Rancho Academy, a pioneering initiative under Rancho Santiago Community College District’s (RSCCD) Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), embodies the district's commitment to fostering diverse talent in California's Community Colleges.
Established in 2020, Rancho Academy offers a pipeline for those interested in part-time faculty positions at RSCCD or other California Community College Districts. With an emphasis on increasing diversity within the district, those accepted in the program take part in a 10-week online program covering topics including the history of California Community Colleges, shared governance and educational frameworks. Once completed, program graduates earn a certificate of completion signed by RSCCD Chancellor Marvin Martinez. Alumni of Rancho Academy have gone on to work at Santiago Canyon College, Santa Ana College and the RSCCD district office as adjunct professors, program specialists, counselors and ODEI coordinators or Title IX specialists.
“I am super glad that I took advantage of this opportunity because it’s presented me with valuable resources and information that has made me more knowledgeable and confident in my aspirations of being a future educator especially within the community college system,” said Dayra Lopez Magana, an alumnus of the Rancho Academy Program. “I really have appreciated this emphasis on diversity and inclusion and on the wellness of the students and the staff.”
The program targets individuals who have attained a master's or doctorate degree or in current standing as a master's or doctoral student who are interested in teaching at community colleges. The free, 10-week course offers participants job interview training, resume help and valuable networking opportunities with hiring managers, administrators and faculty from RSCCD, with the potential to be hired straight out of the program.
“We want to be a resource, not only to within our CCD, but also to other people who want to be able to teach and don’t have the people to bridge them into the system, because sometimes we get connected into jobs because of the people we know,” said Emelyne Camacho, a program coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Jasmin Hudson and Camacho, who work in the district’s DEI office say that they themselves are graduates of Rancho Academy and praised the program for the networking opportunities and connections they were able to make within the District. Hudson says that since they have expanded the program, her team has also begun hosting job fairs for past cohorts, which have a hiring rate of around 80%.
Applications for the June 2024 Rancho Academy cohort will be accepted beginning in May, with only 25 available slots. The deadline to apply is June 2 and the program will begin on June 12. For more information on RSCCD’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, including other programs or events promoting DEI efforts in the District, visit their website, or apply here.
