[GuidedPathways] Updates and an opportunity for the 2021 Fall Guided Pathways Retreat

[Claudine Richardson]

Dear CTC Family,

Hope you had a restful weekend. On Friday, the Guided Pathways leads, at the respective CTC's, received a list of registered individuals for the upcoming Guided Pathways Retreat on Monday, November 8th, and Tuesday, November 9th. Further, everyone registered for the retreat was invited to the 2021 Guided Pathways Retreat Canvas shell. Yay! The retreat is getting closer.

Team members can still register at: https://bit.ly/3hEm6Hc
Agenda link: https://bit.ly/3oZ4ytv

I know for some, the suggested team composition at a respective campus may not be available to attend the retreat. This is a fantastic opportunity! Yes, consider inviting team members that don't traditionally have the opportunity to attend a Guided Pathways retreat. Possibly consider:

  *   Who is doing invisible labor at your campus - directly supporting students --  and rarely has an opportunity to participate in "off-campus" professional development?
  *   How could continued momentum and buy-in be built for Guided Pathways work by inviting front-line team members (those student services and adjunct members) that directly build and collaborate with students?

Thank you for spreading the heart with your campus teams. To improve outcomes for students often means we invest in our teams' professional development at all levels. Professional development provides a synaptic prospect to learn what it means to close institutional equity gaps -- acknowledged in over 50yrs of work. To lead with racial equity means we acknowledge the research that confirms the experiences of racially minoritized students are directly correlated to racially minoritized staff and faculty. Inviting BIPOC, frontline, and adjunct team members to the retreat is a fantastic opportunity to say -- in an actionable way, "I see you and the hard work you did that no one could anticipate, fathom, quantify, knew was needed and/or wanted to do. Thank you for doing that work and we would like to have you participate in this retreat as a small form of gratitude and because we believe in you."

"While the battle against prejudice and discrimination must be a systemic national effort, there is much that can be done on an individual basis, especially as [an educator]. Race talk as a means to make the invisible visible; to confront biases, prejudices, and fears; and to help one another understand ourselves as racial/cultural beings opens the education gateways to self-reflection and positive change." ~Kiselica, 1998

The value of your personal time is priceless, please feel obliged to not reply to this email outside of your working hours.

Respectfully and Humbly,

[signature_198601869]Claudine Richardson, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.A.
Pronouns: they |them |theirs
Policy Associate | Student Success Center
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
PO Box 42495 | 1300 Quince Street SE | Olympia | WA | 98504
crichardson at sbctc.edu<mailto:crichardson at sbctc.edu> | c. 509.230.3690
sbctc.edu * Twitter: @SBCTCWashington * Facebook: @WASBCTC

SBCTC Vision: "Leading with racial equity, our colleges maximize student potential and transform lives within a culture of belonging that advances racial, social, and economic justice in service to our diverse communities."