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CVHEC Board of Directors News

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MAY 2022

Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson chosen to lead Delta College – first Latina

Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson — Superintendent/President-select San Joaquin Delta College

Congratulations to Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson who was named San Joaquin Delta College’s 12th superintendent/president. She will be the first Latina and the first woman of color to serve in that role.

A former English professor with nearly three decades of community college experience, Dr. Aguilera Lawrenson has been serving as Delta’s acting superintendent/president since September 2021 when she also joined the CVHEC Board of Directors, which is made up the presidents and chancellors of its 30 higher education institution members.

See the San Joaquin Delta College press release.

 

Dr. André Stephens selected as the next president of Fresno Pacific University

Dr. André Stephens – President Fresno Pacific University

Congratulations to Dr. André Stephens who will assume the Fresno Pacific University presidency on July 1. He will join the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors, succeeding Dr. Joseph Jones, who completes five years of Pacific service upon retirement July 1 and also served on the CVHEC board’s executive committee.

Described as a leader with a long commitment to Christian higher education and expertise in student services and enrollment, Dr. Stephens brings 30 years of experience in Christian higher education in California, most recently as vice president for student development at Biola University since 2016.

See Fresno Pacific press release.

 

Fresno City College appoints Dr. Robert Pimentel to lead the state’s first community college

Dr. Robert Pimentel – President Fresno City College

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Pimentel who was appointed president of Fresno City College Tuesday by State Center Community College District trustees effective July 1, replacing former President Carole Goldsmith who became chancellor for the district in January.  Dr. Marlon Hall was serving as interim president (see Goldsmith and Hall stories below).

Dr. Pimentel is vice president of Educational Services and Institutional Effectiveness at Fresno City College where he has been serving since 2018.  Before beginning his work at Fresno City College in 2018, he worked in leadership positions at West Hills for 11 years and as a classified staff member for more than six years.

He is a first-generation college student and a product of three CVHEC member institutions. He transferred from West Hills College Coalinga to Fresno State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social work. He earned a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis on mental health at California State University, Bakersfield, and a doctorate in educational leadership, higher education, at Fresno State.

 

APRIL 2022

Dr. Jones nearing retirement as Fresno Pacific University president  

Dr. Joseph Jones, President – Fresno Pacific University

Congratulations to Dr. Joseph Jones, who will be retiring as president of Fresno Pacific University this  summer after nearly five years of faithful service.

FPU Board of Trustees Chair Joshua Wilson, J.D., announced the retirement last fall saying, “On behalf of the FPU Board of Trustees I want to thank Joe and Yvette for their faithful service to the university and to the communities the university serves. We wish them all the best in their future journey and pray for God’s blessing on them.”

A search for a new president is now underway. See the retirement announcement. See President Jones bio.

 

Dr. Bennett announces retirement as Clovis Community College president  

Dr. Lori Bennet, President – Clovis Community College

Congratulations to Dr. Lori Bennett, who informed the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors earlier this month that she will retire as president of Clovis Community College effective January 2023.

President Bennett was appointed to serve as the second president of Clovis Community College in July, 2016.

 

 

Dr. Marlon Hall Named Interim President Of Fresno City College

Dr. Marlon Hall
Interim President – Fresno City College

Congratulations to Dr. Marlon Hall on his appointment to serve as interim president of Fresno City College by State CenterCommunity College District Chancellor Carole Goldsmith in January.

He replaces  Dr. Goldsmith who was appointed SCCCD chancellor in December. A search for the next FCC president is currently underway.

DECEMBER 2021

Goldsmith Named SCCCD Chancellor

Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who was named the 11th chancellor of the State Center Community College District last month, was confirmed by the SCCCD Board of Trustees Dec. 14 and begins her new position on Jan. 1. She fills the position vacated when Dr. Paul Parnell retired on July 6.

