11:59am | Long Beach City College President Eloy Ortiz Oakley was selected to serve on a new community college commission preparing to take a holistic look at the community college system’s broad and continuously evolving mission.
The 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges was appointed by the American Association of Community Colleges and comprises 36 individuals who represent a broad range of constituencies and expertise from education, business, policy and communications, according to information provided by an LBCC spokesman.
The group will work to examine the challenges and opportunities confronting the nation’s largest and fastest growing higher education sector.
“For community colleges to succeed in this new century, we must innovate and challenge the status quo,” said Oakley in a statement. “I am honored to have been selected for this commission and to help reshape the future of our community colleges.”
The commission will meet over the next 10 months both in-person and virtually to examine the community college mission in light of current economic realities as well as look at trends and opportunities for students of color and first-generation college students.
“Community colleges are the gateway to higher education for a majority of Americans,” Oakley continued. “For our country to succeed, we must significantly increase the number of students who complete their education goals, in particular students of color.”