Upcoming Presentations

Who Do First-Generation College Students Turn to for Support? Implications for Research and Practice

To improve services for first-generation college students, a CCRC study is exploring the relationships these students have both on and off campus, how those relationships support their college journeys, and how those relationships influence what college services and supports they do and do not access. This project is conducted in partnership with two California community colleges and two California State Universities and is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences.

In this webinar, CCRC researchers will describe the support networks of first-year first-generation college students, using social network survey and interview data collected during the first-year of the study. The researchers will share the types of social relations identified by students and the ways these relations enhanced students’ college experience. Colleges will find the description of first-generation students’ networks useful for designing and differentiating services for these students.

This webinar will also feature student and enrollment services staff from Cerritos Community College who will discuss the advising and student support policies and practices for serving first-generation students. The speakers will share how institutions leverage students’ personal networks to engage students. The practices outlined in this webinar may be helpful to other institutions considering ways to improve the experiences of first-generation students that they serve.

Presenters

Hoori Kalamkarian, Senior Research Associate, CCRC

Melissa Herman, Senior Research Assistant and PEAR Fellow, CCRC

Traci Ukita, Career Counselor, Cerritos College

Chelena Fisher, Department Chair of Counseling/Counselor/Associate Professor, Cerritos College

Raquel Lizarraga-Christensen, School Relations Coordinator, Office of Enrollment Services, Cerritos College

2024 AACC Annual Convention

April 5–9, 2024
Louisville, KY

Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of Community Colleges in Combatting Climate Change and Preparing Students for the Green Economy (Pre-Conference Convening)

April 6, 9:30 AM–4:00 PM ET

CCRC is calling on community colleges working to promote ecological sustainability, combat climate change, and prepare students for jobs in the green economy to join us for a pre-conference convening at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) conference. The convening is an opportunity for you to help us develop a new research agenda to support the transition to a green workforce.

Presenters

Maggie P. Fay, Senior Research Associate, CCRC

Rethinking High School Dual Credit to Advance Student Success and Build Back College Enrollment

April 7, 10:00–10:45 AM ET

Enrollment of high school students taking community college dual credit courses has soared in recent years, even as the number of recent high school graduates matriculating at community colleges has declined. This session will feature a conversation with leaders of two colleges that have expanded enrollment by recent high school graduates by taking a more strategic approach to their dual credit offerings and students. Moderating the session will be a researcher from CCRC, which has recently published research on how colleges can rethink dual credit as a more effective and equitable onramp to community college degree programs for students after high school.

Presenters

Davis Jenkins, Senior Research Scholar, CCRC

Greg Hodges, President, Patrick & Henry Community College

Lynda Villanueva, President, Lee College

State Finance Policy as a Lever for Equitable Student Success

April 7, 10:00–10:45 ET

Community colleges are a primary gateway to higher education for low-income students and students of color. However, colleges struggle to equitably meet their mission in part because of inadequate resources. This session presents findings from a mixed-methods study on community college state finance in Texas, Ohio, and California. Findings address how state and local policies contribute to funding inequities, how colleges use funds to support equity-driven initiatives, and the resources required to implement these initiatives.

Presenters

Maria Cormier, Senior Research Associate, CCRC

Stephanie Murphy, Director of State Policy and Research, HCM Strategists

Tracking Transfer: Community College and Four-Year Institutional Effectiveness in Broadening Bachelor’s Degree Attainment

April 7, 3:30–4:15 PM ET

For the first time, national and state-level transfer outcomes are publicly available disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and income. Leaders from CCRC and Aspen will share the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse. See how the nation and your state fare in serving transfer students, engage with interactive data dashboards, and learn more about possible strategies for improving transfer outcomes for all students.

Presenters

Davis Jenkins, Senior Research Scholar, CCRC

Josh Wyner, Vice President, Aspen Institute; Founder and Executive Director, College Excellence Program

The Role of Community Colleges in the Green Jobs Revolution

April 7, 3:30–4:15 PM ET

Community colleges are a primary gateway to higher education for low-income students and students of color. However, colleges struggle to equitably meet their mission in part because of inadequate resources. This session presents findings from a mixed-methods study on community college state finance in Texas, Ohio, and California. Findings address how state and local policies contribute to funding inequities, how colleges use funds to support equity-driven initiatives, and the resources required to implement these initiatives.

