<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/news/2024/0701-bc-history-spotlight-grace-van-dyke-bird.html" dsn="news"><featured>true</featured><title>History Spotlight: Grace Van Dyke Bird</title><item_date>07/01/2024 01:50:23 PM</item_date><author/><description/><image><img src="/_resources/assets/img/news/grace-van-dyke-bird-news-H.jpg" alt="Grace Van Dyke Bird smiling"/></image><tags><tag>2024</tag><tag>archives</tag><tag>news</tag></tags><content_summary>Monday, July 1, 2024 By Deanna Rea Grace Van Dyke Bird was the first recognized President of Bakersfield College and the first woman to head a public community college in California. She was known as both an innovator and a woman of great vision....</content_summary></item>