Funding Your Conference Attendance 

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 the conference. Presenters for every conference session are required to show 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 with the equity work of the state in support of the Chancellor’s Office’s Vision for Success and our own college’s equity plan. This year’s theme—Co-Creating a Liberatory Future—compels us to frame our teaching and learning in a way that co-creates with students a more just and equitable institution where students are given agency and leadership in their own learning; where learning environments are actively inclusive and honor the differences among people; and where campuses value and actively advocate for equitable treatment of all who come to learn.

Here are some of the breakout sessions I would like to attend: [list them here].” 

Sessions that you can highlight to help make your case for using funding to attend the conference:

• Loyal to the Soil: Re-Harvesting Our BIPOC/Men of Color Narratives in Educational S.P.A.C.E.S

• Beyond Bars: Creating Pathways to Higher Education for Justice-Impacted Students

• Dreams of Joy: Re-Defining and Co-Designing Black Futures in Higher Education

• Grading for Equity: Approaches to Undoing the Affective Harm of the Grading Scale

• Pedagogy with Pride: Queer Approaches to Learning & Community in the Pride Scholars Learning Cohort

Guided Pathways funds may be able to support your conference attendance. Strengthening Student Success Conference 2025 is a great place to get ideas from practitioners in the field on how Guided Pathways efforts are going on other campuses. If you aren’t already, become friends with the person overseeing these funds and make your case for funding for the conference.

Justification: “I would like to attend the Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC), and I am asking for funding from Guided Pathways. The SSSC is designed by and for California community college practitioners to share best practices and learn from each other. A number of sessions are about Guided Pathways specifically. This year’s theme—Co-Creating a Liberatory Future—compels us to frame our teaching and learning in a way that co-creates with students a more just and equitable institution where students are given agency and leadership in their own learning; where learning environments are actively inclusive and honor the differences among people; and where campuses value and actively advocate for equitable treatment of all who come to learn.

Here are some of the breakout sessions I would like to attend: [list them here].”

Sessions that you can highlight to help make your case for using funding to attend the conference:

• Pedagogy with Pride: Queer Approaches to Learning & Community in the Pride Scholars Learning Cohort

• Grading for Equity: Approaches to Undoing the Affective Harm of the Grading Scale

• Designing for Equitable Impact: Human-Centered Strategies and Tools for Transformative Change

• Loyal to the Soil: Re-Harvesting Our BIPOC/Men of Color Narratives in Educational S.P.A.C.E.S

• Navigating Places Not Meant For Us: Work-Based Learning with AANHPI Community College Students

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 for the conference.

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. This year’s theme—Co-Creating a Liberatory Future—compels us to frame our teaching and learning in a way that co-creates with students a more just and equitable institution where students are given agency and leadership in their own learning; where learning environments are actively inclusive and honor the differences among people; and where campuses value and actively advocate for equitable treatment of all who come to learn.

Here are some of the breakout sessions I would like to attend: [list them here].”

Sessions that you can highlight to help make your case for using funding to attend the conference:

• Liberatory Design & Transformative Research for Racial Equity: Bay Team Career Exploration Community

• Intentional Collaborations: Promising Practices in HIRE Up Year 1 Implementation

• Work-Based Learning Improves Student Outcomes: Replicate Our Methodology Using ChatGPT

• Beyond Bars: Creating Pathways to Higher Education for Justice-Impacted Students

• Community Centering Practices for Liberatory Transformation: Adult School and ROP Early College Credit Wisdom

If this is an option at your college, Academic Senate Travel & Conference funds can be used to attend the conference. Some colleges have a limit on how much they can pay, 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. There are breakout sessions dedicated to Guided Pathways, Professional Learning and Leadership Development, Student Learning, and many others. Any one of these sessions would apply to my work on campus. Here are some sessions I am interested in attending: [list them here].”

Sessions that you can highlight to help make your case for using funding to attend the conference:

• Grading for Equity: Approaches to Undoing the Affective Harm of the Grading Scale

• Why They Stay: Second Year Persistence in LA College Promise

• Understanding Corequisite Support in Math and English Classrooms

• No PreCalc Required: Supporting Students with a Redesigned Calculus Sequence

• Work-Based Learning Improves Student Outcomes: Replicate Our Methodology Using ChatGPT

• Culturally Responsive Dual Enrollment: Professional Development for Faculty

• Artificial Intelligence as a Learning Tool: Implications and Applications in Tutoring and Academic Support Centers

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 for the conference. Make sure you know what the objectives of your grant are so you can show how attending the conference will help your campus achieve the purpose of the grant.

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. This year’s theme—Co-Creating a Liberatory Future—compels us to frame our teaching and learning in a way that co-creates with students a more just and equitable institution where students are given agency and leadership in their own learning; where learning environments are actively inclusive and honor the differences among people; and where campuses value and actively advocate for equitable treatment of all who come to learn.

The conference has a number of breakout sessions that can help us realize the objectives of our grant. Here are some of the sessions I would like to attend: [list them here].”

Some sessions that you can highlight to help make your case for using funding to attend the conference:

• You Can't Count If You're Not Counted: More Inclusive Data Collection and Reporting Strategies to Drive African American/Black Student Success

• A Qualitative Approach: Understanding Community College Counseling Practices and Experiences

• Revolutionizing Institutional Effectiveness Through Hands-On Digital Collaboration

• CREATing a Culturally Responsive College through Faculty Development: Data, Reflection, and Collaboration

If your college has received funding to address basic needs on your campus, you may be able to request funding to assist with attending 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—Co-Creating a Liberatory Future—compels us to frame our teaching and learning in a way that co-creates with students a more just and equitable institution where students are given agency and leadership in their own learning; where learning environments are actively inclusive and honor the differences among people; and where campuses value and actively advocate for equitable treatment of all who come to learn.

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, such as [list here].

Sessions that you can highlight to help make your case for using funding to attend the conference:

• Launching Basic Needs Centers: Findings and Recommendations from the Chancellor's Office Early Implementation Evaluation

• From Caseload to Careload: Navigating Case Management with Limited Resources

• Cross-Institutional Collaborations for Latine Student Success

• Culturally Responsive Dual Enrollment: Professional Development for Faculty

If your college has received Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) funding or other 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 I am asking for 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—Co-Creating a Liberatory Future—compels us to frame our teaching and learning in a way that co-creates with students a more just and equitable institution where students are given agency and leadership in their own learning; where learning environments are actively inclusive and honor the differences among people; and where campuses value and actively advocate for equitable treatment of all who come to learn.

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 such as  [list here].

Sessions that you can highlight to help make your case for using funding to attend the conference:

• Grading for Equity: Approaches to Undoing the Affective Harm of the Grading Scale

• CREATing a Culturally Responsive College through Faculty Development: Data, Reflection, and Collaboration

Colleges received 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. Learn more about making the most of your team’s SSSC experience.

Complete this request form to serve as a room host and attend the conference for free. Additional details can be found on the Room Host page.