• News & Events
  • Community Calendar
Central Valley Higher Education Consortium
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
  • Strategies
    • Central Valley Transfer Project
    • Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley
  • Committees
    • PIO/Communicators Committee
  • Regional Data Dashboard
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Tag Archive for: Complete College America

CCA Dual Enrollment National Focus Group Features Central Valley Students

September 22, 2022

A nation-wide communications campaign conducted by Complete College America (CCA) to recruit more Latinx students and other students of color into dual/concurrent enrollment student programs across the United States includes four Central Valley students who participated in CCA’s Dual Enrollment Student Focus Group Sept. 19 via Zoom.

The projected release of the virtual presentation is early 2023, said Dr. Brandon Protas, a strategic director for CCA.

Complete College America is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is focused on significantly increasing college completion rates with a focus on racial equity through an alliance of higher education leaders and organizations – such as partner CVHEC.

Dr. Benjamín T. Durán, CVHEC executive director, serves as one of 48 CCA leads nation-wide who provide oversight and coordination for local initiatives as well as CCA-sponsored projects. Leads act as strategic thought partners and leaders and promote the efforts and importance of CCA, Dr. Protas said.

The alliance sought the student recommendations after seeing CVHEC’s dual enrollment awareness campaign the past year that culminated in a five-minute video, newsletter stories and student panels at two convenings earlier this year. In addition to those students from the consortium’s nine-county Central Valley region, for this national project CVHEC also recruited valley students who attend a college outside the region.

Dr. Protas said the national project sought racially homogenous focus groups of students over 18 who participated in dual/concurrent enrollment in the past four years.

“The aim is to understand what impact DE/CE classes had on students of color, as well as on their motivation to go to college and to earn a certificate or degree and their experiences as a student of color,” Dr. Protas said.

“Information gathered from this national focus group will help create plug-and-play communications assets that can be used for intentional recruitment of dual/concurrent enrollment students who are underrepresented in these programs,” he said. “These would be branded through Complete College America and made available throughout the CCA Alliance to help recruit future high school students into DE/CE programs across the United States.”

The conversations were facilitated by Dr. Stepheny Hinkle Beauchamp, who CCA retained to conduct them through a race-conscious lens, Protas said. Her doctoral research is in dual enrollment rates for Latinos in Colorado.

The CVHEC students participating in the nation focus group are:

 

  • MARISSA GUTIÉRREZ, a graduate of Firebaugh High School who took dual enrollment through West Hills College-Firebaugh Center, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Fresno State. She is now enrolled at University of Northern Colorado earning a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling while working full time for a local elementary school in Greeley, CO.

 

  • VERÓNICA MÉNDEZ GARCÍA graduated from Madera High School where she enrolled in dual enrollment courses through Madera Community College before earning a Bachelor of Arts at Fresno Pacific University in spring 2022. She also served as student body president (2021-22) and was featured in a CVHEC video regarding broadband disparity. She is now pursuing a master’s at California Baptist University online.

 

  • AMIRA MALDONADO earned an Associate of Arts degree (plant science) through Reedley College’s Wonderful Prep program while at Sanger High School and is now in her second undergrad year at University of California, Davis (human development- sports medicine).

 

  • JOSÉ ACOSTA, a Sanger High School alumnus, took dual enrollment courses through Reedley College’s Wonderful Prep program and is in his second undergrad year at UC Davis (Animal Science).

 

The students have been enthusiastic in sharing their respective success stories, said Tom Uribes, CVHEC communications/media coordinator who coordinated the local student effort with Saundra McGlothlin, CVHEC regional coordinator and dual enrollment lead.

“We identified students who took just a few dual enrollment classes and found themselves motivated to pursue a higher education and we had some who went all out taking enough courses to earn an associate degree a week or two before they formally graduated from high school,” Uribes said. “All have been very articulate in sharing their respective stories either in our video, newsletter stories or serving on the panels.”

https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CCA-DE-student-focus-0922-final4.png 428 1100 Tom Uribes https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVHEC_logo_315.png Tom Uribes2022-09-22 08:48:512022-09-22 12:06:51CCA Dual Enrollment National Focus Group Features Central Valley Students

CVHEC turns college age!

August 5, 2020

CVHEC’s 18th year symbolizes continued strength
speaking
in a single voice for Central Valley students

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) turns “college age” this month with its 18th anniversary today, August 5.

And despite enduring perhaps its most uncertain year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the consortium of 28 colleges and universities from Kern to San Joaquin County has persevered, providing a support mechanism for the valley’s institution presidents and chancellors.

The occasion symbolizes the consortium’s strength and value of speaking in a single voice for the benefit of Central Valley students.

CVHEC spent the early years setting its foundation and building strategies to help reach a dual goal of improving Central California’s college-going culture while bridging the nine-county region’s higher education institutions into a collaborative, collective voice advocating for policies to achieve that first goal.

The concept of a Central Valley collaboration was first envisioned by Fresno State President-Emeritus John D. Welty in the late 1990s.

