Progress magazine
cover story
Chancellor Dr. Jim Williams brings energy, vision to Yosemite Community College District
By Heidi Howell
If
you thought you were busy, spend a few moments with the man who was
recently appointed chancellor of Yosemite Community College District:
Jim Williams, PhD. As the chief administrative officer, reporting to
seven elected trustees, Dr. Williams’ duties are complex and
far-reaching.
“I have overall administrative responsibility for
two colleges: Modesto Junior College, with about 18,000 students and
Columbia College (in Sonora), with about 3,500 students,” Williams
notes. The community college district has 1,675 full- and part-time
employees, with a district budget of a little over $100 million, he
says.
Learning opportunities for more students
Williams
provides leadership in facility planning and development. For example,
he oversees Measure E, a facilities bond approved last November that
allots $326 million to the college district for repair and upgrade of
buildings, as well as construction of new educational facilities and
centers in Patterson, Turlock, Oakdale and Angels Camp.
Not as
comprehensive as a college, education centers offer certain courses or
programs, Williams clarifies. “Their whole purpose is to increase access
for students in our service region to at least begin to take college
courses where they don’t have to travel quite as far to get to a major
college campus,” he says.
Guiding future paths
Regarding
plans for Yosemite Community College District, Williams says first on
the agenda is “beginning all of the projects related to Measure E,”
which will continue over the next two to three years. “In addition, both
colleges will have an accreditation visit this fall,” which he says is
“extremely critical.” Both institutions are regionally accredited by the
Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, a subsidiary
of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. “We work hard to
maintain our accredited status,” he says.
Some of the changes
Williams would like to see transpire while he is chancellor include
better communication, a report to the community, greater community
involvement and the creation of an intercession program.
“I
think there’s room for a lot more collaboration between the two
colleges,” Williams says. He’d also like to see more classes offered on
Fridays and Saturdays, and wants to “get the community more involved
with the two colleges. We need to develop a better semester system that
will accommodate the needs of all our academic and vocational areas.”
Lastly, he’d like to implement “the creation of an intercession at the
end of the fall semester, where students can enroll in courses that are
very intense,” but last only four to six weeks.
Williams notes
another new development, the Civic Engagement Project, a district-wide
undertaking designed to help students to become more civic minded,
educated and aware about political issues.
When asked what
public partnerships are currently in place to help meet the growing
demand for an educated work force in our area, Williams says there are
many. Here is a brief overview.
Modesto Junior College
•
“Connecting Stanislaus” is an initiative sponsored by the Stanislaus
County CEO’s office and the Workforce Alliance. “The college operates a
mobile wireless computer lab that travels to various businesses and
trains workers on computer technology. Since 2002, we have trained more
than 3,200 individuals.
• “We support The Alliance Small Business
Development Center. Our role is to provide essential services to
startups and small businesses that are already in operation but need
assistance.
• “We are part of a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) to
LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) training program. We’re partners with
Emmanuel Medical Center in Turlock.
• “We work with the
Manufacturing Council of the Central Valley in providing a WorkKeys
certificate program — a job skills assessment system that assists
employers in identifying skill strengths and weaknesses and helps
employees improve on those skills.
• “We are participating in
‘Chamber University’ through The Chamber of Commerce. It’s a partnership
with all of the chambers of commerce in our service region. The
University of California, Merced is part of it, as is California State
University, Stanislaus (CSUS). We deliver workshops and courses to the
members of the chamber throughout the region.
• “As a result of a Chancellor’s Office state grant, we started a veterinary technician training program.
•
Williams says there are other programs still in the discussion stages,
including a partnership between MJC, The Alliance and CSUS to establish a
business incubator in Turlock. “An incubator is where someone has a
really good idea to start a business but needs help developing it before
it is launched.”
• Another program is a one-year grant to assist with Web site development for Hispanic-owned businesses.
Columbia College
• The California Department of Forestry’s firefighter academy has a partnership with Columbia College.
•
Columbia College also partners with the Economic Development Department
of Tuolumne County. “The college offers training classes and workforce
skills classes for local businesses.”
• “Columbia recently received a
$500,000 USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) grant for a
collaborative distance education program between Columbia College, the
Mi-Wuk Tribal Council, the Tuolumne Office of Education and Modesto
Junior College.” Distance learning will be offered through the Internet
and two-way video.
Widening horizons
Vocational programs available through the two colleges are numerous. A sampling:
Modesto
Junior College offers programs in fields such as nursing, law
enforcement, fire science, automotive, welding, construction, culinary
arts, graphics, electronics, manufacturing, agriculture, veterinary
technician, architectural engineering/drafting, respiratory care, dental
assisting, computers, interior design and child development.
Columbia
College provides programs in some of the same fields, as well as
hospitality, business, emergency medical services, forestry, natural
resources and welding.
“They’re all excellent programs,” Williams says. “When students graduate, they don’t have any difficulty finding employment.”
Sound perspective
Williams
says the best thing about his job is “the ability to make it possible
for people to improve their lives and to realize their dreams of getting
a college education. The mission of the community college is that of
the ‘open door, open access.’ We exist to provide educational
opportunities for those individuals who have a desire and potential to
succeed in college level work, regardless of whether they’re planning to
transfer to a four-year university or are just here to get a
certificate or two-year degree,” he says.
The most important
thing Dr. Williams wants people to know about him is, “I believe
strongly in empowering people to be successful in whatever they do.”
When
asked what his favorite ice cream flavor is, he responds, “Neapolitan. I
just like the diversity of the flavors: chocolate, vanilla and
strawberry — you can’t do much better than that.”
Modesto
copywriter Heidi Howell specializes in creating first-quality marketing,
advertising and corporate text for local and national clients.
© HHWS for Modesto Chamber of Commerce
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