Get a jump on the competition

Preconvention workshops offer intensive half- and full-day workshops on topics important to community college leaders. And they are a good way to build your network. If you are arriving in Seattle on April 16 or early on April 17, a workshop will fit perfectly in your schedule. Read full descriptions here.

Preregistration is strongly recommended - these workshops tend to fill up.

Workshop A -- New CEO Institute: Hit the Ground Leading
(sponsored by AACC Presidents Academy with scholarship support from SunGard Higher Education)
Date: Friday, April 16, 1:00 - 5:00 pm & Saturday, April 17, 1:30 - 5:30 pm


Workshop B -- For Aspiring Presidents: Interviewing for the Presidency and Preparing to Work With and for a Board of Trustees
(sponsored by Association of Community College Trustees)
Date: Friday, April 16, 1:30 - 5:30 pm & Saturday, April 17, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm


Workshop C -- Organizational Development Is Resource Development
(sponsored by Council for Resource Development)
Date: Friday, April 16, 2:00 - 5:00 pm


Workshop D -- Rebuilding Your Financial Plans: New Realities and New Strategies
(sponsored by VALIC)
Date: Saturday, April 17, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Workshop E -- Strategic Fundraising for Presidents
(sponsored by Council for Advancement and Support of Education and Council for Resource Development)
Date: Saturday, April 17, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm


Workshop F -- Breaking the Stained Glass Ceiling: Preparing Administrators From Diverse Groups for Executive-Level Positions
(sponsored by National Asian/Pacific Islander Council, National Community College Hispanic Council, and National Council on Black American Affairs)
Date: Saturday, April 17, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Workshop G -- Taking Care of Business: What Every President Needs to Know
(sponsored by AACC Future Leaders Institute and Community College Business Officers)
Date: Saturday, April 17, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm


Workshop H -- Leveraging Data in Strategic Planning: Building Institutional Capacity
(sponsored by AACC Future Leaders Institute)
Date: Saturday, April 17, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Workshop I -- Thoughts and Clues for Aspiring Presidents
(sponsored by Gold Hill Associates)
Date: Saturday, April 17, 1:00 - 4:00 pm


Workshop J -- The Butterfly Effect: Working With a Board of Trustees
(sponsored by ACCT)
Date: Saturday, April 17, 1:00 - 4:30 pm

Warning Regarding Unauthorized Companies Promoting Discounted Hotel Rates in Seattle

We have been alerted that an organization calling itself Convention Expo Travel has been soliciting AACC members to book conference reservations. This company is not in any way connected with AACC, has not been given access to AACC member information and has been the subject of numerous fraud inquiries. Please let us know if you are or have been contacted. We suggest you not give any credit card information to representatives of Convention Expo Travel. If you have done so, be alert for fraudulent charges.

Please note that there is only one reservation hotel/housing service authorized by AACC. For hotel reservations for the 2010 AACC Annual Meeting in Seattle, please contact the Seattle Housing Bureau directly at 888-877-0255 or click here. There is no other official source for making hotel reservations for the AACC conference in Seattle.

Also, as a reminder, booking reservations outside of the AACC block through other sites such as Travelocity, Orbitz, etc., also impacts the Association and the Convention bottom line. AACC works hard to negotiate the best possible rates for our meeting at the best hotels to meet your needs. Please book your rooms directly through the Seattle Housing Bureau at 888-877-0255 or the direct link. We look forward to seeing you in Seattle.

If you have any questions, please contact Tavia S. Cummings, Director of Convention/Meetings, at 202-728-0200 ext. 260 or via email at tcummings@aacc.nche.edu.

Follow the Seattle Maven on Twitter

Attending the Annual Convention in 2010? Then the Seattle Maven is a must-follow on Twitter. She is an expert information specialist for Seattle's Convention and Visitor's Bureau. And she has the inside scoop on what's going on in Seattle - food, shopping, the arts, the outdoors. Just in the past couple of days I have seen tweets about a wine tasting for the female vinters in Washington and a great deal on prime rib at a local restaurant.

Here's the link:
www.twitter.com/SeattleMaven

And follow AACC on Twitter here:
www.twitter.com/Comm_College

Reserve Now for 2010 AACC Convention!

