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line 31, column 0: style attribute contains potentially dangerous content: 10.0pt (24 occurrences) [help]
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Source: https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/feed/

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<title>Students expand cybersecurity knowledge with real-world scenario</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/students-expand-cybersecurity-knowledge-with-real-world-scenario/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6433</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Conrad Ledebuhr gave off a cool demeanor as he sat in the new computer lab used for cybersecurity training at Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) on April 15. But not too cool. The fourth-semester IT-networking student, with six of his classmates, was tasked with first recognizing that a cybersecurity breach had been made, and then […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Conrad Ledebuhr gave off a cool demeanor as he sat in the new computer lab used for cybersecurity training at <a href="https://www.cvtc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chippewa Valley Technical College</a> (CVTC) on April 15.
 But not too cool.
 The fourth-semester IT-networking student, with six of his classmates, was tasked with first recognizing that a cybersecurity breach had been made, and then figuring out how to fix it.
 “I’m cautiously optimistic,” Ledebuhr said with a smile, anticipating the challenges he and his classmates were sure to face.
Stephen Casselman, CVTC IT-networking instructor for the group, said as soon as the college purchased the CyberBit software to teach students and businesses how to manage cybersecurity threats, he decided a trial of the software would be needed.
“We’re set up to be the leading force in cybersecurity,” Casselman said. “It’s about instructors knowing that practical application and then teaching it to students and, in the future, businesses in western Wisconsin.”
But before instructors can take on the private sector, Casselman said they needed to get their feet wet.
 The seven students logged into the software and waited for their custom event to begin.
Before the start at 9:30 a.m., as the IT students were anxiously waiting, Ledebuhr, 19, a graduate of Chippewa Falls Senior High School, said that’s where his love of information technology was born.
As a high school sophomore, he enrolled in a class to learn how to repair Chromebook computers. In the Chippewa Falls school district, every student uses a Chromebook at school. Teaching students how to fix the computers helps the district and allows students to learn IT skills.
“I took that class for the fun of it and figured out that I do like working the technology,” Ledebuhr said. “Then I went on to become an intern at the high school, which was largely about fixing student devices. I also got to work over the summers installing different technology and using different systems. That inspired me to go into information technology.
“And when looking at options in the area, CVTC seemed like the best bang for my buck.”
In his fourth semester, he’s preparing to enter the “real world” with this vast experience.
Just before his curtain call for the drill, he said he’s not sure if he will go into strictly a cybersecurity profession, but that even if he doesn’t, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility.
 “It’s a world that all IT employees are inherently involved in,” Ledebuhr said. “It’s on everyone’s shoulders. Everyone who works in technology has some level of responsibility to not do the things that leave your company open to breaches.”
As he said those words, instructor Casselman deemed the drill active. Ledebuhr and his classmates dug into the scenario of a large network where a system was hacked and the website was defaced.
“They had to work as a team to discover what it was and how to recover from it,” Casselman said. “They were told to do this using the tools that people in the profession check daily in case something like this were to happen. Students had to piece information together and follow the trail.
“In many ways, it is like a digital escape room with a much more realistic scenario.”
The students worked the drill for two hours. Casselman said the students passed the overall scenario, which is a win.
 Ledebuhr and his classmates applied the knowledge they gained over the last few semesters and worked together to understand the problem and determine a solution.
“The students did not have the real-world experience with an actual breach to apply to this scenario and had to learn to communicate as they worked on next steps,” Casselman said. “When communication broke down, it led to students looking at options they didn’t need or making incorrect assumptions, which ate away at their time.”
Casselman said that’s the point of the training – to learn which next steps make the most sense so the situation can be resolved as quickly as possible.
“Many professionals who do this for a living but have not worked through an incident are likely to overthink it and dive deeper than necessary,” he said. “These students now have career experience, and the scenario proved they are right in line with industry professionals.”
This article originally appeared <a href="https://www.cvtc.edu/news-events/news/2024/april/digital-defense-cvtc-it-students-expand-cybersecurity-knowledge-with-real-world-scenario" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. 
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<item>
<title>Viewpoint: Moving the needle on supporting undocumented students</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/viewpoint-moving-the-needle-on-supporting-undocumented-students/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 14:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6429</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Last summer, Massachusetts took a significant step toward inclusivity and equal opportunity in higher education through the passage of the state’s tuition equity law. This long-awaited legislation allows all of the Commonwealth’s students, regardless of their immigration status, to access in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, and state financial aid at both public and […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Last summer, Massachusetts took a significant step toward inclusivity and equal opportunity in higher education through the passage of the state’s tuition equity law. This long-awaited legislation allows all of the Commonwealth’s students, regardless of their immigration status, to access in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, and state financial aid at both public and private institutions. The culmination of nearly two decades of unwavering advocacy, this groundbreaking law is a testament to the power of collaboration between advocates, higher education leaders and state officials who worked tirelessly to make it a reality.
