The Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC) highlights practice at all levels of the community college, from individual interactions to institutional change.
The strands and sessions address issues that cross colleges’ internal boundaries, so it is natural that many colleges send cross-functional teams composed of faculty, counselors, administrators, researchers, and others from across the campus. Professional learning is powerful when it is shared.
Coming collaboratively allows a team to organize and attend more sessions. This approach saves money and provides your team members with ideas and connections that can motivate and encourage them as they work to implement changes on your campus. If you and your colleagues are attending SSSC as a team, we offer the following recommendations for making the most of your experience.
Meet before the conference starts, either in a formal meeting or an informal get-together. This may be a chance to meet colleagues from across your college whom you didn’t know before.
Look over the conference schedule to identify possible sessions of interest, particularly topics that are currently a focus of work at your college.
Organize who will cover different sessions, given that there are always several potentially interesting sessions in the same time slot.
During the conference:
Touch base with your colleagues as you pass in the halls. Share ideas while they are fresh and in the moment.
Get together for a meal: meet over breakfast or debrief together over dinner.
Keep track of ideas and people from sessions that you and your colleagues want to follow up with. You might take notes individually or create a shared document to post your “aha” moments during the conference.
After the conference:
Meet after the conference to discuss how to apply the ideas you have gathered.
Decide how to share ideas with a broader college audience.
Plan how you will contact people or programs that you want to learn more about.
Student Equity and Achievement funds (SEA) on your campus may include professional learning as part of their Student Equity plan. If you aren’t already, become friends with the person overseeing these funds and make your case for funding your conference attendance. Presenters for every conference session must demonstrate how their work aligns with the state’s equity work.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC) and am asking for funding from SEA. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. All breakout sessions at the conference link their content to the state’s equity work in support of the Chancellor’s Office’s Vision for Success and our college’s equity plan. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.
CA Adult Education Program (CAEP) funding can support attendance at this conference. Several breakout sessions are focused on partnerships with local adult education programs. If you aren’t already, become friends with the person overseeing these funds and make your case for funding your conference attendance.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC), and I am asking for funding from CAEP. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.
Some colleges have Academic Senate travel & conference funds that can be used to attend the conference. Colleges may have a limit on how much these funds can cover, but you might be able to leverage other funding to help cover the full cost of your attendance.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC), and I am asking for funding from Academic Senate Travel and Conference. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.
There are breakout sessions dedicated to topics such as AB 1705, cross-campus collaboration, professional learning and leadership development, student learning, and many more. All of these sessions would apply to my work on campus.
If your college has a Title V grant, there may be funds for professional development as a part of the grant. If you aren’t already, become friends with whoever oversees these funds and make your case for funding your conference attendance. Make sure you understand the objectives of your grant so you can show how attending the conference will help your campus achieve the grant's purpose.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC), and I am asking for funding from Title V. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.
The conference features a number of breakout sessions that can help us achieve the objectives of our grant.
If your college has received funding to address basic needs on campus, you may be able to request funding to help you attend the conference. You can talk with your college’s Dean of Counseling or your Student Equity Coordinator/Director to see if there is funding to support professional development opportunities.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC), and I am asking for funding from Basic Needs. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.
This theme embodies what we are doing to meet our students' basic needs. Our college has really stepped up in the last few years to support our students in many ways, and if funding is available, I would like to attend and participate in some of the sessions.
If your college has received Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) funding or other Open Educational Resource (OER) funds, you may be able to request funding to attend the conference. You can talk with your college’s Vice President of Instruction or designated faculty member who is taking the lead on this funding to support professional development opportunities.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC) and am requesting funding from ZTC. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.”
I believe this theme is directly related to ZTC and OER as we work to reduce student costs. If there is funding available, I would like to attend and participate in some of the sessions.
Your college has been given funding to complete the AB 928 Transfer Alignment Project, and there may be funds for professional development. Make sure you select breakout sessions that align with the project so you can demonstrate how attending the conference will help your campus achieve the grant’s purpose.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC) and I am asking for funding from AB 928. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.
The conference, by and for California community college practitioners, features breakout sessions that can help us achieve the objectives of our grant.
Colleges have been given a small amount of funding for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), and your college may have dedicated some of the funding for professional development. Select breakout sessions that align with the project so you can demonstrate how attending the conference will help your campus achieve the funding’s purpose.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC) and am requesting funding from CPL. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.”
Your college has been given funding to complete the AB 1111 Common Course Numbering Project and there may be funds for professional development. Make sure you select breakout sessions that align with the project so you can demonstrate how attending the conference will help your campus achieve the grant's purpose.
Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC) and am requesting funding from the Common Course Numbering program. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. The theme for this year’s conference—Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize—calls on us to reclaim the joy inherent in learning, collaboration, and student transformation, to reconnect with our students, refocus on what truly matters (our students), and to revolutionize our campuses to better meet students’ needs.”
You can modify any of the suggested justifications above to fit any available funding for professional development. Always link the funding source's goals to the conference's purpose.
Colleges receive a 10% discount on registration for groups of 10 or more. That’s one free registration for nine paid registrations. And with a team, you can attend almost all of the breakout sessions and share what you’ve learned.
