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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has partnered with College of the Canyons in a new effort to help community colleges throughout the state improve their fiscal and operational effectiveness and provide technical support that will promote student success.
Under the direction of the Chancellor’s Office new division of institutional effectiveness, College of the Canyons will build a robust technical assistance infrastructure to promote student success reforms and assist colleges that may be struggling with fiscal or accreditation challenges.
“No one individual has all the answers when it comes to keeping up with innovation, complying with regulatory changes or implementing effective student success policies,” said Chancellor Brice W. Harris. “This effort taps the collective expertise of our system and leverages it to ensure all colleges keep pace with changes designed to help more students succeed. We intend to be the coach, cheerleader and ‘help desk’ staff for colleges seeking guidance on how to improve their operations.”
The field work will include the deployment of subject experts to colleges seeking assistance in various operational areas, promotion of best practices in the improvement of student outcomes, professional development and training services as well as program evaluation.
College of the Canyons will carry out its work under a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the Chancellor’s Office.
The team will work with Vice Chancellor for Institutional Effectiveness Theresa Tena as the Chancellor’s Office expands its capacity to provide direct assistance to colleges.
California community colleges are in a period of unprecedented change focused on increasing the number of students who complete their educational goals.
In August, the system set a goal of increasing the number of students earning certificates, degrees or transferring to four-year institutions by nearly a quarter of a million over the next 10 incoming freshman classes
Mindful of the opportunities and challenges in this era of change, the Board of Governors as well as Gov. Brown and the Legislature have invested in support for institutional effectiveness.
“We are honored to have been chosen to help lead this effort, and we’re excited about the potential it represents,” said Dr. Dianne Van Hook, Chancellor of College of the Canyons. “By continuing to learn, striving for ongoing improvement and enhancing the effectiveness of our colleges, everyone wins – our students, those who support and invest in us, the businesses we serve, and our system. Collectively, we grow stronger, garner added respect for improved outcomes, and build our potential to do even more for our state.”
For more information on the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Division of Institutional Effectiveness, go to http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ChancellorsOffice/Divisions/InstitutionalEffectiveness.aspx .
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 112 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year.
Community colleges supply workforce training, basic skills education and prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions.
The Chancellor’s Office provides leadership, advocacy and support under the direction of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ .
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – On Saturday, Nov. 15, 78 girls attended the Girls in Careers Workshop at Lower Lake High School, with the focus on career exploration.
Mendocino College along with the Lake County Office of Education Career and College Readiness Department funded the event, allowing girls in grades seventh through 12 to explore nontraditional female careers.
Keynote speaker Quanisha Smith welcomed the girls in the morning and encouraged them to do more than dream big, but rather to be open to possibilities and search out a path to individual happiness.
After Smith’s motivating words, the girls spent the rest of the day rotating through hands-on sessions with teachers and industry professionals.
Sessions included “CSI Lake County” taught by Lower Lake High instructor Robynn Giese and Clearlake Police School Resource Office Bobi Thompson and “Chemistry is Beautiful” with Clear Lake High School instructor Oscar Dominguez and owner of Her Purdy Cosmetics Laboratory Leah Palmer.
Upper Lake High instructor Erica Boomer and SPCA vet tech Savannah Mello along with a couple of animals led the “A is for Animals” unit and Jacob and Connor Gill from Cheating Daylight were the star attractions in the “Girls on the Mic” seminar.
Each student also participated in a presentation by Smith called, “What’s preventing you from living your desired life?”
Girls were able to explore ambitions, fears, obstacles and solutions in order to build a blueprint for their future success.
Lunch was provided free of charge by Robert Cabrero and the culinary department of Yuba College.
At the end of the day, the group gathered back in the gym for parting remarks from Smith and to partake in the drawing for college prize packs, Chromebook, GoPro, Dr Dre Headphones, Nook tablet, iPod and gift card.
The previous night, Lower Lake High hosted Smith for an adult workshop titled “How to Talk so Youth Will Listen.”
Smith engaged the audience with her life story and educational and career accomplishments in addition to educating participants in effective communication with youth through activities and and asking the right questions.