With U.S. District <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/09/14/1199428038/federal-judge-again-declares-that-daca-is-illegal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Judge Hanen’s latest ruling that declared DACA unlawful</a> and congressional deadlock over immigration reform, collaboration at the local and state level is now more important than ever. The passage of Massachusetts’ tuition equity law allows us to recognize the pivotal role that colleges and universities can play in advancing policy change locally, as well as implementing legislation to ensure the safety and support of DACA, undocumented, refugee, international, and other immigrant-origin students and staff.
<h3>Helpful strategies</h3>
Nearly <a href="https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">half the states</a><a href="https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/states/"> in America</a> now have some kind of tuition equity law, and as others look to join this vital, growing movement, here are a few important strategies to consider:
<ul>
<li>Build a big coalition tent. Community colleges, public and private universities all have an interest in tuition equity, and so do business leaders, K-12 schools, social service agencies and non-profits serving immigrants and refugees, and many other organizations. The <a href="https://miracoalition.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition</a> and the <a href="https://www.maroundtable.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts Business Roundtable</a> were just two of the very different organizations finding common cause in our big coalition tent.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The plight of young, undocumented immigrant students is important to explain, but it is not always sufficient by itself to make a case for bipartisan support of tuition equity. Understanding and describing the state’s workforce needs, higher education enrollment challenges and other economic drivers can help build an even more compelling case. During our campaign for tuition equity in Massachusetts, I partnered with a state senator to <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/education/undocumented-students-are-the-key-to-our-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly outline all the reasons</a> we needed to pass the law, and as we grew our coalition, these became our most important talking points.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Play to your strengths (and don’t worry about who gets the credit). Committed college presidents, elected officials and respected business leaders can all help get attention and influence, while local, community organizations are able to drive grassroots participation and national education and advocacy groups like the <a href="https://www.presidentsalliance.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Presidents’ Alliance on Immigration and Higher Education</a> can provide expert policy and communications guidance. No one can get it done alone — it takes all of us working together.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The economic argument</h3>
These local collaborations are crucial ways to protect our students and staff in the face of federal inaction and the potential impacts of state policies such as Massachusetts’ tuition equity law can’t be understated. In Massachusetts, as predicted in a <a href="https://massinc.org/research/sizing-up-massachusetts-looming-skilled-worker-shortage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), the state will be nearly 200,000 college-educated adults short of the workforce we will need by 2030. This is compounded with <a href="https://www.mass.edu/bhe/documents/College%20Going%20Rates%20of%20Massachusetts%20Public%20High%20School%20Graduates%208%203%2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declining state-wide enrollment rates</a>. As Massachusetts grapples with a growing skilled-worker shortage, immigrants, including young, undocumented college students, are pivotal to sustaining our communities and economy.
A recent report released by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration <a href="https://www.presidentsalliance.org/the-future-higher-ed-growing-immigrant-origin-student-population/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partnered with the Migration Policy Institute (MPI)</a> and the <a href="https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/research/report-undocumented-students-in-higher-education/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Immigration Council (AIC)</a> found that immigrant-origin students now account for 31% of all domestic students in U.S. higher education. When looking closer at <a href="https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/state/massachusetts/">Massachusetts</a>, half a million students enrolled in the state’s colleges and universities today are of immigrant origin and among them, more than 11,000 are undocumented. Further contributing to an under-utilized talent pool, <a href="https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/state/massachusetts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a thousand undocumented students graduate from high school annually</a> with little to no pathways to access higher education.
According to the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, in-state tuition policies will allow undocumented and DACA students to contribute <a href="https://www.masstaxpayers.org/sites/default/files/publications/2023-06/230620%20In-State%20Tuition%20Conference%20Preview.final_.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an estimated $2.6 to $3.5 million</a> into the state’s community colleges and public universities. Furthermore, in 2022, international students and other immigrant-origin students contributed <a href="https://opendoorsdata.org/fact_sheets/massachusetts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over $3 billion into Massachusetts’ economy</a>. When considering how DACA, undocumented, refugee, international and other immigrant-origin students can contribute to our communities and local economies, it’s pretty clear that pushing for tuition equity policies nationwide is a common-sense move.
<h3>Maintaining momentum</h3>
What’s more, this legislative win is not an isolated event. Massachusetts has become the 24th and most recent state to enact tuition-equity laws across the country.
