WINTER NEWSLETTER
February 23, 2018
,
 
When we set out on our mission to ensure that all Californians have the opportunity to attend and succeed in college, we did mean all. That is why we are doubling down our calls for racial equity in higher education.
 
From the Gold Rush to the tech boom - California has been a magnet for dreamers, risk takers, and innovative leaders who make up the rich diversity of our state. Our success as the sixth largest economy in the world has been our pay off. In 2018, we will focus on ensuring stronger investments in higher education, strengthening support and pathways for college students, defending DACAmented and undocumented students, calling for inclusion in higher education that reflects the diversity of our state, pressing for student success solutions that closes gaps by race and gender, and calling upon gubernatorial candidates to lay out a clear and bold vision for higher education supportive of these priorities.

Next week, we will release Left Out: How Exclusion in California's Colleges and Universities Hurts Our Values, Our Students and Our Economy. Our report finds that while 69% of our students come from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and 54% of students are women - college leaders, faculty and academic senators at our community colleges, California State Universities, and University of California campuses do not reflect this diversity. It is time our state and college leaders go beyond an intellectual commitment to diversity that tolerates its absence.

I invite you to join us for "Changing Faces," a series of discussions on the importance of inclusion in higher education leadership. You can register below.

This is an important year, and we hope you will join our ongoing conversations on racial equity, however uncomfortable they may be, because our students can't wait for us to get comfortable. They need us to act now.



Michele Siqueiros
President
Left Out: How Exclusion in California's Colleges and Universities Hurts Our Values, Our Students, and Our Economy

We're Now on Instagram!



 A Special Thanks to our Former Board Members!






UPCOMING2UPCOMING RESEARCH AND EVENTS
Left Out: How Exclusion in California's Colleges and Universities Hurts Our Values, Our Students, and Our Economy 
 
As we prepare for the release of our Left Out report, we will be hosting "Changing Faces," a lecture series that discusses ways we can make higher education leadership and faculty more reflective of the population in California. On  March 2nd at UC Riverside we will examine inclusion at our University of California campuses, on  March 6th at East Los Angeles College w e will discuss inclusion at our California Community Colleges, and on  March 23rd at the Smittcamp Alumni House  near CSU Fresno, we will discuss inclusion at our California State Universities.  Register now for these events!
POLICY UPDATE
Student-Focused Funding

The Governor's proposed January budget includes a new California Community College funding formula and presents an important opportunity to advance equity while keeping student success as the focus of every decision. The proposal rewards better student outcomes by investing additional revenue in colleges for the number of students they graduate, the number who graduate within three years, and the number of students who earn an Associate Degree for Transfer. The proposal also suggests additional revenue for the number of low-income students a college enrolls.
LATEST2LATEST BLOG POSTS
Who comes to mind when you picture a college student?  Perhaps you think of a young adult living in a dorm on campus, taking a full load of classes, and splitting their time between studies and the activities of college social life.  While this typical image is true for many college students, it leaves out a large population of adult students who might commute to campus, live at home with their children, and juggle multiple jobs, classes, and family life ... read more
Music was a valuable tool in the Civil Rights Movement, motivating activists during long marches and providing emotional strength in the face of violence. Negro spirituals and soulful chants like "We Shall Overcome" and "Eyes on the Prize" were the soundtrack that encouraged activists to continue their fight for equality and justice... read more
We would like to share our deep gratitude to the foundations, corporations, organizations, and individuals who make our work possible. Their commitment and investment in the Campaign for College Opportunity allows us to ensure that the promise of a college education is available to this generation and future generations of California students... read more
NEWS2NEWS & NOTES
Thank you for your service!



At the beginning of this year, we said goodbye to one of our founding board members Frederick R. Ruiz, and two other long-term board members Marcus Allen and Gary K. Hart. Each of them have been instrumental leaders in the growth and success of The Campaign. We are so grateful for the time and guidance they have provided over the years. They will be greatly missed.
Follow us on Instagram

Love Instagram as much as we do? Keep up with The Campaign and our president on our new Instagram account s @collegeopp and @MScollegeopp.
Meet our New Staff

The Campaign team is growing! Five new staff joined our team in Los Angeles. Fred Sanchez serves as our Director of Public Affairs, Helen Do is our new Accountant, Raquel Gonzalez is our Administrative Assistant, and Tylar Campbell and Karina Medrano are our new Graduate Research Fellows, from UCLA and USC, respectively.
ICYMI: Our 2017 Accomplishments 

2017 brought us together to protect college opportunity. We sponsored historic, student-centered legislation, raised awareness of issues in California higher education through the release of several publications, and celebrated eleven California State Universities and community colleges for supporting student goals to transfer. That is just a snippet of our work last year. Review our 2017 accomplishments here
ICYMI: Enjoy our Champions of Higher Education Celebration highlights video




Thank You for Funding Our Work 

We are so grateful to the people and organizations who have supported our efforts in the last quarter! 

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation
California Community Foundation
Griego Enterprises Inc.
College Futures Foundation
Inland Empire Economic Partnership
The James Irvine Foundation
Ruiz Food Products Inc.
Southern California Edison
Viridis Learning Inc.
Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
California Business Roundtable
San Bernardino Community College District
ECMC Foundation


Have you donated yet? If you value higher education, if you have benefited from a college degree, if you believe that every student should succeed in higher education, if you want a strong economy, help us ensure that every Californian has the opportunity to attend and succeed in college!