Hotel reservations are now being accepted for the 2010 AACC Convention, April 17-20 in Seattle, Wash. The Sheraton Seattle Hotel will serve as the convention headquarters hotel. Reservations should be made online through the AACC Web site. Individual hotels will not accept direct reservations.

Call Now Open!

The 2010 Call for Convention Events is now open! The deadline to submit a forum, roundtable, poster session, or presentation for the Innovations Theatre is October 12, 2009. The deadline to submit a business meeting or social event is November 30, 2009. Definitions of the different event types, evaluation criteria, and curriculum tracks can be found on the AACC Convention Web site.

Call Postponed, New Information Available

Due to technical challenges, the AACC Call for Convention Events has been postponed until further notice. In the meantime, we have posted some information on the AACC web site that can be used to start preparing your proposal - click here for details.

Call Postponed Until August 31

The opening of the AACC Call for Convention Events has been postponed until August 31, 2009. The deadline to submit a proposal for a forum/roundtable/showcase/poster session remains September 28, 2009. The deadline to submit a meeting or social event is November 30, 2009. For more details on how to submit a proposal to be a part of the AACC convention program, please view the Call for Convention Events page on the AACC Web site.

Please subscribe to the RSS Feed on this blog to receive notification that the Call has opened, and to receive other Convention news and updates.

Call for Convention Events

AACC expects to begin accepting proposals for educational sessions, meetings, and social events on August 24, 2009. The Call for educational sessions will close on September 28, 2009. The Call for meetings and social events will close on November 30, 2009.

For the 2010 Convention, we are pleased to offer two exciting new opportunities to network and share information:

AACC Innovation Showcase
The Innovation Showcase is a new opportunity that puts the emphasis on fresh thinking and innovation. The showcase will include a select number of 30-minute, interactive video/Internet presentations that spotlight innovation at community college campuses. Presentations will be 10-12 minutes long, followed by a 15-minute audience Q&A.

Poster Session
A poster session is an opportunity for one or several presenters to share information about a research problem, project, or study by developing a table-top display on a set of poster boards (4' x 8'). Several posters are available at one time with the presenter(s) standing by their table to talk informally about the project with interested participants.

For more details on how to submit a proposal to be a part of the AACC convention program, please view the Call for Convention Events page on the AACC Web site.

Getting Psyched for Seattle!

Seattle truly earns its nickname "the Emerald City." It is a picturesque combination of lush green hills and trees, and breathtaking views of snow capped mountain ranges. Seattle is home to the Pike Place Market. You know, where they throw the fish? (I brought home some excellent smoked salmon! ); The Experience Music Project, and Jimi Hendrix (make some time while you are in the city to walk over to Broadway and Pine to view the Jimi Hendrix memorial statue).

Convention will be housed in the Washington State Convention and Trade Center (WSCTC). The WSCTC is located in the middle of downtown Seattle within a few blocks of the convention hotels. The convention center has six floors, but does not feel as large as the center in Phoenix. On the fourth floor, which is where Registration and the Exhibit Hall will be, there are floor-to-ceiling windows that let in lots of light. There is also a patio and garden where attendees can sit and catch a breath of fresh air. The WSCTC has retail establishments on the second floor, including a business center, and several places to purchase coffee and food. In the area of the Convention Center there are tons of shops, restaurants, and entertainment.

At the beginning of June the meetings staff went to Seattle for the first of several site visits for the 2010 Convention. In addition to touring the WSCTC and hotels, we took the opportunity to meet with this year's Host Committee, the Seattle Community Colleges. The Committee shared some great ideas and have some exciting things planned for the upcoming convention. It looks as if 2010 could be the best convention yet!

The AACC staff is getting Psyched for Seattle! We hope you are too!

Meeting the Challenge!

Welcome to the American Association of Community Colleges' Annual Convention Blog!

The 90th Annual AACC Convention will be held April 17-20, 2010, at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, Washington.

The theme of this years' convention is Meeting the Challenge.

The purpose of this blog is to keep you informed of all the latest convention news, and to provide helpful and informative information about all aspects of convention.

We also hope you will use this blog to give us feedback and/or submit questions about convention and share with us ways we can make your convention experience better.

