BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern Community College District appointed a new interim president for Bakersfield College, and Pastor Steven Watkin plans to make a difference on campus. Watkin will be the first Black president of Bakersfield College.
Those who attended Watkin's appointment at the Weill Institute in Downtown Bakersfield say it sets a precedent for other California community colleges.
"This is a historic moment and it highlights what it is to go from Black history to Black future," said Michael Bowers, who was there to support Watkin.
Bowers, Director of Public Relations for Centric Healthcare, applauds Watkin's determination to govern in the aftermath of the pandemic and ongoing difficult economic conditions. Bowers says Watkin's appointment is important because education allows people to move from poverty into prosperity.
Watkin declined an on-camera interview, but did issue a press release that read, in part:
My 33-year career has been student-centered, and it has been fruitful to see the tremendous growth in the programs I've led working with faculty, students, staff, and community partners. I am confident that as we continue this work together, Bakersfield College will continue to thrive and live up to the standards set by those who came before me.
BC student Jonathan Corker says adding Black people to campus will make a difference in the culture of the school by making students of color feel welcomed.
"I hope that the goal and the aim, for one, is to increase the population, add more group activities for these kids on campus so they can feel more comfortable being on campus and so they want to thrive, to become successful, and to also add more African American counselors on staff as well," said Corker.
Bowers says that the visibility of a Black person in a leadership position allows others to see that they can achieve the same in their own lives.
"In most communities, people can't be what they can't see, and they're often expected to play roles they've never seen anybody play, but to see the image of an African American to be at the helm of such a prestigious college, now university, in our community, it shows the progress that we're making," said Bowers.
Watkin will begin his role as Bakersfield College's interim president when his contract begins on May 15, 2023.
