The American Dream has always rested on a simple promise: if you work hard, you can build a better life. But research from Raj Chetty and Opportunity Insights shows that promise is fading. Whereas children born in the 1940s had a 90% chance of surpassing their parents’ income, for those born in the 1980s the odds have fallen to about 50%. For many families, the ladders of opportunity are breaking.
Yet there is hope — and it lies in broad-access higher education. Community colleges do more than provide access; they create opportunity. By welcoming all students, removing barriers and offering affordable, career-aligned programs rooted in community needs, community colleges turn education into a launching pad for family-sustaining careers and upward mobility. That mission — to serve the many, not the few — makes community colleges uniquely positioned to restore the American Dream.
This fall, 11 community college presidents are joining forces to spotlight that mission in a new four-part webinar series: Rebuilding the American Dream. Each session will explore a different stage of the student journey — enrollment, progression and completion — while showing how institutions are using data and innovation to expand opportunity and transform communities.
The series at a glance
- Earning Enrollment: Community Colleges as the Smartest Path to Mobility
[On pemand] September 9, 2025
Featuring Dr. Rebecca Ashford (president, Chattanooga State Community College), Dr. Kimberly Beatty (chancellor, Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City) and Dr. Vern Lindquist (president, Johnston Community College). - From Momentum to Mobility: Rethinking Student Progression for Today’s Learners
October 7, 2025
Featuring Dr. Pam Eddinger (president, Bunker Hill Community College), Dr. Char Perlas (President, College of the Siskiyous) and Dr. Jeremy McMillen (president, Grayson College). - Completion with Purpose: Ensuring Value-Added Credentials Lead to Family-Sustaining Wages
November 5, 2025
Featuring Dr. Jacquelyn Elliott (president, Central Arizona College), Dr. John Enamait (president, Stanly Community College) and Dr. Lane Glenn (president, Northern Essex Community College). - From Data to Action: Building the Infrastructure for Student and Institutional ROI
December 2, 2025
Featuring Dr. Joianne Smith (president, Oakton College), Dr. Gregory Williams (president, Odessa College) and Dr. Ding-Jo Currie (executive director, Community College Think Tank Strategic Solutions).
Education remains the most scalable pathway to upward mobility, and community colleges are at the heart of that promise. No other institutions are better positioned to meet today’s learners where they are, align programs with workforce needs, and ensure that credentials lead to family-sustaining careers. At a time when the American Dream feels out of reach for many, community colleges stand as the most effective engines of opportunity and renewal.
Don’t miss this chance to hear directly from 11 community college presidents as they share how their institutions are helping restore the American Dream.
