Conference program 2012

July 23 –25, 2012

Doubletree Hotel

Portland, OR

8th Annual Peer Learning

Conference

Tapping into what motivates us to achieve and grow

ower ofersisTencePThe

II

National Network

Gateway to College Peer Learning Conference / The Power of Persistence II / i

July 23-25, 20128th ANNUAL • PEER LEARNING CONFERENCE

Welcome to Portland for the 8th Annual Peer Learning Conference, The Power of Persistence II! Last year in Philadelphia, we began an exploration of persistence. This year, we extend the theme by focusing on a concept that greatly affects our ability to persist – motivation.

“If my students were only motivated to do the work, they would succeed.”

We’ve all heard this sentiment expressed and have perhaps uttered it ourselves at some point in our careers as educators. And so we weave external motivators into our college policies and course syllabi and sometimes find ourselves pleading with students to show up for class, do their homework, and stick with it. Although these strategies may help some students in the short term, they aren’t enough to help the growing number of non-traditional students with incredibly complex lives to develop the internal motivation and habits of mind needed to persist and complete a degree.

If we can help students tap into their own individual motivators, we can harness something very powerful. When faced with a full-time course load and the need to work 35 hours per week to pay the bills, it’s the student’s internal drive to be the first in the family to graduate that pushes him forward. It’s the student’s desire to make a better life for her young child that powers her through. It’s their aspiration to be a part of something bigger than themselves that lifts them up. It’s the feeling of satisfaction after mastering a difficult concept, a peer’s story of success, or a mentor’s unyielding support that ignites or sustains a student’s motivation at a particular point in time.

As we consider the relationship between motivation and persistence in our students, a proper starting point is deep within ourselves. Throughout the conference, we’ll be reflecting on the question – What motivates you? We ask that you pose this question to yourself and to each other and apply what you learn during the conference to your own plans for growth and achievement and your plans for cultivating the Power of Persistence among your students.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy your time in Portland – the city we love and call home. Thank you for coming, and please let us know how we can help make your experience in the City of Roses a memorable one.

— GtCNN Team

8th ANNUAL • PEER LEARNING CONFERENCE July 23-25, 2012

Gateway to College Peer Learning Conference / The Power of Persistence II / iii

Table of Contents

Acronyms ..............................................................................................................v

Agenda at a Glance

Saturday, July 21 .....................................................................................................1

Sunday, July 22 .......................................................................................................1

Monday, July 23 ......................................................................................................1

Tuesday, July 24 ......................................................................................................3

Wednesday, July 25 ................................................................................................5

Complete Agenda

Saturday, July 21 .....................................................................................................9

Sunday, July 22 .......................................................................................................9

Monday, July 23 ......................................................................................................9

Tuesday, July 24 ................................................................................................... 14

Wednesday, July 25 ............................................................................................. 18

Planned Social Activities .................................................................................. 25

Doubletree Floor Plan ....................................................................................... 26

Guest Presenters ............................................................................................... 27

Student Leaders ................................................................................................ 28

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 32

Partner Profiles .................................................................................................. 33

GtCNN Principles of Teaching and Learning .................................................. 50

Power of Persistence: Three Keys to Achievement and Growth ................. 52

Three Keys: Action Planner .............................................................................. 53

7th ANNUAL • PEER LEARNING CONFERENCE

Gateway to College Peer Learning Conference / The Power of Persistence II / v

BCC-MA Bristol Community College Fall River, MA

BC Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL

CCC-NJ Camden County College Camden, NJ

CH-IT Christel House / Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN

CCSF City College of San Francisco San Francisco, CA

CCP Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA

CCC-CA Contra Costa College San Pablo, CA

DMACC Des Moines Area Community College Des Moines, IA

DTCC Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC

EPCC El Paso Community College El Paso, TX

ECC Essex County College Newark, NJ

FSCJ Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL

FRCC Front Range Community College Metro Denver, CO

GtCNN Gateway to College National Network Portland, OR

GPC Georgia Perimeter College Metro Atlanta, GA

HCC-WA Highline Community College Des Moines, WA

HCC-MS Hinds Community College Raymond, MS

HCC-MA Holyoke Community College Holyoke, MA

LWIT Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland, WA

LC Laney College Oakland, CA

Peer Learning Conference • ACRONymsJuly 23-25, 2012

Peer Learning Conference • ACRONyms

vi / Gateway to College Peer Learning Conference / The Power of Persistence II

MCC-MA Massasoit Community College Brockton, MA

MCC-NE Metropolitan Community College Omaha, NE

MC Montgomery College Montgomery County, MD

MCC-MI Mott Community College Flint, MI

MWCC Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner, MA

OCC Owens Community College Toledo, OH

PAC Palo Alto College San Antonio, TX

PC Phoenix College Phoenix, AZ

PCC-OR Portland Community College Portland, OR

PCC-CO Pueblo Community College Pueblo, CO

QCC Quinsigamond Community College Worcester, MA

RCC Riverside City College Riverside, CA

SAC San Antonio College San Antonio, TX

STC-TX South Texas College McAllen, TX

SCC Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg, SC

SFCC Spokane Falls Community College Spokane, WA

SLCC St. Louis Community College St. Louis, MO

Peer Learning Conference • AGENdA AT A GLANCE

Gateway to College Peer Learning Conference / The Power of Persistence II / 1

saturday, July 21

8:30 – 4:45 Innovation Collaborative Capstone Training (Continental breakfast available at 8:00) Oregon

sunday, July 22


9:00 – 4:00 Pre-Conference Training (Continental breakfast available at 8:30) Alaska/Idaho

Making the Most of Project-Based Learning: Strategies to Maximize Effectiveness

5:00 – 7:30 Registration Open Multnomah /Holladay Foyer

6:30 – 8:00 Student Leader Orientation Halsey

monday, July 23


7:00 – 8:00 Continental Breakfast Multnomah /Holladay Ballroom

8:00 Conference Kick-off Multnomah /Holladay Ballroom

9:15 Break Multnomah /Holladay Foyer

9:30 Plenary Session The Power of Persistence: A Real Life Story of Commitment Multnomah /Holladay Ballroom


11:00 – 4:30 Student Leader Outing Students meet in Broadway Room at 10:55

July 23-25, 2012


2 / Gateway to College Peer Learning Conference / The Power of Persistence II

11:00 Concurrent Sessions

Job-Alike Session I

• Gateway Program Directors Three Sisters

• Gateway Resource Specialists Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

• Gateway Faculty Mt. Hood

• Gateway Program Assistants/Data Liaisons Sellwood

• Gateway K-12 and College Leaders Mt. Bachelor

• Project DEgree Leads and Upper Leadership Ross Island

• Project DEgree English/Language Arts Faculty Weidler

• Project DEgree Math Faculty Morrison

• Project DEgree Resource Specialists & Completion Advisors Mt. St. Helens

12:15 Lunch Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom


• Holistic Advising: Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges Three Sisters

• Campus Policies Beyond the Gender Binary Sellwood

• Integrating Service Learning in the Curriculum Ross Island

• Thinking Like an Iceberg: Strategies and Tools for Critical Thinking Mt. Bachelor

• Thinking Strategically About Increasing Outreach: A GtC Peer Best Practices Panel Discussion Mt. Hood

• Engaging Millennials: Finding New Ways to Understand, Educate, and Inspire a Generation Mt. St. Helens

• Creating Dynamic Learning Experiences with Online Credit Recovery Software Morrison


2:45 Concurrent Sessions • Can I Get a Boost?: A Tool Kit for Program Sustainability Sellwood

• Financial Aid and Its Impact on Academic Advising Three Sisters

• Gateway Live!: A Social Media Platform for Learning Across GtCNN Ross Island

• Fresh Veggies, Canned Goods, and Toolbelts, Oh My! Examining Education Through a Service Learning Lens Mt. Bachelor



• Instructional Practices for Student Engagement Mt. Hood • Where Do Our Students Go? Results from the GtCNN Graduates and Leavers Studies Mt. St. Helens

• Coaching the Team: Building Excellence and Persistence in 1st-term Students Morrison

3:45 Adjourn

5:30 - 7:30 Reception at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry

Tuesday, July 24

7:00 – 8:00 Continental Breakfast Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

8:00 Plenary Session

Understanding Culturally Responsive Teaching to Increase Student Motivation Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

9:30 Break Multnomah/Holladay Foyer


• Strategies to Enhance Culturally Responsive Teaching Mt. St. Helens

• Making Math Fun Again: Redesigning the Curriculum and Classroom for Mastery Learning Sellwood

• Managing Stress and Burnout Three Sisters

• Gateway Grads Going and Growing Mt. Bachelor

• Moving in Sync for Grads: Strategies for School District - GtC Partnerships Mt. Hood

• Nurturing Emotional Intelligence for Student Success Ross Island

• Keys to the Gate: Fostering Student Success During Gateway Orientation Broadway

• Thinking Strategically About Increasing Student Retention: A Participatory Planning Process Morrison

11:30 Lunch and Student Panel Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

July 23-25, 2012



1:00 Concurrent Sessions • Roadtrip Nation: Engage, Inspire, and Empower Students to Pursue Their Career and Life Dreams Three Sisters

• Solution Focused Classroom Management Sellwood

• Principles of Holistic Student Support and the Chemistry of the Classroom Mt. Bachelor

• Instructional Leadership to Enhance Motivation, Learning, and Persistence Mt. Hood

• Moving Beyond Comfort Zones to Motivate the 21st Century Mathematics Student Morrison

• Program Sustainability: Incorporating Strategies that Mitigate Programmatic Threats Mt. St. Helens

• Project-Based Learning Meets the Community: Students Connect Courses, Service Learning, and Their Role in the Community Ross Island

Student Leader Workshop • The Leader I Am, The Leader I Want to Be, The Leader I Found in Me Broadway