As new political and economic realities require us to reconsider how our institutions can identify and embrace a broader talent pool, it’s now evident that campus leaders need to work with key local players beyond higher education. The good news is that we don’t have to navigate these collaborations alone. <a href="https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/resources/policies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Higher Ed Immigration Portal</a>, for instance, offers comprehensive guides and resources. Furthermore, the successful passage of tuition equity across the country, including Massachusetts, provides a blueprint for how our colleges and universities can unite to champion inclusivity, diversity, and opportunity for all.
By working hand in hand with advocates, business leaders and state officials, campus leaders can empower dreamer students to study, work and participate more fully in their states but also enhance educational opportunities for every member of our diverse communities.
This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/04/viewpoint-moving-the-needle-on-supporting-undocumented-students/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC Daily.</a>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Working to re-enroll students</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/working-to-re-enroll-students/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 14:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6428</guid>
<description><![CDATA[More than a dozen New Jersey higher education institutions are working to support the Some College, No Degree statewide initiative. It is estimated by the National Student Clearinghouse that more than 790,000 New Jersey residents have earned some college credit but left school before completing their credential or degree. Through the statewide Some College, No […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[More than a dozen New Jersey higher education institutions are working to support the <a href="https://nj.gov/highereducation/somecollegenodegree.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Some College, No Degree</a> statewide initiative.
It is estimated by the National Student Clearinghouse that more than 790,000 New Jersey residents have earned some college credit but left school before completing their credential or degree.
Through the statewide Some College, No Degree (SCND) initiative, the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) with partner ReUp Education is working to re-engage this demographic of students to complete their college degree.
In Spring 2023, 17 colleges and universities – nine community colleges among them – formed the first cohort to tackle this work. Between April and December, more than 2,800 New Jersey residents have re-enrolled and the institutions involved have earned around $8 million in recaptured tuition.
In December, five more higher ed institutions joined the initiative.
Participating institutions were awarded grants of $100,000 to $200,000 to help with their efforts.
<a href="https://www.mccc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercer County Community College</a> (MCCC) is one of those institutions.
“We are thrilled to participate in this important program,” MCCC President Deborah Preston said in <a href="https://www.mccc.edu/pr/General/2024/BridgeToCompletion.html">a release</a>. “There are many reasons why a student may have to take a break from achieving their dream of obtaining a college degree, and as educators, we want to provide them with every opportunity to make attaining their goal of earning a degree possible.”
The college’s Bridge to Completion program is providing resources including financial assistance, dedicated re-engagement specialists, study support including tutoring, flexible course schedules, prior learning credit eligibility and more.
“By helping students navigate their return to postsecondary education and making it accessible and affordable for everyone, we are allowing them to overcome barriers to equity in education,” said Marvin Carter, MCCC’s director of diversity, equity, and inclusion and Title IX coordinator.
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Serving justice-impacted students</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/serving-justice-impacted-students/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6426</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Minneapolis College partners with businesses, community organizations, school districts, and individuals on workforce development, service, philanthropy and more to promote student success and advance its mission of providing access to the transformative power of education. Transformation and Re-entry Through Education and Community (TREC) is a partnership between Minneapolis College, Metropolitan State University, and the University […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://minneapolis.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minneapolis College</a> partners with businesses, community organizations, school districts, and individuals on workforce development, service, philanthropy and more to promote student success and advance its mission of providing access to the transformative power of education.
Transformation and Re-entry Through Education and Community (<a href="https://undergrad.umn.edu/TREC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TREC</a>) is a partnership between Minneapolis College, Metropolitan State University, and the University of Minnesota. The program focuses on offering degree programs at three state correctional facilities: Stillwater, Lino Lakes and Faribault.
The TREC partnership offers an associate degree track through Minneapolis College and a bachelor’s degree track through Metropolitan State University. The U of M supports these degree programs by creating opportunities for members of its community to teach courses inside facilities and contribute to co-curricular programming.
The degree-offering TREC partnership between Metro State University and Minneapolis College is one of the strongest examples of how deep, authentic collaboration between Minnesota State institutions can rapidly increase access and attainment for Minnesotans who are traditionally excluded from higher education. In 2019, before TREC began, there were only 12 currently incarcerated full-time college students.
In less than three years, TREC has built one of the more sizable college-in-prison programs in the nation. TREC is unique because it was built as a statewide model led by access-oriented institutions. The program enrolls almost 300 students, and by end of summer 2024 will already have graduated almost 40 students with bachelor’s degrees and over 70 students with associate degrees and certificates.
Programmatic funding is provided through grants and donations from Ascendium, Jobs for Future, DEED, the Office of Higher Education, and the Minneapolis College Foundation. The program was awarded the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell experimental site, allowing incarcerated students to become eligible for Federal Pell Grants.
The Minneapolis College TREC program is a collaborative initiative between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs that encompasses a myriad of components from degree offerings to student programming and engagement. Currently staffed by three employees, the program plans to hire a director in the upcoming months.
