Facing new challenges to higher ed
— a glimpse at the past 12 months
BY TOM URIBES
Communications/Media Lead — Central Valley Higher Education Consortium
This 55th edition of our CVHEC e-newsletter provides our annual opportunity to reflect on the consortium’s past year as we wish our readers peace and happiness for the holidays.
In his final director’s message of the year published in this issue, CVHEC executive director Benjamín Durán said the review “chronicles positive and inspiring stories throughout our 10-county region and with higher education partners in the face of challenges and uncertainties we all experienced from our national administration.
“When we look back at this historical 2025 year, we can all agree that it was a great period for our institutions as they collaborated effectively to overcome challenges and deliver the best higher education experiences for our students,” writes Dr. Duran.
Join us as we look back on 2025 as reported across our news and social media platforms from January to June.
- January to June 2025 (Mid-Year Review)
- Summer to December 2024 (Full-Year Review)
SUMMER 2025 (No. 51)
– Published Aug. 8
MID-YEAR REVIEW 2025: CVHEC’s first six months of the year
Our annual Mid-Year Review Summer Edition highlights CVHEC’s first six months of 2025 as reported across our news and social media platforms from January to June, prepared by Tom Uribes, the consortium’s communications lead. See full list of headlines on the CVHEC website.
Central Valley Higher Education Summit 2025 Panels videos
Our annual Summer 2025 edition (in lieu of the June, July and August newsletters), provided a look at the panels from the 2025 Central Valley Higher Education Summit held May 9 in Fresno: how the region’s higher ed professionals convened with national and state officials to address pressing issues currently at hand, including the virtual session with California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
- CVHEC 2025 Summit – Higher Ed. & Justice: A Virtual Forum (Calif. Attorney General Rob Bonta)
- CVHEC 2025 Summit – Stronger Together: Aligning Systems for Equitable Outcomes
- CVHEC 2025 Summit – In Their Words: Real Students Talking about Central Valley Strategies
- CVHEC 2025 Summit – Data at Every Level: Sharing National, State and Local Insights
- CVHEC 2025 Summit – What the CVHEC is Happening in the Central Valley
- CVHEC 2025 Summit – The Path Forward: Higher Ed Policy and the New Administration
- Fresno State Latin Ensemble (Summit Reception May 8)
- CVHEC Summit 2025 (with summit photo gallery and board meeting and summit reception photo galleries).
- CVHEC 2025 SUMMIT RECAP FINAL
Planning is now underway for the 2026 summit tentatively planned for late April with firm dates to be announced in our social media platforms and January newsletter. The summit provides the opportunity for our region’s higher education minds to collaborate to improve college attainment rates for Central Valley residents.
WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING? BLOG? – Summer Edition
Reflections from the CVHEC Summit 2025: Regional unity, collaboration a national model for strengthening higher education impact (By Dr. Brandon Protas)
For this summer edition of our “What the CV-HEC is Happening” blog, we featured Dr. Brandon Protas, assistant vice president for Alliance Engagement for Complete College America (CCA) based in Indianapolis. The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) is one of 53 affiliates — states, systems and consortia — participating in the CCA Alliance nationwide. Dr. Protas, who resides in Colorado, was invited to Fresno for the CVHEC Summit in May to present on the panel, “Data at Every Level: Sharing National, State and Local Insights.” He addressed national trends in higher education, college completion rates and his higher education experiences nationwide. In this blog, Dr. Protas shares observations from the summit noting that CVHEC is a national model for strengthening higher education’s impact through unity and collaboration and that the summit served as a clarion call in today’s climate of hostility against diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility as well as undocumented students. CCA held its national conference Nov. 18-20 in Baltimore once again attended by a CVHEC delegation.
How UC Merced Uses Online Education to Strengthen Rural STEM Transfer Pathways
The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and member UC Merced joined forces with the University of California Office of the President and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office to launch a pilot program expanding community college students’ access to advanced mathematics courses through cross-campus online education: Campaign for Transfer Excellence (CTE), a UC systemwide initiative designed to improve transfer pathways — particularly for stem majors — from California Community Colleges (CCCs) to UC campuses.
This commentary from California Competes’ “Promising Practices in Online Education” series — highlighting ways California institutions and faculty harness online education for student success — chronicled how this collaborative effort with Central Valley community colleges tackles transfer barriers by pooling institutional resources and using technology to overcome geographic and institutional constraints.
