On July 11, Charles West, director of Cooperative Education/ Work Experience at Bakersfield College, and Abel Nunez, vice president of Taft College, were awarded the John W. Rice award for Equity and Diversity.

The award is named after the late John W. Rice, who served on the Board of Governors from 1995-2000, and is the father of Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

The award is given to those who have worked towards bringing equity and equality to California Community Colleges.

At the July ceremony, state Chancellor Mark Drummond said, “Mr. Nunez and Mr. West were selected for impressing the committee with their numerous achievements in expanding educational opportunities and expanding educational opportunities and enhancing students with success.”

West admits he was not surprised to receive the award because he was approached by the vice presidents of Bakersfield College with the idea of nominating him to the award. They submitted the nomination to the Board of Governors.

However, he was a little reluctant about receiving award. “Some of the things I have been given credit for, I admit I took a leadership role, but the credit should also go to the community, because it was a community effort,” he said. “Effort from the college presidents, vice presidents, faculty, and staff members of our community”

West takes credit for being a leader in many projects, such as the America READS program, which was started by President Clinton. The program’s mission was to tutor children in the area of reading. The program’s goal was to have every child in the third grade reading at a third-grade level. West was very successful in delivering the much-needed America READS programs to migrant farm workers in Shafter.

Two years later America READS branched into the AmeriCorps. Overall, West helped to train more than 200 tutors to work directly with teachers, not only in Shafter but throughout Bakersfield elementary schools as well.

He also takes credit for being able to “help” maintain the African-American staff representation at 6 percent, which surpasses the Kern County demographics of 5.7 percent, according to West.

However, he says that the credit that is bestowed on him belongs to Bakersfield College and its members.

“I’m in debt to every last one of them, administration, staff, and faculty for helping me get to where we are today,” West said.

West moved to Bakersfield in 1981 to pursue a career in the local agriculture business.

He was soon given a position as an adjunct faculty member for BC and taught business.

West earned a full-time position as a faculty member and began to advocate a community college reform bill better know as AB 1725. AB 1725 would require all California Community Colleges’ faculty members and staff to “mirror” ethically the community that the college serves. The bill passed in 1988.

West was later appointed as the first faculty co-chair of the Staff Diversity Committee, in which he was able to help increase the percentage of BC Hispanic staff from 2 percent to 12.4 percent in one decade. He also helped in bringing gender equality among faculty members.

West said BC is the foundation to the accomplishment he has made in order to help and improve BC for students who attend the college, and reside in the Kern County.

“It was all more than just a one-man thing,” said West, who served in the U.S. military for more than 20 years beginning in the 1960s.

West plans to retire in December 2005 and hopes that the BC administration staff will continue to bring diversity and equality to the BC campus.

“Each department should have diversity, not only in regard to ethic diversity and gender equality but also in disability,” he said.

Overall, West continues to share his glory with all of the BC staff. “I just can’t thank them enough,” he said.