- Welcome to season three of Inland Edition, where we sit down with educators and leaders who are shaping the future of education across the Inland Empire.

These are the people making a difference in our schools every day, sharing their successes, inspiring innovation, and helping prepare the next generation for a bright and successful future.

I'm Joe Richardson, an Inland Empire resident, attorney, and your host.

And joining us today are members of the board of trustees of the San Bernardino Community College District.

Dr.

Stephanie Houston, Trustee Joseph Williams, and Governing Board Chair Dr.

Nathan Gonzales, all proudly serving students and families within the Inland Empire, acting as the governing body responsible for setting policies, managing the budget, and overseeing the district's long-term strategic direction, ensuring the colleges meet the educational needs of the local community.

[light upbeat music] Let's go ahead and meet them now.

[light upbeat music] ♪ ♪ ♪ Welcome back to Inland Edition, and today we have Dr.

Stephanie Houston, who is trustee of the San Bernardino Community College Board.

So good to see you.

- Hi, thank you.

Thanks for having me.

- Let's start off with the idea that, so often, we have a traditional idea of who goes to college and when, right?

But you kind of kicked that right out the door.

You have a very different, nontraditional path.

Talk about that.

- I do.

So, I started my postsecondary experience at age 27.

Walked onto the campus of Crafton Hills College not sure what to expect, but knowing that I needed to have more, knowing that I needed to continue my education beyond what I had at that point, which was a high school diploma.

And here I am 30 years later, Dr.

Stephanie Houston.

That really was the catalyst, the launchpad for me to understand what education means and how it can actually change lives.

- Now, were you always passionate about education, or did it take that experience for you to really develop or discover that passion?

- Interesting.

I always fancied myself a teacher.

- Okay.

- At 27, I already had four kids.

I had plenty of experience teaching in my own family.

- Yeah.

- And once I got into the formal education space, it was reinforced.

And the passion for what that means, because I experienced it firsthand- - Right.

- the informal education of life coupled with that formal classroom experience really reinforced for me the passion that I knew I already had.

- Well, it seems to me that this is a natural progression that you would wind up a public servant, as a trustee on the San Bernardino Community College Board.

How did that happen?

Your idea or somebody else's?

- I would have never predicted that my trajectory would lead me to this place.

However, it's exactly where I need to be.

And, no, it was not my idea!

(Joe laughs) I actually-- There was a vacancy, and I had a longtime friend reach out to me and say, "Hey, have you ever considered?"

- Mm, right.

- And I thought-- My answer was actually "no, I've never considered."

And it was really, "Think about it more, "'cause think you're the right person in the right place at the right time."

And I'm so glad that I went out of my comfort zone- - Sure.

- into this space, because it has been so much more than I could've ever imagined.

- The San Bernardino Community College District includes both San Bernardino Valley College and Crafton Hills College, right?

- Yes.

- Tell us about some of the opportunities available at these schools, general, that people might not know about.

- One of the interesting things, I think, that is a barrier sometimes for anyone, for families, for individuals, to take that first step is, "Gosh, we hear it costs so much money."

So, one of the things that I worked on, dual enrollment- - Sure.

- for our secondary students, worked on articulated programs for our secondary students.

And so, these are opportunities for students who may think college is out of reach for them to experience while they're in high school, earning college credits.

- Mm hm.

- So, understanding that is an opportunity that not all families readily are aware of.

In addition to that, we've really been able to advance our credit for prior learning.

- Now, this is something I didn't know.

I'm looking at this credit for prior learning thing.

Are you saying that, literally, someone who's never set foot in community college, who's never had any college credits, could actually have what they've done professionally already count toward their- - That's correct.

- Oh, wow!

- That is correct.

And, you know, recognizing that there are plenty of people who bring into the classroom what they've experienced before that benefits them in the classroom.

And there's opportunity for credit for that.

Yes, absolutely.

- That's amazing.

