Report to Board: May 2025

Celebration Ceremonies

Below is a listing of celebrations leading up to the main ceremony. It includes various cultural events, a ceremony recognizing students who have earned a certificate of achievement and the Dean’s Medallion Ceremony.

Asian Pacific Islander Celebration of Success – was held May 3 in the Cafeteria to celebrate the success of the Asian Pacific Islander students.

Leon S. Peters Honors Program Scholarship Reception – will be held on May 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Old Administration Building, room 114.

2025 Rainbow Graduation Celebration – will be held on May 7 in the OAB West Courtyard to celebrate the LGBTQ student community.

Countdown to Graduation Party – was held April 30 in Veterans Square to build excitement leading up to graduation.

Dean’s Medallion Ceremony – will be held on May 15 in OAB 251 at 6:00 p.m. to recognize this year’s Dean’s Medallion Award recipients.

Certificate Ceremony – will be held on May 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the FCC Gym to recognize students receiving a Certificate of Achievement this year.

Latino Graduation Celebration – will be held on May 17 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in the FCC Gym with keynote speaker, Dr. Felipe Mercado.

2024 Black Graduation Celebration – will be held on May 17 in the Gym from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. to honor the achievements of African American students.

State Treasurer Visits FCC

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma was a special guest of political science instructor Mark Trezza on April 21. She spoke to his American Government students and provided an overview of her job responsibilities, which include financing schools, roads, housing, levees, public health facilities, and other crucial infrastructure projects.

Speakers Forum

The FCC Speakers Forum closed its 2024- 2025 season and welcomed ASL artist, dancer and activist Brandon Kazen-Maddox on May 5 in the OAB Auditorium. Brandon presented SOUL(SIGNS): A Celebration of American Sign Language, Heritage, and Belonging.

Employee Recognition Ceremony Held

On April 4, the Employee Recognition Ceremony was held in the FCC Cafeteria. Eleven retirees were honored for their dedication and service to the college. Over 100 faculty and staff were recognized for their years of service and eight Emeriti Faculty were introduced and will participate in this year’s Commencement Ceremony.

2025 Photo Expo

On April 24, the Fresno City College Photography Program awarded the 2025 Hanna S. Barsam Excellence in Photography Award to photo student Layla Mortier. The award included a cash prize of $1,500, a one-year membership to Spectrum Art Gallery, and a $100 gift card to Horn Photo. During the reception, the audience viewed the recently installed exhibition of photographs by this year’s student nominees: Brianna Gagliardi, Jackie Garcia, William Manjarrez, Layla Mortier, Brittney Patterson, Jaden Valencia, and Edgar Velásquez. The exhibition will remain on display in OAB, room 251 for one year.

EOPS Receives Foster Youth Donation

The Extended Opportunity Program Services (EOPS) Department received a $5000 donation from the W. Ray Johnson Foundation at the 4th annual Sneaker Soiree held on April 24. The funding will be utilized for the NextUp Program, supporting foster youth.

Governor Newsom Reappoints Lee Herrick as California’s Poet Laureate

FCC English instructor Lee Herrick has been reappointed California’s Poet Laureate, where he has served since 2022. Herrick has been at FCC since 1997 and has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe since 2012. He was the Poet Laureate of the City of Fresno from 2015 to 2017. Herrick was an Adjunct English Professor at Modesto Junior College from 1995 to 1997. He is the Co-founder of LitHop, an Advisory Board Member of Terrain.org, Sixteen Rivers Press, and Anacapa review, and a member of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.

Student Magazine Revived

The About Ourselves Magazine is composed of student essays that were written in the English courses at Fresno City College. The magazine was founded in 1993 by English faculty member
Rachel Lopez. It has been dormant since 2018, and it is being revived this semester. A reading and reception will be held on Thursday, May 8 from 5 - 7:30 p.m. in the OAB East Courtyard, featuring readings from FCC students. Limited copies of the magazine will also be available.

Inaugural Tenured Faculty Reception Held

TOn April 25, a reception was held in celebration of the 20 newly tenured faculty members at the college. This event was an opportunity to recognize their achievements, express appreciation and celebrate this
important milestone together.

Celebrating the Arts in May

Join us during the month of May and celebrate the arts. Performances will include voice recitals, guitar concerts, jazz combos, symphony orchestra, commercial music and New Wrinkles. All performance dates and times can be found on the calendar.

Torch of Excellence

Honoring athletes and their academic excellence, the 29th Torch of Excellence was held on April 30 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District Building. The Rams had nine Chancellor recipients who earned a 4.0
GPA for two semesters, 153 President’s recipients who earned a GPA of 3.51 – 4.0 for the spring or fall semester and 84 Dean’s recipients who maintained a 3.2 – 3.5 GPA for the spring or fall semester of 2023.
Women’s soccer player, Valerie Rocha Cervantes, was named the Female Athlete of the Year and Giovanni Pifferini from the football team was named the Male Athlete of the Year.