The Chancellor’s Summit on Adult Education, a statewide convening hosted by the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), is returning to the Auraria Campus in Denver on Thursday, May 30. Funded by the Lumina Foundation REACH Collaborative, the summit is free to attend and open to any higher education or workforce development professional who serves learners ages 25 and up. Register here!
Last year, attendees heard from keynote speakers on fostering belonging among adult learners and designing pathways for “skill builders,” among many other topics. We sat down with Dr. Ayelet Zur-Nayberg, CCCS Director of Adult Student Success, to learn what participants can expect from this year’s summit.
What is the goal of the Chancellor’s Summit, and what will attendees take away from it?
The summit provides a forum for educators, administrators, and stakeholders to highlight successful strategies, innovative ideas, and lessons learned when working with adult student populations. That includes insights from all 13 CCCS colleges gained through their Lumina Foundation grants. Other goals include following:
I hope that attendees leave with actionable steps to refine their adult learner strategies and feel more equipped to empower these students.
How does the Summit address the needs of adult learners from rural communities?
Participants choose from presentations that are most relevant to their specific college environment. Additionally, sponsors will demonstrate how tools and strategies can be adapted to benefit adult learners in both rural and urban settings.
Why is it important to focus on adult learners?
Adult learners represent a critical part of Colorado’s workforce. With adult enrollment declining, and less than 42% of adult learners of color earning credentials, we must act. This Summit is about empowering community colleges and other higher education institutions to upskill this population, meet workforce needs, and carry out the mission of equitable educational access.