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—Teaching and Learning at a Crossroads: Where do we go from here?—reminds us of long-standing inequities in student outcomes and inspires us to chart new paths to create necessary changes to meet our students’ needs.

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:

• Show Me the Gay-ta! Elucidating LGBTQIA+ Data Practices to Elevate and Support Student Success

• Delivering Equitable Counseling

• Leveraging Canvas and Tableau to Close Equity Gaps in Course SLOs

• Allyship in Action: Enhancing Support for Black and Marginalized College Students

Guided Pathways funds may be able to support your conference attendance. Strengthening Student Success Conference 2024 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—Teaching and Learning at a Crossroads: Where do we go from here?—reminds us of long-standing inequities in student outcomes and inspires us to chart new paths to create necessary changes to meet our students’ needs. It also invites us to begin a new journey that includes students as partners to close opportunity gaps for everyone.

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:

• LA College Promise: Closing Equity Gaps and Guiding Students Towards Completion

• Supporting Student Success Across the Institution - Bridging Silos and Building Student-Centered Collaboration

• Reframing Academic Probation to Make Your College More Student-Friendly

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—Teaching and Learning at a Crossroads: Where do we go from here?—reminds us of long-standing inequities in student outcomes and inspires us to chart new paths to create necessary changes to meet our students’ needs. It also invites us to begin a new journey that includes students as partners to close opportunity gaps for everyone. As we focus on helping our adult education students transition from our adult schools to college,  our responsibility lies in helping them see value in taking the journey through higher education for their own lives and the lives of their families.

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:

• Advancing Public Sector Apprenticeship: A Five-Point Action Plan

• Designing Strategic Student Interventions to Reach the Students Who Need the Most Support

• Student Parents Empowering Parents to Accomplish Their Academic Goals by Offering Student Parent Trauma-Informed Services

• Supporting Student Success Together: Understanding the What, Why, and How of Partnerships Between Community-Based Organizations and Postsecondary Institutions

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:

• Transfer Reform: GE and Common Course Numbering Implementation

• Leveraging Canvas and Tableau to Close Equity Gaps in Course SLOs

• Pushing for Student Success, Student Utilization of Office Hours, and Outside Engagement

• Improving District Policy and Process via Practitioner Promising Practices for Equitable Dual Enrollment

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—Teaching and Learning at a Crossroads: Where do we go from here?—reminds us of long-standing inequities in student outcomes and inspires us to chart new paths to create necessary changes to meet our students’ needs.

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:

• Caring Campus: Improving Students' Sense of Belonging and Student Success by Practicing Caring Behaviors

• Embracing Student Identity: Cultivating Cultural Robustness and Positive Practices through Career Development

• The Evolution, Growth, and Maximization of the First-Year Experience program at Moorpark College. Setting the Standard for Student Success

• From Equity-Minded Outreach & Recruitment to a One-Stop Shop - A Model of Connecting Students to College and Beyond

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—Teaching and Learning at a Crossroads: Where do we go from here?—reminds us of long-standing inequities in student outcomes and inspires us to chart new paths to create necessary changes to meet our students’ needs. It also invites us to begin a new journey that includes students as partners to close opportunity gaps for everyone.

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:

• Get By With a Little Help From My Friends: Course-Embedded Peer Tutoring as a Roadtrip to Student Equity & Success

• Caring Campus: Improving Students’ Sense of Belonging and Student Success by Practicing Caring Behaviors

• Empowering First-Gen Students: Transforming Social & Family Capital for Academic Success

• Empowering Communities: Creating Inclusive College Centers for Student Well-Being

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—Teaching and Learning at a Crossroads: Where do we go from here?—reminds us of long-standing inequities in student outcomes and inspires us to chart new paths to create necessary changes to meet our students’ needs. It also invites us to begin a new journey that includes students as partners to close opportunity gaps for everyone. 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:

• Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnerships: Centering Student Voices in Pedagogical Enhancement Efforts

• Breaking Barriers: Zero Textbook Cost Pathways as Catalysts for Equity and Race

• Leveraging Canvas and Tableau to Close Equity Gaps in Course SLOs

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.