About

Director Patty Robinson

Patty has worked at College of the Canyons (COC) since 1999, serving in various roles, including Sociology Professor, Department Chair, and Dean of the Social Sciences and Business Division. She currently leads the college's campus-wide emphasis on civic learning and democratic engagement as Faculty Director, Civic and Community Engagement. Receiving her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Davis, she pursued her interests of women's history and medical sociology. Patty organized and facilitated the statewide Annual California Regional Academic Deans' Retreat; crafted the application that launched the college's Pathway to Law School statewide initiative; transformed COC's Honors program from a student club to an academic program; assisted the Department of Fair Employment and Housing when offered a satellite office at COC; partnered with UCLA and Santa Barbara City College on a collaborative FIPSE grant; and co-authored the City of Santa Clarita grant that helped launch the student housing feasibility study.

Patty remains committed to fostering civic equity and inclusion by encouraging real-world problem-solving using project-based learning. Patty participated in the 2-year Mellon Foundation Partnerships for Listening and Action by Communities and Educators (PLACE) grant, and she also completed work on BT2P's The Way Forward grant-one of seven BT2P grants she has authored-which resulted in creating Civic Dialogues, a state-wide virtual speakers' series that has welcomed many of the nation's leading scholars, researchers, and practitioners of civic and community engagement. Patty has published multiple articles addressing the "civic mission" of community colleges, as well has presented on the topic at regional and national conferences, and currently serves on the Board of Directors, National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI). She is also the co-author of COC's recent Carnegie Community Engagement Classification application-the first California community college to receive the designation. In her spare time, Patty enjoys reading, writing, gardening, and traveling. She spends time visiting family in Oklahoma and venturing to her "happy place," Nova Scotia, Canada. Patty is about to embark on her 37^th trip to the province to enjoy its incredible natural beauty, amazing seafood, and wonderful people, something she cherishes.