Job-Alike Session II • Gateway Program Directors Three Sisters

• Gateway Resource Specialists Mt. St. Helens



• Project DEgree and ICO Program-Alike Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

Student Leader Workshop • Leaders Promoting and Embracing Diversity Broadway

4:15 Adjourn



Wednesday, July 25



The Power of Persistence: Three Keys to Achievement and Growth Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom


9:00 – 11:00 Creating a Collaborative and Cooperative Environment Among Data Liaisons Off site training


• If These Walls Could Talk: Exploring the World of Our Young Women to Promote Student Confidence, Motivation, and Positive Relationships Mt. St. Helens

• Feedback That Matters: Supporting Responsible College Writers One Student at a Time Ross Island

• Self Discovery: The Path to Motivation Mt. Hood

• Developing a Healthy Program Culture: Intentionally Shaping Your Students’ Experience Three Sisters

• Making the Case: Building Support for Your Program Through Effective Messaging Mt. Bachelor

• Librarians Are Your Friends — and a Powerful Resource for Your Students! Sellwood

Student Leader Workshop • Hi Tech, Low Tech, Your Tech Power Morrison


July 23-25, 2012




• Power Over or Power With? Three Sisters

• Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Tool for Telling Any Story Mt. Bachelor

• Investigating the Literature: Persistence and Motivation Mt. Hood

•What Do Zombie Walk, Blood Drives, and Student Senate Have in Common? Supporting Student Persistence through Resume Development Morrison

• Click Here to Engage and Assess for Greater Learning Ross Island

• Working Together: Create Success with Deeper Levels of Integration Sellwood

• Open Space: What Matters Most to You Right Now? Mt. St. Helens


11:30 Team Time

Next Steps Back Home Use this session to come back together with your team to share what you’ve learned and

cement next steps back home.

Gateway to College Teams

• BCC-MA: Ross Island

• CCC-CA: Weidler

• CCC-NJ: Weidler

• CCP: Ross Island

• CCSF: Ross Island

• CH-IT: Three Sisters

• DMACC: Morrison

• DTCC: Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

• ECC: Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

• EPCC: Morrison



• FRCC: Morrison

• FSCJ: Three Sisters

• GPC: Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

• HCC-MA: Mt. Bachelor

• HCC-MS: Three Sisters

• HCC-WA: Three Sisters

• LC: Weidler

• LWIT: Mt. Bachelor

• MCC-MA: Mt. Bachelor

• MCC-MI: Mt. Bachelor

• MCC-NE: Mt. Hood

• MC: Mt. Bachelor

• MWCC: Mt. Hood

• OCC: Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

• PAC: Mt. Hood

• PCC-CO: Weidler

• PCC-OR: Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

• QCC: Mt. Hood

• RCC: Mt. St. Helens

• SCC: Mt. St. Helens

• SFCC: Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

• STC-TX: Mt. St. Helens

• SLCC: Mt. St. Helens

July 23-25, 2012



Project DEgree Teams

• BC: Sellwood





• PC: Sellwood


• SAC: Sellwood



1:15 Closing Session Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

2:00 Adjourn

Peer Learning Conference • COmPLETE AGENdA


saturday, July 21

8:30 – 4:45 Innovation Collaborative Capstone Training

(Continental breakfast available at 8:00) Oregon

sunday, July 22


9:00 – 4:00 Pre-Conference Training (Continental breakfast available at 8:30) Alaska/Idaho

Making the Most of Project-Based Learning: Strategies to Maximize Effectiveness Presenter: Suzie Boss

Students are motivated by authentic, inquiry-driven projects relevant to their lives. In this hands-on workshop, participating teams will have an opportunity to design (or improve upon) interdisciplinary projects that recognize potential for students to make positive community contributions. Participants will also learn how to select appropriate digital tools, anticipate and troubleshoot challenges, and improve project quality through feedback from colleagues.


6:30 – 8:00 Student Leader Orientation Halsey

monday, July 23



8:00 Conference Kick-off Multnomah /Holladay Ballroom


July 23-25, 2012



9:30 Plenary Session The Power of Persistence: A Real Life Story of Commitment Multnomah /Holladay Ballroom Presenter: Kevin Carroll, Author, speaker, and agent for social change

Without parents in his life, Kevin Carroll learned how to be resourceful, resilient, and constantly be on the lookout for nuggets of insight and wisdom from others. He spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground, the public library, and at school. Those three places proved to be catalysts in his journey from dysfunction and hardscrabble to becoming an author, a speaker, and an agent for social change. Kevin is living proof of the power of persistence.


11:00 – 4:30 Student Leader Outing Students meet in Broadway Room at 10:55


Job-Alike Session I

• Gateway Program Directors Three Sisters Facilitator: Prentice Davis, GtCNN

• Gateway Resource Specialists Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

Facilitators: Lois Orner and Sarah Lechner, GtCNN


Facilitators: Kris Barnum and Gaylen Brannon, GtCNN

• Gateway Program Assistants/Data Liaisons Sellwood

Facilitators: Aubrey Perry and Paul Clayton, GtCNN


Facilitator: George Reese, GtCNN

• Project DEgree Leads and Upper Leadership Ross Island

Facilitator: Stephen Rice, GtCNN

• Project DEgree English/Language Arts Faculty Weidler

Facilitator: Tracy Schiffmann, GtCNN

• Project DEgree Math Faculty Morrison

Facilitators: Devora Shamah, GtCNN; and Jim Perry, OCC

• Project DEgree Resource Specialists & Completion Advisors Mt. St. Helens

Facilitator: Marisol Naranjo, GtCNN





• Holistic Advising: Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges Three Sisters Presenters: Josh Westermann, Lisa Freeman, and Hadda Estrada, SFCC

Holistic advising looks at each student individually, taking into account their experiences and history. This workshop will explore the power of holistic advising and the crucial role Resource Specialists play in helping students persist. Workshop participants will examine their advising approach and take away valuable strategies to frame meaningful holistic advising sessions.

• Campus Policies Beyond the Gender Binary Sellwood Presenter: Vivian Ostrowski, HCC-MA

Gateway’s New Student Survey has four “gender” options: female, male, transgender, and write-in. Genderqueer students often encounter hostile environments in their schools. This workshop will introduce participants to gender identity and expression, and focus on strategies to create trans-friendly programs.

• Integrating Service Learning in the Curriculum Ross Island Presenters: David Clark, Tryphene McGee, and Na Keya Bazemore, GPC

Interested in developing a meaningful service learning experience for your students? Workshop attendees will explore service learning models, brainstorm needs in their communities, and use the identified needs to develop motivating projects. Participants will leave this interactive workshop with ideas and ways to integrate service learning across curricula.

• Thinking Like an Iceberg: Strategies and Tools for Critical Thinking Mt. Bachelor Presenter: Gaylen Brannon-Trottier, GtCNN

The Iceberg is a metaphor for critical thinking, moving students to look beneath the obvious for deeper understanding. Learn the components of the iceberg and how to fluidly move students to higher levels of critical thinking. Applicable to a variety of topics and disciplines.

• Thinking Strategically About Increasing Outreach: A GtC Peer Best Practices Panel Discussion Mt. Hood Presenters: Jessica Walker Beaumont, Strategic Planning Consultant, MDRC; Miguel Contreras, RCC; and Marlana Schnell, DMACC

Efficiently finding the “right fit” student for Gateway to College takes a lot of time and effort. Learn about a participatory process that your peers have used to create a strategic plan for increased outreach, and their results from it.

July 23-25, 2012



• Engaging Millennials: Finding New Ways to Understand, Educate, and Inspire a Generation Mt. St. Helens

Presenter: Jahsie Ault, GtCNN

Come to this interactive workshop to gain insight into the Millennial mindset. By better understanding the ethos of the generation, educators will learn new ways to engage and inspire students to persist and achieve inside the classroom and in the greater community.

• Creating Dynamic Learning Experiences with Online Credit Recovery Software Morrison

Presenter: Carol Smith, CCP Credit recovery software saves time and money for the program but what is the

quality of the experience for the student? How can we insure that we are engaging the student and enhancing their college readiness skills while utilizing this tool?


2:45 Concurrent Sessions • Can I Get a Boost?: A Tool Kit for Program Sustainability Sellwood

Presenters: Laurie Lopez Coleman, Lisa Black, Terri Slonaker, Susan Falcon, and Jeanette Bunch, SAC

Does your college need stronger faculty engagement and buy-in from stakeholders with the Project DEgree model? Discover approaches for maximizing your Project DEgree training and development to address scaling. A tool-kit with the step-by-step process to address common challenges will be provided.

• Financial Aid and Its Impact on Academic Advising Three Sisters Presenter: Prentice Davis, GtCNN While Gateway to College students do not receive financial aid while enrolled

in the program, federal regulations may impact students’ ability to receive financial aid when they move beyond Gateway. We will review financial aid regulations around Satisfactory Academic Progress, discuss the impact on advising Gateway students, and provide recommendations that mitigate future financial aid eligibility challenges.

• Gateway Live!: A Social Media Platform for Learning Across GtCNN Ross Island

Presenter: Niles McGiver, GtCNN

Looking to find something innovative to mix up the routine in your classroom or college? Have a web tool, activity, or lesson plan you want to share? This workshop will show you how to use Gateway Live! to learn about and share innovation across GtCNN.



• Fresh Veggies, Canned Goods, and Toolbelts, Oh My! Examining Education Through a Service Learning Lens Mt. Bachelor

Presenters: Jennifer Hazel and Stacy Cupps-Alexander, OCC

Through a fun, hands-on activity that integrates service learning with a composition course, participants will experience clear examples of integrated assignments and leave with knowledge and tools for integrating service learning into project-based learning on their campuses.

• Instructional Practices for Student Engagement Mt. Hood Presenters: Joseph Metts and Ferncita Etienne, BC

Learning communities have the potential to be deeply empowering. Grounded in Astin’s Theory of Student Involvement, the presenters will facilitate discussions and interactive strategies to help participants explore instructional practices that are responsive to the diverse needs and maturity levels of students.

