Stepping Up for Community Colleges

The recently released report, Stepping Up for Community Colleges, prepared for The Boston Foundation by Jobs for the Future, presents a number of parallels with the work of Reinvention here at the City Colleges of Chicago.  The report begins with the understanding that “In recent years, Massachusetts has mobilized around an increasingly ambitious agenda for more credential completion, smoother transfer and a greater contribution from community colleges to the state’s economic well-being.”  Those objectives tie closely to the goals of Reinvention established three years ago for the City Colleges of Chicago.

A tremendous amount of work has been completed on Reinvention and much more is still underway for addressing our goals but it is reassuring to read a research report like this and recognize that we are far from alone.  The table below summarizes the research findings and recommended strategies and responses from the Stepping Up report and relates them to actions being taken at the City Colleges of Chicago.

Research Finding	Strategies and Responses	Reinvention Efforts
Students who accumulate credits and enter a program of study early meet with better   outcomes.	Move students into program streams and encourage them to declare majors early.	Through Reinvention7 teams, we are currently developing program maps for use in advising students toward individualized education plans based on career intent. The next step is adjusting our advising model to use these maps to put every student on a path as soon as possible.
Students need more structure, fewer options and frequent feedback.	Streamline curricula; add mandatory orientation, proactive advising and educational   planning.	Beyond the initial work on mapping current programs and adjusting advising, Reinvention7 teams of faculty and staff work with C2C teams on curricular updates.
The effectiveness of traditional developmental education is unclear.	Reduce, accelerate, and contextualize developmental education.	In conjunction with the college Directors of Developmental Education, we are coordinating programs underway at each college into a district-wide strategy including plans for evaluation and potential expansion of effective approaches.
Not all academic programs and careers require the same skills.	Build multiple, differentiated pathways aligned with the requirements of academic programs and careers.	Specifically within math, we’re working with faculty on developing alternative pathways   for STEM and non-STEM students.
Assessment tests are high stakes, and they are not the best predictors of success in   college.	Use multiple measures to place students, and change test conditions to increase awareness and allow preparation and retest.	Current efforts include outreach to CPS students, adult education students and other members of our community to increase awareness of the placement process. In addition, we’re working to develop better methods of placement through the addition of non-cognitive factors to the skills assessment provided by our use of COMPASS testing.
Interventions are expensive, but there is evidence that they lower cost-per-completion.	Make the case for up-front investments that lead to higher completion.	CCC has made a number of recent investments to improve early intervention, starting with addition to the number of advisers and implementation of case load assignments. Additionally, we’ve implemented a district-wide early alert program using GradesFirst. Combined, these changes are allowing for a greater level of intentional advising.To allow for even more effective application of advising resources work is continuing on strategies to define alternative advising delivery methods and help segment adviser loads by level of student need.
Small college-level pilots are difficult to scale up.	Begin interventions at scale.	Given our structure, we have the ability to implement initiatives at scale for the entire district or for a given college. Initiatives at the college level are evaluated to determine potential district-wide application.
College programs should align with workforce needs, and students should understand career outcomes.	Use labor market information when designing programs and to improve career advising.	The identification of C2C clusters and programs has relied on labor market research and we are currently undertaking work to incorporate similar analysis into our ongoing program evaluation process.Through the Workforce and Economic Development department an increased emphasis has been placed on career planning and advising, which now includes the Career Network website.
College programs should align with the requirements for transfer with junior standing, and students should take courses that count toward their major.	Faculty disciplinary teams build core curricula for program streams that introduce   students to a field and lead students to the goal of choosing a major.	As we further define academic pathways of stackable credentials, we are working with Academic Affairs to identify and develop transfer opportunities. Our goal is for every pathway to include a transfer option.

There’s a lot going on but the work is not just being done by the teams of faculty, staff and students at each college and at the district office. Every academic and operational department within the district is working on ways to improve outcomes for our students. Without that level of involvement Reinvention would not be possible.  Reinvention is not a team or a department, it is all of us.

     – Scott Martyn, Center for Operational Excellence

Reinvention7 Update for May 10th

In early April  Reinvention⁷ kicked-off, with faculty, staff and students from each of the seven colleges forming teams charged with nothing less than planning and executing the work required to ensure that all CCC students embark upon academic pathways that 1) reflect learning and growth required to meet life, career and academic goals 2) are relevant to both employers and to four-year institutions 3) meet students where they are, both in terms of their college readiness levels upon admission as well as their anticipated schedule and other life needs.

