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A Promise…..College Futures Foundation, Kern Education Leaders Talk Student Success, Community Partnership

Bakersfield College, Uncategorized February 5, 2016 Comments: 3

Hello from San Antonio…..It is February 5, 2016. A good day to be a Renegade.

BC Team 3 Pathways Institute 1 Feb 5 2016 cropped

Zav Dadabhoy, Lesley Bonds, Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, Kimberly Bligh, Sonya Christian

Bakersfield College is one of the 30 colleges nation-wide selected to be part of the three-year AACC Guided Pathways Initiative. Long days at the Pathways Institute ….. visionary and detailed work all at once. There are two other colleges from California as part of the Pathways initiative — Mt SAC and Irvine Valley. The goal of this initiative is to get students from High School to degree completion in the shortest amount of time while improving the quality of the learning.

The pathways work with AACC is very much aligned with what is happening in Kern County under the leadership of Kristen Barnes, CEO of the Kern Community Foundation (KCF). With the support of the KCF, BC faculty and staff have been working with other educational leaders in Kern County on the Kern County Access Initiative, to explore issues of college access countywide. Together, we’ve had ongoing meetings with representatives from virtually every level of education in the county, all aimed at finding opportunities to boost degree completion. Smaller work groups have continued looking for even more avenues for alignment and collaboration as well as ways to bridge cultural disconnects and engage businesses in the educational process.

With those goals in mind, Bakersfield College hosted a KCF event on campus to introduce College Futures Foundation to the key Kern County educational partners.

College Futures Vice President of Programs Jackie Khor and Senior Program Officer Shawn Whalen kicked off the morning’s activities by sharing what has impressed them most about Kern County. Jackie called Kern County “a beacon of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” while Shawn noted Kern’s “collaborative commitment to our students”.

Alyse Braaten, Lesley Bonds

We were happy to have KHSD Superintendent Bryon Schaefer, KCSOS leadership Rob Arias, Taft College President Brock McMuray and CSUB Vice President for Enrollment Management Jacqueline Mimms at BC for this event. All great leaders. All great partners.

And I always enjoy having the fabulous Vickie Spanos, Director of Instruction for the Kern High School District with us. Vickie tirelessly moves the student success agenda in Kern County. She does not shy away from difficult conversation; particularly those that highlight the dismal educational attainment rates in Kern county. Rather, she uses this information to spur the community to work together and find ways to get students to be college and career ready. Thank you Vickie!

Dr. Jacqueline Mimms offered some encouraging news, sharing that CSUB has seen an increase in transfers from around 650 to over 900 in the past two years, with the vast majority coming from BC. That’s a promising sign for the bachelor degree attainment rate in Kern County.

Jackie Khor, Odella Johnson

College Futures expressed appreciation for the work happening here in Kern County, and the level of credibility, trust, and courage among the partners. Indeed, it’s a great time to be at BC! and a great time to be in Kern County.

Thanks so much to Janet Fulks, Lesley Bonds, Steve Watkin, Odella Johnson, Paul Beckworth, Richard McCrow, Gustavo Enriquez, Liz Rozell, Cindy Collier, Henry Covarrubias, Karla Young, and others for your diligence in advancing this important work as a part of the Kern County College Access Team.

We are…..BC!

BC Faculty in the News

Uncategorized November 3, 2014 1 Comment

We do have the most talented faculty at BC. Of this I am certain.

Let’s check out a few of their accomplishments:

Reggie Williams seen here doing a Renegade Talk at Opening Day 2014

Reggie Williams:

Reggie Williams was just notified that his “Feminism and Rape” will appear in July in _Public Affairs Quarterly_. He gave a version of the paper last year on campus for women’s history month, and his research was sponsored by the Levan Center.

Janet Fulks with her granddaughter

Janet Fulks:

Janet Fulks co-authored an article in the most recent (October 2014) Senate Rostrum titled
CB 21, C-ID, and the Ongoing Challenge of Defining Basic Skills Curriculum.

David Koeth doing a hard hat tour with Patt Davis

David Koeth and our Art Faculty:

Three faculty members from the Art Department are included in the exhibit “Fresh, 2014” at the South Bay Contemporary Gallery in Rolling Hills Estates.

Emily Maddigan, Armando (Nano) Rubio, and David M. Koeth will show work in an exhibit that curator Mat Gleason describes as “wild.”

The exhibit opens with a reception on  November 8, 2014, 6 – 9 pm  .

From the press release: Fresh, 2014 is a contemporary art show of new work by dozens of artists. Most of the artists are from Los Angeles and the South Bay, but some come from as far east as New York and as far south as Mississippi. The show’s curator, noted LA Art Critic Mat Gleason, selected ninety-seven artists for the show. The only restriction on entries was that the art be created in 2014. After jurying the show, Mat Gleason said: “The goal was to make a WILD show, not a safe, straight art exhibit. The opening will be epic.”

http://www.southbaycontemporary.com

BC talks about our First Generation students

Uncategorized April 7, 2014 Leave a comment

The Bakersfield College team at the First Generation movie showing in Delano! Steve Watkin, Liz Peisner, Terri Goldstein, Janet Fulks

Last week, Bakersfield College held special showings of the movie “First Generation,” which highlights the plight of California’s first generation college-going students. Three showings at the Panorama Campus were filled, and a fourth at the Delano Campus was widely attended!

Exposure to this type of information and learning is essential as we work to understand our students, their backgrounds, and their goals. Despite our best efforts to provide the highest-quality learning experience possible, so many external factors impact the potential success of our students. By better understanding the plight of the first-generation student, Bakersfield College can adjust its service capabilities and educational plans, and better serve this special population’s needs.

Janet Fulks, biology faculty member made the movie a reality at Bakersfield College. She brought together a team from across campus to encourage current and future students and their families, and Bakersfield College staff, too!

After the Delano presentation of “First Generation,” Janet emailed me, and I wanted to share with you what she said.

I want to give a shout out to the incredible First Generation Team who’s names are listed below. We had about 200 people at the Delano movie showing last night thanks to the great work of Rich McCrow. Faculty at Delano were commenting that “I am that student in the film, but I finally made it through and am a faculty member now.” Students were commenting on specific steps they are going to take to complete college, see counselors, complete my education plan, look into financial aid etc.

We will have reached over 500 people with this film after the last showing today. Thanks to everyone for your great support!

First Generation Committee:Vickie Coffee, Terri Goldstein, Tina Tuttle, Janet Fulks, Kristin Rabe, Tarina Perry, Amber Chiang, Richard McCrow, Alice Desilagua (HS counselors), JoAnn Acosta, Primavera Arvizu, Kim Van Horne, Heidi Forsythe, John Gerhold, Steve Watkin, Janet Thomas, Liz Rozell, Mary Webb, Liz Peisner, Shannon Musser, Heidi Gilliard.

Pat Smith, who is a criminal justice instructor here at Bakersfield College, messaged Janet about the movie and how she related to the movie premise:

I am taking my class to today’s 1 pm showing…I hope we all fit. I am looking forward to it because I am that student also and I am now faculty! My parents were Spanish speaking and never went to college so they could not share with me what college would be like. They knew to encourage me to go however and believed in education. What got me through was my cousin…she was a BC professor here and she helped me tremendously by telling me what college was like and what classes to take. I am forever grateful that she encouraged me to pursue a college degree.

Thank you all for the support and encouragement. This is what Renegade pride is all about – understanding the challenges and meeting the needs of students!