Looking forward to hearing from you. See you in Seattle!

Immigration issue will have economic implications

PHOENIX — Whenever Inside Higher Ed posts an article about undocumented students, the online higher education publication usually gets a swarm of e-mails asking why it doesn’t instead use the term “illegal aliens.” That’s because some organizations opposed to illegal immigration monitor the site and send e-mails to their members asking them to query about the choice of terms.

Editor Scott Jaschik said it illustrates how fiery the issue of illegal immigrants is. And community colleges—which have historically served nontraditional students—and are in the thick of it.

“Community colleges are in the front and center of the issue,” he said during a focus session on immigration during the annual American Association of Community Colleges convention.

Opponents of allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition or even to attend college argue that the practice is especially unjust for legal residents during the current economic climate, when two-year colleges are scrambling to serve more students with smaller budgets.

But proponents contend that serving undocumented students is critical to the economy, particularly in states such as California that will over the next decade see a huge increase in its immigration population as well as in increase in the shortage of workers.

All eyes are also on California because its supreme court is expected to decide this year on the legality of its eight-year-old law permitting undocumented students who have attended high school for at least three years to pay in-state college tuition rates. Proponents of the law say striking down the California law could prompt other states that offer in-state tuition for undocumented students to review their laws.

“If we are not able to stop that from taking place, we are in serious trouble,” said Eduardo Martí, president of Queensborough Community College in New York, one of the states that has such tuition waivers.

A change in California law would force many undocumented students to drop out because they would have to pay 10 times the tuition they currently do, said Richard Dittbenner, government relations director at the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) in California. Such as decision would also affect the economy of California—the seventh largest in the world—because the state wouldn’t have enough skilled workers to fuel it.

The issue is so important to SDCCD that it plans to file a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the state law.

“We feel we need to stand up for the residents of the region,” Dittbenner said.

Congress could help resolve the issue by passing the federal DREAM Act, which would remove certain barriers to state laws permitting in-state tuition for undocumented students as well as provide a path for citizenship, in part, through higher education, according to proponents of the bill. Congress almost passed the legislation last year, and it was reintroduced in both chambers last week.

Community colleges should mobilize their students to encourage lawmakers to pass the legislation, Martí said.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities has even provided on its Web site an electronic form that backers of the DREAM Act can use to encourage their lawmakers to support it.

Community colleges looking to garner support for such bills should also seek advocacy help from business and industry, which will need more skilled workers as baby boomers retire, Dittbenner noted.

“Stress the economic importance of the students at your college,” he said.

Spelling out budget implications in simple terms

PHOENIX — The sputtering economy is prompting community colleges to re-evaluate how they meet challenges, including budgets, enrollments, fund raising and even employee morale.

Transparency was a common theme among four community colleges that shared their strategies in addressing those issues during the annual American Association of Community Colleges convention.

Sean Fanelli, president of the Nassau Community College (NCC) in New York, which serves about 22,000 students annually, said he told faculty, staff and students exactly what the college would have to do to if it had to cut 10 percent from its state funding during the current fiscal year, as New York Gov. David Patterson had initially recommended. The college’s plan would include cutting salaries by $3.3 million, reducing retirement benefits by $1.2 million and increasing tuition by $50 for the academic year.

NCC and other New York colleges also crafted a communication strategy to let lawmakers know the implications of such cuts. Basically, they told state officials that cutting funds meant cutting capacity at a time when two-year colleges were being called on to help in the economy recovery through education and job training.

“We had to be on point. We told them, ‘If you cut us, we lose capacity,’” Fanelli said.

The message seemed to have resonated with state lawmakers and the governor, who opted not to cut current fiscal year funding for community colleges, Fanelli said. But Fanelli stopped short of calling it a victory, noting level-funding as costs continue to increase still amounts to a decrease in funding. And the colleges now are preparing for the possibility of proposed cuts for the next fiscal year.

In Pennsylvania, Joe Forrester, president of the Community College of Beaver County, also made his plans known for budget cuts. His approach included input from faculty and support unions.

His “compression planning” included focus groups that included administrators, union representatives and other in crafting ideas to saving money or to increase revenue. Among the issues the group discussed was whether the college had any unused capacity and how the college could operate more efficiently. (Off the table were topics such as layoff.)