Recent Accomplishments

This week the teams completed initial drafts of semester-by-semester program maps that reflect the requirements and sequential steps needed to attain a certificate or degree, as indicated in the most recent course catalog. They also shared these maps with the owners of the curricula, the faculty, to make changes required to ensure the paths reflect the best advisable routes towards completion and learning. After faculty validation, these semester maps will represent an advising tool CCC can use to help students chart clear educational plans towards a degree. We have also begun baking-in developmental education pathways and requirements into these maps so we can meet students at their variable college readiness levels.

Upcoming events

In the coming weeks the teams will garner more faculty feedback on the semester maps and integrate it before sharing with our transfer directors, deans of instruction, vice presidents and others. We will also look towards faculty leadership to help define what new pathways will look like, how they can lead to credentials that reflect learning, match skills required for entering the workforce and align with the expectations of four-year institutions for transfer purposes.

As we proceed, please keep following us here and do not hesitate to e-mail me directly with any questions or concerns about Reinvention⁷ or, better yet, contact your college’s Director of Strategic Initiatives.

     – Charles Ansell, Center for Operational Excellence

6th Floor Enhanced with Student Art

The Reinvention space on the sixth floor of the district office just received a wonderful refresh thanks to student art on loan from the President’s Gallery and Permanent Collection at Harold Washington College.  Curator Vanessa Smith brought a number of pieces of student art and hung them around the open spaces shared by the Reinvention task forces.  This project started over a year ago with a discussion of how to add inspiration and motivation to our work space.  Our thought was ‘what better inspiration than to be surrounded by the work of the students that we serve,’ so we reached out to Vanessa.  She selected a number of pieces for us and we couldn’t be happier to have them.

Our thanks to Vanessa and to Harold Washington College for sharing these works.  Next time you’re at the district office, stop by and view them for yourself.

     – Scott Martyn, Center for Operational Excellence

World Bank Visit a Good Sign

Chancellor Cheryl Hyman and Mayor Rahm Emanuel host a delegation from The World Bank at Harold Washington College

City Colleges of Chicago was honored to host 17 representatives from The World Bank this week.  They were interested in learning more about Reinvention and the College to Career initative.  Their focus was on how what we’re doing here in Chicago could potentially be replicated in the countries in which The World Bank is currently operating to improve economies through education and workforce development.  After two days of meetings and tours of our colleges and partner facilities the delegation returned to Washington DC much impressed by what they experieced at City Colleges.

This visit took me back to the early days of Reinvention in January 2011.  During that first semester we sent a number of faculty, staff and students to visit colleges and universities around the country to learn from them how they were achieving thier success.  I remember at that time dreaming of a time when institutions would be asking to visit CCC for the same reasons.  In a way, this recent visit by The World Bank is a sign of that dream coming true.  We know we still have a lot of work ahead of us and that we’re always capable of further improvement but it’s exciting to think that our reputation has risen to the point that an international organization such as The World Bank would be interested enough in what we’re doing to send a large team to learn from us.

Everyone involved with CCC, Reinvention and, in particular C2C should be proud of this exciting step along our path to becoming a world class institution.  Congratulations to all.

     – Scott Martyn, Center for Operational Excellence

Become a part of the Reinvention!

Now you have two options for getting involved; Reinvention and Reinvention⁷.

Reinvention is comprised of task forces working from the district office each charged with both discovery and delivery project responsibilities. The task forces are;

• Career and Academic Program Pathways, addressing how our offerings provide value to students, what newly designed programs and offerings should look like and how to ensure the ongoing quality of our programs.
• Teaching & Learning, focused on course delivery options (face-to-face, hybrid and online) and developmental education solution strategies.
• Student Support and Services, researching how we can provide the supports and guidance students’ need to be successful in completing their educational goals.  Topics include placement and advising strategies to help students in getting on, staying on, and completing an academic program.
• Process, Operations, & Governance, determines how we improve the underlying operations to ensure optimal performance and implement high value intelligence and data analytics to the institution.

Reinvention⁷ takes the district-wide Reinvention model directly to the colleges.  it’s dedicated to helping every student at City Colleges receive detailed guidance to complete their program so they have a clear path to graduation.  Earlier this month, each college’s Reinvention⁷ team convened for the first time and started a multi-year effort to boost the success of students.  Throughout the rest of 2013, task forces at the seven colleges will be defining course pathways for different career and academic clusters (e.g., “Information Technology,” “Humanities and Fine Arts”).  They’ll also be creating semester-by-semester maps that allow whole-program enrollment and block scheduling to help students move swiftly toward completion.  In the fall, these teams will be focused on the development of program plans to help students along their academic pathways and then follow that up with work toward identification and development of new and improved programs.

