California Community College Equity Leadership Alliance:
Cuesta College, along with over 60 other community colleges, is part of the CA Community College Equity Leadership Alliance working towards racial equity through monthly professional development eConvenings. These high-quality professional learning experiences were held virtually throughout the 20-21 academic year. Each focused on one specific topic – see an abbreviated list below in Table 1. Four-hour learning modules were delivered by experts who teach in the USC Equity Institutes. These instructors are well respected leaders of national higher education associations, highly-cited professors who study race relations and people of color, chief diversity officers and other experienced administrators, and specialists from the USC Race and Equity Center. eConvening modules focused mostly on strategies and practical approaches. Instructors used contemporary cases of equity dilemmas and racial crises on community college campuses. Emphasis was placed on learning from sagas that have recently occurred elsewhere; learning how to get ahead of situations and reducing risk of crisis; and learning actionable equity leadership strategies. Participants learned about evolving trends pertaining to diverse community college students and employees.
Alliance member colleges also participate in a trio of campus climate surveys on a three-year rotational basis – the student survey in year one, the faculty survey in year two, and the staff survey in the third membership year.
Table 1: List of eConvening Topics
- Engaging in Productive Conversations About Race
- Fostering and Sustaining Inclusive Classrooms for Students of Color
- Understanding and Addressing Implicit Bias
- Understanding and Confronting Anti-Black Racism
- Meaningfully Integrating Race Across the Curriculum
- Confronting Explicit Acts of Racism and Racial Violence on Campus
- Recruiting and Hiring Faculty of Color
- Equity-Minded Student Support Services
- Implementing AB 705 and Other Legislation in Equitable Ways
- Recruiting and Strategically Diversifying Staff at All Levels
- Accountability and Incentives for Advancing Racial Equity
- Creating Equitable Pathways to Leadership Roles for Employees of Color\
- Opposing the Erasure of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans
To view recordings of all sessions, please CLICK HERE
(only viewable by Cuesta employees, sign-in required)
For more information on the Alliance, please contact: Jason Curtis, VP of Instruction
