In June 2022, I was very excited to attend Complete College America’s ACT: Policy & Action Summit in Louisville, Kentucky. This was my first time visiting Kentucky and everything was beautiful!
Apparently, this conference is “where the magic happens. Where ideas come to life, decisions are made, and plans for impact take shape” and this was definitely true. Usually, when I attend a higher education summit, it is just focused on current information and best practices, but this conference took a different turn. It was all about action and implementation.
Several of the key groups from the Complete College were able to come together and to take action. These groups included: state teams of higher education leaders and policymakers came together.
The content was amazing and the conversations were even better. Our conversations focused on Time to Degree, Corequisite Support, Guided Pathways, and more.
Here was the schedule:
Day 1
Welcome from the CCA President: Dr. Yolanda Watson-Spiva
Bringing in Those Left Behind in the College Completion Movement
Continued Progress and New Frontiers
No Middle Ground – Advancing Equity Through Practice
ACT I – Start, Stop, Continue
Day 2
The Politics of Equitable College Completion
Equity and Public University Funding
No Middle Ground – Advancing Equity in All States
ACT II & III – Policy Recommendation and Development
Innovation in Systems Change
New Opportunities for Your Complete College Alliance Team
I learned so much through this summit and the networking was great. One of the aspects of the conference that served as a highlight for me was the placement of several flags around the room to represent the institutions of each Complete College America member/partner.
This was evidence of intentional support and success.
The sponsors for this event included: The Lumina Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ascendium, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Barr Foundation
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Check out my book – Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.
Remember to order copies for your team as well!
Thanks for visiting!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication
Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute