Tag Archives: San Joaquin Delta College

CA CCs taking care of our communities

Uncategorized August 19, 2023 1 Comment

This weekend, parts of California are under their first-ever tropical storm watch as Hurricane Hilary heads toward the area. It’s expected to make landfall in Mexico’s Baja California on Sunday, then weaken before heading over southern California.

Although it likely won’t be a hurricane when it hits California, parts of the state are expected to get 5-8″ of rain, with some areas receiving 200% of their average yearly precipitation from the storm.

Let’s pay close attention to weather conditions and take precautions to stay safe.

Here are some guidelines from the California Office of Emergency Services.

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Good morning California.
It is August 19, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

Tachi Yokut Tribe Donates $3M to West Hill College Lemoore
for Native American Studies Programs

In a monumental and historic partnership, the Tachi Yokut Tribe has generously donated $3 million to the West Hills Community College Foundation, paving the way for creating a comprehensive Native American studies program at West Hills College Lemoore. This endowment signifies a commitment to education, cultural preservation, and community enrichment, demonstrating the power of collaboration between the Tachi Yokut Tribe and West Hills College Lemoore.

» Read more about the donation!

Diablo Valley College partners with United Latino Voices

DVC is excited to partner with United Latino Voices (ULV) of Contra Costa County and we look forward to the outcomes ahead to improve the health, education, and economic outcomes for the Contra Costa County Latinx community.

» Read more about this important partnership!

MiraCosta College Awarded $500,000 Grand from Lowe’s Foundation

The Lowe’s Foundation announced that MiraCosta College’s Technology Career Institute (TCI) was selected from hundreds of applicants to receive $500,000 as part of the Foundation’s investment in skilled trades training infrastructure through the Gable Grants program.

» Read more about the grant!

Groundbreaking for Mt. San Antonio College’s Technology and Health Building

In the not-so-distant future, Mt. SAC will celebrate the opening of the largest instructional building on any community college campus in the state. Recently,  ground was broken for that new Technology and Health facility, which – once completed in Fall 2026 – will have a 253,866-square-foot footprint.

» Read more about the project!

In Case You Missed It

Vision 2030 – A Call to Action: Adult Education Summit 

October 5 & 6, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and San Diego College of Continuing Education will co-host an event focused on Adult Learners, Equity, Innovation, and Workforce Development.

» Learn more & Register!

Students impacted by Maui fires

“More than a 100 University of Hawaiʻi students from across the 10 campuses were directly impacted by Maui wildfires…” read more at https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/08/17/maui-wildfires-impact-more-than-100-uh-students/

Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

San Joaquin Delta College president Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson shared this:

“Such fun to lend a hand today at our 41st annual pancake breakfast, the unofficial kickoff to Fall Semester at Delta College. I can’t describe how thankful I am for our hardworking employees, and how excited I am for the year to come! #SJDeltaCollege#BeDeltaFierce@JanetARivera1“

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From Santiago Canyon College:

“This morning, “SCC hosted peace activist Ken Nwadike, Jr., founder of Free Hugs Project, and Jeff Schoep, an extremism consultant and founding director of Beyond Barriers. Both speakers shared their individual stories about what led them to speak out against hate, then came together to answer questions about their backgrounds. We are grateful to the faculty members and classified personnel who engaged in meaningful conversation about race relations, with the goal of better supporting our student body.“

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American River College recently broke ground on a new educational center:

“We are excited to have officially broken ground on our ARC Natomas Center Phase II & III project which will be a new, almost 53,000 sq ft addition with 10 labs and 6 classrooms. Thank you to the community for making this project possible!“

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From Copper Mountain College:

“Copper Mountain College’s Wildland Fire Academy #6 is underway this week on campus. Academy members undergo rigorous physical training this week, but their career prospects are excellent.“

And From the Home of the Renegades

Opening Day 2023

The Bakersfield College Renegade Event Center was filled with a sea of red as faculty, staff, and administrators attended the annual opening day festivities on August 17, 2023. Interim President Steve Watkin addressed the crowd with a theme of “togetherness” and ensured this year would be a year of growth and prosperity for our students. Bakersfield College will celebrate its 110th Anniversary of serving students throughout Kern County and beyond. 

» Read more about Bakersfield College’s Opening Day 2023!

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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

California Community Colleges, Harmonies that Work Well Together!

Uncategorized July 22, 2023 1 Comment

This week, a friend of mine brought up Crosby, Stills & Nash, the supergroup made up of singer-songwriters David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash (and occasionally joined by Neil Young).

The group formed in 1968 after Crosby, Stills and Nash had an informal performance and realized their voices and harmonies worked well together.

Here is one of my favorites – Teach your children.

