With the theme “Student Success through Equity and Inclusion -- Thriving in the Central Valley,” the summit will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at the Fresno Convention Center's Ernest E. Valdez Exhibit Hall.
About 200 higher education officials and educators, legislators and partner representatives are expected to attend the summit sponsored by the College Futures Foundation. The quarterly meeting of the CVHEC’s board of directors – the chancellors, presidents and campus directors of the consortium’s 28 member colleges and universities in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern – will precede the summit on Oct. 19.
CVHEC’s Welcoming & Networking Reception also will be the day before the summit at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdez Hall Breezeway, following the board meeting, providing an opportunity to connect with other attendees and the CVHEC Board of Directors in an informal relaxed setting.
WELCOME TO THE fall 2024 semester and the September edition of the CVHEC e-Newsletter. We hope the summer provided you with an opportunity to enjoy some personal time to recharge, reconnect with family and perhaps finally get some long-planned travel in.
WITH THIS EDITION of our newsletter, we announce phase one of the CVHEC Open Educational Resources Improvement Project introduced previously: the awarding to member West Hills Community College District of a $580,180 mini-grant from the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative in partnership with CVHEC.
THIS FUNDING WILL expand on West Hills College-Lemoore’s pioneer work with faculty and instructional administrators developing OER/ZTC textbooks, courses and pathways that serve area institutions and their feeder high schools in a collaboration of CVHEC members in the WHCCD and State Center Community College District (Fresno, Madera, Clovis, Reedley colleges) leading to a full ZTC degree pathway in Elementary Education shared with project stakeholders that immediately serves the Fresno-Madera areas. CVHEC’s OER/ZTC efforts will be scaled throughout across the Central Valley.
AS NOTED IN previous newsletters, we are delighted by the appointment of our own Dr. Sonya Christian, former chancellor of the Kern Community College District, as the new leader of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the start of her tenure June 1. Now, we are further delighted to announce that Chancellor Christian will join us as the keynote speaker [link to story when posted for this issue] to open our annual CVHEC Summit scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20. See the save-the-date and registration information in this issue. We hope you are planning on joining us for the summit.
AND FINALLY, WE are pleased to present in this issue’s “What in the CVHEC is Happening” blog a special back-to-school message also by Dr. Spevak. He shares an email he received from a former student who attributes his success today to teachers like John, a former English teacher and vice-president emeritus of Merced College. It's a timely message as so many educators return to the classroom for the fall semester and that ever-gratifying sense of making a difference in students’ lives. Cheers to teachers everywhere!
ENJOY OUR NEWSLETTER and may you all get off to a great start this fall.
The pioneering Open Educational Resources Improvement Project – a collaboration of Central Valley Higher Education Consortium members and partners – kicks off with a $580,180.00 state grant as well as a new OER Task Force and convening planned for later this fall.
CVHEC-member West Hills Community College District recently announced the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative Mini-Grant Award for the groundbreaking initiative that is poised to usher in a new era of educational opportunities by revolutionizing learning, teaching and research materials across the Central Valley. The project is in collaboration with the State Center Community College District and its campuses -- Fresno City College, Madera Community College and Reedley College (all consortium members) -- and CVHEC.
Open Educational Resources has the potential to save students millions of dollars in textbook and material costs, said Dr. Kristin Clark, WHCCD chancellor, in the Aug. 22 award announcement. This helps minimize financial barriers that impede access to quality education.
Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said the next step for this visionary partnership of consortium members will be the formation this fall of the OER/ZTC Task Force consisting of representatives from the consortium’s 28-member institutions ...
CVHEC 2022 Mini Grant funds FPU Tri-Alpha Honor Society for
first-generation students; grant application period now open
NOTE: For the past three years, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Mini-Grants have been awarded to member institutions in support of CVHEC’s mission to increase degree attainment rates. We are highlighting how our member institutions’ innovative uses for the grants are positively impacting students. Applications for the 2023 cycle are available.
A Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Mini-Grant awarded to member Fresno Pacific University earlier this year has provided the foundation to establish a local chapter of the Alpha Alpha Alpha Honor Society (Tri-Alpha ) that recognizes and engages first-generation college students.
The $6,477 grant funded by the College Futures Foundation through CVHEC enabled the FPU’s new Zeta Sigma chapter of Tri-Alpha to cover student membership fees; hold two induction ceremonies in the 2022-23 academic year that invited members’ families; and host monthly meetings for chapter members by covering speaker honoria and refreshments. Another element of the FPU proposal includes creating undergraduate research fellowships that will allow the university to provide stipends for students and faculty conducting research together.
“The research, in each researcher’s field of study, will be used to inform future first-generation student services on campus,” said adviser Sarah Micu, FPU Student Success and Equity coordinator ...
As students return to classrooms for the fall semester, this month’s “What the CV-HEC is Happening” Blog is a message about the lifelong impact that teachers deliver for their students. It is a reprint of a column by Dr. John Spevak that appeared in the Los Baños newspaper, The Westside Express, Aug 30. Dr Spevak, who is a vice president-emeritus of Merced College and currently a regional coordinator for CVHEC, taught English in his early career and shares here a recent email from a former student.
The lasting impact teachers have, even when they don’t realize it
BY DR. JOHN SPEVAK
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
So wrote Henry Adams, a 19th century American historian. Recently, I felt the impact of that statement. Many veteran teachers, dedicated men and women, will understand the experience about which I’ll be writing today.
