CCA Convening 2025: from regional collaboration to national recognition for CVHEC - Central Valley Higher Education Consortium

CVHEC Associate Director Angel Ramirez (left), College Bridge Vice President Owynn Lancaster and CVHEC Dual Enrollment Lead Dr. Kristin Clark, were among the consortium’s delegation attending the Complete College America national conference last November in Baltimore.

CVHEC takes Central Valley innovation to the

national stage at CCA NEXT 2025 Convening

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Communications Lead

(JAN. 14, 2026) — The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) emerged as a national leader in student success and systems innovation last fall when its Central Valley Transfer Project and Central Valley Math Bridge Program were among several sessions presented at “NEXT: The 2025 Complete College America (CCA) Annual Convening,” held Nov. 17–19 in Baltimore.

More than 750 education leaders, policymakers, researchers and advocates from across the country gathered for the three-day convening to confront some of higher education’s most urgent challenges — from defending the value of college completion to harnessing artificial intelligence as a tool for equity and student success.

“With that backdrop, CVHEC’s work stood out as a concrete example of how regional collaboration can produce scalable, statewide impact that can also inspire national strategy,” said Brandon Protas, Ed. D., interim vice president for Alliance Engagement, Research, & Innovation for Complete College America.

Led by Executive Director Dr. Benjamín Durán, the CVHEC delegation included Ángel Ramírez, associate director; Tom Burke, Central Valley Transfer Project co-lead and chancellor-emeritus of the Kern Community College District; and Dr. Kristin Clark, CVHEC dual enrollment lead.

Joining them were Jennifer Johnson of the Foundation for California Community Colleges who presented on the Transfer Project session with Burke and Durán; and Owynn Lancaster, College Bridge vice president who presented on the Math Bridge session with Durán.

Durán, who also serves as a CCA Alliance lead, said the two CVHEC sessions on the national stage capped what was “an eventful year for CVHEC.

“Colleagues and partners from around the country learned about the innovative work happening in a rural part of California. The Central Valley Transfer Project, Math Bridge and our upskilling initiatives show how regional collaboration can lead to scalable solutions,” Durán said.

CCA: a national convening focused on innovation and completion

Complete College America’s annual convening featured main-stage discussions on building “student-ready” institutions, preparing learners for rapid technological change and centering student voices in reform efforts. Student speakers challenged attendees to focus on completion as a moral and economic imperative, while national leaders explored how education systems must evolve alongside the future of work.

The event also spotlighted innovation in artificial intelligence, including an “AI Battle” demonstration by CCA Fellows and panels emphasizing that AI should support — not replace — human connection in higher education.

For CVHEC leaders, those conversations reinforced the consortium’s own strategic priorities.

Clark, attending her first CCA convening, focused on sessions examining data systems and AI adoption in higher education. She said research presented by T3 Advisory underscored the importance of strong data governance, leadership alignment and collaboration — areas where CVHEC is already well positioned.

“Attending CCA reinforced for me that collaboration is at the heart of innovation, and CVHEC knows how to do that,” Clark said. “Our proactive leadership around AI and innovation gives the Central Valley a strong foundation to move forward together.”

Ramírez echoed that sentiment, noting that the convening highlighted shared national priorities around access, workforce alignment and student value.

“The CCA annual convening is a great reminder that higher education leaders across the country want the same thing — to ensure college is accessible and meaningful for students,” Ramírez said. “The ideas and connections from Baltimore will directly inform our local work.”

Accessibility and meaningfulness were at the core of the two CVHEC sessions presented.

Central Valley Transfer Project: a regional model with statewide reach

CCA delegates attending the Central Valley Transfer Project session Nov. 19 learned how an intersegmental initiative that has been adopted by the California Community Colleges as a statewide demonstration model in 2023 became fully incorporated into its Vision 2030 last summer.

The project was developed to break down long-standing barriers between California’s community colleges, California State University campuses and University of California campuses, increasing successful transfer pathways to four-year degrees.

“The Central Valley Transfer Project is the fruit of efforts by a small group of Central Valley leaders who came together in 2022 with a shared goal — to make transfer clearer, faster and more equitable for students,” Burke said. “Our team presented how the process has been refined and streamlined to achieve effective collaboration between all entities.”

Originally piloted through collaboration among UC Merced, CSU Bakersfield, Merced College and Bakersfield College, the initiative established common protocols that bring together faculty, advisors and guidance staff across segments to review, align and approve lower- and upper-division course sequences. Those pathways are made widely accessible through Program Pathways Mapper (PPM), a cloud-based, public-facing software platform that allows students, counselors and institutions to view accurate transfer pathways in real time.

The success of that Central Valley model led California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian to adopt the Transfer Project as a statewide demonstration initiative in 2023 — first announced at CVHEC’s Higher Education Summit in Fresno that October.

Burke said that 90 of the 116 community colleges throughout the state are now on, or in the process of implementing PPM which enables them to easily achieve the transfer pathways with all upper division institutions on PPM including the three California State University campuses (Bakersfield, Fresno and Stanislaus) and the University of California, Merced that are CVHEC member institutions.

The work is also closing equity gaps for historically underrepresented students, said Burke whose Transfer project co-lead is Stan Carrizosa, president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias.

“Through the ease of access to PPM, students who have historically been marginalized now have clear, accurate course sequences that map their pathway to degree completion,” Burke said. “That clarity is transformational.”

Durán noted that CVHEC’s Central Valley Transfer Project stood as a clear example of how regional, cross-sector collaboration can drive systemic change — not only within California, but nationally.

“With its adoption under Vision 2030 and growing visibility on the national stage, the CVHEC Transfer Project reflects how Central Valley innovation is helping shape the future of college completion,” Durán said.

Math Bridge: aligning transfer, math pathways, workforce needs

CVHEC’s presence at NEXT 2025 extended beyond transfer as Durán joined College Bridge’s Lancaster in presenting the session, “Central Valley Math Bridge: Creating Seamless Pathways for Student Success,” Nov. 18 that highlighted strategies to align high school and college math through equity-driven partnerships.

With support from the RAND Corporation, the Math Bridge Program is redefining math education by closing learning gaps and smoothing transitions from high school to community college. In the 2024–25 academic year alone, the program achieved an 88 percent pass rate, with 248 students earning college credit, Lancaster reported.

“Math Bridge isn’t just about curriculum alignment; it’s about reshaping outcomes and removing barriers,” Durán said. “It shows what’s possible when systems work together to advance educational equity and degree attainment.”

Complete College America now has its sights set on the 2026 CCA Annual Convening set for Dec. 1-3 in San Diego. Registration information and the event schedule will be available later this spring.

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