Tag Archives: Woodland Community College

It’s all about partnerships

It was a week of travel for me… headed north to Fresno City College with the Undocumented Student Action Week, then south to College of the Canyons where Chancellor Dianne Van Hook hosted a wonderful event on Vision 2030 and I was inspired by the forward leaning work of the college… then to my office in Sacramento for Consultation Council… then back to Fresno Convention Center for the annual CVHEC summit. Wrapped up Friday night watching episodes of Stephen Colbert and John Oliver. The John Oliver piece was on safety of our foods and after watching it I think when travelling I will stay away from salads and other fresh produce which we eat fresh and without cooking.

Here are a few photos from the Undocumented Student Action Week Conference. Thank you Gina Brown and Linda Vasquez for taking care of so many details to make this happen.

With State Center team and other presenters
Selfie with Linda Vasquez
Team from Chancellor’s Office: Belen Lopez, Leah Abate, Marisela Hernandez, Sonya Christian, Gina Brown, Linda Vasquez. Second row – Theresa Brown, Alonso Garcia, Paul Medina (BOG), Heather McClenahen
Ran into Bill Moseley, BC

Find out more about Undocumented Student Action Week on the CCCCO website.

Had an inspiring half a day with Dianne Van Hook, faculty, students, administrators at the College of the Canyons. Dianne’s suggestion that the theme of the day be “partnerships” set the tone for our gathering. Vice President of the Board of Governors Hildy Aguinaldo made it a priority to rearrange her schedule to join us.

Was happy that the California Labor Secretary Stewart Knox joined us for this event. I am planning on doing another blog on the workforce development work at Canyons. For now, let me share some of the photos.

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Here are some photos from the Central Valley Higher Education Summit.

With CVHEC Executive Director Ben Duran and West Hills Community College District Chancellor Kristin Clark.
Chancellor Carole Goldsmith, Ben Duran, Sonya Christian

Good morning California.
It is October 21, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion



From California Community Colleges.
Our Time is Now!

California Community Colleges Expand Access to Bachelor’s Degrees
with Two New Programs

California Community Colleges have approved two new bachelor’s degree programs in an effort to make earning a four-year degree more attainable for all Californians. This brings to the total number of bachelor’s degrees that are now offered or will soon be offered at a community college to 33.

The new programs are biomanufacturing at Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC) and public safety management at San Diego Miramar College. Five additional bachelor’s degree program proposals are in the current evaluation cycle and are pending review.

» Read the Press Release from CCCCO

» Read about Los Angeles Mission College’s Bachelor of Science in Biomanufacturing

» Read the Press Release from San Diego Miramar College


Irvine Valley College Hosts Manufacturing Day for High School Students

Earlier this month, IVC welcomed over 150 students from the Tustin and Irvine Unified School Districts to the Advanced Technology & Education Park (ATEP) on October 6 for Manufacturing Day. This event provides students with a valuable opportunity to gain insights into various aspects of manufacturing, broadening their perspectives on the diverse career pathways within this industry.

» Read more!


Cuesta College’s University Bound program
gets $10K donation from Bank of America

The Cuesta College Foundation is pleased to announce a generous $10,000 donation from the Bank of America Foundation for University Bound, a program supporting historically underrepresented students in their goal of transferring to universities to continue their education. The Foundation partnered with Cuesta College’s University and Transfer Center to launch the first University Bound program during the 2021-22 academic year, with money donated to the Cuesta Fund.

» Read more!


Woodland Community College hosts health & healing walk/run

In September Woodland Community College hosted “Sana Sana; Health & Healing Walk/Run.” The event was held to raise awareness of the health and healing practices in everyday life, according to organizer Dr. Melissa Moreno, a professor of ethnic studies at the college. It was part of several events scheduled throughout Woodland as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

» Read more!



In Case You Missed It

EdSource: Community Colleges are key
to solving California’s toughest challenges

This week, EdSource published my commentary piece about the importance of community colleges.

The Community College System is one of our state’s most valuable assets, our main engine of social mobility. We generate $128 billion in annual income for California, amounting to more than 4% of the state’s gross product.

We are essential to the state’s achieving its ambitious goals in everything from climate policy, to growing a world-class labor force, to expanding the middle class. We are essential to the state’s ability to address a massive nursing shortage, support an aging population, prepare for an electric future in need of skilled and trained technicians and more.

» Read the article

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LA Times: New law will allow some Mexican residents
to pay in-state tuition at California community colleges

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday {October 13} signed Assembly Bill 91, which was inspired in part by a decades-old law in Texas that permits Mexican residents like Agustin to pay in-state tuition for their public education because they live so close to the border. The California law will permit low-income Mexican residents and citizens who live within 45 miles of the Mexico-California border to pay in-state tuition.

The bill permits 150 students at each of the eight partner colleges to be awarded this “nonresident fee exemption.”

» Read the article


Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

From Constance Carroll:

Yesterday, the Assembly Higher Education Committee (Mike Fong Chair, and Tri Ta, Co-chair) held a hearing at East LA College to discuss various community college issues. I was pleased to present regarding community college baccalaureate programs and progress.

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From Allan Hancock College:

Hancock viticulture and enology program alumnus Fidencio Flores was featured on CBS’s “The Talk” as part of Hispanic Heritage Month! Congratulations Fideoncio!

Check it out at https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/0Ki0OWuKNn8OzCLEh5PaNaUzaXHruz59/.

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And check out these posts about last weekend’s solar eclipse –

College of the Desert:

San Bernardino Valley College:


And From the Home of the Renegades

Bakersfield College Archives Celebrates 20th Anniversary

The Bakersfield College Archives is excited to announce its 20th Anniversary celebration, marking two decades of preserving the rich history and cherished memories of Bakersfield College (BC). Since its inception in 2003, the Bakersfield College Archives has been dedicated to safeguarding the legacy of BC and fostering a sense of belonging within the BC community.

» Read more!

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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

Juneteenth 2023 – CA CCs promote empathy and unity

Last Saturday, I walked out of the gym after my Saturday morning class and spotted this bird.

I texted a friend who is a bird watcher and she immediately came back with gray hawk. She then checked in with a raptor expert and came back with hybrid falcon.

What do you think?

Then on Sunday, I enjoyed watching the 76th Tony Awards. Kimberly Akimbo received top honors for Best Musical, while Leopoldstadt took Best Play.

I love musicals.

Check out the opening performance with host Ariana DeBose.

This week I also had my first Consultation Council meeting as California Community Colleges Chancellor. Great group of talented and dedicated folks. Our time is now!

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On Monday, we celebrate Juneteenth, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived on the island of Galveston, Texas, to take command of the federal troops who went there to enforce the emancipation of its slaves. He issued General Order No. 3, which enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas.

Now, Juneteenth is a federal holiday – first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

Here is excerpt from an email I sent to our staff :

“This celebration allows us to foster a deeper understanding of our shared history and promote empathy and unity among our colleagues. Linked here is a short video featuring renowned Harvard historian, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., further explaining the significance and history of Juneteenth.”

And wishing all the dads out there a very happy Father’s Day tomorrow!

Good morning California.
It is June 17, 2023.
A good day to be a Community College Champion



From California Community Colleges

Woodland Community College, Feather River College
among Community College Innovation Challenge winners

The Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) is led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). It is a national competition where community college student teams, working with a faculty or administrator mentor, use science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to innovate solutions to real-world problems; participate in an Innovation Boot Camp; and compete for cash awards.

This year, two California Community Colleges are among the winners. Woodland Community College took 2nd place, while Feather River College took 3rd.

» Read more about the CCIC

» Check out posts from MESA at Woodland Community College

» Learn more about Feather River College’s team


Norco College Rocketry Team
AR 51025 Competition Update and Video

In Fall 2022, Norco College Rocketry collaborated with the Flabob Airport Rocketry Program by taking weekly classes and worked diligently to educate themselves on rocketry fundamentals and techniques. On March 4th, the team successfully launched and retrieved their rocket “Vector” and performed a static fire in the Mojave Desert. After Vector, the team began preparations for our competition rocket for the FAR 51025 Competition. 

» Read more and see additional videos about the Rocketry team


Re-imagined Hiring Event
Hosted at Butte College Career Center

This spring, the Butte College Career Center partnered with SynEd to launch a new pilot to connect students completing certificate and degree programs in accounting and business with employers hiring for those skills. The career center modeled the event after SynEd’s Appointment with your Future.

» Read more about the Hiring Event


De Anza College Receives MESA Grant
for Underrepresented Students

De Anza has been awarded $1.55 million in state funding over the next five years for a new cohort program to support historically underrepresented students who want to transfer in STEM majors.

The new MESA (Math, Engineering and Science Achievement) program will build on strategies that proved highly effective with De Anza’s Math Performance Success program, which has used dedicated counselors, embedded peer tutors and additional support to improve student success rates in Math – particularly for Latinx and Black students.

» Read more about MESA at De Anza



In Case You Missed It

Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Education Department
Announces Grants for Initiatives to Support Native Students

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has announced more than $8 million in available grants to fund initiatives for Native students.

» Read more about his grant program

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LAist: America Needs Pilots, But Training Is Pricey.
Community Colleges Are Stepping In

A commercial pilot license is also a necessary step toward flying for an airline, and those pilots should have some leverage when they hit the market. According to analysts with consulting firm Oliver Wyman, while the gap between supply and demand of pilots has improved from projections in 2022, there may be a shortfall of up to 24,000 pilots by 2026.

Still, pilot training programs can get expensive, as students navigate an array of fees. That’s left affordable community college programs an opening.

» Read more


Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media

Dr. Zav Dadabhoy tweeted

Allan Hancock College‘s Beyond Incarceration Greater Education (BIGE) Club visited the Santa Maria Police Department to share their stories and discuss how the two groups can work together to Change the Odds in our community.

Calbright College spreading the word at the Juneteenth Education Fair at Camp Pendleton:

Mission College kicked off their Summer Concert Series:

And thank you to Assemblymember Mike Fong for sharing this photo of us after we met in Sacramento this week:


And From the Home of the Renegades

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $13.5 Million Investment
to Equitably Grow Solar Energy Workforce

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced 12 projects, whose work will span more than 13 states, selected for negotiation to launch training partnerships that expand the solar energy workforce in underserved and underrepresented communities, as well as create career pathways with thousands of good-paying jobs.

Kern Community College District (Bakersfield, CA): In partnership with IBEW, this project will provide solar installation career-track training and electrical apprenticeship readiness training with opportunities for union membership for participants from disadvantaged communities in the Central Valley of California. ​(Award: $1,000,000)

» Read more about the grants

» 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