Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for all of your work and sacrifice as we adjust to serving students in the new terrain. We really appreciate you! As you know, due to COVID-19 the annual Student Affairs Conference has been canceled. However, we want to ensure our transfer of information and development does not stop. We had a terrific line up of speakers for the conference and since we cannot be there physically, we are going to bring our talented colleagues from around the system to you virtually.
We are excited to announce our virtual Student Affairs Toolbox Series for the Spring and Summer of 2020. Each week, we will have presenters from one of our colleges providing a live WebEx training. The presentations will be offered on Tuesday and Friday from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm from May 8th through June 12th. We realize there is no ideal time to break away and should you not be able to break away we will make sure each training is available via a recording.
We look forward to investing in our collective toolbox and send a sincere thank you to all of you who have offered your time and talent over the next few months. A CCCS system-wide salute to you all!
Derek Grubb, Director of Institutional Effectiveness & SUCCESS
Verbal Judo – A proven model for de-escalation and eliciting compliance.
The news and internet are ripe with examples of arguments and fights in classrooms and on school grounds. Tense situations form around everything from political divides to domestic disputes. We all have high expectations of our students, but classroom and campus disruptions are more a question of “when” than “if”. How we respond can mean the difference between a learning opportunity and cell videos on YouTube and evening news. Verbal Judo is method that was originally developed for police and correctional officers to elicit compliance and deescalate tense situations. This workshop will explore the qualities of the Verbal Judo method and present how employing this and other methods can help you to respond to such situations.
Verbal Judo PowerPoint
Jim Vernon, FRCC Chair, Business, IT, and Manufacturing
Community Engagement for All Students – The Chamber Student Network
The Chamber Student Network is a first-of-its-kind, student-led and student-managed organization, providing a platform to connect students with the local business community. Outcomes from the first two years include numerous internships, mentorships, and job shadowing and skill development. Members of CSN are learning in real time the many soft skills they will need for career success. This network has grown to over 65 members across the Front Range, with FRCC students in the vast majority. FRCC alumni still actively participate during their transfer matriculation. A few have even launched successful businesses and are full members of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce (which sponsors the organization). Our presentation will describe how we collaborated with the chamber and community partners to encourage students to build and sustain this organization. We will also include discussion of how we believe other colleges can help their students achieve similar success.
Community Engagement for All Students PowerPoint
Derek Grubb, Director of Institutional Effectiveness & SUCCESS
Closing the Achievement Gap Best Practices
Although Morgan Community College is one of the smallest rural community colleges in Colorado, it is also home to one of the most diverse populations in the state. Fueled by the promise of good paying jobs in agriculture with minimal language requirements, Fort Morgan has been the destination for immigrants for decades. During settlement, this was largely immigrants from Europe and Mexico. More recently, refugees from east Africa have come to call Fort Morgan home. This presentation will discuss the paradigm of diverse cultures in a conservative community and how MCC has led efforts in education equity. While there is still room for improvement, we will discuss how and why MCC not only has next to zero achievement gaps in many outcomes like retention and graduation rates, but also maintains achievement at or above state averages. Come learn why MCC is the best kept secret in Colorado.
Closing the Achievement Gap PowerPoint
MCC uses the following documents in their strategic planning. Please feel free to use them! If you need Word documents, contact Mandi Myers
2018-2023 Strategic Plan- Placemat Version
MCC 2019-2023 Institutional Scorecard Example
Liz Kuehl, Colorado Education Initiative Program Lead
The purpose of the Colorado Career Conversations Training Project is to provide free, high-quality, professional development to individuals throughout the state who are positioned to have career conversations with students, job seekers, clients, or others who may need support navigating career decisions. As an initiative of the Education Leadership Council and on behalf of the Colorado Department of Education, the Colorado Education Initiative is offering Colorado Career Conversation training. The training and framework were also built in partnership with the Colorado Workforce Development Council, Colorado Department of Higher Education, and Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. This free professional development experience is intended for anyone who might have a career conversation. The goal of the project is to train 5,000 individuals by June 2020, expanding the number of skilled advisors able to deliver a consistent career advising experience. Concepts covered in the training include identifying skills, interests, and aptitudes, exploring career possibilities and analyzing economic opportunities, research and problem solving skills, active listening and building trust, action planning, and much more!
All participants receive continuing education credits.
Colorado Initiative Program Lead PowerPoint
The Colorado Education Initiative has the provided the following documents for your use:
Career Advising Graphic Conversation
Jennifer Husum, ACC Associate Dean of Students for Equity and Compliance
Javon Brame, ACC Dean of Student Services
The Truth of It All: Bias and You
We are biased, all of us. Let come together to discuss bias, intersectionality and cultural sensitivity from the lens of Title IX, Student Conduct and Care Team investigations and interventions. We will provide foundational definitions and relevant examples taken directly from the student situations that we manage daily. We will discuss how we identify, address and combat our own biases. Participants will apply their learning through case study analysis and group discussion on these important topics.
The Truth of It All: Bias and You PowerPoint
Dasia Ryan, PPCC Enrollment Services Liaison
Everyday Deeds of Ordinary Folk: How the Theology of J.R.R. Tolkien Can Help You to Better Serve Students
“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I’ve found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love. ” – Gandalf the Grey, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The realm of Middle Earth created by J.R.R Tolkien is full of peril and trial. Alliances are broken then to be re-forged in the free people’s desperate hour to combat evil and corruption and save the land from the ruin of Sauron. But it is also a world full of courage, bravery, loyalty and hope; a hope which comes from the most unexpected of places or creatures: Hobbits.
