October 1, 2021 | Issue # 197
Now that most of your fall semesters are well underway, I’m sure you and your stakeholders are taking a good look at your enrollment numbers. Are you up? Are you down? Inquiring minds want to know! These numbers are a critical piece of data that affect so much, and we should know our numbers. But as the media continues to report about enrollment at community colleges and the value of college, it’s important to remind them and all stakeholders that these numbers are connected to people. They are first-generation students and working parents and people who lost their jobs during the pandemic and recent high school graduates who can’t afford – or aren’t ready for – a 4-year college. Your college may be their second chance – or third or fourth chance – at a better future.
I was heartened this week to see so many people on Twitter sharing their community college experience following First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s simple tweet of “Community colleges equal opportunity.” Let’s amplify those stories. We are institutions of opportunity, and we serve people, not numbers.
“Some Silver Linings in Fall Enrollments”
Fall enrollments at community colleges appear to be fairly flat so far, with a few colleges seeing some upticks and a few seeing small drops. But enrollments at a few two-year colleges have bounced back – in some cases even more than expected – and college officials often found a silver lining in the strategies they established to replace or patch long-held procedures and traditions upended by the pandemic. Learn more in CC Daily.
“Meeting the Need for Flexibility”
New course options are increasing access to education at some colleges. Read about it in the AACC 21st Century Center blog.
Call for Proposals for 2022 AACC Annual
The call for proposals for the AACC Annual Convention, renamed AACC Annual, will open October 4. AACC is seeking proposals that focus on one singular topic; feature a program, service, or organizational change to your institution as a result of COVID-19 or other trends and issues impacting 2-year colleges; highlight significant impact on closing equity and achievement gaps; show measurable quantifiable outcome(s); take an old concept and create something new to better address a current problem; show the ingenuity of the college in difficult circumstances. The deadline to submit a proposal is December 1. All attendees must be fully vaccinated to attend the annual meeting.
Board Nominations Close Today
The call for nominations for consideration for the 2022 AACC Board of Directors slate closes today at 5:00 p.m. (ET). Current member CEOs may self-nominate or nominate colleagues for consideration by the Committee on Directors and Membership Services on November 4. (All nominees must be CEOs in good standing with the association.) Please submit all nominations via email to amroyal@aacc.nche.edu. The nomination must include the nominee’s full name, job title, institution, email address, and phone number.
The AACC Awards of Excellence and Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction applications will launch on October 4. Do you have a program, or person that has made or continues to make a difference in the lives of students? Submit an application beginning on October 4. The deadline for submissions is December 1. The nomination period is open for the Outstanding Alumni Awards. Nominations are being accepted until October 22.
On September 20, members of the AACC Executive Leadership Team participated in a virtual listening tour meeting with CEOs from Missouri and Kansas.
On September 22, members of the AACC Executive Leadership Team participated in a virtual listening tour meeting with CEOs from Iowa.
On September 27, members of the AACC Executive Leadership Team participated in a virtual listening tour meeting with CEOs from Idaho and Utah.
On September 28, members of the AACC Executive Leadership Team participated in a virtual listening tour meeting with a community college CEO from South Dakota.