America.

“I was happy to join Complete College America advocates from throughout the country in our nation’s capitol for this important occasion to educate our elected officials on the most critical issues facing our colleges and universities,” Duran said.  “I am grateful to our congressman, Rep. Jim Costa, who hosted me in his office to engage in a meaningful dialogue about higher education in the Central Valley.”

Charles Ansell, vice president for research, policy and advocacy at Complete College America, said, “The power of our work stems from states, networks, and institutions working together to solve the greatest challenges facing higher education today. This is about state and local leaders stepping forward to share their unique insights into how we can improve higher education—and create a system of higher education that better meets the needs of students, families and communities.”

The Complete College America’s membership includes more than 40 states and nine regional consortia, covering over one thousand institutions that serve more than 11.4 million students. A 2022 report from Complete College America found that between 2015 and today, almost all states in the Alliance have improved on-time graduation rates for students at both four-year institutions (+6 percentage points) and two-year institutions (+6 percentage points).

The state leaders participating in the inaugural CCA Day on the Hill included:

California: Benjamin T. Duran, Executive Director, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium; Jessie Ryan, Executive Vice President, The Campaign for College Opportunity

Florida: Tamsyn French, Associate Director, Student Financial Success, Florida Atlantic University

Maine: Janet M Sortor, Vice President & Chief Academic Officer, Maine Community College System; Rosa Redonnett, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Credential Attainment, Univ of Maine System Montana: Antony Berthelote, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs; Salish Kootenai College

Nevada: Terina Caserto, Senior Analyst, Nevada System of Higher Education Renee Davis, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Nevada System of Higher Education

Oklahoma: Kylie Smith, Vice Chancellor for Administration, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Pennsylvania: Dr. Kate Shaw, Deputy Secretary and Commissioner, Pennsylvania Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education

Puerto Rico: Dr. Milagritos González, Professor, University of Puerto Rico-Mayageza, CCA Puerto Rico Lead

Tennessee: Steven Gentile, Chief Policy Officer, Tennessee Higher Education Commission

“Sustaining a national agenda for college completion requires colleges to make shifts in practice and priorities as well as changes to federal policies governing higher education,” said Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva, president of Complete College America. “It’s been fifteen years since we last saw a comprehensive, bipartisan Higher Education Act; it’s high time for policymakers to take action to overhaul our system of higher education to better meet the needs of today’s students, communities and employers.”
Bipartisan State Leaders Converge on Nation’s Capitol to Advocate for College … – InvestorsObserver

 

For more information about CCA and to get involved, please visit CompleteCollege.org or contact Charles Ansell at cansell@completecollege.org

 

About Complete College America: Complete College America (CCA) builds movements for scaled change and transforms institutions through data-driven policies, student-centered perspectives, and equity-driven practices. Since its founding in 2009, CCA connects a national network of forward-thinking state and higher education leaders and introduces bold initiatives to help states and institutions confront inequities, close institutional performance gaps, and increase college completion rates, especially for marginalized and historically excluded students. For more information, visit www.completecollege.org.

 

SOURCE Complete College America

CVHEC IN THE NEWS: CVHEC co-sponsors Broadband Planning  Workshop

CVHEC co-sponsored Broadband for All and BEAD workshop video (April 15) video.

Radio Bilingüe interview in Spanish with Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director and president-emeritus of Merced College (April 13, 2023):

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium was featured nationally on Radio Bilingue April 13 as a co-sponsor of one of 20 Broadband for All Digital Equity and Broadband Equity, Adoption, and Deployment (BEAD) Planning Regional-Local Workshops being held throughout the state by the California Department of Technology.

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, served as a spokesperson at the Merced event held April 14 and was interviewed  for the Spanish-language show Linea Abierta on Radio Bilingüe, the nation’s only daily Spanish-language talk show in public radio airing live Monday to Friday at noon. 

At the workshops, attendees can learn more about the digital equity plan, provide feedback on how to make it more effective and connect with others who are passionate about digital equity in California.

The series of 20 workshops is being held statewide to engage with the public and collect feedback as part of California’s $6 billion Broadband for All  investment. Input shared during the workshops will help California develop the State’s Digital Equity and BEAD Five-Year Action Plans that will determine how future federal dollars are allocated to address digital inequities in the community.