The group suggested cost-cutting maneuvers such as using electronic forms more often, automating certain administrative processes and reducing energy costs, Forrester said. It also mulled how the college could save or generate $100,000. The discussion lead to a plan to restructure custodial work schedules for more efficiency, shifting to on-demand publishing for all college publications and even permitting logging of wooded areas on campus for additional funding.

Having unions involved in the process was critical to ensuring buy in, Forrester said.

“It’s always about communication and the inclusion of our staff,” he said.

Providing a simple, clear message of potential budget cuts to faculty, staff and students is also important to Evelyn Jorgenson, president of Moberly Area Community College in Missouri. In Missouri, Gov. Jay Nixon said he wouldn’t cut funding for community college—if they promised not to increase tuition and fees.

Jorgenson spelled out to her staff and faculty what that plan would mean for her institution. She said she tried to convey it honestly, compassionately and in context (for example, pay increases would be limited to 2 percent). She also made sure she was available for questions and visible on campus.

“The last thing you want to do is make hard decisions and then hide in your office,” Jorgenson said.

Winning the election is only half the battle

PHOENIX — There may be a new, dynamic president in the White House, but that’s not enough to ensure change. Support and advocacy—especially from local communities—are needed.

That’s the message political commentator Donna Brazile conveyed Saturday at the opening session of the 89th annual American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) convention.

“It’s one thing to vote for change, and another thing to fight for change,” said the New Orleans native. Many people prefer to let someone else “stir the pot” and take on the “status quo,” she added.

Brazile, who had three siblings graduate from Delgado Community College (Louisiana), said during times of strife, it is especially critical to have the courage and strength to support change. She said it took Hurricane Katrina, which took the life of her uncle, for her to put aside her political differences with former President George Bush to work together to help the residents of the Gulf region, especially in Louisiana. (Brazile, who managed the Democratic presidential ticket of Al Gore and Joseph Liberman in 2000, joked that it was difficult for her to bottle her feelings about the 2000 election fiasco in Florida and reach out to the Republican president.)

The current spiraling economy—in which about 19,000 Americans lose their jobs each day—is another “storm” that needs to be addressed, Brazile said. She encouraged community college leaders and others at the AACC convention to support the new policies that President Barack Obama is proposing to revitalize the economy. It is especially important to champion the policies locally and for citizens to get more involved in their communities, she added.

“Get involved and get engaged. We cannot just depend on our political leaders in Washington,” Brazile said.

Brazile, who is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., recalled her own path to political and civic engagement. It began with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., after which she made a commitment to fight for justice and equality. Brazile said the country should take advantage of the momentum of the presidential election and encourage younger Americans to get more involved in their communities and to continue to foster change.

Conference kicks off today

PHOENIX — The 89th annual American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) conference kicks off this afternoon with the traditional opening that features the presentation of the AACC Leadership Awards and the New Century Scholars. It will close with a keynote by political commentator Donna Brazile.

The session will open with a welcome by AACC President George Boggs followed by a welcome by Rufus Glasper, chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges, which are the host colleges. It will be followed with the presentation of the AACC Leadership Awards to Walter Bumphus, chair of the Junior and Community College Education Leadership program at the University of Austin, and J. William Wenrich, chancellor emeritus of the Dallas County Community College District (Texas).

Next up will be the presentation of the New Century Scholars. The program, sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, selects top community college students in each of the 50 states based on academic excellence, leadership and community service. Many of the scholars have moving stories.

Concluding the session is Brazile, who is a regular political commentary on ABC News and CNN. She is also chair of the Voting Rights Institute. The conference exhibit hall opens right after from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. This year, conference attendees can participate in a raffle for student scholarships, which is supported by all the exhibitors.

Finally, there will be an opportunity to socialize at the receptions of the National Council on Black American Affairs (8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Phoenix, Valley of the Sun CDE) and the American Association for Women in Community Leadership and the National Institute for Leadership Development (8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Phoenix, Encanto AB).