<h3>TREC Resource Center Offers a Place of Belonging</h3>
To support justice-impacted students, Minneapolis College recently opened a TREC Resource Center on campus. A justice-impacted student is someone who may have previously been incarcerated, has had a family member involved in the justice system, or has been affected by the justice system at some point in their lives. The TREC Resource Center provides a dedicated space for these students; a quiet space to come together for support, offering re-entry workshops and programming, a place to study, access to computers, and a place of belonging.
“People are often judged by the worst decisions in their lives,” says Sarah Lemanczyk, TREC faculty and program facilitator, who notes that in the TREC Resource Center students can relax and feel at home. “Their ‘back story’ doesn’t matter,” she says.
Research shows that access to higher education for people impacted by the justice system is vitally important in leveling the playing field and in pulling families out of generational poverty and out of harm. It can drastically change the lives of students, families, and the community. Students re-entering the community have a high need for basic support services, and the TREC Resource Center will serve as an incubator for student success.
According to TREC program coordinator Michael Valesano, “Higher education is proven to be a key factor in breaking cycles of incarceration while strengthening students’ self-confidence and connections to their families, communities, and the world at large. We intentionally focus on intervening in cycles of harm by shrinking the space between the inside and outside.”
This article originally appeared <a href="https://minneapolis.edu/news/serving-justice-impacted-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
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<item>
<title>Building an academic excellence framework for faculty</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/building-an-academic-excellence-framework-for-faculty/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6423</guid>
<description><![CDATA[City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) has designed a framework to help faculty achieve excellence at all stages of the faculty lifecycle. Across its seven colleges, CCC employs more than 500 full-time and 1,000 part-time faculty members. The system on-boards more than 100 new faculty every year – some from industry with little teaching experience. These […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.ccc.edu/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">City Colleges of Chicago</a> (CCC) has designed a framework to help faculty achieve excellence at all stages of the faculty lifecycle.
Across its seven colleges, CCC employs more than 500 full-time and 1,000 part-time faculty members. The system on-boards more than 100 new faculty every year – some from industry with little teaching experience.
These faculty are teaching 40,000 students who have “complex lives,” CCC Provost Mark Potter said during a session at AACC 2024. There’s a lot of good work faculty are doing, but student learning experiences have been “uneven,” he noted.
In a Dropped Student Survey conducted in 2020, academic reasons accounted for 21% of students who stopped out. Among those students, the most frequently reported issue was “Faculty did not show interest in my progress or getting to know me.”
The second biggest issue was quality of instruction.
These results “signal the need for a really intentional approach to supporting faculty in their work to support student learning,” Potter said.
That’s what led to the development and implementation of a framework for faculty.
<h3>Pillars of excellence</h3>
The academic excellence framework aligns actions and outcomes with the desired traits and dispositions of highly successful faculty. The expected outcomes are improved student learning, a sense of belonging and connectedness, increased student retention and completion rates, a positive college culture and “a sense of purpose and meaning for faculty,” according to Potter.
Through a collaborative process, which included the faculty council, CCC desirable skills and attributes of faculty were determined. They include having a student learning and success focus, being curious and reflective, being self-aware, culturally responsive and actively anti-racist, demonstrating inclusivity in their instructional approaches, integrating technology and more.
To help faculty achieve these attributes, excellence pillars were created and mapped to the faculty lifecycle. That means that whether a faculty member is on-boardeding, has just become tenured, is mid-career (where most CCC faculty are) or has been at the college for more than 30 years, resources and development are available to them.
That’s a different approach. Faculty have always been engaged very deeply in the tenure process, but “we hadn’t been paying attention to on-boarding,” said Deputy Provost Stacia Edwards. And there wasn’t much in development for people after they get tenure.
As a whole, professional development across CCC often came as a “one-off,” Edwards said. Faculty were “so hungry” for more. This new framework can “help them build in areas where they want support,” she said.
Many of the resources are available online so faculty can access them anytime.
The framework also prioritizes “celebration, reflection and accountability,” Edwards added.
<h3>Building momentum</h3>
There have been challenges along the way in developing and implementing the framework.
Each of the seven colleges in the system is unique, so one challenge is to deliver things specific to each college but that are connected across the district to a similar theme. Fortunately, the presidents at each of the colleges are supportive of framework and “leading with a consistent voice,” Potter said.
Another challenge: Not all faculty are eager to participate in activities. Sometimes they are compensated for their participation and sometimes “we appeal to their intrinsic motivation,” Potter said.
But it is good to start with a “coalition of the willing and build momentum” from there, Edwards advised.
It was even occasionally hard to convince faculty with demonstrated excellence to participate.
