CA CCs on the move

Uncategorized September 23, 2023 1 Comment

What a busy week! Across the country and back.

On Saturday, headed out to Morgantown home of West Virginia University where my best friend from high school teaches in the Life Sciences department.

On Sunday headed with the team to Washington DC to elevate the visibility of the work being done at California Community colleges. The team included – Deputy Chancellor Daisy Gonzales and Vice Chancellor of Government Relations David O’Brien; from the Board of Governors, President Amy Costa & Pamela Haynes; from the Foundation for California Community Colleges, Executive Director of Workforce Development Tim Aldinger.

Then headed to San Diego for the DEI Conference and then back home Friday night.

Here are some photos:

Morgantown visiting my friend who cooked great Kerala dishes and event packed some food for the road…. yuuum.

A delicious Kerala meal for the road
At the Kennedy Memorial, Morgantown

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Washington DC visit

Department of Education:

Department of Energy:

Department of Labor:

Senator Alex Padilla:

A must-do photo of the Washington monument every time I visit DC:

Check out Little Amal who visited DC. Little Amal represents a fictional nine-year-old Syrian girl, representing displaced children today. The giant puppet was created by the South Africa-based Handspring Puppet Company.

“The Walk” tells Amal’s life story, her search for her mother and her flight to safety.

Check out this video from Georgetown University about it:

Goodbye for now DC

David O’Brien, Pam Haynes, Amy Costa
Daisy Gonzales, Sonya Christian, David O’Brien, Pam Haynes at Dulles. Heading out to San Diego

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After a few jam-packed days in DC, we headed to San Diego for the DEIA in Action Institute.

At the conclusion of my talk, I invited the leadership at the Chancellor’s Office to come up on stage with me – John Hetts, Daisy Gonzales, Pamela Haynes, Marc LeForestier, Lizette Navarette and Aisha Lowe. Check out the photo.

John Hetts, Daisy Gonzales, Sonya Christian, Pam Haynes, Marc LeForestier, Lizette Navarette, Aisha Lowe

What a wonderful week!

Good morning California.
It is September 23, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

CCC Presidents Selected for Aspen Presidents Fellowship

Tawny Dotson, Michael Gutierrez, Jim Limbaugh,
Claudia Lourido-Habib, and Julius Sokenu

The College Excellence Program announced the cohort of college presidents for the 2023-2024 Aspen Presidents Fellowship. Several of our California Community College Presidents were selected:

  • Tawny Dotson, Yuba College
  • Michael Gutierrez, Hartnell College
  • Jim Limbaugh, West Los Angeles College
  • Claudia Lourido-Habib, Porterville College
  • Julius Sokenu, Moorpark College

Congratulations to all!

» Read more about the 2023-2024 Presidents Fellows

Las Positas College Hosts Black College Day

Las Positas College hosted its first annual Black Family Day. “It really ties into our educational master plan, which is to be the destination campus for Black students and other students of color here in the Tri-Valley,” said LPC President Dr. Dyrell Foster.

» Check out the news coverage!

Cerritos College Hosts Event For The College Tour Episode

Cerritos College is featured in a 30-minute episode of The College Tour, an Amazon Prime streaming series. This week, Cerritos College hosted an exclusive screening of the episode at their Performing Arts Center.

» Learn more about Cerritos College on The College Tour!

Check out the video below:

San Joaquin Delta College Launches Free Public Fitness Court

Delta College celebrated the opening of a new outdoor exercise facility known as a Fitness Court, part of an initiative by National Fitness Campaign (NFC) to plan, build, and fund healthy communities across the country.

» Learn more about the fitness court!

In Case You Missed It

NANDI: Reimagining Success

The Nandi Symposium will center the voices of Black women while also creating space for all professionals and students in the California Community College System to be in community with one another. The Nandi Symposium is being brought to you in partnership with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

When: Thursday, October 5; 9:30 am – 3:30 pm

Where: Westin Los Angeles Airport

For more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nandi-symposium-tickets-700528769407?aff=oddtdtcreator

Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

From MiraCosta College President Sunita Cooke:

@MiraCosta⁩ representing ⁦@NCAAWA⁩ Annual Gentlemen’s Gourmet scholarship fundraiser. TY to our talented chefs, volunteers, and donors! Shout out to Trustee Raye Clendening, ⁦⁦ @RepMikeLevin⁩ ⁦ @jim_desmond⁩ ⁦ @joegreen760⁩ ⁦ @satiaaustin

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From CA Assembly Member & Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon:

Yes! This is exactly why we formed the paid Community College Internship for the Assembly. This is such an important program. Community college students are incredibly diverse, and have so much to offer. Uplifting them benefits everybody.