- And we are, as a college district, and specifically San Bernardino Valley College, one of the leaders in the state with regard to recognizing, validating, and giving credit for prior learning before you even walk into a classroom.

- So, another thing that stuck out for me in my research was the Learn With Me program.

Talk about that.

- Yes.

So, when we went into COVID and we were all in the pre-K through 12 space, as well as that postsecondary space, doing, you know, school from home, and the opportunities for students to learn were limited to what was available from home.

I work at the County Office of Education, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.

We realized, "Gosh, wouldn't it be super great "if we had programming that represented "our communities, our teachers, our students, "so that our students not only had these opportunities through their Zoom, school, and all of that, but opportunities to turn on a broadcast on PBS that was their school, their community?"

And that's how Learn With Me was born.

And it is a collaboration between the San Bernardino Community College District, our KVCR team, as well as our San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.

- That's amazing.

- And what's unique about Learn With Me is the teachers that you see on screen and in the episodes are not actors, real teachers.

And the students who, those are their teachers, are students from San Bernardino County.

- Wow.

Let me ask you this.

You are a public servant, and obviously, you were picked out.

This thing chose you without you choosing it because there's a fit; your passion for education, your educational background, et cetera.

Being in leadership now, tell me how you stay connected with what's going on so that you know that what you do is as responsive as it can be.

- Really is about community engagement.

Let's talk about "What are the barriers?

", so that then we can address the barriers to make a difference in the community.

We live in a pretty large community.

It's a region of regions with a network of networks.

And so, staying engaged with all of those networks are part of how I, as one person, am connected.

- What do you see as, and you might have led into it a bit, some of your biggest challenges and some of your biggest opportunities, all at the same time?

- You know, the challenges are that every community-?

We can't have a one-size-fits-all model.

- Right.

- We have to be able to develop diversity, differentiation in the approach.

And I think we've been able to do that through what we've already talked about just a bit.

If you're in high school, you can earn credits through articulation, through dual enrollment.

If you are coming back into with some experience, you get-- have an opportunity for credit for prior learning.

Understanding that our programs are constantly changing, we have advisory to tell us, "Hey, are we keeping up with the demands of industry?"

Industry is changing so fast.

But at the end of the day, the relationships and the human aspect of everything we do are center.

And ensuring that our college district, as well as our spaces in the pre-K to 12, create a sense of belonging where we walk onto a campus, any campus, and go, "Oh, okay.

This is for me.

"They built this for me.

I belong here."

And that's really where the magic happens, is the human connection, the relationship connection.

- This has been quick, but it's been informative.

And I'm grateful for you, not only for what you do, Dr.

Houston, but for you taking time to tell us about it.

We appreciate it.

- Thanks for having me.

And I am just so proud of our community and so proud of our district, and I love the opportunity to share.

- Next up, you know, we're gonna talk to another trustee, San Bernardino Community College Board, Dr.

Nathan Gonzales.

And here we are with the board chair!

(Nathan laughs) Dr.

Nathan Gonzales!

Thank you so much for being here, Dr.

Gonzales.

- Thank you so much for having me, Joe.

- [Joe] Now- - And please call me Nathan!

- Okay!

Okay, I will.

So, here's what we gotta do.

We're gonna take advantage of your background and what you do.

You are an archivist.

You're a history guy.

Take us back a hundred years in this area, this geographic area.

What possessed us, those of us that were here all that time ago, to start a college?

- It's a really interesting story, actually.

The '20s were a great time, I think, in the-- Well?

We would've called it, probably, the Orange Empire, then.

But here in the IE, the Inland Empire, California was really on the vanguard of creating a junior college system, way ahead of most of the rest of the nation.

And so, in the teens, the legislature set up the structure to create independent college districts.

And those really started out at high school campuses as kind of an extension of high school.

And in 1926, when the people of the greater San Bernardino area decided we needed to have better access to some level of higher education, they voted to form the San Bernardino Junior College District, really is what it was, but later a community college district.

But voted-- And it was like a 30-to-1 voting margin- - Okay!

- to create this college to expand access.

Because even in the 1920s, they understood that economic and social mobility could only be helped by education.

- Right.

- So, they looked around and said, "San Bernardino's the place."

And, interestingly, the San Bernardino Valley College campus is the very first purpose-built community college campus in California.

- Oh, wow.

That's amazing.

So, talk about what you found when you got to the board and how things have changed over the last five years or so in terms of the educational landscape.

- When I started, we were still coming out of COVID, and that, of course, had impacts for everyone in every sector of the planet.

But we're trying to figure out, you know, how can we continue to deliver quality education in multiple modalities?

I was teaching, actually, at University of Redlands during the spring semester of 2020- - Go Bulldogs!

- And suddenly, you know, we had to completely switch, and I had never taught online before.

So, to figure out how to pivot during that time for the district was a huge undertaking that they did really well.

But coming out of that, then, is, well, how do we look at growing enrollment and how do we now maybe better examine how we offer programs?

So, those are the things that I think we've really learned in the last five years.

We've also been very fortunate because voters approved Measure CC in 2018, that we've got a number of different new campus buildings that are going up.

So, the best example at Valley College right now is the Applied Arts Building.

So, all the new technical stuff that's providing really remarkable experiences for students in various fields, like electric vehicles or water quality, all of these other areas that are emerging.

And we've got cutting-edge facilities for students to learn.

We're way ahead of a lot of other places in those kinds of endeavors.

- You know, we really talk about-- We wanna pump up the Inland Empire.

We want people to know about what's going on in the Inland Empire.

That's what Inland Edition is all about.

Those of us that are here, there's some things, maybe about our history, that would make us all the more proud, all the more confirmed in what we're doing in our path, et cetera.

Some of the things that make us unique.

What would you say if somebody asked you, "What can you tell me about my area that I don't know?"

- The first thing that comes to mind is, there are so many more good things that are happening here than just being the birthplace of McDonald's!

- Right!

(laughs) - Right?

- Although that's not bad when you need a Quarter Pounder, but anyway-!

(both laughing) - Yeah.

I mean-- So, sure, a whole industry of fast food really comes out of this area, but there's so many other great things that are happening.

I mean, we have really high-quality higher education opportunities.

So, whether it's community colleges or a state school like California State University of San Bernardino, or UC Riverside, or University of Redlands, there's a lot of opportunity there for students to better themselves and their families.

But we also have emerging things like tech sector.

Esri locating in Redlands is a huge game changer for the East San Bernardino Valley.

And they've been there since 1969 and are now the world leader in geographic information systems.

That's huge because it also brings with it a very educated workforce.

And we're developing programs that can help contribute to that kind of a workforce, as well.

- Wow, that's amazing.

So, tell us some of the things, some of the ways in which the San Bernardino Community College District has evolved to meet the challenges.

As we've gone over all of these years, how has the district evolved to go hand in hand with the growth in the area?

- Well, I mean, I think the central thrust of the college district has really not changed in the hundred years.

And that's being able to provide quality educational opportunity for the people who live here, because we know that people who graduate with an associate's degree will absolutely have a better income and quality of life than people who choose to end their educational experience with a high school diploma.

That's huge for our region.

So, the more students that we can get and the better we can educate people, you know, we're providing a whole springboard of opportunity for them.

So, that's kind of the central focus.

But we've had to evolve over the years because needs have changed.

Industry changes, educational priorities change, and the necessity of evolving with those changing times, you know, we have really tried to understand and embrace, build the facilities that we need to meet those challenges, and hire the right faculty and staff to make sure that we can deliver that education.

- Now, you're another person that didn't necessarily know, "Oh, I shall run for office one day."

Was that your plan?

- It was never my plan!

(Joe laughs) And I will go on record as saying the only office I will ever, ever run for is to serve the college district!

