CVHEC board members and May 6 summit participants enjoyed the music of Las Hermanas Medina at the Cinco de Mayo reception the day before more than 130 higher education leaders and advocates convened for the Higher Education Policy and Legislative Summit in downtown Fresno.
CVHEC Summit ’22 Wrap - Recapturing the Magic
Greetings,
As the spring semester ends, there is so much to talk about. For the first time in two years, students and their families are enjoying attendance at live commencement ceremonies at colleges and universities throughout the Central Valley – you can feel the magic in the air.
Also, in a very generous gesture, institutions are honoring those graduates in 2020 and 2021 who were deprived of their commencement events by the pandemic by providing opportunities for them to participate in this year’s ceremonies as well. We know the graduates would also want to thank the staff and faculty on their campuses for helping them achieve their educational goals. Congratulations to ALL graduates and to your respective support systems!
As we celebrate our graduates, we hope you enjoy our May issue of the CVHEC Newsletter. You will see this was an exciting month for us as well. On May 5 and 6, CVHEC held its spring Board of Directors meeting and our first CVHEC Legislative and Policy Summit since 2019 live in Fresno. Participants were appreciative of the opportunity to reconnect in-person with colleagues and make new connections.
At the board meeting, the CVHEC Board of Directors was happy to welcome the University of California, San Francisco – Fresno campus as the 30th member institution of the Consortium. CVHEC also invited six newly-appointed CEOs as members of the Board.
This summit marked the 20th Anniversary of CVHEC with over 150 participants celebrating two decades worth of success by our member institutions in increasing the college-going rate ...
For this issue, our What The CV-HEC Is Happening feature is a "photo-blog" capturing scenes from the CVHEC Higher Education Policy and Legislative Summit held May 5-6 in Fresno.
CVHEC joins valley’s broadband development
movement - SJVRB seeks response to RFQPP
The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium has joined the movement for high-speed broadband ubiquitous deployment and universal adoption for the Valley’s eight-county region led by the San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium which is now seeking additional partners through a Request for Qualifications for Prospective Partners (RFQPP) and a call for Expression of Interest (EOI).
The SJVRBC is under the leadership of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), on a new joint effort — collectively called #SanJoaquinValleyNetwork — to seek State and federal funding for broadband infrastructure projects throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
Representing CVHEC on the SJVRBC are Dr. Benjamin Duran, executive director, and Angel Ramirez, operations manager.
“This is a very important effort that aligns with CVHEC’s commitment to expanding broadband access as discussed at our recent Higher Education Policy and Legislative Summit,” said Duran. “The #SanJoaquinValleyNetwork is seeking public funding to deploy infrastructure and provide high-quality, affordable broadband service and digital literacy to educational institutions, students, residents, businesses, public agencies and tribes in the region.”
The San Joaquin Valley Network Request For Qualifications for Prospective Partnerships (RFQPP), and information about submitting the Expression Of Interest by June 6 may be downloaded at: https://sanjoaquinvalleynetwork.org.
The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors is made up of the presidents and chancellors of our 30-member institutions in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties.
Congratulations to three new presidents selected by Central Valley Higher Education Consortium member institutions including two who will join the board as a result of their appointment when their terms begin July 1.
The two new members will be Dr. Robert Pimentel, selected to serve as president of Fresno City College, and Dr. André Stephens, who will assume the Fresno Pacific University presidency.
The third, Dr. Aguilera Lawrenson, who was selected as the San Joaquin Delta College 12th superintendent/president, has been serving as Delta’s acting superintendent/president since September 2021 when she also first joined the CVHEC Board of Directors. She will be the first Latina and the first woman of color to lead San Joaquin Delta College, located in Stockton.
UCSF’s application for membership was formally accepted by the CVHEC Board of Directors at its quarterly meeting May 5 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Fresno as part of the annual CVHEC Higher Education Policy and Legislative Summit.
Michael W. Peterson, MD/MACP, associate dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Research at the UCSF-Fresno Campus, was seated on the consortium board which is made up of the presidents and chancellors of 30 colleges and universities in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties.
Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said the consortium is delighted to welcome Dr. Peterson onto the board representing UCSF-Fresno as one of two medical schools holding ...
UC system to find ways to expand, fund student enrollment
The University of California has its eyes set on expansion. In September, the UC Board of Regents introduced a plan to add 20,000 student seats across the system by 2030. (More)
• CVHEC Members Stanislaus State and Fresno State ranked in Money’s Top 50(More)
• Clovis CC President Search Input by May 30 (More)
• PHOTO: Dual Enrollment Success! Here's a social media shout out to Mendota High School as 15 percent of its Class of 2022 graduates earn an associate degree from West Hills Community College before high school graduation next month thanks to dual enrollment courses. Congratulations!
California’s Cradle-to-Career Data System Achieves Early Milestones The Office of Cradle-to-Career Data has signed landmark legal agreements with 15 education, social service, and workforce entities that allow for the creation of data sets on student progress from pre-K through college and employment. Among the entities are the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities; California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office; California State University Board of Trustees; and the University of California. (See EdSource - May 12, 2022)
Advocates of Major Cal Grant Changes Look to Gov. Newsome Assembly Bill 1746 would expand access to Cal Grant awards by eliminating GPA requirements for community college students and guaranteeing awards to students eligible for a federal Pell Grant. It would also simplify the Cal Grant program. (See Governors Office News - May 12, 2022)
Community colleges need to stop pushing remedial-class enrollments The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium is one of several organizations statewide supporting a new bill that removes barriers to success by making it clear that community colleges should not require students to repeat math and English classes they passed in high school. (See CAL MATTERS - May 9, 2022).
REMINDER: 2022 CVHEC
Mini-Grant AppsAvailable
Applicationsfor the next Central Valley Higher Education Consortium 2022 Mini-Grant cycle are now being accepted and will continue until funds are allocated.
