• Fresno Pacific University will offer a master’s degree in Mathematics education (application deadline is Nov. 15). The next virtual information session for the FPU math component is set for Oct. 25 at 4:30 p.m. Additional sessions will be held Nov. 1, 8 and 15. Register for the Math Education Information Meeting Zoom link at: https://bit.ly/3PSPesc.
• National University is offering a Master’s degree program in English (application deadline is Dec. 12). Virtual information sessions for the English program are set for Oct. 27, Nov. 10 and Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. Register at www.tinyurl.com/MAENGLISHNU.
The program will help provide more opportunities for Kern high school students to enroll in dual enrollment courses on their respective campuses that in turn increases college success ...
Welcome to our October e-newsletter with news in higher education around the Central Valley.
In this edition, we announce the launch of the cohort recruitment campaign for our new Kern Master’s Degree Upskilling Project funded by the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative.
The project mirrors the Upskilling Project that CVHEC undertook in Fresno and Madera counties two years ago as a pilot project with funding from the Fresno K-16 Collaborative.
National University and Fresno Pacific University will deliver Master’s degrees, subsidized by the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative, in English and mathematics to high school teachers in Kern County holding BA degrees in the two subject areas and interested in teaching college level dual enrollment classes on their high school campuses. They are now accepting applications to reach our goal of 100 high school teachers earning Master’s degrees in Kern County by 2025. Please pass the word if you know of high school teachers who might be interested.
Also, we “introduce” Elaine Cash, who as of Oct. 1, has taken on the role as CVHEC’s Grants & Programs coordinator. Many of you know Elaine not just as a longtime, dedicated and accomplished educator in our region, but also in her service the past few years as a CVHEC K-12 Liaison who brought her years of experience and expertise in K-12 education to work with our higher education leaders.
The strategies of the Consortium benefit greatly by bringing in our K-12 partners to improve the student success pathways for our region’s students so we are delighted that Elaine will expand her role on our team in this new capacity to support the growth and sustainability of the consortium and our work.
This issue’s “What the CV-HEC Blog” provides commentary on Assembly Bill 1705, a piece of legislation aimed at ensuring the final elimination of developmental education in community colleges and developing corequisite support courses to replace them.
You will also read about one example of a successful CVHEC mini-grant and how a member-institution, the California Health Science University, earned recognition for a program in which the mini-grant helped students gain the opportunity to begin pursuing careers in health and medicine.
Enjoy the newsletter and please share it with friends and colleagues.
CVHEC NEWS: Elaine Cash Is Grants & Program Coordinator New position supports the growth and sustainability of the consortium and its work
Educator Elaine C. Cash, retired superintendent of Riverdale Joint Unified School District and a K-12 liaison for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium since 2017, has been named to a full-time position as CVHEC’s Grants & Programs coordinator.
In her new capacity effective October 1, Elaine is responsible for grant writing, management and reporting of grants and sponsored programs, announced Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.
“This new position for CVHEC will help support the growth and sustainability of the consortium and our work,” Durán said.
Elaine first joined CVHEC in 2016 and, as a liaison, she served as a connection and resource to consortium K-12 partners for strategies such as the valley-wide adoption of the California ...
Our “What the CV-HEC” guest blog this month provides commentary on Assembly Bill 1705, borrowed from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and written by Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez and Cesar Alesi Perez. The legislation, which builds on AB 705, requires that California’s community colleges expand their efforts to enroll — and support — students in transfer and is aimed at ensuring the final elimination of developmental education in community colleges while developing corequisite support courses to replace them. The PPIC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, informs and improves public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research.
Ensuring All Students Benefit from
Landmark Community College Reform
(October 7, 2022) -- Last week, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1705 into law. This bill requires that California’s community colleges expand their efforts to enroll—and support—students in transfer-level math and English courses. It builds on a previous law (AB 705) that fundamentally reshaped placement and remediation at the community colleges—with progress that has been nothing short of remarkable. Since the implementation of AB 705, community colleges have seen substantial increases in the number of students successfully completing transfer-level math and English courses.
CVHEC at Lumina:Transforming Transfer, College Affordability
Dr. Benjamín Durán, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC), presented the CVHEC Transfer Project at the Lumina Foundation State Policy Retreat 2022 last month in Indianapolis.
With the theme “Better Together: Increasing Participation, Success, and Employment Alignment,” the policy retreat provided an opportunity for state teams – composed of cross-sector leaders working across higher education, workforce/talent development, public policy, advocacy, employers, etc. – to come together Sept. 28-30 for learning, reflection, and action planning.
In his breakout session, “Transformational Transfer Initiatives,” Dr. Durán convened with national higher education equity leaders to
examine how they are transforming transfer and college affordability. He was joined by Ellen Green, legislative director for California Assemblymember Marc Berman; and Jessie Ryan, executive vice president of the Campaign for College Opportunity ...
Participants in the CHSU-COM Pre-Med Bootcamp, funded in part with a CVHEC Mini-Grant, with Dr. Samuel Kadavakollu, chair of Biomedical Education at California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
MINI GRANT SUCCESS STORY: AOA Journal
Recognizes CHSU ‘Pre-Med Bootcamp’ for Promoting Cultural Competency, Osteopathic Medicine Awareness
The Pre-Med Bootcamp Program of the California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine was recognized nationally for its success in promoting cultural competency and osteopathic medicine awareness and assisting students in applying for the medical school.
The bootcamp, held in 2019 and the first of five held since then, was supported by a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Mini-Grant. An article prepared and submitted by CHSU that was published in the American Osteopathic Association Journal of Osteopathic Medicine also demonstrated prioritization of the medical school’s cultural competency component of the bootcamp, which “is particularly important in medically underserved areas like the Central Valley of California, where patient demographics have disproportionate ethnic minorities,” the article noted...
REMINDER: 2022 CVHEC
Mini-Grant AppsAvailable Applications for the next Central Valley Higher Education Consortium 2022 Mini-Grant cycle are now being accepted and will continue until funds are allocated.