Presenters

Maggie P. Fay, Senior Research Associate, CCRC

Amy Seeboth-Wilson, Director of Grants, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Ashley Wojtalewicz, Energy Coordinator/Sustainable Energy Management Instructor, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Andrea Rodriguez- Blanco, Career Center Director, West Los Angeles College

Jo Tavares-Reager, Director, Center for Climate Change Education, West Los Angeles College

AACRAO Annual Meeting

April 7–10, 2024
Columbus, OH

Measuring Up: Using New Institutional Performance Metrics to Improve Bachelor's Outcomes for Community College Transfer Students

April 9, 9:00–10:15 AM ET

The first major update to the Tracking Transfer report in eight years, released in February, introduced first-of-its-kind data on outcomes for community college transfer students at four-year institutions. Learn how you can use these metrics to benchmark your institution’s effectiveness, and to set clear goals for eliminating disparities and expanding transfer opportunity for all students who start at a community college with the dream of earning a bachelor’s degree.

Presenters

Davis Jenkins, Senior Research Scholar, CCRC

Doug Shapiro, VP, Research and Executive Director, Research Center, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

Josh Wyner, VP, The Aspen Institute; Founder and Executive Director, College Excellence Program

2024 AERA Annual Meeting

April 11–14, 2024
Philadelphia, PA

Pandemic Recovery Efforts in Practice: Community Colleges’ Use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds

Time TBA
Philadelphia Convention Center

This symposium session presents a comprehensive review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community colleges and their subsequent recovery efforts. Presenters will shed light on specific recovery efforts including the use of Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Funds at community colleges, responses to sweeping declines in community college enrollment, and impacts on economic opportunities and transfer pathways that community college students rely on to more affordably obtain bachelor's degrees. Through an interactive panel discussion, participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussion about pandemic recovery efforts and needs, leaving with valuable insights into ways to address racial/ethnic disparities at community colleges and steps to guide policymakers and practitioners in crafting effective strategies for equitable student success.

Presenters

Tia Monahan, Senior Research Assistant and PEAR Fellow, CCRC

Hollie Daniels, Research Associate, CCRC

Understanding the Support Networks of First-Generation College Students

First-generation college students comprise more than one-third of undergraduates in the US but succeed at lower rates compared with their peers. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, we found that the first-generation identity is not a monolith and that these students have a variety of relationships and knowledge that moderate their campus experience. The presenters will aim to provide insight into first-generation college student identities and suggest how colleges can improve supports for first-generation students and better direct limited resources.

Presenters

TBA

The Mathematics of Opportunity: Closing the Divide

Research on Math as a Barrier and Opportunity for Transfer

April 17, 11:00 AM PST

It is imperative that all students have the math experiences that position them to pursue college degrees without the racial and socioeconomic roadblocks that have limited student success for generations. It is past time to close the divide.

Just Equations’ sixth annual Mathematics of Opportunity conference—a free, virtual event—will explore the future of equity in mathematics education and showcase the voices of education leaders, policymakers, and equity experts working to elevate math opportunities for the next generation.

This session will feature a discussion on the research and policies on the links between community college students’ math coursetaking and their opportunities to transfer to four-year universities.

Presenters

Dave Kung, Director of Math Advocacy and Strategy, Charles A. Dana Center

Tatiana Velasco, Research Associate, CCRC

Shanna Smith Jaggars, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Research Lab, The Ohio State University; Research Affiliate, CCRC

Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

CSCC 2024 Conference

Access to Success: Insights and Strategies in Implementing Multiple Measures Assessment

Time TBA

CAPR, with support from Ascendium Education Group, are assisting colleges and states nationwide in the adoption and implementation of MMA practices that place more students, and allow more students to be successful, in college-level courses. This presentation summarizes insights derived from this work, focusing on the adoption of multiple measures assessment in open-access colleges in Arkansas and Texas. During the presentation, researchers will present cost analysis findings, explore supporting factors for implementation, and delve into specific strategies used by colleges to tackle common implementation challenges.

Presenters

Elizabeth Kopko, Senior Research Associate, CCRC

Dan Cullinan, Senior Associate, MDRC

Exploring Corequisite Implementation in the CUNY System

Time TBA

This presentation provides insights into the implementation of corequisite models in English and math courses across seven CUNY colleges, and discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by faculty, staff and administrators while scaling corequisite courses. Findings and implications about the variability in corequisite approaches and staff experiences are explored.

Presenters

Maggie P. Fay, Senior Research Associate, CCRC

Farzana Matin, Research Assistant, CCRC

Unpacking the Transfer Playbook: How Colleges Can Improve Transfer Outcomes

League for Innovation in the Community College Annual Conference
March 13, 2017
San Francisco, CA

Using CCRC and the Aspen Institute’s Transfer Playbook, presenters looked at essential transfer practices observed at 15 colleges identified nationally as highly effective in helping students transfer and earn bachelor’s degrees. Findings and tools were shared.

Associated Papers

Participants

Senior Research Associate and Program Lead
Community College Research Center
John Olson
Vice President for College Advancement and Executive Director of the EvCC Foundation
Everett Community College

Associated Project(s)