Courageous Conversations about

Equity at Century College

Ron Anderson, PresidentLinda Baughman-Terry, CounselorNickyia Cogshell, Chief Diversity Officer

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Listening to the voices of our students

Our Equity Journey

Local Context: A Decade of Change

Then and Now: 2002-2012

• Aging population• Increased populations of color

and households where English is not the first language

• Significantly increased poverty• Increased unemployment

Then and Now: 2002-2012

• Significant enrollment growth (32%)

• Significant growth in College employees and budget

• Cost of tuition has doubled ($178.56/credit)

• The State of Minnesota continues to divest in higher education, shifting the burden to students

Demographic Shifts

Racial Category Fall 2006 Fall 2010

American Indian/Alaskan

54.4% 38.5%

Black/African American  

52.5% 45.0%

White 62.4% 64.4%

Asian/Pacific Islander 60.9% 73.0%

Hispanic 53.2% 64.7%

First Term of Enrollment: Successful Course Completion

Achievement Gaps

Fall 2009 to Fall 2010 Fall 2010 to Fall 2011

Students of Color 62.1% 60.7%

Pell Eligible 64.8% 62.8%

First Generation 64.9% 63.2%

Combined “Underrepresented”

66.1% 63.2%

ALL STUDENTS 67.7% 66.2%

Second Fall Persistence and Completion(cohort based)

Achievement Gaps

Fall 2007 to Spring 2010

Fall 2008 to Spring 2011

Students of Color 31.1% 33.0%

Pell Eligible 31.4% 35.2%

First Generation 37.0% 33.2%

Combined “Underrepresented”

34.2% 35.6%

ALL STUDENTS 39.9% 40.8%

Third Spring Completion Rate – Graduation or Transfer (cohort based)

Achievement Gaps

Planning Activities/Data

• CCSSE survey results reviewed (Fall 2009)

• Four work groups formed: – First Year Academies/Advising– Success in Gateway Courses– Developmental Education/Student Success

Courses– Employee Development Centered on

Student Success

• Course level success data reviewed(Fall 2010)

• Creation of Student Success Action plans for each program, department, discipline and unit (Fall 2010)

• Action plans implemented (spring 2011)

Planning Activities/Data

• Attended the Entering Student Engagement Institute (ESEI) Spring 2011

• SENSE survey results used for planning

Planning Activities/Data

Key 2010 SENSE Survey Results

• Kick off for ATD in Seattle (summer 2011)– Light bulb moment

– Commitment to equity by college leadership • Reframing opportunity

– Lead to formation of core team, data team, and advancement teams

Planning Activities/Data

Academic Interventions

• Three years of optional academic interventions:

– Learning communities– Optional student success courses– Reading 0080 mentoring project (intrusive

advising)– Reading 0090 mentoring project (intrusive

advising)

Academic Interventions

• Current Interventions for 2012-2013

– 70 of sections of learning communities–Mandatory New Student Seminar for

students who place into developmental reading (1,300 students)

– Intrusive advising is component of NSS

Data point: 67% of students in NSS in Fall 2012 were students of color

Student Support Interventions

• Tutors linked-to-classes (2011-2012)

– 275 course sections covered

– 3,350 students served

Brother to Brother (B2B)

Cultural Change

• Broadened involvement and shared responsibility

• Equality versus Equity

• Listening to our students’ voices

• Listening to our own voices

• President’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Establishing Safety

• Guiding Principles for Deeper Conversations about Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity

Raising Awareness

Century Race Card Conversations

Century Race Conversations

http://centuryraceconversation.project.mnscu.edu/index.asp

A Developmental Approach

• Systemic and Developmentally Appropriate

• Data Driven

• Multidimensional

• Multidirectional

• Integrated 

Deeper Conversations about Equity, Diversity, and

Inclusion Learning Goals

• impact individual development/cultural competence

• foster community building through engagement and meaning making

• offer opportunities for critical reflection and application

Deepening Our Work

• Conducting a baseline assessment • Creating a systematic and

developmentally appropriate professional development opportunities

• Implementing cultural competence training for managers, supervisors, and administrators

• Revising Human Resource policies and practices

Global Lessons Learned

• Importance of establishing guiding principles

• Consistent and clear modeling by leadership

• Clear messaging about focus

Global Lessons Learned

• Sensitivity to academic calendar

• Response to controversial topics

• Students want to talk about race

The “aha” moments never end…

Personal Reflections

• Linda

• Nickyia

• Ron

Learning fromone another

Listening to the voices of our faculty and staff