College News

Student Trustee Nominations Now Open!  

Are you passionate about student leadership and advocacy? Here’s your chance to make a difference! Student trustee nominations kicked off in early March, offering students a unique opportunity to represent their peers at a District level. Learn more about qualifications, responsibilities, and the nomination process by visiting our webpage: https://www.yccd.edu/board/student-trustee/.  

College Presidents’ Board Report 

At each Board Meeting, the college presidents give a report on their college, highlighting events and news around the college. 

⏩You can view Woodland Community College President Navarette’s report here.  

⏩You can view Yuba College President Dotson’s report here.  

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Yuba College News 

Congressman Mike Thompson Visits YC 

Yuba College was honored to welcome Congressman Mike Thompson to the Marysville Campus for a special visit. During his time on campus, Congressman Thompson toured key facilities, met with campus leaders, and gained firsthand insight into the innovative programs and impactful work taking place at Yuba College to support student success and serve our region. 

His visit provided a valuable opportunity to showcase the College’s commitment to workforce development, academic excellence, and community partnerships. We are grateful for the thoughtful engagement and interest in the meaningful work happening across our campus. 

A sincere thank you to the faculty and staff who helped coordinate and support the visit. Your efforts ensured a welcoming and informative experience that truly highlighted the strength of Yuba College. 

Happenings around the college 
Mar. 5: Baseball vs. College of Marin, 2 pm 
Mar. 6: Voices of Yuba Speaker Series- Luis Cortes, YC-Marysville, Theatre 10:30 am (flier attached) 
Mar. 10: Tuesday Noon Recital Series, YC-Marysville, Theatre, Noon 
Mar. 10: Yuba College Police Academy Open House and Information Session, YC-Marysville Rm 2149, 6 pm 
Mar. 12: Baseball vs. Napa Valley College, 2 pm 
Mar. 12: YCCD Board of Trustees Meeting, WCC-Lake, 5 pm 
Mar. 17: Baseball vs. Laney College, 2 pm 
Mar. 20: Spring Instrumental W/ Lindhurst High School, Lindhurst High School, 7 pm 
Mar. 21: Baseball vs. Laney College, 1 pm 
Mar. 21: Softball vs. Butte College (DH), Noon 
Mar. 24: Baseball vs. Mendocino College, 2 pm 
Mar. 28: Baseball vs. Mendocino College, 1 pm 
Mar. 30: AAUW STEM Conference at YC-Marysville 

Full Yuba College sports schedules are linked here.
Theatre schedule can be found here. 

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District Office News 

Happy Retirement Dr. Sonja Lolland! 

Dr. Sonja Lolland is retiring from Yuba Community College District after over 20 years of service in the California Community College System, including her role as the Vice Chancellor of Education and Planning from 2019 to 2026. During her tenure at YCCD, she led significant initiatives such as pandemic response, FCMAT Studies, Auto Degree Awards, Enrollment Re-Engineering, and collaborating with academic senates of both colleges. Prior to this, she held leadership roles at Hartnell College, Yuba College, and Sierra College. Her career has been marked by dedication to students and academic excellence, leaving a lasting legacy appreciated by her colleagues, the District Chancellor, and the Governing Board. 

Welcome Dr. Newnham, New Interim VCEP

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Meet Our Staff: Laura Daly 

Laura Daly has been shaping students’ futures at Yuba College since October 1998, when she taught her first video course on Halloween. As a full-time Early Childhood Education Professor, she loves seeing students get excited about what they’re learning and applying it in their lives and careers. 

A former competitive fencer, Laura’s CSUN team placed second in the nation for a year. Today, she enjoys spending time by the ocean, cooking (especially Greek dishes like spanakopita), and pursuing creative projects, including writing and illustrating a children’s book, “In the Garden with Dinky”. 

Her favorite books include The Bible and Anne of Green Gables, and she enjoys cooking shows when she has downtime. After a long day, she unwinds with a good meal, a hot shower, a cup of tea, and rest. 

Laura focuses on excellence, kindness, and a positive attitude in her teaching. She sees teaching as a form of continuous learning, gaining new perspectives from her students and colleagues. She is especially passionate about Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses and trauma-informed teaching, creating more affordable and supportive learning experiences for Lake County students. So far, she’s developed 11 ZTC courses, is working on two more, and has written two OER textbooks, with a third underway. 

Friends describe Laura as caring, thoughtful, organized, and funny, with a talent for making the best spanakopita. Though methodical by nature, she once spontaneously brought home a puppy named Jaxson from a local animal rescue.