The Assembly’s community college interns are placed in Member offices (both Republican and Democrat) to learn how the legislature functions. One of these interns, Frank Arenas, works in my office. He’s an aspiring attorney, and has been a wonderful addition to the team.

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From Lassen College:

Thank you to our amazing students and staff for representing LCC this morning at The Out of the Darkness Community Walk. This walk is a journey of remembrance, hope, and support. It unites our communities and provides an opportunity to acknowledge the ways in which suicide and mental health conditions have affected our lives and the lives of those we love and care about.

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From Kern CCD Trustee Yovani Jimenez:

Grateful for an inspiring State of the College event at @PCollegePirates, celebrating their achievements and future vision with Dr. @PortervillePrez and the PC team. I am excited for what’s to come!

And From the Home of the Renegades

BC Hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for New Learning Resource Center in Delano

Bakersfield College hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning for the newly finished multipurpose building at BC’s Delano campus. The ceremony marked a significant milestone for the college in its commitment to providing enhanced and expanded educational opportunities to students in North Kern.

» Read more!

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Remember – our greatest challenges enable us to do our greatest work.

That’s all for today.

See you next Saturday!

With much hope and joy, 

Your Chancellor,

-sonya

#OurTimeisNow
#NuestroTiempoEsAhora

CA CCs – helpers in difficult times

Uncategorized September 16, 2023 Comments: 2

This week was a sober week of reflection and prayer…

Monday marked the 22nd anniversary of the horrific September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and the crashed jet in Pennsylvania, left 2,996 dead. The events of that day forever changed the global landscape, plunging the US in to a war on terror – the main phase lasting nearly two decades.

Last weekend, Mediterranean Storm Daniel passed through eastern Libya, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding that resulted in large-scale destruction. Two dams in Libya’s northeast collapsed, with the eastern city of Derna hit hardest. Libya’s Red Crescent organization estimates that 11,300 people have died, and the city’s mayor says the death toll could reach 20,000.

Last Friday night, a powerful earthquake struck Morocco, killing at least 2,946 people and injuring at least 5,674 more. The 6.8 magnitude quake is the deadliest earthquake in Morocco since 1960, when a 5.9 magnitude quake killed at least 12,000.

I remember my visit to Morocco and Marrakesh. I rode the Marrakesh train and sat on the platform between the cars in the open air.

There are times when the pain and tragedies we see and remember become almost overwhelming. I remember Mr. Rodgers’ reassuring advice for children when terrible things happen – “look for the helpers.”

Often Community Colleges become the helpers…often during emergencies… places of love and strength and support as we navigate difficult times.

Good morning California.
It is September 16, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

Cañada Fashion Student Crowned Judges’ Winner at Comic-Con

Rachel Petterson is a dedicated Cañada College Fashion student and a full-time software engineer. She just won her first fashion show at the world-famous San Diego Comic-Con. Her design, “Totally Minnie,” was a fusion of Minnie Mouse’s timeless charm with the bold spirit of the ’80s.

» Read more about Rachel’s win!

ECHO Music Series to bring world class classical musicians to Cuyamaca College

On September 27, Cuyamaca College will launch its fifth annual ECHO Chamber Music Series, once again bringing world-renowned classical musicians to the East County campus.

» Read more about the ECHO Chamber Music Series!

San Diego Mesa College Included In Generation Hope’s
Inaugural FamilyU Seal List

Generation Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all student parents have the opportunities to succeed and experience economic mobility, announced today that San Diego Mesa College is among one of fourteen colleges chosen in its inaugural FamilyU Seal recipients. The FamilyU Seal program is a national certification for higher education institutions making significant strides in intentionally serving parenting students.

» Read more about FamilyU Seal!

In Case You Missed It

Community Voices: The Constitution binds us together;
now let’s work for a future where the Union is more perfect

Nick Strobel wrote this piece for The Bakersfield Californian – since tomorrow is Constitution Day, I wanted to share it with you:

“We establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty not just for ourselves but also for our Posterity. The intention is that when we act, we should work toward what is good for future generations. Those future generations are not just our children or grandchildren but includes those people we will not know because they will be born long after our own lives are through.”