TRANSITION: New valley higher ed CEO’s set to join CVHEC Board of Directors
The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) Board of Directors, which is made up of the university and college chancellors, presidents and educational administrators in the valley’s 10-county region, welcomed two new members who were seated at the CVHEC Board retreat Aug. 20:
- Dr. Lena Tran was appointed interim chancellor of the Yosemite Community College District by the YCCD Board of Trustees in May. YCCD includes CVHEC-members Modesto Junior College and Columbia College in Sonora. [MORE]
- Dr. Denise Whisenhunt began her tenure as Fresno City College president July 1 following her appointment in April and contract approval by the State Center Community College District. [MORE]
- Columbia College announced the appointment of Dr. Chad Redwing as interim president, effective immediately following Board approval on July 9. [MORE]
MEMBER NEWS – Summer Edition
- Coalinga College Education Matters: Dual enrollment brings opportunity
- Madera Community College turns 5; Oakhurst Center construction underway
- HECHINGER: A college degree opens doors, but only when we remove obstacles for young people – UC Merced cited for student support, success
- Stanislaus State ranked among nation’s ‘Best Value Colleges’
SEPTEMBER 2025 (No. 52) 
– Published Sept. 8
When Jay Thomas, a math professor at Lemoore College, logs onto a Zoom call with his mentee — a high school teacher deep in the process of earning a master’s degree — he doesn’t see it as just another meeting on his calendar. The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Master’s Upskilling Mentorship Program is more than just a professional development initiative. It’s personal. At a luncheon in Fresno Aug. 15, Thomas joined almost a dozen colleagues to reflect on their mentoring work through CVHEC and the impact it’s having on teachers, students and the future of education in the region …
CVHEC Transfer Project, PPM move from ‘demo’ to CCC ‘Vision 2030’ status; national presentation set
The demonstration status that the CVHEC Central Valley Transfer Project was conferred by California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian in 2023 was elevated with the inclusion of the project into the CCC “Vision 2030,” the system announced in June.
Simultaneously, the consortium’s Transfer Project became formalized when the California State Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved state funding for all colleges to align with the “Program Pathways Mapper” software platform. CVHEC announced that its team will present the Transfer Project at the Complete College America national conference Nov. 17-20 along with the Central Valley Math Bridge Program presented by College Bridge …
‘WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING’ BLOG?
Please, no war on college education! Check out your local community college for true return-on-investment – By Dr. John Spevak
For the September 2025 “What the CV-HEC is Happening” Blog, Dr. John Spevak presents an adaptation of a column he wrote for the Aug. 6 issue of The Westside Express touting the effectiveness of higher education, its impact on students and the return on investment (ROI). Dr. Spevak, who is a vice president-emeritus of Merced College and currently a CVHEC lead, coordinates the English and Math Task Forces for the consortium.
In 2022, CVHEC partnered with College Bridge to expand its Math Bridge program into the Central Valley as a model strategy to align math pathways. Using dual enrollment college courses as the delivery method, this effort is intended for high school students who have historically struggled with math and might feel they are not college-ready. Leveraged by K-16 Collaborative state funding, this project has been implemented in two regions of CVHEC’s 10-county service area – Mid-Valley and North Valley – with plans to expand this pioneering program to other regions in the next year. College Bridge shares data demonstrating the initiative’s impact to date and how a targeted program like Math Bridge effectively helps rural high school students successfully complete gateway college level courses before graduating from their high school. Research shows that programs like these with wrap-around services for targeted student populations serve as springboards towards college completion for these students …
Leaders from colleges and universities across California’s Central Valley gathered at the University of California, Merced for a one-day strategic planning retreat by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) Board of Directors Aug. 20.
The session marked an important milestone in the consortium’s 25-year history, as presidents, chancellors and higher education CEOs from across the region came together to chart a bold course for the next three to five years, said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.
“This was a ‘roll up your sleeves’ kind of day,” Dr. Durán said, reflecting the spirit of the retreat. “It was about open discussion, candid collaboration and making decisions that will set the state and direction for CVHEC …” (more details in the October newsletter summary below).
MEMBER NEWS 0925
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- CVHEC members FPU, CHSU tackle doctor shortage, Valley healthcare
- Forbes: UC is nation’s best public university – UC Merced in Top 10
- CSUB enrollment returns to pre-pandemic levels for fall semester
- King J. Richter gifts over $20 million to FPU for scholarships
- Dolores Huerta icon to keynote Clovis CC National Hispanic Heritage Month Opening Sept. 15
- UC Merced students and families feeding into downtown economy
- Stan State president talks budget concerns, reveals projects
- Fresno State is one of the most affordable schools in the US
- UC Merced to Host Inaugural Safety Conference Sept. 23-24
- Vision 2030 Regional Convening seeks presenters by Oct. 3
- CSU, Bakersfield sets AI conference Oct. 2
HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS
OCTOBER 2025 (No. 53) 
– Published Oct. 10
Following its recent one-day Strategic Planning Retreat, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) Board of Directors announced the development of four key areas of focus for the next three to five years and the formation of advisory boards to champion progress in each area.