In 2000, funding was secured with a $110,000 grant from The James Irvine Foundation so the consortium could develop a comprehensive action plan to increase the number of Valley high school students entering college as well as community college students transferring to four-year schools. In 2001, the Consortium was awarded a two-year $850,000 grant also by The James Irvine Foundation.  Incorporation papers were approved Aug. 5, 2002.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”Dr. John D. Welty” link=””color=”#33ACFF” class=”” size=”18″]“CVHEC made it possible for institutions to begin cooperating and to seek solutions to issues surrounding the college-going rates…”[/perfectpullquote]

Welty was CVHEC’s first board president who worked closely with then-UC Merced Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey and area community college officials to create the consortium, including then-Merced Community College President Dr. Benjamin T. Duran, who is now CVHEC’s executive director.

“The notion of a collaborative intersegmental higher education organization with an active board of directors composed of member institutions’ presidents and chancellors was unthought of at the time,” said Duran who bestowed president-emeritus of Merced Community College in 2012 and was brought out of retirement to lead CVHEC in 2016.

“Under President Welty’s leadership, the consortium developed into an organization made up of equals where the president of a small 3,000 student community college holds the same stature and respect as that of a president or chancellor of a large 29,000 student university,” Duran said.  “This unique culture allows regional leaders to speak with a single voice about higher education issues and challenges facing the nine-county region of CVHEC.”

Welty recalls both the frustration that led to the formation of the novel idea and the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of like-minded higher ed leaders from San Joaquin to Kern County embracing the concept.

“In the late 1990’s it was clear that the California Master Plan for Higher Education was not serving Central California very well,” Dr. Welty said in a recent interview for the 18th anniversary milestone. “College-going rates were among the lowest in the state. There was a lack of professional programs which was leading to shortages in health care professionals along with several other areas.”

In its first 15 years, CVHEC’s focus was to bring together postsecondary institutions to improve the college-going rate especially for underserved students and to make transfer among institutions easier.

“The task was not easy because there was not a culture of collaboration at the time,” Welty said. “CVHEC made it possible for institutions to begin cooperating and to seek solutions to issues surrounding the college going rates along with other critical issues facing post-secondary institutions.”

Today, CVHEC has become a higher education organization well-respected nationally and throughout California as it works to equitably increase certificate and degree attainment rates with its success supported by the College Futures Foundation in California and The Lumina Foundation nationally. The Consortium also has partnered with advocacy and policy groups like the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas, Austin, Complete College America, California Acceleration Project and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

“The consortium has become known for assisting Central Valley colleges and universities to become state leaders in the implementation of legislation and executive orders leading to the elimination of developmental courses in English and mathematics while implementing co-requisite support courses that changed the lives of many students for the best,” Duran said.

“Now, in the midst of this historic pandemic, a new powerful role is emerging for the consortium: providing an ongoing dialogue between member institutions to face the challenges of converting to a virtual platform for the delivery of instruction and student services,” said Dr. Stu Van Horn, West Hills Community College District chancellor and current CVHEC Board of Directors president.

“As CVHEC enters its 18th year in the Central Valley, students and communities in the region will continue to benefit from the work of the consortium and its board of directors,” he said.

Welty concurs.

“It has been very gratifying to see the progress that has been made in postsecondary institutions during the past eighteen years,” said the former president who retired in 2013 following a 20-year tenure as Fresno State’s 7th president. Welty oversaw his institution’s centennial celebration the year before.

“In addition to additional community colleges, UC Merced was founded and the California Health Sciences University has launched a medical school,” Welty added. “Congratulations to all of the post-secondary leaders in Central California who have demonstrated that collaboration among all sectors can make a difference.”

Dr.  John D. Welty, Fresno State President-Emeritus who founded and steered CVHEC to incorporation on Aug. 5, 2002, was presented a painted portrait upon his retirement in 2013.  The portrait, which hangs in the Henry Madden Library on campus alongside paintings of the university’s past presidents, was created by artist Joel Beery, a Fresno State graphic designer and alumnus.

 

• August 5, 2020 • CVHEC Digital Newsletter August 2020 issue.

0 0 Pablo https://cvhec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVHEC_logo_315.png Pablo2020-08-05 08:00:592020-08-05 08:00:59CVHEC turns college age!

Upcoming Events

  • There are no upcoming events.

Latest News

  • CVHEC IN THE NEWS: College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project featured on KERO23March 20, 2023 - 2:49 pm
  • WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING BLOG (March 2023): CCC Chancellor-Select Sonya ChristianMarch 19, 2023 - 12:40 pm
  • CVHEC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE (March 2023): Spring forward!March 19, 2023 - 12:35 pm
  • CVHEC Website Feature: Dual Enrollment PageFebruary 24, 2023 - 9:47 am
  • CVHEC IN THE NEWS: College Bridge Dual Enrollment Math Bridge ProjectFebruary 23, 2023 - 7:49 pm
Contact Us
  • centralvalleyhec@gmail.com

  • 559.292.0576

Join Our Newsletter

Scroll to top