News Release

All Campuses
June 12, 2003

Pacoima Online Academy and Cerro Coso Community College Online Announce Innovative Partnership to Bring Education to Communities In Need

Ridgecrest, CA – June 12, 2003

Pacoima Online Academy has formed a partnership with Cerro Coso On-line to reach students at risk of not completing higher education. Pacoima is tapping into Cerro Coso's expertise in the field of on-line education to provide students with a supportive, innovative way to use technology to complete their academic programs. Cerro Coso will provide the intellectual foundation for students to pursue on-line majors in subjects like Criminal Justice and the Social Sciences, while Pacoima Online Academy will partner with community leaders to enhance the on-line program with presentations from lawyers, parole officers, ex-gang members and others interested in creating a positive impact in their communities. Pacoima will also provide student support services. Heather Ostash, Counselor at Cerro Coso, was instrumental in coordinating the partnership and student support services on the Cerro Coso side.

Whitney Kasserman, Pacoima On-line Academy Coordinator, recently stated: " I believe our partnership will be an exciting and innovative example of bringing higher education to communities in need. The structure of our program allows students to build a learning community. . Students that might have a high drop-out rate remain committed to the program because of the support of their peers. We feel this is especially important in the case of ex-gang members because it allows them to form a positive team-relationship in place of the ones they have left behind."

Matt Hightower, Director of CC On Line, views this collaboration as another innovative way that on-line classes can reach students in a non-traditional setting. "While the original focus of on-line education was the flexibility of completing an education from home, the Pacoima project emphasizes that the curriculum can be used in settings that allow communities to reach individuals who might never have considered higher education as an option in their lives.

Ostash adds, "Pacoima's Online Academy's approach of having students complete the course work in teams demonstrates a realistic assessment of what work's with at-risk students in this particular setting. We are please to be able to provide the basic academics, while Pacoima provides the structure to make it work for these students."

Cerro Coso President, Dr. Sharon Dyer is "very excited about this partnership and the opportunity to cooperate with a new and upcoming institution. I believe we have the most outstanding online program in the state and these students will receive excellent service from our dedicated staff. These are the kinds of partnerships that community colleges are about."

For more information visit www.cconline.cerrocoso.edu or phone
(760) 934-2796.


 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Joann Handeland, Director of Facilities Development and Services (760) 384-6230