Student Success Centers of Oregon, Washington & Arizona

2023–24 Lunch & Learn Series

Education First supports the Student Success Centers for the community colleges in Oregon, Washington & Arizona in their efforts to support faculty and staff in creating student-ready colleges. As part of this support, we are hosting a webinar series focused on learning and applying new content and practices, elevating “bright spots” and demonstrating impact of student success efforts.

This four-part series features guest speakers from each state where the overall topic is explored from various perspectives. Each webinar is 60 minutes at noon Pacific Time.

Click below to find details and registration links. Once you register, please click “Add to Calendar” in the confirmation. You will not be sent separate meeting invitations.

We welcome your recommendations for guest speakers and topics to make this series most beneficial to you, the participants. Please send us your recommendations through this form.

Click to access the 2022-23 Lunch & Learn series details and resources.


Staying on the Path (September–October)

Date  Description (topics and descriptions are subject to change) Registration & Resources 
September 28, 2023 Success Coaches

Come learn more about how Clark College Success Coaches support their students in staying on the path. Housed within the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Student Success Coaches at Clark College meet students where they are to provide holistic support and help students succeed both academically and personally. Success Coaches guide students to leverage all the available tools on campus by helping students develop a plan and connecting them to the relevant resources.

Guest speakers: Jill Forgash & Mike Law, Clark College

Recording

Slides 

Clark College Student Success Coach Video 

October 12 Co-requisites

Co-requisites allow students to enroll in a college level course and a concurrent remedial course to help stay on the path. Taking co-requisites encourages students to identify their learning needs and allows them to receive additional support while they develop the skills needed to complete their college level course and, ultimately, their program of study.

Guest speaker: Christopher Mehl, Walla Walla Community College

Recording & Slides
October 26 Non-academic Supports

Students often face challenges beyond their academic studies. By providing non-academic supports to students, community colleges can help students overcome these non-academic challenges. Non-academic supports may include: tutoring, financial aid, counseling, career services, food pantry, childcare, transportation assistance, housing assistance, mental health services, disability services and more.

Guest speaker: Katherine Bode, Clatsop Community College

Recording & Slides

Additional resources:

Success Coaches:

  1. Clark College Success Coaches Website
  2. Whose culture has capital? (August 2006)
  3. Positive Impact of Success Coaching on Community College Students (March 2022)
  4. Coaching for More Equitable Student Outcomes (2019)
  5. Equity Minded Coaching “Do’s” and “Don’ts” (2019)

Co-requisites:

  1. Improving College Success for Students in Corequisite Reading (Apr 2022)
  2. Corequisites Courses Gain Momentum (Jul 2023)
  3. No Room For Doubt (Apr 2021)

Non-academic Supports:

  1. More than Getting to the Door: Non-Academic Supports to Ensure Students Graduate from College (2020)
  2. Community College Approaches to Student Supports (2022)

Ensure Students Are Learning (November–January)

Date  Description (topics and descriptions are subject to change) Registration & Resources 
November 9 Unlocking Potential: Innovations in Adult Education that expand access and increase learner success

As community colleges adapt to evolving learner needs, adult basic education plays a vital role in ensuring equitable access and success.  Adult education offers a pathway for students to improve their reading, writing and math skills, earn a High School Equivalency diploma, improve their English language skills, connect to employment opportunities and more.  Presenters will share innovations in adult education including student support systems that drive retention and success as well as Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs that pair basic skills with essential skills for today’s job market.  Explore how adult education programming can help community colleges expand access, bridge educational gaps, and increase retention and credential attainment.

Guest speakers: Laurie Kierstead-Joseph, Stephanie Dennison & Wendy Scheder Black, Pima Community College

Recording & Slides
January 25 Re-engaging Adult Learners

Community colleges play an important role in expanding college access as they serve more than half of all college students with low incomes and more than 1.7 million adult learners. However, community college enrollment declines since the spring of 2020 threaten to worsen educational inequity and diminish college access. To offset this trend, New America partnered with six community colleges in three different states to re-enroll adult learners and uncover important insights for the field on how to enroll, and better serve, adult students at community colleges. One participating institution, Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon, adjusted policies and practices already yielding outsized positive results for adult enrollment and success. Speakers from Mt. Hood and New America will share their findings and experiences during this virtual session.

Guest speakers: Ivy Love & Tiffany Thai, New America; John Hamblin, Mt. Hood Community College

Recording & Slides

Additional Resources:

  1. Who Transitions From Adult Education to Postsecondary Programs? (July 2023)
  2. Shifting Gears: Community Colleges and Adult Basic Education (June 2008)
  3. A Survey of Writing Instruction in Adult ESL Programs: Are Teaching Practices Meeting Adult Learner Needs?(February 2019)
  4. Bringing Adults Back to Community College Playbook (April 2023)
  5. Reconnect, Re-enroll & Rise: Five Imperatives to Help Community Colleges Enroll Stopped-Out Students (November 2022) – [Downloaded Report]
  6. Why adult learners persist, and how colleges can engage them (March 2022)

Clarify the Path (February–March)

Date  Description (topics and descriptions are subject to change) Registration & Resources 
February 29 Amplifying Student Voices

Come hear from our students! Moderated by Elizabeth Cox Brand—Executive Director of Oregon Student Success Center, this panel will focus on the student experience at their respective community colleges. Hear directly from students on how their campus support services have helped them not only clarify the path in college but also helped set them up for success beyond community college.

