Program of Events
The 2024 ACCJC Partners in Excellence Conference theme will focus on efforts to achieve equitable outcomes for community college students and will bring together a large and diverse group of people in the higher education sector including college administrators, faculty, trustees, program directors, professional development leaders, institutional researchers, student services staff and planners.
This year’s agenda will feature multiple formats for learning and engagement including constituent forums, plenary sessions, concurrent sessions, and a poster session highlighting high-impact practices and outcomes throughout ACCJC membership.
Browse below for the complete conference schedule.
Thursday, May 9, 2024 |
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| 8:00 am - 5:00 pm | Check-In / Registration Desk Open: Grand Ballroom Foyer | ||
| 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Sponsor Exhibits and Poster Session Setup and Check-In: Grand Ballroom Foyer | ||
| 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Beverage Break: Grand Ballroom Hall | ||
| 10:00 am - 11:45 am | Preconference Forums Please note: these forums are open to conference attendees only. |
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Presenters/Facilitators: ACCJC Vice Presidents Kevin Bontenbal, Gohar Momjian, and Melynie Schiel with Michelle Barton, Senior Director, Planning, Research, Institutional Effectiveness, and Grants and ALO, Palomar College; Ravinder Dayal, Provost and ALO, Carrington College; and Jeff Stearns, ACCJC Commissioner, Professor of Language Arts and ALO, Honolulu Community College Room: Grand Ballroom EF An institution’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) plays an important role throughout the accreditation and peer review cycle. The ALO is critical in advancing education quality and equitable student learning and achievement through the application of Accreditation Standards. Participants in this forum will have the opportunity to discuss relevant issues, gain valuable, foundational information and insights, and learn from one another ways to foster outcomes, improvement, and innovations that increase equitable student success. Attendees can expect to: • Understand and develop greater comfort with the collaborative role of the ALO and college’s ACCJC Liaison. • Discuss current issues and challenges ACCJC member colleges are facing. • Engage with the new Standards and discuss resources available to the field as well as learn what ACCJC staff members are learning as we continue with the pilot schools. • Understand expectations and methods for relaying equitable student achievement information to college stakeholders. • Provide feedback on ALO onboarding and available training. |
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Presenters/Facilitators: ACCJC President Mac Powell with Kathleen Burke, ACCJC Vice Chair, Interim Deputy Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District; Sunny Cooke, Superintendent/President, MiraCosta Community College District; and Mary A.Y. Okada, President, Guam Community College Room: Grand Ballroom G Join President Powell and ACCJC Commissioners at a gathering of fellow community college and district CEOs. Participants will get an update on ACCJC’s new accreditation processes and explore common issues related to the institutional self-evaluation and peer review. Data, governance, and measuring and sharing student learning and achievement will be of particular focus. ACCJC looks forward to a dynamic conversation and hearing feedback from member institution CEOs on their challenges and successes, and how to continue building a strong working relationship in support of equitable student success. This session is limited to Chief Executive Officers from member colleges and districts. Attendees can expect to: • Engage with the new Standards and discuss resources available to the field as well as learn what ACCJC staff members are learning as we continue with the pilot schools. • Understand expectations and methods for relaying equitable student achievement information to college stakeholders. • Discuss current issues and challenges ACCJC member institutions are facing. |
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Presenters/Facilitators: ACCJC Interim Vice President Ginni May with Cheryl Aschenbach, President, ASCCC, Faculty, Lassen Community College Room: Garden 4 Join faculty colleagues to engage in dialog on the accreditation process and the faculty's critical role. Participants will receive an update on ACCJC's new Standards and accreditation processes and explore common issues related to institutional self-evaluation and peer review. The essential role of faculty in student success and how it relates to accreditation will be discussed. Data and equitable student outcomes will be of particular focus. Participants will also learn about serving on an ACCJC peer review team. Discussion will be encouraged throughout this session, which will include time for Q&A, providing feedback to ACCJC, and networking with fellow faculty members. Attendees can expect to: • Better understand the 2024 Standards and the Formative/Summative Comprehensive Review Process. • Discuss the essential role faculty play in ensuring equitable student outcomes. • Learn how to become involved in accreditation during their own institutional self-evaluation or on a peer review team. • Share their experiences with accreditation. |
