March 2022

Vol. 7

Alumni Hall of Fame set for June 23, Nominations Being Accepted

The BC Foundation, in partnership with the Bakersfield College Alumni Association, will honor alums who have made a significant impact and have proven to be an outstanding example of Renegade excellence. The community is invited to nominate stand-out Bakersfield College alums for induction into the Bakersfield College Hall of Fame at a gala set for June 23, 2022, at Seven Oaks.

This special event will bring together alumni and community supporters who want to recognize the very best Bakersfield College has to offer: our alums!

Nominees may include alums who earned their associate’s degree, those who transferred directly to a four-year university, or alums who attended classes for continued education (without earning a degree).  Posthumous nominees are welcomed. 

Nominations are open until 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 18, 2022.

Since its establishment in 1913, Bakersfield College has produced countless graduates and attendees who have taken their knowledge and skills into the world to make a significant and positive influence. 

This is the first Hall of Fame event presented by the Foundation, however during BC’s 109-year history, alums have been honored in a variety of ways:

• Between 1987 and 2013, the BC Alumni Association honored alums who had given back in some way to the Alumni Association or to Bakersfield College.
• In 1913, in honor of the College’s 100^th anniversary, the “Hundred Stars of Bakersfield College” list was created to thank and recognize alums and others who had made an impact on the college. 
• In October 2021, the BC Athletics Department introduced the Bakersfield College Athletics Hall of Fame. (Athletes will again be honored in October and they can be nominated at this link: Athletics Hall of Fame Nomination form).

If you would like to nominate someone who got their start at Bakersfield College, or perhaps went back to BC to strengthen their skills or earn their degree, click here for the Nomination Form.  Nominations are due by 5:00 p.m. on March 18, 2022. If you have questions or would like to sponsor this new event, contact the BC Foundation at (661) 395-4800 or foundation@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

From the Executive Director

Spring is considered “event season” in Bakersfield and Kern County, and that’s very much the case here at the Bakersfield College Foundation!

On March 19, we’ll be hosting the 14^th Annual Sterling Silver where we honor philanthropists and others whose devotion to Bakersfield College has created opportunities for Renegades past, present, and future.  Due to tremendous support from our sponsors, this year’s event sold out before we could even sell any individual tickets! 

Thanks to our friends at KGET/Channel 17, everyone will be able to watch the program live, even without a ticket to the event!  The live program will be shown via live streaming on the KGET website.  As an added bonus, a special one-hour Sterling Silver event will air on Saturday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. on KGET!

We are excited to honor some special philanthropists and other special supporters who have helped Bakersfield College secure funds at the State and Federal level:

• The Contreras Family, Individual Philanthropist Award
• Bank of America, Corporate Philanthropist Award
• Assemblymember Rudy Salas, BC Foundation Service Medal
• Congressman William “Bill” Thomas, Lifetime Achievement Award

I am thankful to all our sponsors, and especially want to recognize our two Presenting Sponsors (Ordiz-Melby Architects and Chevron), plus our Reception Sponsor (Joel Andreesen and Connie Perez Andreesen).

Another exciting event is approaching, and we need the community’s help!  The BC Foundation, in conjunction with the BC Alumni Association, will be presenting the Bakersfield College Alumni Hall of Fame on June 23, 2022, at Seven Oaks!  We are accepting nominations through March 18, so please give some thought to people you know who are amazing examples of the talent, knowledge, and positive influence that has come through Bakersfield College over the decades.  Details are available in this newsletter, and the digital and printable nomination forms are available on our website at www.supportbc.org.

Annual Sterling Silver Event to be Livestreamed & Broadcast

Some of the most faithful supporters of education in Kern County will be honored on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the BC Foundation’s 14^th Annual Sterling Silver, the first public event to be held in the brand new event center on the top floor of BC’s Campus Center.

Thanks to tremendous support from our sponsors, the event is completely sold out!  To make the event visible to the entire community, we are partnering with KGET/Channel 17, who will Livestream the program that night at www.kget.com.  In addition, KGET will present a 1-hour Sterling Silver broadcast on KGET/Channel 17 the following Saturday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m.

This year’s honorees include:

The Contreras Family, Individual Philanthropist Award

Bank of America, Corporate Philanthropist Award

Assemblymember Rudy Salas, BC Foundation Service Medal

Congressman William “Bill” Thomas, Lifetime Achievement Award

Many thanks to the generous sponsors of this year’s event:

Animal Science Institute will Honor Memory of Professor and
“Pork All American” Billy Barnes

The memory of Billy Barnes, beloved Professor of Animal Science and former Ag Department Chair at Bakersfield College, will live on among the BC campus community and beyond.  The Kern Community College District Board of Trustees has voted to designate the name “Billy Barnes Animal Science Institute” to represent BC’s animal science program, in recognition of a $2 million gift commitment from friends and family of the local ag leader. 

The naming will be accompanied by signage at the entrance to the Animal Science Labs in the new agriculture building, set to be complete in the fall of 2024.

