Last summer, Dream Center Program Services Coordinator Pamela Ortiz Cerda was selected by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office to be part of a Dreamer’s Advisory Group. This group was tasked with creating and disseminating a survey about undocumented student support to California’s 114 community college.
The research from the survey was paired with research collected at seven regional meetings that took place throughout California. In these regional meetings, staff from local colleges doing undocumented student support and advocacy work were invited to discuss the issues that their students are facing and share best practices with each other.
Once all of this data was collected, the committee created recommendations for how the Chancellor’s Office could improve system-wide support of undocumented students. An excerpt for the report reads:
As institutions of higher education continue to enroll undocumented students, colleges and universities must build institutional capacity for their success by creating and implementing comprehensive policies and practices aligning with their institutional mission and vision. Facilitating equal access, affordability, and establishing academic support systems throughout all institutions of higher education has the potential to benefit all.
You can read the full report here.
Article by Pamela Ortiz Cerda