• Where Do Our Students Go? Results from the GtCNN Graduates and Leavers Studies Mt. St. Helens

Presenters: Devora Shamah, GtCNN; and Steven Rider and Katie Winters, Pacific Research and Evaluation

Do Gateway to College students continue their education post GtC? How do they reflect on their experiences? Are there ways we could have served them better? Come hear the results of the recent studies conducted by Pacific Research and Evaluation with former GtC students, and explore ways to share these results with stakeholders.

• Coaching the Team: Building Excellence and Persistence in 1st-term Students Morrison

Presenter: Betty Handy, CCP

Students entering college for the first time have the same goal - successful completion. Coaching inspires excellence, raises personal and academic standards, and builds a strong community. Participants will learn how this team approach allows students to feel a sense of belonging, accountability, and pride as they advance through their introductory semester in college.

3:45 Adjourn

5:30 - 7:30 Reception at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry 1945 SE Water Ave Portland, OR 97214 Courtyard

July 23-25, 2012



Tuesday, July 24

7:00 – 8:00 Continental Breakfast Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom


Understanding Culturally Responsive Teaching to Increase Student Motivation Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom Presenters: Dr. Margery B. Ginsberg and Dr. Raymond J. Wlodkowski

Students’ motivation is inseparable from their culture. Cultural diversity presents opportunities to benefit all students. This presentation will address how to create learning environments that allow the integrity of every learner to be sustained while each person attains success. It will demonstrate the use of a motivational framework that 1) respects cultural diversity; 2) engages the motivation of a broad range of students; 3) creates an inclusive learning climate; 4) derives teaching practices from across disciplines and cultures; and 5) promotes equitable learning.



• Strategies to Enhance Culturally Responsive Teaching Mt. St. Helens

Presenters: Dr. Margery B. Ginsberg and Dr. Raymond J. Wlodkowski

There are specific teaching strategies and norms for culturally responsive teaching. This presentation will provide pragmatic examples of those teaching approaches found to be most effective through research and field experience with working adults during the last thirty years.

• Making Math Fun Again: Redesigning the Curriculum and Classroom for Mastery Learning Sellwood Presenter: Gina Gavin, GPC

Would your students rather watch paint dry than do math? Make the Math 20 course exciting again through computer-assisted intensive instruction! Come and learn steps to redesigning Math 20 and receive an online tour and demonstration of the MyFoundationsLab online software.

• Managing Stress and Burnout Three Sisters Presenters: Tracy Schiffmann and Lois Orner, GtCNN

Participants will use some personally selected strategies for soothing and centering themselves to manage burnout and stress in their lives.



• Gateway Grads Going and Growing – A Panel Discussion Mt. Bachelor

Facilitator: Pam Blumenthal, PCC-OR

What happens to Gateway students after graduation and transfer to a four-year institution? What keeps them focused and how did Gateway prepare them for educational success? Be inspired and informed by a panel of Gateway grads and gain a deeper understanding about what your grads face as they transition from community college to a university.

• Moving in Sync for Grads: Strategies for School District - GtC Partnerships Mt. Hood

Presenter: Kris Barnum, GtCNN

School district and Gateway leaders will gather to revisit what gets us to our shared bottom line: high school graduates. Hear from successful partnership builders and then construct your own tool, an “in sync” web of local connections and new strategies.

• Nurturing Emotional Intelligence for Student Success Ross Island

Presenters: Lisa Black and Jeanette Bunch, SAC

Making emotional connections to motivation is vital to student success. Participants will leave this workshop with a model for a student success course with emotional intelligence as an outcome and artistic expression of student voice as the integrated project.

• Keys to the Gate: Fostering Student Success During Gateway Orientation Broadway

Presenters: Deb Bibeau, MWCC; Kyle Kinney, MCC-NE; Jill Marks, RCC; and Erik Baumann, BCC-MA

What does it take to build the Gateway culture while getting students REALLY ready for the first day of class? Four programs will provide ideas on what works well, as well as ideas for one-, two-, or three-day orientation models, both pre-term and during first week of the term. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of how to execute new student orientation, plus they’ll receive a mini-reference manual with content-based ideas, outcomes, and best practices to use in their programs.

July 23-25, 2012



• Thinking Strategically About Increasing Student Retention: A Participatory Planning Process Morrison

Presenters: Jessica Walker Beaumont, Strategic Planning Consultant, MDRC; Marti Demarest, FRCC; and Jill Marks, RCC

There is no single solution for improving student retention. Collaborate with your peers to begin a process for developing a national strategic plan for increasing student retention, facilitated by a MDRC professional strategic planning consultant and two GtC program directors.

11:30 Lunch and Student Panel Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom 1:15 Facilitator: Prentice Davis, GtCNN

Hear from Gateway and Project DEgree students as they share their stories of struggle, triumph, and persistence.


• Roadtrip Nation: Engage, Inspire, and Empower Students to Pursue Their Career and Life Dreams Three Sisters

Presenters: Natalie Mercier, MWCC; Brenda Forsse, RCC; Amy Thompson, FSCJ; and Jimi Spatharos, Roadtrip Nation

“This curriculum really took hold of my life and made me think deeply about what I want; I found my passion!” Roadtrip Nation engages students in identifying and pursuing career, education, and life goals. Three GtC programs are loving this innovative, interactive, and easy to use curriculum — hear their stories!

• Solution Focused Classroom Management Sellwood Presenter: Tracy Schiffmann, GtCNN

Instructors will learn solution focused classroom management strategies for challenging behavior that will build on student strengths, support their acclimation to college culture, and maintain a pleasant, productive classroom for all.

• Principles of Holistic Student Support and the Chemistry of the Classroom Mt. Bachelor

Presenters: Lois Orner, Jahsie Ault, and Daniel Couch, GtCNN

Explore the dynamic chemical reactions that occur in the classroom when the Principles of Holistic Student Support are incorporated. Investigate how, when used in concert with your other instructional strategies, the principles can positively impact classroom learning.



• Instructional Leadership to Enhance Motivation, Learning, and Persistence Mt. Hood

Presenters: Dr. Margery B. Ginsberg and Dr. Raymond J. Wlodkowski

Demonstrating daily one’s commitment to exemplary instruction is a hallmark of committed educational leaders. Participants will learn pragmatic and specific strategies that promote motivation and equitable learning in everyday interactions between leaders and those they serve.

• Moving Beyond Comfort Zones to Motivate the 21st Century Mathematics Student Morrison

Presenters: Karen Jackson, Marguerita Best, and Dorene MacKinnon, DTCC

Through active and collaborative activities focused on student mathematics outcomes and emporium model course design and delivery, participants will leave this workshop with a framework for beginning or continuing the development and implementation of emporium modeled developmental math courses.

• Program Sustainability: Incorporating Strategies that Mitigate Programmatic Threats Mt. St. Helens

Presenter: Prentice Davis, GtCNN

Program Sustainability: How can it be achieved? Join us for an interactive discussion where we will identify the known threats to sustainability and devise apt solutions that mitigate challenges that adversely impact program sustainability.

• Project-Based Learning Meets the Community: Students Connect Courses, Service Learning, and Their Role in the Community Ross Island

Presenters: Rebecca Andersen and Deborah Edwall, PCC-OR

What do project-based learning, community-based non-profit organizations, and community college students have in common? Experience how students connect their courses through a project that brings the community into the classroom, and then returns the learning to the community. Brainstorm ideas to apply this model to your program.

Student Leader Workshop

• The Leader I Am, The Leader I Want to Be, The Leader I Found in Me Broadway

Presenters: Charles Ramirez, CCC-CA; and Emily Rico, GtCNN

Students will be empowered to discover ways in which they can serve as leaders on their campus and in their communities. They will have the opportunity to participate in challenging group activities and to reflect on, and discuss, their unique leadership styles and experiences.

July 23-25, 2012





Job-Alike Session II

• Gateway Program Directors Three Sisters Facilitator: Prentice Davis, GtCNN

• Gateway Resource Specialists Mt. St. Helens Facilitators: Lois Orner and Sarah Lechner, GtCNN

• Gateway Faculty Mt. Hood Facilitators: Kris Barnum and Gaylen Brannon, GtCNN

• Gateway K-12 and College Leaders Mt. Bachelor Facilitator: George Reese, GtCNN

• Project DEgree and ICO Program-Alike Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom Facilitators: Project DEgree team, GtCNN


• Leaders Promoting and Embracing Diversity Broadway

Facilitators: Taheera Hoskins, HCC-MS; and Balbina Cardoso, MCC-MA

Students will engage in stimulating discussion regarding leadership roles and how they can impact various diversity issues that presently face our society. Students will be encouraged to actively participate in promoting cultural awareness and changing stereotypical attitudes that will enhance understanding and interaction between people.

4:15 Adjourn

Wednesday, July 25



The Power of Persistence: Three Keys to Achievement and Growth Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom Presenters: GtCNN Team




9:00 – 11:00 Creating a Collaborative and Cooperative Environment Among Data Liaisons Off site training* Presenters: Aubrey Perry and Paul Clayton, GtCNN

Entering information into your student database can be a lonely experience. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Attendees will take a field trip to the National Network office where they will work collaboratively with peers all across the country. Points of focus will include building a community of practice among data liaisons and utilizing reports to learn critical information about their programs.

* Note: This workshop is intended for data liaisons only. Roundtrip shuttle service will be provided. Board the complimentary shuttle outside the main entrance of the DoubleTree hotel at 8:55 a.m.


• If These Walls Could Talk: Exploring the World of Our Young Women to Promote Student Confidence, Motivation, and Positive Relationships Mt. St. Helens

Presenter: Michele Kennedy-Johnson, FSCJ

At Florida State College at Jacksonville our weekly “Pathway Pearls” sessions provide an affinity group for our young women. Both students and staff report a significant positive impact. Come engage in a lively, interactive discussion about the benefits of this group and the potential for others.

