The most important person at commencement is not the graduate

“It is 9 a.m. sharp, and the 42 nd commencement of the Community College of Aurora is about to commence. This year, the institution is conferring its largest number of degrees and certificates in the college’s history — more than 1,400. Among the wave of red caps and gowns, I notice the record number of graduates who have adorned their concurrent enrollment sashes, signifying that they are about to earn an associate degree weeks before their own high school graduation. But the most beautiful sight of all is the audience of more than 3,000 mothers, fathers, spouses, children and loved ones who are cheering, waving and crying as they celebrate the successes of these soon-to-be graduates. It is as if each supporter lays claim to the anticipated earned credentials themselves. Because, in many ways, they do. This article is part of a monthly column in CC Daily by Mordecai Ian Brownlee , president of the Community College of Aurora in Colorado. With every student who crosses that stage comes a story and a supporting cast who played critical roles in the culmination of this moment. For some, their story includes a supportive parent who worked extra shifts or took on extra jobs to ensure they could pay for textbooks, tuition, fees or food between classes. For others, it may have been a supportive grandparent or family members who watched their child or children so they could attend evening and weekend classes. And in those moments, we can’t forget the children themselves who missed their mother or father, who spent so much time away from them pursuing an education, yet even their young minds understood that their parents were pursuing a better future for the family. We also cannot forget the families who migrated to America to achieve the dream of education, equality and opportunity. Behind that one graduate stands generations of sacrifice, injustice and servitude, culminating in this life-changing moment that makes their stories of survival all the more worth it. Commencements do, technically, celebrate individual achievement. However, community college graduations often represent something different — collective endurance. Generational transformation America, at scale, is currently in the throes of a long-overdue conversation about the kinds of programs institutions provide their learners and the longitudinal impact those programs will have on graduates’ earnings. Given all the sacrifices mentioned above, imagine a first-generation family discovering, collectively, that the credentials their family member and loved one just earned won’t even lead that student to a livable wage. Even worse, no one near their home is hiring for that credential. Rightfully so, institutions of higher education that utilize taxpayer resources must answer to someone, and somehow, about the quality of the academic programs they offer and whether those programs lead to economic mobility. Such a conversation goes beyond enrollment and completions alone. As community college educators, if we truly believe our community colleges serve as vessels for educational access, transformation and opportunity, the term “ student success ” must become more than a catch-all buzzword in the education and policy community — it must be embraced as a multidimensional charge. And the essence of that charge must be based on a truth we must all be willing to accept: community colleges have a moral and ethical obligation to the learners they are privileged to serve. Ultimately, the fulfillment of that charge will come only when community colleges embrace the realities of their students and develop an entire infrastructure to sustain them through the completion of their program of study. Human-centered design Think back to that commencement audience referenced a moment ago. Surrounding that soon-to-be graduate is an entire ecosystem that is invested in the learner’s success. Yes, out of love, but driven in large part by years of research that continue to show that postsecondary educational attainment is a key driver of economic mobility . The sea of family members and loved ones cheering are more than supporters. They are co-developers, co-investors and co-survivors in the learner’s journey. However, despite the collective efforts surrounding the student, their success largely rests on the institutional design that serves them. Herein lies the dynamic shift and part of the crisis currently taking place, at large, in higher education. For generations, higher education has approached its learners with a take-it-or-leave-it approach. This is what we teach; this is how we serve. It’s worked well for many, and if it doesn’t work for you, then go somewhere else. Society has been and is increasingly saying that it never really was, and it certainly is no longer enough. As I see it, the request being made has nothing to do with reducing rigor. Society is just asking higher education to build bridges (i.e., develop resources, systems, programs) to the rigor by placing the learner and their ecosystem at the center of educational design. Business and industry have long understood this problem-solving concept as human-centered design . In this design, empathy drives the iterative process, incorporating multiple perspectives to inform system development, with the human’s declared need at the center. For community colleges, we understand that we must not only place our students at the center but also their entire ecosystems. Take, for instance, the basic-needs insecurities students are experiencing, such as food or housing , which affect roughly 59% of learners. Students and their families are navigating challenges such as transportation insecurity, mental health, healthcare and access to available and affordable childcare — collectively. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research , over a quarter of all undergraduate students in the United States are raising children. Of those roughly 4.8 million parent-learners, more than 2 million are community college students raising children under 18. In this example alone, institutions have an opportunity to answer the question of how we can support our learners experiencing such realities. For some institutions, this may look like the development of a childcare facility. However, not every institution has the resources or sustainable funds to curate such an experience. In that case, what grants can be secured to support these students? What fundraising initiatives can institutions implement with their business and industry partners to supplement the cost of childcare for students? What changes could be made to a class schedule to offer instruction at times and modalities that best serve those navigating these realities? Three key questions Even as higher education navigates current and yet-to-come dynamics of financial constraint, there are three key questions institutions must ask themselves to guide the prioritization of resource allocation: Do we understand who our learners are? Do we understand the academic and human needs of these learners? Do we understand that to ensure student success, we must meet the academic and human needs of these learners? Because of whom we serve, community colleges have long asked these questions and responded accordingly. However, the charge now is to perform this work at scale, not just within pockets of excellence. As a sector, we must move beyond the few of us receiving awards and recognitions for our programs or being hailed as innovative institutions. We must now embrace the belief that innovation itself must become the standard — not the exception. Not for us, but for the child sitting in the audience, watching their parent walk across the stage for the first time and, perhaps for the first time, believing that a brighter future is possible for them, too. And if such a dream is true, then community colleges must realize that our responsibility extends far beyond access alone. Our collective responsibility is to build our community colleges capable of ushering learners and their entire ecosystems toward economic mobility and generational transformation. The post The most important person at commencement is not the graduate first appeared on Community College Daily .

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