[GuidedPathways] March 2025: Pathways to Progress, a Monthly Guided Pathways Newsletter

[Student Success Center]

Pathways to Progress
Winter Newsletter, March 2025
A Message from Monica: Ditching Comfort for Transformation
Fun fact about me: I love learning about social change and movements. One organizer and activist I’ve learned a lot from is Mia Mingus<https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/about-2/>, who wrote a beautiful essay on accountability<https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/dreaming-accountability-dreaming-a-returning-to-ourselves-and-each-other/>. In it, she offers a powerful reminder:

“Comfort and transformation do not live on the same block.”

That line sticks with me—because I bump into discomfort a lot. The discomfort of doing things differently. The discomfort of realizing that the way we’ve always done things simply doesn’t work for most of our students.

Our Guided Pathways work is fundamentally about transforming the student experience, and transformation takes innovation—which means stepping into the unfamiliar, the messy, and yes, the uncomfortable.

As we get ready for the upcoming Innovation and AI in Guided Pathways Summit, I’m reminding myself to embrace the discomfort in service of meaningful change. There are a lot of swirling questions, concerns, ideas, and hopes around artificial intelligence—especially generative AI—and how it will shape our work.

We’re incredibly lucky to have Dr. Judith Cardenas joining us as the summit facilitator. She’s a nationally recognized expert in organizational transformation and innovation, and every time I hear her speak, she helps me reconnect to what I’m truly trying to achieve—and how strategy can guide that journey.

At a recent Innovation in Community Colleges conference, Dr. Cardenas reminded the audience that we’re not striving for perfection—we’re striving for excellence. I’ve been reflecting on what that means ever since, and I invite you to do the same.  As we prepare for the upcoming Innovations and AI in Guided Pathways Summit, I encourage you to turn discomfort into innovation, and innovation into equity-driven action.  If every one of the 250 participants made such a commitment, what would that mean for innovation in our system?  I’m excited to find out!
Key Updates
Guided Pathways Advisory Council 2024-25 Focus
GPAC<https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/student-success-center/guided-pathways-advisory-council> reports to the Education Services Committee of the WACTC<https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/commissions-councils/wactc/>. Throughout the remainder of the year the council will:

  1.  Propose Guided Pathways performance targets for WACTC consideration and adoption.
  2.  Collaborate and shape a Guided Pathways roadmap for continuous improvement and stronger institutional practices.
     *   A playbook and planning guide is being drafted!  More to share soon.

Student Success/Student Advising Platform RFP
In Fall 2023, Presidents and Chancellors across the state voted to pursue a system-wide Request for Proposals (RFP) for student success software, supported by SBCTC and designed for two-way integration with PeopleSoft. Over the past year, a dedicated workgroup has defined the purpose and functional requirements for the RFP. This fall quarter, a small team of system representatives (listed below) reviewed and scored 11 submitted proposals. In January, the top four vendors—ConexEd, EAB, Frequency Foundry, and HighPoint—conducted product demonstrations, shared accessibility features, and participated in Q&A sessions with stakeholders. A detailed overview and timeline is attached.

Once the process is finalized and a contract is signed, colleges will have the option to opt in for use of the selected software. Key details regarding cost, pricing, and implementation are still being determined and will be discussed at the April meeting of Presidents and Chancellors. This message looks familiar because functional testing has taken a little longer than anticipated, delaying the announcement of the vendor.

Further updates will be shared as they become available.

Save the Date
Check the 2024-2025 Peer and Professional Learning Calendar<https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/student-success-center/peer-professional-learning> often for updates and check out the following events!

In Person

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Innovation and AI in Guided Pathways<https://eventactions.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp&invite=gwp8bs99v0uh726asb6g0gbp4ttgvvgshgfuy0nk2n495kb49u9h>
April 17 (Thurs)
Clover Park Technical College

Explore how AI can transform Guided Pathways and student success! Learn how to navigate the human side of AI adoption and foster an inclusive culture of innovation in the rapidly evolving landscape of higher ed.


Sustaining and Operationalizing Guided Pathways<https://forms.gle/e4RECpJMfyh74YPo9>

Thursday, April 25 (Thurs)

Highline College



Join Guided Pathways leaders to address issues related to ensuring Guided Pathways implementation, with support to turn concepts into action, turning projects into integrated practices, and creating sustainable practices that stick.



Assessment, Teaching and Learning Conference<https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/student-success-center/faculty-development-ensured-learning/atl-conference>
April 29 - May 1 (Tues-Thurs)
Vancouver Hilton in Vancouver, WA

Join faculty from Washington’s community and technical colleges for a two-day event on assessment, teaching, and learning with a focus on centering students.
Connecting Students to Careers: Leveraging the AWB Institute Washington Workforce Portal<https://www.trumba.com/calendars/ssc-all?eventid=181070738>


Join advisors, Career Counselors, Workforce Deans/Directors, Faculty Advisors, and College Success Instructors for this informative webinar on  how the AWB Institute Washington Workforce Portal can bridge the gap between education and employment. We'll explore the challenges students face in gaining career experience and highlight the critical role of work-based learning in their success.
Note: The Student Success Center can provide travel support for your team! Complete this survey<https://forms.gle/rexPCHsxLRTDv7oS6> to request funding assistance.

Coaches Corner—Preparing for Spring Visits
Spring coaching sessions are around the corner. A few questions to guide your preparation:
·                 Who’s your coach, and is your meeting scheduled?
·                 What are the key priorities you want to explore during your session?
·                 Who needs to be in the room to support or advance the work?
·                 What barriers are you navigating, and what momentum are you building?
Coaching is more than an agenda—it’s an opportunity to think boldly, solve problems, and strategize for equity-centered change. Let’s make the most of it.

Data Spotlight: Momentum Matters (Beta Launch)
We’re excited to introduce the beta version of Momentum Matters—a quarterly data snapshot created for colleges across the state. Dr. Cardenas has taught me the phrase, “data rich, insight poor.” Momentum Matters aims to change that, helping colleges turn data into insight and insight into action.

The snapshot will include key performance indicators considered by the legislature for accountability, including: [Series of overlapping blue circles with the legislative metrics used for Guided Pathways evaluation.]
Our goal is to spark curiosity and help colleges use data as a strategic tool for transformation. This tool is designed to help you identify areas of momentum, spot opportunities for growth, and spark curiosity that drives and maintains action toward student success.

As always, we encourage you to spend time exploring state performance through these metrics using the First Time Enrolled in College Dashboard.<https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/collegeaccess/research-data/first-time-entering-student-outcomes-dashboard>

Stay Informed!

Policy Associates in the Student Success Center have developed quarterly newsletters to explore the topics that matter most in the system!  Checkout the Student Success and Pathway Navigation Newsletter<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1447He9DvtB3jC4a1kvnzFBEg2TElEvmGwDNzPu4sg6A/edit?usp=sharing> for winter quarter!

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