Kern CCD visits NREL and more

This week, I joined a delegation from Kern CCD as we traveled to Colorado to visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden. We had a wonderful time collaborating and creating partnerships with our teams to create a clean energy future for our region.

The team taking a food break in Golden, Colorado

It was an honor to meet with Dr. Martin Keller, director of NREL, to discuss our collaboration.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing some more about this inspirational trip and what lessons on renewable energy we can bring back to Kern.

Good morning, friends.
It is August 6, 2022.
The sun shines bright over Kern CCD.

Porterville College

Program Meeting Provides Parent Outreach

PC Gear Up, a program for middle-school outreach, recently held a Student & Parent Night for students currently in the program, prospective students, and the parents of both. The event, which was held in the PC cafeteria on Tuesday, Aug. 2, included dinner for the attendees along with some great program swag.

During the meal, the students were given a presentation on Gear Up from Program Manager Gloriann Garza. Following some words from Ms. Garza, Academic Advisor Antonio Salazar shared details about our ESL programs with the parents in both English and Spanish. It’s all part of our effort to make the transition to college easy for students and their parents.

GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. It is a federally funded program designed to elevate the academic achievement, college attendance, and graduation rates of first-generation, low-income, underrepresented, and underserved students.

The program’s purpose is to prepare students and their families to be academically, socially, and financially ready to enter and complete the postsecondary program or institution of their choice.

For more information visit https://www.portervillecollege.edu/gear-up

Final “Pirate in a Day” event of the summer scheduled for August 9

On Tuesday, Porterville College will host the final Pirate in a Day event of the Summer. The event being held on Tuesday, August 9^th on the PC campus, is designed to make the registration process easy for those looking to register for classes. This event is for everyone, whether they are enrolling or registering for the first time or continuing their journey at PC. Faculty and Student Services Staff will be on hand to help them through the entire process.

Counselors will be available to answer questions and help students choose the classes that will best fit their chosen pathway. Staff will be on hand from our Financial Aid and Access Programs departments to discuss programs that can help pay for the cost of classes, books, food, and more during their time at PC.

Join us on August 9^th from 9am to 4pm and become a Pirate in Just One Day!!!

PC Announces first speakers for fall series

The PC English Department is excited to announce that the Writer and Poet Speaker Series will return this fall with in-person presentations from renowned writers and poets after being virtual due to the COVID Pandemic since 2020.

The program, which begins in September, will kick off with Reyna Grande, author of the bestselling memoir, The Distance Between Us and its sequel, A Dream Called Home. This award-winning writer will discuss her work, which details her life before and after she arrived in the United States from Mexico as an undocumented child immigrant.

October will bring a visit from Gary Soto. Born and raised in Fresno, Mr. Soto is the author of thirteen poetry collections for adults, most notably NEW AND SELECTED POEMS. He was a 1995 finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Award and the National Book Award. He is also a filmmaker, having produced the film “The Pool Party,” which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal.

We’re excited not only for the in-person return of this wonderful series, but also for the high caliber of speakers we will be bringing to campus this year

Cerro Coso Community College

CC Rocks

The Cerro Coso College Fall 2022 term begins Monday, August 22, 2022.

The semester will officially kick off with Cerro Coso Rocks Your Orientation, a welcome back event slated for Thursday, August 18th from 3 to 7 pm in the courtyard between the Main Building and West Wing.

CC Rocks provides an excellent opportunity to meet new faculty and staff and to catch up with those who have been away during the summer.

Over 200 students, families, and community members attended last year’s event.

It is a great opportunity to get a real sense of what it is like to attend your local college.

Summer is almost over, but the real fun is about to begin!

Weir – Living on the edge

Meet Matthew Weir! The new Systems Support Specialist I in the Information Technology Department at the IWV Ridgecrest campus.

Matthew moved to California seven years ago from Florida.

He earned his associate degree in Cyber Security from Cerro Coso Community College while working in the industrial engineering field, and is currently a full-time student at Cal State University San Bernardino pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security.

Matthew is excited to be working in his dream career field at Cerro Coso.

In his free time he loves to ride his dirt bike in the mountains and go on road trips with his family on the weekends.

A motto Matthew lives by is “if you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”

Welcome to the Cerro Coso family, Matthew! We look forward to working with you and helping you succeed toward your goals.

You shop – Amazon gives to the CCCC Foundation

The Amazon Smile Program is a simple and automatic way for Amazon customers to donate to the Cerro Coso Community College Foundation every time they shop at Amazon at no additional cost to the customer. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from eligible AmazonSmile purchases.

