Meeting K-12 needs

The College earlier this month hosted representatives of nine Tucson-area school districts and other important players in the K-12 system. We have been leading these gatherings annually since 2014. As usual, the discussion was robust and wide-ranging.

The most common need cited was for PCC to continue and intensify outreach into high school and middle school campuses, and to inform parents of their role in getting their children to attend college.

The College is committed to meeting our constituents where they live to tell our story. Our 2017-2021 Strategic Plan and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan include major outreach initiatives.

We understand the need to start the conversation early to build strong connections with prospective students and their families. Many of our students are the first in their family to attend college, and are of modest means, making paying for school a major decision.

I thank the attendees for taking time to share insights on important topics of mutual interest, and to PCC’s Esperanza Duarte and Joi Stirrup for putting together an informative event that brings together stakeholders united in their commitment to student success.

Engaging our constituents

Recently, I had the opportunity to take part in two events that illustrate the breadth of the College’s impact on our community.

On Oct. 27, I attended our annual luncheon for the area’s K-12 district school superintendents. I shared our progress on accreditation, and spoke about advancing the development of Centers of Excellence around occupational professions at PCC. College personnel shared information about dual enrollment, Developmental Education, and Admissions & Recruitment. I want to commend the Provost’s Office for holding an informative event.

On Nov. 1 at our Downtown Campus, I took part in an informational event coinciding with the start of the Affordable Care Act’s 2016-2017 Open Enrollment period. I emphasized that as an institution of higher learning, PCC has a responsibility to make sure our students have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their lives, including their health coverage.

With TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez and JTED Superintendent Alan Storm

At the ACA event at Downtown Campus

Also taking part were Downtown Campus President Dr. David Doré, as well as Cynthia Estrada of the Pima County Enrollment Coalition and Melissa Stafford Jones, Regional Director for the Department of Health and Human Services. Thanks to all for helping the College connect with students and the community about a topic of high interest.

Connecting with K-12

Metro Tucson’s district school superintendents came to PCC last week for our second annual luncheon, which brings together local K-12 leadership, PCC campus presidents and key College administrators. We shared information about PCC initiatives that affect our partners in the education pipeline, and to discuss ways to connect in order to build clearer pathways to student success, something our external constituents expect and deserve.

As at last year’s inaugural event, there was a lot to talk about. Provost Dr. Erica Holmes shared PCC’s progress in redesigning developmental education, based on the bedrock principle of open access. “We meet students where they are,” Dr. Holmes said, and “take them where they want to go academically.”

We are redesigning our developmental Reading, Writing and Mathematics curricula to align them with best practices, and are assessing the impact of an innovative Math Emporium pilot program. Of special interest is a plan to work closely with Adult Education to move students into college-level coursework as quickly and effectively as possible.

A bonus for everyone was a visit by Mark Mitsui, Deputy U.S. Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, who graciously drove from an event in Phoenix to provide an update on federal initiatives to align our education system to meet college- and career-readiness standards. Mark told us, “You are doing hard work, but good work, in creating important seamless pathways” between K-12 and postsecondary education.

The meeting also included a presentation by Dr. Nic Richmond, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Planning and Institutional Research who presented data regarding the high schools that incoming PCC students have graduated from. Executive Director of Enrollment Management Dr. Heather Tilson described PCC’s re-energized outreach efforts, which are an important part of our comprehensive Enrollment Management initiative. Vice Provost Dr. Mary Ann Martinez Sanchez discussed potential alternatives to PCC assessment to determine student placement, such as examining high school transcripts or scores on the ACT, and described our efforts to expand dual enrollment.

The superintendents astutely emphasized the need for K-12 systems and PCC to present clear, unified messages to stakeholders, be they high school students and faculty regarding placement standards, or state government decision-makers as we explore ways to remove regulatory obstacles to dual enrollment expansion.

Cohesive, focused collaborations can pay big dividends – PCC’s recent $2.5 million grant from the federal government to train adults for occupational careers is tangible proof of that. By strengthening the dialogue with our partners in K-12, we can unearth ways to work together for the benefit of students and the community.