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Does it take a village, or does it take a county? Thank you Kern County Board of Supervisors!

Bakersfield College, Student Success August 4, 2015 Comments: 4

Rich McCrow, Gustavo Enrique, Jareth Regapala, Sonya Christian, Michael Turnipseed, David Teasdale, Alfonso Noyola

This morning I attended the County of Kern Board of Supervisors meeting to wait for a very special agenda item: the awarding of $400,000 to Arvin High School for a partnership with Bakersfield College that brings college courses to Arvin and helps students in the area achieve higher education completion sooner, and in fields of study relevant to immediate employability in key industries.

Bakersfield College has been focusing on improving educational attainment levels in rural Kern and the work in the Arvin/Lamont community has been critical. With the funding from the County of Kern Board of Supervisors for the new 1+1+2=Game Changer program, Bakersfield College’s relationship with Arvin High School is expanding, and the opportunities for local students are increasing tremendously.

Much of what Bakersfield College does is guided by the Educational Master Plan, which directs the college to “explore new avenues” to educate the area’s socioeconomically disadvantaged population. Within the Educational Master Plan is the Rural Communities Initiative, which focuses on the rural communities inside Bakersfield College’s service area, and outlines specific strategies and tactics for reaching these communities with higher education information and access.

Richard McCrow, who came to Bakersfield College to oversee the operations at our campus in Delano, quickly became Bakersfield College’s lead administrator for all of our rural initiatives, designing programs and partnerships to take higher education into communities like Arvin, Lamont, Delano, Shafter, Wasco, and many more. The Rural Communities Initiative guides how Bakersfield College moves among communities where unemployment and poverty are often higher than statewide averages and educational attainment levels lower.

Rich has been expanding our offerings in the Arvin area. We already offer courses in the evenings at Arvin High School, and now the plan includes components focusing on dual enrollment and educational advising. Dual enrollment allows high school students to take courses that count simultaneously for high school and college credit, and these courses help students work toward their higher education goals.

Supervisor Leticia Perez. Source: http://blog.herofinancing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/HERO_Post_blog_a.jpg

I’m pleased that today, the County of Kern Board of Supervisors put their support behind the program by awarding Arvin High School $400,000 to make the partnership possible through more courses, a state-of-the-art interactive classroom, and technologically advanced equipment.

In brief, 1+1+2=Game Changer provides a program of study for incoming high school freshmen to take college courses at Arvin High School during the traditional school day. At the end of four years, these students will have completed their high school education and a full year of Bakersfield College classes, and will need just one more year at Bakersfield College to complete one of three educational pathways:

Transfer to California State University, Bakersfield for a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Supply Chain Logistics.
Completion of an Associate of Arts in Agriculture Business Management at Bakersfield College.
Application to the Bakersfield College Bachelor of Science in Industrial Automation degree program.

Bryon Schaefer

So many people made this program possible. I thank our partners, Kern High School District Superintendent Dr. Bryon Schaefer and Arvin High School Principal Carlos Sardo for their willingness to make differentiated educational opportunities possible. I thank the team that put together the proposal for their hard work: Rich McCrow, Delano Campus Director; Gustavo Enriquez, Student Success Program Manager at the Delano Campus; Veronica Lucas, Counselor at the Delano Campus; and Jareth Regpala, Counselor at Arvin High School. The 1+1+2=Game Changer program was supported among county administrative staff, including Assistant County Administrative Officer Teresa Hitchcock and Ricardo Del Hoyo from the office of Supervisor Leticia Perez.

The original momentum to making this happen came from Michael Turnipseed, CEO of Kern Taxpayers Association and Supervisor Leticia Perez, both not only committed to workforce development for the region but also able to take action quickly and decisively. I enjoyed the remarks made by Alfonso Noyola, City Manager for Arvin, as well as David Teasdale from Kern Community College District.

Amber Chiang

Things can happen rather fast here at Bakersfield College, and I’m glad we have a team working together who are willing to step in and take care of whatever may come up. That was the case yesterday when I received a phone call asking if BC could draft a press release. I called Amber Chiang, Bakersfield College’s public information officer, and gave her little more than three hours to talk to five different people and read a 25-page proposal in order to create a draft press release that could be distributed to news media as soon as the Board of Supervisors approved the funding. Of course, as she always does, Amber took the task on with flair and gusto, and produced a release that went out at 10:32 this morning. The release is posted on Amber’s page on the Bakersfield College website if you’d like to read it.

