NEWSLETTER

MARCH 2024

The Application for the 2024-2025 Cohort Will Open on March 1, 2024

Applications for the Fall 2024 Faculty Diversification Internships Cohort

Opening March 1, 2024

As of 2022, nearly 90% of program participants have successfully received offers for full-time/tenure track or part-time faculty positions in higher education. Are you ready to commence your journey as a faculty member in the community college?

For program consideration, applicants must submit the following documents as part of their online application:

A letter of interest specifying why you are interested in teaching students at Bakersfield College. The letter should also discuss how your educational experiences have prepared them to teach at a community college with a diverse student body, like Bakersfield College.
An updated curriculum vitae with at least three professional references with contact information listed. One of the references needs to be from a current or former supervisor.
College/university transcript (unofficial transcripts will be accepted), including all college units attempted.

Complete An Application Here: FDFP Internship Academic Year 2023-2024

For further information or questions regarding the program, contact Dr. Maria Wright at maria.wright2@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

Professional Development Opportunities

Event: Book Club on Engaging Discussions

Flyer Image - Book Club on Engaging Discussions

Event: Strengthening College Access and Success Through Affordability

Monthly Event: Math Justice for Student Empowerment

Monthly Event: Counseling for Justice and Equity

The Art & Science of Healthy Pedagogy Program

Bakersfield College has been invited to participate in an upcoming FREE professional development opportunity hosted by UC-Riverside. The sessions will include topics covering everything from "Alternative or Authentic Assessments" to "Trauma-Aware Teaching." And you can participate synchronously or asynchronously.

Healthy Pedagogy seeks to positively impact the culture of teaching and learning through promotion of teaching strategies to support student wellness. This program is designed to integrate sincere mindfulness of the health and well-being students into course design and the craft of teaching. In creating a community of practice for instructors to enhance their courses and initiate discussions around evidence-based teaching and learning strategies that foster caring, creative, and inclusive participation in the classroom and beyond, both teachers and students can experience engaging communities of learning.

Please see below for opportunities to participate in Healthy Pedagogy initiatives over the Winter and Spring 2024 terms

Vision in Action Professional Development Edition — January 2024

FDPF alumni and current participants are invited to sign-up for California Community Colleges - Vision In Action website. Here a some highlights from their January 2024 newsletter.

The Vision Resource Center is your gateway to free professional development resources built and curated for California community college employees. Whether you're preparing for FLEX or looking to expand your knowledge, start the year off right and explore playlists in the Vision Resource Center.

Faculty Fellow Highlights

Frank Verni

2024 Fellow

Hello, my name is Frank Verni. I am the new Educational Advisor for Outreach & Early College at Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, CA.

Currently, I am involved in the Faculty Diversification Fellowship Program at Bakersfield College under the direction of Dr. Maria Wright, and I am also a graduate student in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). I earned my master’s degree in Public Administration from CSUB and my bachelor’s degree in Business and Public Administration from there as well.

I previously served as a student assistant in several departments at CSUB. My biggest contribution came in the University Outreach Department at CSUB where I collaborated with institutional leadership and my program director at the Outreach Department, to create a resource program for underrepresented student populations, the Student Access and Support Program. Prior to returning to school and earning my degrees, I was involved in several managerial positions in the private sector.

I am deeply passionate about diversity, inclusion, and equitable resources in higher education institutions. I am seeking to expand educational opportunities to historically marginalized and socioeconomically challenged student communities.

Lead Faculty

Dr. Maria Wright

Professor of Education

Bakersfield College

(661)395-4607

Maria.Wright2@bakersfieldcollege.edu

Faculty Diversification Fellowship Program

Applied Leadership Program

Dr. Maria Wright and I am a faculty in the Education Department. Currently, I work closely on the Aspire Faculty Diversification Fellowship Program and the Applied Leadership Program.

Before taking on this role, I served as the Director of Academic Support Services for several years, where my work focused on centralizing efforts to provide wrap-around support for students. This work focused on enhancing the out-of-class academic experience for BC students. I have also served as the Advising Lead for the School of Business at a four-year institution and as an Educational Advisor at Bakersfield College.

I earned my doctoral degree from California State University, Fresno in Educational Leadership, my master’s degree in Educational Administration from California State University, Bakersfield, and my bachelor’s degree in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach.

As a first-generation graduate, I am deeply passionate about increasing equity, inclusion, and diversity in higher education institutions. More specifically, I seek to expand opportunities for students who have historically been excluded from social and educational opportunities.