College Report: July 2023
Historic Opening for West Fresno Center
After much anticipation, the new West Fresno Center will open on Monday, August 7 for the fall semester with over 700 students enrolled in classes. The $86.4 million center will provide the West Fresno community with a complete college center offering diverse educational opportunities, from transferable college credits to career technology courses. Staff will start moving in on July 24 with community open houses planned for Friday, August 4 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm and on Saturday, August 5 from 9:00 a.m. - noon. The Fresno Bee Educational Lab took a special tour recently and published this story on the historic opening of the new center.
Summer Session exceeds enrollment goal
FCC continues to increase enrollment and the summer sessions have exceeded 100% of the set goal. Targeted marketing and intentional outreach have been successful as more in-person classes have been offered since 2019.
Fresno Mission Ceremony
On June 23, a College Signing Day event was held at the new Fresno Mission’s City Center. There were 23 participants that finished their 18-month Life Recovery Program at the mission and who signed letters of intent to pursue a higher education at Fresno City College. Each participant received a special swag bag that included an FCC t-shirt and other college supplies. The event was covered by ABC30, KSEE/CBS and GVWire.
Firefighter Equipment Mexico donation
Last February, FCC President Robert Pimentel visited Mexico and during the visit a special fire training also took place in the town of Valle de Bravo where FCC Fire Science instructors provided training curriculum for their firefighters. As a result of that experience, Dr. Pimentel learned of the fire department’s need for fire equipment. Fire Academy Director Peter Cacossa, was able to solicit over $15,000 in fire equipment to donate to them and included 3 sets of structural firefighting PPE, 15 sets of wildland firefighting PPE, 5 additional wildland coats, 30 sets of firefighting gloves and 50 nomex hoods.
EOPS
Staff from EOPS programs across the valley gathered at FCC on June 15 for professional development, networking and sharing of best practices. Over 80 people attended the Region V Professional Development Day. Highlights included the FCC EOPS program presenting their services, including a pair of EOPS success stories from current EOPS Counselor Rodney Murphy and FCC alumna Lisa Casarez, MSW, CEO and Founder of Angels of Grace Foster Family Agency. This was the first in-person event since 2019.
Job Fair for former Bitwise employees
The Fresno City College Career & Employment Center (CEC) created an online virtual job fair event for Bitwise employees who were unexpectedly laid off in June 2023. The CEC immediately responded by contacting employers who are hiring for similar positions that former BW employees held. There are no live sessions between employers and applicants but a list of 35+ employers are provided. Each employer has their a web page containing a brief statement about their organization, open positions with links to job descriptions and applications. The virtual fair event ends on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.
Summer Arts held
For the second year, FCC has partnered with Fresno County Office of Education to offer the Fresno County Summer Arts Academy (FCSAA). This is a unique arts educational opportunity that provides students access to dual enrollment credit while working with amazing college faculty on developing their individual talent. This summer, over 60 high school students from across the county are participating in photography, concert band, rock band, and acting classes that will result in a culminating Showcase of their learning.
College Sponsors Univision Health Fair
On Saturday, June 24, the FCC College Relations and Outreach Department attended the Univision Health Fair at Manchester Center. The fair also included free health services such as dental care, eye exams and other health screenings. As part of the college’s sponsorship, FCC President, Dr. Robert Pimentel, is featured in a commercial encouraging students to register for the fall semester; this will air for several weeks in July and August.
Dream Center Receives Scholarship Funds
On June 30, a press conference was held at the FCC Dream Center where three generous donations were presented from Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, the Consulate of Mexico and CalViva Health for AB540 students districtwide. The AB540 scholarship fund was initiated by the Consulate of Mexico and served as a motivation to seek matching dollars from Councilmember Miguel Arias and CalViva Health. A total of $46,000 was donated with $20,000 from CalViva, $19,500 from Councilmember Arias and $6500 from the Consulate of Mexico. These generous donations will provide much needed support for Dreamers, many who are first generation and undocumented students. This new funding for scholarships will be disbursed districtwide and will enable more AB540 students to pursue a higher education.
California Youth Leadership Corps
FCC is now one of seven community colleges that is collaborating with CYLC to help improve access to community learn-and-earn career pathways across California. CYLC is designed to serve community college students with low incomes, students of color, and immigrant youth primarily between the ages of 18-24. This includes Opportunity Youth – youth who face barriers to education and employment due to poverty/lack of opportunity, immigration status/DACA, and other issues.
College Outreach Success
The College Relations and Outreach Department fully matriculated 4,436 high school seniors before the April priority registration deadline for the Fall 2023 semester. Outreach specialists and counselors will continue to increase the number of incoming students over the summer through targeted follow up, advising appointments, and Extreme Registration events. The Student Ambassadors are also assisting new students by hosting daily Zoom sessions to help students with onboarding. From August 1 -3, the Ram Ready events will be held to welcome students to campus.
Extreme Registration in Session
The College Relations and Outreach Department, in conjunction with the Counseling Department are serving hundreds of students with the start of the Virtual Extreme Registration events on June 21, 2023. These will be held on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Extreme Registration is a one stop shop with special services available by phone, computer, or in-person helping students complete matriculation steps and support. Services will include counseling, registration support, and financial aid support. The in person Extreme Reg will be held in the Library on July 28 and 29.
College hosting a dance expo
The FCC Dance Expo is slated for Saturday, July 29 and is hosted by the FCC dance faculty. Master dance teachers of all dance genres and styles have been invited to share their expertise and will offer dance classes for FCC students, high school students and the local community. FCC dance alumni will also participate and will share their dance professions and experiences with the dance students. A gala performance will culminate this event at 6:00 p.m. in the FCC OAB Auditorium. Tickets for the day can be purchased on Eventbrite - Dance Expo.
Ram Huddle Club Golf Tournament
The FCC Ram Huddle held a golf tournament at the Copper River Country Club on June 19, with over 100 participants raising funds to support the Ram football program. Many alumni players attended and were able to connect with their former teammates. Those in attendance were former FCC coaches and notable alumni players that included Dan Stockton (86), George Ward (84) and Bob Fries (94).
Girls soccer summer camps
The Brian T. Coulter Memorial Girls Soccer Camp is offered for girls ages 7-14 from July 11-13 and ages 14-18 on July 19, 26 and August 2. The three-day camps will be held from 6:00 – 8:00p.m. on the FCC Soccer Field. Cost of the camp is either $40 per day or $100 for three days. All participants will receive a camp T-shirt and those who participate for 2 or 3 days will receive a soccer ball. Student athletes will gain and learn technical and tactical training from the highest caliber championship staff led by head coach Oliver Germond, and current FCC players. The Ram Girls Soccer Camps are the perfect combination of soccer instruction, competition, and fun. All players will be given individual and small group instruction. Registration for the July 11-13 (ages 7-14) camp. Or register for the Girls High School Skill Camp (ages 14-18).
Volleyball Summer Camps
The FCC summer grass volleyball series was started 23 years ago by then head volleyball coach Sheri Hess, head coach Kieran Roble is continuing this community outreach event of 2 vs 2 grass volleyball for adults to elementary age children. It is an event that has been a staple in our Valley volleyball community that has brought generations of volleyball players together every summer. All information for dates and fees is located on FCCrams.com.
