February 18, 2026
Contact: Melissa Villarin
Office: 916-327-5365
Office E-mail: MVillarin@CCCCO.edu
Intersegmental Summit, hosted by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Strengthens Partnerships to Advance Student Basic Needs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A shared commitment to equity, inclusion, and student wellbeing guided the California Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance (CHEBNA) 2026 Summit, a two-day event which concluded last Wednesday in Sacramento. This year’s event, hosted by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, in partnership with the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC), brought together more than 800 higher education leaders, practitioners, advocates, and students from across California.
During the two-day event, participants engaged in discussions exploring solutions to ensuring students’ housing security, food access, financial stability, health, and mental wellbeing. All critical components that directly impact students’ ability to thrive academically. And by working across segments, attendees examined ways to leverage their collective expertise to address service gaps and build systems of support that follow students throughout their educational journey.
“Student success begins with stability and support, and this summit reaffirmed that meeting students’ basic needs is a shared commitment across higher educational systems. When we collaborate intentionally, we can reduce barriers that disproportionately impact underserved students. Together, we can create clear pathways for students to thrive and reach their goals,” said Stacey Shears, California Community Colleges vice chancellor for student affairs.
Meeting basic needs is a collective priority and is closely aligned with each system’s goals, including the California Community Colleges strategic plan, Vision 2030.
Ensuring that students help shape the services intended to support them is central to this work. The summit provided a platform for students to share their journeys, celebrate their successes, and engage directly with attendees. Their voices served as a reminder of why intersegmental partnerships matter.
“The student voices shared at CHEBNA 2026 were a powerful reminder of both the impact of this work and the opportunity ahead of us,” said Ray Murillo, interim assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, equity & belonging at the CSU. “Meeting students' basic needs is fundamentally about equity and student success—ensuring that stability and support strengthen, rather than hinder, persistence and completion. The CSU remains committed to sustained, systemwide investment in basic needs and to strengthening our intersegmental partnerships so every student has the tools to persist and succeed, academically and well beyond graduation.”
“I am proud to have represented the University of California at the 2026 CHEBNA summit,” said Cynthia Dávalos, UC associate vice president of graduate, undergraduate, and equity affairs. “At UC, meeting students’ basic needs is fundamental to equity and academic success. Since its creation, UC’s basic needs model has advanced a holistic approach that strengthens financial stability and access to essential supports such as food and housing. We remain committed to removing barriers so that every student can achieve their academic and professional goals.”
The CHEBNA Summit is held every two years, with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the CSU, and UC alternating hosting duties. The next Summit, scheduled for 2028, will be hosted by the CSU. The CHEBNA Summit honors a decades-long commitment to equity, recognizing the work done and the work ahead to ensure all students have access to higher education and the supports needed to succeed.
A group photo from the Summit is below. Additional photos are available in Collections/California Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance (CHEBNA) 2026 Summit.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2.2 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 2030, a strategic plan designed to improve student success, our communities and our planet. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
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