Spring – A Renewal of Our Resiliency and Celebrations
There is plenty to celebrate this Spring. As the celebration is underway, Central Valley’s resiliency during this pandemic is on full display. We are delighted to highlight some of those efforts in this month’s issue of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s newsletter.
Please join us in congratulating two CVHEC board members who have been selected to serve their districts as chancellor. Dr. Kristin Clark has been selected as the third West Hills Community College District Chancellor and Dr. Sonya Christian was selected as Kern Community College District Chancellor. Congratulations!
University officials and family party-planners alike have been busy preparing for Spring commencements. Although the pandemic is impacting traditional commencement celebrations, our region is bustling to honor student success. With fewer restrictions than last year, creativity abounds as campuses are finding new
ways to commemorate student success. We are highlighting the variations and look forward to a joyous commencement season. Congratulations graduates and everyone who helped them get to that next step in their lives.
Finally, in this issue, we look at how our member campuses have stepped up to support vaccine distribution to help our economy come back, and eventually, assist in face-to-face learning on campuses. Our Central Valley campuses are serving as strong partners.
Congratulations New Community College District Chancellors
KCCD Selects Dr. Sonya Christian As Sixth Chancellor
Dr. Sonya Christian, Bakersfield College president, has been selected as the sixth chancellor of the Kern Community College District succeeding Dr. Tom Burke who is retiring, the KCCD Board of Directors announced April 19.
Dr. Kristin Clark was named West Hills Community College District’s third chancellor April 20 by the WHCCD Board of Trustees, ending a nationwide search that began last fall for a successor to Dr. Stuart Van Horn who retires June 30.
Central Valley 2021 Commencement Spurs Creative Celebrations
A Mix Of Live, Virtual, Drive-Thru Parades And ‘Cut-Out Fans’
Central Valley student success -- and perseverance -- is about to be on full display.
As commencement season unfolds and pandemic restrictions abate, university and college members of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium are planning to celebrate their students’ degree attainment with either in-person events or variations
of virtual celebrations that will honor the Classes of 2021 and 2020.
Most CVHEC colleges and universities have begun to announce their plans but true to pandemic-era planning, those celebrations continue to be modified – with changes possible right up to the event date: 15 will hold in-person events and six will hold virtual celebrations. Some of the in-person will include virtual elements, live streams and another will air commencements on live TV.
CVHEC Members Provide COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics on Campus
Central Valley colleges and universities are serving California and their respective communities as key partners in the state’s plan to provide safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines by lending their campuses as mass COVID-19 vaccination sites.
One of the first mass vaccination sites in the Central Valley was Reedley College. This opened the door for 10 fellow CVHEC members to follow suit and provide locations for local community residents to get the necessary treatment needed in the fight against the deadly virus.