The Valley of the Sun offers a lot of fun

From sculptures in botanical gardens to vintage-car road races, Phoenix has a lot to enjoy in April
By MELANIE BRISBON, Published March 31, 2009

The city of Phoenix provides an exciting mix of cultural and urban attractions ideal for those in town for the 89th annual American Association of Community Colleges convention April 4-7.

Convention attendees interested in the latest in sustainability efforts don’t have to go any farther than the new 900,000-square-foot Phoenix Convention Center, which is hosting the convention. The center, which opened this year, comprises $3.2 million worth of public art and ecologically friendly features, such as solar paneling and a water-harvesting garden. Its West Building received a LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

To get around town, consider the city’s public transportation system, called the Valley Metro. It includes buses and light rail trains that stop throughout the city, as well as Mesa and Tempe. Patrons can ride all day for $2.50. The light rail runs every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak hours. The trains can get crowded, though, especially during rush hour.

The Valley Metro stops in the heart of downtown Phoenix, known as Copper Square (http://www.coppersquare.com/), home to more than 90 restaurants, pubs and markets. Given Phoenix’s close proximity to Mexico, the area has some of the finest Mexican-inspired food. Cowboy Ciao, Richardson's and Barrio Café are local hot spots for good Mexican cuisine. Pizza lovers should sample Pizzeria Bianco or Grande Orange Pizzeria. American food lovers may enjoy the steakhouse Rustlers Roost or AZ 88.

Copper Square is also home to the Arizona Science Center, which comprises many exhibits for both children and adults. General admission is $9 for adults. Extra fees apply to the IMAX theater, planetarium and for special exhibits.

Speaking of special exhibits, Star Trek fans should check out the “Star Trek: The Exhibition” at the center. It features authentic model ships, sets, costumes and props from all five series and 10 feature films. The cost for the special exhibit is $20 per adult, with general admission included. Purchase tickets for this exhibit at www.azscience.org/star_trek.php.

The metro system also connects to other interesting sites, including the Phoenix Art Museum (www.phxart.org) and the Hall of Flame Fire Museum (http://www.hallofflame.org/). The Phoenix Art Museum, founded in 1959, is the largest visual arts museum in the Southwest and includes works by artists such as Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, Annie Leibowitz and Monet, in addition to a collection of more than 18,000 works of modern and contemporary art and fashion design. General admission is $10 for adults, but convention attendees can enter for free on Friday, April 3 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (the museum is free to the public on the first Friday of each month), or they can visit for free on April 7 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Hall of Flame Fire Museum has extensive fire-history exhibits, with nearly 100 fully restored pieces of fire apparatus on display, dating from 1725 to 1969. Most of the items on exhibit are American, but the museum also contains artifacts from England, France, Austria, Germany and Japan. Additionally, the museum sponsors the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes, which honors firefighters who have died in the line of duty or demonstrated heroism. Admission is $6 for adults.

Another attraction accessible by public transportation is the Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art (http://www.heard.org/), which was founded in 1929 by Dwight and Maie Bartlett Heard to house their personal collection of Native American artifacts and art. The museum features many drawings, sculptures, paintings and writings of Native Americans, particularly from the Southwest. One of its crown jewels is the Bille Jane Baguley Library and Archives, a research facility containing art and information on more than 25,000 American Indian artists. The library also has extensive information about indigenous art and cultures from around the world. General admission for adults is $10.

Since Phoenix is home to 22 federally recognized Native Americans tribes, it has several other attractions focusing on Native American culture. The Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park (http://phoenix.gov/parks/pueblo.html) is where archeologists believe the Hohokam people lived around the year 1450. A major attraction of the 102-acre park is the ruin of an 800-year-old platform, which archeologists believe the Hohokam used for ceremonies or as an administrative center. Visitors can also see an excavated ball court, full-scale reproductions of Hohokam homes and some of the last remaining intact Hohokam irrigation canals, which can be seen along a walking trail in the park.

Phoenix has an arid climate with hot summers and temperate winters. The climate makes for an interesting mix of vegetation in the city. The Desert Botanical Garden (http://www.dbg.org/) accessible by a free shuttle from the Priest and Washington Valley Metro stop) hosts one of the world’s finest collections of desert plants. The unique museum showcases 50 acres of outdoor exhibits featuring 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from around the world.
The botanical garden is currently featuring the exhibit, “Chihuly: The Nature of Glass,” that features the vibrant works of Dale Chihuly, a world-renowned artist whose innovative glass sculptures have been featured in more than 200 museums worldwide. General admission is $15 per adult.

