They gathered in the nation’s capital during a prolonged federal government shutdown. Right before the stoppage, congressional Republicans eyed to further cut federal spending — perhaps even trimming funding for the very program that supports the group’s education efforts. Adding to the pressure they face are economic uncertainties and rapid technological changes that are drastically altering the workplace and people’s lives.
But at Wednesday’s kick-off of the annual Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Principal Investigators’ Conference in Washington, D.C., community college advocates encouraged the group of 800 attendees — mostly two-year college leaders and faculty from more than 240 colleges — to stay strong, despite these challenges.
The opening plenary highlighted the impact of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded ATE program on students, communities and the country as a whole. DeRionne Pollard, the new president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, which convenes the conference with NSF support, emphasized that advancing a skilled technical workforce has three profound impacts on communities. First, it creates professional opportunities for students, who see a pathway to learning and the workforce. Second, it builds a pipeline of skilled workers for business and industry. Finally, it advances economic stability, which Pollard noted is also a national security issue.
“We have impacted the individual, the communities in which they reside and our nation as a whole,” she told the audience.
Continuing that work requires resilience, Pollard said, and resilience is a skill developed through practice.
“Knowing how to make a new plan when conditions change is a powerful skill set that each of us has to have,” she said. “It is not only a life lesson; it is a financial reality. As a nation, we are more competitive when we are agile enough to adapt to changes in the labor market, and that means making and taking full advantage of advances in technology.”
Pollard segued into AACC’s recently released “Resilient by Design” report and toolkit, which explore how community colleges can integrate resilience in program design, ensuring that students have in-demand skills and are equipped for rapid changes in the workplace.
Pollard noted that community colleges need not only to endure but to lead. They must be alert to students who may have different needs and adapt to their learning styles, create short-term credentials that serve a changing economy, and make it easier for students to move through credit and noncredit programs, and between them, too.
“This community is indeed resilient by design,” she told ATE attendees.
‘Get me those stories’
While Pollard encouraged the practitioners to continue with their innovative work, the chair of the National Science Board (NSB) recommended they gather statistics and stories to share with lawmakers at the local, state and federal levels. Victor McCrary, who also serves as vice president for research at the University of the District of Columbia, told the audience that NSB members have spent the last few months on Capitol Hill promoting the work of NSF programs, including ATE.
Often, young congressional and administration staffers know little about community colleges or programs like ATE, McCrary said. But lawmakers are keen to learn about programs that meet local needs and foster economic development. He shared with the audience that he recently presented at a top-level national security meeting about the field’s talent needs. He relayed that community college students and recent graduates in these fields have the skills to do operations-level work. When asked by an agency’s human resource director why she should hire cybersecurity employees without four-year degrees, McCrary said he responded: “Because the people who are hacking your systems don’t have four-year degrees.”
McCrary asked the audience to share related stories, facts and outcomes that he can tell lawmakers, including what industries ATE programs are servicing. He also encouraged attendees to spread the word among local and state lawmakers as the stories “filter up” to the national level.
“One of your students may have the next cure for cancer, or may have the next national security innovation, or the next large language model that could be used to cure a lot of issues. But I need to know about that,” he said. “I need you to get me those stories.”
In absentia
Olga Pierrakos, NSF director of the ATE program, couldn’t attend the conference due to the federal government shutdown. But she did send her gratitude and admiration to ATE educators for their steadfast commitment to the program and its missions. She gave kudos to their efforts in forming partnerships with employers, developing programs aligned with real-world jobs and rethinking credentials, learning pathways and learning experiences that make education more flexible and accessible.
Pierrakos also encouraged them to continue developing and adapting to change by re-imaging classrooms, labs and partnerships. She echoed one of Pollard’s points: it is critical not to just respond to change, but to lead in it.
“This moment of rapid change is also a moment of tremendous opportunity,” she said in comments read to the audience by Ellen Hause, AACC’s associate vice president of academic and student affairs. “It is an opportunity to lead boldly, re-image lifelong learning and to build stronger bridges between business and industry.”
She added that the next steps include scaling that impact, sharing the knowledge more effectively, leading national conversations and ensuring that “every learner in every ZIP code” has access to meaningful education and work.
A proper send-off
Each of the speakers also recognized V. Celeste Carter, who retired this year after leading the ATE program for 16 years. She was a fixture at ATE and several AACC annual events, including the NSF-funded Community College Innovation Challenge. In 2023, Carter — a former biotechnology and bioinformatics professor at Foothill College (California) — received AACC’s Truman Award, which is presented to individuals and organizations that have had major positive impacts on community colleges.
