BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield College (BC) hired 84 new faculty members in various positions to meet demands for the current Fall 2022 semester. With these hires, BC made a 10.3 percent increase in classes offered.
According to BC, 62 hires are full-time tenure track faculty, while 22 are temporary.
“Bakersfield College is thriving and we are creating a community focused on student persistence, retention, and completion," said BC’s President, Dr. Zav Dadabhoy. "Our Deans and academic chairs have been recruiting, retaining, and engaging talented faculty with a focus on serving our students better today than ever before. And I am so proud that Bakersfield College will continue to grow and innovate how we serve students, thinking creatively to reduce barriers and ensure we have the faculty and course availability for them to efficiently complete certificates and degrees."
Along with staff and class growth, BC had an increase in student enrollment. According to BC, they have received record enrollment growth, with the number of students increasing by 19.6 percent compared to last year. There are currently almost 24,000 students at BC.
"We needed to remain flexible, agile, and creative so that’s what we did,” said Vice President of Instruction, Billie Jo Rice. “We know that many of our students are juggling other responsibilities, jobs, families, tightened finances, or limited time so it was important that they knew we were here to meet their need and help them enhance their life, not cause more stress as they work towards earning their degree and getting closer to the lifelong career they ultimately want.”
Courses that have received more classes and faculty include Agriculture, Communication, Nursing, Industrial Technology, Behavior Sciences, and Public Safety Training.