Convention goers arriving early can take in a movie at the Phoenix Film Festival April 2- 9 at the Harkins Scottsdale/ 101 Theatre. It is the largest film festival in Arizona and features many independent films, as well as special guests. This year, the fest will screen a film by students from Scottsdale Community College on April 3. Tickets cost $10 per screening. Visit http://www.phoenixfilmfestival.org/.

Classic auto lovers may want to see one of the premier vintage car road rallies in North America. The Copperstate Road Rally, created in 1990 as a fundraiser for Phoenix Art Museum, hosts about 75 qualifying vintage automobiles with drivers and co-drivers from the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Europe. More than 70 rare and vintage cars tour through Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

The event also features the Field of Dreams Car Show in which more than 500 vehicles will be on display. Each event is priced differently. Visit www.mensartscouncil.com/cs for additional information.

Diversity is the common thread

Diversity is the focus of many of the 200-plus sessions, roundtables and workshops of the 89th annual American Association of Community Colleges convention in Phoenix April 4-7.

As part of the convention’s theme—“Diversity: Our Vision. Our Value.”—some 1,500 senior administrators from community colleges, businesses and organizations from the U.S. and abroad will gather to discuss pressing issues facing community colleges, from immigration and higher education, to preparing workers for a global economy.

The convention will open with a keynote by political strategist Donna Brazile, chair of the Voting Rights Institute and the first African American to lead a major campaign by serving on the Al Gore-Joseph Liberman ticket in 2000. She is a frequent commentator on political news programs, such as CNN, ABC News and National Public Radio.

A recent addition to the convention is Soledad O’Brien, an anchor and special correspondent for CNN Worldwide, who will deliver the keynote speech at the closing plenary session. Since joining the network in 2003, O’Brien’s most recent projects include “CNN Presents: Black in America,” a groundbreaking initiative that focused on the state of Black America 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Discussions about politics and economics will feature prominently at this year’s convention. AACC’s government relations department will host a “super session” on the federal stimulus package with federal officials and what it means for community colleges, as well as general information on what two-year colleges can expect from the Obama administration.

Preparing students for success is also a hot topic. The convention will feature a spotlight session on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s new billion-dollar initiative to improve postsecondary success. Diane Troyer, a senior program officer at the foundation and a former community college president, will lead the discussion.

The conference will also have sessions on successful programs fostered through the federal Community-Based Job Training Grants program.

Global issues are a growing concern among many community colleges, especially as they prepare students for a global economy. Discussions at the conference will include supporting Latino community college success and fostering international collaborations. Ted Fishman, the best-selling author of China Inc., will provide an overview on global trends during a forum session and will sign copies of his book at the AACC booth in the exhibit hall.

Several sessions and roundtables will tackle the issue of immigration, including a focus session that will look at the immigration issues facing courts, legislatures and campuses. It will include nationally known experts as well as media, including representatives from the New York Times and Inside Higher Ed.

There will also be a forum on Asian-American and Pacific-Islander serving institutions that will include Rep. Michael Honda (D-Calif.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee who is a former science teacher and principal.

With the expected surge of veterans returning home and headed to college, several sessions will address serving military service members and veterans and their families. Molly Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education, will share her vision for a comprehensive response from the higher education community and will offer practical solutions for creating veteran-friendly campuses.

Sustainability continues to be a focal point on campuses, especially with President Obama’s plans to create green jobs in current and emerging industries. Several sessions will cover creating partnerships in energy programs (particularly in rural areas), building green academies and exploring new industries and technologies.

Sandra Taylor, president and CEO of Sustainable Business International and formerly a senior vice president of corporate social responsibility at Starbucks, will discuss how the “green revolution” fits into the corporate bottom line at the Presidents Academy Hail and Farewell Luncheon.

The AACC conference is also a good place to find new reports. The association will release its new “Education Plus 50 Learners: Opportunities for Community Colleges,” which comprises the results of a survey to identify existing and planned programming for plus 50 students. All convention attendees will receive an executive summary of the report.