Future events are scheduled for Tuolumne, Santa Maria, Seaside and Oakland.

See original media advisory.

Fresno City College broadband workshop video (April 15):

CVHEC IN NEWS: KSEE Education Matters features Central Valley Math Bridge initiative

 

The Central Valley Math Bridge Project was featured on the Education Matters television segment April 10 by the Fresno County Office of Education with Juanita Stevenson on KSEE-24 (NBC). The project is a partnership of College Bridge, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium  and the Rand Corporation.

Interviewed were Dr. Lynn Cavallos, president of College Bridge; Dr. Martin Macias, superintendent of the Golden Plains Unified School District; Angel Ramirez, CVHEC operations manager; and Tranquillity High School math teacher Bradley Scott.

Recruitment of high schools is underway with the Math Bridge kickoff, a day-long seminar for participants from six CVHEC community college members and selected high schools, set for May 18 in Fresno.

 

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

 

MEMBER NEWS: Modesto Jr. College presents  ZTC/OER Faculty Award to Dr. Brennan

Modesto Junior College presented its annual ZTC/OER Faculty Award to Dr. Jessica Brennan, a child development professor who has been one of the strongest supporters of Zero Textbook Costs and Open Educational Resources at the college for the past three years.

In addition to adopting the OER philosophy and incorporating ZTC into all her courses, Dr. Brennan has advanced the philosophy in her dept. She is awaiting word on a proposal that would fund five new ZTC degrees and certificates in Child Development.

The ZTC/OER Faculty Award was established in 2022 to honor the work of an exceptional faculty member who has gone above and beyond in support of the Institutional efforts around ZTC and the use of OER.

The 2022 recipient was Professor Rob Stevenson who was instrumental in the development of MJC’s first Zero Textbook Cost Institutional Plan and has supported these efforts both directly through the Academic Senate and behind the scenes by mentoring faculty involved with ZTC efforts on campus.

A Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) course is one for which students are not required to buy a textbook. There may be a materials fee associated with the course such as a calculator or art supplies, but students do not need to buy any books. Open Educational Resources (OER) are free resources that instructors curate or create on their own to teach their courses.

See video.

BOARD NEWS: Steve Watkin is interim president of Bakersfield College

Steve Watkin was named interim president of Bakersfield College (BC) by the Kern Community College District (Kern CCD) Board of Trustees in March,  succeeding Dr. Zav Dadabhoy who was recently appointed deputy chancellor of KCCD.

Previously, Watkin served as associate vice chancellor of Enrollment Management at KCCD. He assumes the role of president May 15 with an expanse of experience and knowledge having worked previously at both public and private higher education institutions like BC, California State University, Bakersfield and Fresno Pacific University.

Watkin earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Master in Education degrees from Fresno Pacific University. In addition to his service to BC and KCCD, he has served as pastor of Church of God in Christ in Arvin for the past 11 years.  Watkin and his wife of 34 years, Kimberly, have six children and 11 grandchildren.

See the full Bakersfield College press release.

MEMBER NEWS: Enrollment Growth & Pathways: Strategy Session April 25 features CCC Chancellor-Select Christian

Dr. Sonya Christian, chancellor-select of the California Community College system, will be the guest speaker for the Central Mother Lode Regional Consortium’s “Enrollment Growth & Pathways: A Strategy Session”   Tuesday, April 25 at Fresno City College (1101 East University Ave.) in Fresno

The free event, hosted by FCC President Robert Pimentel, will be held from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.  in Old Admin Bldg/Auditorium with breakfast provided during registration from 9:30 – 10:30am at the OAB East Courtyard. RSVP required.

A CVHEC duo of Angel Ramirez, operations and finance manager, and Elaine Cash, grants and programs coordinator, will present on the regional dual enrollment efforts taking place across the Central Valley.

The Central/Mother Lode Regional Consortium is a regional collaborative that focuses on growing the regional economy by facilitating development and growth of college training and educational programs to meet the needs of identified high growth sectors. It supports education and training to develop a skilled workforce in the Central/Mother Lode Region. Its membership includes 15 CVHEC member community colleges.