The four advisory boards are: Data Sharing and Regional Dashboards; Workforce Aligned Program Development; Artificial Intelligence (AI); and Enrollment, Reconnect.
The advisory boards were created during the CVHEC Board retreat Aug. 20 when the leaders from colleges and universities across California’s Central Valley gathered at the University of California, Merced to chart a bold course for the next three to five years. The advisory boards consist of chancellors, presidents and campus directors of the Central Valley’s 28 institutions of higher education who make up the CVHEC Board of Directors. The retreat was facilitated by Nitya Wakhlu and Greg Netzer of Drawbridge Innovations …
CVHEC board re-elects 3 to EC: Chancellors Muñoz and Pimentel, President Jiménez-Sandoval
Three Central Valley higher ed leaders were re-elected to new three-year terms on the executive committee of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors effective Oct. 1, announced Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.
Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz, chancellor of University of California Merced, who is currently serving a one-year term as chairperson for the board that began in January, was re-elected to the executive committee along with Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval and West Hills Community College District Chancellor Robert Pimentel. The previous three-year terms for all three expired Sept. 30 …
‘WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING’ BLOG?
‘Be the guide every graduate deserves’ By Ekaterina Struett (Oct. 10, 2025)
For NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION MONTH in October our “What the CVHEC is Happening Blog” featured Ekaterina Struett, CEO of the College Advising Corps — a national nonprofit that has helped over 1 million students from low-income, first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds navigate their path to higher education and career success. She advances the observation that “if we want young people to thrive after high school, we need to offer more than a diploma. We need to offer real guidance, grounded in partnership and trust.”
As the fall 2025 semester unfolds, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium once again turned to two of the most persistent hurdles in student success: mathematics and English. Two consortium task forces established in the past seven years consisting of professors from CVHEC-member community colleges held a new round of virtual meetings, bringing renewed energy to collaborative solutions that help students succeed in gateway courses, said Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC project lead. Three Zoom sessions for the Math Task Force were Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and Nov. 21 (10 a.m. to noon each) and one for the English Task Force was held Oct. 29, (3 to 4:30 p.m.) …
CVHEC SPOTLIGHT: Central Valley HSI colleges lose federal grant for Hispanic students
Central Valley colleges and universities will lose millions in federal funds under the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate a long-standing grant benefitting campuses with significant Hispanic student population, the Fresno Bee reported Sept. 23.
CVHEC member institutions affected by the U.S. Department of Education Sept. 10 that were mentioned in the story are Fresno State, UC Merced and community colleges in Madera, Reedley, Clovis, Fresno and Merced, all designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (several other CVHEC members are also HSI). The action will heavily impact California, a Hispanic-majority state with the nation’s largest Hispanic student population.
“My initial reaction was, ‘What’s going on?’” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium. “Why would this happen, especially when these funding programs have existed for decades and have a proven track record of success? I just saw it as being racially motivated because they’re targeting institutions that serve predominantly Latino students, simply because they enroll at least 25% Latinos.” …
BOARD & MEMBER NEWS
A glimpse at some of our 28 CVHEC member institutions of higher education in the 10-county Central Valley region (for details, select the headline link):
- Pacific alum Jose M. Hernandez, former NASA astronaut, featured in ABC News report about TRIO with fellow Upward Bound alumnus John Quinones
- Fresno State presents 10th Feria de Educación Oct. 11; boxer Jose Ramirez delivers Dr. Castro tribute
- New YCCD chancellor praises community partnerships, innovation at State-of-the-District address
- Fresno City College Celebrates 115 Years of Educational Excellence
- Porterville College opens modernized Fine Arts Department with enhanced facilities, mural
- Stan State President Rios-Ellis investiture: ‘The Pulse of Possibility’:
- UC Merced, Almond Board team up for farming innovation, student opps
- Madera College: academic agave distilling program announced
- PPIC dual enrollment study: enrollment in DE English courses is more likely to be in the Central Valley
HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS
Friends and colleagues of the late Dr. Joseph I. Castro joined his family in a Celebration of Life Tribute and Reception at the Harris Ranch near Coalinga Oct. 5.
NOVEMBER 2025 (No. 54) 
– Published Nov. 12
CVHEC SUMMIT 2026: SAVE THE DATE
The 2026 Central Valley Higher Education Summit will be presented in late April by the CVHEC Board of Directors with main funding support from College Futures Foundation. (Exact dates to come — the original story indicated April 9–10, 2026 but due to circumstances beyond our control, new dates will be announced said Dr. Benjamín Durán, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium executive director).