Her favorite quote, which she shares with students, reflects her approach to life: 

“Grace and peace be unto you.” 

Whether in the classroom, at the ocean, or in her kitchen, Laura Daly combines creativity, dedication, and compassion to make a lasting impact on her students and community. 

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YCCD In The News 

Media Release: Rural Students Deserve the Same Shot at Success 

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Chancellor Pan’s Monthly Virtual “Open Door” Sessions 

Chancellor Pan offers monthly virtual Chancellor’s Open-Door sessions.  As a reminder, these informal gatherings provide faculty, staff, and students across the Yuba Community College District an opportunity to engage directly with the Chancellor. Have a question, idea, or just want to say hello? Stop by virtually and join the conversation. 

The sessions will be held via Zoom meeting link and the schedule is as follows:  

• Monday, March 23: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  

• Friday, April 17: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  

*dates are subject to change 

District Holiday Closures 
Sunday, March 8 – Daylight Savings Time, Spring Forward 1 hour 
Tuesday, March 31 – Farmworkers Day 
Thursday, April 2 – Friday, April 3: Spring Recess 

Next Regular Board Meeting 
The Board of Trustees next regular meeting is on Thursday, March 12, 2026 at Lake County Campus. The agenda will be released 72-hours prior to the meeting here.  

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Education & Planning Updates

2025-2026, 2026-2027 Academic Calendar Revisions 

The Academic Calendar Committee voted and approved revisions to the 2025-26 and 2026-27 Academic Calendars to remove the distinction between 6-week and 8-week timelines, allowing classes to be scheduled with greater flexibility to meet student needs. This will also remove confusion surrounding deadlines, which vary by class, and assist with registration challenges. 

As outlined in the Academic Calendar Committee’s Charter, the recommended revisions were submitted to FAYCCD and received approval.  

Sabbatical Leave Committee Updates 

This year, three applications were submitted for sabbatical consideration. Following a thorough review, the Sabbatical Leave Committee submitted two applications for approval to the Board on January 8, 2026.  

Kevin Ferns – Language Arts Faculty — Woodland Community College
Kevin’s proposal includes a combination of doctoral research and curriculum development aimed at integrating AI‑enhanced learning into online English courses. His sabbatical activities will include: 

• Completing his dissertation on AI and education 

• Redesigning seven online English courses 

• Leading at least three faculty professional development trainings across WCC and YCCD 

Erika Noffsinger – Mathematics Faculty — Yuba College
Erika’s sabbatical will focus on expanding her instructional expertise through graduate-level coursework and instructional innovation, including: 

• Completing 18 units toward the Graduate Certificate in Mathematics for Professionals and Educators 

• Enhancing pedagogy and content mastery 

• Sharing outcomes through departmental and districtwide professional development sessions 

• Sabbatical Leave Committee is actively revising the application form for clarity 

Sabbatical Leave Application Update 

During Fall 2025, the Sabbatical Leave Committee undertook a focused review and revision of the district’s Sabbatical Leave Application and associated guidance materials to improve clarity, usability, and alignment with current expectations for faculty proposals. 

This effort was informed by issues surfaced during the current application cycle, including areas where applicants required additional guidance on proposal scope, deliverables, and compliance with minimum requirements. 

The updated form and related recommendations are scheduled for presentation to DCAS for review and consideration in early 2026. 

ASCCC AI/Perplexity Presentation to DCAS 

Melissa Ha and Aree Metz in partnership with Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC), arranged for Carlos Guerrero and Michael Stewart to present at the February 5 DCAS meeting. The presentation highlights the district’s ongoing work in artificial intelligence and instructional innovation. AP 4775 – Artificial Intelligence in Instruction was created and approved by DCAS on November 7, 2025.   

Unleashing Leaders Project 

YCCD continues to partner with Unleashing Leaders (UL) to advance key operational and student‑experience projects across the district. This fall, UL supported the launch of the Softdocs Enterprise Document Management implementation. Departments were asked to identify a project lead to participate in the districtwide kickoff and planning process, which will guide form automation, workflow improvements, and the shift to an integrated document management system. 

UL has also been coordinating User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and scheduling for Digital Enrollment (DE) Forms and related workflow sessions, ensuring steering‑group participation and alignment as new forms and processes move toward deployment. 

The State Chancellor’s Office released several key guidance memos Fall 2025, all of which have been shared with DCAS and campus leadership. These memos support YCCD’s ongoing policy alignment, curriculum updates, and compliance planning for 2025-26.  

