Forum set to explore crucial role of education in the San Joaquin Valley

What is happening currently within the education community of the San Joaquin Valley? What are the challenges and opportunities? What does the future of higher education look like and how does it play a pivotal role in the Valley and in California?

An interactive forum on education and how it will shape the future of the San Joaquin Valley and the state as a whole will be held on Thursday, November 8. Topics will cover a broad range including life-long learning and professional development; the current state of K-12 education, and the future of and access to higher education.

The event is sponsored by California Watch (a project of the Center of Investigative Reporting); University of California, Merced; Campaign for College Opportunity; Merced Sun Star, and Merced College. All the conversations are open to the community and public engagement is encouraged.

The first panel discussions will be held 2 – 4:30 p.m. and will cover the state of K-12 education; developing pathways to sustainable futures and the role education plays in economic development in the San Joaquin Valley. These conversations will be held at Merced College’s Business Resource Business Center, 3600 M Street in Merced.

The second part of this event will begin with a reception held 5 – 6 p.m. at UC Merced’s California Room, 5200 Lake Road in Merced. The reception will be followed by two panel discussions held 6 – 7:30 p.m., beginning with a conversation on the return on investment for education in California and key findings from the report “California’s Economic Payoff: Investing in College Access & Completion.”

A second panel will follow with a discussion on the dynamics facing colleges in California and how UC Merced and other colleges in the San Joaquin Valley provide an opportunity to continue to invest in education as a key driver for the state.

Speakers will include Hans Johnson, a senior fellow and Bren policy fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, Phil Bronstein, executive chair of the board of the Center for Investigative Reporting, and Kim H. Tran, policy director for the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about the changing face of education and how it is a deciding factor in our Valley’s future. To register to attend click here. More details, including maps and parking information, will follow your confirmation of attendance. Questions may directed to Kristin Crawford at kcrawford@cironline.org.

Blueprint Planners’ Toolkit to be discussed at next Valley Futures Forum

The next Valley Futures Forum will focus on the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Planners’ Toolkit, an online resource developed specifically to address strategic planning for long-range growth of Valley cities and counties.  The Forum will be held on Thursday, October 18, 5 – 6:30 p.m. in Forum 102 on the East Campus of Modesto Junior College. The Forum is free and open to the public.

The Toolkit was developed several years ago as part of the implementation of the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Planning Process. The Toolkit provides a comprehensive resource for Valley planners, community members, and decision-makers, and it includes tools to address planning challenges, and facilitate change by incorporating Blueprint principles and concepts into local plans, policies, ordinances, and processes. Used over time, the tools can promote patterns of growth and development that preserve open space and farmland, maintain resources for future generations, enhance distinct communities, and provide more travel choices.

The presenter will be Ted Holzem, Senior Project Manager with Mintier Harnish, who served as the principal design and content manager for the Planners’ Toolkit and is the current Toolkit administrator. Ted will provide guidance on how to use the Toolkit’s collective ideas, resources and planning tools and instigate change in community planning.

Ted has been a planner in both the public and private sectors since 2001. He specializes in land use planning, public policy, planning law, public outreach and meeting facilitation, and management of multi-disciplinary consulting teams. He has managed many types of planning projects, such as regional plans, general plans, specific plans, climate action plans, and municipal services reviews.

Ted has worked with a diverse array of clients, from rural agricultural counties and small rural communities to large urban cities. A native of Tulare County, he has focused on planning projects throughout the San Joaquin Valley for over a decade. Ted is also a specialist in climate change and sustainability policy, which he has addressed in planning documents and as a panelist at local, state, and national conferences.

You are invited to attend this informative presentation on October 18!