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| For Immediate Release | Contact: Frances Squire |
| February 20, 2009 | Phone: (559) 934-2134 |
Best practices at West Hills College featured at community college conference
Hundreds of administrators from around the state gathered in San Diego to hear about best practices at California community colleges and three West Hills College groups were featured on the agenda.
The Association of California Community College Administrators met Feb. 18-20 in San Diego. Managing budgets in difficult times was at the forefront on discussions but a series of workshops focused on ways to improve the success of community college students.
The Westside Institute of Technology, which is a partnership between West Hills and K-12 districts from the communities of Firebaugh, Mendota, Tranquillity and San Joaquin, was the subject of one workshop. Presenters talked about the formation of the institute to offer vocational training classes that rotate from community to community. At the core of the training is job contextualized math and English where students learn subject matter while developing job-related skills.
Presenters in that workshop included Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who heads vocational training programs for WHCCD; Dr. Willard Lewallen, president of West Hills College Coalinga; David Castillo, who heads the Westside Institute of Technology; WHCCD Trustee Steve Cantu and Miguel Arias, past president of the Mendota school board.
A group from West Hills College Lemoore presented a workshop on Xtreme Registration, which is held the Friday night before the beginning of each semester. From 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., WHCL is open to students who need to apply for admission, register for classes, meet with a counselor, apply for financial aid or take placement tests.
Dean Jose Lopez discussed demographics and the background that led to the creation of Xtreme Registration and Associate Dean Sylvia Dorsey-Robinson discussed the organization that goes into the planning of the event, which is aimed at students who have delayed planning for college. Joel Ruble described games and activities such as Air Guitar, Let’s Make a Deal, Cash Cube and Rock Band that lend a festive atmosphere to the evening.
Dr. Lewallen also presented a workshop on a program he helped develop before assuming the presidency of WHCC. He and high school teacher Chris Piercy talked about a K-16 bridge program that they helped develop. It has been selected as a “Practice with Promise” by the Campaign for College Opportunity.
The goal of the program is to increase the number of students transitioning to post-secondary institutions by making the K-12 schools an active participant in the process. Its focus is personal web sites, in class lessons, and information on the community college admissions process. Information on the bridge program can be found at http://k16bridge.org/.
Dr. Lewallen is planning to do a similar presentation to area educators in late February in Coalinga.
For information on Xtreme Registration, visit westhillscollege.com/Lemoore. For information on the Westside Institute of Technology, contact David Castillo at (559) 630-2149.