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Last weekend, I watched the new “Mission Impossible” movie. Tom Cruise is famous for doing his own stunts, and this latest film features one billed as the most death-defying stunt of his career – driving a motorcycle off of a cliff.

They tackled the amazing feat on day one of filming. Cruise talked to Entertainment Tonight about the stunt, explaining that starting with that helps the filmmakers decide if they’ll be able to continue filming the rest of the movie, or if they have to do a major rewrite if they can’t accomplish the stunt or the actor is injured (or worse!) in the attempt. Whoa!

Check it out in the trailer (the stunt starts around 1:17):

The Impossible Mission Force (IMP) team – Luther Stickell and Franz Krieger – that works with Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt is just fantastic. California Community Colleges are California’s IMF agents – taking care of our students, our communities, and our plant.

Breakfast at Wimbledon

On Sunday, I tuned in for Breakfast at Wimbledon – a tradition that began in 1979 when NBC needed to find a way to get American audiences to turn on the tvs for tennis at 9 am. Wimbledon tradition dictates that play begins precisely at 2 pm, which translates to 6 am for viewers on the West Coast.

In that first broadcast, NBC wanted to begin a few minutes later so they could run an introductory segment (and ads) before the players walked out. Officials at the All England Club refused, but NBC’s executive producer of sports spoke to one of the commentators (who also managed one of the men’s finalists that year).

The commentator spoke to the finalist, Roscoe Tanner, who proceeded to spend a few extra minutes in the bathroom before leaving the locker room – giving NBC time to begin its production and still allow viewers to see the players walk out onto the grass live.

The experiment in broadcasting live tennis to viewers across the pond was a success!

This year’s finals had no shortage of drama and excitement. Going into the final, Novak Djokovic was a heavy favorite, with a 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon and a 27-match winning streak at majors. He had won an all-time record 45 matches in a row on Centre Court, going back to his last loss, to Andy Murray in the final on July 7th, 2013.

This year, he faced 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, playing in his first Wimbledon final. Alcaraz was down after the first set, but clawed his way back during an epic 85-minute second set. Alcaraz ultimately defeated Djokovic in a match that lasted four hours and 42 minutes – the third-longest final in Wimbledon history.

Breakfast at Wimbledon was my mom’s favorite. Mom, as always, this one is for you.

Paul Christian and Pam Christian
Paul and Pam Christian

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I’ve also had a very busy week traveling and promoting the work of the California Community Colleges and Vision 2030.

I started my week in Los Angeles at the Wheelhouse CEO Institute, which is led by Francisco Rodriguez – Chancellor of LACCD and Chancellor in Residence at Wheelhouse. I was able to spend some time speaking with and getting to know the 14 CEOs participating in this year’s cohort.

On Thursday, I attended the July Consultation Council, where we were able to to do a deep dive into Vision 2030.

Good morning California.
It is July 22, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

Sierra College Student Journalists Recognized for Reporting on Equity

Everybody is Entitled to Equity is a set of four stories produced by a team of journalist fellows in Spring, 2023. The team includes five student journalists, featured in the above image from left to right: Sierra Mickelson, Alexa Topacio, Luis-Antonio Carreon, Ryder Bouck, and Ethan Yamaguchi. They were all awarded through the California Humanities “Emerging Journalist” Fellowship with the Journalism program at Sierra College.

» Read more about their reporting!

Irvine Valley College Girls Who Code Team Wins 1st Place

The IVC Girls Who Code Challenge Team competed in the Spring 2023 College Loops Challenge against several other chapters of Girls Who Code around the nation last month. The team of four won first place overall.

» Read more about the win!

Los Angeles Trade Tech College Culinary Students Earn Medals at SkillsUSA

Last month, 4 students and 3 instructors from LATTC’s Culinary Arts pathway traveled to Atlanta for the National Leadership & Skills Conference. The annual conference marks the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce and was attended by more than 6,500 competitors across 110 competitions.

LATTC Student Samantha Gaydowski took gold in the Baking & Pastry Arts, while Pardhyuman Jha won bronze in Restaurant Service.

» Read more about the competition!

In Case You Missed It

AAC&U Liberal Education: We Can’t Afford Not To –
All colleges and universities should have a prison education program

I wanted to share this article that was printed in AAC&U’S Liberal Education magazine, writing about the importance of prison education programs and how they have an amazing effect on recidivism rates. It was a lot of fun working on this piece with Dr. Manny Mourtzanos, former Vice Chancellor at the Kern Community College District.

» Read more!

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EdSource: Community College baccalaureate degrees
are key to expanding college access, panel says

Emma Gallegos wrote about a roundtable on community college baccalaureates that EdSource hosted on Thursday.

