August 25, 2023 | Issue # 243
Many of you, like me, still get excited about the idea of back to school. To this day, I recall how excited I was when I first went back to class after a summer break from elementary, middle, and high school. That same excitement carried over to my days as a college professional and even as a college president. I have chatted with several presidents this week and heard great stories about their colleges returning to classes. In addition to the excitement of returning for a new year, every president and chancellor I have spoken to has been excited by the uptick in enrollment for this fall. I have even had one president share with me a copy of the outstanding speech she gave during her college’s fall convocation. These are the days I miss being on a campus.
We at AACC want to wish all of you the very best as you start the hard work of another semester.
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“Testing Their Mettle — and Building Confidence”
SkillsUSA helps students prepare for trade and technical careers by offering training, service activities, and regional, state and national competitions. Learn how the competitions benefit community college students in this opens in a new windowCC Daily article.
opens in a new window“Lending an Empathetic Ear”
Peer mentoring programs can be “a vital facet of student development,” supporters say. Read about it in the latest issue of opens in a new windowCC Journal, opens in a new windowonline now.
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Prepare for AACC Annual
Interested in presenting at AACC Annual? Or perhaps you’d like to nominate your college or a staff member for an award. Get ready, because on September 5, AACC will open the Call for Abstracts and award nominations. Get more details opens in a new windowhere.
opens in a new windowCommitting to Financial Aid Transparency
As you may know, I serve on the College Cost Transparency Initiative Task Force on behalf of AACC. Earlier today, I sent an email about committing to opens in a new windowprinciples and standards developed by the Task Force when creating your institutional aid offers. These principles and standards are, in part, a response to recent efforts at the federal level to ensure that students are able to clearly understand the financial obligations of attending college. You or your designee may opens in a new windowsubmit your commitment online by November 1, 2023. Thank you!
opens in a new windowServe on the PAEC
AACC currently seeking nominations to serve on AACC’s Presidents Academy Executive Committee. If you are interested, please send an email expressing your interest to Chief of Staff opens in a new windowTammy Reicheltcreate new email by September 15, 2023. opens in a new windowClick here to learn more about the PAEC.
opens in a new windowApply to Participate in Cyber Skills for All Initiative
Proposals are now being accepted for the opens in a new windowCyber Skills for All: Community Colleges Lead the Way initiative, which is managed by AACC with funding from Microsoft. This three-year initiative is building a community of practice focused on elevating cybersecurity pathways through community colleges as a means of economic development. AACC is seeking to select the third and final cohort of 14 community colleges. Each community college will receive $20,000 to, among other things, participate in strategic economic development discussions led by AACC twice a month that will help build high-quality cybersecurity programs at community colleges. Deadline for proposals: September 15.
opens in a new windowWhere’s Walter.