Dear Colleagues, It is my pleasure to welcome you to NC State University and Raleigh, North Carolina! The Belk Center for Community College Leadership* is honored to partner with ACPA’s Commission for Two-Year Colleges as it aligns with our commitment to equip exceptional community college leaders to address urgent needs. In 2018, NC State’s College of Education received a $10.8 million grant from the John M. Belk Endowment to expand the Envisioning Excellence for Community College Leadership initiative to support community college leaders at all levels. From this plan, the Belk Center continues to evolve to provide executive leadership development through a Presidents’ Academy and Trustees Institute and increase the research capacity that focuses on action and applied research about community college practices that promote student success. NC State’s College of Education has a long-standing history of supporting community colleges in North Carolina with one of the premier doctoral programs in community college leadership. The Belk Endowment’s gracious financial support has positioned us to partner with community college leaders, the North Carolina Association of Community College Presidents, the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees (NCACCT), and the North Carolina Community College System Office (NCCCS) to strengthen institutional leadership at community colleges. We are excited to add ACPA’s Two-Year College Commission to this list. While you are engaging in this conference, we urge you to take what you learn today and transform it to practice at your institution. For further engagement, connect with the Belk Center on social media and through our website for more information about future events. Each year, we host the Dallas Herring Lecture named after one of the pioneers of community college leadership and research. Past speakers have included Dr. Karen A. Stout of Achieving the Dream and Dr. Eduardo Padrón, President of Miami Dade College. Join us on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at 5:30 pm in NC State’s Talley Student Center as we listen to the renowned President of Valencia College, Dr. Sanford “Sandy” Shugart, speak on urgent and emerging topics, frame how to address the issues, and propose a path forward. We hope that today marks another step towards building your capacity to solve critical problems facing community colleges nationwide today, tomorrow and in the years to come. Sincerely, Audrey J. Jaeger, Ph.D. Executive Director

*in planning

Greetings,

On behalf of the Commission for Two-Year Colleges within ACPA College Student Educators International, I welcome you to our 5th Annual Two-Year College Drive-In Conference. The commission directorate board is pleased to have you as a participant in this event and hope that it fosters creative thinking and quality practice around community colleges as agencies for equitable outcomes and student success.

The two-year college drive-in conference was started five years ago by members of ACPA and the Commission in order to address specific needs of two-year colleges. We recognize that low cost, high impact professional development is key to practitioners in these settings and want to offer that to you. As you share and learn today, please consider joining ACPA and engaging with the Commission for more professional development opportunities.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the partnerships that have been at the core of these drive-in conferences. This year, we are pleased to partner with the Belk Center for Com-munity College Leadership & Research and North Carolina State University. This new organi-zation has been wonderful throughout the process of planning this event and will be providing a wealth of knowledge today. Our host institution, North Carolina State University, also deserves huge kudos for their efforts in making today a reality. Enjoy their hospitality and offerings.

Enjoy the day!

Needham Yancey Gulley, Ph.D.Chair, Commission for Two-Year Colleges

Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research

ced.ncsu.edu

The long-term economic vitality of North Carolina depends on developing a highly skilled workforce. As the state’s knowledge-based economy and labor markets evolve, more jobs will require advanced training or education beyond high school but not necessarily a four-year college degree. As the economy and job requirements change, so too will the demands on the state’s community colleges. Community college leaders will need to acquire new knowledge, skills and tools that will help them craft and lead their institutions to achieve higher levels of college access, credential completion and labor market success for their students. The Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research* at the NC State College of Education will help develop exceptional community college leaders who address these urgent needs, and provide the research and other resources needed to help solve critical problems of practice facing community colleges today and tomorrow.

Develop a pipeline of community college executive leaders

through a redesigned Doctor of Education program that prepares them to align training programs with labor

market demands

Provide ongoing leadership development

to community college presidents and trustees that enables them to better support higher levels of institutional

performance

Build a research infrastructure

that addresses the most critical needs facing community colleges and supports leaders in making evidence-

based decisions

“North Carolina’s community colleges are the economic engines of the state, and they play a critical role in fostering economic growth and training skilled workers to meet North Carolina’s evolving workforce demands. We believe that by investing in the current and future leadership of these institutions is key to their continued success.”— MC Belk Pilon, Board Chair of the John M. Belk Endowment

*In Planning

The Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research* will support North Carolina’s community colleges and help them improve student success and access in three ways:

Developing the Next Generation of Community

College Leaders

8:00-8:45amRegistration & Continental Breakfast // Friday Institute Lobby

8:45-9:15amWelcome & Introductions // Wachovia Innovation Hall

• Josh Novak // Commission for Two-Year Colleges & Drive-In Planning Team, Butler County Community College

