Berkeley City College Recognized as a CVC Teaching College
On November 16, 2023, the California Community Colleges integrated Berkeley City College into the California Virtual Campus (CVC) Exchange as a Teaching College. The CVC Exchange is an innovative, student-centered tool that allows students currently enrolled in a California Community College to instantly enroll in online courses offered at eligible colleges via https://cvc.edu/ without filling out a separate application. As a Teaching College, BCC will offer 11 badged courses to students across the state to fulfill their general education requirements and efficiently achieve their transfer or degree goal. It will not only boost BCC’s enrollment efforts, but a study by Chaffey College (attached) showed a 12% increase in overall online completion rates, with even greater success for Black, Asian, male, and students aged 25-29. The CVC Exchange will be a valuable tool in achieving student success goals laid out in the 2023-2028 Educational Master Plan.
As mentioned previously, 11 BCC courses offered on the CVC exchange are badged for their outstanding quality. A badged course will show up at the top of the search results for a class in a given subject, and will receive a badge graphic showing it’s a quality reviewed course.
We would like to give a big shout-out to BCC faculty Ari Krupnick, Chris Bernard, Georgie Ziff, Linda McAllister, Cora Leighton, Adan Olmedo, Nima Kianfar, Jennifer Lowood, and Laura Ruberto for their incredible work in achieving badged status for these courses. Congratulations! The team also expressed their thanks and appreciation to Vice President of Instruction Kuni Hay for her tireless advocacy and support both financially and logistically to achieve this accomplishment, as well as leading the effort for participation from our sister colleges in the District. Their collective effort will ensure the growth and success of Berkeley City College in service of students across the state. Big kudos to our amazing team! For more information about the CVC exchange and support materials, visit https://cvc.edu/exchange/
BCC Puente’s Noche de Familia
On Friday December 1, BCC’s Puente program hosted its Noche de Familia. This annual gathering celebrates BCC Puente scholars and those who play critical roles along their transfer journeys. Families heard from Puente Counselor, Adriana “Dri” Regalado who underscored the importance of a supportive and cohesive community for scholars as they pursue their educational goals. Attendees enjoyed food, activities like a lotería game with prizes, music, and a lot of love! BCC student leaders Ashley Campuzano and Miguel Sanchez did an amazing job MCing the event!
Un Paso al Exito Open House
On Saturday, December 2, BCC welcomed Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Latine families to our campus during its first Un Paso al Exito open house. A partnership with BUSD’s Office of Family Engagement & Equity, the event, held fully in Spanish, showcased BCC’s resources for prospective students. Following President Denise Richardson’s warm welcome, we featured panels from A&R, Basic Needs, the Undocumented Community Resource Center, Dual Enrollment, Financial Aid, EOPS, and the Learning Center. Families toured our campus, getting a peek at our Basic Needs Center, our Chemistry Labs, and other key departments.
Transfer & Career Center Transfer Workshops Success
From November 27th - November 30th The Career and Transfer Center provided support and guidance for 160 students applying for Transfer to 4-year Universities, primarily for the CSU and UC campuses. The center offered snacks, and hot beverages to sustain the marathon sessions. Big thanks to Transfer & Career Center Coordinator Andrea Williams Learning Community Counselors, Skyler Barton, Susan Truong, Angelica Pena, Shannon Penn, John Saenz and GC Counselors, Gabriel Martinez, Denise Jones, Guadalupe Martinez and Abby Mallari, and Irene Chung and support by Gail Pendleton, and student employees Natasha Masand, Aye Sandeford and Noora Sensussi.
This time of year can be stressful and busy, however, the effort of the BCC Community in support of students’ transfer goals is inspiring and reaffirms the intentional work that we do in support of our exceptional students. Thank you to the BCC Community for the hard work!
Library Events Reduce Stress During Finals
The BCC Library hosted a series of events aimed at reducing student stress during Finals. At Plant Day on Wednesday, November 29, students were able to pick up house plants and look at art provided by the BCC Art Program and the Biology program. Librarian Suzanne Allison and Library Technician Allison Green helped with planting, watering, and sharing plant care information with students.
On Tuesday, December 5, students were able to pet and pat therapy dogs. Three dogs visited the atrium and gathered a crowd of students who appeciated the theraputic support of the chill pups. Thanks to the Alliance of Therapy Dogs for their participation! December 6, the Library hosted a Fiber Arts Craft day where students took a break from studying and learned how to crochet & knit with help from BCC Librarians.
Students can grab snacks, coffee, and tea through December 15 to assist with finals preparation and, of course, the Library would like to remind all students to ask a librarian to assist with finals research and assignments!
Zero and Low Textbook Cost Classes Available
As we get ready for the Spring Semester, the Affordable Educational Materials Committee would like to remind students that you can search for ZTC and LTC courses in the online schedule of classes. Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses are courses with free instructional materials including textbooks, workbooks, lab manuals, readers, software, and online homework systems. Low Textbook Cost (LTC) courses are those with instructional materials that cost less than $50. You can look for the ZTC and LTC symbols in Campus Solutions next to the course, and search for them by Course Attribute > Textbook Cost Attribute.
This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Denise Richardson, Berkeley City College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. To view it as a PDF, click here.