Dr. Carole Goldsmith

Dr. Goldsmith was serving as the president of Fresno City College at the time of her appointment and in that capacity was a member of the CVHEC Board of Directors, which is made up of the presidents and chancellors of its 29-member institutions in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties. She will remain on the board now as SCCCD chancellor. Dr. Goldsmith has also previously served as president of West Hills College Coalinga.

Dr. Goldsmith earned a bachelor of arts degree in history at Fresno State, a master of science in educational administration from National University (both CVHEC member institutions) and a doctorate in educational administration from the Joint Doctorate program offered by Fresno State and University of California, Davis.

In addition to Fresno City College , the district’s campuses are Reedley College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College, Madera Community College at Oakhurst and the Career & Technology Center.

SCCCD Board President Annalisa Perea said, “With more than 20 years of experience in a variety of educational leadership roles along with her knowledge of this district and the community, she is the right choice for this significant position.”

 

West Hills College Coalinga Names Tweed President

Dr. Carla Tweed, a Central Valley native, will lead her alma mater as the 6th president of West Hills College Coalinga effective January 14, 2022 when she also becomes a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium board of directors.

 

Preston Selected to lead West Hills College Lemoore

Mr. James Preston, former vice president of Educational Services who was serving as interim president of West Hills College Lemoore, was selected earlier this month to serve as the college’s 4th president effective January 1, 2022.

 

Thank you Sonia for your service to the CVHEC Board

Congratulations to Sonia Gutierrez-Mendoza, director of UMass Global’s Visalia Campus, (formerly Brandman) on her appointment as assistant vice chancellor for Admission Operations of the independent university. The appointment was effective Nov. 29 when Sonia moved to her new office in the Irvine central office. She participated in her final CVHEC Board meeting during the recent quarterly Zoom call Dec. 2.  Gutierrez-Mendoza joined UMass Global in 2009 and the CVHEC board in 2018.  She has led multiple university campuses in the Central Valley since 2012 and in 2018-2019 she spearheaded the initiative for a new campus location established in Visalia.

CVHEC Board News: Goldsmith Named SCCCD Chancellor

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Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who was named the 11th chancellor of the State Center Community College District last month, was confirmed by the SCCCD Board of Trustees Dec. 14 and begins her new position on Jan. 1. She fills the position vacated when Dr. Paul Parnell retired on July 6.

Dr. Carole Goldsmith

Dr. Goldsmith was serving as the president of Fresno City College at the time of her appointment and in that capacity was a member of the CVHEC Board of Directors, which is made up of the presidents and chancellors of its 29-member institutions in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties. She will remain on the board now as SCCCD chancellor. Dr. Goldsmith has also previously served as president of West Hills College Coalinga.

Dr. Goldsmith earned a bachelor of arts degree in history at Fresno State, a master of science in educational administration from National University (both CVHEC member institutions) and a doctorate in educational administration from the Joint Doctorate program offered by Fresno State and University of California, Davis.

In addition to Fresno City College , the district’s campuses are Reedley College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College, Madera Community College at Oakhurst and the Career & Technology Center.

SCCCD Board President Annalisa Perea said, “With more than 20 years of experience in a variety of educational leadership roles along with her knowledge of this district and the community, she is the right choice for this significant position.”

See the SCCCD press release.

 

West Hills College Coalinga Names Tweed President

Dr. Carla Tweed, a Central Valley native, will lead her alma mater as the 6th president of West Hills College Coalinga effective January 14, 2022 when she also becomes a member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium board of directors. See the WHCCD press release.

 

Preston Selected to lead West Hills College Lemoore

Mr. James Preston, former vice president of Educational Services who was serving as interim president of West Hills College Lemoore, was selected earlier this month to serve as the college’s 4th president effective January 1, 2022. See the WHCCD press release.