For more information and registration visit:

 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/enrollment-growth-pathways-strategy-session-tickets-591699668637

 

 

 

New Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project provides support for Central Valley non-traditional rural students

(APRIL 20, 2023) — A new state-funded math dual enrollment program will “positively impact” approximately 630 non-traditional students at seven rural high schools next fall through four area community colleges that are members of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium.

Under a regional umbrella of equity and inclusion, the Dual Enrollment (DE) Math Bridge will provide equitable access to transfer-level math courses with embedded support for high school students who are disproportionately impacted, and/or are not traditionally college-bound, said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

McKenna Salazar, Tulare-Kings College & Career Collaborative; Orquídea Largo, UC Merced interim associate vice chancellor; Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC; and Dr. Claudia Lourido-Habib, Porterville College president.

“The project provides students with a transfer-level math course with tiered support,” Durán explained.  “Students have the opportunity to earn transferrable college-math credit in all models that satisfy both the California Community College (CCC) and California State University (CSU) General Education Math Requirement.”

The initiative, the second of its kind launched by CVHEC and its partners in the past few months, is funded by a $1,075,340 award by the California Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program, a statewide initiative designed to help California’s economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while addressing long-standing social and economic inequities in higher education and workforce participation with a $250 million appropriation to the Department of General Services (DGS) in the Budget Act of 2021. Collaboratives were set up in 13 regions throughout the state.

For the Math Bridge funding, two Central Valley K-16 programs – the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative and the Tulare-Kings College & Career Collaborative – collaborated to create the Central San Joaquin Valley K-16 Partnership that combines resources to achieve equity-focused goals in the four-county region where college graduation rates are 50 percent below the state average.

Other partners in the Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project with CVHEC and the Central San Joaquin Valley K-16 Partnership are College Bridge of Los Angeles (which presented the first Math Bridge program for the region in January using federal funds) and Fresno Pacific University (also a CVHEC member).

The four community college partners are Clovis Community College, Reedley College, West Hills Community College – Lemoore and West Hills Community College – Coalinga.

The participating high schools are Clovis, Clovis East, Riverdale, Sanger and Sanger West with two more high schools slots still available (see below).

Since the K-16 initiative was established, the Fresno-Madera component has also funded CVHEC’s Master’s Upskilling Program that will play a part in the current CVHEC project upskilling high school teachers to teach dual enrollment math and English courses by CVHEC, National University and Fresno Pacific University.

“DE Math Bridge is the culmination of the partners’ efforts to address the identified needs in one, collective project,” Durán said.

The need for the Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project stems from students’ failure to pass gateway courses in mathematics and /or English as the biggest barrier for students to be successful in staying enrolled and completing their college degrees, Durán said.

The project will establish systemically aligned dual enrollment courses in college level transfer Mathematics that will become a consistent and ongoing part of the course offerings by the participating high schools and colleges, Durán added.

“The dual enrollment courses will be provided at no cost to students, on their high school campus, during the regular school day,” said Dr. Lynn Cevallos, president of College Bridge.  “Also embedded in the courses will be a College Transition Bridge (CT Bridge) curriculum to prepare students for college success.”

Students will have access to either a Statistics and Liberal Art Math (SLAM) or Business, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (BSTEM) option with a level of support determined by their GPA band.

Each DE Math Bridge model will be taught and assessed by a local team consisting of college and high school math instructors with a college math instructor participating in course planning, common assessments and team grading.

The general goals of the DE Math Bridge proposal are:

1) develop and maintain strategic high school/college partnerships to address educational inequities and foster college success,

2) provide an intersegmental Professional Development program to foster continuous improvement,

3) utilize dual enrollment as a strategy to close equity and achievement gaps,

4) develop a sustainability plan,

5) scale DE Math Bridge and develop a sustainable model that can be replicated in other parts of the Central Valley and rural California.

“CVHEC and its partners are committed to undertake this deeper work that can effectively blur the lines between high schools and its colleges in the Central Valley,” Duran said.

High schools interested in participating, contact Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC finance and operations manager: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com or 559.292.0576.

 

For CVHEC media inquiries: Tom Uribes (tom@uribes.com or 559.348.3278)

 

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