News and Events
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For Immediate Release Contact:  Cheri Cruz
June 30 , 2008 Phone: (559) 292-0567

Why Access Matters Report

CVHEC report offers look at college going rates in San Joaquin Valley

A highly skilled and educated workforce is critical to in an increasingly global and knowledge-based economy. 

 

A new report issued by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium indicates positive movement in increasing college success in under-represented groups at the community college level—good news for the region’s employers since Hispanics make up almost half of the Valley’s population.

 

Considering a cohort  of students from 2001 to 2006, the percentage of  associate degrees attained by Hispanic students from community colleges in the region (Bakersfield to Stockton) increased by 2.1 percent and the percentage attained by non-White students increased by five percent.

 

Cheri Cruz, executive director of CVHEC, issued the report, “Why Access Matters,” on behalf of the 24 colleges that make up the organization in cooperation with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.

 

In the San Joaquin Valley the number of students seeking the skills needed to provide a highly skilled and educated workforce is falling behind, according to the report.

 

“Education is a critical driver of long-term regional economic growth and on a personal level it is a major determinant in an individual’s success,” the report states.  “In the Central Valley, too many students must overcome the many hurdles of less comfortable circumstances to attend college.”

 

The report notes that Hispanics make up half of the population in the Central Valley but that Hispanics in the region have the lowest college-going rate and hold bachelor’s degrees at a rate that is only two-thirds of the state average.

 

“This makes motivating students from under-represented populations to enroll in post-secondary education a matter of high importance,” the report notes.  “Recruitment efforts must be focused on students from low-income families with no history of post-secondary education, and students from migrant backgrounds.”

 

Cruz said the purpose of the report is to provide CHVEC and its stakeholders a deeper, more specific understanding of college-going trends in the Central Valley and to provide data necessary for monitoring selected indicators in college access, transfer from two-year to four-year institutions and workforce preparation.

 

The report covers the 10-county area from Stockton to Bakersfield and includes data pulled from a number of state and national educational services. 

 

Ten of the 12 CVHEC community colleges met or exceeded their expected transfer rates during the period, according to the report.

 

Other key findings include:

 

  • Graduating seniors from public high schools in the region are seven percent less like to attend community college and four percent less likely to attend a UC campus than graduating seniors statewide.
  • Hispanic students comprise 43 percent of graduating seniors in the region yet comprise only 36 percent of incoming freshmen at CSU campuses in the region (Bakersfield, Fresno and Stanislaus) and only 33 percent of incoming freshmen at UC Merced.
  • The largest percentage of students completing one and two-year degrees and certificates do so in the fields of health (32.6 percent), business (15.5 percent) and family studies (12.9 percent).

 

Cruz said that copies of the report are available at the CVHEC website:  collegenext.org or to request a copy, phone 559 292-0576.

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