 

Thank you Sonia for your service to the CVHEC Board

Congratulations to Sonia Gutierrez-Mendoza, director of UMass Global’s Visalia Campus, (formerly Brandman) on her appointment as assistant vice chancellor for Admission Operations of the independent university. The appointment was effective Nov. 29 when Sonia moved to her new office in the Irvine central office. She participated in her final CVHEC Board meeting during the recent quarterly Zoom call Dec. 2.  Gutierrez-Mendoza joined UMass Global in 2009 and the CVHEC board in 2018.  She has led multiple university campuses in the Central Valley since 2012 and in 2018-2019 she spearheaded the initiative for a new campus location established in Visalia.

Dual Enrollment Success Stories: Nataly Frias

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Nataly Frias and family: parents Anthony and Sabrina, both CSU Stanislaus alumni, are counselors at Modesto Jr. College and Merced College respectively. Older brother Anthony Frias, II, also took dual enrollment courses and graduated from MC in the spring with Nataly. Younger brother Isaiah, a Turlock High junior, turned 16 this month and is also taking dual enrollment courses at Merced College.

Dual Enrollment: success stories underscore equity-driven strategy
to reduce disparities in student persistence and completion rates

The Covid-19 pandemic of the past 18 months cast a shadow over joyous occasions like graduation events for Class of 2020 and 2021 high school and college students everywhere, but one narrative emerged repeatedly in the Central Valley that provided a spark of optimism for our region’s college attainment rates: dual enrollment success stories.

One of those stories is 18-year-old Nataly Frias, who, during her pandemic senior year at Turlock High School (2020-21), had taken enough Merced College courses online to earn two associate degrees in May, even before receiving her THS diploma in June.

Like other students around the country over the years, California students such as Nataly have taken college-level courses while still completing their high school degree thanks to various options such as concurrent or dual enrollment.

“Recent legislation has opened the gates for far more students to take advantage of dual enrollment,” said Saundra McGlothlin, CVHEC’s central regional coordinator and dual enrollment lead “The CVHEC region is committed to stay engaged in developing solutions to overcoming persistent barriers to equity.”

Born to teen parents who themselves worked hard and returned to college (Stanislaus State alums Anthony and Sabrina Frias who are now counselors at Modesto Jr. College and Merced College respectively), Nataly is now enrolled at Fresno State for a bachelor’s degree in Psychology but with her sights set on the Nursing Program.

“Just do it,” Nataly said in a media account about her success and the challenge of dual enrollment courses. “It’s a lot of hard work but you’ll feel so accomplished.”

The pandemic actually had a silver-lining in that she had more time during the quarantine to focus on schoolwork.

“I probably wouldn’t have graduated as early without the pandemic because it really helped give me so much time where I was only focused on my online courses,” said Nataly who said she comes from a “dual enrollment family.”

Her older brother Anthony also took dual enrollment courses when he attended Turlock High and graduated from Merced College with Nataly last spring but is now enrolled at Modesto Jr. College where he plays football. And younger brother Isaiah, a Turlock High junior, is currently  taking dual enrollment courses thorough Merced College.

McGlothlin, who retired in 2017 as the vice president of Student Services for West Hills Community College – Coalinga, noted that not all students follow Nataly’s accelerated path of earning an associate degree while in high school. Many take just a few dual enrollment courses that help them get some college credit under their belt while providing a glimpse of the higher education academic curriculum.

“Most of dual enrollment students complete 12-24 units,” said McGlothlin. “This means — in addition to meeting graduation requirements — less money spent when working towards a degree in college, usually a semester or two free.”

See Nataly’s story in local news media accounts:

https://www.turlockjournal.com/news/education/turlock-high-senior-uses-pandemic-downtime-earn-college-degree/

https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/05/21/turlock-teen-graduates-high-school-college/

 

Background: 

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium has been playing an increasing role in furthering Dual Enrollment as an equity-driven strategy to reduce disparities in student persistence and completion rates, which is the essence of the CVHEC mission, including

the creation of a task force in 2019, the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP).

