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VOLUME 14, ISSUE 2 October 3, 2017
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The political climate in our nation is troubling, and in many ways, our students are at the epicenter of these turbulent times. Many undocumented students face uncertainty about their futures, and counselors are reporting higher rates of emotional stress among students. Protests continue to emerge on college campuses across the country as we still find ourselves grappling with deeply embedded prejudice and racism.
But as I saw my first-born off to his last year of high school earlier this month, I was reminded of the obligation we have to move forward and find solutions to our most pressing issues. It is with this optimism that I share encouraging and hopeful work on the horizon.
First, promising legislation we've sponsored, Assembly Bill 705 (Irwin), has made its way to the Governor's desk! AB 705 ensures more students have access to college-level courses when they start community college by requiring colleges to use high school transcripts as a factor in determining course placement for college-level math and English. Transforming the way our colleges do placement can be the single greatest lever to improve the success of community college students, and we're on the verge of history!
We recently released
our
Transfer Maze report
, which shows significant growth in the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) pathway. The report finds that students earning an ADT are more likely to transfer than those on traditional transfer pathways and are more likely to earn their bachelor's degree within two years of transferring. The evidence is clear - it's time to get serious about making the ADT the preferred pathway for students to transfer to both the CSU and UC.
The work of student success does not happen because we hope or wish for it. It happens because committed, passionate individuals, colleges and universities create opportunities for it to happen. That's why I'm so excited for our second annual Champions of Higher Education celebration in December, where we will honor Senate Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, Julia Lopez, former CEO of the College Futures Foundation, and the University of California Regents and UC President Janet Napolitano. On October 10th we will be announcing, via a Facebook Live event, our community college and CSU honorees that are leading the state in implementing the ADT transfer pathway.
I hope you will take the time to ask Governor Jerry Brown to sign AB 705, read our latest report, or join us for our annual Champions of Higher Education celebration. No matter how you choose to lead, I hope you know that there is something you can do to improve access and success in higher education.
Sincerely,
Michele Siqueiros
President
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Urge
Gov. Brown
to Sign AB 705
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"The Transfer Maze"
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Champions for Higher Education Celebration
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Meet Our New Board Members
Estela Mara Bensimon and Paul Granillo
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| Urge Gov. Jerry Brown to Sign AB 705 |
Seventy-five percent of California's community college students are assessed and placed into basic skills courses, despite a growing body of research showing that many of them could be successful if allowed to enroll directly into college-level courses. AB 705 would require community colleges to move away from solely using placement tests to using high school grades as a factor in determining course placement for college-level math and English. This bill ensures that more students have access to college-level courses when they start community college thereby substantially increasing their chances of completing a degree, certificate or transfer. Please help to give community college students a better chance at success by
signing our petition
.
It only takes 35 seconds (we counted)!
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The Transfer Maze: The High Cost to Students and the State of California
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Our latest report highlights the crucial role transfer plays in producing college graduates and the unnecessary barriers that impede transfer for far too many students, resulting in high costs to students and the state. The Transfer Maze found that California currently ranks dead last in the country for providing access to four-year universities for its residents. The research also found that providing clear pathways for transfer through the Associate Degree for Transfer is a must to ensure better access to California's public universities.
Check out our findings and recommendations.
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Champions of Higher Education Celebration
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We are pleased to announce that our second annual Champions of Higher Education celebration will occur on December 5th. We will be honoring three higher education advocates for their contributions to ensuring California student success, along with exemplary California Community Colleges and California State Universities for their model work in implementing the Associate Degree for Transfer Pathways.
To find out which Community Colleges and CSU campuses will be honored this year, join us on Facebook Live on October 10th at 2 p.m. Pacific as we announce this year's honorees. |
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Welcome Our New Board Members
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We are excited to welcome two new members to our Board of Directors.
Paul Granillo is the president and CEO of Inland Empire Economic Partnership, an organization with a vision for bettering the quality of life and business climate of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Estela Mara Bensimon is a professor of higher education at the USC Rossier School of Education and the director of the Center for Urban Education. Earlier this year, she was elected to the National Academy of Education and also received the Social Justice in Education Award from the American Education Research Association.
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The Campaign team is growing!!! Five new staff set up shop in our Los Angeles and Sacramento offices. Shae Collins joins The Campaign as our Senior Communications Associate, along with new our Research Fellow Chris Copolillo and Regional Affairs Graduate Fellow Fernando Marquez based in Los Angeles. Katrina Lindon, our new Policy & Program Associate, and Abigail Bates, our new Senior Research Analyst are based in Sacramento.
Get to know our newest staff members
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Congratulations to Monica Lozano, who was named President and CEO
College Futures Foundation. Monica Lozano has been a long-time supporter of The Campaign, and we have admired her leadership on the UC Board of Regents and as Publisher of La Opinion, we are excited to continue collaborating with her in the future.
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Earlier this year, our President Michele Siqueiros delivered the
Tomás Rivera Lecture
at
American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Conference, where she spoke on the brilliance, strength, and tenacity of the Latino community and how must use that strength to move the charge for equity and opportunity in higher education forward. More recently, she provided the opening keynote for the National College Access Network (NCAN) conference and presented before Latino elected officials at the NALEO Higher Education Policy Institute.
Executive Vice President Jessie Ryan
joined House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Doris Matsui, and Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen for a news conference to urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act. Additionally, she served on a keynote panel with Attorney General Xavier Becerra, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg as part of a statewide California Department of Education convening on the future of DACA and undocumented students in California.
Senior Vice President recently
moderated a panel
discussion at the Education Trust-West Education Equity Form, where she and panelists discussed institutional barriers and inequity in higher education.
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Would you like to help more California students reach their college dreams?
Donate now and help us advocate for their future
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