Tannehill and Fulks make tenure at Cerro Coso

Cerro Coso Community College is proud to announce that the Kern Community College District has granted tenure to Shelly Tannehill, professor of Nursing, and Peter Fulks, professor of Administration of Justice.

Fulks joined Cerro Coso as a full-time instructor in Tehachapi in 2016. Both of his parents were professors at Bakersfield College, so he grew up in the community college system. Fulks attended both Bakersfield College and Cerro Coso and earned an athletic scholarship to California Lutheran University where he earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice with Alpha Phi Sigma honors.

He followed his dream into law enforcement in a progressive department in Southern California, later receiving the MADD California Hero Award in 2013 and other accolades. Injured in the line of duty, he changed careers and pursued a Master’s degree, where he studied the impacts of social media on high profile law enforcement events. Here he found his true passion in education program development for social good.

For the last three-and-a-half years, Fulks has been a leading faculty member in the development of the Incarcerated Student Education program at Cerro Coso which has become a national leader in face to face prison higher education programs. Ultimately, Fulks is interested in the impacts of education as justice policy interventions for police training and rehabilitative programs. He not only serves as the Department Chair and Professor of Administration of Justice at Cerro Coso but is the Director of Public Services overseeing police academies and advanced officer training. A Ph.D candidate at Nova Southern University, Fulks is studying Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Behavioral Sciences.

Tannehill joined the nursing staff at the Ridgecrest campus in 2016, with over 21 years of experience as a nurse. Previously she served as a professor of Nursing at Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz. She originally thought her chosen profession would be as a nurse practitioner, but discovered a real passion for teaching.

She grew up in Tucson, Ariz. and holds an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Pima Community College, as well as a Bachelor’s in Nursing and Master’s in Nursing Education from the University of Phoenix.

Most recently, Tannehill served as the nursing lead for the Kern River Valley Nursing Cohort that graduated this May. She is a nursing professional that her students truly admire and aspire to be like, holding them to the highest standards of excellence to make sure they reach their full potential.

Tannehill enjoys seeing her students on the frontline improving patient care and leading in their chosen professions.

Cerro Coso President Jill Board called the granting of tenure a, “very big deal here at Cerro Coso.” She joined fellow administrators, faculty and staff to “acknowledge, celebrate and applaud their accomplishments,” at the May Meet and Greet held via Zoom.

“They have exceeded the toughest of standards,” she said. “They have met the criteria for teaching excellence and are well deserving of the award.”