Last Saturday, I saw Oppenheimer … an excellent movie… I believe one of Christopher Nolan’s very best. I have a low tolerance for long movies. This one is 3 hours… and I was immersed in each and every moment.
Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer.
Christopher Nolan is a highly acclaimed filmmaker known for his unique storytelling style, intricate narratives, and visually stunning films. The phrase “non-linear storytelling” is ofter used by film critics to describe his work. Nolan’s films often delve into complex philosophical themes and human psychology. Existential questions, the nature of reality, time, and identity are recurring motifs in his work.
He was born on July 30, 1970, in London, England. Nolan’s work has left a significant impact on the film industry, and his films have achieved both critical and commercial success.
Watch the trailer… very powerful. The movie, even more so. Definitely a must see.
Btw, did you recognize the high profile star cast? Were you able to pick out Robert Downey Jr?
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On Sunday, I caught Bakersfield College’s performance of The Addams Family Musical. It was spectacular. Brian Sivesind, this was truly a remarkable feat. Thank you!
I loved these photos that Brian shared on Facebook:
The orchestra was fantastic. Thank you Scott Dirkse! We have a remarkable lineup of talent in our Performing Arts program at Bakersfield College
And check out this photo from Yovani Jimenez of some of the KCCD trustees and supporters attending the show:
Dr. Bill and Sharon Baker, Senator Emeritus Jean Fuller and Russell Fuller, Trustee Christina Scrivner and her two daughters, Trustee Yovani Jimenez. Not in the photo, but in attendance was President of the Board, Trustee Romeo Agbalog.
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This week I spent time in Sacramento, with an apprenticeship meeting co-hosted by the Labor Agency and the Chancellor’s Office. Together we are hoping to convert our California Community College apprenticeship experiences into Apprenticeship Pathways. And thank you Secretary Stewart Knox for your partnership. Stay tuned for more to come.
On Wednesday, we had a well-attended – 1200 attendees! – webinar to roll out Vision 2030. I was joined by some amazing presenters:
Cassandra Flandre-Nguyen, President SSCCC. Our student was absolutely fantastic. After her presentation, and when I came back on, the only word that I kept repeating was “wow.”
Andra Hoffman, President, CCCT
Julianna Barnes, President, CEO Boardand Chair, League Board
Manuel Payan, CSEA
Manuel Velez, Vice President, ASCCC
Lizette Navarette, Executive Vice Chancellor
Good morning California. It is August 5, 2023. A good day to be a Community College Champion
From California Community Colleges. Our Time is Now!
Calbright College Granted Accreditation Through Distance Education Accrediting Commission
On Friday, July 28, Calbright College was granted initial accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), more than a year ahead of the April 1, 2025 deadline outlined in the College’s founding legislation.
RCCD Celebrates Closing Celebration for Inaugural Cohort 1 of Californians for All, College Corps Program
The Riverside Community College District (RCCD) marked a momentous occasion as it celebrated the closing celebration for the inaugural Cohort 1 of the Californians For All, College Corps Program. The program was initiated with an inspiring introduction from Director Darci Manzo Piron, who highlighted the significance of College Corps as a pioneering state-sponsored service and career development program.
Santa Barbara Summer Bridge Programs Offer Jumpstart to College
This summer two of Santa Barbara City College’s innovative programs welcomed local students to experience college-level coursework and gain confidence and motivation to seek higher education in their lives.
10,000 Degrees, a San Rafael-based organization dedicated to empowering students to enter and graduate college in Marin and seven other Bay Area counties, held its annual ‘College Opportunities Summit’ on August 1, and the ‘High School Readiness Summit’ on August 3 at College of Marin, Kentfield Campus.
Community College League: Sierra College Student Trustee to Attend Yale University
The Community College League of California did a feature on SierraCollege’s 22-23 student trustee Maya Moseley to chat about her experience as a student trustee and her acceptance into Yale.
Sierra College student Maya Moseley had no idea that her community college journey would end with a Yale acceptance. But let’s rewind— how did she end up there?
EdSource: What to know about bachelor’s degrees at California Community Colleges | Quick Guide
EdSource’s Michael Burke wrote this quick guide to bachelor’s degrees at California Community Colleges.