Billy was a BC alum who ultimately became a critical part of Bakersfield College’s Agriculture Department.  He began his tenure with BC in 2007, when he came to work with his friend and “forever mentor,” Bill Kelly.  Professor Kelly had previously been Billy’s teacher at South High School.  Billy had been interested in Future Farmers of America, and Bill Kelly teamed up with his colleague Jim Slater to buy Billy his first show pig in 1979. 

That experience led to Billy’s life-long passion and career.

After graduating from South High School in 1983, he continued his education at Bakersfield College while working for Getty Oil. Billy then went on to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and later graduated from Fresno State University where he majored in Animal Science. 

Billy became a pig farmer, raising show pigs and being named “Pork All-American” by the National Pork Producers Council.  He came to be internationally known as a top swine judge.  When he joined the BC agriculture team, Billy brought a tremendous amount of hands-on experience in both farming and livestock (not to mention the prestige of having a high-ranking swine judge on the faculty!). 

Billy was an inspiration at Bakersfield College until his passing in March of 2021.  Because of him, the Animal Sciences program grew to become the largest discipline within the Department of Agriculture at Bakersfield College. As department chair and as the animal science faculty lead, Billy guided the expansion of dual enrollment to the surrounding high schools, encouraging students to continue their animal science education at BC. He also drove a massive outreach campaign to the community through his participation at Kern County Fair and other livestock shows, as a producer and/or judge.

Billy Barnes was a friend to his industry, and he was a friend to BC and its students.  As Bill Kelly has said, “Billy really cared about his students, and he worked hard to find them jobs and placements.”

The Bakersfield College Animal Science program will forever benefit from Professor Billy Barnes’ commitment to making the department a state and national leader. Thanks to this generous $2 million gift, the program will continue to grow and will remain a leader in animal science education. 

Keeping up with industry standards is a top priority for our entire Agriculture Department. If you would like to help with the needs of other disciplines within the department, please call the BC Foundation at (661) 395-4800.

New Edible Education Garden to Serve as Learning Space for Students in
Culinary Arts, Nutrition, and Agriculture Programs

Thanks to funding partners Adventist Health and the Grimm Family Education Foundation (plus support from Dignity Health and Kaiser Permanente) a new Edible Education Garden is being created on campus, east of the agriculture area along Mt. Vernon Avenue (the area where BC’s annual Garden Fest is typically held).

The space will be transformed to include an upper-terrace garden and a mid-terrace garden featuring different varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants.  The 18,000 square foot garden will allow Agriculture, Nutrition, and Culinary Arts students the opportunity to grow healthy food, in a sustainable way.

Dean of Instruction Jessica Wojtysiak, explained that the garden “illustrates our campus commitment to our core values of learning, sustainability, wellness, and community.”

Harvested produce not used in the classroom (or as ingredients in menu items served at the Renegade Room) will go to students through the Renegade Pantry.  In a 2020 COVID-19 Impact survey of students, 45% of respondents reported experiencing some form of food insecurity.  Adding these campus-grown fresh fruits and vegetables to the non-perishables available at the Pantry will provide fresh and nutritious options for students.

The garden is expected to be complete by the end of March.

Series of Peace Gardens is Underway on Campus
Next on the Horizon: Peace & Conflict Studies Program

Over the last couple years, we have endured the unimaginable: a pandemic, an election like no other, and ever-growing polarization in our communities. In every forum we attend, whether it be meetings, virtual gatherings, our jobs, or conversations with friends, the recognition of this polarization grows.

We believe it is the responsibility of leaders in higher education to help develop the minds and hearts of our students, and therefore lead this charge towards a more peaceful future. We must tackle this division and create more just, equitable, and peaceful societies. Thus, Bakersfield College has embarked on its own “Peace Initiative.”

The idea of building an environment that inspires goodwill began in 2020, when Naina Patel approached BC about developing a Peace Garden on our campus. Our Peace Gardens have now grown into a plan for two spaces: “The Learning Garden,” and another garden inspired by Gandhi’s life and ideas. After the unveiling of our Peace Garden project, Rotarian Mike Henstra approached BC about working with Rotary on peacebuilding and conflict resolution programs, and we have since been working with them on a peace poles project as well as a seminar series featuring local Rotary members.

Another element of BC’s Peace Initiative includes additional seminars designed to engage other small groups in our community including: women, veterans, educators, and police in conversations about what peace looks like here in Kern County, and how we build it.

Bakersfield College is not the first college to be curious about incorporating principles of peace into campus culture. In fact, peace studies programs have already emerged at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, and San Diego City College provides an Associate of Arts and Certificate of Performance for Peace Studies.

Community colleges are wonderful laboratories for pluralism since we teach the most diverse student bodies and provide fundamental knowledge and skills to be successful members of our communities. This allows us the unique ability to approach this work both at an institutional level, as well as a very grassroots level.

What we ask now, is that the community join us in this move towards peace. Whether it be through other peace studies programs, initiatives, statements, or conversations– the pursuit of peace is worthy of large-scale collaboration. In fact, if peace is to be achieved at all, it must be done together and all at once, because peace itself is deeply rooted in relationship and collaboration.