(Aisha) Lowe said the expansion of community college baccalaureate programs is crucial to meeting the governor’s goal of 70% of the state’s working adults attaining a bachelor’s degree by 2030. She points out that many universities are impacted now and certainly cannot increase capacity at the level that the state needs. Because community colleges are locally oriented, they’re well-situated to meet local needs in a way that the CSU or UC system cannot.

» Read more!

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KTLA: California Foster Youth Can Now Attend College for Free

Foster youth across California will now be able to attend college, free of charge, after new legislation, SB 307, was signed into the state budget.

The new Fostering Futures program will cover the entire cost for foster youth to attend a University of California, California State University or California community college.

» Read more!

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Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

Yovani Jimenez shared this post, with Nicole Parra and Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg:

“Congratulations to the Latina Leaders of Kern County as they celebrate 25 years of excellence. I am truly inspired by the dedication and hard work of the founding mothers who worked tirelessly to turn a dream into a reality. Tonight, I also want to convey my congratulations to the honorees, whose success stories serve as a true inspiration. Their achievements demonstrate the limitless possibilities and potential within our community. Thank you all for your incredible contributions and for continuously inspiring.”

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From Palomar College:

“The VFW Post 1513 of Escondido provided lunch at the Palomar College Veterans Resource Center for Operation Home-Cooked. Thank you to Army Veteran Gina Burke for cooking for our Veteran Students. Thank you to San Diego North County Blue Star Mothers for also being there.”

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From San Joaquin Delta College:

“We were happy to host teachers from across San Joaquin County at Delta’s Manteca farm recently for Ag in the Classroom. Teachers learned all about agriculture and how to incorporate it in their classrooms this school year. Thank you @SJFarmBureau for making this possible!”

And from San Diego Community College District:

“Board President Maria Nieto Senour was presented with a cake at today’s board meeting in honor of her 80th birthday. Hope you have a wonderful birthday, Maria.”

And From the Home of the Renegades

Renegade Pantry Hosts Farmers Market for July

The Renegade Nexus Pantry hosted another Farmer’s Market this week, distributing healthy fruits and vegetables to students and community members. The Bakersfield weather was hot, but the Nexus staff and volunteers came prepared to help participants take home nutritious produce to their households, including beets, bok choy, watermelon, oranges, cauliflower, raspberries, carrots, and much more.

» Read more about this week at BC!

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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

BC’s Second Annual Equity Conference

Uncategorized May 19, 2015 Leave a comment

Equity 4

I am so proud to report that BC held its second equity conference on April 23rd. Let’s hear from a few key individuals who made this happen

Bryan Hirayama, BC’s EODAC Faculty Co-chair:

The 2nd Annual Equity Conference was a smashing success.  Bakersfield College welcomed visitors from up and down the state, including attendees from San Joaquin Delta College, Porterville College, Taft College, Grossmont and Mira Costa College.

With both a streaming feed and ASL interpreters on site, the Equity Conference moved to practice a central tenet of BC’s equity agenda: meeting people where they are.

ArvizuThis year’s line-up included two amazing speakers, meaningful and challenging breakout sessions and a moving student panel with representatives from some of our most vulnerable and underrepresented student groups. Thank you to all who helped plan and those who attended. We look forward to seeing you back next year. 

Michele Bresso, Dean of Instruction:

Director and Chief Executive of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Dr. Dan Arvizu served as keynote speaker. Dr. Arvizu, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering, is the first Hispanic to be named director of the National Science Board. As you’d expect from a scientist of Dr Arvizu’s caliber, his message touted the value of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education as an investment in our future, offering high returns to students, the community and to the nation if we can increase the number of STEM workers throughout America.

But according to Dr. Arvizu, STEM faces an equity challenge. As you can see in the graph below, white workers make up a disproportionate number of STEM workers.

Graphic-1

So increasing the minority representation in those critical fields, particularly in the upper management end, is critical not only in elevating the quality of the work being done, but opening up new areas of opportunity for students who may not think they were cut out for a future in STEM industries.

Odella Johnson, Director of Equity and Inclusion:

GoosbyMeanwhile, fellow keynote speaker Dr. J. Goosby Smith posited how community colleges are uniquely poised to transform the lives of students through diversity and inclusion.  Using a garden as a metaphor, she distinguished these two distinct concepts.  Inclusion refers to the “soil”: the college’s culture, policies, and practices.  Diversity refers to giving each flower what it needs to thrive.  Some need shade, others sun.

Consequently, Goosby Smith believes equity does not refer to equal treatment, but rather identical opportunity to thrive.  She then applied her evidence-based model of inclusion to the community college culture and classroom.

Equity 3The day closed with frank presentations from a handful of BC students, all from various walks of life, sharing their personal stories of getting to where they are today and how BC can do better to address their needs.

It was an eye-opening and ultimately very satisfying and encouraging day.

Sonya Christian's Blog