Panel Discussion on Academic Careers at Community Colleges

As part of your academic job search, have you thought about a career at a community college? Consider the following:

• Community colleges presently account for over 40% of higher education in the United States
• There are currently more than 1,200 two-year institutions in the United States, which makes them a good option for individuals with geographical constraints
• Most two-year colleges are eager to attract highly qualified PhDs

To learn more about the academic culture and teaching opportunities at community colleges, join us for a discussion with a virtual panel of community college professors and professionals. These experts will discuss the range of opportunities these schools offer and answer your questions.

Panelists include:

• Juan R. Buriel, Professor of English, College of the Canyons
• Diana Churchill, Professor of Biological Sciences, Mt. San Antonio College
• Pamela Williams-Páez, Professor of Sociology, College of the Canyons
• Flavio Medina-Martin, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, College of the Canyons
• Beth Au, Director of the California Community Colleges Registry (moderator)

See below for detailed bios about each panelist.

Academic Careers at Community Colleges - Panel Discussion
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
2-3:30pm
Register here to receive Zoom link

Additionally, Beth Au will be available May 3-14 to meet individually with UCSB students via Zoom to talk more in-depth about any questions regarding academic careers at community colleges. To sign up for a session with her, you can email her directly.

Juan R. Buriel
English (Composition, Literature, and Critical Thinking), College of the Canyons
Juan.Buriel@canyons.edu

Juan R. Buriel holds B.A. degrees in Communication and American Studies along with an M.A. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California Irvine. He is a Ford Diversity Fellow with the National Research Council of the National Academies, former COC English Department chair, and studies Chicano Literature, subalternity, and critical theory. Juan has been teaching full-time at College of the Canyons since 2007 and lives in Santa Clarita with his family.

Diana Churchill
Biological Sciences, Mt. San Antonio College
dchurchill1@mtsac.edu

Diana Churchill teaches both General Biology and Marine Biology courses and also works with a variety of other student services organizations on campus. She is an alumna of UCSC (Go Slugs!) with a B.S. in Marine Biology and of Florida International University with a Ph.D. in Biology studying deep-sea food webs in the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to her position at Mt. SAC, Dr. Churchill previously worked as part-time faculty at another community college and two Cal State campuses. Her favorite part of being community college faculty is working at an institution that places students and teaching first.

Pamela Williams-Páez
Sociology, College of the Canyons
pamela.williams-paez@canyons.edu

Pamela Williams-Páez has been teaching in higher education for over 30 years and is currently enjoying her 20th year at College of the Canyons. Professor Williams-Páez is passionate about her areas of interests: social justice studies, race and ethnicity, and deviance in society. She considers herself a life-long learner and continues to enjoy working with students, her greatest joy in witnessing their successes. Along with teaching, Pamela enjoys gardening, outdoor life, and doing her pottery. Her current venture, Infinite Pottery, keeps her in her creative mode, balancing family, work and self-care. As an educator and artist, Pamela sees these two worlds relevant for understanding big picture ideas, along with ways of giving back to the community.

Flavio Medina-Martin
Director of Diversity and Inclusion, College of the Canyons
flavio.medina-martin@canyons.edu

Flavio Medina-Martin has held his current position for about 2 ½ years, before which he served at Santa Monica College for about 3 years. In both of these positions, he has assisted and been a lead investigator in various discrimination, sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and abusive conduct investigations. He has been in the field of Human Resources for 15 years and overall Education for 30 years. There are many reasons he enjoys working at a community college. The main one is that no matter what role or function an employee holds in a community college, every person has a direct or indirect influence in helping to cultivate an environment where tomorrow's leaders grow and flourish. Flavio is a proud product of the Community College system. He received an Associate of Arts from Mt. San Antonio College, a Bachelor's Degree from Cal State Long Beach, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne. He is currently enrolled the Doctorate of Education program at Azusa Pacific University.

Beth Au
Director, California Community College Registry
aub@yosemite.edu

Beth Au organizes systemwide jobs fairs for California community colleges and runs the CCC Registry (the State Chancellor's website for jobs at all the community colleges in California). She is an alumna of UCSD with a B.A. in Chinese Studies and of UCLA with an M.A. in Asian American Studies. She was a part-time Ethnic Studies instructor at a community college and regional director for a civil rights advocacy organization prior to working for the CCC Registry. Currently, her favorite part of the job is working one-on-one with interested CCC job candidates and hosting CCC panels for graduate students at the UCs. She loves connecting people (with a passion to change lives at a CCC) one job at a time.

The GSRC is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. For information or to request disability accommodation, please email Hannah Lawrence, Assistant Director of Professional Development, directly.