I look forward to telling you more about 1+1+2=Game Changer in coming blog posts. With this program, we are truly changing the game of education for current, and future, students in the Arvin and Lamont area of Kern County. We are BC!

Bakersfield College Equity TV

Uncategorized February 28, 2015 Leave a comment

Education never comes easy. Nothing worth acquiring ever does. And with all of life’s pressures and responsibilities we juggle each day – our jobs, our families, our friends and all the rest that comes with our frantic existences – it’s easy to look at the added toil of going to classes, completing assignments and paying tuitions and think, “Why am I putting myself through all this?”

That journey can seem even tougher to conquer if you come from a disadvantaged background. For many, paying bills, taking care of family members and simply surviving in difficult environments and communities can easily take precedence over the education that will inevitably set you up for an even better tomorrow.

BC has been working on issues of Equity and Inclusion in a focused way over the last two years particularly as it relates to the success of students in their educational attainment. We have several Equity initiatives underway and our newest initiative is Equity TV.

Launched last month on January 19, 2015, on Martin Luther King day, the one-hour series webcast on Bakersfield.com explores the important benefits available to students from all walks of life to help motivate higher education dreams among potential future Renegades and their families.

Dr. Sonya Christian, President, Bakersfield College

Every Monday at 11 a.m., hosts Francis Mayer and Christine Dinh O’Dell spotlight the experiences of BC faculty, staff, students and alumni to deliver a fundamental message: education is the key to life success and the bright future we all crave.

Dr. Horace Mitchell, President of CSUB

On January 19th, as the first guest on the show, I introduced BC-EquityTV to our community. Dr. Horace Mitchell, President of CSUB, was a guest on the launch episode. Thank you President Mitchell!

Subsequent weeks have similarly highlighted other special student populations particularly in need of encouragement and guidance, including Latino students, veterans and former foster youth.

Sandra Serrano, Chancellor, KCCD

Last Monday’s (Feb 23rd) show, shot in the beautiful studios at the Bakersfield Californian downtown, centered on the difficult issues confronting athletically gifted high school grads forced to tackle the often unfamiliar terrain of higher education.

Specifically, why should I care about school if I’m on my way to a life in professional sports?

Francis got a resounding answer to that question from former BC and NFL player Jeremy Staat. Jeremy recounted his rocky relationship with learning while at BC and later at Arizona State before being drafted in the second round of 1998 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

You can still feel the regret as Jeremy told the heartbreaking story of being rejected for a post-football job at Home Depot – all because he left school without completing his degree. Despite a four-year NFL career and a trophy case of athletic accomplishments, none of it helped set up Jeremy to succeed after his career on the playing field. Jeremy is now a welding faculty at BC while he pursue a master’s degree.

Coach Reggie Bolton

Other guests this week included BC’s Associate Director of Athletics and assistant football coach Reggie Bolton, who advocates a “win at life” philosophy of academics ahead of any on-field accomplishments; and current Renegade football players safety Pat Marzett and running back Curtis McGregor, who despite challenging upbringings, have committed to achieving their higher education dreams with the same passion they’ve carried on to the turf at Memorial Stadium.

You can check out those Equity TV segments with Jeremy, Reggie, Pat and Curtis below as well as all the interviews from the show’s first five episodes on the Equity TV page at bakersfieldcollege.edu.

I want to thank the entire BC crew that made this happen. Amber Chiang, Odella Johnson, Corny Rodriguez, Paul Beckworth, Tina Mendoza, and Primavera Arvizu. Tune in and see just one of the fantastic projects at BC helping to make higher education a reality for everyone in Bakersfield and Kern County.

Student Safety in the Forefront at Symposium

Uncategorized November 19, 2014 1 Comment

With the planning team and keynote speakers for the Title IX and Clery Symposium in October 2014

Another Bakersfield College Learn@BC! event was the Title IX and Clery Act Symposium in mid-October.

Chief Chris Counts and Amber Chiang started the event with a presentation on the Clery Act, particularly when it comes to crime reporting, and the college’s emergency notification process. They also discussed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which boosted the reporting requirements for crimes of a certain nature on college campuses. New regulations under VAWA require:

Tracking of incidents of sexual and relationship violence
Well defined approaches to prevention of incidents of this nature
Structured educational programming that raises the awareness within the college community.