Once again, the chancellors, presidents and campus directors of 28 higher education institutions – the CVHEC board – will convene together with colleagues, partners and friends for two days of interaction, discussions and showcases regarding education issues pertinent to the consortium’s 10-county service region.
As part of an ongoing branding upgrade, the Central Valley Higher Education Summit rolled out our 2025 website refresh this month designed to enhance user friendliness and showcase the recent forward momentum of the consortium with its 25th anniversary approaching in two years.
“This refresh underscores the momentum we have established in the past few years such as our new logo last fall, the board retreat this summer identifying four new goals and the continuation of scalable work we have undertaken in various areas such as dual enrollment, transfer and our math and English task forces and communications such as our e-newsletter,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.
Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC associate director who has spearheaded the consortium progress with Duran since he began as an intern in late 2014, calls it “a sense of recommitment …”
‘WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING’ BLOG?
10 Years growing together: my journey with CVHEC – By Ángel Ramírez
For this month’s rendition of our “What the CVHEC is Happening Blog, CVHEC Associate Director Ángel Ramírez provides an insightful account of his 10-plus year journey with the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, one that has taken him from intern in late 2014 while a Fresno State student to being named associate director of the consortium earlier this year. Here he takes stock of the development of the higher ed scene in the Central Valley’s 10-county region driven by “a stronger identity, a renewed purpose, and a clear sense of direction.”
The Campaign for College Opportunity honored 40 California Community Colleges and California State Universities (CSU) – including five Central Valley Higher Education Consortium members – as 2025 Pathway Champions for their work paving pathways to college and economic opportunity for thousands of California students by strengthening the transfer process.
The CVHEC-member California community colleges honored in a virtual awards presentation Oct. 23 as part of National Transfer Student Week (Oct. 20-24) for their work implementing equitable placement and Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) policies were: Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College, Coalinga College, Clovis Community College and Porterville College.
These five, along with CVHEC’s 10 other community college and and nine four-year institution members, have been working through the consortium’s Central Valley Transfer Project to create a clear path to transition between community college and the 10-county region’s four-year institutions, said Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC associate director.
CVHEC SPOTLIGHT: College, K-12 faculty strengthen collaboration for Central Valley students
“We need programs that happen locally where high schools and community colleges deliver math and English courses so students come to college with those gateway courses out of the way,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium executive director (president emeritus of Merced College), at the Center for Educational Partnerships convening held Oct. 21 at UC Merced.
The event, the PACE Listening Tour, featured Lupita Cortez Alcalá, the newly appointed executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). Dr. Durán noted that there are efforts already underway to strengthen partnerships between the different levels of educational systems. Representatives from all levels of education took part in the discussion. Earlier in the day, he also attended the State of Education event at UC Merced featuring superintendents of Merced County school districts.
BOARD & MEMBER NEWS
EdSource Podcast: Reedley College student president featured in HSI federal funding cuts discussion
Reedley College Associated Student Government President Sarahi Sanchez Soto was featured on a podcast by EdSource addressing federal funding cuts for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. This EdSource podcast, “Education Beat,” examines federal funding cuts for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, colleges where at least 25% of students are Latino such as Sarahi, a computer science and information systems student at CVHEC-member Reedley College where Sarahi currently serves as student body president. Hit hard by these cuts are California’s community colleges, where the grants provide services that are meant to help all students get past early hurdles in their college journeys. Sarahi, a Dinuba High School alumna, discusses how a dual-enrollment program at DHS in partnership with Reedley allowed her to enroll in college-level computer science classes and jump-started her college career.
- CHSU Future Doctors Program partners with Samuel Merritt U
- PC professor selected for state AI
- BC empowers student parents
- Community Colleges at the Crossroads
- CHSU White Coat Ceremony welcomes 169 new medical students
- Mental health program SOMA opens
- Kern Medical hosts ribbon-cutting for mobile medical clinics at BC
- CSUB alumnus establishes endowment for student research
- Coalinga College Expands DuE
HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS
Most California college grads see positive return on investment – EdSource
More than three-quarters of graduates from California’s public four-year universities have had a positive “return on investment,” the financial benefit they receive from their education compared to what they invested. That’s according to a new analysis released by the Strada Education Foundation. The study defines a positive return on investment (ROI) to mean that college graduates earn more than people of the same age without college degrees, and over a decade those increased earnings add up to more than what they invested in their college educations. – EdSource
DECEMBER 2025 (No. 55)
– Published Dec. 16
