California Community Colleges:

‘the main engine of social mobility’

For National Community College Month, we acknowledge the 19 members of our Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors who serve as the chief executive officers of their respective campuses serving 212,755 community college students here in our nine-county region from Stockton to Kern (IPEDS 2021-22).

We also saluteformer CVHEC board member Dr. Sonya Christian (when she was Bakersfield College president and Kern Community College District chancellor) now serving as chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the country with 2.1 million students in 114 communities and online.

And we recognize  the many administrators, faculty and staff serving under these leaders at our 15 member campuses and four districts contributing to scores of student success stories.

In a commentary last fall for EdSource, Chancellor Christian declared that “the Community College System is one of our state’s most valuable assets, our main engine of social mobility” generating $128 billion in annual income for California that amounts to more than four percent of the state’s gross product.

“We are essential to the state achieving its ambitious goals in everything from climate policy, to growing a world-class labor force, to expanding the middle class,” she wrote. “We are essential to the state’s ability to address a massive nursing shortage, support an aging population, prepare for an electric future in need of skilled and trained technicians and more.

“None of this can be done without the California Community Colleges.”

In a resolution promoting Community College Month, the Community College League of California said, “The public community colleges are an essential resource for the state, constituting an accessible path to a better life for generations of low-income and working-class Californians.

“The California Community Colleges provides excellent educational offerings for students wishing to transfer to California State University, University of California, independent colleges and universities; and offers career education programs for students to be competitive in today’s demanding workforce,” the resolution reads.

The CVHEC team also carries the mark of the community college system: Dr. Benjamín Durán, executive director, is president-emeritus of Merced College; Dr. John Spevak, coordinator of our Math and English Task Forces, is a vice president-emeritus of Merced College; Stan Carrizosa, Transfer Project lead, is president-emeritus of College of Sequoias; and Tom Burke, Kern Masters Upskilling lead, is chancellor-emeritus of the Kern Community College District.

“Our Central Valley community college leaders are dedicated to serving our students with great pride,” Dr. Durán said.

ABOUT CVHEC: The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) is a 28-member strong consortium of accredited public and private colleges and universities in the nine-county region from Stockton to Bakersfield.  The CVHEC Board of Directors consists of the chancellors/presidents/directors of the member institutions of higher education who meet quarterly as well as presents its Higher Education Summit annually.  Best described as a regional convener on post-secondary equitable work,  the consortium’s  primary mission is to increase the Central Valley’s certificate and degree attainment rates. With the Central Valley leading the state as a region taking on difficult and complex initiatives and scaling them up in a region the size of some states, CVHEC speaks in a single voice on higher education policy issues that affect our region. 

See:

Community College League of California Community College Month resolution  – (April, 2024)

Community colleges are key to solving California’s toughest challenges – Commentary by CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian/EdSource (Oct. 16, 2023)

Sonya Christian on her ambitious goals as California’s new community colleges chief – Interview with CCC Chancellor/EdSource (June 29, 2023)

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