» Read the article

Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

From Constance Carroll:

“The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities has just concluded its 2-day meeting, with Chair Dr. Jill Biden & Co-chairs Lady Gaga and Bruce Cohen. Santa Rosa JC President Angelica Garcia is also on the Committee. What a great experience!“

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From Wendy Brill-Wynkoop:

I am continuing to be impressed by this board of outstanding @CalCommColleges educators and @FACCC staff who are committed to our students. Thank you for your hard work and service. #trusteducators

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From Reedley College:

We had an awesome time showcasing our campus to prospective students at Fresno Area College Night! Thanks to everyone who dropped by! #FutureTigers #GoTigers

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From the Michelson 20MM Foundation:

Thank you to Hildegarde Aguinaldo, VP of the @CalCommColleges Board of Gov for sharing her experience and for reaffirming the CCC’s commitment to supporting student parents through the bold framework of Vision2030 under the leadership of @sonyachristian #studentparentsummit

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Check out this video from Moorpark College for HSI Week 2023:

And From the Home of the Renegades

One Book Kickoff Event Held at BC

On Wednesday, September 13, the Bakersfield College Student Government Association and Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS) partnered with the Kern County One Book Project to host the annual One Book Kick Off Event. Each year, BC hosts the kickoff event to highlight the One Book Primary Title choice, and this year we highlighted Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig.

» Read more about the One Book Kickoff!

» And check out this Faculty Spotlight on Faith Bradham

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I leave you this week with a few photos of Neo contemplating life:

Remember – our greatest challenges enable us to do our greatest work.

That’s all for today.

See you next Saturday!

With much hope and joy, 

Your Chancellor,

-sonya

#OurTimeisNow
#NuestroTiempoEsAhora

A week of enjoying colleagues

Uncategorized September 9, 2023 Leave a comment

Look who came to visit! Bessie and Neo always have such a good time together.

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This week, we continued our work spreading information about Vision 2030 to the California Community Colleges community.

On Wednesday, we held another in the System Webinar series, “Vision 2030: A Focus on Economic Mobility.”

Thank you to our speakers, Cheryl Aschenbach, Lizette Navarette, Marvin Martinez, and Daisy Gonzales!

The next System Webinar will be October 4th – “Vision 2030: A Focus on Climate Action.”

I enjoyed joining Andra Hoffman, President of the CCC Trustees to do a Vision 2030 presentation to all statewide trustees. The panel that followed the presentation was fantastic and included Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg from Kern, Uduak Joe-Ntuk from Long Beach, and Jonathan Abboud from Santa Barbara.

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This week was a short week with the Labor Day weekend. I was here in Bakersfield and attended an event at Bakersfield College to celebrate Michael Carley from Porterville College, who was the recipient of this year’s Kern CCD Jack Hernandez Phronesis Award. Michael did a fantastic lecture on Humility, Empathy, and Faith.

The Kern CCD TALE Blog also published a post from Michael this week, in conjunction with his award. Check it out!

It was great being back on campus and seeing some of my colleagues from my time as BC President and Kern CCD Chancellor.

Good morning California.
It is September 9, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

Golden West College Welcomes First Concurrent Enrollment Nursing Students Earning Bachelor’s Degrees

Golden West College welcomed the its first Nursing Concurrent Enrollment Pathway (CEP) cohort on Saturday, August 26. The CEP program is a historical moment for GWC’s nursing program as the College partners with California State University, San Bernardino to provide nursing students with an accelerated educational pathway to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at an affordable cost.

» Read more about the cohort!

Merced College, UC Merced to Provide New Housing for Transfer Students

University of California, Merced and Merced College will jointly build a 488-bed student housing project for community college and transfer students. The Promise Housing facility will offer rooms on UC Merced’s campus to income-qualified community college students who have met the academic requirements of the Merced Promise transfer agreement. 

» Read more about the project!

Mt. San Antonio College Discusses Vision 2030

This week, Mt. SAC President Martha Garcia shared shared Vision 2030 with the entire management team, reviewing the 3 goals and 17 strategies charging management to connect all work to the goals of Vision 2030.

» Learn more about Vision 2030

El Camino College Receives Grant for Data Science Curriculum

El Camino College was recently awarded a grant to support its data science curriculum. The college began offering a data science class in 2021, with support from the data science education program at the University of California, Berkeley. 

» Read more about the grant!

In Case You Missed It

EdSource: How English Learners Can Benefit from College Classes in high School

Researchers and advocates say that dual enrollment — taking college courses during high school — can increase rates of graduation, college enrollment and college success. Yet students who are still learning English in high school often face barriers to dual enrollment courses.