• Feedback That Matters: Supporting Responsible College Writers One Student at a Time Ross Island

Presenter: Laurie Lopez Coleman, SAC

Have you ever wished your students actually applied the feedback you give them on their essays? Find out ways you can save time and frustration over wasted feedback with just a few targeted intervention strategies. Sample assignments and rubrics provided.

• Self Discovery: The Path to Motivation Mt. Hood

Presenters: Marge Bartelt and Alexis De Anda, OCC

This interactive workshop will demonstrate the process of motivating students to create a concept map of their semester learning and their answer to the driving question. Participants will create a concept map that reflects learning and the driving question, and create a rubric to assess the concept map.

July 23-25, 2012



• Developing a Healthy Program Culture: Intentionally Shaping Your Students’ Experience Three Sisters

Presenter: Sarah Lechner, GtCNN

Challenge the status quo to consciously shape a program culture in which students thrive. Align program design and staff behaviors with the underlying values of your program to boost students’ outcomes and experience. Create an environment in which everybody (students and staff) wants to show up!

• Making the Case: Building Support for Your Program Through Effective Messaging Mt. Bachelor

Presenters: Rachel Antrobus, Nick Mathern, Bernadette DeVito, and Ben Byers, GtCNN

How well you tell your story has important implications for your program’s long-term health. Through this workshop, you will gain insight into crafting compelling messages for different audiences and will leave with practical tools and strategies to help you transform internal, local, and state decision makers into your champions and help your program thrive for years to come.

• Librarians Are Your Friends — and a Powerful Resource for Your Students! Sellwood

Presenters: Rebecca Razavi, Amy Crowley, and Lisa Clarke, MC

In this workshop you will learn about a powerful way to expand your community of practice by integrating a series of library skills workshops into your first-year curriculum in a way that will measurably improve student success by instilling new skills, confidence and a stronger connection to the college environment.


• Hi Tech, Low Tech, Your Tech Power Morrison

Presenter: Lisa Black, SAC

Technology is so important. From study skills websites to cell phone apps— we will explore a number of powerful tools you can use for your learning next semester! We will end with a demonstration of a useful site that will allow you to store the many tools we discuss so that they are organized and accessible.





• Power Over or Power With? Three Sisters Presenters: Vivian Ostrowski, Julissa Colon, and Jada Waters, HCC-MA

Power is complicated. Programs must ensure that students meet particular standards, but a “because I said so!!” approach is doomed. This workshop explores power dynamics with colleagues, students, and institutions, and how those dynamics influence program culture and build ownership.

• Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Tool for Telling Any Story Mt. Bachelor Presenters: Sean McAndrew and Alicia Taylor, FRCC

Please join us and learn what Digital Storytelling is and what the power of Digital Storytelling can do for you and your students. Participants will see student projects firsthand and come away with an understanding of storytelling approaches, software availability, and a student’s “take” on learning through the digital storytelling process.

• Investigating the Literature: Persistence and Motivation Mt. Hood Presenters: Heather McCambly and Devora Shamah, GtCNN

What does research say about persistence and motivation? We will take a quick tour of current research in community college settings and highlight promising practices and interventions that foster motivation to support student persistence. A bibliography and web resources will be provided.

•What Do Zombie Walk, Blood Drives, and Student Senate Have in Common? Supporting Student Persistence through Resume Development Morrison Presenters: Yvonne Hu-Cotto and Diane Tait, MC

Resume-writing is not just something you teach in a career development course; it is a holistic advising tool! Hear one student’s story on her resume development and analyze sample resumes of Gateway alums to see how students persevered and became successful.

•Click Here to Engage and Assess for Greater Learning Ross Island Presenters: Mary Legner and Matthew Mortimer, RCC

Effective learning requires student engagement and regular feedback about student progress. Join us to learn how “clickers” can be used to engage and assess all students in all subjects, and experience what it’s like to use clickers as a learner.

July 23-25, 2012



• Working Together: Create Success with Deeper Levels of Integration Sellwood

Presenters: Christie Roe, Joyce Gleason, and Diana Mitchell, PC

During our three semesters, we have developed an integration strategy for increasing the success rates of our developmental students. Participants will have a chance to examine the program features and participate in exercises that brainstorm integrated curriculum ideas.

• Open Space: What Matters Most to You Right Now? Mt. St. Helens

As we wrap up the conference, is there anything lingering that you still want to discuss with peers? A participatory and flexible format, during Open Space anyone can propose a topic. The agenda develops based on interests and participants choose where they’d like to lead or join in.


11:30 Team Time

Next Steps Back Home Use this session to come back together with your team to share what you’ve learned and

cement next steps back home.

Gateway to College Teams

• BCC-MA: Ross Island

• CCC-CA: Weidler

• CCC-NJ: Weidler

• CCP: Ross Island

• CCSF: Three Sisters

• CH-IT: Ross Island

• DMACC: Morrison



• EPCC: Morrison

• FRCC: Morrison

• FSCJ: Three Sisters




• HCC-MA: Mt. Bachelor

• HCC-MS: Three Sisters

• HCC-WA: Three Sisters

• LC: Weidler

• LWIT: Mt. Bachelor

• MCC-MA: Mt. Bachelor

• MCC-MI: Mt. Bachelor

• MCC-NE: Mt. Hood

• MC: Mt. Bachelor

• MWCC: Mt. Hood


• PAC: Mt. Hood

• PCC-CO: Weidler


• QCC: Mt. Hood

• RCC: Mt. St. Helens

• SCC: Mt. St. Helens


• STC-TX: Mt. St. Helens

• SLCC: Mt. St. Helens

Project DEgree Teams

• BC: Sellwood





July 23-25, 2012



• PC: Sellwood


• SAC: Sellwood



1:15 Closing Session Multnomah/Holladay Ballroom

2:00 Adjourn

Thank you for your generous support!

2012 Peer Learning Conference Reception Sponsors

monday, July 23

GtC National Network Reception at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)

Time: 5:30 – 7:30 pm

Location: 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214, in the Courtyard

Details: Spend a few hours reconnecting with peers and meeting new ones! The outdoor reception will feature light refreshments, a no-host bar, and an outstanding view of the Portland waterfront. Due to space limitations, the reception is open to registered PLC attendees only.

Shuttle Free shuttle service will be provided from the Doubletree to the reception and back, with boarding Service: beginning at 5:00 pm and return service beginning at 7:30 pm. Feel free to board the shuttle at your

convenience. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tuesday, July 24

Optional Group Outing

Time: Meet in the Doubletree lobby at 5:30 pm

Details: GtCNN staff will lead the group on an excursion to downtown Portland, likely focusing on the Pearl District and NW 23rd areas which have lots of shops and restaurants. The group will use the MAX light rail to get to/from downtown, and will also have dinner (no-host) at some point during the outing. This outing will involve a good bit of walking, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes!


Peer Learning Conference • PLANNEd sOCIAL ACTIvITIEs July 23-25, 2012


Peer Learning Conference • dOUbLETREE FLOOR PLAN


Peer Learning Conference • GUEsT PREsENTERs

Suzie Boss is a writer and educational consultant who focuses on the power of teaching and learning to improve lives and transform communities. Co-author of Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age, she is a regular contributor to Edutopia and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Suzie is on the National Faculty of the Buck Institute for Education and has worked with educators internationally to bring project-based learning to both traditional classrooms and informal learning settings. Collaborating with nonprofit organizations, she has helped to develop programs that engage youth and adults as community problem-solvers. Her forthcoming book, Bringing Innovation to School, will be published in July 2012.

Kevin Carroll is the founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC and the author of three highly successful books, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, What’s Your Red Rubber Ball?! and The Red Rubber Ball at Work, published by ESPN, Disney Press and McGraw-Hill. As an author, speaker and agent for social change (a.k.a. the Katalyst), it is Carroll’s “job” to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals—from CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to schoolchildren—to embrace their spirit of play and creativity to maximize their human potential and sustain more meaningful business and personal growth. Carroll has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change. He partners with non-governmental organizations and businesses around the world that share his vision and goals. Carroll holds an M.S. in Health Education from St. Joseph’s University, a B.A. in Speech Communication with a minor in Physical Education from Angelo State University, and an A.A. in Interpreting and Translating from the Community College of the Air Force. Carroll is a frequent visiting professor across the United States.

Margery Ginsberg is an associate professor of education at the University of Washington-Seattle where she teaches in the Leadership for Learning Program (L4L) for system-level leaders on topics including instructional renewal, professional learning, and school transformation. In addition, she founded and co-directs the Center for Action, Inquiry, and Motivation, a joint initiative of the Seattle Public Schools and the University of Washington (aimcenterseattle.org). Dr. Ginsberg began her work in education as a math teacher on two Indian reservations and also provided technical assistance around Title I within the US Department of Education. She has authored or co-authored numerous books including, most recently, Transformative Professional Learning: A System to Enhance Teacher and Student Motivation (Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press). Dr. Ginsberg earned a Ph.D. in Bilingual/Multicultural/Social Foundations of Education from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Raymond Wlodkowski began his work in education as an elementary school teacher in the Detroit Public Schools. For the last thirty years he has taught at universities throughout the United States and Canada with professorships at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Antioch-Seattle, and Regis University-Denver. He is a psychologist whose work encompasses adult motivation and learning, cultural diversity, and professional development in higher education. He is the author of Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn, twice the recipient of the Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature (1986 and 2009), and the co-author of Diversity & Motivation, winner of the 2010 Cyril O. Houle Award for Outstanding Literature in Adult Education. Dr. Wlodkowski lives in Seattle and conducts seminars for colleges and organizations throughout North America. He earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit.