• Chris Moody // Executive Director, ACPA–College Student Educators International

• James Kelley // North Carolina Community College System

• Jemilia Davis // Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

9:15-10:00amKeynote // Wachovia Innovation Hall

• Dr. Mary E. Rittling // Retired President, Davidson County Community College

10:10-11:10amBreakout Session I

• Black and LatinX Student Success Strategies // Nortel A

• Tracking Student Success: The Why’s and How’s of Developing Partnerships withInstitutional Effectiveness and Institutional Research // BB&T

• Best Practices for Non-Academic Barriers to Student Success // Wachovia

• Leading the Way for Women: Staff and Our Students // Nortel B

11:10am-12:10pmNetworking Lunch // Lobby

12:10-1:10pmBreakout Session II

• Equity Mindset & Student Success Reflective Practice // Nortel A

• Identifying Access & Academic Progress Gaps in the NC Community College System //Wachovia

• Advising and Coaching as Levers for Equitable Outcomes // Nortel B

• Riverfront Community College: A Case Study on Improving Student Success throughEmployee Engagement // BB&T

1:15-2:15pmBreakout Session III

• Success Strategies for Supporting Minority Males // Nortel A

• Beyond Inclusion: Thinking About Autism with a Different Lens // Nortel B

• Opportunities and Challenges: Facilitating Upward Mobility Among CommunityCollege Students in North Carolina // Wachovia

• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Training Geared at Producing Equitable StudentOutcomes // BB&T

2:20-3:15pmClosing & Moving Forward // Wachovia Innovation Hall

• Jemilia Davis // Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

• Audrey Jager // Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

Black and LatinX Student Success StrategiesJairo McMican // Central Carolina Community College Abraham Dones // Durham Technical Community College

This interactive presentation will focus on how to reduce the achievement gap in and outside the classroom for Black and Latinx students. Advising strategies, tangible methods, and additional resources will be provided for attendees to better promote student success.

Tracking Student Success: The Why’s and How’s of Developing Partnerships with Institutional Effectiveness and Institutional Research Dominique Foster // Belk Center for Community College Leadership & ResearchMelissa Whately // Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

This session addresses three important topics surrounding the development of partnerships with offices of institutional effectiveness and institutional research with plenty of time for questions and discussion at the end. First, we will discuss why building relationships with these offices on your campus is important. Next, we will consider how institutional data can be used to track outcomes and contribute to student and institutional success. Finally, we will review practical strategies for beginning and maintaining connections with the office of institutional effectiveness or research on your campus.

Best Practices for Non-Academic Barriers to Student SuccessStacy Waters-Bailey // Forsyth Technical Community CollegeMatthew McGraw // Dabney S. Lancaster Community College

The session will discuss non-academic barriers to completion such as transportation, food insecurity, housing, childcare, and access to healthcare. The group will explore best practices for supporting students and connecting them to community resources.

Leading the Way for Women: Staff and Our StudentsLaveda I. Joseph, Wake Technical Community College

Women are more educated than men (Yale Global, 2014). Yet, women make up 57% of the workforce and still somehow earn 21.7% less than men (Department of Labor, 2017). Ask yourself, what are you and/or your office doing to close this gap for the upcoming women entering the workforce? During this session, Laveda will discusses several critical challeng-es women students unknowingly face: understanding their identity and impact in the job attainment, advocating in salary negotiations, perception of career advancement, gaining mentors and sponsors, and having a voice where it matters. You will hear what’s being done by Laveda to close this gap as she shares three strategies to increase awareness and advo-

cacy for gender equity and economic mobility for women students: 1) Identify what’s your role in supporting women equitable outcomes, 2) Align with local and/or national women em-powerment movements, 3) Carry out the charge.

Equity Mindset & Student Success Reflective PracticeAngela Davis // Durham Technical Community College

Participants will participate in reflective practice exercises to explore ways to create an eq-uity mindset and culture that supports student success. Participants will also engage in con-versations to explore leadership strategies that support equitable outcomes and examine internal systems that contribute to student barriers.