BC is seeking partners to help fund summer academies, co-curricular activities, and overall student engagement in this initiative.  The broader goal is to implement a degree-for-transfer in Peace and Conflict Studies, and to hopefully growing this initiative beyond BC.

If you would like to support BC’s peace initiative, please reach out to the BC Foundation at (661) 395-4800. 

Natural Treasures Kept Safe During On-Campus Construction

This spring, the campus is alive with the hum – or rather the clang, bang, and whir – of construction! It is part of daily life at Bakersfield College these days, as new buildings are going up, and older buildings are being gutted and renovated. All, signs of progress! These are daily reminders that BC is moving forward for its students and community, creating a modern environment for learning where faculty, staff, and students have access to the latest technology!

In the midst of this progress, Marcos A. Rodriguez and his Maintenance and Operations (M&O) team are committed to protecting and maximizing the assets and features already on campus. Lately, Rodriguez has been busy protecting and relocating mature trees that are in the path of construction demolition activities.

For example, in order to prepare for the groundbreaking for BC’s new Agriculture building (near Mt. Vernon and Wed & White Way) 16 trees were recently removed with a spade machine and relocated to other areas on campus. 

As an International Society of Arboriculture – Certified Arborist, Rodriguez is passionate about this area of his position as BC’s Executive Director of Facilities and Operations.  He often invites other arborists from the community onto campus.  He is also committed to gaining insight from faculty and other community partners to explore tree programming initiatives.

Bakersfield College was recently awarded a pass-through grant from the Tree Foundation of Kern. This funding source originated from the Virginia and Alfred Harrell Foundation to promote sustainability endeavors in the community. Funds will be used to create a tree inventory, an Urban Tree Forest Management Plan (UFMP), and to acknowledge the Panorama Campus as an official Arboretum for the community to showcase. In addition to this programming, 150 trees will be planted at the Panorama Campus, plus another 50 trees will be planted at the Delano Campus (Timmons).

When Rodriguez walks the campus, he constantly looks for opportunities to create a beautiful and inspiring environment for students, employees, and campus visitors.  He currently has his eye on the north end-zone of Memorial Stadium, as he develops ideas to transform the area with trees and landscaping.  Next time you’re on campus, be sure to take a look at BC’s natural treasures.  They are truly a sight to behold! If you’d like to help support this, or any other landscaping project, contact the BC Foundation office at (661) 395-4800.

Celebrating the Life of Jack Hernandez

Bakersfield lost a legend in November with the passing of Jack Hernandez. It is hard to put into words the tremendous impact Jack had on Bakersfield College and the community over the past 60 years. Jack joined Bakersfield College as a faculty member in 1961 and served the academic community in several prominent roles until his retirement in 2017. He was also a prolific writer, penning Community Voices pieces for the Bakersfield Californian or writing one of his many poems.

His friend and colleague, Jerry Ludeke, wrote: Throughout it all, Jack has been Jack.  You always knew what you were getting with Jack…..clear thinking (maybe a bit esoteric or humorously a bit sarcastic), clear writing (going from essays to plays to academic papers and most recently free-flowing poetry), morally principled action (which sometimes appeared in Community Voices in The Californian), and open-hearted honesty (speaking of hard times in his life and injustices witnessed today.)

He will be greatly missed.

Please join us on April 1, 2022, at 4:00 PM in the new Campus Center Conference Room (3rd Floor) on the Bakersfield College Campus as we celebrate the life and legacy of Jack Hernandez.

All guests must pre-register by completing the Vendor & Special Guest Parking Request

Main Event Contact: Tarina Perry (661) 395-4300 tperry@bakersfieldcollege.edu

COVID-19 Restrictions for Campus Visitors

AMAZON and Bakersfield College Team Up Against Catalytic Converter Theft

Students and faculty from BC’s Automotive Technology program teamed up with the Bakersfield AMAZON distribution team to mark and label approximately 150 catalytic converters on AMAZON employees’ vehicles.  During the one-day event, students interacted with AMAZON’s security management to learn more about employment options with the company.  In appreciation for BC’s help, the company provided AMAZON gift cards to the students and a contribution to the BC Foundation.

BC Adds New Vice President Position to Grow its Innovation Efforts

Bakersfield College is bold about our commitment to creating and developing new and innovative methods and programs designed to propel our students into successful careers and/or continued education.

Recently, a new position has been added to the BC leadership team:  Vice President of Innovation and Development.  Bill Moseley, former Dean of Academic Technology, was recently selected to fill the role.

The position was born out of a need for Bakersfield College to step boldly into the future of education.  Teaching, learning, and our whole approach to the educational journey of our students is changing rapidly, due to the constraints and challenges of a global pandemic, a rapidly shifting economy, and the continual advance of technology. 

Through this position, the college will develop innovative and sustainable ways to meet these challenges and opportunities head-on, developing new programs and partnerships with our community and beyond.  The Vice President of Innovation and Development will work directly with community and adult education, non-credit programs, entrepreneurship, economic and workforce development, the Valley Strong Energy Institute, and applied research in teaching, learning, and technology.