College Report: May 2023

State Chancellor Visit

On April 25, FCC hosted the Enrollment Growth and Pathways Strategy Session organized by the Central Mother Lode Regional Consortium. President Robert Pimentel provided the welcome and incoming State Chancellor, Dr. Sonya Christian was the keynote speaker and presented information regarding dual enrollment, guided pathways and equity. The event included all fifteen community colleges within the Central Valley/Mother Lode Consortium.

Commencement

The 2023 Commencement Ceremony will be held this year on Friday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Ratcliffe Stadium. Over 2700 students are eligible to receive a degree. This will be another recording year for the college as over 2500 degrees were awarded in 2022.

Other Commencement events include the following ceremonies:

• Dean’s Medallion Ceremony - Thursday, May 11 | 5:30 p.m.| OAB 251
• Honors Ceremony - Thursday, May 11 | 7:00 p.m. | OAB Auditorium
• Certificate Recognition Ceremony - Friday, May 12 | 6:00 p.m. | OAB Auditorium

Cultural Completion Celebrations

As graduation approaches, the diversity of our graduates is being celebrated. During the month of May, cultural faculty and staff associations are planning celebration ceremonies to recognize students who are earning degrees, certificates or transferring:

• Latino Graduation Celebration | May 6 | 10:00 a.m. | FCC Gym
• African American Graduates Celebration | May 6 | 1:00 p.m. | Cafeteria
• Rainbow Pride Graduation Celebration | May 10 | 5:30 p.m. | OAB E. Courtyard
• Asian Pacific Islander Celebration of Success | May 13 | 10:00 a.m. | Cafeteria

Access to Higher Education Siminar

The FCC NextUp program hosted the Access to Higher Education on April 20 in collaboration with the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools. Spearheaded by NextUp Counselor/Coordinator Veronica Salmeron and the FCC Outreach team, this event provided many support services for students who have experienced foster care. The event included workshops for them to complete the matriculation process, complete a student education plan, submit verification letters, and meet with college outreach staff to learn how to navigate their Self-Service portal. Attendees were also able to update their financial aid status, provided information on community resources and registered for college courses.

A Celebration of Mother Earth

The Second Annual FCC NAISA Earth Day Event - “Sacred Water, Sacred Wisdom” was held on April 20 in Yokuts Plaza. Cultural demonstrations included Native drummers, Tachi Yokuts Dance Group, Indigenous Warriors Flag Group, singing, poetry performance, informational booths and special guest artists. The event was in honor and celebration of Mother Earth and the many blessings from our water.

A Bonsai Retrospective

A special solo exhibit was held featuring the beautiful and graceful Bonsai plants from the collection of Steve DaSilva. He has been the Horticultural Program Specialist at FCC for 31 years. The Bonsai Retrospective ran April 29 - May 2 in the Art Space Gallery.

Employee Recognition Ceremony

On May 9, the Employee Recognition Ceremony will be held at FCC in the Cafeteria from 2:00 – 3:30 pm. Dessert will be served. Come and support your colleagues who are celebrating service anniversaries. We’ll also acknowledge this year’s retirees and wish them well as they leave FCC. Also, emeriti faculty who will participate in Commencement will be introduced.

FCC Alumnus New Fresno Poet Laureate

Fresno City College is quickly becoming well known for the poets who are leaving their mark in the literary world. Alumnus Joseph Rios is the new poet laureate for the City of Fresno. He was named by Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer as the city’s sixth poet laureate, following in the footsteps of Lee Herrick, Marisol Baca and others. Rios served as editor-in-chief of The Rampage when he was a student at FCC. He is the author of Shadowboxing: Poems and Impersonations, winner of The American Book Award and was named one of the Notable Debut Poets by Poets & Writers Magazine for 2017. He was recently named a Stegner Fellow by Stanford University.

Fresno Art Council YouTube: Joseph Rios appointed Fresno’s Poet Laureate!

Fresno Bee: New poet laureate showcases Fresno communities in his work. He ‘redefines fearlessness’

Adult Ed Open House

FCC hosted a successful Open House for Adult School students on April 25. Students from 15 local adult schools were invited and over 150 were in attendance. The event was held in OAB 251 with a welcome from President Pimentel. The morning included a college presentation about the college, a Resource Fair and campus tours. The event ended with lunch, prizes, and photos with Sam the Ram.

Sports Update

Softball Wins Third Straight Central Valley Conference
The Ram Softball team clinched the Central Valley Conference on April 13 beating Porterville College 10-2 at Granite Park. This is Head Coach Haley Janzer’s third CVC Championship having won in 2021 and 2022, with multiple All-Conference, All-NorCal, and All-State award winners. Their record is 13-2 for conference play and 21-15 overall.

Baseball Finishing Strong
The FCC Baseball team is having a strong season with a 17-5 CVC conference record and leading the conference by one game. This is Head Coach Mitch Karraker’s first season and his team has an overall record of 29-9. The Rams are sure to see post season play in May.

Ram Golf Making a Mark
The men’s golf team has won three out of their last four BIG 8 conference tournaments. FCC is headed to Castle Oaks Golf Course in Ione for the Northern California tournament on May 8. Head Golf Coach Tony Caviglia and the Rams will host the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships at Dragonfly Golf Course in Madera on May 14 and 15.

Student Receives Scholarship

Congratulations to FCC student Claire Heatherly, for being selected to receive sponsorship from California Athletic Trainers Association (CATA) Region 3 to attend this year’s symposium. Claire will continue her studies at California Baptist University, the University of Michigan, or Shenandoah University; with hopes of graduating with her Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) working in Performing Arts Medicine within Cirque du Soleil, Broadway, or with musicians.

Torch of Excellence

The 27th Torch of Excellence was held on April 24 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District Building. The Rams had six Chancellor recipients who earned a 4.0 GPA for two semesters, 104 President’s recipients who earned a GPA of 3.51 – 4.0 for the spring or fall semester and 68 Dean’s recipients who maintained a 3.2 – 3.5 GPA for the spring or fall semester of 2022. Badminton player and nursing student, Uyen Napier, was named the Female Athlete of the Year and Kevoni Walker from the men’s soccer team was named the Male Athlete of the Year.