An independent research preview · covering the California Community Colleges
Environmental Scan
AI Landscape by Region
Spring 2025 baseline · June 2026 update

The Environmental Scan, made filterable

Spring 2025 baseline — 8 regions, 122 colleges, 3 entries, 49 notes · updated scan (latest: June 2026) adds 5 source-verified findings (5 new). Every entry is tagged with one or more Vision 2030 domains: People · Policy · Systems · Resources.

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Central Valley / Mother Lode

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Engaged People
  • 🆕Free public AI training workshops with Fresno State (Summer 2026). FCC and Fresno State co-developed two free, five-hour hands-on public AI workshops (June 6, 2026 at Fresno State; July 11, 2026 in FCC's Old Administration Building Auditorium), co-led by FCC information systems professor Todd McLeod and Fresno State CS chair Dr. Shih-Hsi (Alex) Liu, focused on effective prompting using tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot. Sponsored by Granville Homes, with student tutors from both campuses assisting. 2026 · high confidencesource
  • 🆕AI-readiness working group led by entrepreneurship instructor. FCC entrepreneurship instructor Amber Balakian leads a working group focused on AI readiness, informing faculty and students about AI's anticipated workplace impact and emphasizing skills such as freelancing in an AI-shifted job market. 2025 · medium confidencesource
PeopleResourcesSystems
Team/Lead: Fresno City College/Library Faculty Linda Kobashigawa/Business Faculty Rio Waller
7 linked resource(s) — show status
Policies
PolicyResources
Team/Lead: Fresno City College
  • Not yet found. Appears to rely on the Student Code of Conduct professor to professor.
  • Library guide advises:
  • A note about using generative AI in your coursework
  • “We have developed citation guidance with the assumption that you are allowed to use AI in your school work. However, each of your instructors may have different policies about using AI tools, like ChatGPT, in their courses. We recommend thoroughly reading the course policies, syllabus, and checking with your instructors to understand their classroom policies concerning AI.”
2 linked resource(s) — show status
Resources
  • 🆕Three-year grant to implement AI in the classroom. FCC is in a three-year grant to figure out how to implement AI into the classroom and develop tailored AI tools that enhance learning and support teachers while addressing effective and ethical AI use, led by Professor Rio Waller (Computer Information Technology) and her team. Quote from Waller: 'We are in a three-year grant to implement AI, to figure out how to implement AI into the classroom and what are the things we need to think about and what are the things to plan for.' 2025 · high confidencesource
  • 🆕'Sam the Ram' AI chatbot (Gravyty) criticized as outdated. FCC deploys an AI student-services chatbot dubbed 'Sam the Ram' after its mascot, part of a nearly $870,000 three-year State Center Community College District contract with Gravyty (formerly Ocelot) running through June 20, 2026. A CalMatters investigation found the chatbot gave unclear or incorrect answers to basic campus-service questions; an FCC student government VP called it 'outdated.' 2026 · high confidencesource
  • 🆕Central San Joaquin Valley Cybersecurity Consortium / AI-Cybersecurity pathway. FCC co-founded (with Fresno State) the Central San Joaquin Valley Cybersecurity Consortium, born from a grant by FCC business education dean Timothy Woods and Fresno State professor Keith Clement; a founding regional summit was held at FCC in November 2024. The consortium is developing a regional AI-Cybersecurity pipeline/pathway; per FCC cybersecurity instructor Verne Farley, 'The idea is to get schools, local businesses, local technology and government agencies altogether talking about cyber and AI.' 2025 · medium confidencesource