CHANCELLOR SCOTT JOINS STUDENTS TO ADDRESS COMPLETION CRISIS
SAN JOSE, CA – On April 15 – 17, 100 students from California’s community colleges will gather at the Hilton San Jose to discuss barriers they face in completing their education and will propose ways students can work with elected officials, school administrators and private institutions to address them. The top ideas, proposed as student-led projects, will receive awards up to $7,500 to be implemented in communities across California.
The Mobilize.org Target 2020 California Summit will provide students a unique opportunity to discuss the future of higher education in California with civic leaders including Dr. Jack Scott, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, Dr. Brian Murphy, President of De Anza College, Deborah Rappaport, President and CEO of the Rappaport Family Foundation, and Steve Ngo, member of the San Francisco Community College District Board of Trustees.
Target 2020 California participants were selected from 167 applicants who identified innovative ways students, elected officials and administrators can work together to address the community college completion crisis. Ideas include a student-led training professional development program for teachers, peer mentoring for first-year students, programs to help foster care students transition from foster care to college, and programs to educate campus communities on the needs of undocumented students.
“California’s students are facing fewer classes and teachers, cuts in financial aid, and do not believe they are receiving the support needed from administration to complete their education,” said Maya Enista, CEO of Mobilize.org. “Target 2020 is a chance for them, not to place blame or to concentrate on what they don’t have, but to identify and collaborate on ways they can solve problems themselves and utilize community resources available to them in more efficient and sustainable ways.”
Target 2020 California sponsors include the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rappaport Family Foundation and the Lumina Foundation. Local partners include California Forward, the Community College League of California, the Public Dialogue Consortium and the California Community Colleges’ Success Network.
The entire Target 2020 Summit will be broadcasted live, online at www.Mobilize.org. Viewers will also be able to vote for their favorite student project through interactive, online voting provided by SparkAction.
For more information, a complete schedule of events and a list of speakers, please visit www.Mobilize.org/Target2020CA. For press credentials during the summit, please contact Femi Kirby at (202) 573-8753 or at Femi@mobilize.org.
About Mobilize.org
Mobilize.org is an all-partisan organization, built and led by Millennials. Its mission is to improve the way democracy works by investing in Millennial-driven solutions. For more information please visit www.Mobilize.org.
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