Panelists: Elizabeth Cox Brand (Moderator), Students from WA (Mollie Kuwahara and Josie Saccio-Devine), Student from OR (Arabella Nicdao), Student from AZ (Arleen Magallanes). See student bios here.

Recording
March 21 Models that can Change the Workforce Pipeline

Come learn about Maricopa Community Colleges’ groundbreaking Fast Track Pathways and how they support their students in increasing job prospects through their microcredential pathways. As the costs of traditional credentialing continue to rise, microcredentials have emerged as a viable and attractive option for America’s workforce. Students can enroll in short courses aligned with their jobs to demonstrate skills, knowledge or experience in a specific subject area. Touted as an alternative to traditional credentialing, microcredentials offer its students the opportunity to meet the requirements to meet specific job responsibilities and develop discrete skills.

Guest speakers: Diane Meza & Leah Palmer, Maricopa County Community College District

Recording & Slides

Additional Resources:

  1. Bring Student Voices to Guided Pathways Inquiry and Design: Findings from Student Focus Groups at Texas Community Colleges (September 2022)
  2. Collecting Student Voices for Guided Pathways Inquiry and Design (February 2018)
  3. What Do Students Think of Guided Pathways? (June 2017)
  4. SUNY: NCC Students Guided Pathways (2022)
  5. Microcredentials Confuse Employers, Colleges and Learners (March 2023)
  6. The Power of Microcredentials and America’s Higher Education Dilemma (March 2023)
  7. Best Practices to Scale the Development and Delivery of Microcredentials for Colleges and Universities (July 2023)

Supporting Students Across All Guided Pathways Pillars (April)

Date  Description (topics and descriptions are subject to change) Registration & Resources 
April 11 Supporting Black Male Community College Students and Fostering Equitable Outcomes

Despite strides made in higher education, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) male representation remains disproportionately low. This webinar will explore innovative strategies, actionable insights, and successful initiatives geared toward bridging this enrollment gap. From systemic barriers to socio-economic hurdles and cultural perceptions, we will examine the complex factors contributing to the underrepresentation and discuss effective ways to overcome them.

Guest speaker: Dr. Alvina Thomas, Louisiana Delta CC

Register here

Recording

Additional Resources:

  1. Candid Conversations About Black Male Student Success (January 2024)
  2. 5 ways community college presidents are supporting Black and Latino male student retention (August 2022)
  3. Make It Happen (Southside Virginia Community College)

Choosing a Path (April–May)

 

Date  Description (topics and descriptions are subject to change) Registration & Resources 
April 25 Statewide Strategy for Engaging Business Leaders

Come learn more about engaging business leaders across the state for consistent interaction with community colleges in building career pathways and student awareness, expanding short term credential of value, strengthening business and education partnerships, and improving college access, credential completion and post completion student outcomes.

Guest speakers: Cynthia Ferrell & Martha Ellis, Texas Association of Community Colleges

Recording & Slides
May 9 Optimizing Intake and Onboarding Strategies

Community college staff and faculty play a pivotal role in assisting students as they navigate the crucial phase of choosing their academic paths. From intake through onboarding, students crave support in exploring and designing their college journey. We’ll explore how one college has streamlined intake processes, including admissions advising methods and tools that meet highly diverse students “where they are,” and we’ll explore how to support staff in guiding students through their academic choices and onboarding processes.

Guest speakers: Chris Maund & Dr. Bucky McKenzie, Seattle Central College

Recording & Slides

Additional Resources:

  1. Building a Stronger Texas Workforce Together (October 2022)
  2. The Partnership Imperative: Community Colleges, Employers, & America’s Chronic Skills Gap (December 2022)
  3. Employer and Community College Partnerships: Models and Practices for Supporting Students and Strengthening the Workforce (2023)
  4. How Clear Is Their Path? Guided Career Pathways and Community College Students (2023)
  5. Research Evidence on Community College Ask-Connect-Inspire-Plan Onboarding Practices (May 2022)
  6. How community colleges are revamping their student onboarding process (November 2023)
  7. Meeting Students Where They Are (May 2023)
  8. Major transitions: how college students interpret the process of changing fields of study (April 2023)

Sign up to receive updates

Choose state *ArizonaOregonWashington
(function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[6]='MMERGE6';ftypes[6]='text';fnames[8]='MMERGE8';ftypes[8]='dropdown';fnames[3]='ADDRESS';ftypes[3]='address';fnames[4]='PHONE';ftypes[4]='phone';fnames[5]='MMERGE5';ftypes[5]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);
Have questions or comments? Email us!

What’s next? Action steps to help you benefit from our expertise:

Work with us Gain insights Learn about our expertise