WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING GUEST BLOG (April 2023): Kern Math Master’s Upskilling/Dr. Manjula Joseph

With the first cohorts of the Kern Master’s Upskilling Program underway, this guest blog is by Dr. Manjula Joseph, associate professor and program director for math education at Fresno Pacific University, a CVHEC member institution.  She reflects on the experiences of the math cohort offered by FPU with 21 current practicing high school teachers enrolled in the program designed to empower them to create classrooms that foster a love for math with specific sights set on eventually teaching dual enrollment courses at their respective high schools. This first Kern math cohort completes in July 2024. (An English master’s cohort offered by CVHEC member National University is also currently in session).

Transforming Practicing Teachers into Innovative Math Educators

Embracing the shift in math education for the Kern Master’s Upskilling Program: Fresno Pacific University’s MA in Mathematics Education  

 

By Dr. Manjula Joseph

Program Director, Math Education – Fresno Pacific University

 

I enter the (zoom) room and observe a class in session.

The students in the first cohort of our Kern Master’s Upskilling Program for practicing high school math teachers are sharing celebrations and challenges about life events – school, family, health, etc. Some of them request prayer.

After this brief time of sharing, they are presented with a graph of an intertwined circle and parabola with a red-shaded area and asked to respond to the prompts “What do you notice? What do you wonder?” on a Google Jamboard. Their two-dozen responses range from noticing symmetry to wondering what the center of the circle might be. Then, moving to breakout rooms to discuss how they might solve the problem at hand, they write their thoughts on the Jamboard.

The complex problem involves differential and integral calculus, trigonometry and intricate algebraic manipulation. Not initially finding answers only seems to push them further to learn unfamiliar concepts, expand prior knowledge and reach a solution.

Professor Alice Keeler, the instructor, and I silently observe this activity unfold and marvel. What I have just observed firsthand is a genuine “community of learners” engaged in supporting and strengthening each other’s content and pedagogical knowledge.

Student Kim Halbrook also observes: “The program is designed to build ‘a community of educators’ willing to support and help each other be the best teachers they can be.”

 

So, what makes FPU’s program unique?

In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, our Master of Mathematics Education program at Fresno Pacific University (FPU) stands out as a beacon for change.

Focused on a humanized, student-centered approach, we transform practicing teachers into innovative math educators who embrace the shift from traditional instruction towards a more engaging and holistic learning experience without compromising rigor.

 

Propelling the Shift in Humanizing Mathematics

We see mathematics as a deeply humanizing activity emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration — a fundamental shift from viewing it as cold and abstract, and emphasizing speed and competition.

Mathematics affords us the space to explore the mysteries of the universe and appreciate the beauty and order that underlies it. Mathematics also allows us to think logically and critically about the challenges and inequities that plague society, empowering us to contribute to the advancement of human knowledge, social justice and progress.

Our program helps teachers embrace this shift, enabling them to foster a love for mathematics, a joy for exploration and a passion for problem-solving in their own classrooms.

“Fresno Pacific University has provided more content-specific advancements in my career as an educator than the entirety of my Teacher Preparation Program,” says student Brandon Butler.

 

Believing Engagement is More Than Just Fun

Our program recognizes that engagement is not synonymous with fun. We believe that true engagement comes from feeling rewarded for one’s efforts and that students would rather work on challenging tasks (absorption) than boring, easy tasks (compliance).

We prioritize student engagement through personal connections, using collaborative tools and interactive activities. Our approach models compassion and grace, encouraging teachers to create classroom environments where mathematics is seen as a means for thinking and engaging, rather than as a competition.

Student Edna Cruz affirms: “I have learned so much about integrating technology in a way that encourages students to think and engage in productive struggle. All this in a course that unites a group of people who genuinely love math and the advancement of education, to better serve the students of our community. We are all taking what we are learning and implementing it in our own classrooms.”

 

Balancing Commitment with Life

Our program acknowledges the challenges faced by teachers who must balance their commitment to earning a master’s degree with their existing teaching responsibilities and family life.

With this in mind, we designed a student-centered program that cares for students not just as learners but as individuals with unique personal and professional lives. This philosophy influences assignments, discussions, and interactions. We view students (both ours and their students in turn) as whole persons, cultivating an environment where teachers can develop their skills while maintaining a strong connection to their own values and personal lives.

 

 

A Passion for Reimagining Math Education

In conclusion, the Master of Mathematics Education program at Fresno Pacific University offers a transformative experience for practicing teachers passionate about reimagining math education.

Focusing on humanizing mathematics, emphasizing human-centered approaches, and embracing a balanced approach, our program empowers teachers to create classrooms that foster the love for mathematics and nurture the critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in finding solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

 

 

 

#WomansHistoryMonth: The Woman Leaders of CVHEC

Read more

MEMBER NEWSL SCCCD Men Of Color Summit 2023 is March 24 at FCC

The second annual State Center Community College District Men of Color Summit will be Friday, March 24 from 9 a.m. – 2. p.m. at Fresno City College.

The event is for all high school male seniors in the SCCCD service area which includes Clovis Community College, Reedley College, Madera Community College, Oakhurst Career & Technology Center and FCC.

The Men of Color Summit is designed to empower and motivate high school seniors to strive for excellence. Students will engage in discussions addressing the needs and issues that specifically men of color face, and how those issues intersect with their academic and professional careers.

Workshops will include cover topics about navigating and succeeding in school; life options and choices; and understanding how a college education equates to earn more money.

Many of the education leaders in the Central Valley who are men of color will serve as presenters.

Students may register for the Men of Color Summit through their high school counselor. For more info: https://www.scccd.edu/lp/men-of-color-summit.html#

 

CVHEC BOARD NEWS: Clovis Community College President Kim E. Armstrong welcome

Clovis Community College President Kim E. Armstrong was honored at a welcome reception March 15 on campus led by Dr. Carole Goldsmith, chancellor of the State Center Community College District.

President Kim E. Armstrong, who replaced Dr. Lori Bennett, took office Jan. 3, 2023. She will be seated on the CVHEC Board of Directors at its May 11 quarterly meeting.

Related links:

Dr. Kim E. Armstrong Named Clovis Community College President

Dr. Kim E. Armstrong named new CCC President effective Jan. 3, 2023

See the photo gallery and event video:

 

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

UPDATE – CVHEC SUMMIT RESCHEDULED: the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Legislative and Policy Summit 2023 set for this May is rescheduled for Oct. 20 due to scheduling conflicts.  

 

Registration is now available for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Legislative and Policy Summit 2023 now set for Friday, Oct. 20 (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) at the Fresno Convention Center in Fresno.

Also join us for the CVHEC Board of Directors Summit Reception on Thursday, Oct. 19 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.) at Arte Americas following the board’s quarterly meeting.

Sponsored by the College Futures Foundation, the summit is expected to draw 150-200 higher education officials and educators, legislators and partner representatives for discussion and action regarding Dual Enrollment, our Central Valley Transfer Model, Math Pathways and more.

Register now at our CVHEC Summit 2023 page.

 

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

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