Hello friends and colleagues,

Welcome to our final newsletter of the 2025-26 academic year as we approach the culmination of a busy and impactful spring semester.  First and foremost, congratulations to the Central Valley Class of 2026 … and to all your academic and personal support systems who provided amazing foundations for your academic success!

You will note in this 60th edition that April was a very busy month. Several CVHEC events began with our Math Task Force Convening (see our April newsletter) before our successful spring quarterly Board of Directors meeting April 24, followed that same day by the Annual Central Valley Higher Education Summit.

In this issue, we present video recordings of the panels held at the summit, so if you missed any, this is a great opportunity to check out the meaningful conversations throughout the day. 

Also, you can read how board members were updated on the progress of the four Strategic Priorities they identified in a strategic planning retreat last summer.  Those four strategies also were highlighted at the summit in a video-taped panel discussion of CVHEC presidents that laid out the direction the consortium will take in the next three to five years.  See this, and the other panels in our summit wrap story.  

One of the highlights of the event was the premiere of “The CVHEC Story,” a video created by Zach Green Films in concert with our CVHEC communications team of Tom Uribes and Angel Ramirez. The 15-minute mini documentary, which portrays a historical depiction of the consortium’s origin and progress to date, is released for public viewing in this issue.  A highlight of the video that provided some nostalgic appreciation was commentary from Fresno State President-emeritus Dr. John Welty, the founder of the consortium; and Dr. Allen Carden, CVHEC’s founding executive director.  Please click on the link to the video to view it in its entirety and let us know what you think of “The CVHEC Story.”  

Also in this edition, you will note the participation by our Associate Director Angel Ramirez in a panel at the Fresno State “Frontiers in AI and Digital Health Innovation” Summit April 28.  This event is one of several statewide and national convenings where CVHEC team members have been invited to highlight the consortium’s mission and the great work being done in our regional colleges and universities.  

We appreciate and welcome these opportunities to provide a solid voice on behalf of our 28 member institutions and their students demonstrating that CVHEC is no longer the state’s best-kept secret in the world of higher education. If you would like one of our team members to speak at your event to share this unique dynamic, do not hesitate to contact us!

And in this newsletter, I call your attention to two individuals who have served Central Valley students and residents for decades and have decided to retire and go on to the next phase of their lives:  

• From the West Kern Community College District, Taft College Interim President Leslie Minor is a first-generation graduate who has spent many years serving students in Oregon and California.  Additionally, she has been involved in community organizations like Big Brothers and Sisters, Rotary, Kiwanis, Long Beach Farms and the National Forest Service.  President Minor informed the board at its recent spring meeting of her upcoming retirement in June.

• Dr. John Spevak, the author of this month’s “What the CV-HEC is Happening” blog, is a Chicago transplant who has dedicated over 40 years in higher education in the Central Valley following his service in the United States Air Force. John culminated his military service at Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California, allowing him to begin his career in higher education at nearby Merced College first as an English teacher who rose to vice president and served with me during my tenure as president there. John’s career is so successful and diverse it has resulted in five retirements!  But he insists this is his final victory lap and we are grateful to benefit from his last hurrah as a CVHEC consultant the past 9 years. Please enjoy his blog and learn more about his long and illustrious career serving students here in the Valley. 

We salute these two veterans of higher education as they typify the legions of professionals retiring this year whose talents, service and dedication in their respective careers contributed immensely to the success of countless college students. And, as we say in our higher ed community, isn’t that what it’s all about?! 

In closing, please note that we do not publish our newsletter for the summer months, but we will return in August with a combined special summer edition that provides a review of the first six months of the year leading into the fall semester. Regular monthly publication resumes in September. 

Thank you to those who joined us at the summit and to all our newsletter readers. Enjoy any break time you muster up and we will see you in August.