Spotlight Sessions

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21

11:30 am –12:30 pm

 

Aligning Skills with Pathways
Technology could disrupt as many as 30 percent of current jobs by 2030. Many individuals in the current workforce and those entering the workforce within the next few years will need to gain new skills to be competitive for jobs. Colleges need to be ready with approaches to reskill and upskill workers wanting to leverage their existing skills with just-in-time delivery of new skills in order to move quickly into quality jobs with good wages.

By innovating to prepare students with validated skills and learning, colleges and their students can be better positioned for the changing labor market. Session attendees will learn how:

  • to use data to identify what skills students need for workplace success (closing gaps between skills students say they have and employers say they need)
  • to consider different learning models in which employers are engaged. For example, Leader colleges Trident Technical College and Broward College are deepening employer relationships and responding to skills needs through work-based learning including apprenticeships as well as embedded industry recognized credentials.


Building a Culture of Teaching & Learning Excellence
This session will guide attendees to consider what a culture of teaching and learning excellence could look like at their institutions. We will then leverage learnings from two ATD Teaching & Learning initiatives (OER Degree and Engaging Adjunct Faculty) to illustrate the positive impact of bringing full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, and faculty developers into the center of the college's student success work.

 

5 Dimensions of Equity | An Journey to Re-Imagine Our College
Everett Community College (EvCC) has embarked on a challenging and ever-evolving journey towards social justice. Starting in 2015, EvCC and the broader community envisioned, co-created, and embraced the 5 Dimensions of Equity as the culture we aspire to build and uphold. The 5 Dimensions of Equity are a living testament of our collective ability to be a reflective, hopeful, and graceful organization, committed to transformation, for and with each other. Reflecting the voices of many, the 5 Dimensions of Equity are designed to:
  • Recast traditional higher educational frames of thought regarding aspiration, access, achievement, economic progress, and engagement;
  • Explore underlying personal, professional, and systemic attitudes, beliefs, norms and practices;
  • Motivate reflection, deeper conversations, curiosity, and inquiry;
  • Encourage vulnerability, humility, and commitment;
  • Inspire change at personal, professional, organizational, and systemic levels; and
  • Create a continuous cycle of critical analysis, discussion, and change.

In this Spotlight Session, we will share the 5 Dimensions of Equity and our stories of collaboration, partnerships, struggles, and strategy for capacity building that have set us up for the transformational shift in beliefs, practices, and purpose towards dismantling and re-creating a socially just organization.
 

Building a Systemic Approach to Holistically Supporting Students
With a national focus on improving student outcomes through policy and practices that clarify pathways and remove barriers to success, colleges are grappling with how to address systemic hurdles that require intentional collaborative efforts and a holistic visioning of student supports. As colleges move through understanding current data, mapping pathways, and addressing advising models, the complexity of holistic student supports as “whole college” work becomes more evident. Breaking down internal silos, empowering faculty and staff, and strategically resourcing efforts to boost student success and close equity gaps requires a deeper level of college commitment and engagement in improving the way colleges work to support long-term change. In this session, we will explore the national perspective on systemic approaches to holistically supporting students and discuss two colleges' experience with bringing together faculty, staff, and administrators to work together on collaborative teams to deliver supports and the challenges, opportunities and work towards a holistic approach.


The Evolution of Pathways: What We’ve Learned and Where We Are Focusing for the Future
More than 350 colleges nationwide are using the pathways framework to redesign academic and support services to improve student and institutional outcomes. Many colleges have been at this work for several years, iterating and improving the comprehensive, integrated systems, structures and policies that enable all students to succeed. Members of the Pathways Collaborative, a group of organizations committed to improving rates of college completion, transfer and attainment of jobs with value in the labor market, will share key outcomes metrics and learning about productive pathways implementation across of range of institutions and states. They will also identify the ongoing challenges and opportunities for higher educational institutions to redesign the student experience more effectively and equitably. 
 

Higher Education and Immigration: The State of Play, Advocacy, and Support for Immigrant Students Nationally, Locally, and On Campus 
Join national advocates and institutional leaders in this town hall setting for an update on the current state of play of federal immigration policies and national trends affecting higher education, especially community colleges, and discussion of ways colleges can engage in these issues collectively to support immigrant students, including adult learners. Participants will leave the session with concrete takeaways for next steps that they can take on their campus to better support immigrant and international students.
 

Using the ICAT to Align Student Success Efforts and Provide Evidence in the Accreditation Process  
Attend this session to learn how one college used their Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool (ICAT) Results and Capacity Café discussion and how your ATD coaches can support network colleges in this process by posing critical questions. A reflection on how to use the information from the ICAT, discussions, and work on institutional initiatives as evidence for accreditation evaluations will also be provided by staff from a regional accreditation agency.

 

What is Historical Intergenerational Trauma and How Can it be Addressed to Improve Student Success? 
Historical intergenerational trauma is recognized as a primary factor negatively impacting Native American communities and families and threatening educational success of Native Students and other populations in the U.S. This spotlight will offer colleges serving students with historical intergenerational trauma the opportunity to see strategies for resilience in education success and community building. Join this session to learn more about this stress disorder, its impacts, and how Tribal Colleges and Universities and HBCUs offer unique examples of educational institutions that directly address the trauma haunting the communities they serve. The session will consist of a brief historical and technical presentation, followed by a panel discussion comprised of two TCUs and an HBCU which will highlight how these institutions are addressing intergenerational trauma in ways that help foster student success.
 

 

Understanding Students' Need Leads to Measurable Change: 2019 Leah Meyer Austin Award Winners

Amarillo College and Columbus State Community College, Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges and winners of the 2019 Leah Meyer Austin Award, will speak about their transformative work. Both strong institutions have aligned policies and procedures, developed a student-focused culture, and have increased student outcomes and reduced equity gaps.

Attendees will learn about Amarillo College's Culture of Caring approach throughout the entire college and Columbus State Community College's efforts to serve as a community hub and create a seamless path from high school through to the workforce.

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