“It hasn’t been part of the culture where faculty could stand up and talk about what’s making a difference,” Potter said. “We’re trying to create that culture.”
None of the work is meant to disparage faculty or be a “gotcha,” Edwards said.
“This is about being meaningful to them,” she said.
This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/04/building-an-academic-excellence-framework-for-faculty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC Daily</a>.
 
]]></content:encoded>
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<item>
<title>Ready to help</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/ready-to-help/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6420</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is offering assistance to students, employees and the community impacted by the collapse of the Key Bridge. A wide-ranging list of strategies have been implemented to help ease the challenges of those in need. With its Dundalk campus less than five miles from the Key Bridge, the true impact […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.ccbcmd.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community College of Baltimore County</a> (CCBC) is offering assistance to students, employees and the community impacted by the collapse of the Key Bridge. A wide-ranging list of strategies have been implemented to help ease the challenges of those in need.
With its Dundalk campus less than five miles from the Key Bridge, the true impact of CCBC and the surrounding community is not truly known; however, CCBC President Sandra Kurtinitis didn’t hesitate to find ways to offer relief in areas where she felt the college could be helpful.
“When faced with a challenge, we do what we always do,” Kurtinitis said. “We face it, and in this case, we do what we must do to help those around us whose world has been altered by an unanticipated crisis.”
While those based at CCBC Dundalk may feel stronger ramifications, the collapse of the bridge has a far-reaching impact affecting the entire college community in a multitude of ways including travel, financial and emotional. A kaleidoscope of initiatives is already underway to address.
Students facing challenges will find CCBC reviewing class start times when possible, being flexible with arrivals due to new traffic patterns, seeking ways to decrease financial burdens brought on by the collapse and increasing awareness of available support resources like mental health services and student food lockers and pantries.
CCBC employees directly impacted can expect flexible work options to improve commutes as appropriate and financial assistance for families experiencing a loss of income associated with the bridge collapse.
Additionally, CCBC is offering assistance to the community. The Small Business Administration has opened one of their Business Recovery Centers at CCBC Dundalk. Located in the Garden Annex Building, the Center offers low interest loans to small businesses that have been negatively impacted by the bridge collapse. CCBC also is exploring other ways to help the community, such as hosting or providing space for job fairs and offering programs that could provide training, retraining or upskilling for those facing job displacement.
According to Kurtinitis, “The long reach of this disaster goes well beyond CCBC Dundalk and the local Dundalk community. CCBC is a well-known and welcome presence at the Port, at Tradepoint Atlantic, and in every Dundalk neighborhood. This is yet another moment in our college’s life cycle where we can consciously animate the meaning of the word ‘community’ in our name: Community College of Baltimore County. We have capacity, and we have commitment. We stand ready to help!”
This article originally appeared <a href="https://www.ccbcmd.edu/About-CCBC/Newsroom/news-articles/2024/04/11/10/28/Assistance-following-Key-Bridge-collapse.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
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<title>Celebrating 25 years of developing community college leaders</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/celebrating-25-years-of-developing-community-college-leaders/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6419</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Community College Leadership Doctoral Program (CCLP) at Morgan State University celebrates 25 years of educating the next generation of community college leaders. This pipeline to executive positions at a two-year college or system will help to address the increasing number of positions vacated by the growing number of senior community college leaders approaching retirement. […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The <a href="https://www.morgan.edu/seus/aslp/ccl-edd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community College Leadership Doctoral Program</a> (CCLP) at Morgan State University celebrates 25 years of educating the next generation of community college leaders. This pipeline to executive positions at a two-year college or system will help to address the increasing number of positions vacated by the growing number of senior community college leaders approaching retirement.
Program Director Dr. Myrtle Dorsey salutes the 25 years of exceptional students, outstanding graduates, learned faculty, and extraordinary accomplishments in the field of community college leadership. Today, the CCLP is one of the largest doctoral programs in community college leadership in the country. Through the years, more than 500 scholars have been enrolled in 62 cohorts, yielding more than 250 graduates. This fall, there are 136 scholars in the pipeline. This preparation of education practitioners began as a three-year campus-based program and is now offered 100% online.
Dorsey reflects that newly minted leaders, no matter their roles, must be ready for the unexpected. Many aspire to the presidency role, but some seek positions as dean, or vice president, or to be better equipped as faculty members.
A major emphasis of the CCLP is to support and inspire research that is relevant to contemporary issues and concerns of the nation’s 1,038 community colleges. Although research and theory are important, according to Dorsey, “putting theory into practice” is the watchword for the EdD initiative at MSU. The program, only open to individuals with direct experience in higher education, follows American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) <a href="https://www.aacc.nche.edu/publications-news/aacc-competencies-for-community-college-leaders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">competencies</a> delivered through Quality Matters guidelines. In alignment with the MSU mission, the goals of open access, equity, and inclusion are guiding principles.
