How Will Higher Education & the
Purpose of Community Colleges
Change in the Next Decade?

Message from the Chair

WELCOME TO COLORFUL COLORADO! On behalf of your executive committee and the good folks of the vital WICHE staff, we look forward to seeing you at our annual meeting October 26-28, 2022 in Broomfield, CO. We have developed a program that we know will be engaging and energizing, while providing you the time to network with like-minded colleagues from community colleges across the western United States. The theme, How Will Higher Education and the Purpose of Community Colleges Change in the Next Decade?, this year is particularly relevant to the challenges on our campuses. The pandemic has forced us all to examine our practices, programs, support services, policies, and structures with an eye to the future. We all need to rethink who we serve, how we serve them, and the vital role we play in supporting our respective communities. The focus of this year’s conference, developed with input from the membership, is to do just that. Redefining and refining our role must be a collaborative effort with our key constituents – students, community partners, workforce partners, and college employees. We are truly excited not only for the compelling conference sessions, but also to engage with you all in person.

We look forward to joining with you here in Colorado in October!

Professional Development Workshop  – Dr. Roberto Montoya, Chief Educational Equity Officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education

Oct 27th 2-3:30pm

Renaissance Boulder Flatiron Hotel, Broomfield, CO

During this session, an intimate cohort of Alliance members attending the 2022 Annual Meeting will have the opportunity to participate in an action-oriented workshop centered around reviewing and revising institution- and system-level policies with an equity lens.  Attendees are asked to come prepared with a policy from their own institution or system office that could be reworked.  Led by Dr. Roberto Montoya, the Chief Educational Equity Officer of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, participants will leave with examples and ideas that they can take back to their campus. Following this workshop, this cohort of Alliance members will be invited to participate in 2 one-hour follow-up conversations via zoom during the Spring 2023 term (i.e. January and April) to discuss what conversations and actions have taken place on campus regarding equity and the policy that you brought to the workshop. Between follow-up sessions, participants will have the opportunity to connect with each other, WICHE, and Dr. Montoya. Space is limited to the first 15 attendees. Requires an additional $50 fee to be paid at the time of registration. Please contact Jenn Raby if you would like to attend and need financial assistance to do so.

Who Should Attend

In attendance you will find colleagues from the WICHE region eager to share the lessons they’ve learned from tackling a host of institutional and academic challenges, including some of the ones you may currently be facing.

• Provosts, vice presidents, and directors of academic affairs at community colleges and technical schools
• Chief executive officers and chief academic officers of related systems and statewide agencies
• Institutional staff with expertise in the program topic areas, accompanying those above at their invitation

About the Alliance

The members of the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders (Alliance) are the chief academic officers of community colleges and technical schools along with their associated system and state agencies in the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States which make up the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) region. Through the Alliance, these top academic leaders share perspectives on current issues, work together on regional projects that are beyond the scope of a single institution or state, and contribute resources and expertise to build a stronger future for higher education in the West. The Alliance was founded in 2010 with support from the Western Academic Leadership Forum which is also based at WICHE.