April 1, 2022 | Issue # 209
Today is the first day of Community College Month. It’s a great time to shout from the rooftops (or from Twitter) about the power of community colleges – and to encourage students, alumni, faculty, and staff to do the same. It’s also a good time to reinforce to our state legislatures and Congress what we want and need – more funding for our students and our institutions. The Biden Administration recently released the fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget, which includes many proposals that would greatly benefit community colleges and their students. The Administration has proposed increases in the Pell grant, Title III – Part A: Strengthening Institutions program, TRIO, Retention and Completion grants, and, most notably, the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants through the U.S. Department of Labor. Let’s join together and let our voices be heard this Community College Month and all year.
“Recognizing Exceptional Faculty”
Meet some of the faculty who will be honored at AACC Annual, highlighted in this CC Daily article.
“A Virtual Look at a Real Career”
Hundreds of Arkansas residents have been able to access hands-on career exploration virtual reality simulations in the last six months in a pilot program delivered through 14 community college partners across the state. Learn more in the 21st Century Center blog.
Celebrating Community College Month
We encourage you to take to social media this Community College Month. Use #CommunityCollegeMonth and #SmartChoice when tweeting about the power of community colleges this month.
AACC Annual Housing Deadline Extended
The housing deadline for AACC Annual has been extended to April 13. If you have registered but you have not made lodging reservations, please log into the Attendee Service Center, use the Service Center dropdown at the top of the conference page, and select the Housing option. Although the deadline has been extended, there are only a small amount of rooms still available. If you have booked through a third-party, we cannot move your room into the AACC Housing block. You must cancel that reservation and book through our housing bureau on the conference website. You will not receive a confirmation for your lodging until we upload all reservations to the hotels, which will take place after our housing deadline.
We’re less than a month away from the start of AACC Annual. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. We’ll see you in New York soon!
Check Out the Latest Episode of CC Voice Podcast
In the new episode of CC Voice, meet the Equity Avengers – Compton College President Keith Curry and San Diego Mesa College President Pamela Luster. Listen here.
On March 21, staff and I participated in a Zoom call with our leadership program facilitators and several community college doctoral program coordinators to capture feedback as we finalize the 4th edition of the AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders. Pictured top row, left to right: President Emerita, Lane Community College Mary Spilde; Hillsborough Community College President Ken Atwater; President Emerita, Pasco-Hernando Community College Kathy Johnson. Second row, left to right: Morgan State University Director, Graduate Programs, Community College Leadership Myrtle Dorsey; President Emeritus, Linn-Benton Community College Greg Hamann. Third row, left to right: Dallas College – Richland Campus President Kay Eggleston; North Carolina State University Professor of Practice at NC State and President Emeritus of Harper College Ken Ender; Program Chair and Professor, Doctorate in Community College Policy and Admin at Univ of Maryland University College Rey Garcia; ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. Bottom row: President Emerita, Prince George’s Community College Charlene Mickens Duke.