All of this work builds on the reform efforts of faculty, staff and students from all seven colleges who have been on Reinvention task forces during the last two years.  To learn more about Reinvention’s work during that time, visit www.ccc.edu/reinvention or if you have specific questions, email us at reinvention@ccc.edu.

Interested in joining a Reinvention or Reinvention⁷ team for the fall 2013 semester?  Applications are now being accepted from all interested City College faculty, staff and students.  Apply today—the deadline is Friday, April 26^th. 

To apply, send an email to reinvention@ccc.edu. Identify your top two task force interests, including Reinvention⁷ and include the following in your email;

• A brief biography or resume describing your skill set as it pertains to your preferred task force.
• Five ideas to address the challenges within your preferred task force’s focus areas.
• Your contact information (phone and email) so that we can follow up with you.

Gateway Scholars Share Special Wishes for Success

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” – Vincent Van Gogh

Sometimes someone gives you a gift, something so unbelievably considerate that it takes a few moments to process the depth of the emotion you feel. It is in these rare moments that we experience the true capacity of human generosity and the joy of a being the recipient of such immense thoughtfulness. In this way we are changed a little forever, and more, the gift lives on to inspire and capture the attention of all who encounter it.

This type of experience happened to me a few weeks ago, and as such is usually the case, it was completely unexpected. This semester I have had the fortunate opportunity to teach a Gateway Scholar section of College Success Seminar 101 at Truman College. Every meeting of this class provides special hours to engage a wonderful group of highly motivated students. Having been in the field of Adult Education for many years and working with Gateway Scholars since the inception of the Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Program, I have had more than my fair share of incredible experiences, but what happened at Truman on the second Friday of October was nothing short of magical.

As is usual for a College Success Seminar 101 course, I assigned a demonstration speech to the Truman Gateway Scholars at our first meeting. The students could choose the topic of their speech with the goal being to teach the class something as they practiced their public speaking skills. Each student had to decide what talent or skill they would share with their fellow students. My students, Tram Nguyen and Nhi  Nguyen (best friends who share the same last name) made plans to deliver their speech together.

The speech started off standard enough. They shared a Japanese legend of a girl named Hoshi who was disappointed by the falling stars in the night sky. She decided to fold a paper star for each falling star and in doing this would capture the luck of the real star by placing the paper one in a jar. We were then each given a thin strip of colored paper and Tram and Nhi guided us in the folding of star. First, each of us had to write a wish or dream for the future on the white side of the paper strip. Then we started folding the paper slowly into a star shape. Even with excellent instruction, I failed miserably on the first attempt. With the second strip of paper I managed to fold a perfect little star, no more than 1/4″ high. It was so tiny, and with poor eyesight and big fingers, this was a quite an accomplishment.

After everyone in the class was assisted with creating their own star, Tram and Nhi shared the second part of the legend. According to tradition, to have a dream come true and to give the most powerful wish of luck, you must fold 999 stars and place them in a jar. Each star must have a wish and each must be folded with concentration and care. Tram and Nhi opened a little wider the bag on the table in the front of the classroom, and there it was. A glass jar filled near to the brim with colorful miniature stars that Tram, with the help of Nhi, had folded. There were 999 stars in the jar, each carefully folded and carrying a separate wish for a Gateway Scholar and the Gateway Program.

Tram Nguyen and Nhi Nguyen, Gateway Scholars, Truman College

Tram and Nhi handed the jar to me. I literally was speechless and totally unable to form the words of gratitude needed in that moment. I have received many precious gifts, selected with great care and thought, but none compares to this. Even now, weeks later, I am still without the ability to truly express my gratitude for this completely thoughtful and selfless gesture. I thought then and do now that the best way to show my thankfulness would be to share the stars.

I took the glass jar of folded stars to the CCC District Office and first shared it with the Gateway Program Implementation Team. We each even attempted to fold our own star. This proved only to show the difficulty and necessary time it would take to fold 999. The jar now sits high on a cabinet and at first glance one would think it was filled with so many colorfully wrapped candies. There is something stronger though about this simple glass jar with its many colored contents that grabs the attention of others,  the way a diamond might in a jewelry store window or a masterpiece on a museum wall. As with these other things, I like to call it magic from within.