- Right!

(laughs) - Because education is what my priority is.

- [Joe] Right, right.

And so, how did it come that you would end up being on the board?

- Well, a friend of mine who used to work with me at Smiley Library and now works at Valley College said- sent me a text or something- said, "Hey, you should think about this."

And I said to her, "Why would I do that?"

- What for?

(laughs) - "I have enough going on!"

- She says, "No, I think you'd be really good.

Let me give you a tour of Valley College."

- Right.

- So, she and I met, and we went to The Sunroom and had lunch, and she gave me the most persuasive campus tour I have ever experienced anywhere!

(Joe laughs) And by the end of that, because education has been my entire career, I learned so much about what our colleges offer that I was, like, "Wow, "this is really a cause that I can get behind."

So, I decided, "Okay, I will throw my hat in the ring."

And I never in a million years believed that the board would appoint me, - [Joe] Right!

(laughs) - 'cause there were so many great candidates.

But in the end, they went that direction.

And as I was watching the media, I went, "Holy moly!"

Right?

(Joe laughs) "Oh, I guess I'm in it now!"

So, here we are.

- Too late to change your mind!

- Yep!

And now, I'm chair of the board.

- Wow, look at that.

Tell me about some of the things that you're proud of in terms of the board, how it's worked together.

- We are really fortunate with our board that everyone is respectful, everyone works together.

We don't have any divisiveness.

We are all committed to creating the best educational experience for students.

And because we're all committed to that goal, it really enables better outcomes.

We have an outstanding board.

- Do you have a wish list about things you wanna accomplish coming up?

- Oh, gosh.

Of course, there's always something better-?

Continuing to improve facilities, continuing to do the best we can to support our faculty and our staff, to make sure that they have the resources to deliver quality education.

I was really excited to have been part of the board when we dedicated the new Performing Arts Center at Crafton Hills College, because theater arts was not my major, but was a very important part of my own undergraduate education.

And so, to see that kind of opportunity come up was really exciting.

- Excellent.

Well, Dr.

Gonzales, I thank you very much, Mr.

Chair, for being with us.

And now, we're going to talk to another trustee board member, and that's Joseph Williams.

And last, but not least, we got Trustee Joseph Williams, also of the San Bernardino Community College Board.

How are you, sir?

- Oh, I'm doing good.

It's good to see you.

- Yeah, good to see you!

- Thank you for having me.

- Excellent.

So, let's start here.

You have a lifetime of education involvement.

How long have you known that education was gonna be so central to everything that you did?

- I mean, I think since I got involved with it, really.

I didn't know prior to, but starting off as a student, serving as student trustee, you don't really realize what you're doing until you're doing it.

And then, until you ask me the question again, I never thought about it like that.

And so, it's just been, you know, part of my life's work to help young people move from adolescence to adulthood.

And that's just been through education in the various organizations.

- [Joe] So, talk about the window through which you get to look out now as a trustee member.

Because you started something that's still around, that has made a huge impact, called the Youth Action Project, a nonprofit that's been around for many years.

And now, you're still in this education space, but going through another window in terms of being a publicly elected person, working on boards, dealing with budgets, and things like that.

Look through this window and tell us what you see, versus what you've seen in the other spaces.

- Yeah.

I can first say it's just been a blessing to be able to see and be part of these organizations because, you know, from my perspective, I shouldn't be sitting in this role when you think about my upbringing, coming from Camden, New Jersey, going to school in Rialto.

But being a trustee allows you to see so many things that the average person won't, from budgets, to understanding how public financing works, to understanding the nuances that our students are dealing with.

And then, working in K-12 has really, I think, helped me be a better trustee, 'cause now I can understand some of the operational nuances that staff or the leaders of the community college district have to go through.

'Cause when I first got on the board, I'm like, "This is not happening fast enough for me!"

(Joe laughs) "What's going on?"

But then, you understand the politics behind why things don't move forward, or it could be poor timing.