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you need to select a charitable organization (CERRO COSO COMMUNITY COLLEGE INC) to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. AmazonSmile will remember every eligible purchase you make and your order will result in a donation.

Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.

Donations are made by the AmazonSmile Foundation and are not tax deductible to you.

MakeMeSmile is a Chrome extension that automatically helps ensure that your Amazon purchase can be correctly attributed to Amazon Smile, a charitable program.

Make your online purchases count with no extra effort on your part by downloading this free extension.

Download the MakeMeSmile extension.

Bakersfield College

Renegade Promenade

The BC Alumni Association and Foundation are proud to announce the Inaugural Renegade Promenade to be held on Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.

This event will be an “all things BC” festival! We want to showcase everything BC has to offer – departments, clubs, programs, and more! There will be no charge to attend, and we’ll welcome alumni, future students, current students, and their families and friends – basically the entire Kern County community!

Guests can tour the new Science and Engineering building, the Dining Commons will be open and serving all the campus classics, there will be a beer garden, and there will be prizes and music! Mento Buru will end the day from 2:00 – 4:00 pm with a concert in the quad!

We are calling on each of you to help us showcase BC. Please help us put on a festival of all festivals – booth space for the BC family is free. Bring your department & program info, interactive games, fun booths, and all the ideas that will leave our community in awe of BC!

Sign up by clicking here: https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=ff153a49-4ffb-4d50-984e-083b3b356611&envId=p-Q0rLWK24bkyNUTE3hqv1IA

If you know someone who would like to sponsor this event, please share this link: https://www.supportbc.org/renegade-promenade/

See what’s new at Bakersfield College this fall

The brand new Science and Engineering building will open in the early part of the fall semester.

Our own Stacey Shephard shared this update in The Bakersfield Californian about changes at BC for the upcoming fall semester:

There is plenty to look forward to at Bakersfield College this fall with an exciting line-up of new and improved services, events and facilities. And most importantly, we welcome the return to even more in-person instruction, activities and events.

Those returning to campus for the first time in a while will be treated to a host of upgrades to campus facilities funded with the Measure J bond proceeds. And the work continues! Here’s what to expect this fall:

Science and Engineering Building: This brand new, state-of-the-art, three-story building will open in the early part of the fall 2022 semester. It will feature offices, laboratories (including a robotics lab) and lecture halls for the Science and Engineering Department throughout approximately 70,000 square feet of space with atriums and skylights to brighten interior spaces.

New Welcome Center: Later in the fall, the Welcome Center will open to serve as a one-stop shop for new students and visitors. This new “front door” to the campus will be located in the former Administrative Building in the traffic circle at the Haley Street entrance. It will provide one central area for information on programs and services.

In-person Convocation and Welcome Week: These signature events welcoming new and returning students to the academic year will happen in-person this fall. The New Student Convocation is Aug. 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the outdoor theater. (Registration is required.)

Also, the Student Involvement Festival returns Sept. 1. This is the largest event during BC Welcome Week and encourages students to learn about the campus and become engaged and active members of Bakersfield College and the Bakersfield community. This is also an opportunity for students to learn about student organization and club offerings and get involved and engaged in our Renegade community!

New faces: More than 54 new tenure-track faculty and several new staff will join BC this fall.

Going solar: Construction will start this academic year on solar projects at the Panorama Campus, Weill Center in downtown Bakersfield and Delano campus. All should be completed by the start of the fall 2023 semester.

Athletics: All grass sports fields will undergo maintenance to improve playability and a new filtration system will be installed for both BC pools. Fall Sports Media Day this year is at 10 a.m. on Aug. 17 on the Memorial Stadium Concourse. The football season opener is Saturday, Sept. 3, at Memorial Stadium.

BC is always adding new events, programs and services. Stay updated with the latest news and information at bakersfieldcollege.edu.

In the News

CRC pledges $2.5M to KCCD, CSUB for carbon management work

The Bakersfield Californian published this article about the Californian Resources Corporation’s generous pledge of $2.5 million to fund carbon management-related initiatives at the Kern Community College District and Cal State Bakersfield.

“Kern CCD is excited to be partnering with CRC on an innovative new approach to research, outreach, community education and workforce training for carbon management”

Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

PC President Claudia Habib shared these photos:

United Farm Workers (UFW) March in their way to Sacramento made a stop @PCollegePirates I was honored to meet with the elders of the native tribes joining the March.