Since it was put on display, many  people  have stopped to ask about the jar and to inquire of the contents. Many others just seem to stare at it for a while as they pass by, perhaps a bit shy to ask just what is exactly in the jar. For those who do ask, we share the story of the stars, the students who made them, and the Gateway Program. We have had such a positive response to the sharing of these stars and the story behind them that we decided to write this blog entry. This is how the power of this gift grows beyond the change it has made in my own life to an opportunity to inspire others. For CCC, our students, and ourselves the magic is in the transformation. Like a flat strip of paper changing with each turn of the hand into a star, we are becoming a little better each day.

- Kevin Scavuzzo, Teaching and Learning Task Force

999 Lucky Star Wishes for Gateway Scholars

Daley College Gateway Scholars’ Club Essay Contest Winner: “Creating a Better Life by Going to College”

The Gateway Scholars’ Club at Daley College sponsored an essay contest with the theme: “Creating a Better Life by Going to College”. Winners were selected by the Club’s Executive Board and received a $50 bookstore gift card and one grand prize winner received a $100 bookstore gift card. The grand prize winner was invited to read her essay at the Gateway Scholars’ Club Shared Success Recognition Dinner on December 5, 2012. Below is the grand prize winning essay:

My name is Karolina Szumal and I was born in Poland. I have four sisters and two brothers. I was born as a middle child. It was a hard place to be born. My older siblings picked on me while I had to take care of my younger siblings. I complained to my parents, but they never did something about that. Still my family is big and we had a lot of fun together. My mother was a housewife, and dad was the one who brought money to the table. The time when I was still in Poland we had a big farm. We had four cows, a few pigs, chickens and a horse. I was going to school and helping my parents with farm work. It was hard work but after a little time I got used to it. My mother was raising us strictly. Since we were little kids she was teaching us hard work and how to take care of ourselves.

I finished high school in Poland and took some of the classes to be a hair stylist. I think no one likes high school. I really liked taking my hair stylist classes and practice in the hair salon. But I had to leave all that life behind me when I was 17 years old. My journey coming to United States started in 2003. In that year my aunt decided that she wanted to help my family. Her exact words were that “We are poor and we need more money and I want to help us”. She was already in the United States and she wanted me and my sister to come to visit. When I heard her plan I did not want to come here. My sister was ok with it she was older than me and not scared at all. But since I was raised that way I did have to do as they pleased. Of course as my life was as it is now too I got a visa and my sister did not.

My drive to the airport was the worst day of my life. I was sad I knew I would lose my friends and family. Saying good bye to my animals was a really hard thing to do. They were my closest friends and my great listeners. The feeling I had was that am losing everyone I know, I love and my whole life. It was like I knew that I am not coming back home ever again, and so far this is true. I would like to say that after this going to college is easy. But I would not be saying the truth. The Gateway Program opened the world of education for me. I am so thankful every day to the people that work so hard to make this program happen. It is changing the lives of the people who enter it. It is the gateway to dreams, possibilities, hopes and goals. I want to give back by holding this gate open for those students who will come after me. I want to say that in a world where we say and hear “no” too much, the Gateway Program is a place you will hear and say “yes”.

- Karolina Szumal, Gateway Scholar, Daley College

Increasing the full-time faculty hiring timeline

City Colleges is allowing for full-time faculty hires for Fall 2013 now. In the past, departments would rush to hire for full-time faculty in the summer or spring semesters prior to the pending school year – a much later recruitment and hiring process relative to other local colleges and universities, let alone community colleges nationwide.

We know that, at present, City Colleges hires many quality faculty – often via national searches. According to a survey of full-time faculty conducted by Reinvention last Fall, however, we learned that a majority wanted to move to a full-time hiring process that mirrored those of other community colleges so we could increase our applicant pools. Indeed, out of the 59 members who responded to the survey, 57% agreed we must elongate the hiring timeline, with only 14% disagreeing (the remainder were neutral on the topic).

Allowing for a longer timeline will provide the following benefits:

• A hiring process tied directly to the annual planning and budgeting processes
• More time for regional and national searches
• Greater involvement from faculty in the hiring process
• More time for recruitment and hiring planning
• Improved candidate pool
• Less stress upon search committees
• As a result of this change in process, in following years we hope to move away from the off-cycle Spring hiring process for full-time faculty.

