The California Community College Chancellor Sonia Christian covered expected plans during a teleconference meeting held Feb. 14. A few of the topics addressed, pertained to discussions held in Washington D.C. by the presidents and chancellors of California, enrollment numbers in California, and Black History Month.
In Washington, a key conversation was held surrounding federal dollars going to students in California. This is how students can get financial aid, as well as how our community colleges get funded. Getting an increase in federal dollars will help to promote the ideas of new grants that can be offered to students, including part-time students.
This is what Vision 2030 is working towards in their news plans for Community Colleges in California. The main focus is on helping students by making the enrollment process easier or by ensuring more financial aid while attending college.
Vision 2030 is responsible for the new legislation that has proposed to offer short-term Pell Grants for part-time students. This would be impactful for the adults in community colleges in the state, especially since there are 6.8 million students with low-income jobs while attending college part-time. Though it hasn’t been passed, it is being advocated by the chancellor.
“We are adamant through Vision 2030 that we’ve got to bring draw down on those Pell Grants for all of our students here in California,” Christian said.
Additionally, in response to Career Education Month, Christian spoke on the rising number of technical courses in colleges as she is “personally a firm believer in the power of preparing students for careers in emerging technologies.”
Many California community colleges are implementing courses centered around AI, data analytics, and the climate industries.
Vision 2030, also developed 3 fields of climate practice, including facilities and infrastructure, workforce and community engagement. This allows people who are affected by climate such as wildfires, to have a place to reside while it occurs.
When speaking about sustainable practices, the chancellor noted “We wanna be role models.”
Christian also dove into the topic of Black History Month, saying “We at the Chancellor’s office, remain steadfast in our commitment to support our Black and African American students by breaking down barriers standing in their way of a quality higher education.”
This inspired a podcast called “EDUCATE. ELEVATE.” surrounding themes of the “I Can Go to College” campaign. The podcast was made to uplift current and prospective Black students, with an emphasis on encouraging black males to stay enrolled in community colleges in California. All episodes can be found on the “I Can Go to College” website.
The next chancellor teleconference will be Wednesday, April 10 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Further discussion on the new Cal Grant legislation, as well as updates on new classes coming to community colleges in California will be addressed.
