Vision for the Future Reedley College will likely see continued enrollment growth as people move away from cities, seeking less expensive homes and a higher quality of life. Although the national birth rate continues to decline, eventually impacting traditional high school transfers to Reedley College, this trend will be offset by increased access to early college programs and services, as well as a projected increase in the number of adult students utilizing non-credit courses and programs to upskill or reskill to meet employer demands for technology and software training. Reedley will further expand its online offerings to include more synchronous and asynchronous classes, as well as certificate and degree programs to provide the flexibility needed by our students and their families, addressing the transportation challenges within our rural communities while also expanding access to Reedley’s “signature programs” and class offerings to a broader geographic audience. The College will also build an “agriculture innovation center” to support instructional program development and encourage entrepreneurs to utilize our working farm as a test bed for new technologies. Such an innovation center will facilitate industry partner access to new technologies and enhancements in agriculture practices to support sustainability and address climate change, while reducing the cost of agricultural operations and increasing profit margins for our growers, packers and shippers. Many of our existing programs will adapt to changes in transportation technologies and business requirements over the next decade, focusing again on sustainable energy solutions. Reedley is already participating in a planning grant to identify potential college programs and investments for the production, storage and utilization of hydrogen for use in cars, trucks and other methods of transportation. Although a long-term plan, the Central Valley has been proposed as a hub for hydrogen production to fuel industries and transportation of the future, so it’s important to study and propose educational programs Reedley could offer students to support regional economic stability.
Programs in our Natural Resources department will most likely expand classes to accommodate growth in forestry-related jobs over the next decade, focusing on forest management and fuel reduction to support healthy, sustainable forests that provide important carbon fixation in the soils of our local mountains, while also supporting the health of our national parks and forests. Increased levels of local manufacturing will require more engineers as well as machinists and technicians to operate computerized devices that will increase the accuracy and speed of production of products used in farming, packaging and logistics, as well as other industries, including aviation. A regional economic development plan created several years ago, the Fresno DRIVE initiative, forecasted the development and growth of a local aviation industry, which may be centered around Reedley’s production of both aviation mechanics and commercial pilots. Future opportunities for Reedley College include the development of an applied baccalaureate degree in avionics, already offered in the Los Angeles region. Reedley’s participation in development of the California Community College Aviation Alliance may also bring additional resources and programs to the Central Valley, including air traffic control training, if authorized by the FAA. All these opportunities depend on not only having a well-trained faculty and staff, but modern facilities that support digital access to the internet for all our students, as well. Due to the lack of adequate healthcare facilities in the Central Valley, access to state-of-the- art training facilities and simulation centers will be key to educating our future doctors, nurses and technicians across Fresno, Tulare and Kings County. Thanks to the passage of a state construction bond, plus the District’s Measure Q, there will be additional funding to modernize Reedley’s instructional facilities and offer technologically relevant training to all our students over the next decade.
12 Annual Report 2023-2024
Annual Report 2023-2024 13
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