WSCUC will host its annual Academic Resource Conference (ARC) April 10 – 12 in Garden Grove, California. The conference brings together institutional leaders and stakeholders to discuss critical issues facing colleges and universities, including closing equity gaps, supporting underserved and first-generation students, leveraging data analytics to improve outcomes, and more.

The theme of this year’s ARC, “Provocative Questions, Courageous Answers,” encourages participants to tackle tough conversations and explore creative opportunities to better serve students, strengthen outcomes, and improve the region’s postsecondary system.

WSCUC President Jamienne S. Studley said, “We urgently need to challenge assumptions, spark debate, and push boundaries to honor our commitment to student success, equity, and education quality. We hope participants will engage in critical, sometimes unexpected, analysis of institutional purposes and practices, assess real-world examples of meaningful change, and collect best practices that can be implemented at their institutions.”

Features of the 2019 ARC include:

• The #2019ARC opening event, “Dreams to Degrees: Magnifying Student Success,” will discuss leveraging data to raise student achievement and demand greater equity in higher education. This inspiring plenary will feature Alexandra Bernadotte of Beyond 12, Kim Mazzuca of 10,000 Degrees, and Dr. James Minor, who leads California State University’s Graduation Initiative 2025.
• A panel on  “Provocative Questions and Courageous Answers about Teaching, Learning, and Assessment – Is Higher Education Accomplishing What it Said It Would?” gathers  distinguished professionals from institutions and the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment and Research to ask serious and bold questions about the true value of degrees and credentials and how we determine if students are learning.
  
• In a Friday morning address, Dr. Lande Ajose, the new Senior Director of Higher Education for Governor Gavin Newsom, will offer an uncompromising assessment of our region’s challenges and share a bold vision for a more inclusive and effective postsecondary system that meets the needs of all students – regardless of race, background, or circumstance. Dr. Ajose served on the WSCUC Commission until her appointment to this leadership post.
• Other sessions will explore student housing insecurity and mental health issues, tackling equity gaps, addressing diversity and social justice, better serving first-generation students of color, building an inclusive faculty culture, and navigating politics on campus.
• A CEO Forum will discuss changing attitudes and public perceptions of higher education with college and university presidents and feature a presentation from Inside Higher Education editor Doug Lederman.
• WSCUC staff will also lead a series of presentations and discussions about all things accreditation.

Updates on ARC activities and discussions will be posted on social media and the WSCUC website, www.wscuc.org. Conference participants will be communicating about the conference on Twitter @wascsenior using the hashtag #2019ARC.

To learn more about ARC, visit www.arc.wscuc.org. To learn more about WSCUC, visit www.wscuc.org.

The WSCUC Senior College and University Commission is a regional accrediting agency serving a diverse membership of public and private higher education institutions throughout California, Hawaii, and the Pacific, as well as a limited number of institutions outside the U.S. Through its work of peer review, based on standards agreed to by the membership, the Commission encourages continuous institutional improvement and assures the membership and its constituencies, including the public, that accredited institutions are fulfilling their missions in service to their students and the public good.