With over 60 education leaders from the CVHEC region, CVHEC’s Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force is identifying and establishing the best elements of a sustainable strategy for dual enrollment that is intentional and aligns with Guided Pathways.

Made up of representatives from Central Valley K-12 districts, colleges, and universities, the task force developed a collaborative regional accord on an equitable delivery of dual enrollment, culminating in a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium white paper in July 2020, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley.”

This consensus framework document is designed to assist the nine-county region in the advancement of dual enrollment by reviewing where it has been, identifying the bright spots, identifying challenges and working together to develop solutions.

CVHEC efforts focus on policy implementation and delivery of support to faculty and administrators working on these efforts. The work focuses on regional strategic scaling of Guided Pathways; math pathways; corequisite support (AB 705 and EO 110 implementation); California College Guidance Initiative; and dual enrollment as strategies for equity and degree attainment.

CVHEC will continue to highlight success stories like Nataly’s in its e-newsletter, and social media platforms. Also, a showcase video conveying the value of dual enrollment for all students through the stories of individual valley students is currently in production and due to be released later this fall semester.

 

 

Three Fresno-area colleges search for new leaders. You can help decide who gets hired

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Three Fresno-area colleges search for new leaders. You can help decide who gets hired

BY ASHLEIGH PANOO
FEBRUARY 05, 2021 07:59 AM

As several of the Fresno-area’s top college leaders retire or move on this year, it has put the central San Joaquin Valley in a position of searching for three people who will shape the future of higher education in the region.

Fresno State, State Center Community College District, and West Hills Community College District are already in different stages of the hiring process.

Former Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro left in January to become chancellor of the 23-campus California State University. Paul Parnell, chancellor of State Center, will retire in July. And Stuart Van Horn will retire in June after serving four years at West Hills.

It’s not uncommon to have several higher education positions up for filling, according to Benjamin Duran, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium.

“They can come in clusters,” he said. “In this particular case, it was just kind of a perfect storm, if you will, where the three of them all left at the same time.”

But it could be an important time for the public to have input about the qualities these next leaders should possess.

“It goes without saying, but anytime a leader of higher education or K-12 education is going to be replaced somewhere locally, the public should have their voice heard,” Duran said. “I think that those leaders should reflect, to some extent, the kind of profile that the public and the institutions think are important.”

Across the Valley, several other college leaders were hired in 2020, including U.C. Merced Chancellor Juan Muñoz, and Madera Community College President Angel Reyna.

FRESNO STATE SEARCHES FOR NEW PRESIDENT
California State University will hold a virtual forum from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, outlining the search process. Community members wishing to speak must register online by 5 p.m. Friday. The open forum will be livestreamed to the CSU website.

The community can also fill out a survey which asks which professional qualifications, experiences and personal attributes the next president should have.

Members of the search committee are:

Joseph I. Castro, Chancellor

Lillian Kimbell, Chair, CSU Board of Trustees

Jane W. Carney, Trustee and Chair, Search Committee

Diego Arambula , Trustee

Wenda Fong, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees

Krystal Mae Raynes, Trustee

Robert S. Nelsen, CSU Sacramento, CSU President Representative

Paula Castadio, Fresno State Vice President for Advancement, Administration Representative

Thomas Holyoke, Chair, Fresno State Academic Senate

Joy J. Goto, Faculty Representative

Jenelle S. Pitt, Faculty Representative

Georgianna Negron-Long, Staff Representative

Jacqueline Campos Ledezma, Student Representative

Elizabeth Rocha Zuñiga, Student Representative

Edgar Blunt, Alumni Association Representative

Nicole Linder, University Advisory Board Representative

Carol Chandler, Community Representative

Clint Williams, Community Representative

The search is expected to take six months to a year, the university has said. In the meantime, Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, the university’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, has stepped in as interim.

STATE CENTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

State Center is the parent district of Fresno City College, Reedley College, and Clovis and Madera Community colleges. The board of trustees could appoint an interim as soon as its next meeting on March 2, which they say would allow for a smooth transition when Parnell departs on July 6.