The relatively low price tag of a community college baccalaureate degree is also attractive to many students. (Specific details about the costs can be found later in this guide.) When the Legislative Analyst’s Office conducted an analysis of existing community college baccalaureate programs, “the most common benefit” they heard from students was the low cost of the programs. “Many had considered enrolling in private programs offering the same degree, but were hesitant to do so because of the cost,” the LAO wrote.
Rowena Tomaneng posted this from the AACC Board Retreat in Washington, DC:
Day 2 #AACC Board Retreat, DC– great dialogue w/#NasserPaydar, Asst. Secretary for Postsecondary Education @usedgov, on Impact of SCOTUS decision on Affirmative Action on #CommunityColleges! Honored to rep @CalCommColleges at the national level w/#SunnyCooke #MichaelGuitterez
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From Dr. Julius Sokenu at Moorkpark College:
“We are incredibly grateful for Assemblywoman @jacquiirwin for a $500,000 donation to the construction of The @Moorpark College Amphitheater. Thank you for supporting our shared vision to bring greater opportunities for culture and the arts to our community.”
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From Evergreen College:
Did you catch us on @liveinthebaytv this week?? Thank you @kron4news for the feature and for spotlighting our amazing school and staff, Professor Dr. Peter Miskin!
Exciting things await at BC this fall; celebrating 110 years of excellence
Bakersfield College is buzzing with excitement for the start of a new academic year. This year, however, is extra special as we celebrate a momentous milestone — BC’s 110th anniversary of serving the community since our founding in 1913.
Today, we pass a milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic. While the first US death was announced on February 29, 2020, later studies found that the first US death from COVID-19 was on February 6, 2020. Since then, over 450,000 people in the United States have died due to COVID-19.
It has been a harrowing year, but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as more and more people receive the vaccine.
This week, Bakersfield College was given official approval as a site to administer to COVID-19 vaccinations. The college is engaged in discussions with Kern County Public Health to develop plans to support the vaccination effort in Kern County. To prepare for our first shipment of the vaccine, BC staff members who will be on-site to assist members of the community at the clinic got their first doses of the vaccine. I received these photos of Zav Dadabhoy, Nicky Damania, and Steve Watkin getting vaccinated.
I also wanted to share this note from Zav:
“Nurse graduated from Bakersfield College. Said it was the best thing since sliced bread. Lots of praise for the program overall, specially for Lisa Harding. I learned something new today, don’t put hand sanitizer on a glove. It destroys the protection of the glove. Thanks BC nursing!”
Dr. Zav Dadabhoy, VP Student Affairs
Steve Watkin, Exec Dir of Outreach and School Relations
I am so excited that once again, BC can step up and offer support to a community that has always supported us. Here is a photo of Bill Kelly getting his vaccination. Thank you Prof. Deb Rosenthal for facilitating BC employees over 65 getting their vaccinations. I am collecting and sharing vaccination photos and videos so plz send me your photos/videos by emailing president@bakersfieldcollege.edu.
Bill Kelly, Faculty Emeritus
Our fantastic nursing faculty and students, BC’s pandemic heroes, have already been hard at work giving vaccines at various sites throughout Kern County.
Art professor David Koeth also sent in a photo from his sister-in-law Sharon Nold, who received her vaccine from a BC nursing student at the Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley Hospital drive-through last weekend:
And Nursing Department Chair Alisha Loken shared this post on her Facebook page about her nursing students giving out vaccines:
I’m so proud of our nursing students and faculty, who are continuing to work on the frontlines of this pandemic to keep our community healthy and safe!
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, February 6, 2021 … a great day to be a Renegade.
Dr. Michael Saag Breaks Down the COVID-19 Vaccine
For our first President’s Virtual Seminar of 2021, we invited special guest Dr. Michael Saag, a dean of global health at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a prominent researcher of infectious diseases, to educate the campus about vaccines. Dr. Saag answered questions from BC students Ian Spark (Pre-med) and Kassandra Sweeney (Public Health Sciences) about the human body’s immunization process, projections of how the COVID-19 vaccine rollout will expand over the next few months, and his personal experience with contracting COVID-19 in the early weeks of the virus. Dr. Charles Daramola gave a brief introduction of Dr. Saag’s accomplishments and answered questions from students and staff in online chat about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Today, I’d like to share one of Dr. Saag’s answers from the seminar. He talks about how long he thinks the vaccine rollout might take
You can find the rest of his videos, as well as other videos from our Virtual Seminar Series, on the COVID-19 Resources page.