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Presenters/Facilitators: ACCJC Vice President Nickawanna Shaw with Deborah Ikeda, Vice President of the Board of Trustees, State Center Community College District; and Cynthia Napoli-Abella Reiss, ACCJC Commissioner, Trustee, Peralta Community College District, Professor of Art History, West Valley College Room: Salon V (2nd Floor) New to 2024, join ACCJC staff and Commissioners at a gathering of fellow community college trustees. Participants will get an update on ACCJC’s 2024 Standards and accreditation processes followed by a presentation from two current trustees on relevant issues facing community college trustees as they engage in their work of governance. There will be ample time for discussion, Q&A, and networking with fellow trustees. We hope you will leave with a better sense of your role as a trustee in supporting the accreditation process and institutional transformation, feel more inspired to continue the important work of governing your diverse institutions on behalf of students, and develop a stronger sense of connection to ACCJC. Attendees can expect to: • Better understand the 2024 Standards and the role of the trustee in the accreditation process. • Explore in depth Standard IV (Effective Governance & Decision-Making) and other Standards of particular importance to trustees. • Discuss challenges and successes of effective governance and expectations set forth in the ACCJC Accreditation Standards. • Learn how to become involved in the work of peer review accreditation as an ACCJC peer review team member. |
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| 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm | Poster Session Viewing: Garden 1-3 | ||
| 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Lunch on Own | ||
| 1:00 pm - 1:15 pm | Room: Grand Ballroom A-D |
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| 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm Plenary Address | Presenters: Sonya Christian, Chancellor, California Community Colleges, in conversation with Mac Powell, President, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Room: Grand Ballroom A-D A conversation with the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges exploring the Chancellor’s and ACCJC’s strategic planning priorities, the state of higher education and its future, and the ways in which we can all continue to collaborate and innovate on behalf of the millions of students we serve. Ample time for audience Q&A will be provided. |
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| 2:15 pm - 2:45 pm | Beverage and Snack Break: Grand Ballroom Hall | ||
| 2:45 pm - 4:00 pm | Concurrent Sessions: 1A-1D | ||
Panelists: Mount Tamalpais College: Jennifer Juras, Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research; W. Franklin Martinez, Director of Advising & Student Services; Corey McNeil, Alumni Affairs Associate Solano Community College: Shanan Danley, Director of SOAR Program; David Williams, Vice President of Academic Affairs Windward Community College: Ardis Eschenberg, Chancellor Facilitators: ACCJC Vice Presidents Kevin Bontenbal and Nickawanna Shaw Room: Grand Ballroom E Providing programs of study for incarcerated students, whether within a prison/correctional facility or through distance/correspondence education, is part of ensuring equitable student success for all. Attend this panel discussion to hear from three ACCJC member institutions operating successful programs for incarcerated students and their unique challenges and inspirational success. Mount Tamalpais College will speak to its academic and student support systems and its current initiative to strengthen its alumni network. Solano Community College will discuss how they train their faculty to teach within correctional facilities as part of their Rising Scholars Program and considerations for a correspondence modality. Windward Community College provides college credit-bearing coursework at three carceral facilities and will discuss key strategies to support this population, unique challenges, and how the college enacts its values, particularly: He pūnāwai kahe wale ke aloha (Aloha is a spring that flows freely) to better serve its students. All three colleges will share their outstanding outcomes and meaningful impact and provide best practices for operating prison education programs. Opportunities for Q&A with ACCJC Vice Presidents and session panelists will be provided. Learning outcomes: 1. Explore the ways colleges are meeting the needs of incarcerated students and the unique challenges and creative strategies they have developed in their work towards equitable student success. 2. Discuss techniques and suggestions for supporting and training faculty who work within prisons/correctional facilities and providing comparable student support services. 3. Review prison education programs and how they relate to accreditation processes, including the substantive change process and distance/correspondence education. |
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Presenters: Ángel Reyna, President; Matt Richmond, Vice President of Administrative Services; both of Madera Community College Room: Grand Ballroom F In August of 2022, Madera Community College won the Lumina Foundation Million Dollar Community College Challenge, a prestigious national grant competition designed to enhance brand development and marketing efforts in Community Colleges. This achievement highlights our dedication to cultivating an environment where every student feels valued, supported, and empowered to excel. Through strategic initiatives funded by the Lumina Foundation, we are equipping students to flourish academically, personally, and socially in a welcoming and inclusive setting. Learning outcomes: 1. Understand the approach Madera Community College took as a college regarding the Lumina Million Dollar Challenge. 2. Learn about the college’s progress to date regarding implementation of its strategic initiatives. 3. Hear about the college’s challenges and opportunities regarding implementation of its strategic initiatives. |