It’s early on in the process, but the district is gearing up to collect public input soon, according to board president Annalisa Perea.

“I think one of the first important steps is to hold (a) virtual forum in the next couple months and really have an opportunity to hear from our faculty and students,” Perea said, “and really just give people an opportunity to tell us what they want to see in the next Chancellor.”

And although it may not be uncommon to have several higher ed leader spots open, it could create competition in the search process, according to Julianna Mosier, the vice chancellor of Human Resources.

There are “a number of other chancellor and superintendent (and) president searches already underway across the state,” she said during a board meeting on Tuesday, “including Kern (Community College District) and West Hills locally, and San Diego (Community College District), and then El Camino (College) and many others, which will impact the pool of candidates we are able to attract.”

The district is looking to hire a search firm to garner a greater pool of national candidates.

A preliminary timeline shows the job posting could go up in August/September, applicants could be screened and a public forum held in November/December, and the appointment could be made in January/February 2022. The chancellor would start in spring or summer 2022.

WEST HILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
A national search to replace Van Horn began in October, and candidates are being interviewed at this time, said spokesperson Amber Myrick.

Public forums will be held the week of March 15, she said.

West Hills has campuses in Lemoore, Coalinga and Firebaugh.

The board of trustees is expected to appoint the new chancellor at their April 20, 2021 meeting, with a start date of July 1.

 

View story here –https://www.fresnobee.com/article248967874.html

‘Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program’ Advances Equity

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An innovative master’s degree program is underway to incentivize dual enrollment delivery at Central Valley high schools with the “Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program in English and Math.”

This approach addresses an equity concern raised by the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force that was convened by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) in March 2020 when educators asserted that not enough Central Valley teachers are available to teach dual enrollment resulting in fewer opportunities for students – an equity gap.

“Although dual enrollment has been a tool for students to get ahead for college, not every student has been exposed to its benefits and still others who may not view themselves as ‘college material’ lose out on the benefits of its early exposure,” said Dr. Benjamin Duran, executive director of CVHEC. “By broadening dual enrollment opportunities for both rural and urban students, where they didn’t previously exist, more students are able to develop their collegiate confidence.”

CVHEC decided to tackle this equity issue head on when the Fresno K-16 Collaborative made funding available to its local partners. The Fresno K-16 Collaborative is the recipient of a $10 million investment Governor Gavin Newsom announced at the November 2019 California Economic Summit with the intent that the program will take innovative approach to improve student experience and create opportunities for success. Duran said dual enrollment is an effective strategy to help Central Valley students accelerate their college learning.

“Dual Enrollment is key to student access, success and equity. The reality is that dual enrollment only works when students can participate,” said Duran.

CVHEC received grant funding from the Fresno K-16 Collaborative for the Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program for English and Math in partnership with CVHEC-member institutions National University and Fresno Pacific.

CVHEC is coordinating two grants: one that is specifically for K-16 Collaborative partners in the Fresno area and a second one that allows for an expanded regional reach. In all, teachers from Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Kings counties will benefit from the Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program for English and Math 1.0 and 2.0.

“CVHEC’s two Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Programs meet the Fresno K-16 Collaborative’s accessible equity-focused mission of creating an integrated, replicable, regional K-16 educational system foundation to address race equity and inclusion of our most vulnerable student populations,” said Karri Hammerstrom, executive director of the Fresno K-16 Collaborative.

This teacher upskilling program serves as a model to scale the program throughout CVHEC’s nine-county region as funding becomes available.

“CVHEC’s mission in all of our work is to create scalable innovations among our intersegmental higher education member institutions,” said Duran. “Although we are starting with a smaller scaled region, our commitment is to scale this program to all nine-counties as soon as we are able.”

The first cohorts of master’s degree students began their studies the first week of January 2021 and the second round of cohorts will begin in May 2021.