In prior posts on this blog – and in myriad other meetings with local faculty council and District Faculty Council and other stakeholders – we received – and integrated – lots of feedback into this recommendation. Do you have thoughts on this process change? We welcome and want your feedback!

     - Charles Ansell, Senior Team Leader, Center for Operational Excellence

Gateway Scholars’ Club Welcome Event at Daley College on 10/17/12

The day was gloomy, and the weather was horrible. But that didn’t stop the Gateway Scholars’ Club from hosting an event. It was six o’clock and the event was supposed to take place. No one was showing up and most of the tables were empty. The faces of the coordinators seemed to say that nothing including such a day would ruin their plans for the event. It seemed that the program was going to have a total setback, due to the bad weather. By 6:15 PM people suddenly started to arrive in small groups. Before long the room began to fill.

All of the Gateway Scholars and their guests were invited to eat from the variety of food that was provided by the Gateway Scholars’ Club. After a delicious dinner reception and conversation, the program for the evening began. The ceremony was opened with a welcome speech given by Elizabeth Marquez, the founder and President of the Daley College Gateway Scholars’ Club. She introduced the entire Gateway Scholar’s Club Executive Board. Elizabeth also spoke about her previous experience as a Gateway Scholar and the many benefits that the Gateway Program has given her.

Next it was Mr. Kevin Scavuzzo’s turn, or as we students call him, Mr. Kevin, to deliver the keynote address. Mr. Kevin spoke about the five most important things that he learned from the teachers in his life in and out of school. He shared stories from the first grade through his own college experience and connected these stories to us and our goals. The entire room was silent. Some Gateway Scholars and their family members cried. He offered encouragement to all Gateway Scholars to continue their education and to make their dreams real. Thank you, Mr. Kevin; you are an inspiration to all students.

Then a very special part of the program began. Ms. Janice Mejia, a leader at Reinvention, gave certificates to the Gateway Scholars. After speaking about the Gateway Program and Reinvention, she presented each one of us with our certificate and the opportunity to give a few words of our own and share them with the audience. Thank you, Ms. Mejia for giving us the opportunity to express our thoughts and gratitude. Ms. Mejia closed the event by inviting and encouraging us, as well as the student guests to take advantage of this wonderful program. The room was filled with applause.

At the end of the evening, staff and students took pictures and congratulated one another. There was plenty of food left for everyone and most of us decided to take advantage of that opportunity as well. Despite all the rain that was pouring outside that day, even after the event, nothing could stop the Gateway Scholars’ Club Welcome Event from taking its course. It was a success in every way and we really had a blast! I was excited to learn that in the coming semesters there will be a Gateway Scholars’ Club at all of the colleges with the Gateway Program. The club is an important part of the program because it allows students to share their experiences, connect with other Gateway Scholars, and learn from each other.

-Angel Burgos, Gateway Scholar, Daley College

Gateway Scholars and Mr. Kevin Scavuzzo

Business Intelligence at City Colleges

On Monday, October 29, Reinvention held a kick-off event for the implementation of the Business Intelligence (BI) system.  What is Business Intelligence and what can it do for our institution?  Business Intelligence is essentially a platform (think staging area) that organizes and connects different types of data and enables us to quickly analyze that information.  CCC employees – at all levels—will be able to access and have conversations around relevant data points such as enrollment, student performance prior to enrollment, support services provided, graduation, transfer, and employment.  Institutional data is manageable, focused on individual needs and roles in City Colleges, and provides immediate insights to inform decisions.

We use data in so many parts of our personal lives, from personal financial management and budgeting to arguing which sports team is better using statistics.  Why shouldn’t we do this in our professional lives?  In our visits to the colleges and departments, whenever we share our vision for the business intelligence system, we find individuals who are hungry for information and excited by the potential of the forthcoming business intelligence tools.  Now is the time to engage in conversations and ask: What does our data mean TO US?  What do we need it to do FOR US?  How do we architect it and how do we make it OURS?

Business Intelligence is very much for us to shape at City Colleges – it’s exciting, it’s daunting, and the newness may create some uncertainty.  But I challenge all of us to think big about the possibilities of Business Intelligence at City Colleges, so it will make us a stronger, more effective organization and help all our students succeed on their educational pathway.  If you have thoughts on how you envision data use in City Colleges or concerns, please reach and out and share them with the Reinvention team.

      - Nancy Lee Chavez, Project Team Leader, Center for Operational Excellence