September 26, 2023
Contact: Paul Feist
Office: 916-327-5353
Office E-mail: PFeist@CCCCO.edu
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Community Colleges Board of Governors today approved a bold new strategic framework to guide the 116-college system into the next decade with goals to increase the number of Californians participating and succeeding in higher education, with a keen focus on equitable degree attainment and enhanced socioeconomic mobility.
“California is turning commitments into reality by expanding access to higher education and skill-building for more students, increasing mobility for underserved communities,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “I’m grateful for these efforts from the California Community Colleges to increase success rates and eliminate equity gaps – creating a change of course for generations to come.”
“Vision 2030 continues the community college system's commitment to equitable success for our students. Vision 2030 boldly embraces the next frontier in student-centered higher education--bringing college to students wherever they are and reducing barriers for students,” said California Community Colleges Board of Governors President Amy M. Costa.
Vision 2030, A Roadmap for California Community Colleges is centered on three strategic goals – equity in success, equity in access and equity in support – along with strategic directions that fall under the categories of equitable baccalaureate attainment, equitable workforce and economic development and the future of learning.
The document was adopted after convenings with system stakeholders held statewide over the past several months and will continue to be updated in a collaborative approach. It builds on, and replaces, the California Community Colleges Vision for Success, adopted in 2017, and is aligned with the state’s multi-year Roadmap for California Community Colleges. The document also aligns with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2023 executive order on career education that calls for all students, beginning at the start of high school, to be encouraged to discover and explore well-compensated, lasting careers.
“Vision 2030 envisions a higher education system more inclusive of all Californians that ensures access points for every learner – across race, ethnicity, region, class and gender – to enter a pathway with tailored supports, with exit points to transfer or complete a community college baccalaureate or to obtain a job with family sustaining wages,’’ said California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian.
New benchmarks for measuring progress include increasing the number of community college students earning an Associated Degree for Transfer and increasing the number of students earning a community college baccalaureate degree by 30%. The plan calls for increasing the number of community college students transferring to a University of California or California State University campus consistent with enrollment growth in those two systems.
In addition, Vision 2030 calls for increasing by 10% the number of community college alumni earning a living wage after completing their studies and increasing by 10% the number of students receiving Pell and California Community Colleges Promise Grants.
Strategies include further expanding equitable dual-enrollment pathways for high school students; offering credit for prior learning to veterans and working adults through employers and unions; bolstering collaborations with community-based organizations to bring workforce training to low-income adults; and reimagining instruction through flexible modalities, such as short-term and online classes.
Expanding outreach and support for justice-involved Californians and greater outreach and support for former foster youth also are highlighted. In addition, Vision 2030 looks to a future where generative AI can be harnessed for the greater good by using it as a tool to create adaptive learning experiences that adjust in real time to students' needs and abilities.
Much is at stake: the California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the country with 1.9 million students. The system and its students and alumni support one of every 16 jobs in the state. Vision 2030’s focus on workforce development keys in on careers in healthcare, climate resiliency, STEM, education and early education.
Additional input and on Vision 2030 will continue to be gathered, and the Board of Governor’s is scheduled to review the framework again at its January meeting.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 1.8 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; and degree and certificate pathways. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision for Success, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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