Blogs by Equity Fellows

One component of OCCRL’s Equity Conscious Community College Pathways project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is the Engaging Excellence in Equity Fellowship. The inaugural cohort of fellows is comprised of 18 community college administrators, faculty, and staff from across the country who were identified by their campus leaders as integral to their institutions’ success in serving and supporting underserved racially minoritized students. To highlight and share the robust knowledge, experience, expertise, and ideas of this group of equity exemplars, OCCRL is featuring a special Voices and Viewpoints series highlighting posts written by these fellows. Their biweekly blog posts cover a range of topics and ideas selected by the fellows that reflect challenges they face in their roles and their experiences as fellows, as well as projects and programs they have developed and implemented to support underserved racially minoritized students, among other topic. Ultimately, while these blog posts represent a variety of perspectives on issues important to the Engaging Excellence in Equity Fellows and the work they do, they are connected by their particular focus on supporting racially minoritized students on community college campuses in an equity-conscious manner.

 

 One College's Support of African American Students

 by Joseph Alonzo, Director of the Office of Student Equity & Success - Santiago Canyon College

 

 Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

 by Lisa Bergin, Philosophy Teacher and Consultant - Minneapolis Community & Technical College

 

 Learning From First-Gen Graduates

 by Jennifer Billingsley, Dean of Correctional Programs - Lake Land College

 

 Fostering Equitable Outcomes for Black Male Community College Students

 by Alvina Clayton-Thomas, Dean of Student Success and Title IX Coordinator - Louisiana Delta Community College

 

 Boosting Financial Literacy for Students

 by Richard Hayes, Director of Financial Aid - Olive-Harvey College

 

 Solving an American Dilemma

 by Antonio Jackson, Dean of Arts and Humanities - Fayetteville Technical Community College

 

 Making Equity Work Personal

 by Maati "Ati" Ka'awa, Director of Branch Campuses - Green River College

 

 Overcoming Barriers Through Community Colleges

 by Kirk Kirkland - Dean of Student Affairs at Essex County Community College

 

 Importance of Support Groups for Men of Color in Higher Ed

 by Julius Lloyd - BFET Coordinator at South Seattle College

 

 Minority-Serving Mentorship at MSIs

 by  Dr. Aubria Nance, Associate Professor and Counselor - Community College of Philadelphia

 

 Dreaming Big With Equity Fellows

 by Jaclyn Randall, Director of Student Success & Equity - Palo Verde College

 

 Redesigning Developmental English

 by Brenda Refaei, Associate Professor - University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College

 

 Supporting Sophomores, Preventing the Slump

 by Gabrielle Thompson, Director of Access and Opportunity Programs - The State University of New York

 

 Two-Year College Degree Becoming the New Normal

 by DeSandra Washington, Associate Vice President at Fayetteville Technical Community College

 

 Equalizing College Readiness, Access, and Success

 by Sarah Wolfe, Director of Student Engagement - University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College