Forum 36 | Francisco Rodriguez | Community Colleges: Modern-Day Engines for Mobility

April 9th, 2018 | UC Davis Student Community Center

Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Community College District: "Community Colleges: Modern-Day Engines for Economic and Social Mobility."

In this forum, Dr. Rodriguez will proceed from the observation that America’s community colleges— which are the most egalitarian institutions of public higher education, serving more than 12 million students each year—play a leading role in supporting social mobility as well as our nation’s strength, economic health and prosperity, and democracy. He will address how community colleges currently face an array of formidable challenges, including demands to increase access and equity; raise completion and graduation rates; and improve postgraduate outcomes. Indeed, they must meet these challenges in a climate of decreasing public confidence in higher education, staggering enrollments, and segregated educational attainment. Dr. Rodriguez will describe how community colleges provide the best return on investment in higher education.