» Read the article

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The San Francisco Standard: AI Gold Rush –
Can Bay Area Classes Help Students Cash In?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that data scientists will be one of the fastest-growing—and highest-paying—occupations in the coming years. There are nearly half a million open jobs in data analytics, paying a median entry-level salary of $92,000, according to Google.

To help fill that demand, at least eight local colleges are participating in a regional joint venture to invest in artificial intelligence and data analytics programming through the Bay Area Community College Consortium.

» Read the article

Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

From Larry Galizio:

Celebrating Chancellor Dianne Van Hook & 35 years leading College of the Canyons

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From Andra Hoffman:

That moment when you’re trying to get a selfie with the @CalCommColleges Board of Governor’s President Amy Costa, but you sense a photo-bomber approaching! @markcmacdonald

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From Ashanti Hands:

Surrounded by greatness. Blessed to share space with these incredible women at @sdcaawcc’s Inaugural Conference: Strengthening Women in Higher Education! #empoweredwomenempowerwomen #legacy #brillianceeverywhere #standingontheshoulderofgiants

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Shasta College shared this post about yesterday’s 5.0 earthquake near Fall River Mills:

Did you feel the earthquake? We sure did! We even caught it on the seismometer in our Physical Sciences building!

And From the Home of the Renegades

Jaime Gili Lecture and Monte Exhibition

Jaime Gili, a renowned artist known for his unique blend of art and architecture, shared his artistic journey with community members and students of Bakersfield College. Born in Venezuela in 1972, Gili’s passion for art began early, and he honed his skills in London. Over the years, he has become a prominent figure in contemporary art, known for his vibrant colors and architectural elements.

He recently gave a talk ahead of his exhibition hosted at the Wylie and May Louise Jones Gallery from September 7th to October 12th, 2023.

» Read more!

» And check out this throwback article about Wylie Jones from the BC Archives, starting on page 3.

Wrapping up with a fun photo from the Phronesis award at BC.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Remember – our greatest challenges enable us to do our greatest work.

That’s all for today.

See you next Saturday!

With much hope and joy, 

Your Chancellor,

-sonya

#OurTimeisNow
#NuestroTiempoEsAhora

CA CCs wrapping up August 2023 in a big way

Uncategorized September 2, 2023 Leave a comment

As summer comes to a close …. another glorious Bakersfield sunset:

Was another busy week at the California Community Colleges.

On Tuesday, we reached agreement with Doug Moore, Executive Director of United Domestic Workers, for the Pathways for Workers Demonstration Project.

We also launched the Apprenticeship Pathways Demonstration Project with 25 Districts and with Dr. Marvin Martinez and Rancho Santiago taking the lead. This project aims to give college credit to apprentices for “on the job” training through their apprenticeship programs. 

Later Tuesday, the Foundation for California Community Colleges hosted a reception at the California Museum. It was wonderful to see so many colleagues from across the state, as well as representatives from philanthropic organizations.

Everyone who worked on and presented at the program was magnificent – special thanks to Keetha Mills; Daisy Gonzales; Amy Costa; Andra Hoffman, President of CCC Trustees; Chanelle Win, VP SSCCC; Hildy Aguinaldo; Cheryl Aschenbach, President of the Academic Senate; Manuel Payan, CSEA; Julianna Barnes, President of CEO Board and Chair of the League Board; Francisco Rodriguez, Chancellor of LA District; and Pam Haynes.

On Thursday, I joined new CSU Chancellor Millie Garcia and UC President Michael Drake, Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Secretary Stewart Know, Academic Senate President Cheryl Aschenbach, and others, as Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Career Education Executive Order in West Sacramento.

Good morning California.
It is September 2, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

San Bernardino Valley College’s Summer Bridge Program Prepares Students for College Life

For two weeks in July, more than 200 Valley-Bound Commitment students came to San Bernardino Valley College for Summer Bridge and enrolled in the Orientation to College course, where they learned about the academic and vocation programs available and watched presentations from different departments. They also had the opportunity to meet staff members and explore the campus to become familiar with it before the first day of the fall semester.

» Read more about SBVC’s Summer Bridge program!

Sky’s the Limit Observatory Becomes Satellite Campus for
Copper Mountain College Astronomy Classes

Just in time for Fall Semester Astronomy classes, an Affiliation Agreement between Copper Mountain College and Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center has established the observatory as a satellite campus for the college’s Astronomy courses.

Astronomy students from CMC will have as their “laboratory,” the dark desert skies of Twentynine Palms, on the border of Joshua Tree National Park.

» Read more about the agreement!

