Month day, 2021 - Vision in Action No.
CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVE TO CATALYZE INNOVATION AND INVENTION TO SOLVE SOCIAL CHALLENGES
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office is launching a bold initiative through its Workforce and Economic Development Division to encourage, harness and develop the inventive talents of communities across California. The goal of the Invention and Inclusive Innovation (I3) initiative is to catalyze innovation and invention to solve social problems that existed before COVID-19 and those that have been created or amplified by the pandemic.
The I3 program is a collaboration between the Chancellor’s Office and the Lemelson-MIT Program, modeled after the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams. The InvenTeams are groups of high school students, educators and mentors that invent technological solutions to real-world problems of their own choosing.
As one of the most diverse systems of higher education, California community colleges will increase access to invention education to women and communities of color who have historically been underrepresented in the innovation and invention economy, but whose life experiences provide valuable insights and perspectives to tackle systemic changes.
Four California community colleges have been selected to work with Lemelson-MIT to develop a prototype customized to the needs of the community college experience focused on ensuring diversity, inclusivity, and equity of invention education, an emerging learning approach for working across disciplinary boundaries. The program design includes multidiscipline student teams working online, in and out of the classroom, utilizing an open inquiry and problem finding approach to solve problems within their communities over six to nine months.
System Guidance/News
The UC Davis Wheelhouse is sharing new research that looks at student parents in the California Community Colleges. In A Portrait of Student Parents in the California Community Colleges: A New Analysis of Financial Aid Seekers with Dependent Children, UC Davis researchers assembled a unique statewide data set that captures the most comprehensive portrait yet of California college and university students who are parenting and who applied for financial aid. Read more and find the full brief here.
A second brief by researchers at USC, UCLA and Long Beach City College, Like a Juggler: The Experiences of Racially Minoritized Student Parents in a California Community College, vividly details the experience of student parents of color at an anonymized community college. Read more and find the full brief here.
The Chancellor’s Office is offering a nuts-and-bolts webinar series on Credit for Prior Learning. Attendees will learn specific approaches and practices from community college colleagues throughout the state who are developing and implementing CPL assessment methods. The brown bag lunch series is Monday, March 8 – Thursday, March 11 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.. Topics and links for each day are below:
CPL Overview: Engaging Your College in Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)
Monday, March 8 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
https://palomar-edu.zoom.us/j/99997930552
Portfolio Review and CPL
Tuesday, March 9 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
https://palomar-edu.zoom.us/j/93303704455
Industry Certification and CPL
Wednesday, March 10 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
https://palomar-edu.zoom.us/j/96801486234
Formal Military Training and CPL
Thursday, March 11 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
https://palomar-edu.zoom.us/j/99661688241
For questions, contact the CPL coordinator at Palomar College, Candace Rose.
The Chancellor’s Office Government Relations & College Finance and Facilities Planning divisions are holding monthly systemwide Policy Advocacy Webinars to provide timely updates on major policy decisions affecting the California Community Colleges, including state and federal legislative and budget actions. These webinars are intended for community college leaders who lead and/or support policy advocacy, including CEOs, chief business officers, marketing directors and/or government relations and public information officers, as well as student leaders, policy advocacy organizations and higher education stakeholders. The next webinar is Friday, March 12 at 10:00 a.m. Register at this link.
The next Chancellor’s Office bimonthly systemwide webinar, aimed at helping faculty, staff and administrators better support the Vision for Success, is Wednesday, March 17 at 9:00 a.m. You can register for the 2021 System Webinars through the link below. Recordings and slides from past system webinars are available on the Vision Resource Center.
Follow this Link to Register for the 2021 System Webinars Now
Registration is only required once and the same link will be used to access all System Webinars in 2021.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, in partnership with Cerritos College, Chaffey College, Foothill College, Compton College and Lake Tahoe Community College, is launching the Courageous Leadership Webinar Series, an opportunity to support each other as we choose courage over comfort in leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism efforts on our campuses.
We invite college leaders to join the conversation to not only lift up what is working in championing DEI and anti-racism on campuses, but also share how we are navigating challenges and supporting each other in our struggles.
The next webinar is Thursday, March 18 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.; all webinars are held on the third Thursday of each month through Thursday, May 20. Please register for the Courageous Leadership Webinar Series to advance DEI and anti-racism and be fearless in our commitment to make the California Community Colleges truly student-ready.
Join the Chancellor’s Office College Finance and Facilities Planning division for its monthly Fiscal & Policy Webinar Series. The team will provide timely updates on issues related to college finance, state budgets and fiscal policy. Webinars will be held on the last Thursday of each month (excluding holidays). The next webinar is Thursday, March 25 at 11:00 a.m. Register here.
The Chancellor’s Office is accepting nominations for the 2021 Classified Employee of the Year Awards. This is an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the work of our Classified Employees that exemplify the Vision for Success and demonstrate commitment to equitable student outcomes in their local community. Please visit our Board of Governors Recognition and Awards webpage for full details. Nomination packets must be sent no later than March 26, 2021.
Registration is open for the third annual California Community Colleges LGBTQ+ Summit, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, April 28 and 29. Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley will open the conference with a keynote address. Breakout sessions include: ‘Before and After COVID-19: How to Initiate and Sustain a Successful LGBTQIA+ Initiative on Campus;’ ‘Challenges and Opportunities in Educating the Educators on LGBTQ+ Experience;’ and ‘Throwing a T-Party: How to Build Trans Spaces On-Campus.’ Find more information here.
The Chancellor’s Office is committed to keeping everyone informed during this uncertain time. We encourage administrators, faculty, staff and students to regularly check the Chancellor’s Office COVID-19 resource page and the Chancellor’s Office Communications to Colleges section for ongoing executive orders, guidance memos and announcements. Current and prospective students can also get connected with their local college to find out specific resources and support services available as well as enroll in their local community college.
Online Instruction/Webinars
The California Counseling Network, a community of
practice sponsored by the Career Ladders Project, is hosting a series of
Counselor Roundtable zoom sessions. Each session is an opportunity to gather
with fellow practitioners from colleges and high schools and engage in
conversations that matter and support our work with students and colleagues. The
next session is Friday, April 23 from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. and the focus is:
Counseling, Data and Accountability: SCFF, Guided Pathways, caseload management
and beyond…keeping our students at the center. Register
at this link.
Student Supports
The California Youth Crisis line runs 24-hours a day, seven days a week: 800-843-5200. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides confidential assistance to anyone in crisis and their loved ones through a live chat and free 24-hour hotline at 800-273-8255. You can also text COURAGE to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Items of Interest
California Legislature OKs plan aimed at in-person learning.
California to give 40% of vaccine doses to vulnerable areas.
California to speed county reopening as COVID vaccinations increase.
How future generations will judge humanity’s performance against the coronavirus.
