Lectures and Events

Public Lectures/Events

Past Speakers

  • 9/13/2023 - History of Latinos in the Central Valley with Professor Alex Saragoza
  • 9/22/2021 - Our Ranchero Roots: A History of the Mexican Rancho, Development, and Emigration with Romina Ruvalcaba
  • 9/9/2021 - C.O.P. The Color of Power: Odyssey of a Black Cop with Dr. Tommy Tunson

Faculty Colloquia

Spring 2024:

At the Spring 2024 Normal Levan Faculty Colloquium we honored Dr. Jennifer Garrett, Performing Arts Professor and Bakersfield College Director of Choral and Vocal Studies, for her pedagogical and creative contributions to her educational discipline and our campus.

  • Event: “What is a Power Circle and What Can it Do For Me? Empowering Through Environment, Autonomy and Ownership”
  • Date: Friday, April 26, 2024
  • 10:30AM - 12:00PM
  • Location: Fireside Room

Chef Alex Gomez, Professor Donna Starr, and the Renegade Room provided a delicious lunch.

Biography

Dr. Jennifer GarrettFor the past 11 years Dr. Jennifer M. Garrett has served as the Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Bakersfield College. She also conducts church choirs and serves as the Artistic Director of the Bakersfield Master Chorale. For the past 2 summers, Dr. Garrett has conducted the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Choir in the Disney Concert Hall and will make her Carnegie Hall debut in 2025. Choirs under her direction have been selected to perform at various music conferences and toured both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Garrett is a sought-after guest conductor, clinician, presenter, and speaker. She served as a Choral Representative for the California Choral Directors Association and is the Choral Representative for the Music Association of CA Community Colleges. Dr. Garrett received a bachelor’s in Music Education from BYU, a master’s in Choral Conducting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a doctorate in Choral Conducting from Arizona State University.

About the Lecture

Have you noticed a decline in student interaction? Do you want to inspire students to not only learn but also lead discussions and assist other students as they take responsibility for their education? Over the past 30 years of directing choral ensembles,

Dr. Jennifer Garrett has developed innovative methods that not only improve choral rehearsals but also motivate students to embrace active learning and leadership roles. Come and experience a sampling of a Bakersfield College Chamber Singers rehearsal that employs student-guided learning methods such as power circles, solfege, and the international phonetic alphabet. Following that demonstration, Dr. Garrett’s formal Levan Colloquium lecture will center on student empowerment though a consciously constructed environment that fosters autonomy, ownership, and leadership. This pedagogical approach can be applied to any classroom to improve student engagement and success.

Past Colloquia

 

Humanities Essay Scholarships

Each semester the Norman Levan Center for the Humanities awards $1,000 to $2,000 scholarships to eligible students, who major in a humanities or science discipline and who write an outstanding essay on a topic related to the humanities. The essays are between 750 and 1,000 words in length and are judged anonymously by a committee of BC administrators.