July 23-25, 2012


Peer Learning Conference • sTUdENT LEAdERs

Jonathan Bales represents Des Moines Area Community College. He is 19 years old and enrolled in Gateway to College in the fall 2011 semester with 22 high school credits. Jonathan expects to graduate at the end of the summer 2012 semester. He has accrued 6 credits for high school and 22 credits for college. Jonathan wants to continue at DMACC to obtain an associate’s degree and will pursue a career in chemistry. When asked what motivates him to persevere, he says, “I know that better days for me lay at the end of this.”

Auntais Faulkner represents Durham Technical Community College. He is 20 years old and enrolled in the Gateway to College program during the summer of 2011. Auntais entered with five high school credits. Today, he has 13. He is expected to graduate in the fall of 2013. Upon graduating from high school, Auntais will begin working toward his Associate in Arts Degree with an emphasis on fine arts. He plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to major in theatre arts. In 2011, Auntais was the recipient of the Job Links Youth of the Year award.

Malik Goins represents Georgia Perimeter College. He enrolled in Project DEgree at GPC during the spring 2011 semester, and was 19 at the time. His career goal is to be a video game designer or an IT contractor for different companies. Malik says, “My motivation to keep pursuing my dreams when facing adversities is my faith. I know that I can succeed and will succeed. Project DEgree has changed the way I view myself vastly. It has given me a newfound confidence in myself as well as in my learning abilities. It has made me more confident to dream big and chase my dreams rather than to settle for less.”

Tim Grindle represents Owens Community College. He started the Project DEgree program at Owens in August 2011 at 18 years of age. Tim is about to enter his third semester of college and has completed 26 college credits so far. He says, “Each day I try to stay positive because I know all the hard work I put forth comes from my very own dedication and willpower. I am thankful and appreciative to all who have helped me be the person I am today. My dream career is to help all those who struggle in life to get lifted up in some way, shape or form. Just knowing that I have inspired someone to be successful makes me feel stronger as a person.”

Felicia Juarez represents Metropolitan Community College. She began Gateway to College in September 2010 as a 19 year old needing 15 high school credits to graduate. Surviving family and housing disruptions, Felicia has excelled at MCC earning 72 college credits on the way to earning her high school diploma in May 2012. Reflecting on her Gateway to College experience, Felicia says, “It has helped me to realize that I can accomplish things that I never thought I could. I have come so far since I began Gateway, I feel like I can do anything that I set out to do.” Felicia will carry this confidence as she looks to begin the registered nursing program this fall.



Catherine Lisman represents Portland Community College. She is eighteen years old and started in Gateway to College in the fall of 2011 with 10 high school credits. Since enrolling, she’s accumulated 10 additional high school credits and 35 college credits. Cat has been on the President’s List or Honor’s List every term and is expected to graduate March 2013. After graduation she plans to transfer to Western Washington University to study medicine. Cat says, “My future is what motivates me to persevere through challenges. I want to be successful, and in order to do that, I have to get my diploma. No matter how hard it may be.”

Jemmy Maignon represents Georgia Perimeter College. He enrolled in Project DEgree last year at the age of 19. Since then, Jemmy has earned four college credits. Jemmy says, “I’m an aspiring film maker with a creative mind and lots of ideas. My goals are to take pictures, film, and edit. Project DEgree has motivated me to continue to do more and try hard. This way I can say I’ll have a good future as I continue in the direction that I’m going in.”

Lindsey Minnig represents Owens Community College. She enrolled in Project DEgree in the fall of 2011 when she was 19. In only two semesters she has earned 29 credits and plans to transfer to a four-year institution to earn her bachelor’s degree in dietetics. Her career goal is to be an athletic trainer at a large university or for a professional sports team. Lindsey says, “I feel like Project DEgree has given me confidence to do well in school. During high school I never had the support I needed, but now I feel like I can be successful at anything in school. I will definitely keep this confidence even when I go to a university.”

Akela Mitchell represents Community College of Philadelphia. She was 16 when she applied in the spring of 2011 and had no high school credits. Akela now has 15 high school credits and 31 college credits. This year, she received 3 academic awards from Gateway: Academics, Most Involved, and Most Persistent. Akela will graduate Gateway in the spring of 2013 and plans to pursue a career in clinical psychology. She says, “Gateway has changed the way I view myself and my future … building my confidence, supporting me no matter what. The people in Gateway encourage me to step out of my comfort zone. They have been ‘parents’ when needed or simply my friend.”

Marquis Moore represents Massasoit Community College. He is 21 and began Gateway to College in the fall of 2011. Marquis says, “Even though my mother had high expectations of a bright future for me, I made all the wrong choices. Success and education meant nothing to me then. I did not think of the consequences of my irresponsible decisions. Now, I have earned 23 college credits and will graduate in June 2013. My goal is to earn a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. Every day, I am inspired by this quote, ‘Live for tomorrow, not today.’ Being in the program has made me realize that I can have a brighter future. The caring staff and dedicated professors have helped me to push myself, to learn more. This program has changed my life.”

July 23-25, 2012



Joanna Murphy represents Spokane Falls Community College. She was 19 when she enrolled in Project DEgree, and has accrued 52 college credits so far. Because Joanna has a strong interest in counseling/advising, she plans to major in psychology and minor in education. “I want to help students like myself who have struggled with school,” she says. Joanna has been recognized for high academic achievement by making the Vice Presidents Honor Roll. “School is the challenge in my life right now. I will work hard now and be rewarded later. I can do anything I put my mind to with a little hard work. Having regular visits with an advisor to help plan my future is an aspect of Project DEgree that has helped me be successful.”

Candace Negrete represents Metropolitan Community College. She is 17 years old and began Gateway to College in the fall quarter of 2011 with 32 high school credits. Candace has worked hard while enrolled in the program and has earned five high school credits and 24.5 college credits. She expects to graduate in March 2013, and her future plans are to become a registered nurse and eventually a hematologist. Candace says, “What motivates me the most is my mother’s success and how I want to be like her.”

Rachel Padro represents Front Range Community College. She entered Gateway to College in the fall of 2011 at age 16 with very few high school credits. Now in her third semester, Rachel has earned 6 college credits and 12 high school credits. She hopes to continue her studies after graduating in the spring of 2013 and eventually earn an M.A. in English and teach at the college level. Rachel is motivated by a desire to improve her life and those around her. Prior to enrolling in Gateway, Rachel was resolved to getting her GED but the opportunity to earn her diploma and college credits has Rachel thinking ahead and living by the motto, “Life doesn’t happen eventually.”

Jennifer Rebollar represents South Texas College. She started Gateway to College in the spring 2012 term at age 18 and has earned 3.5 high school credits so far. After she graduates, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in business management with the goal of one day owning her own restaurant. When asked about her view of her college education, Jennifer said, “I dreamed of going, but never thought in a million years I could. Now, I see myself being able to continue and to be the best I can be.”

Megan Reiser represents Mount Wachusett Community College. She is 18 and entered the Gateway to College program in the fall of 2011. Megan completed her high school diploma requirements in May and plans to pursue a degree in criminal justice and EMT certification at MWCC. She says, “Throughout my education, I have tried my hardest to be a strong, hardworking individual. I have many goals in life, including graduating high school and college, getting a career I enjoy, having a family, and being successful in whatever I want to do. Whether the obstacles in my path are academic, social, or personal, I strive to overcome them and complete my goals. In my opinion, completing school is a very important goal to becoming successful in life.”

Cassandra Robinson represents St. Louis Community College. She is 19 and enrolled in Gateway to College in the fall of 2011 with 17 high school credits. Cassandra completed her high school diploma requirements in May. She says, “If it wasn’t for Gateway, I probably wouldn’t have graduated on time. It made a difference to me because now I can finally say ‘I have a high school diploma and a better attitude with it.’ When I encounter a challenge, I tell myself not to give up hope because in the long run I’m going to have rewards to show from my success.”



Christian Rodgers represents Spokane Falls Community College. He is 20 and has earned 35 college credits since entering Project DEgree last year. Christian is still deciding on his career path, but he plans to be either an accountant or a veterinarian. He says, “What has been great is that I learned that I had the ability to accomplish my goals; I just needed the focus to reach them. I’m the second generation going to college in my family, and that helps me face the challenges I encounter. Being able to talk to my instructors and my advisor when I need their help has also really contributed to my success.”

Krista Schmitt represents Portland Community College. She is 25 years old and is in her third term of Project DEgree. Krista says, “I am in school because I want to be a nurse. I have a passion for helping people, and it is something I want to make a career out of. I was helped so much by nurses during my recovery from addiction, and I want to be the one to make a difference in the lives of others, just like the difference was made in my life. ”

Diane Tait represents Montgomery College. She entered Gateway to College in the spring of 2010 as an 18 year-old with 16 high school credits. She graduated in June 2012 with 47 college credits, as a member of the international honor society, and as president of Live Action Role Play club. Diane plans to pursue a B.S. degree in molecular cell biology and a Ph.D. in immunology. Diane says, “Gateway changed my way of thinking and made it possible for me to be where I am today. I was blessed with the instructors and the resource specialist who pushed me to make achievable goals and taught me to reach for the moon and land among the stars.”

Bridget Talamantes represents South Texas College. She started Gateway to College in August 2011 at age 16 and has earned 5 high school credits so far. Bridget says, “I am a dedicated student and a challenge taker. I have enjoyed and appreciate being a Gateway to College student because it has made me responsible and a restored person.”

Christopher Young represents Massasoit Community College. He says, “I am in this program because I made very immature decisions. As a young black kid in a predominantly white town, I felt stereotyped. Therefore, I fell right into the assumed image and got into trouble. Then, reality hit me and I realized that I did not want to be another statistic. I decided to get back into school and do whatever it takes to be successful. Being in the Gateway to College program changed my life. Now, I see myself as a leader — smart, mature, and self-motivated. I have set my goals for my future — get my Master’s in computer science to start my own business, maybe even teach high school classes — and have a plan to accomplish those goals.”