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Presenters: Claire Cesareo, Professor of Anthropology/Educational Planning and Assessment Coordinator; Elliot Stern, President; Shouka Torabi, Director Research, Planning and Accreditation; all of Saddleback College Room: Grand Ballroom G Few faculty make use of aggregated student achievement data on even the most elegant and accessible dashboards. Saddleback College initiated a unique collaboration between Institutional Research and Faculty to develop simple and useful instructor-level dashboards, updated and pushed out to every instructor after each semester, giving them data on student completion rates for the courses they teach as well as disaggregated data for disproportionately impacted groups. Rather than “shaming” instructors, the “one sheet” also provides them with references for professional development based on best practices for closing equity gaps in course completion. Faculty are using the data, and the conversations that have ensued at the department and School level have moved us from talk to action and from engagement of the willing few to broad engagement on issues of equity at the classroom level. The collaboration between administration and faculty serves as a project model for addressing difficult issues with full engagement and real action. Learning Outcomes: Attendees will learn how a more active and bespoke approach to sharing data, replicable at their own colleges, will reach and engage more faculty and motivate them to make actionable changes in their pedagogy and classroom practices to narrow equity gaps in course completion. They will also come to understand how a collaborative approach to issues like sharing of disaggregated data can lead to greater buy-in and more robust responses, thus walking away with a model for collaboration in their own equity work. |
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Presenters: Ryan Cornner, Superintendent/President; Ed Karpp, Dean of Research, Planning, & Grants; Amir Nour, Vice President of Administrative Services; Ann Ransford, Trustee; Michael Ritterbrown, Vice President of Instruction; all of Glendale Community College Room: Garden 4 One college’s effective use of the formative-summative evaluation process. Attendees will learn how the peer review process was utilized to support institutional processes, decision-making, and governance, resulting in improved institutional effectiveness and a favorable comprehensive evaluation result. Learning Outcomes: 1. Understand the formative-summative evaluation process. 2. Identify strategies for using formative evaluation for institutional improvement. |
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| 4:00 pm - 4:15 pm | Session Changeover | ||
| 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm Plenary Address | Presenter: Jonathan Fansmith, Senior Vice President of Government Relations and National Engagement, American Council on Education Room: Grand Ballroom A-D Learn more about the current political climate for higher education in Washington and what is on the horizon. Join an expert from the American Council on Education who will address priority issues for federal policymakers and consider what we can expect ahead of the 2024 election. This session will cover developing trends in federal legislation and regulation as well as a detailed dive into key issues impacting students, campuses and accreditors. |
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| 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm | Room: Garden 1-3 and Patio The poster session will take place during the opening reception, sponsored by our Platinum Sponsor, the Lumina Foundation. Join us for drinks, appetizers, conversation, and networking and enjoy the showcase of high-impact practices and outcomes throughout ACCJC membership. Hors d’oeuvres will be served; cash bar. |
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Friday, May 10, 2024 |
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| 7:45 am - 3:30 pm | Check-In / Registration Desk Open: Grand Ballroom Foyer | ||
| 7:45 am - 8:45 am | Continental Breakfast: Grand Ballroom Hall | ||
| 9:00 am - 9:15 am | Presenter: Mac Powell, President, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Room: Grand Ballroom A-D |
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| 9:15 am - 10:15 am Plenary Address | Community Colleges = Constructive Catalysts |
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| 10:15 am - 10:45 am | Beverage Break: Grand Ballroom Hall | ||
| 10:45 am - 12:00 pm | Concurrent Sessions: 2A-2D | ||
Presenters: Jose Carrillo, Associate Dean of Institutional Research and Effectiveness; Lennor M. Johnson, Superintendent/President; both of Imperial Valley College Room: Grand Ballroom E Embark on an inspiring journey with us as we delve into Imperial Valley College's path to achieving the prestigious Aspen Community College Excellence Prize. This presentation illuminates the challenges that ignited our transformation, the innovative solutions devised and executed, and our comprehensive reform agenda. Participants will glean invaluable insights from our lessons learned, exploring the pivotal strategies that propelled us towards success. Furthermore, we'll showcase our ongoing initiatives aimed at sustaining this remarkable achievement. Join us to uncover the transformative power of perseverance and innovation in community college excellence. Learning Outcomes 1. Inspire innovative practices from a culturally inclusive perspective to close equity gaps. 2. Encourage the development of a culture of inquiry to promote successful outcomes. 3. Foster a culture of care and promote student engagement by offering quality educational programs and comprehensive student support services. |