Some readers of this column may know that once upon a time, from 1971 to 1985, I taught English and speech at the Los Baños Campus of Merced College, first in a rented building on L Street and then in a facility on Mercey Springs Road. I was fortunate to have many talented and dedicated students of all ages in my classes.
The other day I received an email out of the blue from one of those students, with the simple subject heading of “Former Student” ...
CVHEC website feature: English and Math Task Forces
The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium launches two new web pages this month featuring its two intersegmental task forces consisting of math and English educators representing CVHEC community college member institutions.
First formed in 2019, the mission of the English and Math Task Forces is to streamline math and English pathways for students by examining topics and issues of those disciplines and recent legislation as part of CVHEC’s mission: improve certificate and degree completion rates in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern.
Coordinated by Dr. John Spevak, a CVHEC coordinator and a former Merced College vice president, the task forces consist of representatives from each of the 15 community college members in the region that are part of the 28-member consortium.
They meet periodically via Zoom with the next Math Task Force meeting planned for early fall and the English Task Force set for mid-fall.
Lately, the English Task Force with 18 representatives and the Math Task Force with 20 representatives “collaborate by sharing ideas, concerns and suggestions surrounding this legislation (AB1705) for our students’ progress,” Dr. Spevak said ...
CVHEC member Delta College partners in "Growing Futures" Initiative (photo: The 74).
West Hills College Lemoore President
James Preston discusses Yokuts donation.
Bakersfield College Renegade Nexus Pantry
re-opens to help students fight food insecurity
Delta College partners in ‘Growing Futures:’
turning vineyards into state-of-the-art The “Growing Futures Initiative,” a new pilot program in the northern San Joaquin Valley that includes Delta College (a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium member), steers youth toward promising careers in their own communities, while also supporting the growing workforce needs of the region’s heritage wine industry. (MORE)
Tachi Yokut Tribe donates $3 million to West Hills College Lemoore for Native American Studies Program The Tachi Yokut Tribe has donated $3 million to the West Hills Community College Foundation that will establish a comprehensive Native American studies program at West Hills College Lemoore. (MORE)
Breaking food insecurity cycle: BC's Renegade Nexus Pantry Bakersfield College’s new Renegade Nexus Pantry represents its dedication to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive academically through support to navigate basic needs challenges and/or food insecurity. (MORE)
Largest enrollment in school history for UC Merced The University of California, Merced kicked off its fall semester Aug. 23 with 9,200 students enrolled -- the largest enrollment in campus history, along with the largest freshman class. (MORE)
CHSU Medical Student Enrollment Reaches 500 The current session at California Health Sciences University that began in late July marks both the fourth cohort for its College of Osteopathic Medicine and the final year for its first COM cohort that graduates next spring. The Clovis-based medical school now has 500 new and returning medical students enrolled.(MORE)
UCSF Fresno celebrates new doctors for Central Valley/state It takes 11 years or more to produce a practicing physician after high school, depending on the specialty. On June 15, UCSF Fresno celebrated the completion of years of training for more than 100 graduates. (MORE)
FCC West Fresno Center opens Fresno City College’s West Fresno Center opened its doors for students on Aug. 7, 2023. The beautiful new center, located at Church and Walnut avenues, sits on 39 acres and includes two state-of-the-art buildings, occupying 110,000 square feet—the Academic Building and the Advanced Transportation Center. (MORE)
Clovis CC sets grand opening for Crush Clothing Closet Clovis Community College will hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting for its Crush Clothing Closet 10:30-11 a.m. Sept. 12. An open house follows until 5:30 p.m. The Crush Closet (390 West Fir Avenue in CLovis -- Building A, Room 106), will provide students access to business and professional attire for job interviews or starting a new job. Relaxed parking. INFO: dianna.whaley@cloviscollege.edu. To RSVP.
MJC Presidential Search Committee seeks community input The Yosemite Community College District search process for the next president of Modesto Junior College is underway and now YCCD Chancellor Henry Yong seeks two community members to serve on the MJC Presidential Search Committee that consists of representatives from all college constituent groups. To apply, submit a brief letter of interest to the chancellor’s office by Monday, Sept.18, 2023: chancelloryong@yosemite.edu or by mail or in person (call 209.575.6509 for details). (MORE)
Following the historic Supreme Court June 29 decision that severely limited, if not effectively ended, the use of affirmative action in college admissions, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Executive Director Benjamín Durán wrote of his reaction and that of many colleagues, family and friends in his Director’s Message for the CVHEC summer newsletter edition. Dr. Durán’s message also served as the basis for this op-ed column that was published in the Valley Voices section of The Fresno Bee Opinion page July 24.
MEDIA NOTE: Connect with CVHEC’s member campus communicators/PIOs
With the advent of the 2023-24 academic year at colleges across the Central Valley, you can keep up with our 28-member campuses from Stockton to Bakersfield at their respective news websites available on our Central Valley Higher Education Consortium PIO/Communicators Commiteepage that features media contact info for each member.
For CVHEC media inquiries: Tom Uribes, 559.348.3278 or (button below) cvheccommunicatons@mail.fresnostate.edu
The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) is a California non-profit
made up of 28-instutitions of higher education in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern
that is the size of some states. Through CVHEC, higher education professionals and academicians in the Central Valley address difficult and complex initiatives, scaling them up across the region for
mutual effectivenessto serve our students and communities.
CVHEC CALENDAR
