Partner College Leaders Meet in Seattle
On April 17, the National Network's
Board of Directors hosted the 2nd annual Gateway to College Leadership
Convening. The annual convening is designed to build camaraderie among partner
college leaders and to inform them about the network's recent accomplishments
and future plans. Nearly 20 representatives of partner colleges
attended the meeting, which was held in Seattle just prior to the opening of
the American Association of Community Colleges conference.
This year,
several guest speakers addressed the group. Hilary Pennington, Director of
Education, Postsecondary Success & Special Initiatives at the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation spoke about the Foundation's goal to invest in
programs like Gateway to College, which are sustainable and can make a large-scale
impact. Dr. Frank Chong, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges within the U.S. Department of
Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education reflected on his involvement
with Gateway to College during his tenure as President of Laney College.
Leah Rapoza, a 2008 graduate of the Gateway program at Portland Community
College, also shared her inspiring story of overcoming tremendous barriers to
achieve academic excellence. Prior to
joining Gateway, Leah was home-schooled, so she entered the program with zero high school credits and
little exposure to a formal learning environment. Through her experiences in
Gateway, she developed a love of learning and a vision for her future. Leah
will graduate from Portland State University (PSU) this spring with a bachelor's
degree in social science. In July, she
will enroll in a master's program within PSU's Graduate School of Education to prepare for a career teaching elementary school students. "Gateway to College didn't just help me get my diploma but gave me a chance
to make something of myself; to achieve
excellence," said Leah during her remarks. "How many 6th grade dropouts do you know that earn their master's
degree?"
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Project
DEgree Launches at Portland Community College
GtC National
Network selected Portland Community College (PCC) as the first pilot site for Project
DEgree, our new program designed to help underprepared high school graduates
accelerate their progress through developmental education. In late March, PCC's first
learning community of Project DEgree students began taking classes.
PCC's Project DEgree team, with several National Network staff during a training session. Standing from left: Sonja Grove, Reading and Writing Instructor; Tracy Schiffmann, Instructional Coach; George Reese, GtCNN Training & Site Support Manager; Stephen Rice, GtCNN Director of Organizational Learning. Seated from left: Cathy O'Malley, Math Instructor; Laura Olin, College Survival & Success Instructor; Alison Butler, Resource Specialist.
The National
Network will provide start-up funds and technical assistance to help eight additional
colleges implement Project DEgree during 2010 and 2011. The initial set of colleges will be
identified in May.
Project
DEgree is intended for 18-26 year olds who have earned a high school diploma or
GED, but who still need further developmental education in order to be ready
for college-level course work. Project DEgree provides students with individualized
academic and social supports, offers an engaging project-based curriculum
within a learning community, and helps students structure their lives so they
can build and maintain the momentum necessary to complete a college credential.
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New Program Directors Join the Network
Over the past five months, several new
Gateway to College program directors have been hired. These leaders are experienced in and passionate about educating and supporting young people. We are fortunate
to have their expertise within our network.
Wendell
Covington is the new
GtC director at St. Louis Community College (STLCC). He has more than 16 years
experience in the education and nonprofit sectors, having served as a public
school teacher, social worker, and school guidance counselor. Wendell also has
worked with programs like Americorps and Vision Gear Up, and served as lead resource
specialist within STLCC's Gateway program prior to taking on the director role.
James Macale is the new director
at City College of San Francisco. James has expertise with high-risk students
and has coordinated the Second Chance Program, which serves formerly
incarcerated students at community colleges. He also has an extensive background
in counseling and has worked in programs such as the Homeless At-Risk
Transitional Students (HARTS) program and the Extended Opportunity Programs
& Services which serves first generation, low-income college students. James
is currently pursuing a PhD in Education with an emphasis in Community College
Leadership at Oregon State University.
Sean McClung has been
serving as interim director at Laney College while Lilia Celhay fulfills her interim
appointment as Dean of Community Partnerships & Workforce Development. Sean
has served as an instructional coach and mentor for new Teach for America
recruits, founded an international school in Beijing, and successfully
graduated his advisory of at-risk students from Denver Big Picture High School,
with a 100% college acceptance rate.
Lisa Nielson is now overseeing the Gateway program at Clackamas Community
College (CCC). She has worked in alternative education for the past 20 years,
mainly teaching in the state prison system. Lisa began her career with CCC as
the college's lead in the Clackamas Middle College, and later managed CCC's
start up of Gateway to College in 2005. She feels "at home" in her return to
Gateway.
Kristine Vowels is the new director at
Eastfield College. Prior to joining Gateway, she spent 11 years working within
the Dallas Independent School District, including 1 year in college readiness
and 4 years in grants management where she supervised directors and principals
(and other school personnel) in writing grants, aligning with district
initiatives, and developing innovative curriculum and instruction to reach
at-risk youth, with the goal of increasing retention and graduation rates.
Directors at our
three newest GtC partner programs include Brendon Comer (Durham Technical
Community College), Marlana Schnell (Des Moines Area Community College), and
Peggy Swanson (Metropolitan Community College).
Prior to directing Durham
Tech's Gateway to College program, Brendon
Comer led the Gateway program at Community College of Philadelphia for
2½ years. He has held several other positions related to youth programming, including
adolescent and family therapy, substance abuse program coordination, and
evaluation.
Marlana
Schnell has 18 years
of experience leading and coordinating non-profit programs. She has become a recognized
expert in best practices that move individuals out of poverty by improving social service delivery, educational
opportunities, and leveraging of resources. In 2009, she worked with multiple
partners to open the Central Iowa Reengagement Center and the Gateway to
College program.
Peggy
Swanson
has 32 years of professional experience within the K-12 system, including such roles as high school teacher, family literacy program
director, and career academy coordinator, among others. She has spent much
of her career working with high school dropouts, ages 16 through 76, studying
to complete a high school credential.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
May 19, 2010: Virtual Brown Bag -
Incorporating Thematic
Units, Part II: A Follow Up, with
Riverside City College Instructors Kelly Camak (English/Language Arts) and Matt Mortimer (Math)
Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm Pacific
Details: This follow up session will address some specific components of collaborative projects and
curriculum development including; a review of projects, the incorporation of
math, the use of rubrics, and a "model" collaboration schedule.
Participants are encouraged to use this workshop as an opportunity to ask
questions and collaborate with others.
How to register: RSVP to Prentice Davis at pdavis@gatewaytocollege.org.
Registrants will be provided with log-in information to join the webinar session.
July 26-28, 2010: Peer Learning Conference
Location: Keystone, Colorado
Details: For more information, go to PLC info page
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