August 28, 2020 | Issue # 169
This week across the nation, people are dealing with wildfires, storms, civil unrest after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, Zoom outages, and—of course—the ongoing pandemic. Community college students, some of whom already are on the brink of leaving college, need our support more than ever. And I recognize that you, as leaders, need support, too. AACC is here for you.
“Amid COVID, Wildfires and Storms”
If coping with the wake of the coronavirus wasn’t enough, community colleges in certain areas of the U.S. now are dealing with – or bracing for – storms and wildfires. Read how colleges are faring in this CC Daily article.
“Kicking the Year Off…Virtually”
The start of the fall semester has a different look and feel this year. Incoming college freshmen may not be getting the college kick-off they had once anticipated, but a Florida college is making sure they still feel welcome. Read about it at the AACC 21st Century Center.
We’re deeming September to be awards season at AACC. On September 10, we’ll be virtually celebrating the 2020 Outstanding Alumni Award winners. You can register for that webinar here. We’ll have a live online Awards of Excellence broadcast on September 17, which you can register for here. And on September 24, we’ll recognize the Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty during an invitation-only event.
Visit the AACC Gallery
As part of the yearlong celebration of AACC’s 100th birthday, we have put together a virtual gallery that will launch September 3 on AACC’s website. The gallery features great moments throughout AACC’s history.
Community College Spotlight features AACC member colleges on the association’s website. The CC Spotlight also now highlights promising practices at member colleges related to the pandemic. Get your college in the limelight.
On August 27, I was pleased to host a virtual dialogue between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and rural community college CEOs. Participating in the dialogue were the following presidents: Ken Atwater (Hillsborough Community College), Kevin Boys (Southern State Community College), Vicki Karolewics (Wallace State Community College), Luke Robins (Peninsula College), Carmen Simone (Western Nebraska Community College), and Gene Smith (Brunswick Community College). Participating USDA officials: Chad Parker, deputy administrator of community programs; Surabhi Dabir, senior advisor of the Rural Housing Service; Jaime Davenport, director; and Joseph Ben-Israel, assistant deputy administrator.