The 40 participants were not only treated to a great workshop, but received a fabulous meal catered by the Lower Lake High culinary department all without charge. Parent participant Deana Clausen was the recipient of the night's drawing prize of a Kindle Fire.
Smith is an international inspirational speaker, youth achievement mentor, and leadership development trainer.
She draws on more than 15 years of youth development, teaching, personal experience, community organizing and social justice philosophies to deliver purpose-driven success strategies and transformational keynotes for youth, mid-level professionals, college students and women. For more information regarding Smith visit her Web site www.quanishasmith.com .
The Lake County Office of Education Career and College Readiness Department is continually searching for ideas and funding regarding career exploration and college readiness for middle and high school students.
In addition to the Girls in Careers Workshop, they have hosted the “My Future, My Way Workshop” and the Summer Career Technical Education Camps.
Please share your ideas by emailing
For details regarding future events and scholarship opportunities follow the Career and College Readiness Department Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LCOEcareerandcollege .
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Christian Center Preschoolers enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving feast on Friday, Nov. 21.
The feast included turkey with all the trimmings and much more.
Several tables full of happy children were set up throughout the preschool/daycare center.
The staff of Lakeport Christian Center Preschool would like to thank the many parents and other family members who donated food and helped serve the children.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Seeking to make community college workforce education even more responsive to the state’s economy, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors has established a task force to develop policies that will prepare more students for existing high value jobs and promote job creation with workforce training that sparks small business development and lures out-of-state business investment in key industry sectors.
“The Board of Governors is committed to improving our students’ employment prospects and growing the state’s economy,” said Manuel Baca, president of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. “The California Community Colleges has served as an economic springboard for many Californians and it must enact smart and thoughtful policies in the future for it to continue in that role and I look forward to hearing the recommendations the task force develops.”
The Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation, and a Strong Economy will be comprised of representatives from the California Community Colleges, business community, labor groups, public agencies involved in workforce training, K-12 policy and community based organizations.
“Community colleges serve as the workforce training engines behind California’s regional economies,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris.
Harris said the task force will meet with industry leaders, college faculty and staff, elected officials, and other important members of the community to determine what the college system must do to achieve the best for the students and state.
The task force will conduct its work in three separate phases.
The first phase, set to begin this December, will involve holding meetings with community college practitioners to surface strategies and prioritize workforce training policies and practices that engender flexibility to respond to the changing labor market, regional responsiveness, partnership with industry, and ensure student degrees, certificates, credentials, and coursework are universally honored by colleges and have value to employers.
The second phase will start in February 2015 and involve town hall meetings in regions across the state with elected officials and leaders from business, economic development agencies, K-12, labor, and other community organizations to vet and build on ideas and practices that bring stronger alignment between community colleges and key industry sectors.
The town hall meetings will include interactive discussions focused on how the community college system can act as a catalyst for growth in California’s regional economies.
The final phase involves meetings of the full task force itself.
Members will deliberate over information and issues identified at the regional meetings and develop a set of recommendations by the end of summer 2015, which will be proposed for adoption by the Board of Governors.
Throughout the spring, the broader community would be invited to respond to the draft recommendations via the task force’s website.
The task force will build upon other initiatives that the California Community Colleges has undertaken to increase individual and regional economic competitiveness by providing the state’s workforce with relevant skills and quality credentials that match employer needs and fuel a stronger economy.
In August, the California Community Colleges announced a goal of increasing student completions by nearly 250,000 statewide to help meet the needs of the labor market and to ensure more Californians have access to higher education.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy framework and the Student Success Initiative provide the foundation to launch this task force and have also been working to increase workforce and economic competitiveness.
These measures are necessary in light of statistics indicating that there will be 6.3 million job openings in California through 2020, of which 2 million jobs will require a post-secondary certificate or associate degree.
Furthermore, studies show that the labor market is increasingly demanding a more skilled workforce.
Whereas in the 1970s 28 percent of jobs required more than a high school education, by 2020 it is estimated that 65 percent of job openings in the United States will require some postsecondary education or training.
To see the calendar of events for the task force, go to: http://doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu/StrongWorkforce/Events.aspx .