Students will have tuition supplemented, in some cases books will be paid for as well and students participating will be paired with college instructors from State Center Community College District who will serve as mentors. In total, the Upskilling Teachers Master’s Programs (1.0 and 2.0) provide for 115 teachers to participate in the program.

About CVDEEP

In Spring 2019, Central Valley community college leaders approached CVHEC to provide convening assistance surrounding dual enrollment that led to a gathering in July 2019 where over 60 education leaders from the CVHEC region began exploring the issue in follow up sessions.

From those convenings, CVHEC created the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CV DEEP) Task Force consisting of Central Valley colleges and K-12 partner district educators collaborating to develop a strategy for effective dual enrollment programs regionally.

In March 2020, CVHEC held a comprehensive convening of the CVDEEP taskforce where over 100 community college and K- 12 partners gathered to share best practices, identify ongoing challenges and propose viable solutions.

“One of the top challenges that emerged is the need for more instructors qualified to teach college math and English to meet the increased demand for course offerings in dual enrollment (DE) programs,” said Virginia Madrid-Salazar, CVHEC strategies lead who developed a white paper documenting the organization’s DE initiatives and providing the foundation for the master’s attainment program proposal: “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley: Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity”.

“The most desired solution was a partnership with universities for streamlined programs so that interested high school faculty could earn their master’s degree in these two high-need disciplines,” she said. “This would enable them to meet the minimum qualifications set forth by the State Chancellor’s office required to teach college-level courses and providing this opportunity for students as part of their regular high school instructional day.”

CVHEC is a one of 15 Collaborative Partners that comprise the pilot Fresno K-16 Education Collaborative established in 2020 with funding by California Governor Gavin Newsom,  reporting to his Council on Post-Secondary Education, to develop four dual enrollment-related  educational pathways that help Fresno-area students move from high school to college and into the workforce.

“The outcomes from the ongoing dialogue between community colleges and their K-12 partners in the valley will continue, as will advocacy efforts, to institutionalize dual enrollment as a strategy,” Duran said. “A strategy to blur the lines between high school and community college for those students who can benefit from taking college courses and get a leg up on their quest for a college degree or certificate.”

 

Welcome Madera Community College!

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The state’s 116th community college
celebrates accreditation, CCC  approval

Madera Community College made its official debut July 21 with a ribbon-cutting celebration after the California Community Colleges Board of Governors voted unan­imously the day before to recognize MCC as the 116th campus of the state’s community college system.

In June, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges granted accreditation to what until then was known as the Madera and Oakhurst Community College Centers affiliated with Reedley College of the State Center Community College District.

With the new designation, the  Madera Community College (4,780 enrollment) is no longer a satellite campus and will now receive funding for additional programs and staffing.  Over 80 percent of Madera Community’s students are from historically underrepresented populations and the school has been recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”President Ángel Reyna” link=”” color=”#33ACFF” class=”” size=”18″]“As a new college we want to be an institution that is student- and community-centered, and provides equitable outcomes for each of our students.”[/perfectpullquote]

President Ángel Reyna takes a place on the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium board of directors, joining 27 other Central Valley presidents and chancellors.

“This accomplishment is something that our community has been waiting for a long time and much needed,” Reyna said in a CCC Board of Governors article.

“It has been a collective and collaborative effort, and we look forward to the continued work to better serve our students as a college,” he said. “As a new college we want to be an institution that is student- and community-centered, and provides equitable outcomes for each of our students. To that end, we commit towards transforming ourselves into an anti-racist institution while producing the future workforce our community needs.”
 
See the July 21 ribbon-cutting video.
 
News coverage of Madera Community College:

Board of Governors Recognizes Madera Community College as the 116th Community College in California — California Community Colleges (07/20/20)
Madera Center becomes California’s newest community college — Fresno Bee (07/21/20)
The Central Valley’s Madera Community College becomes California’s newest community college — Ed Source (07/20/20)

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