Chancellor's News Brief

As we approach the beginning of the new academic year, I invite you to participate in the upcoming Flex Day activities, which will be held at each of our three colleges on Friday, August 23.

Our Flex Day committees have been hard at work, curating an array of professional development opportunities designed to enhance our skills, foster collaboration, and support our collective mission. Their efforts are commendable and I am grateful for their commitment to enriching our academic community.

Here is a summary of the professional development opportunities available at each college:

• Coastline College

The Coastline College Flex Day will feature a diverse range of sessions aimed at broadening our teaching methodologies and improving student engagement. For detailed information on the schedule and to register for sessions, please visit: Coastline College Flex Day Schedule. This site provides a comprehensive list of workshops and presentations tailored to various aspects of academic and professional growth.

• Golden West College

Golden West College has prepared a rich agenda for Flex Day, featuring workshops and activities designed to support both personal and professional development. You can view the full schedule and learn more about the sessions at: Golden West College Flex Day Schedule.

• Orange Coast College

This year, the Orange Coast College's Flex Day theme is, “Connect for Community.” To see what their team has put together please enroll in the Flex Day Canvas course and access the schedule and program of sessions through this link. With a mind for accessibility and inclusivity, in addition to the 60 general sessions and 20 workshops, there are a dozen recorded Flex-on-Demand sessions available.

Professional development for us who work at a place of higher education should take on a more pronounced purpose. Our time at work is spent providing the means for our community to educate themselves, it is incumbent upon us to live our purpose by actively taking advantage of opportunities like Flex Day to improve on our own education and continue on our path as life-long learners. I strongly encourage each of you to find a session or workshop that can support you in your work and in the improvement of your teams.

Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work. I look forward to seeing you at the Flex Day events and wish you a successful year ahead. District site employees are welcome to join any of the events offered at our colleges.

With gratitude,

Dr. Whitney Yamamura
Chancellor

Please send examples of persistent innovation, by which I mean having a good idea and then putting in the hard work to make that vision a reality. The more examples submitted, the better I can highlight your successes in future letters and in the community!

Coastline College has received a recommendation for approval from the Department of Education's Direct Assessment Competency-Based Education (CBE) committee, marking a significant achievement for the institution. While formal approval is still pending, this step is a major milestone in the college's effort to offer a pioneering subscription-based academic program.

Dr. Vince Rodriguez shared, "This is truly a historic day for Coastline College." As the first community college in the nation to be recommended for Direct Assessment CBE authorization, Coastline is set to provide financial aid for its innovative program, allowing students to progress at their own pace rather than adhering to traditional semester schedules.

The college extends its gratitude to the state Chancellor’s office Direct Assessment Collaborative Pilot Grant and C-BEN for their invaluable support. Dr. Shelly Blair, Dean of Innovative Learning & Career Education, expressed excitement about the program's launch, scheduled for early 2025. She noted that the process has clarified the college's commitment to student-centered education.

Special recognition goes to Dr. Shelly Blair, lead author of the application, along with key contributors Chinh Pham, Director of Financial Aid, and Erin Thomas, Professor and CBE Coordinator, for their vital roles in this achievement.

The California Community Colleges announced on August 8 the launch of a new initiative to increase the number of nurses to meet the growing needs of California’s aging and diverse population.

Golden West College was one of 12 community colleges that convened in a virtual kick-off of the associate degree for nursing demonstration project led by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The goal of the initiative, part of the community colleges’ Vision 2030 strategic framework, is to increase enrollment in associate degree nursing programs to address the shortage of registered nurses in rural and remote areas while ensuring equity in access to the profession.

The project will establish a statewide blueprint to increase nursing associate degree production with an emphasis on collaboration with regulatory and employer partners. It will also focus on supporting incumbent workers by developing flexible pathways that facilitate their entry into nursing programs.

The pilot program will involve a multifaceted set of key strategies designed to expand associate degree nursing program capacities across all community colleges, including:

• Integration of simulation labs to enhance hands-on learning experiences.
• Strategic scheduling processes to accommodate diverse student needs, including accelerated and fast-track programs, year-round schedules and admission timelines and evening cohorts.
• Increase in night rotations to provide flexible clinical experiences.
• Increase in hospital-based faculty members to expand program capacity and enrich educational experience for students.
• During this demonstration project, colleges will be eligible to enroll on a rolling basis, with the next cohort starting in Spring 2025 and new cohorts added each subsequent fall and spring semester.

Orange Coast College was ranked #10 in California in a list compiled by WalletHub of best community colleges in the United States in 2024. OCC ranked #50 nationally.

The WalletHub list's rankings are determined from a sample of 653 community colleges that are part of the American Association of Community Colleges. WalletHub evaluated 18 key indicators in three dimensions: cost and financing, education outcomes and career outcomes.

WalletHub is a personal finance website based in Washington D.C. The website offers free consumer tools to help customers manage their finances. The company also offers credit reports and scores, and credit monitoring.

Chancellor, Week of August 19
Dr. Yamamura is in the District, Monday through Friday.