Over 280 participants from all twelve community colleges in the Inland Empire as well as other regional and statewide educators convened virtually on April 29-30 for the Inland Empire/Desert Guided Pathways Summit presented by Growing Inland Achievement. Guided Pathways provide students with clear course-taking patterns to encourage better enrollment decisions and a clearer path to graduation.
Summit Keynote Session with Rob Johnstone, Monica Lozano, and Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley
With Robert Johnstone from National Center for Inquiry and Improvement as the emcee, event participants engaged with other leaders in higher education from throughout the country. “We were honored to have Monica Lozano of the College Futures Foundation and Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley provide keynote addresses followed by a panel discussion on the importance of community colleges, Guided Pathways, and regional work,” Said Carlos Ayala, President & CEO of Growing Inland Achievement.
In another session, Tia Brown McNair, Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), provided insights into the connection between equity and Guided Pathways.
“We achieved our goals of having participants share and teach about their promising practices and linking equity and Guided Pathways,” said Ann Marie Sakrekoff, Chief Operations Officer for Growing Inland Achievement. “We remain confident that the Inland Empire is motivated to continue the regional collaboration on Guided Pathways and that the colleges are excited and committed to its implementation.”
Recordings of Summit sessions are available online at: https://inlandempiregia.org/guided-pathways-summit/
The Inland Empire/Desert Guided Pathways Summit was made possible through support from the College Futures Foundation.