SANTA ANA, Calif. — Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) and Santa Ana College (SAC) will bring community college educators and leaders from across California together Oct. 7–9 for the Vision 2030 Noncredit Summit at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach West.
The three-day summit will focus on strengthening noncredit education as a pathway to higher education, workforce preparation and economic mobility for California’s adult learners. California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian will be among the featured presenters, joining state and national leaders for discussions on noncredit education, workforce development, apprenticeships and the changing role of artificial intelligence.
On Thursday, Oct. 8, Christian will present and participate in a panel discussion with the presidents of three of California’s largest noncredit institutions: Dr. Tina King, president of San Diego College of Continuing Education; Dr. Annebelle Nery, president of Santa Ana College; and Valentina Purtell, president of North Orange Continuing Education.
Friday’s program will include a session featuring young adults who completed a 12-week paid internship with Merge Opportunities, a nonprofit serving young people facing significant barriers to employment, including foster youth, justice-involved young adults and young adults in recovery. During the internship, participants used artificial intelligence to address real-world challenges for local nonprofits, including donor outreach, data reporting, communications systems and organizational workflows. The interns will discuss what they created, what they learned and how programs like Merge Opportunities can help open pathways to employment. The session will be moderated by Erin Earlywine, executive director of Merge Opportunities.
Megan Baird, acting director of Apprenticeships at the U.S. Department of Labor, will also present on how apprenticeships can connect adults to good jobs and what those opportunities mean for California. Baird will then moderate a panel examining where California’s job market is heading, the skills employers are seeking and how colleges can prepare adult learners for those opportunities.
Panelists will include Gary Adams, dean with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office; Chrissy Gascon, dean at Santiago Canyon College; Charles Henkels, director of LAUNCH Statewide; and Dr. Lisa Mednick Takami, director of CC TAP at North Orange Continuing Education.
Programming throughout the summit will also include practical case studies, peer-led workshops, networking and four learning tracks addressing programs at different stages of development: Starting Strong, Workforce Forward, The Whole Student, and Policy & Power. An interactive AI Lab will explore emerging applications of artificial intelligence in education.
“Noncredit education plays a critical role in creating accessible pathways to college, careers and economic mobility for adults throughout California,” said Dr. Jim Kennedy, vice president of the School of Continuing Education at Santa Ana College. “This summit gives us an opportunity to bring practitioners and leaders together from across the state to share what is working, explore new approaches and strengthen the opportunities we provide to the communities we serve.”
The summit will be held Oct. 7–9 at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach West, 4545 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach.
For registration, the full program and additional information, visit NoncreditSummit.org.
Contact:
Eugene W. Fields
Interim Chief Communications Officer
Rancho Santiago Community College District
714.628.5936
fields_eugene@rsccd.edu
About Rancho Santiago Community College District
Rancho Santiago Community College District is one of California’s largest community college districts and includes Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. RSCCD provides credit and noncredit education, transfer pathways, career education and workforce training to students throughout its communities.