Regulatory Revisions to the Course Outline of Record (ESS 25‑66) 

Effective October 24, 2025, Districts must update local policies and procedures by April 22, 2026, with full COCI implementation due by Fall 2030. The course outline of record (COR) is one of the most significant documents in our system. It defines, in broad but essential terms, the structure and expectations of a course (what students will learn, how learning will be measured), and the academic standards that apply. These amendments affirm the role of the COR as a living document that both safeguards rigor and reflects our collective commitment to equitable student success. 

Burden‑Free Access to Instructional Materials (ESS 25‑43) 

The new regulation requires that district governing boards adopt policies guaranteeing student access to textbooks and supplemental materials on the first day of class. Practices that meet this requirement include adopting and adapting open educational resources (OER) or providing initial textbook chapters in accordance with copyright allowances. In addition to first-day access, governing boards must also adopt policies that strengthen student access to all other instructional materials before they are required in any course. The goal is to reduce both financial and administrative burdens on students throughout the term. While advancing these efforts, district policies must uphold faculty responsibility and academic freedom in the selection of instructional materials. Additionally, the regulation calls for college districts to support student-centered practices that promote the use of zero-cost and OER materials. 

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Recently Reviewed Board Policies & Administrative Procedures

The below Board Policies (BP) and Administrative Procedures (AP) went through the appropriate review process and finalized in Board Docs.  The AP’s reviewed will go to the Board in the summer as an informational item, per standard practice.  

Minor/No Changes: 

• BP 4020 – Program, Curriculum, and Course Development (Final): Minor legal reference update to ACCJC Accreditation Standard.  

• AP 4020 – Program, Curriculum, and Course Development (Final) (Markup): Minor legal reference update to ACCJC Accreditation Standard and language regarding annual certification on credit courses and credit programs. 

• BP 4021 – Program Viability (Final): Minor legal reference update to the ACCJC Accreditation Standard. 

• AP 4021 – Program Viability (No Changes) 

• AP 4022 – Course Approval (Final) (Markup): Minor legal update to add language pursuit to credit, non-credit sections. No BP 

• BP 4025 Philosophy and Criteria for Associate Degree and General Education (No Changes)  

• AP 4025 Philosophy and Criteria for Associate Degree and General Education (No Changes) 

• BP 4030 Academic Freedom (Final): Minor legal reference update to ACCJC Accreditation Standard. No AP 

• BP 4040 – Library and Learning Support Services (Final): This policy is optional. Minor legal reference update to ACCJC Accreditation Standard.  

• BP 4070 – Course Auditing and Auditing Fees (No Changes) 

• AP 4070 – Course Auditing and Auditing Fees (Final) (Markup): This procedure is legally advised. Minor local permissible change to the name of the audit form to Course Audit Request Form. 

• BP 4107 – Institutional Animal Care (No Changes): In House policy.  

• AP 4107 – Institutional Animal Care (Final) (Markup): In House procedure. Local permissible update to add specific language that Yuba College Veterinary Technology Program is the only program in the district that uses animals for teaching.  

• BP 4220 – Standards of Scholarship (Final): This policy is optional. Minor legal reference update ACCJC Accreditation Standard. 

• AP 5010 – Admissions (Final) (Markup): Minor legal title update to AP 5011 from “dual enrollment” to “Admission of High School and Other Young Students” and removed language referring to international students. 

• BP 5300 Student Equity (No Changes) 
• AP 5300 Student Equity (Final) (Markup): Minor update to Ed Code and Title 5 reference and added a new bullet to address the active involvement of all groups on campus in developing the plan.  
• BP-6307– Debt Issuance and Management
• BP-6320– Investments
• BP-6330– Purchasing
• BP-6450–Wireless or Cellular Telephone and Mobile Communication Devices
• AP 6340– Bids and Contracts
• AP-6550–Disposal of Property
• AP-3540-Sexual Assaults on Campus and in Campus Programs (Minor Changes)

• AP-3516-Sex Offender Information- Updated AP to reflect our campus security instead of the YCCD Police Department.

New Administrative Procedure:

• AP 4775 – Artificial Intelligence in Instruction – NEW (Final) (Markup): In House procedure. 

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—– For current open positions, visit our hiring webpage for more information. —–

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Mission Statement: Yuba Community College District provides all individuals in our diverse communities access to high-quality, affordable higher education that is responsive to student needs. Our mission is to inspire and advocate for student success through our passion and commitment to teaching, learning, and social justice.

Vision: Our vision is to empower our students and strengthen our communities by providing equitable, student-centered learning opportunities.

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Would you like to have an event highlighted in a future newsletter?
 Email dwilliam@yccd.edu for consideration.