You know, my point of view has been vast, being able to see, like, how the San Bernardino Community College District has an impact on this region, not just from a education standpoint, but from a economic mobility standpoint.

All of the investments that we do, from the construction projects that we have to the various small businesses and contractors that we have the opportunity to work with.

It's just been a blessing for me and an incredible learning experience.

I think I should just get a PhD just for it, (Joe laughs) because, you know, you learn a lot, you know?

You learn a lot, yeah.

- So, you know, of course, COVID is unexpected.

Right?

You don't expect a worldwide pandemic.

But tell me about some of the challenges that it created and some of the opportunities, maybe, that came from it all at the same time.

- Yeah.

COVID was a gift and a curse.

- Right.

- Because there were a lot of things pre-COVID in terms of our speed to doing a thing.

COVID just opened up so many more options for us, and, specifically, online education.

We were doing tele-education where folks would watch a class on TV.

And so, then, that moved us to being able to do it through the internet.

And that just opened up so many doors for folks who didn't have access to come to campus.

But the speed in which we were able to do it was just unheard of.

I think COVID was a gift and a curse because it caused us to stretch ourselves in ways that we had not before.

And then, we had to learn new things in terms of keeping all of our folks safe.

But today, now, all of the technology, our ability to open up access to more folks.

So, now we don't just serve the San Bernardino Community College District.

People could take classes from anywhere.

And so, our students can come from other states, and they do.

And so, that's why I say it's been a gift and a curse for us.

- We've got this fast-growing region.

- Mm hm.

- And it's a vast region of all kinds of different terrain, all kinds of different communities, et cetera.

Has the idea that there's more access created more of the demand?

"Oh, I can do this.

I can actually do this from a distance."

Or, there's things that are happening with the facilities on campus, so there's more things that-- How do you deal with the potential for increased numbers and having to help more people?

- I would like to say it's all us.

But, you know, I don't really know the answer to it, because it's a combination between what's happening in the economy, and then all of the investments that we're making really creates a level of awareness that was not out there before.

If you walk on either one of our campuses, Crafton or Valley, the amount of construction and the type of facilities that are being placed; we've had the opportunity to pass several bonds, Measure CC and Measure M, and I think we've been good stewards of those investments.

You see the results of them.

- What would you say-?

Somebody's window shopping and saw "San Bernardino Community College District" through the window, what would you want them to see?

What would you want them to know that you're not sure that people know?

What's the best well-kept secret about San Bernardino Community College District?

- The impact that we have on San Bernardino, like, you know, as a whole, at this region, the economic engine.

I mean, right now we have $200 million in economic impact from all the construction.

Almost 200 local companies are benefiting from all of that economic activity through contracts.

And so, when you agree to allow your property to be taxed, that money is being reinvested back in the community.

And so, having that dollar recycle over and over and go to local companies, and those 200 companies are local companies to this region.

And 55% or 50% of the jobs go to local residents.

My area alone, Rialto, which I represent and the unincorporated area of Muscoy, we had $800,000 in just wages go to local Rialto residents on those projects, 55 jobs.

The total wages for their entire projects is about $14 million.

- Wow.

- And so, I think people understand that we're not just an educational institution, but the economic value that we bring.

And then, KVCR, you know?

This is a jewel.

You know, it's becoming a communications tool for the region.

And, yeah.

I think, you know, that we're an economic engine for the region is one of the best-kept secrets.

And I think now folks are becoming more aware.

- Trustee Williams, thanks so much for helping close us out, man.

You're a great anchor!

- You're welcome, and thank you for having me.

- [Joe] Thank you, guys, for joining us once again on Inland Edition.

We appreciate it.

We hope that you will continue to join us as we bring you meaningful conversations with the people and organizations shaping our communities and helping build bridges throughout the Inland Empire.

We'll do it one conversation at a time.

Until next time, I'm Joe Richardson.

Thanks for coming.

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