An Appointment
I wanted a share another poem from Jack Hernandez:
An Appointment
When death left me in the waiting room I ordered my usual coffee read the morning news as voices blathered on the big screen covering the wall adjoining the locked door I had entered moments before. I was unsure when my appointment was scheduled, when death would diagnose my exit, I had heard he could be blunt or sadly soft. Either way I thought I’d look him in the eye, smile, then say, “I have lived well and like the wind I will always swirl in memories beyond your door.”
Zav Dadabhoy Presents at Immigration Legal Services Webinar
In addition to receiving the vaccine, Zav Dadabhoy spoke at a Chancellor’s office webinar about services for undocumented and immigrant students. Zav focused his comments around the importance of a creative supportive environment for undocumented students, integrating support for students across disciplines and service areas across the campus, and keeping the community informed about their immigration rights and opportunities to support their success.
Early College Administrators Convene to Celebrate Success and Discuss Future Opportunities
As you may have seen on Twitter, I welcomed 150 administrators and counselors from our Early College partners at a virtual convening hosted by our Outreach & Early College team last Friday. I was so happy to see some of our longtime partners there like Wonderful College Prep Academy, Wasco High School, Kern High School District, Delano Joint Union High School District, and McFarland High School Early College, as well as some of our newer partners like Garces Memorial High School, Taft Union High School, and Monache High School from Porterville. It amazes me how many high schools now offer entrances to our guided pathways through Dual Enrollment on their campuses, and how we continue to push forward on an exponential trajectory to keep expanding opportunities and access for all high school students all across Kern County.
The data shared during this meeting showed that our enrollment numbers for Dual and Concurrent Enrollment continued to increase through Spring 2020, Summer 2020, and Fall 2020. As the group planned for next school year, several representatives from BC shared about pathways opportunities through CTE, Title V- Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Public Safety Training, and more. It is amazing to see the high school and BC staff working together to continue bridging the gap between high school and higher education for all students, and I am excited to see our plans for Early College implementation continue to progress within each of our partnering districts.
The meeting closed with a preview of a new online platform, DualEnroll.com, that will replace our current Dual/Concurrent Enrollment form. With the constant growth in enrollments through Dual Enrollment and Concurrent Enrollment, this new platform will help to streamline the enrollment process for our high school students, their parents, and the high school sites.
Umoja Community starts Employment Prep Academy for Students Interested in Nursing
Umoja students and Dr. Parks talking with Dr. Michael Williams, COO of St. Joseph’s Hospital (A Dignity Hospital)
Umoja Community is partnering with Nursing and Job Placement to offer students an opportunity to be part of the newly established Umoja Employment Preparation Academy. We are so grateful to Morgan Clayton, president of Tel-Tec Security, for funding this program for a pilot group of five students.
Over the spring semester, the Umoja students will work with Venessa Reyes, education advisor, on planning their schedule and preparing to apply to the nursing program; with Dr. Ken Robinson, leadership consultant, on identifying their strengths and growing as a leader; with Vikki Coffee, Job Placement, on preparing a resume and identifying their career interests; with Dr. Paula L. Parks, Umoja English professor, on discussing Black Man in a White Coat; and with practitioners in the medical field. Many of the speakers are associated with Dignity Hospital, where Clayton is Chairman of the Board.
Dr. Michael Williams, the first African-American COO of St. Joseph’s Hospital, spoke with students this past week. He started his career in nursing, continued his education to earn a masters and doctorate, and over a period of 14 years moved up from bedside nurse to charge nurse, chief nurse, director, then COO.
“If you really put your mind to it, you can move up. You have to take your destiny in your own hands, get out of your comfort zone, and get the necessary experiences,” explained Williams, who combines his clinical knowledge and education with experience in project management, facilities, and budgets.
“What stuck with me,” said Alexis, “was that I need to get out of my comfort zone, ask for help, and seek challenges.”
Dr. Williams acknowledged the barriers he faced in becoming the hospital’s first Black administrator and encouraged students to advocate for themselves, ask others for advice, and earn the practical experience, degrees, and overall skill set for the position they want.
