AAHHE Community College Institutes (CCI)
The Community College Institute (CCI) is an annual professional development program designed to provide participants concepts relevant to community colleges and the application to their own professional careers. The institute showcases Hispanics who are leading in community colleges in different administrative roles; speakers share their own experiences, provide lessons learned in their journeys and tools that will encourage future community college administrators. The institute touches upon the need to develop competencies in balancing institutional history with the mission and vision of the community college; and how to use data to improve student success, create a student-centered culture, and establish an institutional infrastructure that builds talent and institutional capacity to have a sustainable organization.
Past Community College Institutes
5th AAHHE Community College Institute
Latiné Excellence in Community Colleges: Strategies for Success
Moderator: Marissa Vasquez, EdD, San Diego State University, Associate Director, Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL)
Dr. Marielena DeSanctis, President, Community College of Denver
Dr. Mordecai Brownlee, President of Community College of Aurora
Dra. Reyna Anaya, Dean of Student Success and Senior Student Affairs Officer, Community College of Aurora
Dra. Adelina Silva, Vice Chancellor for Student Success Emeritus for the Alamo Colleges District
March 7, 2025, 8am-11am MST
In-person pre-conference session
Zenith 640
Description
Join us for an inspiring pre-conference dedicated to celebrating and advancing Latiné excellence in community colleges. The CCI will feature insightful panel discussions, community building, and knowledge sharing. We are honored to have Dra. Marielena DeSanctis, President of the Community College of Denver, as our opening speaker. Our distinguished panelists include Dr. Mordecai Brownlee, President of Community College of Aurora, Dra. Reyna Anaya, Dean of Student Success and Senior Student Affairs Officer at the Community College of Aurora, and Dra. Adelina Silva, Vice Chancellor for Student Success Emeritus for the Alamo Colleges District. Additionally, we will hear from a panel of Latiné community college students who will offer insights into their experiences.
Objectives
- Gain Student Perspectives: Attendees will gain valuable perspectives from community college students, understanding their experiences and challenges to better support their academic and personal growth.
- Hear from Institutional Leaders: Attendees will hear from institutional leaders on strategies to address and improve outcomes for Latiné students, gaining insights into successful initiatives and programs, particularly within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)
- Build Inclusive Communities: Attendees will discover promising practices for building inclusive and supportive educational environments that empower Latiné students, faculty, and staff to thrive.
4th Community College Institute (CCI)
Becoming a Community College Administrator: Understanding the Journey
Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 4:00pm-7:00pm EDT Members $50 | Non-Members $60
Session Description
AAHHE's 4th Community College Institute (CCI) is designed to provide examples of Hispanics who are leaders in community colleges.
According to Dr. Natalia C. Villareal, executive director of government and board relations at Del Mar College in Texas, the journey for Hispanics to achieve the goal of being a community college administrator shows “a mix of inspiration and frustration.”
Ángel Reyna, EdD, president, Madera Community College and Estela Gutierrez, MA, vice president of Student Services and Diversity at Truckee Meadows Community College will elaborate and explain their own experiences and provide some lessons to understand their journeys and to encourage future community college administrators.
Research shows that community college leaders need to develop competencies in balancing institutional history with the mission and vision of the community college. Leaders need to use data to improve student success, create a student-centered culture, and establish an institutional infrastructure that builds talent and institutional capacity to have a sustainable organization. The goal of this session is for participants to learn concepts and apply them to their own professional careers.
Agenda
I. Welcome and Introductions, Carmen Martínez-López Co-CCI Chair & AAHHE Board Member (4:00 P.M. – 4:10 P.M.)
II. Participant Introductions (4:11 P.M. – 4:30 P.M.)
III. Moderator: Dr. Lucia Gutierrez (4:31 PM)
Presenters: (4:35 P.M. – 5:35 P.M.)
Ángel Reyna, President, Madera Community College
Estela Gutierrez, Vice President of Student Services and Diversity at Truckee Meadows Community College
IV. Q & A (5:36 P.M. – 5:50 P.M.)
V. Breakout Session: 1) Participants’ reactions to the presentations & 2) Discussions from the participants’ perspectives (5:51 P.M. – 6:15 P.M.)
VI. Debriefing and Conclusions, Patrick Valdez Co-CCI Chair & AAHHE Board Member (6:16 P.M. – 6:46 P.M.)
VII. Closing and Evaluation, Patrick Valdez Co-CCI Chair & AAHHE Board Member (6:47 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.)
Co-CCI Chairs
 Patrick L. Valdez, PhD
Former Chancellor & Professor
University of New Mexico, Taos
 Carmen Martinez-López, PhD
Dean School of Business and Professional Careers
Westchester Community College
State University of New York
Presenters
 Ángel Reyna, EdD
President
Madera Community College
 Estela Gutierrez, MA
Vice President of Student Services and Diversity
Truckee Meadows Community College
Revised March 29, 2022
|