July 23-25, 2012


Peer Learning Conference • ACKNOWLEdGEmENTs

Gateway to College National Network wishes to thank everyone who responded to the request for essays and Tweets on the topic of motivation. We are pleased to recognize this year’s featured essayists:

Stacy Cupps-Alexander, Owens Community College

Jim Harper, Gateway to College National Network Board of Directors

Eugenia Hooker, Spartanburg Community College

Christine Kelly-Kleese, Durham Technical Community College

Nick Mathern, Gateway to College National Network

Martin Mendoza, Project DEgree student, San Antonio College

Dalton Olson, Gateway to College student, Metropolitan Community College

Leah Rapoza, Gateway to College graduate, Portland Community College

PARTNER PROFILEs


Started in: 2010 Fall 2011 total students: 68Average age at entry: 19.3Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 64.0% Hispanic/Latino 21.3%First generation college-goer: 67.9%Student quote: “I chose to be part of Project DEgree because I believe it can help me strive for success and help me to become a better student.”

Broward College offers associate and bachelor degrees and certificate programs at 3 campuses and numerous satellite centers in the Greater Fort Lauderdale/ Broward County community. The college serves over 60,000 credit and non-credit students annually.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Project DEgree partner

Camden County College is one of the largest community colleges in New Jersey. It serves over 23,000 credit-seeking students annually at its three campus locations and offers over 140 programs and certificates.

Camden, New Jersey

Gateway partner

Started in: 2011 Fall 2011 total students: 60Average age at entry: 17.0Average GPA at entry: 7.1 (10.0 scale)Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 81.6% Hispanic/Latino 18.4%First generation college-goer: 82.8%Student quote: “Gateway to College is the best program for those who dropped out of high school but are serious about their education and want to live an educated life.”

Bristol Community College offers educational opportunities and solid career preparation to students throughout southeastern Massachusetts. With three campus locations, as well as two satellite locations, Bristol offers more than 120 career and transfer programs of study.

Fall River, Massachusetts

Gateway partner

Began serving students in January 2012

July 23-25, 2012

PARTNER PROFILEs


Chattahoochee Technical College is the largest technical college in Georgia, serving approximately 13,000 students a year. The college serves six counties, has eight campuses and offers over 125 degree, diploma, and certificate programs to its students.

Marietta, Georgia

Innovation Collaborative partner

Cayuga Community College offers over 30 degree and certificate programs at two campuses and online. Popular programs at the school include liberal arts, education, broadcasting, studio art and design, business, nursing, and criminal justice. The college serves over 4,000 students a year.

Auburn, New York


Christel House Dropout Recovery School, part of Christel House International, is a tuition-free charter school located in Indianapolis. They will partner with Ivy Tech Community College to serve students through the Gateway to College program. Christel House International currently serves more than 3,000 students worldwide by providing them with education, nutrition, health care, and a nurturing environment, and by empowering their families and communities through outreach services.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Gateway partner

Will begin serving students in Fall 2012

PARTNER PROFILEs


The Institute for Extended Learning offers over 5,700 credit and noncredit courses at its twelve centers throughout the Spokane region. Over 14,500 students (credit and noncredit) take classes each year to achieve a GED, high school diploma, or just for fun.

Spokane, Washington


Gateway to College

Started in: 2006Fall 2011 total students: 101Average age at entry: 17.7Average GPA at entry: 1.37Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 59.4% White/Caucasian 24.1% First generation college-goer: 81.0%Student quote: “I absolutely love Gateway to College. They keep you wanting to be more involved. They make learning fun, yet hard, while giving us so much knowledge at the same time.”

Community College of Philadelphia is the largest institution of higher education in Philadelphia and the largest point of entry to higher education for people of color in Pennsylvania. Approximately 35,000 students are enrolled in credit and non-credit courses annually at the college’s main campus and 3 regional campuses. Over 70 degree and certificate programs are offered in art, science, business, technology, and liberal arts.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Gateway and Innovation Collaborative partner

Started in: 2009Fall 2011 total students: 144Average age at entry: 17.3Average GPA at entry: 1.43Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 30.7% Hispanic/Latino 28.7% First generation college-goer: 92.7%Student quote: “Gateway to College is a great way to get a second chance. It will get you back up on your feet.”

City College of San Francisco is one of the largest community college systems in the western United States. The college offers over 100 degree and certificate programs and serves more than 100,000 students (credit and non-credit) each year. CCSF has 9 campuses anchored by the main campus in south central San Francisco, and also holds classes at 100 community-based centers throughout the city.

Gateway partner

San Francisco, California

July 23-25, 2012

PARTNER PROFILEs


Corning Community College offers a spectrum of courses and programs ranging from liberal arts and sciences to career programs. It has five academic divisions and offers over 40 programs and more than 800 credit and non-credit courses. 3,000-5,000 students are enrolled in credit and non-credit courses annually.

Corning, New York


Started in: 2010Fall 2011 total students: 42Average age at entry: 17.6Average GPA at entry: 1.36Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 38.6% Black/African American 31.8%First generation college-goer: 88.8%Student quote: “Gateway has been a very eye-opening experience, helping me sort my priorities and discover what I want to do with my life. The best part is that they stay involved and make sure you’re doing well not only in school, but outside as well.”

Des Moines Area Community College serves nearly 31,000 students annually across 6 campuses and several satellite centers in the Des Moines metropolitan area and surrounding counties. The college offers more than 130 degree programs and certifications.

Des Moines, Iowa

Gateway partner

Gateway partner


San Pablo, California Contra Costa College is one of three colleges that make up the Contra Costa Community College District. They offer over 60 programs of study and have been serving students in the San Pablo and surrounding areas for over 60 years.

PARTNER PROFILEs


Gateway to College

Started in: 2010Fall 2011 total students: 107Average age at entry: 17.7Average GPA at entry: 1.18Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 63.9% White/Caucasian 13.3% First generation college-goer: 85.7%Student quote: “Gateway to College gives you a second chance to go where you want to go in life and it can even help you do better.”

Durham Technical Community College offers 100-plus credit certificate, diploma, and degree programs, and serves over 25,000 credit and non-credit students annually. Locations include the main campus in Durham, a second campus in Orange County, and several satellite centers.

Project DEgree

Started in: 2010Fall 2011 total students: 35Average age at entry: 21.0Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 84.0% Hispanic/Latino 7.4% Multiracial 7.4%First generation college-goer: 75.0%Student quote: “I chose to be a part of Project DEgree because it felt like an opportunity to make something of myself.”

Durham, North Carolina

Gateway and Project DEgree partner

El Paso Community College offers more than 130 academic programs and over 350 personal enrichment/community education courses. The college has 5 campuses and serves more than 32,000 credit and non-credit students.

El Paso, Texas

Gateway partner

Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 57Average age at entry: 17.0Average GPA at entry: 65.1 (100.0 scale)Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 77.7% Black/African American 6.3% White/Caucasian 6.3% First generation college-goer: 90.4%Student quote: “Gateway to College is a great opportunity for those who really want to succeed in life.”

July 23-25, 2012

PARTNER PROFILEs


Gateway to College

Started in: 2009Fall 2011 total students: 125Average age at entry: 17.7Average GPA at entry: 1.16Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 69.5% Hispanic/Latino 27.0% First generation college-goer: 93.6%Student quote: “I truly love it at GtC. I learn the right way and it’s the greatest feeling.”

Essex County College offers more than 70 programs of study through its main campus in Newark, a suburban branch campus, and satellite operations throughout the county. The college currently serves over 11,000 credit-seeking students, plus thousands more who are enrolled in adult literacy and ESL classes, customized job training, and numerous programs for professional development and personal enrichment.


Newark, New Jersey

Project DEgree

Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 51Average age at entry: 20.3Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 74.2% Hispanic/Latino 19.4% First generation college-goer: 73.7%Student quote: “Once I met the advisor, I was sold. This program will be a GREAT help for me in succeeding in my life. I can’t wait for more to come.”

Florida State College at Jacksonville has the largest workforce development program, online learning program, military education program, and information technology curriculum in Florida. The college serves over 80,000 credit and non-credit students and offers associate degree programs, certificate programs, and eight bachelor degree programs.

Jacksonville, Florida

Gateway partner

Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 90Average age at entry: 17.0Average GPA at entry: 1.80Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 50.7% White/Caucasian 34.6%First generation college-goer: 77.6%Student quote: “Overall, I feel that Gateway to College is such a great experience. The faculty here is amazing, and I love going to school here.”

PARTNER PROFILEs


Westminster, Colorado

Started in: 2008Fall 2011 total students: 92Average age at entry: 17.2Average GPA at entry: 1.48Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 47.4% Hispanic/Latino 43.1%First generation college-goer: 79.0%Student quote: “Gateway to College has been an amazing experience where I’ve grown and become prepared for college life. Gateway opens you up and gives you awesome pathways.”

Front Range Community College, located just outside Denver, serves more than 23,000 students at three campuses and one satellite center. The college offers associate degree and certificate programs in over 100 areas.

Gateway partner

Gateway Community and Technical College is a member of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The college serves about 4,800 credit seeking students annually and offers associate degree programs, certificates, and other diplomas at its three campuses. Park Hills, Kentucky


July 23-25, 2012

PARTNER PROFILEs


Gateway to College

Started in: 2005Fall 2011 total students: 119Average age at entry: 17.1Average GPA at entry: 1.56Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 89.4% White/Caucasian 4.4%First generation college-goer: 72.9%Student quote: “Overall, Gateway to College helped me gain confidence when it came to school. It helped to prepare me for the real college life.”

Georgia Perimeter College has more than 25,000 students and is the third-largest institution in the University System of Georgia. It has four campuses and additional sites located around Atlanta and offers 38 associate degrees, 4 career and technical degrees, and 9 dual degrees with DeKalb Tech. Gateway and


Clarkston, Georgia

Project DEgree

Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 31Average age at entry: 19.9Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 75.8% Hispanic/Latino 15.2% First generation college-goer: 81.8%Student quote: “I chose to be a part of Project DEgree because it is the perfect opportunity to better my education in a program where others have the same challenges that I face.”