Amber and Chris Clery Symposium Oct 2014

Amber Chiang and Chris Counts

Counts and Chiang emphasized a few key points:

The college sends out Timely Warnings when an ongoing threat is present, or in relation to crimes of a certain nature. In the hope of protecting students and employees, Timely Warnings can be sent without good information, or before all victim/witness interviews have taken place.
Emergency notifications, evacuations, and drills are to be taken seriously and all students and non-essential personnel must abide the emergency orders.
If you see something, say something.

Chiang and Counts were followed up by two guests from the Office of Civil Rights: attorney Michael Chang and law investigator Ava DeAlmeida, who discussed Title IX in depth for our audience. They detailed sexual harassment for the crowd, explaining the differences so that attendees could better understand how “yes means yes” is treated on a college campus. Chang and DeAlmeida went on to discuss the college’s role in preventing future sexual harassment, and the efforts the college can make to keep students safe when they are on campus.

You can find the two presentations, photos, the video of the symposium and more on the Learn@BC website. If you weren’t able to join us, I encourage you to go view the materials so that you too will have a better understanding of these two laws and how they impact Bakersfield College.

Bakersfield College Wins Statewide PR Award

Uncategorized April 22, 2014 Comments: 5

Amber Chiang with the CCPRO Award

Sometimes, good things can come out of challenging situations. That is the case for Bakersfield College’s year-long communication effort on the athletics sanctions which were announced last May. Before that announcement was made, Bakersfield College’s Public Information Officer, Amber Chiang, was hard at work planning our communication strategy, and after the announcement, she continued this work to keep the college’s message, plans, and position in the community through strategic outreach.

In February, Amber looked back on the year of work, and submitted an extensive package of information to the Community Colleges Public Relations Organization PRO Award competition’s “Media Success Story” category. Bakersfield College took home top honors on April 17!

That night, Amber accepted the award on behalf of Bakersfield College and texted me just after the win.. Amber said she found the sustained crisis communications effort to be professionally challenging, and was elated the college was recognized by our peers for our work. Most of the time, happy news items win the “Media Success Story” category (Bakersfield College won it in 2012 for our media outreach on Dr. Levan’s historic gift), so for a crisis communication effort to win is really something special.

Bakersfield College’s “Media Success Story” scored 56 out of a possible 60 points to win. The judges’ comments included:

Well executed! A textbook example of how to respond to such a development. Wow!

An admirable, disciplined effort under difficult circumstances. Very well organized and prepared.

Amber’s role in the sanctions communications was not an easy one; she battled internal and external forces while working to maintain the college’s image in the community and our focus on students. Good work Amber! and thank you!

Feb 1, 2014. Oh What a Night!

Uncategorized February 20, 2014 Leave a comment

Neeley Hatridge and Lisa Kent at the Sterling Silver

If you’ve not been to the Bakersfield College Foundation’s Sterling Silver event – where have you been for the pas six years?!

The Sterling Silver takes place each winter, and brings together fine dining and fine wines for one amazing fundraising event. I attended my first Sterling Silver dinner last year…just weeks into my presidency at Bakersfield College…and was amazed at the talent we have right here at home!

Each year, the Bakersfield College Foundation welcomes Executive Chef from Playboy Mansion West William Bloxsom-Carter to campus, where he works with Bakersfield College Culinary Arts students and Food Services staff to create an amazing meal. Retiring Bakersfield College Foundation executive director Mike Stepanovich selects wines to pair with each course, and the night is finished with a delectable dessert designed by Chef Ray Ingram from the Petroleum Club (and proud Bakersfield College graduate!).

In addition to the amazing meal is a silent and live auction with experiences like no other. The entire event comes together to create a single fundraising experience where the guests are as excited as those students who will eventually receive financial support for their education.

Neeley Hatridge, of Bakersfield College Centennial Gala fame, was the event coordinator. Tarina Perry, our resident facilities and operations guru provided logistics support. Amber Chiang worked the live and silent auctions like she has every year. These three amazing women were supported by a crew, and I want to give special thanks to Lisa Kent, Debbie Zuech, Margaret Head, Miriam Valenzuela, the Agriculture Ambassadors, Sally Sterns, Chef Pat Coyle, Chef Alex Gomez, Chef Suzanne Davis…and the list goes on.

