Vision in Action No. 81

June 16, 2022 - Vision in Action No. 81 

    

CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES CHANCELLOR ELOY ORTIZ OAKLEY TO LEAVE POST TO HEAD EQUITY-FOCUSED HIGHER EDUCATION FOUNDATION

California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley today announced that he will leave the post he has held for nearly six years to head a leading private foundation committed to increasing the share of students of color and low-income students who complete college. 

Oakley, who has led reforms resulting in steady and significant gains in student success across the 116-college system, will step down effective Aug. 1 to assume his new position at the College Futures Foundation. 
 
“Chancellor Oakley has been an incredible leader and champion for higher education, setting California’s  community colleges on a course for transformational change,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “As we execute on  the vision for a more equitable, affordable, and student-centered system of higher education, I look forward to continuing to work with Chancellor Oakley in his new role, along with the strong leadership in the Chancellor’s Office and at campuses throughout the state.”
 
Oakley and the Board of Governors ushered in the community college system’s Vision for Success, a student-centered strategic roadmap to close equity gaps, increase transfer and boost the number of students earning certificates and degrees. 
 
“So much of our work has been informed by the Vision for Success. It has been and will continue to be our North Star, and the Board of Governors is steadfast in its commitment to those principles and values,” Board of Governors President Pamela Haynes said. “We are indebted to Chancellor Oakley for his vision, his unwavering commitment to our colleges and most importantly our students. He has been the catalyst for reforming and transforming our system and directing our focus on closing equity gaps, meeting students where they are and designing our institutions with them in mind.”
 
Haynes added that the board will meet in July to appoint an interim chancellor and engage in a comprehensive search for a permanent chancellor.
 
Read more here.

VISION FOR SUCCESS CORE COMMITMENT 6: ENABLE ACTION AND THOUGHTFUL INNOVATION

This is part of a series highlighting colleges activating the core commitments.
 
Through core commitment 6, the Vision for Success encourages us to be bold in adopting new policies, programs, and processes that will help students reach their end goals. Not every idea is a good one, but it is important that those driving change at colleges experiment, track results, make adjustments, and keep moving forward. Innovators should be supported when experiments fail, not blamed.
 
As California slowly emerges from the pandemic and begins to rebuild, now is the time for college professionals to analyze what shifts actually worked for students and consider making some of those changes permanent. Looking ahead, many college leaders are thinking hard about how to use a one-time influx of state and federal money strategically.
 
This month, as we wrap up our core commitments series, we are featuring Long Beach City College’s Cultural Curriculum Audit team for their innovation in activating core commitment 6. To close equity gaps and improve student success, faculty and leadership have rallied around a campus-wide effort to revamp courses to be more culturally relevant, inclusive, and welcoming—and they are sharing their approach with other colleges to apply to their unique contexts. 
 
Watch College Futures Foundation’s spotlight: Leaders Driving Change - Long Beach City College’s Cultural Curriculum Audit Team.

VISION FOR SUCCESS CORE COMMITMENT 7: LEAD THE WORK OF PARTNERING ACROSS SYSTEMS

This is the last part of a series highlighting colleges activating the core commitments.

Of all the resources needed to rebuild California’s education systems and economy, effective partnerships may be the most important. Colleges can make remarkable progress by reaching out to K-12, CSU, UC and workforce agencies—setting aside any “us versus them” mentality—and working collaboratively to ease transitions for students and help them reach their end goals.

As we close out this series with our final commitment from the Vision for Success, we are highlighting Dr. Robert Pimentel, the new president of Fresno City College and formerly their vice president of educational services & institutional effectiveness, for embodying core commitment 7. 

Pimentel discusses the college’s “Transfer Pathways” dual enrollment program, which expands dual enrollment so that students can earn general education college credits toward a four-year degree at no cost while still in high school. To accomplish this, Dr. Pimentel and his team at Fresno City College partner closely with Fresno Unified School District, State Center Community College District, and other community partners. 

Watch College Futures Foundation’s spotlight: Leaders Driving Change - Dr. Robert Pimentel at Fresno City College.