SACRAMENTO – The California Community Colleges Board of Governors today awarded $20 million to 11 California community colleges and districts for developing programs that bolster student success.

The money will be split among the winning colleges and districts.

“Improving student outcomes is the cornerstone of our Vision for Success and the programs these colleges and districts have developed are truly making a difference for thousands of our students,” said Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley. “On behalf of the board and the entire system, I extend my congratulations on this well-deserved honor, and thank our colleges for the incredible work they’re doing to help change our students’ lives for the better.”

The 2017-18 Budget Act included $20 million for the Chancellor’s Higher Education Innovation Awards to be awarded by the board of governors.

The awards recognize innovations that improve student success, and are sustainable and capable of being scaled across the state, with a particular focus on all of the following:

• Programs and frameworks that support students from groups that are underrepresented in higher education, such as low-income students, students from underrepresented schools and neighborhoods, first-generation students, students who are current or former foster youth, and students with disabilities.

• Targeted services and programs for students who are current or former members of the Armed Forces of the United States.

• Programs and frameworks that support adults who have been displaced from the workforce, and adults who are underemployed, so as to obtain the necessary training for gainful employment.

• Programs that support incarcerated adults in prisons and jails, including formerly incarcerated adults.

• Programs that incorporate technology to improve instruction and support services with a plan to ensure student success in these types of programs.

A review committee, comprised of the chancellor’s executive staff and board members Connie Conway and Bill Rawlings, reviewed the readers’ findings and recommended the awardees and award amounts to the chancellor and board of governors. Those applicants receiving the highest scores are recommended for an Innovation Award.

The committee selected the following award winners:

• Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District (Shasta College) - $1,500,000;
• Foothill-De Anza Community College District (De Anza College) – $1,900,000;
• Laney College – $1,100,000;
• Glendale Community College – $1,900,000;
• San Mateo Community College District (Skyline College) – $3,000,00;
• Santa Rosa Junior College – $1,600,000;
• College of the Redwoods – $1,200,000;
• Imperial Valley College – $2,500,000;
• Chaffey Community College – $1,000,000;
• Kern Community College District (Bakersfield College) – $2,300,000;
• Irvine Valley College – $2,000,000.

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 114 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year.

For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/, https://www.facebook.com/CACommColleges or https://twitter.com/CalCommColleges.