On Friday, April 15, a Joint Division Meeting was held to engage faculty divisions in discussion about key components of the Skyline Col
lege Promise. The event kicked off with a welcome from Skyline College President Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud who provided an introduction and her perspective on what the Skyline College Promise will mean to our college as we work to ensure more students “Get in. Get through. Get out…on time!”
Dr. Angélica Garcia, VP of Student Services, and Regina Morrison, Director of Financial Aid, presented on the Skyline College Promise Scholarship Program, which will assist in removing financial barriers to persistence and completion by covering all student fees for the first year of enrollment. The Promise Scholarship will be available to high school graduates and students who recently completed their GED or Adult Education program after December 1, 2015 and who enroll at Skyline College full-time with plans to earn a certificate or degree.
Dr. Luis Escobar, Interim Dean of Counseling, along with TRiO Director Michael Stokes presented on exciting forthcoming changes to our high sc
hool programs and partnerships, including the Skyline College Summer Scholars Institute launching this summer. Designed to ensure more recent high school graduates and GED recipients are prepared to succeed in transitioning to Skyline College and placing into transfer-level courses, the program will provide the opportunity to enroll in a college-level course on career and life planning, attend brush-up workshops in math and English, receive priority registration, and more. Summer Scholars Institute completers who submit a Skyline College Promise Scholarship application will also become Skyline College Scholarship recipients.
Dean of Language Arts, Mary Gutierrez, and D
ean of Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness, Aaron D. McVean, introduced meta-majors and guided pathways, followed by presentations from the Career Ladders Project (CLP) on effective models of guided pathways and early college credit from community colleges across the country. The event concluded with five faculty-led break-out discussion sessions, at which participants engaged in a more focused and intimate conversation about their own experiences with guided pathways, their concerns, its potential benefits, the impact it may have on their work, and their questions moving forward.
This initial meeting is being followed up with additional opportunities for campus community engagement, including the formation of a steering committee and work teams that will collaborate to guide the design and implementation of the components of the Skyline College Promise.
Click here for additional information about the Skyline College Promise.
Article by Aaron D. McVean
