Rio Hondo College’s Board of Trustees on June 12 unanimously selected Mendocino-Lake Community College District Superintendent/President Dr. Arturo Reyes to assume leadership of the College, pending approval of a contract in July. Reyes, who has led Mendocino College since 2013, will succeed Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss, who retires June 30.
The funds are part of a 2018-19 California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office grant of $10 million that will be divided among college campuses based on attendance. Rio Hondo College’s share of a $2.5 million grant in 2017-18 totaled $27,405, funds that were coupled with $25,000 pledged in each of the past two years by Rio Hondo College’s Superintendent/President’s Office to operate the RioSource Room, a combination food pantry and resource hub launched in fall 2017.
Rio Hondo College celebrated more than 1,800 graduates at its 56th annual Commencement on May 23, including 16 students who earned the College’s first-ever Bachelor of Science degree. A keynote speech was given by alumnus Dr. Luis S. Garcia, who advocates for marginalized communities in Los Angeles.
The Rio Hondo Community College District has successfully refinanced a portion of its general obligation bonds, saving the community more than $13.9 million in interest cost that will be passed on to residents through lower tax bills. The District encompasses portions of southeast Los Angeles County and includes Whittier, El Monte, South El Monte, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, and Los Nietos.
A former Rio Hondo College student who has long advocated for the homeless and other marginalized communities will give the keynote speech at Rio Hondo College’s 56th annual Commencement ceremony.
Rio Hondo College will celebrate the graduation of 11 new Tesla START technicians, the third cohort to graduate since the Whittier-based College became the globally recognized innovative car company’s second training partner in 2018. The new START program graduates, who have already been placed at Tesla service centers in Buena Park, Burbank, Costa Mesa, Pomona and San Diego, join 26 graduates of cohorts one and two.
The retirement celebration, held at the Doubletree Inn in Uptown Whittier, featured lauds for Dreyfuss from local officials, state legislators and national officials for her many contributions to the College, including its two-year guarantee of free tuition for first-time, full-time students, a four-year Bachelor of Science degree and creation of a strong fiscal foundation. The event was also attended by members of Dreyfuss’ family, area K-12 school district superintendents and presidents of other California community college campuses.
Rio Hondo College’s inaugural class of 16 Bachelor of Science graduates represents not only a profound transformation in California’s educational focus – allowing four-year degrees at community colleges – but also a transformative experience for the students, according to College officials.
Rio Hondo College broke ground May 14 on a transportation center that will provide an all-in-one transit hub for the campus community. The Rio Plaza project, in planning for more than three years, will feature restrooms, vending machines, bike lockers and shade structures.
Rio Hondo College will celebrate the graduation of its inaugural class of Bachelor of Science degree recipients in Automotive Technology as part of a historic state program that allows select community colleges to offer four-year degrees.