Oakland

Baccalaureate Programs at Community College: A Wise Investment in Our Community, Our Economy, Our Future

Published

7 years ago

July 13, 2017

By Jowel C. Laguerre, Ph.D., Chancellor, Peralta Community College District

It is known that community colleges nationwide provide the most practical point of educational access for many students. As the cost to attend California’s public universities rise, more students and their families rely on local community colleges to save tens of thousands of dollars. Compared to all higher education institutions, community colleges teach 46 percent of all postsecondary students. There are about 1,200 such institutions in the country. Though a recent entry in higher education, (just about one hundred years ago) our community colleges have become an integral – and essential – part of affordable and accessible higher education.

If you study the history of higher education, you will see that over the years, our college curricula have evolved considerably. Harvard is no longer the institution it was on September 8, 1636 when it was founded. Nor is U.C. Berkeley, the University of Chicago, or the University of Kansas or California State Hayward the same institutions they were when they were founded. Each institution has taken on greater responsibilities to meet the growing needs of society.

As with all segments of higher education, our community colleges are evolving. Since the early 2000’s, community colleges in Florida started to offer bachelor’s degrees. Starting last year, some community colleges in California also started offering four-year degrees. This new venture is not only following the trends of community colleges all over the country, but meeting critical workforce needs where access is lacking. There are critical needs in the economy wherein four-year institutions are not prepared to offer certain degrees or training. The community colleges are a perfect post-secondary fit to provide this opportunity.

As President of Solano Community College, I worked with faculty in the Biotechnology program to apply for one of fifteen slots to offer a Bachelor’s degree in Biomanufacturing. Solano College was granted this bachelor’s degree function. Students all across Northern California and beyond will have access to this program, thanks to community support, the ingenuity of the faculty and state-of-the-art facilities funded by the voter-approved Measure Q Bond. These fifteen programs in the state were a pilot that is supposed to sunset in the next few years.

The fact that over thirty colleges applied for one of the fifteen slots indicated that offering bachelor degree programs would be promising. The success of the fifteen colleges to develop non-duplicative bachelor’s degree programs from the CSUs and UCs speaks to the uniqueness of the California Community College’s academic character – and the need to keep evolving while maintaining community colleges as a critical safety net that saves students and their families thousands of dollars a year. It would be a sound move for the Legislature to lift the pilot and the sunset status and to allow community colleges to continue to work with the community, local businesses, and employers to implement four-year degree programs that fit their communities.

As I mentioned above, this California Community College (CCC) Bachelor’s degree reflects the evolution of higher education. Local community colleges are already leading the way with essential job training and career preparation that invests in our local workforce and economy. State universities and the university system ought to follow the example of William Rainey Harper when he helped start Joliet Junior College to facilitate the further development and evolution of the University of Chicago. Furthering the CCC development of bachelor’s degrees will strengthen all higher education in our state as we evolve our curricula to better meet the needs of our communities. Peralta Colleges stand ready to embrace this academic enrichment to continue to increase educational opportunities for our students.

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Bay Area

Faces Around the Bay: Sidney Carey

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland. Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Sidney Lane.

By Barbara Fluhrer

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland.

Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

He graduated from McClymonds High with a scholarship in cosmetology and was the first African American to complete a nine-month course at the first Black Beauty School in Oakland: Charm Beauty College.

He earned his License, and then attended U.C., earning a secondary teaching credential. With his Instructors License, he went on to teach at Laney College, San Mateo College, Skyline and Universal Beauty College in Pinole, among others.

Carey was the first African American hair stylist at Joseph and I. Magnin department store in Oakland and in San Francisco, where he managed the hair stylist department, Shear Heaven.

In 2009, he quit teaching and was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. He was 60 and “too old for a heart transplant”. His doctors at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) went to court and fought successfully for his right to receive a transplant. One day, he received a call from CPMC, “Be here in one hour.” He underwent a transplant with a heart from a 25-year- old man in Vienna, Austria

Two years later, Carey resumed teaching at Laney College, finally retiring in 2012.

Now, he’s slowed down and comfortable in a Senior Residence in Berkeley, but still manages to fit his 6/4” frame in his 2002 Toyota and drive to family gatherings in Oakland and San Leandro and an occasional Four Seasons Arts concert.

He does his own shopping and cooking and uses Para Transit to keep constant doctor appointments while keeping up with anti-rejection meds. He often travels with doctors as a model of a successful heart-transplant plant recipient: 14 years.

Carey says, “I’m blessed” and, to the youth, “Don’t give up on your dreams!”

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Bay Area

Emiliano Zapata Street Academy Celebrates 40 Years Serving Oakland Families

The Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, a public alternative high school, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a community party and festival last Saturday with live music, good food, vendors’ booths, and activities for adults and children.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Live music was part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, a public alternative high school, on April 27, at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church on Telegraph Avenue and 29th Street. Photo by Ken Epstein.

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, a public alternative high school, celebrated its 50^th anniversary this year with a community party and festival last Saturday with live music, good food, vendors’ booths, and activities for adults and children.

Attending the Saturday, April 27 celebration were current and past students, families, faculty, and supporters of the school. The school is located at 417 29^th St., and the celebration was held nearby at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.

For more information, go to www.streetacademy.online or call 510) 874-3630 or (510) 879-2313.

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Activism

Oakland Ambassadors Strengthen Ties and Aid Efforts in Ghana

Oakland natives and esteemed members of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), Jonathan P. Jones and Dr. Maritony Efua Jones, recently embarked on a significant journey to Ghana as guests of the World Martial Authority Ghana. This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Elder Jorg Klebingat, Flint Mensah, Richard Burton, H.E. Dr. Maritony Jones, Amb. Jonathan Jones, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, Elder Alfred Kyungu. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Upon their arrival at Katota Airport in Accra, Ghana, the Joneses were warmly received by His Royal Majesty Okatakyie Asafo Boakye III, the distinguished king of Sanzule Kingdom in the Eastern Nzema, and Etse Nyamedi of World Martial Authority, Ghana.

Nyamedi accompanied the Joneses to the city of Mepe, which had recently experienced flooding, to assess damages and engage with local leaders, elders, and youth regarding the city’s urgent needs after major floods last fall.

Key concerns and priorities identified by the community include comprehensive flood mitigation measures, agricultural support, housing initiatives, educational enhancements, improved healthcare access, and the development of communal recreational spaces.

The Joneses were also graciously invited to meet with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at their headquarters in Accra. This meeting provided insights into ongoing humanitarian efforts in Ghana and explored avenues for collaboration to further assist Ghanaian communities.

The LDS leaders shared their prompt response to the recent flood, demonstrating their commitment to humanitarian aid by dispatching substantial supplies including medical provisions, sanitation items, blankets, and food to assist flood victims just four days after the disaster.

Additionally, Boakye extended a special invitation to the Joneses to his palace, where they were pleasantly surprised with a heartfelt recognition ceremony. Maritony Jones was honored as the Queen Mother of the Sanzule Kingdom in acknowledgment of her dedicated work, while Jonathan Jones was lauded and welcomed as the ambassador of the Sanzule Kingdom, symbolizing a meaningful homecoming to their ancestral land.

The visit not only strengthens ties between Oakland and Ghana but also underscores the collaborative spirit and commitment to meaningful progress and humanitarian endeavors shared by all involved parties.