Identifying Access & Academic Progress Gaps in the NC Community College System Bill Schneider // North Carolina Community College System Ashley Sieman // North Carolina Community College System JJ. Evans // North Carolina Community College System

The North Carolina Community College System’s mission includes a responsibility to “open the door to high-quality, accessible educational opportunities that minimize barriers to post-secondary education” and “maximize student success.” Access and academic progress are essential for North Carolinians as they explore career opportunities, complete credentials of workplace value, seek fulfilling careers, and maximize their personal potential. Unfortu-nately, rates of access and academic progress differ across subgroups of the population, which impacts the educational outcomes and social and economic mobility of those groups. The purpose of this report is to call attention to patterns of inequity at the system and col-lege levels by documenting gaps in access and academic progress across demographic populations, specifically race/ethnicity and gender. Hopefully, this session will inspire further analysis and insights that will stimulate dialogue and action among faculty, staff, and ad-ministrators resulting in meaningful, data-informed practices that facilitate positive out-comes for all current and future student groups.

Advising and Coaching as Levers for Equitable OutcomesJosh Novak // Butler County Community College

Improved academic advising programs are an essential component of the guided pathways model, and can be an important lever to encourage the success of all students. This session will discuss academic advising and success coaching models at community colleges, explore strategies and tactics for implementation on campus and highlight specific strategies to connect these transformational resources to underserved student populations.

Riverfront Community College: A Case Study on Improving Student Success through Employee EngagementJemilia S. Davis // Belk Center for Community College Leadership & ResearchAndrea L. DeSantis // Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

This session will provide an overview of a community college case study conducted to under-stand the role of employee engagement in promoting student success and to identify unique

policies and practices in the four pillars of the Aspen Student Success model. Participants will hear more about the four measures of success for community college excellence used to select finalists for the Aspen Prize.

Success Strategies for Supporting Minority MalesJeffrey Allen // Vance-Granville Community College

At many community colleges, there are significant equity gaps in achievement concerning minority males. This session will utilize personal experiences and research to facilitate a dis-cussion concerning possible strategies to support this population.

Beyond Inclusion: Thinking About Autism with a Different Lens Monique Colclough, Belk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

Discussions about autism and post-secondary education related to student success, the student experience, and credential completion are often considered with a deficit lens. The depth and diversity of the autism spectrum is nuanced and extraordinary – let’s explore it and equitable outcomes together.

Opportunities and Challenges: Facilitating Upward Mobility Among Community Col-lege Students in North CarolinaJeffrey Allen // Vance-Granville Community CollegeCarrie Bartek // Wake Technical Community CollegeKara Battle // Durham Technical Community CollegeLaura Bethea // Wake Technical Community CollegeBill Schneider // North Carolina Community College System

Opportunities abound in the labor market but how can we help more students access them to improve their long-term economic status? Join North Carolina Community College System scholar-practitioners as they discuss how they and their institutions are working to promote upward mobility among underrepresented groups in North Carolina. The session will intro-duce statistics on economic mobility and the labor market in North Carolina, and will follow with a panel discussion on identifying and addressing gaps in access and academic progress among demographic populations, NC Guided Pathways to Success, and incorporating equity and the labor market outcomes into strategic planning.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Training Geared at Producing Equitable Student OutcomesDenise H. Barton, Wake Technical Community College and Campbell University

This presentation will incorporate active learning techniques to teach participants about diversity, equity, and inclusion. It will provide scholarly research to support key terms and provide a common language for faculty, staff, and administrators in order to create an in-clusive climate at their colleges. It provides techniques to communicate better with multiple generations. It includes teaching techniques for generational cohorts and culturally respon-sible teaching. Participants will learn initial research results of this training at Wake Technical Community College and learn how to bring this training to their colleges.

Dr. Mary E. Rittling

Dr. Mary E. Rittling has served as Regional Vice President of West Virginia University, Presi-dent of Potomac State College of West Virginia University, and senior administrator at the State University of New York at Delhi. In August 2003, Rittling was appointed as the third president of Davidson County Community College in Lexington, NC. In Spring 2019, Rittlingre-tired from her 16-year presidency at Davidson County Community College and took on the role as president emerita and Aspen Institute Senior Fellow. Rittling completed the Harvard University Institute for New Presidents and earned a Doctor of Education degree in Higher and Adult Education from Columbia University in New York City. She currently serves on the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research’s Advisory Board, helping to direct the Belk Center in preparing the next generation of community college leaders and addressing the most pressing issues facing North Carolina community Colleges.

Yancey Gulley, ChairWestern Carolina UniversityACPA Commission for Two-Year Colleges

Wendy CookWake Technical Community College

Jemilia DavisBelk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

Kendall Del RioWake Technical Community College

Dominique FosterBelk Center for Community College Leadership & Research

Angela HoffmanACPA College Student Educators International

Josh NovakButler County Community CollegeACPA Commission for Two-Year Colleges

Torry ReynoldsForsyth Technical Community CollegeACPA Commission for Two-Year Colleges