NASA Competition lands at Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College played host to NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) Robotics competition. This 4-day engineering design challenge brought students together from OCC and Southwestern College who had completed two online events earlier this year.

» Read more about the competition!

100 Black Men of the Inland Empire Establishes Umoja Scholarship Fund at Riverside Community College District

Riverside Community College District (RCCD) is pleased to announce a collaboration with 100 Black Men of The Inland Empire (100 BMIE) to introduce the 100 BMIE Umoja Scholarship Fund. This investment from 100 BMIE underscores their commitment to supporting youth and young adults in their pursuit of higher education and academic excellence.

In Case You Missed It

Inside Higher Ed: Community Colleges Double Down on Dual Enrollment

The number of students taking advantage of dual enrollment has grown slowly since California lawmakers adopted a new, more structured framework for dual enrollment in 2015. The new program, College and Career Access Pathways, was designed to expand dual-enrollment opportunities “for students who may not already be college bound” by removing “fiscal” and “policy barriers.”

» Read more!

Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

From Bakersfield College‘s Basic Needs Center and Nexus ribbon-cutting:

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California Treasurer Fiona Ma was a guest speaker at one of Fresno City College‘s political science classes:

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From Cabrillo College‘s new student welcome:

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And check out this video from Mission College about the Community College Collaborative project, with Mission College offering classes at Elmwood Correctional Facility.

And From the Home of the Renegades

Veterans Plaza Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Bakersfield College held a ribbon cutting ceremony to honor the Veterans plaza located in the center of the Panorama Campus. 

The plaza was built over the Summer of 2023 as a devotion and recognition of the Bakersfield College student veterans who serve our country. There are pillars with quotes from current veteran staff, faculty, and current veteran students and sitting areas for others to sit and learn about the people who fight for our freedom. 

» Read more about the ceremony!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Remember – our greatest challenges enable us to do our greatest work.

That’s all for today.

See you next Saturday!

With much hope and joy, 

Your Chancellor,

-sonya

#OurTimeisNow
#NuestroTiempoEsAhora

Moments that take our breath away

Uncategorized August 26, 2023 1 Comment

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

I enjoyed seeing Jules last weekend, a sweet, well made movie about how a rural man’s life is turned upside down when a UFO crashes in his backyard and he befriends a mysterious alien. Ben Kingsley plays the 78-year old senior citizen, Milton, who has a routine life which includes taking his civic responsibilities seriously and attending the weekly city council meeting in quiet, cozy Boonton, Pennsylvania. Fellow senior citizens Sandy (Harriet Sansom Harris) and Joyce (Jane Curtin) become co-conspirators with Milton in keeping Jules, the alien, a secret from the rest of the town.

Kingsley is a fave of mine and I really liked his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1982 movie Gandhi. He was born in England to a British mother and an Indian father of Gujarati descent.

I have always enjoyed Jane Curtain’s deadpan expression when delivering funny lines in Saturday Night Live…. also enjoyed both John Lithgow and Jane Curtain in 3rd Rock From The Sun.

Check out the trailer:

Talking about spaceships … India successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s surface. India is now the fourth country to land on the moon – and the first to land on the south pole.

Chandrayaan-3’s lunar rover Pragyan is now spending 2 weeks roaming around an area of the moon’s surface that has never before been explored.

Scientists think that there could be substantial quantities of water ice in the rocks of the polar craters, which are permanently in shadow. If this water can be extracted, it could lower costs of future human moon exploration, or be split into hydrogen and oxygen to make fuel for rockets.

Good morning California.
It is August 26, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

College of San Mateo Dual Enrollment Team Hosts Summer Experience

Earlier this month, the College of San Mateo Dual Enrollment team hosted a 2-day summer experience, “Strategies for Successful Teaching in Dual Enrollment” for the college’s new and returning faculty who will be teaching dual enrollment courses in the new academic year.

» Read more about CSM’s “Strategies for Successful Teaching in Dual Enrollment”

Oxnard College Receives $100,000 Grant from
Metallica’s All Within My Hands’ Scholars Initiative

Oxnard College has been selected to receive a $100,000 grant from the Grammy Award-winning band Metallica and its foundation, All Within My Hands. The award will support students in the college’s Culinary Arts, Dental Hygiene and Fire Academy programs as the band continues its multimillion-dollar investment in critical workforce programs at community colleges nationwide.

» Read more about the grant!

Ohlone College students join Tesla program for bright future

Ohlone College announces that 55 students joined the esteemed Tesla Manufacturing Development Program (MDP), paving the way toward a career in a high-tech, high-demand, high-paying industry. 

