Podcasts

In the first podcast episode of the new California Community College Experience series, Chancellor Daisy Gonzales, PhD is joined by guest Rafael Agustin, who was a writer on the award-winning The CW show, Jane The Virgin, and is the author of the newly released comedic memoir, Illegally Yours. Agustin attended three California community colleges: Mt. San Antonio College, Citrus College and Fullerton College before transferring to UCLA. Read the transcript.

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In his last podcast episode as host Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by guest Ben Chida, Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the Office of the Governor of California for a discussion on recent policy and budget news that will benefit community college students, what else is needed in legislation and funding to support California Community Colleges, and what lies ahead in California higher education. Read the transcript.

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Journalist Paul Fain interviewed California Community Colleges faculty and leaders about their experiences with remedial education reform, how legislation (AB 705) helped reform efforts and how upcoming legislation (AB 1705) would benefit students further in accessing transfer-level courses and reaching their educational goals. Listen to interviews with:

• Erik Armstrong, English Professor at College of the Sequoias [Read Transcript]
• Julianna Barnes, President of Cuyamaca College [Read Transcript]
• Hal Huntsman, Math Professor at Antelope Valley College [Read Transcript]
• Tammi Marshall, Math Department Chair at Cuyamaca College [Read Transcript]

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by guest Aaron Rasmussen, CEO of Outlier.org and co-founder of Masterclass, for a discussion on changes in higher education, increasing access to online courses, improving student outcomes and reducing student debt. Rasmussen attended Diablo Valley College. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley discussed work to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) and improve campus climate, disaggregating data to ensure AAPI students are receiving the proper resources, challenges faces and more with guests California Community Colleges Board of Governors member Hildegarde Aguinaldo, Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at West Valley-Mission Community College District Dr. Eric Ramones, and Vice President of Regional Affairs, Student Senate for California Community Colleges and Los Rios Community College District Student Trustee Jenn Galinato. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by guest James Kvaal, Under Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education, for a discussion on the American Rescue Plan law authorized Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) that has benefited students, the potential impact of pending legislation such as the Build Back Better Act and free community college, and the challenges that the U.S. Department of education is currently facing. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by guests President/CEO of Compton College Dr. Keith Curry and President/CEO of Cosumnes River College Dr. Edward Bush for a discussion on the importance of creating a new landscape for Black students to succeed. The discussion highlights the need for Black Student Success Week, which is April 25-29, 2022, as an opportunity for administrators, faculty, staff, and students from across the California Community College system to examine the resources and programs that support Black student success. Read the transcript.

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Deputy Chancellor Daisy Gonzales is joined by guests Pasadena City College Trustee Linda Wah, Grossmont College President Denise Whisenhunt, and San Diego Mesa College President Pamela Luster for a discussion during Women’s History Month on their inspirations for driving change, core values and advice for future women leaders in higher education. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and Arizona State University (ASU) President, Michael M. Crow, about ensuring that students have access to technologies that support learning, preparing students for economic mobility, innovations in education such as virtual reality, inclusion and measuring student success, the need for national educational attainment goals, the ASU+GSV (Global Silicon Valley) Summit and more. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and California Forward President and CEO, Micah Weinberg, discuss a new report, “The Economic Value of the California Community College System,” and what it means for the state’s economy and for business and job creation, the importance of housing and progress on achieving equitable recovery. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley talks with Cuyamaca Community College faculty member Stanley Rodriguez, EdD, and San José City College student Marissa Hemstreet about the California Community Colleges concerted effort to reach out to the State’s tribal and Urban Indian populations, bringing much needed awareness to the benefits of attending and on available financial assistance to help cover the cost associated with education. Read the transcript. 

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Acting Chancellor Daisy Gonzales, PhD, is joined by Kenneth Brown, President of the El Camino College Board of Trustees and President of the Community College League of California’s Trustee Board and Byron Clift Breland PhD, Chancellor of San Jose-Evergreen CCD and President of the League’s CEO Board for a discussion about how the Chancellor’s Office and the League together play a key role in preparing students for the future, fueling California’s economic recovery and advancing the Vision for Success. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and Calbright College’s President and CEO, Ajita Talwalker Menon discuss the online college’s latest developments and plans to support adult learners and California’s economic recovery after the pandemic. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by Michael V. Drake, M.D., President of University of California, for a discussion about preparing students for the future and fueling California’s economic recovery. The discussion ranges from standardized tests to transfer pathways to the impact of the pandemic on different communities within the systems and more. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by Mike Madrid, principal at Grassrootslab and a nationally recognized expert on Latino voting trends, for a hearty discussion about community colleges, protecting democracy, culture, politics and even baseball. Read the transcript.

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In this episode, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley welcomes back Lande Ajose, Senior Policy Advisor for Higher Education for the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, for a discussion about a groundbreaking report, “Recovery with Equity: A Roadmap for Higher Education After the Pandemic.” The report was published by the Governor's Council for Postsecondary Education and the discussion centers around how it validates and builds upon the goals and objectives that are set forth in the Vision for Success. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Oakley had the pleasure of speaking with the new California State University’s Chancellor, Dr. Joseph L. Castro. They discussed the importance of the transfer pathways from California community college to the CSU, and supporting the diversity within these two systems. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley rings in New Year 2021 with a special solo podcast on democracy and education. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by Margaret Spellings, the president and CEO of Texas 2036 and the former U.S. Secretary of Education, to discuss bridging the gap between educational attainment and workforce demands. Read transcript.

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On this episode, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by John B. King, the president and CEO of Education Trust, a nonprofit organization that identifies and closes education gaps between preschool and college. Chancellor Oakley and Mr. King discuss the  concerns currently surrounding equity and access in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest. Read the transcript.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken our nation and the state of California in many ways. One of the biggest influences is on our economy causing many people to lose their jobs and their livelihood. Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by the Secretary of the California and Workforce Development Agency, Julie A. Su. Read the transcript.

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Join Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and California Student Aid Commission’s Executive Director, Marlene Garcia, as they discuss the results from the spring 2020 COVID-19 Student Survey. This survey is the first of its kind that provides data and insight from 76,000 college students regarding the challenges they are facing during the pandemic. Read the transcript.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has made significant waves in higher education this spring with its biggest victims being students.Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by California community college student Gurshaan Arora from Foothill College to discuss his experience and challenges students are facing due to COVID-19. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by Monica Lozano, CEO of the College Futures Foundation to discuss the challenges that California is facing due to COVID-19 and the efforts her organization is making to confront the equity gap that has existed in the system for far too long. Read the transcript.

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is joined by journalist Marivel Servin and California census Ditas Katague to discuss the impact the census has on the state. Read the transcript. 

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Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and Student Senate for the California Community Colleges leaders Danny Thirakul and Ya'Mese Alijè Johnson for a discussion about the March on March 19, 2020. Read the transcript.

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Santa Monica College student Joshua Elizondo and Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley discuss the progress that AB705 and Guided Pathways have made on community college campuses. Read the transcript.

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Gregg Irish of the Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board and Dr. J Luke Wood from San Diego State University join Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley to discuss improving outcomes for Black and African American students on California campuses. Read the transcript.

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Part two of “Building a Data Culture for Student Success” with host Deputy Chancellor Daisy Gonzales discusses and guests Dr. Sonya Christian, president of Bakersfield College, and Dr. John Hetts. Read the transcript.

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Deputy Chancellor Daisy Gonzales discusses “Building a Data Culture for Student Success” with Dr. Sonya Christian, president of Bakersfield College, and Dr. John Hetts in the first of a two-part podcast. Read the transcript.

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Lenny Mendonca, chief economic and business advisor in Gov. Newsom’s office, joins Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley for a discussion on California’s “Regions Rise Together” approach to economic development. Read the transcript.

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Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis joins Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley to discuss bringing down the cost of higher education and the community college system’s role in closing critical skills gaps. Read the transcript.

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California’s latest bright idea to boost access and outcomes in higher education is the aptly named “Calbright College.” Launching this fall, the 115th California community college is gearing up to serve 100,000 working adults online in 50 different career paths within five years. In this episode of the California Community Colleges Podcast, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley sits down with Heather Hiles, president and CEO of Calbright College, to talk about the groundbreaking effort to bridge critical workforce gaps with employer-driven, worker-friendly online programs. Read the transcript.

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