Ventura College Receives Two Awards for Excellence
The Californer/10122460

VENTURA, Calif. - Californer -- We are pleased to announce that Ventura College has been presented with two awards of excellence this year, from the California Colleges Board of Governors and the Ventura County Economic Development Association.

"We are so proud of our faculty, staff and administrators for their tireless work to help improve the college experience for our students. These awards are a nod to their remarkable efforts," said Ventura College President Dr. Kimberly Hoffmans. "Our success as a college equates to the continued success of our students."

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors honored Ventura College with a 2020-2021 Exemplary Program Award for the Faculty Academy for "Equitable Practices in a Virtual Educational Environment." The Faculty Academy Program at Ventura College was recognized for promoting student engagement in a culturally inclusive manner and for their efforts in addressing equity gaps and misperceptions around students' technology abilities.

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The transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced a host of equity and access concerns, misperceptions around students' technology abilities and unique challenges for some student populations. The Faculty Academy allowed participants to engage with these issues and experiment with ways to better serve students online.

The second award Ventura College received this year was the Public/Private Partnership Award during the From Red Tape to Red Carpet Awards at the annual Ventura County Economic Development Association Business Outlook Conference on January 15. The award was bestowed on Ventura College and Ohana Pet Hospital for their innovative partnership that has paved the way to creating a veterinary technology program at Ventura College's East Campus in Santa Paula.

"It's rewarding to see the dynamic community partnership between Ventura College and Ohana Pet Hospital be recognized. Students and the community as a whole will benefit from this program," said Dr. Cynthia Herrera, VCCCD Associate Vice Chancellor of Strategic Partnerships, Enrollment, and Advancement.

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The Veterinary Technician degree and certificate programs welcomed their first cohort this spring semester at Ventura College East Campus. A new cohort of up to 30 students will begin each fall. Program participants will earn a veterinary assistant certificate of achievement and an associate degree in veterinary technology. In 2018, Ohana approached Ventura College with the need for a program in Ventura County, as it is extremely difficult to find qualified veterinary assistants and registered veterinary technicians due to limited programs—a need voiced by multiple veterinarians throughout Ventura County.

Ohana has been instrumental in the development of the program's curricula, and the teaching lab will be housed at the hospital's Santa Paula clinic, which is adjacent to the college's East Campus.

To learn more, visit VenturaCollege.edu (https://www.venturacollege.edu/).