» Read more about this program!

In Case You Missed It

Public Policy Institute of California:
Improving College Access and Success through Dual Enrollment

The PPIC recently published a report about how College and Career Access Pathways Programs can improve access to higher education, as well as success for those students.

Students gain an array of benefits from participating in dual enrollment in both high school and college: participation is associated with higher high school completion, college readiness, attendance, retention, and academic achievement (Berger et al. 2014; Edmunds et. al 2015). Dual enrollment students also enroll in college at higher rates and accumulate more credits, earn higher GPAs, and attain overall higher achievement in college (Allen and Dadgar 2012; An 2013; CLP and KCCD 2022; Giani et al. 2014; Struhl and Vargas 2012; Fink, Jenkins, and Yanagiura 2017; Ryu et al. 2023).

» Read the report

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LA Times: A big remake is coming
to California community college education, new chancellor says

Recently, I spoke with LA Times reporter Debbie Truong about some of my goals for the California Community Colleges.

“The fundamental principle of Vision 2030 is the idea of taking college to the future learner. One is definitely dual enrollment. We have 436,000 eighth graders going into the ninth grade. What if, in the ninth grade, the default schedule was for those students to have at least a one college credit class — bringing college to them so they can start seeing what college is about. Twelve credits is a specific goal by the time they finish their four years of high school.”

» Read the article

» Read more about Vision 2030

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LA Times De Los: What former first-gen students wish they knew about college

I saw a piece in LA Times’ De Los publication about former first-gen students, including Audrey Dow – senior vice president at the Campaign for College Oportunity.

“I was this 18-year-old Chicana from East L.A. talking to this white professor, and he’s like, ‘My suggestion is you drop out.’ And I said, ‘Drop out of your course?’ And he said, ‘Drop out of Brown.’”

» Read the article

Blast From the Past

I was looking through old videos from my time as President of Bakersfield College, and came across this one from March 16, 2020.

Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

CCC Deputy Chancellor Daisy Gonzales spoke at San Diego Mesa College’s convocation last week.

Thank you for the opportunity to share @CalCommColleges@sonyachristian#Vision2030 with @sdmesacollege@SDCCD President @PrezHands ! Mesa College is illuminating the path by shining a light on the potential to serve adult learners and youth in San Diego with urgency

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Compton College shared this student success story:

“At Compton College, Every Student is a Success Story! Congratulations to Kaitlyn Gomez who graduated from Compton Early High School in 2023, earning both a high school diploma and an associate degree from Compton College. She is headed to UC San Diego this fall to major in astrophysics. Through our partnership with Compton Unified School District dual enrolled high school students can earn both a diploma and a degree simultaneously – saving time and money in completing their higher education!“

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From Porterville College President Claudia Habib:

I met Arnold in the quad today. He shared his amazing journey from prison to college graduate @PCollegePirates & @Fresno_State and now full time advisor for #ProjectRebound and partner of our #TogetherWeCan Student Club and #RaisingScholars program for justice involved students.

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In the latest post from the Kern CCD TALE Blog, Robert Simpkins discusses his family’s trip to the Walt Disney Studio Lot in Burbank.

The historical marker outside Gelson’s Market on Hyperion Avenue in Los Feliz, marking the former location of the Walt Disney Animation Studio from 1926 to 1940. [Photo by Robert Simpkins]

Although the studio on Hyperion Avenue no longer exists (a Gelson’s market now stands in its place, but inside are photos of the studio), standing at its former site helped me feel the presence of all those early artists working together and wonder what impact they had on each other, as they each evolved creatively while working collaboratively.

I also wondered what the equivalent experience could be in my own field of education, and how to bring together educators of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives into a place where we could learn from each other, be inspired by each other, and seek to improve ourselves with each other’s support.

» Read the post

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And check out this video from Citrus College!

Students from the Citrus College Cosmetology program recently provided free haircuts to local elementary & middle school students to kick off the new school year with confidence & excitement. Thanks to @sierrasubaru for hosting the back-to-school event!

And From the Home of the Renegades

BC Welcomes Students Back to School for Fall 2023

The first week of the fall semester was a success for new and returning students at Bakersfield College. All students had the opportunity to get involved in events and find community on campus

» Read more!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Remember – our greatest challenges enable us to do our greatest work.

That’s all for today.

See you next Saturday!

With much hope and joy, 

Your Chancellor,

-sonya

#OurTimeisNow
#NuestroTiempoEsAhora