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Weekly News Brief | October 6, 2023
From the Office of Chancellor Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
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I shared the following report with the Board of Trustees on Wednesday and am glad to share the same message on community engagement today.
In last week's News Brief, I mentioned the pickup in events, training sessions, and conferences. That trend is only accelerating as we add community engagement.
To start, the District Office hosted 95 high school counselors last Wednesday. The yearly Financial Aid Workshop by the California Student Aid Commission helps to keep counselors current on funding available and changing regulations. This support is essential to ensuring our students have the resources necessary to attend and succeed in college.
On Thursday, OCC was host to Healthcare Everywhere – a gathering of Orange County health system leaders, employers, practitioners, clinicians, and community-based organizations. The 200 participants were exploring the community health and the role community health workers play in ensuring health access and positive health outcomes.
Finally, my thanks to all our sponsors for the Mendez versus Westminster exhibit and participants in last Thursday's District Foundation reception. By all counts it was a smashing success. We had nearly 100 guests from the Museum of Teaching and Learning, Westminster School District, education partners, civic leaders, donors, trustees, and most importantly the families. We're still processing the gifts, but I can safely say that we nearly doubled the Foundation's fundraising goal.
It was especially gratifying to see the Orange Coast College American Government students tour the Mendez exhibit Tuesday. And my appreciation to President Suarez for representing the Coast District with the documentary crew covering the exhibit and the history of the case.
Thank you to all those involved in planning and implementing these various activities. Keep up the amazing work.
With gratitude,
Whitney
Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
Chancellor
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Report from the Board of Trustees
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On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the Board of Trustees met and performed their yearly review of Board Policy 2715, Code of Ethics for Members of the Board of Trustees. The Board additionally reviewed fourth quarter 2022-23 financials for the CCCD Enterprise, Inc. The Enterprise runs the swap meets at Orange Coast and Golden West, and provided more than $5 million in reimbursements, fees, and payments to the colleges and district through June 30, 2023 – with an additional $800,000 to outside vendors and contractors. Additionally, contracts between Golden West College and the Puente Project as well as Orange Coast College and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County were approved, with the Board commending the community partnerships. Trustees and constituency groups provided reports on activities. The Board adjourned in memory of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Anaheim Councilman Jordan Brandman, and Sierra College Trustee Nancy Palmer – former member of the Community College League's Advisory Committee on Education Services.
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California High School Counselors Financial Aid Workshop Hosted by Coast
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On Wednesday, September 27, Coast Community College District hosted 95 high school counselors and financial aid professionals from around Southern California for a half-day workshop on various topics related to higher education financial aid. The workshop was designed and presented by the California Student Aid Commission, the California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the California College Guidance Initiative. This annual financial aid workshop provides information to the high school counselors on state and federal financial aid for the upcoming year. The opportunity to host the large number of counselors at one time is coveted and sought after by other community college districts. Thanks to Vice Chancellor Serban and her dedicated staff, the District secures our opportunity to host this workshop year after year. We were happy to welcome the diverse group of counselors for this very important workshop and look forward to doing it again next year.
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Healthcare Everywhere Conference
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On Thursday, September 28, 2023, Coast Community College District and Orange Coast College, in partnership with Advance OC, hosted the conference Healthcare Everywhere: The Rise of Community Health Workers to discuss how the new healthcare workforce can help develop better systems of care and improve health outcomes in communities. Two hundred twenty-five stakeholders participated, including regional colleges, employers, practitioners, clinicians, and community-based organizations, to share ideas and explore how community health workers can advance health equity. Dr. Whitney Yamamura, Chancellor of the District, and Dr. Angelica Suarez, President of Orange Coast College, offered welcoming remarks on developing pathways and partnerships to address the training needs of the healthcare workforce. Mary Hornbuckle, President of the Board of Trustees, and Elizabeth Dorn Parker, Trustee, joined the conference to lend support for strengthening healthcare programs across the District. The conference panels and breakout sessions helped develop strategies for launching community health worker training programs and expanding access to services. Based on the success of the conference, attendees agreed to continue this conversation and seek additional ways to convene and develop community health worker programs that provide students with opportunities to enter living wage jobs and pathways to employment. Many thanks to Stephanie Feger, Program Director, Career Education and Workforce Development, in the Educational Services and Technology Division at the District Office, for her exceptional work and leadership of many county-wide CTE related projects and for organizing this successful conference.
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Study Confirms Coast District Adds Billions to Local Economy
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The Coast Community College District is a strong investment for students, taxpayers, and society at large, confirmed a recent study released by the Orange County Regional Consortium.
A total economic impact of $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2020-21 was generated by operations, student spending, and alumni impact from the three colleges – Coastline, Golden West, and Orange Coast. This infusion of economic activity supported more than 21,000 local jobs. The Board of Trustees reviewed these and other statistics in their meeting of Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Read the full press release here.
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College News
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COASTLINE COLLEGE |
On September 28, the Orange County Veterans and Military Families Collaborativeheld the quarterly general meeting at the Santa Ana Elks Lodge about Student Veterans. Tom Boscamp, Veteran Services Coordinator at Coastline, OCVMFC Education Liaison, and Steering Committee member, was a guest speaker as well as, Daniel Guerkink, Marine Veteran, Coastline Graduate and Transfer student now at CSUF was a guest speaker, and John Bruning, Coastline Student and Student Trustee was part of the Student Veteran Panel. Panel discussions featured College Veteran Resource Center Leaders and Student Veterans. The OCVMFC serves as a bridge connecting veterans, active duty and reserve service members, and military family members to quality resources, benefits, services, and opportunities within the community of Orange County, CA.
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| ORANGE COAST COLLEGE |
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Orange Coast College is partnering with Mentor Collective to offer students a career mentor to help them set and achieve goals, make connections, and prepare for their future career. Mentors will be identified and recruited from pools of alumni, as well as local industry partnerships and advisory boards. OCC's mentoring program is a free service offered to students, who will be matched with their mentors based on career interests, goals, needs and preferences. Once a student is matched with a mentor, they will be expected to check in monthly, at minimum, either virtually or in person. Mentor Collective has delivered 700+ unique mentorship programs, established 160+ institutional partnerships and formed 160,000 mentoring relationships through expert - led research, services and technology. As an impact-first investment of the Lumina Foundation, Mentor Collective partners with forward-thinking institutions that are committed to equity, inclusion, and relationship - centered education..
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Schedule
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Chancellor, Week of October 9
VC Marlene Drinkwine will be Acting Chancellor Monday and Tuesday. Dr. Andreea Serban will be Acting Chancellor Wednesday and Thursday. Dr. Yamamura is in the District on Friday.
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publicaffairs@cccd.edu
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