Chaffey College kicks off new academic year with Orientation Day events | News

Thousands of students and their families will visit Chaffey College’s campuses this week for “Orientation Day” events in preparation for the fall semester.

As Chaffey moves ahead with its sustainable return to more on-campus activities, “Orientation Day” events will serve as an intimate reconnection to campus life and will offer opportunities to meet Chaffey faculty and staff and obtain valuable resources, such as loaner Chromebook computers.

The in-person events will take place 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Aug. 11 at the Fontana campus and 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Chino campus. Rancho Cucamonga campus events will take place from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

“We want to let residents in the community know that Chaffey College is here and ready to serve them when they walk through our doors,” said Chaffey College Superintendent/President Henry D. Shannon. “Thousands of students earn degrees and certificates every year at Chaffey and we are excited to offer more in-person, hybrid and online learning options to help students reach their goals.”

Chaffey will welcome more than 15,000 new and returning students, as well as 20 new faculty, when the 2022-2023 academic year officially begins on Aug. 15. The number of enrolled fall students is expected to increase with additional courses beginning later in the semester.

Chaffey will also unveil a new ethnic studies discipline, introducing three new ethnic studies courses for fall and another three for spring. The courses — focused on topics such as Native American, Latino, Asian and Black culture — provide students with new general education options that also support the college’s equity initiatives.

Ethnic studies became a Cal State University graduation requirement under Assembly Bill 1460 in 2020 and a high school graduation requirement in 2021. University of California colleges also require coursework focused on ethnicity and race.

“It’s celebrating our diversity and our equity,” said Cory Schwartz, dean of social and behavioral sciences. “It makes us better citizens, the more we know about all of our backgrounds and history.”

Chaffey also introduced several new courses in American Sign Language, robotics, astronomy and music production, among other subjects.

New faculty will be teaching a wide variety of subjects including nursing, aviation technology, physical therapy and child development.

The college expanded its face-to-face offerings for fall, with nearly 40 percent having a classroom component. About 60 percent of classes will be online.

The campus has reopened the Wignall Museum to the public for exhibitions for the first time in more than two years. The visual and performing arts department will present music, theater and dance productions for the public in the fall and spring.

“While we recognize that students continue to value the flexibility of online learning, we realize that many students yearn for the full college experience and we look forward to providing that atmosphere this fall,” said Laura Hope, associate superintendent of instruction and institutional effectiveness.

More information on the start of the fall semester and “Orientation Day” events can be found at Chaffey.edu.