American River College (ARC): Culinary Arts and
Hospitality Management
Creating Excellence through Rethinking Vocational
Education: American River College's Culinary
Arts and Hospitality Management program has provided
the Sacramento area with top-notch, hands-on culinary
training and students who now serve in the best
kitchens in Sacramento. Since its 1998 overhaul,
the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program
has seen its enrollment balloon from 200 to 1,100,
while increasing its focus on quality and ultimately
gaining a four-star restaurant rating from the
Sacramento Bee.
Meeting Student Needs: The ARC program produces
not only excellent cuisine but also qualified
students in growing numbers. In the 06-07 academic
year the number of Certificates and Degrees awarded
was double that of the previous year, and student
success was coupled with a 90% retention rate
for Hospitality Management and an 82% retention
rate for Culinary Arts in the Spring 2007 semester.
Developing High School Partners and Transfer
Opportunities: The ARC Culinary Arts and Hospitality
Management program partnerships with a number
of local high school, articulate with Cal Poly
Pomona's Collins School for Hospitality
Management, and partners with professional organizations
such as the American Culinary Federation and
the California Restaurant Association. This model
program builds bridges for students and represents
a wonderful example of program success in a California
community college.
Unique Opportunities and Training: This program
excels in the depth and breadth of training for
students, including opportunities that range
from olive oil tasting, cheese tasting and comparative
oyster tasting to lectures from previous White
House chefs. Quality, hands-on (tongue-on) learning
and emphasis on learning in the well-designed
and equipped culinary lab have created both state
and national award winners in culinary competitions.
A Model for Other Programs: The ARC Culinary
Arts and Hospitality Management Program boasts
a self-supporting lab which pays for, and is
only satisfied with, the finest ingredients.
Community needs are met through an outstanding
catering service provided through the program
that also generates income. The curriculum scheduling
and design represent a program aligned for quality
but designed as a streamlined pathway for students.
The Academic Senate for California Community
Colleges is pleased to confer the 2007 Exemplary
Award on the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management
program at American River College and encourages
all of you to taste the quality of the program
the next time you are near ARC in Sacramento.
Los Angeles Valley College: Early Childhood Workforce
Development
Meeting Critical Needs: In 2004, after determining
that there was an immediate and critical need
in the Los Angeles area for early childhood teachers,
the Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) founded
its Early Childhood Workforce Development Program.
Both nationally and locally there are a large
number of parents needing childcare; in the Los
Angeles area alone, there are over 122,450 children
in families where both parents are working, and
yet there are only 7,593 slots in licensed day
care facilities available. In addition, the turnover
rate for early childhood teachers ranges between
30-40%, and the quality of care for these children
is dependent upon those teachers training
and dedication. The LAVC Early Childhood Workforce
Development Program is a model collaborative,
developed with seven high schools, three four-year
universities, and ten industry partners, created
to infuse both the Childhood Development and
Early Childhood Education industries with a better
qualified, more prepared work force, which includes
training for caring for babies with special needs.
Reaching Out to Partners and Students to Create
Employment Opportunities: Between 2004 and 2007,
LAVC trained and contributed to the industry
over 500 workers in early childhood development
for infant and toddler care. More than 1,700
participants in the program have completed courses,
received workforce development training and participated
in internships or job shadowing. The program
has reached into high schools, trained community
college students seeking certificates, prepared
students for transfer to universities programs,
and retrained incumbent workers. During this
same time span, the program also trained over
50 family child care home providers in developmentally
appropriate infant and toddler care, as well
as in best practices for small child care businesses.
Currently, all 55 participants in the LAVC student-intern
program have either been offered employment at
a community child care site or have started their
own family child care home business. Last year
LAVC awarded over 335 certificates and awards
in Early Childhood Development. In California,
this field is predicting 46% new job growth and
LAVC is addressing this state need with great
success.
Coordinating with Transfer Institutions: In
this discipline, typically only 15% of students
attending the community colleges for certificates
or degrees ever successfully transfer to a
four-year university or obtain an A.A. within
six years. The LAVC Early Childhood Workforce
Development Program has increased the number
of graduating students by 10%, with a transfer
rate of 57% to their local CSU, and these students
represent those diverse populations typically
under-represented in higher education.
A Unique and Successful Approach: The LAVC program
is structured around coaches that holistically
contribute to student success. Academic success
coaches, Tutoring coaches, Writing coaches, Library
Skills coaches and Transfer coaches help students
in every area of their academic pursuits.
