Chancellor Sonya Christian gives important campus updates in a media conference call – The Rampage Online

In a student media conference on October 1, California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian addressed several relevant topics on behalf of students across the state.

Christian highlighted the upcoming annual Undocumented Student Action Week and discussed updates to the growing baccalaureate degree program and the California Apprenticeship Initiative.

Action week for students without papers

Undocumented Student Action Week will take place October 14-18, and there will be many virtual events for students to participate in during these dates, from discussions about financial aid programs to accessing mental health care 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.

Christian said these events are designed to motivate students, faculty, staff and administrators to support the needs of undocumented students at 116 community colleges.

“California Community Colleges have the largest number of undocumented students in the country, and this week is an opportunity to amplify the inspiring stories of our students and share them with policymakers at the local, state and federal levels,” Christian said.

Bachelor’s degree course

The baccalaureate degree program was introduced in 2014 to make it easier and more affordable for students to earn their bachelor’s degree and enter professional life more quickly. The program has since evolved to ensure that all community college districts in California can offer baccalaureate degree programs.

Currently, there is only one bachelor’s degree program at Fresno City College, namely dental hygiene. However, starting next year, students and staff will be able to propose new programs through the California Community Colleges website.

“Our bachelor’s degree program also allows students to earn a four-year degree for less money than at a university and go straight into a career close to home. So affordability is a big part that I wanted to highlight,” Christian said.

However, last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed House 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.

“Community colleges are a solution to meet this workforce need [nurses with bachelors] in an affordable way,” Christian said. “​​I believe this is an issue that we as California need to address. It is a need that will not go away and we will continue to find a way to find a solution.”

The California Apprenticeship Initiative

As part of Vision 2030, Christian has also worked hard to increase educational opportunities for community college students.

This year, $30 million was invested to support it Programs that are in various stages of curriculum planning or implementation.

A central goal of these efforts is to enable training programs to provide course credit.

“By awarding college credit for previously acquired skills and expanding access to new certificates and degrees for current, former and future trainees, we are meeting students where they are and giving them tools,” Christian said .