April 1, 2026
The AACC convention starts next week in Seattle and the energy is buzzing. With more than 200 sessions and 63 exhibitors, this promises to be a stimulating experience full of camaraderie and learning for everyone. Presentations tailored to empower our members and stakeholders will inspire us all: The Power of Storytelling: Changing the Narrative and Amplifying Learner Voices, Redesigning Community Colleges for Post-Completion Success, and Leaders Make the Future are among the robust options awaiting you!
As Workforce Pell enters its final rulemaking stages, an April 2 opens in a new windowAACC webinar will provide updates on a variety of policy developments, with a close look at the Pell Grant shortfall. There is still time to weigh in on the U.S. Department of Education (ED)’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Workforce Pell by the April 8 deadline. Institutions can submit original comments to the opens in a new windowFederal Register notice or build on AACC’s opens in a new windowdraft comments. Input from campuses and state offices is important to educating ED officials about your needs.
Last week, ED formally released the fiscal year 2026 (FY 26) opens in a new windoweligibility application for the Title III-A, Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP). Some questions remain about how FY 26 institutional aid dollars will be distributed, but in all likelihood the SIP program will be a conduit for substantial funding, including some that previously was allocated to Minority-Serving Institutions. More information may be provided in today’s opens in a new windowDepartment of Education webinar.
I want to thank the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) for the research that enabled my article on “ opens in a new windowThe Missing Link in the Talent Pipeline: Why Student Voices Matter.” Connecting our students more thoroughly with job placement and career counseling is a high impact strategy. CCCSE’s in-depth research on our students’ experiences helps us all to plan more intentionally for impact that matters.
Another lesson from the student experience was front and center at the opens in a new windowGeneration Hope conference in Dallas last weekend. I was thrilled to reconnect with former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona at the event. He is clearly committed to empowering students to complete their educational journeys while raising children.
Thank you to Minnesota State College Southeast for their warm welcome last week. I was impressed by their strategic planning and excited by the substantial crossover with the Resilient by Design report. My trip reminded me how well some states, like Minnesota, are mapping their opens in a new windowcollege education programs to wages and career pathways. Tools like these can help students to build their own futures even more intentionally.