Highline Community College provides associate degrees that prepare students for transfer to a four-year university, Associate of Applied Science degrees, and certificates in approximately 40 professional-technical education programs. Highline serves over 18,000 students (credit and non-credit) annually and also offers pre-college, basic education, short-term training programs, and continuing education.

Des Moines, Washington

Gateway partner

Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 45Average age at entry: 17.0Average GPA at entry: 1.40Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 28.9% Black/African American 26.7% First generation college-goer: 87.5%Student quote: “Gateway has changed my life in so many ways. I actually like to get up and go to school every morning.”

PARTNER PROFILEs


Started in: 2009Fall 2011 total students: 159Average age at entry: 17.5Average GPA at entry: 1.28Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 75.0% Hispanic/Latino 12.8% First generation college-goer: 72.7%Student quote: “Gateway to College has given me a second chance in becoming successful. I am now more motivated and enthusiastic towards my path of education.”

Lake Washington Institute of Technology is located in Washington State’s high tech corridor, with a main campus in Kirkland and branch campuses in Redmond and Duvall. Lake Washington serves more than 4,000 students every year and offers training in 38 programs, with more than 100 professional/technical degree and certificate options.

Kirkland, Washington

Gateway partner

Hinds Community College is the largest community college in the state of Mississippi. It has five different campus and center locations, offers over 70 programs, and serves more than 12,000 credit-seeking students each semester.

Raymond, Mississippi

Gateway andInnovation Collaborative partner

The Gateway program will begin serving students in Fall 2012.

Holyoke, Massachusetts

Started in: 2008Fall 2011 total students: 53Average age at entry: 17.3Average GPA at entry: 1.07Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 50.7% White/Caucasian 24.9%First generation college-goer: 77.4%Student quote: “Gateway to College has prepared me very well for the outside world and not just school. It has helped me grow into a mature young woman.”

Holyoke Community College is located on a 135-acre campus and serves over 9,000 students annually from more than 70 cities and towns in western Massachusetts. Holyoke offers more than 100 associate degree and certificate options and has the highest transfer rate of any community college in Massachusetts.

Gateway partner

July 23-25, 2012

PARTNER PROFILEs


Started in: 2009Fall 2011 total students: 97Average age at entry: 17.8Average GPA at entry: 1.51Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 48.2% Hispanic/Latino 28.0% First generation college-goer: 89.6%Student quote: “I love the individual attention that the Gateway to College personnel gives to us. Gateway is a good way to earn your high school diploma and grow in both academic and social ways.”

Laney College is the largest of the four colleges in the Peralta Community College District. It serves more than 14,000 students each semester through its 60-acre campus and offers 44 associate degree and 35 certificate programs.

Gateway partner

Oakland, California

Brockton, Massachusetts

Mesa, Arizona

Started in: 2007Fall 2011 total students: 101Average age at entry: 17.3Average GPA at entry: 1.37Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 39.1% Black/African American 29.4%First generation college-goer: 86.9%Student quote: “You gave me a chance at a new life. I couldn’t have lasted through high school…I get to forget my past and have a fresh start… Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Massasoit Community College, located just south of Boston, offers more than 60 career and transfer programs including associate degrees, certificates, and short-term training programs. It is one of the largest of the 15 community colleges within the Massachusetts Public Higher Education system, with approximately 7,500 credit-seeking students enrolled each semester at the college’s two campuses.

Gateway partner

Innovative Collaborative partner

Omaha, NebraskaMesa Community College provides transfer, career, and service programs to the East Valley area of Phoenix. The college offers over 200 degrees and certificates and serves more than 27,000 students annually.

PARTNER PROFILEs


July 23-25, 2012

Rockville, Maryland

Started in: 2004Fall 2011 total students: 60Average age at entry: 16.9Average GPA at entry: 1.49Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 44.7% Black/African American 27.0%First generation college-goer: 59.8%Student quote: “Gateway to College has completely changed my life and my outlook on life. I now believe I can be something and strive to be the best I can be, academically, and as a person.”

Montgomery College serves nearly 60,000 students a year (credit and non-credit) at its Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park campuses and offers 130 majors and programs.

Gateway partner

Started in: 2010Fall 2011 total students: 43Average age at entry: 17.9Average GPA at entry: 1.38Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 52.5% Black/African American 32.2% First generation college-goer: 81.5%Student quote: “I feel like Gateway to College saved my life. I have struggled here and failed classes but they haven’t given up on me and I’m not going to give up on my education.”

Metropolitan Community College has 3 campuses and 4 centers, serving approximately 47,000 credit and non-credit students each year. The college offers more than 100 one- and two-year career and academic transfer programs.

Omaha, Nebraska

Gateway partner

Monroe Community College offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs and serves approximately 19,000 credit-seeking students a year at its Brighton and Damon City campuses.


Rochester, New York

PARTNER PROFILEs


Mott Community College serves Genesee County and the surrounding community by creating high quality educational opportunities that strengthen the area’s economy. The college offers more than 100 different academic and occupational programs that focus on university transfer, technical and lifelong learning, as well as workforce and economic development.

Gateway partner


Flint, Michigan

Started in: 2006Fall 2011 total students: 67Average age at entry: 17.1Average GPA at entry: 1.89 (4.0 scale) & 63.96 (100.0 scale)Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 79.8% Hispanic/Latino 12.7%First generation college-goer: 72.0%Student quote: “Overall, the Gateway program has been the best years of my life. I proved to the world that dreams are achievable; all it takes is to believe in yourself.”

Mount Wachusett Community College serves nearly 11,000 students (credit and non-credit) annually from 29 cities and towns in North Central Massachusetts. In addition to offering over 40 degree and certificate programs, the college houses Adult Basic Education and GED programs, training and professional development, and non-credit community service programs.

Gateway partner

Gardner, Massachusetts

Mountain View College currently serves over 8,000 students. The college offers a variety of courses that can lead to an Associate in Arts, Associate in Sciences, Associate in Applied Sciences, and Associate of Arts in Teaching Degrees. The college also offers emphasis degrees, field of study degrees, and certificates and skills achievement awards.

Dallas, Texas


PARTNER PROFILEs


Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 65Average age at entry: 22.1Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 65.3% Black/African American 12.2% First generation college-goer: 94.6%Student quote: “I chose to be in Project DEgree because I have been out of school for 8 years and needed a program to get me back in the groove of things.”

Phoenix College prepares more than 30,000 students a year for university transfer, career training and advancement, and lifelong learning in one of the 200 degree and certificate programs it offers. The college is officially designated a Hispanic Serving Institution.

July 23-25, 2012

Project DEgree

Started in: 2010Fall 2011 total students: 49Average age at entry: 19.5Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 38.5% White/Caucasian 36.9% First generation college-goer: 83.3%Student quote: “I needed a program like this to get my college education started and put me in the right direction.”

Owens Community College offers associate degree, continuing education, and professional development options in more than 130 program areas. The college serves over 45,000 credit and non-credit students annually between its two campuses in Toledo and Findlay.

Toledo, Ohio



Started in: 2005Fall 2011 total students: 58Average age at entry: 17.0Average GPA at entry: 1.73 (4.0 scale) & 74.22 (100.0 scale)Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 87.0% White/Caucasian 8.8% First generation college-goer: 91.2%Student quote: “I think the choice I made to join the program was the best choice I’ve made so far. Coming here has helped me out so much to just get me back on track.”

Palo Alto College, a single-campus college located in south-central San Antonio, is one of five colleges in the Alamo Colleges. Palo Alto serves over 8,000 students per semester and has the highest transfer rate to four-year schools for Hispanics in the state of Texas. Gateway partner

San Antonio, Texas

Phoenix, Arizona


PARTNER PROFILEs


Pima Community College has an annual enrollment of over 68,000 students (credit and non-credit). It has 6 campuses, four education centers, and a combined 115 teaching locations around Tucson, and offers 195 transfer and occupational programs.

Tucson, Arizona


Portland, Oregon

Gateway to College Started in: 2000Fall 2011 total students: 269Average age at entry: 17.1Average GPA at entry: 1.71Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 65.6% Hispanic/Latino 10.6% First generation college-goer: 66.9%Student quote: “My experience with GtC has been something I won’t forget. It felt like a second chance and brought back what I thought I had lost.”

Portland Community College is the largest institution of higher learning in Oregon, with an enrollment of 87,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The college has three full campuses and multiple training centers and community-based programs across the Portland metropolitan area.

Project DEgreeStarted in: 2010Fall 2011 total students: 83Average age at entry: 20.9Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 39.1% Black/African American 23.4% First generation college-goer: 74.5%

Student quote: “I loved it the first time I heard about it. Everything about Project DEgree is what I need and it’s what I’ve been missing.”


PARTNER PROFILEs


July 23-25, 2012

Started in: 2009Fall 2011 total students: 88Average age at entry: 17.6Average GPA at entry: 1.33Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 66.0% White/Caucasian 29.2% First generation college-goer: 82.0%Student quote: “Gateway to College was definitely what I needed. There was no high school drama nonsense to distract me and I felt comfortable asking for help. I’ve learned a lot.”

Pueblo Community College offers more than 50 certificate and associate degree programs, and is a state leader in health care education. The college’s main campus in Pueblo serves approximately 3,600 students per year. The two branch campuses, located in Cañon City and Durango, serve more than 1,700 students per year and provide transfer, career, and technical programs.

Quinsigamond Community College, located in central Massachusetts, serves over 13,000 students annually through its Credit and Non-Credit/Workforce Training divisions. Over 70 associate degree and certificate career options are available in the fields of Business, Technology, Liberal Arts, Health Care, and Human Services.

