Chancellor Sonya Christian's Projects
Baccalaureate Degree Program
On October 6, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 927, which makes, which makes the baccalaureate programs being piloted at 15 community colleges permanent and allows other community colleges in California to apply for new bachelor's programs at their colleges.
Bakersfield College was part of the pilot program and offered the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Automation.
Baccalaureate Degree Program Website
Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF)
The Kern Coalition is a collaborative of local organizations and communities, formed to respond to the state grant opportunities provided by CERF (Community Economic Resilience Fund).
Five organizations have partnered as co-convenors, with one partner, Kern Community College District, serving as the fiscal agent:
Kern Community College District (Kern CCD), B3K Prosperity, Kern Inyo Mono Central Labor Council (KIM CLC), Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK), and Building Healthy Communities Kern.
Rural HEAL
The Rural HEAL Collaborative is passionate about improving health, education and economic outcomes in rural communities throughout California's San Joaquin Valley.
Our methodology for engagement takes the shape of effective partnerships, which are essential for community-based solutions for advancing health equity. By facilitating a shared vision and values, we work to increase communities' capacities to shape outcomes, and foster multi-sector collaboration for the benefit of all.
The HEAL Collaborative is located in an ethnically and economically diverse geographic region, offering the relevant research capacity and ability to link to rural areas together. Within our region, we understand how the lack of access to education, food, and economic opportunities leads to medical deserts and chronic disease epidemics. As a result of our education, health, NGO, industry and political partnerships, we see how collaboration breeds innovation to tackle the challenges of building and sustaining healthy, rural communities.
Rural HEAL has been rebranded as Medical Education Initiative.
Medical Education Initiative Website
Upskilling Workers
The Kern Community College District is committed to expanding opportunities for our adult learners.
Amazon - Career Choice Program
Amazon announced recently that it is further expanding the career advancement opportunities it offers its 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S. by partnering with more than 140 national and local universities, including Bakersfield College, to provide fully-funded college tuition. Today's announcement is part of the company's ongoing enhancements to Career Choice - an Amazon upskilling program designed to help frontline employees grow their skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.
Energy (CREL)
The Kern Community College District (KernCCD) and Bakersfield College (BC) have an 11-year history of bringing energy education to the region, working with a wide array of over 40 partners including national laboratories like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), educational partners, government organizations, community-based organizations, employers, and workers. In addition, the district has partnered with environmental justice groups and worked alongside them to secure a High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) grant. These longstanding partnerships developed through comprehensive and detailed work have been very intentional, as we transition to diverse energy sources to meet net zero carbon emission goals in the San Joaquin Valley.
As a result of recent legislative advocacy, KernCCD is now positioned to build upon these efforts to establish the California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL) with a comprehensive cluster of Centers of Excellence focused on three areas: CRC Carbon Management Institute, Clean Energy & Grid Resilience, and Clean Transportation.
Women in Leadership
The Kern Community College District is committed to empowering women through inspirational support and education. In alignment with the District's institutional mission, vision, and core values, we champion for the next generation of female leaders.
Deeply rooted in the history of Bakersfield College, a woman named Grace Van Dyke Bird first came to teach in 1917 and was appointed as College Chief Executive, the position now known as President, in 1921. She was among the first to suggest using the term "community college" instead of junior college, arguing that community was more descriptive of the institution's role.
A woman of vision, she encouraged instruction in job skills as well as quality education for students transferring to four-year colleges which remains a primary goal and focus of the College. As the first woman to lead a public community college in California, Bird was popular and widely respected as an educator and administrator.
Today, under the leadership of Dr. Sonya Christian, the Kern Community College District continues to support women's leadership development throughout the District and the community. Panels, workshops and advocacy ensure student success and provide a platform for community engagement and mentorship. This contributes to a healthier, stronger, and more diverse future for women seeking pivotal leadership roles.
Women in Leadership Panel Website
Women in Athletics and Education: Celebrating 50 years of Title IX
Board Retreat
January 20, 2022
Advancing Student Success & Equity with Fiscal Intelligence
Resources & Presentations
- Opening Remarks
- SCFF: Early College Enrollments
- SCFF: Adult Learner Recruitment
- SCFF: Supplemental Review
- Trends in Higher Education
- Space Utilization and Planning
- College and Foundation Resource Development
Teaching and Learning Exchange
The Teaching-and-Learning Exchange (TALE) Blog provides a virtual space for faculty, instructional support staff, former faculty, and others within the Kern Community College District to contribute original blog posts that describe their insights and ideas rooted in their experiences in the classroom or working with our students, their implications for ensuring that learning occurs with intentional outcomes, and their relationship to faculty engagement and innovation, and student success.