September 22, 2023 | Issue # 245
This week, AACC welcomed community college staff from across the country for our annual Advocates in Action program. Attendees heard from U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal, higher education policymakers, and others from Capitol Hill and federal offices. As a college president, you know the importance of advocacy, but no matter how well-informed or well-connected you are, you can’t do it alone. You need a team of advocates. I’m proud that AACC could help prepare your team to be informed advocates for your college and students.
On the topic of advocacy, we’ve been following news about a possible government shutdown coming. There’s been disheartening news coming from Capitol Hill. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and report back when we know more.
Since 2022, the Alabama Community College System has administered its Skills for Success program through which Alabama community colleges across the state train employees in new careers. Labor market information (LMI) was important to the design of the program. Learn more in this CC Daily article.
New Center Aims to Bridge Equity Gaps
Queensborough Community College celebrated the official opening of the Queensborough Male Resource Center (QMRC) last month. The QMRC is geared toward creating positive, lifechanging differences for male students, with a particular focus on self-identified Black and Latino males who experience lower retention and graduation rates at colleges and universities across the country. Read about the center and its design in the AACC 21st Century Center blog.
Interested in presenting at AACC Annual? Or perhaps you’d like to nominate your college or a staff member for an award. Get ready, because on September 5, AACC will open the Call for Abstracts and award nominations. Get more details here.
Committing to Financial Aid Transparency
As you may know, I serve on the College Cost Transparency Initiative Task Force on behalf of AACC. Earlier today, I sent an email about committing to principles and standards developed by the Task Force when creating your institutional aid offers. These principles and standards are, in part, a response to recent efforts at the federal level to ensure that students are able to clearly understand the financial obligations of attending college. You or your designee may submit your commitment online by November 1, 2023. Thank you!
We’re off to the races! Registration is now open for the 2024 AACC Annual conference, which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, April 5-9. Register here. Also open is the Call for Abstracts, so submit your session proposal by October 31.
Nominate, Nominate, Nominate
It’s time to submit nominations for AACC awards. We are accepting nominations for the Outstanding Alumni Awards and the Leadership Award until October 20. The nomination period for the Awards of Excellence, Leaders of the Year, and Rising Stars is open until December 15.
Send Your Workforce Development Staff to WDI
Registration is open for the 2024 AACC Workforce Development Institute (WDI), which will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 23-26. The 2024 WDI theme is “Bridges.” WDI brings together new and seasoned community college-based workforce and economic development professionals to discuss innovative strategies and promising practices in workforce and economic development.
Highlights
On September 10, Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton, Dr. John Roueche, and I addressed participants at AACC’s John E. Roueche Future Leaders Institute and Future Presidents Institute, held in Denver, Colorado.
The latest AACC John E. Roueche Future Leaders Institute participants.
The latest AACC Future Presidents Institute participants.
On September 18, I was pleased to introduce U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal at AACC’s Advocates in Action.