Gateway partner


Worcester, Massachusetts

Started in: 2004Fall 2011 total students: 137Average age at entry: 17.1Average GPA at entry: 1.56Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 45.1% White/Caucasian 31.5% First generation college-goer: 84.2%Student quote: “Gateway to College is a great system with well trained faculty. They care and are able to support and guide me through my academic and non-academic struggles.”

Riverside City College, which is part of a three campus District, is located 60 miles east of Los Angeles in Riverside County. Serving more than 19,000 students each semester, the college provides students with a wide range of choices including career certificates, associate’s degree programs, and transfer to four-year institutions.

Gateway partner

Pueblo, Colorado

Riverside, California

Gateway partner

PARTNER PROFILEs


San Antonio, Texas

Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 36Average age at entry: 19.6Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 85.4% White/Caucasian 8.3%First generation college-goer: 82.1%Student quote: “I chose to be in Project DEgree because it’s a program where I will have an open, safe, and comfortable relationship with my professors.”

San Antonio College is one of the largest single-campus community colleges in the country and the largest in the state of Texas, enrolling 21,000 credit-seeking students each semester.


Scottsdale Community College enrolls 10,000 credit and 3,000 non-credit students each semester. It offers over 45 degrees and over 60 certificates. In addition to traditional programs of study, Scottsdale Community College offers continuing education for practicing professionals, developmental education, and English as a Second Language.

Scottsdale, Arizona


McAllen, Texas

Gateway partner

Started in: 2011Fall 2011 total students: 56Average age at entry: 18.0Average GPA at entry: 57.3 (100.0 scale)Two largest ethnic groups: Hispanic/Latino 96.2% White/Caucasian 1.9% First generation college-goer: 93.2%Student quote: “My experience with Gateway to College has been amazing. I’ve grown and matured so much in so many ways that I now feel capable of being in an adult environment.”

South Texas College has five campuses and offers more than 100 degree and certification programs, distance learning, and continuing and professional education opportunities. It is the only community college in Texas that offers two Bachelor of Applied Technology degrees.


PARTNER PROFILEsJuly 23-25, 2012

Started in: 2009Fall 2011 total students: 44Average age at entry: 17.4Average GPA at entry: 1.85Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 53.7% Black/African American 35.5% First generation college-goer: 81.3%Student quote: “Gateway to College is absolutely the best opportunity! I could not see myself accomplishing much of anything before I started the Gateway program. Now I have so many options that I do not know which path to take.”

Spartanburg Community College has three campuses serving the counties of Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union in Upstate South Carolina. Annually, the college serves 5,000 credit-seeking students in over 80 programs of study and more than 15,000 students in continuing education and lifelong learning programs.

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Gateway partner

Project DEgreeStarted in: 2010Fall 2011 total students: 68Average age at entry: 18.8Two largest ethnic groups: White/Caucasian 70.2% Hispanic/Latino 10.6% Black/African American 10.6% First generation college-goer: 71.8%Student quote: “I want to be the best I can be for myself and to prove to others I can do it and be successful.”

Spokane Falls Community College is one of two accredited institutions that comprise the Community Colleges of Spokane. The college offers over 40 Liberal Arts/Transfer pre-majors and 40 Professional/Technical job training programs, and serves over 8,000 students annually.

Spokane, Washington

Gateway and Project Degree partner


St. Louis, Missouri

Started in: 2008Fall 2011 total students: 55Average age at entry: 17.4Average GPA at entry: 1.20Two largest ethnic groups: Black/African American 86.4% White/Caucasian 8.7% First generation college-goer: 81.3%Student quote: “GtC gave me the chance to grow up a little, be treated like an adult with my own responsibilities, and show I can succeed.”

St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States. The college offers over 100 career programs to approximately 28,000 credit-seeking students at its four campuses and additional satellite centers.

Gateway partner



GtCNN PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

These principles provide the framework for teaching and learning in Gateway to College National Network (GtCNN) programs. They do not specify content. Rather, they are precepts based on research and best practices that should be used by faculty, resource specialists, and directors to guide the design, facilitation, and assessment of all learning in GtCNN programs. While, taken together, these principles describe an ideal, they articulate what each GtCNN program should strive to achieve. Like our students, GtCNN programs are at different stages of development. As instructional leaders, GtCNN directors should lead their teams in assessing how well they are meeting each of the principles and, in the spirit of continuous improvement, identifying areas and strategies for improvement. Gateway to College National Network supports those improvement efforts through face to face training, webinars, brown bag trainings, referrals to resources, tailored data analysis, and peer learning.

Integrated, Outcomes-based Curriculum and Instruction

Instructors work together to develop an integrated, coherent curriculum centered on interdisciplinary themes, enabling students to apply what they learn in one course to their learning in other courses. All instruction is designed around the essential question: What do students need to know and be able to do to be successful college students? Outcomes clearly define what students will be able to do “out there,” once they complete a class rather than what they will do in class. Students are able to articulate the intended outcome(s) for all learning experiences and describe how those outcomes are relevant to their goals. All instructional activities are intentionally designed to help students understand the concepts or develop the skills required to achieve the intended outcomes rather than to “cover” a body of information.

Rigor

Instructors are aware of incoming student ability levels and tailor learning challenges to the student’s developmental level. Students build problem-solving and critical thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, as they engage in meaningful projects or explore driving questions. Instructors cultivate an “ethic of excellence” in which students develop habits and internal standards for producing high quality work which, in turn, serves as a source of pride. By holding students to high expectations while offering high levels of encouragement and support, instructors enable students to meet those expectations, gain confidence as learners, and view themselves as belonging in college, thereby setting the stage for success.

Relationships - Collaborative, Inclusive Learning Communities

A caring, solution-focused approach to working with students is the foundation for all learning. Instructors develop personal connections with students and foster an environment that values and respects individual differences. Instructors design learning activities that teach and reinforce the skills and habits required for effective collaborative learning. They teach students how to build a supportive community that lives within and outside of the classroom (e.g., in study groups).



GtCNN PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING (continued)

Relevance - Project-based, Active Learning

Students develop knowledge, understanding, and skills through active engagement with meaningful, interdisciplinary, collaborative projects or driving questions, rather than through disconnected, isolated assignments.

Constructing Meaning

Instructors teach students how to understand new concepts by adding to, modifying, or reorganizing existing knowledge and concepts. They help students solve new problems by drawing on previous experiences and they make the learning process explicit so that students are able to recognize the connections between new learning and existing concepts and skills. Instructional activities are flexible enough to provide students with opportunities to learn in ways that are meaningful to them.

Personal Growth

Instructors help students overcome self-defeating beliefs by recognizing that academic success is attributable to controllable factors such as hard work, persistence, and resilience rather than innate ability or luck. By promoting habits such as setting SMART goals, organization, and self-advocacy, instructors help students identify themselves as independent, successful college students. In order to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning, instructors help students discover and understand their learning style, the conditions under which they best learn, and their role in the learning process. Instructors teach students specific strategies for learning, reasoning, and problem solving. They structure opportunities for students to reflect on and evaluate their learning and identify strategies for improvement.

Assessment

Instructors design projects and other performance tasks that provide evidence that the student is capable of achieving the intended outcome(s). Through the use of rubrics, students can distinguish “what is good” for a particular project and can differentiate between high quality and poor work. Instructors structure opportunities for students to make their work public within and outside of the classroom and teach students how to give and receive constructive feedback. In the pursuit of excellence, instructors and student peers provide formative feedback on multiple drafts of projects, rather than a “one and done” approach. Feedback is solution-focused, helping students recognize how strengths and past successes provide keys to overcoming new challenges. Data-based decision-making guides the improvement of student and program outcomes. Instructors regularly and collaboratively reflect on direct evidence of learning (individual student performance on projects, tests, and other performance tasks) and indirect evidence of learning (student reflections and feedback). The Cycle of Inquiry is regularly used to analyze aggregate measures of student progress, including course success rates and student success on the comprehensive campus.

July 23-25, 2012



The Power of Persistence: Three Keys to Achievement and Growth

Think Big and Make Steady Progress

Set a big goal, make steady progress, and celebrate successes (big and small) along the way. You take a risk every time you try something new so it is common to feel some anxiety. Lean into the discomfort. Struggle is a normal and necessary part of your journey to mastering what matters to you – it’s not a sign of failure, it’s the mark of growth.

____ What is your BIG goal?

____ What risks does this big goal require you to take?

____ Describe some early signs of success on the way to achieving your goal.

____ Describe how you will celebrate those early successes.

____ If you encounter roadblocks along the way, what will you do to get back up and keep going?

____ What will mastery of your big goal look like? How will your life be different?

Concentrate on the Controllable

Like everyone else, you have positive and negative forces in your life which both push you toward and pull you from your goals. Strengthening or weakening a force within your control will offset the effects of another one presently outside of your control.

____ List the positive forces that you can add or strengthen in your life that will help you push forward toward your goal.

____ List the negative forces that you can remove or offset in your life that will keep you from being pulled from your goal.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Mentors, role models, supporters, and stories of success help you envision what’s possible and inspire you to persist, even when the going gets tough. Pay it forward by serving as a role model to someone else by sharing your own stories of achievement and contributing to the cycle of success.

____ Who can you watch and learn from who is already successful in what you want to accomplish?

____ Who are the supporters in your life (inside and outside of your college) that will inspire and encourage you?

____ Name one success story (your own or someone you know) that you’d be willing to share with others. Write your story.



Think Big and Make Steady Progress

What is your goal?

Concentrate on the Controllable

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Early signs of success Evidence of struggle Plans to celebrate and/or pick up and keep going

Positive forces in your life Negative forces What you can and will do

Those who inspire you Your supporters What you will do

Tapping into Motivation for Achievement

Three Keys: Action Planner

Gateway to College National Network529 SE Grand Avenue, Suite 300

Portland, OR 97214(971) 634-1212

www.gatewaytocollege.org

Conference program 2012

Education

Transcript of Conference program 2012