<h3>Once upon a time</h3>
The Community College Leadership Doctoral Program initially was designed to prepare working two-year community college professionals for senior level leadership roles and professorial positions within the community college setting. All admitted scholars were committed to attaining a Doctor of Education degree, and in alignment with Morgan’s mission, they helped to ensure that the benefits of higher education are enjoyed by a broad segment of the population. Students were prepared to emerge from the program equipped to handle the unique and diverse leadership challenges associated with leading and teaching in the 21st-century community college.
These goals helped to reverse the underrepresentation in doctoral degrees for educators in community colleges and other more access-oriented institutions. Graduates were prepared for the reality of the marketplace, prepared for increased capacity for research, and prepared for the rigor of advanced leadership opportunities.
<h3>In the beginning</h3>
Since the original program was developed in 1998, the direction and emphases for community colleges and expectations for their leadership have changed considerably. For both educators and the community, there is renewed emphasis on workforce development for advancement and economic stability for independence.
All members of the community college community seek institutional knowledge and learning experiences to better understand how they can make an impact. As vast numbers of community college leaders retire from senior leadership positions, expectations of today’s leaders have shifted. New leaders are transformational, more collaborative and inclusive, realizing leadership is about impact for every segment of the institution.
In their research and approach, program scholars and graduates understand and respond to the shifting priorities. They also take advantage of access to a variety of opportunities for growth and a global professional network of scholars and mentors.
<h3>Program success stories</h3>
Graduates of the CCLP have achieved success not only in advancing to community college leadership positions, but also are demonstrating transferrable skills that propelled them to positions in other sectors of higher education, government service, and community engagement.
<ul>
<li>Scholar Troy Miller was named vice president for strategic enrollment management at the University of Southern Indiana.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Kevin Wade was selected for National Higher Education Leadership Foundation membership.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Harriette Scott is the new SREB vice president of postsecondary education.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Franceska Jones is the president & principal consultant of Jones Consulting Firm.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Calvin Ball serves as Howard County Executive.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Kimberly Beatty serves as chancellor at Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Monica Brown serves as senior vice president for student affairs at Montgomery College.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Angel Clay serves as director of admissions & recruitment at Capitol Technology University.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Erika K. Davis serves as director of admissions and new student orientation at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Joseph Issac serves as president of the Nubian American Advanced College.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Bill Heiser serves as chief operating officer of Anne Arundel County Public Schools.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Irving Clark was appointed as president of Southern Crescent Technical College.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. R. Michael Welsh was appointed as dean of the School of Arts and Communication at the Community College of Baltimore County.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Leslie Jackson was appointed director of the student support services program at Baltimore City Community College.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Jonelle Knox was named assistant provost for academic affairs, student success, and retention at New Jersey City University.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Patricia Riley has been appointed dean of general education at Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury, Maryland.</li>
<li>Alum Dr. Derek Moore was selected as the next president at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, New Mexico.</li>
</ul>
Demonstrating excellence and broad community interest and engagement while in the program, three scholars — Josalind Chambers, Michael Covington and Adrienne Matthews — during the dissertation phase of their CCLP doctoral studies, were selected to participate as Fellows at NACCE, a national program dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship education and fostering academic excellence.
<h3>What does the future have in store for CCLP?</h3>
The Community College Leadership Doctoral Program will continue to offer the 100% online Doctor of Education (EdD) Program as an opportunity for community college practitioners and other leaders to explore, discover and advance significant innovations. CCLP also will continue to offer a master’s degree in Community College Administration and Instruction.
In response to widespread interest and expanded vision and programmatic goals, the CCL Program also will offer a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Community College Leadership. The new PhD Program, available for Fall 2025 admission, will feature the following:
<ul>
<li>Additional research focus</li>
<li>High residency and low residency (required residency weekends) options available</li>
<li>Dissertation requirement</li>
<li>Interest in two-year colleges as catalysts for social and economic change</li>
<li>Emphasis on policy reform and practice in urban educational systems</li>
</ul>
To acknowledge this 25-year milestone, the Community College Leadership Doctoral Program has scheduled a series of events for April 2024 during National Community College Month, including a research symposia on April 16 and a CCLP 25th anniversary <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cclp-25th-anniversary-luncheon-tickets-840563286417" target="_blank" rel="noopener">luncheon</a> on April 19.
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<title>A family formula</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/a-family-formula/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:01:40 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6414</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For nearly two decades as a medical lab technician in his native Pakistan, Daniel Jacob developed a love for analyzing details and diagnosing samples. However, after moving to Louisiana in 2015, he worked in the tool rental business to support his wife and four daughters. “In my rental business job, I noticed so many chemical […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="entry-content clearfix">
For nearly two decades as a medical lab technician in his native Pakistan, Daniel Jacob developed a love for analyzing details and diagnosing samples. However, after moving to Louisiana in 2015, he worked in the tool rental business to support his wife and four daughters.