Upon completing the Employment Prep Academy, students will receive a scholarship and continue the following two semesters on-site at Dignity Health. Huge thanks to Morgan Clayton, Tel-Tec; Carla Gard, Nursing; Vikki Coffee, Job Placement; Dr. Ken Robinson, Umoja Advisory Board Member; and Dr. Paula L. Parks, Umoja Coordinator for making this opportunity possible for outstanding Umoja students.
CCRC Hosts Seminar on Costs of Guided Pathways
On Wednesday, February 3, I was a featured panelist at a nationwide panel on the costs of guided pathways. The panel, which was hosted by the Community College Research Center (CCRC), featured “Redesigning America’s Community Colleges” author Davis Jenkins, as well as Anthony Culpepper, a Vice President of Administrative Services at Glendale College who was instrumental in BC’s early implementation of the guided pathways model during his time as our Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services. The moderator was CCRC Senior Research Associate Hana Lahr, and Vice Chancellor of Finance and Facilities Planning Lizette Navarette talked about the statewide trends in pathways funding.
The forum centered around a technical report from the CCRC that examined the average increased costs for implementation of guided pathways at community colleges. The report concludes that a majority of the costs around guided pathways comes from hiring more advisors to be embedded within each of the learning and career pathways. All of the colleges in the study, which includes BC, are moving forward with guided pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased retention and graduation rates and making the colleges more efficient as a business.
You can check out the video below:
Opening Day Spring 2021
Today I’d like to share two more videos from our Opening Day Spring 2021 Programming, which took place January 12-14.
BCSGA President Gian Gayatao provided the traditional BCSGA President’s welcome:
And we took a look back at previous opening days:
You can find all the videos from our Spring 2021 Opening Day programming on the BC website.
In The News
Bakersfield Californian Tours Measure J Projects
Mike Giacomini gives Emma Gallegos and Alex Horvath of the Bakersfield Californian a tour of the Measure J construction projects.
The Bakersfield Californian visited the Panorama Campus on Monday to report on the latest developments with Measure J. Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Mike Giacomini led reporter Emma Gallegos and photographer Alex Horvath on a tour of the renovations in the Campus Center, the new Science and Engineering building and Memorial Stadium while answering questions about construction timelines, infrastructure, swing space and more.
Joseph Tipay, Studio Art professor, was honored in Bakersfield Life Magazine. Readers were asked to nominate area educators who have gone above and beyond for their students during the pandemic.
Dr. Bhambi discusses the need to accelerate vaccination to make sure we are safe from COVID-19. He says that the easiest and fastest way to ensure the most people are vaccinated is to allow doctors and pharmacies to give the vaccine.
“Release the vaccine to doctors and pharmacies. Relationships there are underpinned by trust and familiarity. Patient records already exist. Compliance to guidelines should be encouraged, but thrust of vaccination has to be vaccination. We should resist the temptation to overthink. Sometimes the solution is inside the box.”
Dr. Bhambi and I have been having an online conversation about COVID-19, vaccinations, and other topics at our shared blog, https://bhambiandchristian.com/.
Spotted on Social Media
EMT Program Director Brett Burton was a guest on KNZR Talk Radio, on The Law with Tony Lee:
Check out the video:
BCSGA shared this inspiring quote:
The BC Library Instagram account shared this photo of Faith Bradham and Laura Luiz (thank you to Mindy Wilmot!):
Mary Jo Pasek shared this photo in support of Go Red Day for heart disease awareness:
Isabel Castenada shared this picture of a Bridge to BC planning session with Kimberly Bligh and Ashlea Ward:
Athletics
Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day
This last Wednesday, February 3rd was National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the day which is meant to “Inspire girls and women to play and be active, to realize their full potential” – as stated on the Women’s Sports Foundation website. The day was meant to highlight the stories and paths of student athletes, coaches, administrators and lawmakers to provide equitable access to sports for all girls and women. These pictures are just a small sample of the many Renegade women we celebrate who have come through our campus to be an example and pave the way for future women’s opportunities in sports. We are proud of these women and celebrate their achievements both on the field and in life.
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That’s all for now. Until next time.
With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality. sonya – the luckiest and happiest college president ever
The Workforce & Economic Mobility Blog blog shares approaches to workforce and economic development, with a goal of supporting economic mobility for our community while staying committed to the health of our people and the health of our environment.
In the Bhambi & Christian blog, Dr. Brijesh Bhambi join together joined together with the goal of facilitating healing and conversation in our community.