Exploring some of these themes and beloved characters, this presentation will demonstrate that the deeply theological themes that Tolkien embedded in his works have tangible and practical application in our daily interactions with the students we serve providing a realistic and beneficial framework from which we can demonstrate our faith at work (whichever faith system that may be).
A Christian theologian and scholar himself, Tolkien was very purposeful in creating a world deeply rooted in his faith tradition, but not so obvious or brashly evangelistic that it would be off putting to his readers. While his friend and colleague C.S. Lewis thought the imagery and metaphor should be blatantly obvious in fictional writing, Tolkien took a multifaceted, layered approach creating languages, mythology, ancestry and deep history that served as the foundation for the epic story he told in the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is from this place of complexity and a bit of mystery that we will explore what guiding principles can be gleaned from this story and utilized in our epic work to educate and empower students to go out into the world and help to keep the darkness at bay.
Everyday Deeds of Ordinary Folk PowerPoint
Brook Koltun, PPCC Coordinator of Testing
Jill Holmes, PPCC Student Advisor
Elizabeth Montano, PPCC Student Advisor
Kaeley Neppl, PPCC Student Advisor
Laura Quinn, PPCC Student Advisor
Advising Connects: Increasing Engagement and Connections to Campus Resources
This session will highlight how Pikes Peak Community College is working towards their Strategic Plan Goal to reduce “high stakes testing for placement” by 30%. Utilizing the “Multiple Measures” for placement approved by the Colorado Community College System, adopting an “Advise first, Test second” mindset, and allowing students more voice in their placement, advisors and test proctors have improved the enrollment process. Best practices for placement will be shared with a focus on how different placement choices affect student success and equity outcomes. Disaggregated data of testing rates, placement rates, and success rates will be shared to shed light on equity gaps within the placement “system.” Advisors who have these placement conversations with students will also share their experiences. Student Affairs Professionals will leave this session understanding best practices for placing students and feel empowered that they can help students determine the best placement for them without additional testing.
What’s Another Test Going to Tell Me PowerPoint
Amanda O’Sullivan, CCD Adjunct Instructor
Best Andragogical Practices to Improve Equity and Inclusion in the Classroom and Workplace
As a member of the Inclusive Excellence Leadership team at the Community College of Denver, I am currently conducting research on how instructors can build and foster equity and inclusion into the classroom and workplace. Therefore, at the Student Affairs Conference, I would like to present on how language, word choice, and phrasing can establish and foster equity and inclusion in the classroom and workplace.
Using Words to Close the Equity Gap PowerPoint
A few other great resources:
Let’s Give Our Language A Makeover: The Cult Of Pedagogy Podcast
Tuesday, June 9, 11:30am-1:00pm
Jennifer Woegens, ACC Elevate Coordinator
Elevate at Arapahoe Community College
In 2016, Senate Bill 16-196 passed with bipartisan support allocating legislative funds to develop three inclusive higher education (IHE) programs in Colorado: Arapahoe Community College (ACC), University of Northern Colorado (UNC), and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS).
At ACC, we created Elevate, which provides inclusive higher education opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We are a holistic program with the mission of fostering academic growth, preparing our Elevate students for gainful employment, aiding in the development of independent living skills, and encouraging active engagement within our ACC campus community. ACC is currently the only community college in the state of Colorado with an inclusive higher education program.
Over the past four years, Elevate has evolved based the many lessons we have learned while serving our diverse student population and national best practices. Visit this live session to:
- Find out what inclusive higher education is
- Gain an understanding of the ways we holistically serve our students
- Learn about our application process and the way we select qualified applicants for Elevate
- Discuss future expansion to more community colleges in our system
This spring we will be celebrating our first graduates!
Please join me in learning more about inclusive higher education and celebrate the amazing accomplishments of all of our Elevate students!
Please click below to save this presentation to your calendar, and to access the WebEx link.
Student Affairs Toolbox Series – Jennifer Woegens
Friday, June 12, 11:30am – 1:00pm
Karen Browning, ACC Marketing Project Manager/ COM Adjunct Instructor
Presenting with Inclusive Excellence
Toastmasters tip by Radha Tailor, “When presenting a speech, don’t think about how the audience will look at you. Think about what value you can give them.” Radha Tailor is an award-winning speaker, marketer and media professional. This webinar provides Ted Talk tips, along with refreshing your public speaking skills for the contemporary age of inclusion. Our goal is to develop competencies for delivering a winning presentation through a lens of equity. The focus is creating inclusive presentation aids with five key points on:
- Equitable functions – incorporating pedagogical practices of the who, what, where, and when of a presentation.
- Best types for diverse audiences – tips for using props, pictograms, and graphs effectively.
- Inclusive display options – moving from idea to image and what presentation aids options are best for all to see and/or hear.
- Accommodating designs – a deeper dive into creating visual content that is also accessible.
- Winning delivery for all – building a checklist for dealing with anxiety, glitches, and all the unknows.
Shape your mind, creativity, communication skills, and become excellent at inclusive delivery. Then be prepared to take your public speaking talents and presentations to the next level!
Please click below to save this presentation to your calendar, and to access the WebEx link.