This program has truly distinguished itself
as a model that can be imitated in other colleges
and as a hallmark of student success, and it
is with great pride that the Academic Senate
for California Community Colleges bestows on
LAVC's Early Childhood Workforce Development
program the 2007 Exemplary Program Award.
Mt. San Antonio College
(Mt SAC) Histotechnician
Training Program
Histotechnology, preparation of tissues for examination
to diagnose diseases such as cancer, is an essential
component of national healthcare, and yet, with
increasing vacancy rates, there are only twelve
programs offering an Associate s Degree
in Histotechnology in the nation. Mt San Antonio
College s program is the only Associate s
Degree in the discipline in California. The Histotechnician
Training Program at Mt. SAC is uniquely positioned
to impact California s workforce training
in a highly technical and much needed field.
Part of the guaranteed quality from this program
derives from the extensive clinical work experience
required of all graduates. Mt SAC has 13 clinical
affiliates where students gain practical, on-the-job
training. Frequently students are hired by the
companies they are completing their clinical
hours with, and many are employed before they
even graduate. In this highly technical field,
the outstanding national exam pass rate at Mt
SAC (94.6%) is impressive, but add to this the
national recognition of two outstanding students
by national professional organizations and you
have a laboratory for student success and the
creation of industry leadership. Perhaps the
greatest evidence of the success of this program
is the 100% employment placement rate for graduates.
This excellent example of high technology vocational
training has been chosen by the Academic Senate
for California Community Colleges to receive
an Honorable Mention in the 2007 Exemplary Program
Award.
Mission College StRUT
The Silicon Valley has long been heralded as
one of the leading areas for technological
development. Not surprisingly, Mission College s
Students Recycling Used Technology (StRUT)
program has tapped into the needs and resources
of its community and created a program which
refurbishes old donated computers, and then
donates the newly-refurbished computers to
local schools. These same computers would generally
be considered environmental hazardous waste,
but instead, to date, over 7,000 computers
have been placed in public schools, affecting
over 300,000 students, and saving an estimated
$5,000,000. Over 20 schools, from elementary
through high school, are participating in this
program, either by receiving refurbished computers,
or by offering an articulated Career Technology
course, and over 50 local companies sponsor
the program. The magic built into this program
is the way it models environmentally healthy
alternatives in our technologically expanding
world. And it models good practices not only
to students but to its business partners, which
includes well-known companies such as Intel,
Panasonic, and Fujitsu. StRUT has orchestrated
a community-wide effort that benefits its students
with invaluable practical training, partners
students with technology access and training,
and benefits its community through recycling
and the world as an example of successful GREEN
strategies. This terrific example of environmental
stewardship, vocational development, and technology
resources has been chosen by the Academic Senate
for California Community Colleges to receive
Honorable Mention in the 2007 Exemplary Program
Award.
San Joaquin Delta College Caterpillar
Dealer Service Technician Program
San Joaquin Delta s Caterpillar Dealer
Service Technician Program represents a model
program for an area of specific need, relevant
to the community needs, built on recognized quality
and tied into cutting edge business relationships.
The Caterpillar program is a joint venture between
Caterpillar Inc., California Caterpillar Dealers
Foundation, and San Joaquin Delta College. Six
Caterpillar dealerships from across the state
joined together to recruit, select and sponsor
students entering the Dealer Service Technician
Program at San Joaquin Delta College. This program
is one of only twelve Think Big programs nationwide,
and the only program like it in California. This
partnership forged a unique approach to educating
the Caterpillar Dealer Service Technician Program
students by combining an eight-week classroom
environment with a paid hands-on internship at
a Caterpillar dealership. In anticipation of
the more rigorous graduation requirements in
English, Delta has designed an enhanced English
program to meet student needs. This carefully
designed program creates a balanced combination
of theory and real-world experience that engages
students and serves the needs of business partners.
Student performance on the industry exam (TRAIN)
has steadily increased, resulting in Delta s
obtaining a gold classification for their students exam
performance. All graduates of the program are
employed by Caterpillar dealerships or other
dealerships. This educational partnership is
particularly well-placed as San Joaquin Delta
College lies in a rural area, allowing it to
serve both its students and the needs of its
community. This well-crafted Caterpillar Dealer
Service Technician program has been selected
by the Academic Senate for California Community
Colleges to receive Honorable Mention in the
2007 Exemplary Program Award.