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Presenters: Kristie Camacho, Outcomes and Assessment Committee Chair, SLO Coordinator, Professor of English; Corbyn Wild, Academic Senate President, SLO Coordinator, Professor of English; both of College of the Desert Room: Grand Ballroom F At College of the Desert, our pioneering approach to incorporating learning outcome data into institutional decision-making ensures that learning remains the focal point of our endeavors. Through customized assessment cycles and a commitment to authenticity, we empower our experts to guide student outcomes at every step of their educational journey. Experience the impact of our "Closing the Loop" discussions, carefully crafted to drive meaningful change. Explore the essence of our Program Enhancement Plans (PEPs), fostering faculty accountability and spotlighting innovation in our Program Showcase. Join us in shaping a future where learning outcomes lead the charge toward educational excellence. Learning Outcomes: 1. Create collaborative pathways to bridge faculty and administration in decision making by centering learning. 2. Explore ways to use Learning Outcome data in program review and more. 3. Establish learning as a key value for the institution. |
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Presenters: Daniel Miramontez, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, San Diego Miramar College, Board Member, The RP Group; Alyssa Nguyen, Senior Director of Research and Evaluation, The RP Group Room: Grand Ballroom G The four accreditation standards operationalizing and promoting student success, academic quality, institutional integrity, and excellence at institutions rely on data and information to effectively document and measure the progress and outcomes of institutions meeting these standards. A cycle of continuous improvement that includes a mechanism for data collection and assessment is needed in order to support institution planning and implementation efforts. This session will introduce attendees to a suite of tools developed by The RP Group that could be used to support these efforts. This suite of tools includes a self-assessment tool that can be used to explore the extent certain practices and policies at the institution are equity-centered, a target-setting guide that lays out key considerations for setting targets and benchmarks for institutional metrics, and several guides focused on the importance and application of data disaggregation for focusing and uplifting potentially disparate experiences and outcomes for different student populations. Learning Outcomes: 1. Attendees will learn about the suite of tools The RP Group has developed to support the use of data and information for institutional effectiveness assessment and evaluation. 2. Attendees will identify at least one concrete way to leverage these tools locally within the accreditation process. |
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Panelists: Columbia College: Elissa Creighton, Curriculum Process Specialist; Colin Thomas, Professor of Chemistry; Melissa Raby, Vice President of Student Services, ALO Modesto Junior College: Patrick Bettencourt, Dean of Instruction and Student Learning; Michael Smedshammer, Distance Education Coordinator Facilitator: ACCJC Vice President Gohar Momjian Room: Garden 4 In this presentation, ALOs Patrick Bettencourt and Melissa Raby will provide the background leading to their decision in February 2023 to redirect the work they had already completed and pilot the new ACCJC Accreditation Standards. Accreditation Chairs Colin Thomas and Elissa Creighton of Columbia College and Michael Smedshammer of Modesto Junior College will discuss how they approached their positions and shifted to the new Standards. With little time to prepare, the ISER drafts were finished on time through some fortunate sequencing. The panel will share techniques they used to gather information and write their ISERs quickly, and they will provide advice and suggestions to those about to begin this journey. Opportunity for Q&A with an ACCJC Vice President and session panelists will be provided. Learning Outcomes: 1. Review the 2024 Accreditation Standards, updated ISER expectations, and related accreditation processes. 2. Explore the way two colleges pivoted to the 2024 Standards and approached their ISERs. 3. Discuss techniques and suggestions for approaching an ISER under the 2024 Standards. |
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| 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm | Plated Lunch: Grand Ballroom A-D | ||
| 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Plenary Address | Presenter: Tia B. McNair, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Student Success, Executive Director for the TRHT Campus Centers, American Association of Colleges & Universities Room: Grand Ballroom A-D How are institutions defining equity to guide an inquiry process to support student success and educational design? How are institutions assessing existing efforts to inform decision-making? How are educators understanding students’ needs to design environments of belonging? This session will focus on evidence-based strategies for translating equity goals for student success into daily practice based on recommendations outlined in From Equity Talk to Equity Walk, Becoming a Student-Ready College, and AAC&U’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) national effort with colleges and universities across the country. |
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| 2:30 pm - 2:45 pm | Presenter: Mac Powell, President, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Room: Grand Ballroom A-D |
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