Media and Resources
Press Releases
- 03-25-2019 - BC Engages Washington, D.C. to Present Best Practices of Early College (PDF)
- 03-28-2019 - Bakersfield College Expands Early College and Community Course Offerings to Shafter (PDF)
Jean Fuller Press Releases
Senator Jean Fuller on BC's Early College Program
Jean Fuller goes One on One with Robert Price
January 30, 2019
Jean Fuller discusses the Early College program on TBC Media's new weekly webcast, One on One with Robert Price.
Jean Fuller talks Early College on KERN Radio
January 29, 2019
Jean Fuller recently made an appearance on the Richard Beene Show on KERN Radio to discuss the Early College program. Listen to Jean Fuller on SoundCloud.
Retired Senator Jean Fuller Partners with Bakersfield College to lead the Early College Program
January 16, 2019
Senator Jean Fuller is partnering with Bakersfield College to lead the necessary intersegmental collaboration, relationships with business and industry, and connections with national policy organizations to scale up Early College regionally and nationally. The Early College Program is a proven model for quality and cost effective college degree completion, particularly in rural communities with high poverty rates and low educational attainment rates.
Having served in public office from 2006-2018, Jean Fuller brings over 30 years of experience in education to Bakersfield College. Her desire to continue working in education at BC is a direct result of her commitment to working with young people and encouraging them to have the confidence and support to achieve their dreams.
"Bakersfield College is privileged to partner with Senator Fuller, an extraordinary leader who has maintained a career-long commitment to education," said Bakersfield College President, Sonya Christian. "She is a powerhouse with a heart for the students in the central valley and the communities we serve. We are so excited to have her working with us."
Fuller's passion for education grew out of her own experiences as a child and young adult. Born and raised in the small community of Shafter, higher education was not something that she ever viewed as being for her. Fuller says, "Families didn't want their kids to go off to college. Mothers and fathers wanted their children to stay close, stay as a family and continue the family tradition." Today, Fuller credits Bakersfield College with giving her the skills, self-esteem, and strength to pursue a meaningful career which she adds, "isn't finished yet."
Named California Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators in 2004-2015, Fuller will now oversee integration and expansion of the existing Early College framework to increase higher education across Kern County.
The Early College program provides a framework for access and efficiency to achieve a college education like never before. By aligning curriculum and adding college level coursework into the high school schedule, every Early College student would have the opportunity to earn a certificate or associate degree by their high school graduation.
"There is a pathway for everyone and it starts at the Home of the Renegades. With Early College under the brilliant and caring leadership of Senator Fuller, we are not just empowering these young students, but also their communities," said President Sonya Christian. "By bringing college closer to home and integrating it within their high school years, we are doing our institutional best to raise the bar of opportunity and increase access for each and every student."
As a result of her own experience, Fuller views education as an investment that transforms young people into who they have potential to become, impacting the world around them. She says, "These students belong at Bakersfield College. This is a place for them to feel welcome and a place that they will be successful. We will bring college to them in a way that allows them to succeed in any direction they want with their future career and education at an age which gives them a fantastic head start."
Last May, Bakersfield College graduated 38 Wonderful Academy Early College high school seniors with an Associate degree in Agriculture Business. Although the Early College program is still under development in rural area high schools, the goal is to align the curriculum and help every high school student obtain a college degree.
Fuller holds a doctorate degree from the UC Santa Barbara, a Master's degree from CSU Los Angeles, a Bachelor's Degree from California State University, Fresno, and an Associate's Degree from Bakersfield College.
Download Press Release - January 16, 2019 (PDF)
In the News
News Archive
- July 21, 2021 (Bakersfield Californian): Bakersfield College helps high school students achieve AA degree with Early College Program
- Winter 2019 (KHSD Achieve Magazine) - KHSD and BC Strengthening Our College-Going Culture
- May 1, 2019 (California Ag Today) - Wasco High School Students Attend Bakersfield College
- March 29, 2019 (TBC) - BC's Early College program to start at Shafter High
- March 29, 2019 (KERO 23ABC) - BC introduces Shafter High students to 'Early College' program
- March 29, 2019 (KBAK) - Shafter High School offer Early College and community courses with Bakersfield College
- January 31, (KGET) - Bakersfield College launching Early College Program
- January 13, 2019 (TBC) - COMMUNITY VOICES: A brighter future, Kern County only if we dare to imagine it, act
Romeo Agbalog on KNZR 1560AM
Romeo Agbalog talks with Terry Maxwell
On Tuesday, April 16, 2019, KCCD Board Trustee Romeo Agbalog sat down with KNZR 1560AM radio show host Terry Maxwell to discuss Bakersfield College's collaborative efforts with rural high schools throughout Kern County to move the needle on degree attainment and workforce preparation in our community. Romeo and Terry discussed the bold and meaningful actions of Bakersfield College's Early College Initiative—a program launched to drastically impact the low higher-education attainment rate of 16% in Kern County, and 9% in rural areas.
Play the video below to hear about the Early College work that has been done in partnership with The Wonderful Company, and how the program has been taken to a new level in the community of McFarland—where all incoming 9th grade students will begin their college pathway and all students will graduate high school with between 12 and 60 college credits.
Terry Maxwell's words at the end of the show say it all:
"The oak tree starts from a little old acorn. You may be growing the oak tree that helps to save the educational system of this nation. And it takes something like McFarland, not just a movie, but an educational system that shows some success and helps everybody out."
Terry Maxwell, KNZR 1560AM Radio Show Host
Planning & Development
- Early College Baseline Report - January 2019 (PDF)
- Early College Report: McFarland High School - February 2019 (PDF)
- Dual Enrollment and GP Converge for Equity - November 2019 (PDF)
Presentations
| Title | Date | Presenters |
|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin Partnership in Madera (PDF) | 3/15/2019 | Romeo Agbalog, Aaron Resendez, Brian Bell, Liz Rozell, Abel Guzman |
| Examining an Early College Intervention presentation at Linked Learning Convention with CLP (PDF) | 3/20/2019 | Lesley Bonds, Amanda Issa (CLP) |
| Bridging Guided Pathways with High School Partners (PDF) | 3/21/2019 | Lesley Bonds, Chase Fisherall/Amanda Issa (CLP) |
| AACC-AASA in Washington, DC (PDF) | 3/25/2019 | Aaron Resendez, Sonya Christian |
| Kern County Board of Supervisors (PDF) | 4/2/2019 | Sonya Christian, Liz Rozell, Jean Fuller, Aaron Resendez, Brian Bell |
| Lunch with Lance Izumi, Senior Director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute (PDF) | 4/5/2019 | Lesley Bonds, Steven Watkin |
| Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce (PDF) | 4/30/2019 | Jean Fuller |
| Arvin Information Meeting (PDF) | 5/21/2019 | Abel Guzman, Norma Rojas-Mora, Mayor Gurrola, Tom Burke, Ed Watts, Jesse Oropeza, Jerry Breckinridge, Tamara Baker, Bill Potter |
| Tina Miller Show (PDF) Watch the interview on Facebook |
6/6/2019 | Jean Fuller, Kylie Swanson |
Resources & Reports
- Community Voices by Romeo Agbalog (PDF)
- Early College Brochure (PDF)
- Early College FAQ (PDF)
- Early College McFarland High School Brochure (PDF)
- Early College Press Release - January 16, 2019 (PDF)
- Early College Proposal (PDF)
- College Futures Foundation Dual-Enrollment Final Report (PDF)
Reports