“In my rental business job, I noticed so many chemical plants with labs,” Jacob said. “I started thinking there may be opportunities to utilize previous skills to gain employment here. A friend recommended SOWELA as a great place to further my education and to prepare me for a career in the chemical labs.”
That recommendation led Jacob to enroll in <a title="SOWELA Technical Community College" href="https://www.sowela.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOWELA Technical Community College</a>’s chemical laboratory technology program. The faculty and staff were supportive and encouraged him to apply for jobs in local chemical labs while in school due to his prior experience.
“In 2020, I applied at Rain Carbon and was selected for a laboratory position, but Covid paused all hiring, so I continued my studies,” Jacob said. “I commend SOWELA for their efforts during Covid because students could continue their studies without wasting time or money. After Hurricane Laura, we missed about a week and continued studies through Canvas,” the college’s online learning management system.
During this time, Jacob worked in retail while his wife also worked.
“It was a tough time, but SOWELA was wonderful and helpful the entire time,” he said.
Eventually, the hiring freeze ended, and Rain Carbon called him back and offered Jacob a position as a lab analyst at a much higher pay rate.
“My instructor said she would help me after I accepted the job,” Jacob said. “She recorded all lectures so I could continue attending school and finish my last semester. I would complete a 10-hour shift and then come home and listen to the lecture. I graduated in Spring 2021, and it was a big achievement.”
<h3>In the family</h3>
This experience led Jacob to encourage his daughter, Rohama Daniel, to enroll at SOWELA in the same program.
“Rohama saw my achievements and believed she could do that. We are very much alike. She’s very technical. We think the same way, and she has a curious mind. I suggested that she earn a technical degree to give herself opportunities to earn a good living.”
Today, Daniel is in her second year of the chemical laboratory program and plans to graduate next year. In addition, Jacob’s daughter, Kawish Daniel, graduated in 2023 from SOWELA’s culinary arts program and now works as a dietary aide, making a SOWELA degree a family tradition.
This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/04/a-family-formula/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC Daily</a>.
</div>
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<title>First-of-its-kind registered apprenticeship program launches in Wisconsin</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/first-of-its-kind-registered-apprenticeship-program-launches-in-wisconsin/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6410</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Madison College, UW Health and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development have launched the nation’s first respiratory therapist registered apprenticeship. The three-year program is open to UW Health staff. Graduates will earn an associate degree and become licensed registered respiratory therapists after passing board examinations. Madison College faculty will provide classroom instruction, including prerequisite coursework […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://madisoncollege.edu/?page=start" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Madison College</a>, UW Health and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development have launched the nation’s first respiratory therapist registered apprenticeship.
The three-year program is open to UW Health staff. Graduates will earn an associate degree and become licensed registered respiratory therapists after passing board examinations.
Madison College faculty will provide classroom instruction, including prerequisite coursework and core respiratory therapy-specific courses.
All tuition, books and supplies, as well as full-time salaries and benefits for the apprentices will be supported by UW Health. The program will also provide holistic academic, diversity, equity and inclusion and community support.
Respiratory therapists are in high demand, providing critical care to patients with acute and chronic respiratory conditions, including those impacted by Covid.
Madison College’s partnership with UW Health and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, shows its commitment to solving workforce challenges with industry partners in a variety of creative ways, says Marissa Tokarczyk, interim dean for the School of Health Education at Madison College.
Last April, Madison College partnered with UW Health and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development to create a four-year registered nurse apprenticeship, with 16 students in the inaugural class. The program will welcome a new class this month.
“The School of Nursing is excited to continue its collaboration with UW Health in welcoming the second cohort of RN Apprenticeship students,” Tokarczyk says. “We are also excited and proud to launch the first respiratory therapist apprenticeship in partnership with them this upcoming fall.”
With workforce demand outpacing the supply of graduates, academic and clinical partnerships that support incumbent workers, who would otherwise not be able to pursue higher education, are essential to addressing shortages in our Wisconsin healthcare workforce, Tokarczyk says.
Both apprenticeship programs support racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse healthcare personnel to pursue an associate degree.
There will be five people in the first respiratory therapy apprenticeship group. Apprentices will work as respiratory therapist assistants for the first 12 months of the program and as student respiratory therapists for the last 24 months.
After graduating and passing the board examination, the apprentices will transition into respiratory therapy positions at UW Health.
This article was originally published <a href="https://www.uwhealth.org/news/uw-health-launches-first-respiratory-therapist-registered-apprenticeship-in-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. 