There’s a gallery of photos from Bakersfield College American Sign Language professor and resident photographer Tom Moran. Take a look…you’ll want to attend Sterling Silver next year!

You’ve all heard the saying it takes a village and I can tell you, Sterling Silver takes a village. Let’s hear from the villagers!

Neeley Hatridge – Event Coordinator

Neeley Hatridge late on Friday afternoon before Sterling Silver

The Sterling Silver dinner has become a staple event for Bakersfield College. Our staff has become accustomed to executing quality and our community has come to expect great things. This presented me with some big shoes to fill when Hannah resigned. Coming in as a rookie, I had lots of big ideas and dreams and then the old pros brought me down to reality, such as draping fabric from our cafeteria’s 50 year-old ceiling, which I am still scheming to accomplish one day. However, having so much of the staff familiar with this event really helped prevent potential problems, even with some of my new ideas.

Whether I am designing a space for a home or an event, I take inspiration from everywhere. I do things like visit rental companies and flip through swatches of fabric (i.e. how I chose the linens), or do research online; you’d be surprised how resourceful Google images can be. These things give me ideas and then they need to be tailored to meet our specific needs. One major thing that helped me with this event was to walk around The French Quarter, a local Bakersfield store. I would see items that I knew I had to use and then create a way to incorporate them into the design. For example, the table lamps that were used behind our check-in table. They fit the aesthetic of the event, perfectly, and HAD to be utilized. Of course, the decor and our experienced staff weren’t the only things that made this event possible.

The purpose of the event is to raise money and showcase Bakersfield College’s outstanding Culinary Arts program. To make that happen, we need people to enjoy themselves as guests. BC’s Foundation Director, Mike Stepanovich, and Playboy Mansion’s Executive Chef, William Carter, were essential in accomplishing this. Mike Stepanovich led our committee in securing sponsorships and enticing auction items for our bidders. Chef Carter and our Culinary department orchestrated a dinner that would have mass appeal, without sacrificing quality and originality. The success of this year’s annual Sterling Silver dinner was achieved because each and every player was equipped with expertise, open-mindedness, and was hardworking. Now, we just have to figure out a way to top it next year!

Tarina Perry – Logistics/Planning Coordinator

The event was well planned out and organized. Everyone knew their role and assigned tasks, as well as, the overall vision- so we supported one another as necessary by sharing opinions and picking up additional duties without hesitation. Because of this, it was actually one of the more productive events I have been involved with in years. As far as timeline is concerned, we were always one step ahead, which allowed execution to run safe and cost effective. We also had fun with some of the decorations and were able to express our personalities with them-that was nice.

I would like to mention that I really enjoyed working with the students from Garces Memorial, Highland High School, and Bakersfield College agriculture – they were a HUGE help and it was enjoyable teaching them all about the event history!!!

Thank you for making it possible to have a second Custodial Supervisor on staff. I believe that is one of the reason the event went as well as it did. To have this support when it is needed is invaluable and since that need is constant, it was truly a life saver! Our TEAM will greatly benefit with this improvement.

Amber Chiang – Auctions Coordinator

Sterling Silver is an event I look forward to each year. I have so much fun watching all our guests come in, dressed to the nines, ready to enjoy their evening. I have even more fun watching the quiet little battles play out over the silent auction sheets, particularly with items of popularity. The live auction is even more exciting, and that is when we roll out special experiences that are not often found at special events. My favorite item had to be the “Last Chance Dinner” – or “Last Supper” – as our auctioneer extraordinaire Paul Paveltich called it. This dinner was the last chance to have Bakersfield College’s own celebrity chef, Pat Coyle cook dinner for you and five of your closest friends. As Chef Coyle is retiring this May, this was one of the last opportunities to enjoy his amazing cuisine. Of course, it wouldn’t really be a Bakersfield College special dinner if we didn’t call on our resident wine expert Mike Stepanovich to design pairings for the dinner. As Mike too is retiring this Spring, it will be the last chance for this dynamic duo to match wits.

I have to say thank you to my darling daughter Ming-Li. It was her third year helping me set up for the auction, and she was adamant I wasn’t to leave home without her. Life is much more pleasant when you listen to the 10-year-old who wants to volunteer! I’m so happy to say that the auctions combined raised more than $27,000 for scholarships for Bakersfield College’s deserving students. Thank you to all who attended the event and donated the auction items. We couldn’t have done it without you!