In a student media teleconference on Oct. 1, California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian spoke on several relevant topics in the interest of students statewide.
Christian highlighted the upcoming annual undocumented student action week and addressed updates regarding the growing baccalaureate degree program and the California Apprenticeship Initiative.
Undocumented Student Action Week
Undocumented student action week will take place from October 14 through October 18, and there will be many virtual events that students can attend throughout these dates, from discussions on financial aid programs to mental health care access in the undocumented community.
Students can register for these virtual events, as well as an in-person meeting at Woodland Community College for free through the California Community Colleges website.
These events are designed to activate students, faculty, staff and administrators to support the needs of undocumented students across 116 community colleges, according to Christian.
“The California Community Colleges has the largest population of undocumented students in the country, and this week is an opportunity to uplift and share the inspiring stories of our students with local, state and federal policy makers,” Christian said.
Baccalaureate Degree Program
The baccalaureate degree program was established in 2014 to make it easier and more affordable for students to achieve their bachelor’s degree and enter the workforce faster. The program has since evolved to ensure that all community college districts in California are able to propose baccalaureate degree programs.
There is only one bachelor’s degree program to date at Fresno City College, this being the dental hygiene program. However, students and staff can propose new programs through the California Community Colleges website starting next year.
“Our bachelor’s degree program also enables students to earn a 4 year degree for less money than attending a university and move right into a career close to home. So the affordability is a huge part that I wanted to emphasize,” Christian said.
Last month however, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 2104, a bill that would establish a baccalaureate degree program in Nursing. Christian will continue to fight for this baccalaureate program despite Newsom’s decision.
“The community colleges are a solution to be able to meet this workforce need [nurses with bachelors] in an affordable way,” Christian said. “I believe this is an issue that we must address as California. It is a need that is not going to go away, and we will continue to figure out a path to come up with a solution.”
The California Apprenticeship Initiative
As a part of Vision 2030, Christian also has worked hard to implement an increase in apprenticeship opportunities for community college students.
30 million dollars were invested this year to support programs that are in various stages of planning or implementing apprenticeship curriculum.
A central goal of this effort is to allow apprenticeship programs to grant college credits.
“By awarding college credit for prior learning and expanding access to new certificates and degrees for current, past and future apprentices, we are meeting students where they are and we’re giving them tools,” Christian said.