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<title>Unlocking potential through professional advising, instructional innovation</title>
<link>https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/unlocking-potential-through-professional-advising-instructional-innovation/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tabitha]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/?post_type=article&p=6406</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When analyzing completion data, it became clear that academic advising was a key component to successfully navigating academic pathways. Historically, Stanly Community College (SCC) provided optional academic advising and registration using faculty advisors. In 2014, SCC implemented mandatory first-year student advising, but many barriers to quality advising remained. Teaching schedules, committee work and other responsibilities […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[When analyzing completion data, it became clear that academic advising was a key component to successfully navigating academic pathways.
Historically, <a href="https://www.stanly.edu/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stanly Community College</a> (SCC) provided optional academic advising and registration using faculty advisors. In 2014, SCC implemented mandatory first-year student advising, but many barriers to quality advising remained. Teaching schedules, committee work and other responsibilities limited faculty’s time to meet with students. Many faculty worked nine-month contracts and were unavailable during the summer.
Scheduling with faculty was difficult and students looking for drop-in guidance often found their advisor in class. Students would have to meet with another advisor, resulting in retelling challenges, goals, and preferences. Limited time for advisor training resulted in students receiving conflicting information and frequently being referred to other departments for additional answers. Faculty were at capacity, with limited time to innovate, learn new technology or develop new instructional skills. As a result, the 2015 SCC’s IPEDS 150% graduation rate was 18%.
To combat this, SCC added a backup, part-time transfer advisor in 2014. Over the next three years, the part-time advisor provided basic advising for most transfer students to reduce transfer faculty workloads. An early alert system was also implemented during this timeframe, with new retention specialists following up with students about instructor concerns. Faculty advisors, a part-time advisor, retention specialists and others were all attempting meaningful conversations with students, resulting in duplication and confusion.
<h3>A new resource</h3>
In 2018, SCC implemented a professional advising model and reallocated resources to hire seven success coaches for advising and retention support. Success coaches were assigned by program-of-study clusters for consistent, quality advising for the first 30-hours and support throughout each student’s program. Having success coaches allowed for more standardized training and procedures.
Success coaches for a handful of programs piloted full program mandatory advising in Fall 2019. Over the next three years, the college expanded full, mandatory advising to all programs. By 2023, SCC had expanded to 10 full-time and two part-time coaches.
Coaches conduct intake surveys with new students and follow up on needs identified in student climate surveys, then connect students to support resources. This practice helped SCC maintain contact with students throughout the pandemic and was instrumental in sustaining SCC’s course success rate improvement trend.
Success coaches also provided faculty with expanded capacity to implement new technology for teaching and student engagement, which was especially beneficial throughout the pandemic. Faculty also have collaborated with SCC’s Center for Teaching and Learning, established in 2020, to redesign courses with open educational resources to reduce economic barriers and close equity gaps.
<h3>Increased bandwidth, increased innovation</h3>
An example of innovation due to additional faculty bandwidth is the development of contextualized gateway English courses for early childhood education (EDU) students, who are frequently working adults and tend to be ethnically diverse. Previous EDU students’ gateway English success rate was 45% compared to 66% for non-EDU students in academic year (AY) 2017. Data from AY2023 showed overall improvement in success rates for the course, with EDU students in contextualized English sections succeeding at 75% compared to 78% overall. The equity gap for EDU students fell from 21% to 3%.
The results of the Success Coach model have been dramatic. SCC’s IPEDS 150% graduation rate has improved from 18% in 2015 to 56% in 2022. The IPEDS fall-to-fall retention rate for full-time students increased from 53% in 2013 to 83% in 2022. Part-time retention rates remained steady, even during the pandemic. Successful course completion rates rose from 77% in AY2014 to 85% in AY2023 while withdrawal rates fell from 15% to 11%. The Success Coach model has also increased the applicant conversion rate from 49% in 2015 to 58% in 2022.
SCC was recognized at the 2023 Online Learning Innovations Summit for having online course success rates (83%) comparable to seated success rates (85%) for the combined Fall 2020, 2021, and 2022 terms. SCC’s online course success rates were the highest in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and significantly higher than the overall NCCCS rate of 71%. SCC online courses also had the smallest equity gaps for age and race/ethnicity in the system.
Students’ perception of advising as “very important” or “somewhat important” on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement increased from 90% in 2017 to 95% in 2023. During the pandemic, with most students online and success coaches as the primary connection beyond the online classroom, this metric rose as high as 99%. The percentage of students indicating they were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with academic advising has increased from 79% in 2017 to 97% in 2023.
There’s more to the story! Read the full article in <a href="https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/03/unlocking-potential-through-professional-advising-instructional-innovation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC Daily</a>.
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